The boy furrowed his brow when he caught the deliberate tone in the sentence, 'which you need most right now to address your unique condition'. But he kept it to himself and refrained from commenting.
Because it was indeed true.
In silence, he allowed fleeting memories of the little girl who had appeared out of nowhere, as if sent by Goddess Gaia herself to rescue him from the brink of death due to his unique condition, to flash through his mind. Not only that, but the little girl had also led him to the mythical spring, a long-held myth.
Recalling it all, he felt immensely grateful for the help the little girl had given him and vowed to always be there if she needed him, granting any request she might have.
However, it was a different matter when it came to the Great Protection of Water Spirit King.
The protection from the Spirit Kings is invaluable, as gaining blessings from these majestic beings is rare and challenging.
If his primary goal in coming to the Galatea territory is to find the mythical spring to cure his unique condition, then his hidden objective is to seek the Spirit Kings.
Of course, finding a Spirit King here is nearly impossible since they have their territories in the Elemental Temples outside the Galatea territory. However, he once read an ancient scroll from his ancestors mentioning that sometimes the Spirit Kings visit the energy-rich Galatea territory to interact with other spirits and greet Queen Titaia.
Hence, he arrived with two goals. While he would be immensely grateful if he could achieve his main objective of finding the mythical spring, he also secretly hopes for clues to fulfill his secondary objective.
Little did he expect to discover hints that could lead him to his other goal.
Initially, if he encountered a mysterious person claiming to offer him the Great Protection of the Spirit King, he would have immediately deemed them a fraud and instructed the guards to apprehend them.
But he couldn't assume that now.
'Clearly, the identity of this mysterious woman goes beyond ordinary, evident even to the naked eye,' the young boy mused, swallowing hard.
Even now, the boy still shivered greatly just by listening to the voice coming from the lips of the mysterious woman, let alone sensing the aura surrounding her body.
'Everything in this forest is silently vibrating intensely as if indirectly screaming at me to prostrate myself before this woman.'
He closed his tired eyes.
'Haha, Father, are you aware that 'She' is currently not in a state of slumber?' He forced a bitter smile, unsure whether it was joy or sadness in his heart about the situation that had befallen him. If he were to disclose this incident to the world, it would undoubtedly cause an uproar.
Certainly, that's a problem for later if he manages to safely leave the forest now, having chosen one of the choices given by the mysterious woman.
'Choice, huh... So far, I've always been given everything I want, so I'm not used to being told to choose just one-especially when the choice is clear about which one is more profitable.'
It's as if 'She' is indirectly and intentionally suggesting he chose that.
'Is it to protect the little girl? Who is she to be protected by such a great figure?'
Question after question flooded his mind, causing his head to ache, and forcing him to push away his thoughts to calm down.
'Whatever it is, what I have to do now is choose before I offend the wrath of the person in front of me.'
He sighed deeply.
Today, his luck was truly extraordinary.
And he knew very well, that what had happened today was something he would be thankful for throughout his life because he felt that this moment was once in a lifetime.
The wonder and luck he experienced on this occasion made him tremble, feeling as if a wave of sensation was coursing through his entire body.
He might be one of the few very fortunate people here. Father and his ancestors would surely be very envious upon knowing this.
'Now or never.'
He clenched both his hands tightly, and although his nails slightly dug into the palm of his hand, the effects of the Tears of Queen Titaia the First, which he had taken a few minutes earlier, immediately healed his wounds without a trace within seconds.
"... May I think about it for a moment?" he asked. The young boy appeared genuinely thoughtful. The woman laughed, seemingly amused by his demeanor, and nodded.
"Of course. I didn't expect this decision to be so difficult. I thought you'd choose without hesitation."
The boy with deep blue hair didn't answer immediately. Instead, he gazed at the still-sleeping little girl under the big tree, without a smile.
But then, he smiled, occasionally shaking his head, accompanied by a soft chuckle, as if recalling something funny amid the looming tension.
The woman remained silent, without commenting on all the gestures displayed by the boy in front of her. Her eyes watched him closely, and her gaze gradually shifted from indifference to sharpness.
'Maybe....'
She closed her eyes briefly, took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly. Her lips moved soundlessly, whispering words that couldn't be heard clearly.
"..."
Then, the woman returned to her dominant posture, her face unchanged, and her voice sounded playful without emotion.
"Alright, I don't have much time. Come on, quickly make your choice," she suddenly said loudly.
The young boy was surprised, realizing that the time given for contemplation was very short. He looked around as if searching for something before turning his gaze back to the mysterious woman.
"Before that, may I know your name, if you don't mind, I hope this isn't considered impertinent..." the young boy asked carefully.
But he suddenly flinched as if he had forgotten something.
"Ah, allow me to introduce myself first. My name is Kai," he said, quickly introducing himself with great respect, bowing perfectly at a 90-degree angle, and displaying noble etiquette.
The woman blinked, observing Kai's perfect politeness without any interest. "... I'm Rhea. Alright, so... What's your choice?"
Kai let out a relieved breath; getting just the name of the mysterious woman was enough before turning his gaze back to his savior with regretful eyes.
His eyes showed a decisive change as if he had made up his mind with a choice that couldn't be contested by anyone.
"The choice I make is...."
"..."
Elara, the 9-year-old, looked at them with a curious expression when suddenly she couldn't hear the continuation of their conversation.
"... Huh? What's happening? Why is it suddenly silent?"
"Why can't I hear anything?" Elara asked, starting to panic.
Crack...Crack--!
Elara looked around in panic as she realized that, besides the two of them, who suddenly couldn't hear their voice, there were faint crackling sounds in the otherwise tranquil surroundings, as if something was slowly breaking.
"WHAT'S HAPPENING????"
Elara who had previously floated silently in the air, was now actively trying to understand this strange situation.
Elara looked up spontaneously, her gaze fixed on the blue sky.
Crack...crack.
It appeared as though the blue expanse was gradually cracking as if struck by an unseen force.
"..."
Sensing something important about to happen, Elara quickly moved closer to the two of them, hoping to hear more of their conversation, especially because it seemed to involve her
"...?"
However, before Elara's transparent hand could touch Kai's sturdy shoulder, a blinding blue light suddenly appeared between them. This light emanated from the mysterious woman's hand and flowed towards Kai, causing Elara to be thrown a few steps back in shock.
"What is that light?"
Elara's heart, which had previously been calm, suddenly beat rapidly, as if signaling to her that this was an important moment. She became more convinced that the blue light held a deep meaning.
The blue light continued to expand and engulfed the mysterious woman named Rhea and the boy named Kai until both of them were no longer visible.
All that remained was the dazzling blue light around them, and in the midst of it, something was changing shape, as if seeking the right form.
"Unbelievable...!" Elara muttered with fascination, witnessing this strange and captivating sight happening right before her.
She instinctively reached out her hand but quickly pulled it back as her fingertips almost touched the ever-changing blue light, which transformed into various unfamiliar shapes before her eyes.
Elara remained still, her eyes fixed on the blue light as if searching for something hidden within it.
Crack-crack-crack--! Crack-crack-crack--!
While she gazed at the blue light without any intention of approaching or touching it, cracking sounds grew louder and more numerous around her.
The more she listened to those cracking sounds, the more she felt something stirring deep within her.
"Huuuu...."
In an instant, her hand had touched the blue light.
--!!
The blue light, which had been shifting in shape, suddenly stopped at a certain form when Elara's hand touched it.
The shape taken by the blue light immediately moved and began to speak with a melodious and majestic voice.
"Ah, Your Majesty, I am delighted that you are willing to bestow a blessing upon someone."
Elara's brown eyes suddenly turned green for a few seconds as she examined the form chosen by the ever-changing blue light sharply. Her hand, which was only touching the light, moved stiffly to stroke the form, making the blue light vibrate with joy.
"May we meet again soon," said the blue light before slowly fading after a few minutes.
As the dazzling blue light gradually faded, Elara's sudden awareness also disappeared.
"Ah..." Elara, whose brown eyes had returned, sighed heavily as her head throbbed. "What, what just happened?"
After the blinding blue light disappeared without a trace, only Rhea, the mysterious woman who had introduced herself earlier, remained standing there in a seemingly empty atmosphere.
"..."
Elara could only gaze at Rhea, whose face was still obscured by the mysterious mist, with a puzzled look. However, Kai, the young boy, was no longer there with her.
"What happened to both of them when that blue light appeared?!" Elara felt incredibly curious.
"!" But Elara suddenly froze when she saw Rhea's slender body suddenly surrounded by tree roots, oddly wrapping around her entire body, leaving no gap.
Rhea, even though her body was surrounded by numerous tree roots, remained calm. In silence, she stared at the spot where Kai had stood before disappearing for a few seconds, then turned her gaze back to Elara.
Or more precisely, 9-year-old Elara, not 5.
!!
Elara, still floating with a ghostly translucent body, felt surprised when she saw Rhea's sharp green eyes peering at her through the mysterious mist.
'Ha! I knew she was pretending not to see me from the beginning!' thought Elara with conviction.
"So, um, h-hello...?"
With mixed feelings of relief and anxiety, Elara quickly spoke, wanting to ask something about the strange situation she was in, the only person who seemed to be aware of her presence.
Yet, Rhea, the enigmatic woman entwined in tree roots, glided effortlessly through Elara's transparent, ghost-like form.
"..." Elara immediately closed her mouth, lamenting her foolishness.
What had she expected? Now she was just an entity floating aimlessly.
"Oh, God, what's happening to me?" Elara felt almost insane. She was tired of seeing all this without adequate explanation.
As Elara pondered in her heart, Rhea continued to advance, passing through Elara's still-translucent form. This meant that Elara's current form couldn't be touched or seen by anyone. She was clearly a ghost.
"What should I do?!" Elara cried out in panic.
She did love stories of reincarnation, but she also loved high-imagination supernatural tales that were impossible in the real world.
She knew that human-made stories would never happen in reality.
But after death, she had to take back her words.
She felt empty, as a ghost floating aimlessly, and thought that all her efforts over the past 9 years had been in vain.
"What does all of this mean? I'm tired of seeing all this without a proper explanation."
As she pondered in her heart, Rhea continued to move forward without hesitation, passing through Elara's 9-year-old, translucent form and stopping right in front of 5-year-old Elara who was still sleeping under the big tree.
Her voice, gentle and full of affection, broke the silence.
"Lara."
The brief call instantly dispelled Elara's reverie.
There was only one person in the world who always called her with a tone like the one she had just heard.
Elara froze, like a statue of ice that would never thaw.
Her lips were tightly closed, as if she was reluctant to speak. She forced them open, and a hoarse, trembling voice, as if she couldn't believe it, managed to come out of her throat.
"M...Mother?"