Going Home

Ripples of elemental energy drifted outside, and Weise's voice sounded clearly in Yaxiu's ear: "We're back." Yaxiu immediately got out of bed. Turning to pull the quilt over Sonia, he saw her fingers still pinching his sleeve, only to slip limply away in the end. His heart melted. He tucked her hand back beneath the covers, then leaned down and gently kissed the corner of her eye. Weise and Daedalose, returning travel-worn after being out all night, brought out eight boxes, all filled with Sun-Seeking sorcery spirits. "Fortunately, the urban legend about the devil spread, and several owners were already on their way to Azula. Otherwise, we wouldn't have been able to buy up so many Sun-Seeking sorcery spirits so quickly..." Weise said. "How are they doing?" "Same as last night." Yaxiu led them toward the third bedroom. Pushing the door open, he saw Vichy sitting on the bed. Her hair cascaded loose over her shoulders, and the strap of her nightgown had slipped down, making her look no different from an ordinary elven maiden. Yet her spine was held remarkably straight, her expression serene and naturally commanding, like a vicious beast slumbering. Lacking sufficient reason to control herself, the immense bestiality concealed beneath her human skin threatened to break free at any moment. The Spectre Prophet looked up at them, her breathing long and deep, her face flushed crimson. As though nothing were wrong, she asked, "Gathered all the Sun-Seeking sorcery spirits?" "Are you sure you can—?" "Hand them over." Vichy held out her hand. Once Vichy took the eight Sun-Seeking sorcery spirits into her Temple of Sorcery, they were immediately fed into the Garden's eternal wonder, "Blasphemous Movement." Unlike Wind, Flower, Snow, and Moon or the Ancient Battlefield, the Garden's eternal wonder was not combat-oriented, leaning instead toward support and management. It was hard to say what considerations had led the Weaver to dispatch the Garden down into the mortal realm. The effect of "Blasphemous Movement" was simple: by gathering enough of the same sorcery spirit, one could summon a pseudo-god, which could still be used to cast spells, assemble wonders, and unleash miracles! Though straightforward and crude in execution, its latent potential was practically immeasurable. Yaxiu couldn't begin to imagine how much the Weaver must hate herself right now—with "Blasphemous Movement," the Weaver had effectively possessed every god! Although only one pseudo-god could exist at a time within "Blasphemous Movement," and summoning a new pseudo-god would make the previous one vanish, that flaw did not diminish its brilliance. As long as there were enough sorcery spirits of varying types, one could summon different pseudo-gods to fit any need, offering vastly more options no matter the circumstance. What was more, gods varied greatly in rarity. Those of the Fate, Truth, and Prophecy factions were bound to be the most elusive, yet "Blasphemous Movement" bypassed faction barriers entirely, allowing one to summon the corresponding pseudo-god simply with a large quantity of low-tier sorcery spirits! That was why Yaxiu and his companions had bought up Sun-Seeking sorcery spirits: they needed a Sun-Seeking pseudo-god to construct a healing wonder. As source power circulated and the wonder activated, a mountain-crushing fatigue engulfed Vichy's mind. She couldn't help wrapping her arms around herself, her body trembling uncontrollably. Just then, a pair of arms drew her into an embrace. Her beastlike instincts flared reflexively, but sensing a familiar scent, she quieted at once, relentlessly squeezing her soul to wring out enough thought resources to maintain "Blasphemous Movement." Vichy opened her palm, upon which appeared a butterfly crafted of glass. Its patterns resembled hairline fractures across glass, as though the slightest touch would shatter it completely. "Leave it... to you," Vichy said weakly. Yaxiu incorporated the Sun-Seeking pseudo-god into his Soul Kingdom of Heaven. Following the blueprint designed by the Witch, he first dismantled the wonder "Time Lock," then integrated the Sun-Seeking pseudo-god to assemble a new higher-tier Time wonder— "Jump"! Yaxiu grabbed Vichy's wrist and activated the "Jump" wonder, plucking a suitable point in time from his own memories: the day before the Senluo Divine Battle! Driven by the immense source power of Triple Residual Strength, the precision instrument of time began to rapidly turn backward. Yaxiu could almost hear the rushing sound of water—the sound of the River of Flowing Gold violently evaporating! The injuries Vichy had carried from the Senluo Divine Battle until now vanished without a trace, as if she had never been wounded at all. This was neither recovery nor healing, but an outright overwrite of her present state with the condition of her past soul body. This was the theoretical effect of the "Jump" wonder: regardless of what injuries or curses you suffered, find a past point in time when you were in good condition, and jump back! In terms of time, the present jumped to the past; in terms of effect, the past overwrote the present! Though her injuries were gone, Vichy still leaned limply against Yaxiu. Clearly, the trial curse had not vanished with the time jump. Not only were Yaxiu's hopes dashed, but Vichy was also suffering immensely, muttering weakly in frustration, "It still... won't work...? That piece of trash Dramatic Poet..." "It's fine. I figured it might turn out this way," Yaxiu said, helping her lie down with a faint smile. "How could a Six-Wing Trial be so simple? Don't worry, I'll find a way to help you all get through it." "I can definitely complete the trial on my own!" Vichy said, indignation written across her face. "I'd never entrust my life and death... to anyone else..." Even if it couldn't remove the trial curse, "Jump" could at least heal the injuries lingering from the divine battle. Sonia's injuries were fairly light and had nearly healed over recent days anyway, but Yaxiu gave her a Jump just the same. Healing the Witch was trickier. She had been injured only after shifting into her young woman form; her little girl form was completely unharmed. That didn't mean she wasn't injured, only that the wounds would reveal themselves only when she shifted back. Yaxiu had no choice but to softly wake the Witch, asking Diya if she could shift back into her young woman form. Diya mumbled several grumbled phrases, none of which Yaxiu could decipher, though he imagined she was scolding him for waking her. After a moment, the chime of a bronze bell resonated in the room, and the little girl under the quilt rapidly grew into a shapely young woman. For the third time, Yaxiu activated "Jump," overwriting the Witch's present injuries with her past. His face turned pale. Time wonders had a major distinction from other factions: the further back across time one reached, the more source power it consumed. Activating Jump three times consecutively was enough to drain his source power reserves completely. "All done, you can change back now," Yaxiu murmured. Just as he went to leave the room, the Witch caught his wrist. She pointed at his heart. "Heart," she said. "Your heart... hasn't been treated yet." Yaxiu paused. The area where his heart should be was still empty, the injuries from the Dark Extinction Blood River stubbornly preventing his soul body from regenerating. Still, with his source power spent, treatment didn't have to happen this second, so Yaxiu said, "I'll treat it in a bit." The Witch gently shook her head and let out a dissatisfied huff through her nose, refusing to let go of his wrist. Yaxiu ruffled her hair and, expending what few source crystals he had left, activated "Jump" once more, overwriting his scarred present with his past. "I'm fine now. Don't worry," he whispered. No matter how severe Yaxiu's injuries were, they could be cured through miracles. But against the curse afflicting the Sword Princess, the Witch, and the others, he was truly at a loss. Although "False Promise" remained an option, since even a healing wonder was ineffective, Yaxiu held little hope for a Fate wonder. According to the Dramatic Poet, the primary difficulty of this Six-Wing Trial was supposed to fall upon him. Why were the Sword Princess and the others the only ones suffering? What on earth was he supposed to do to share their agony and help them see the trial through? As Yaxiu racked his brains, he noticed that the Witch still hadn't let go, struggling to keep her eyes wide open as she gazed at him. "Play games." "Huh?" "You promised last night we'd play games," the Witch said weakly. "I want to play video games." Yaxiu traded glances with Weise and the others outside the door. After a moment's thought, he lifted the Witch from the bed and carried her to the gaming room. There were no chairs in the gaming room, so Yaxiu arranged the beanbag chairs together, letting the Witch sink comfortably into them. Grasping the game controller, the Witch really did seem to perk up a little. Bleary-eyed, she played a two-player game with Yaxiu. When Yaxiu made a misplay and got penalized, she giggled happily; when it was her turn to blunder, she pouted petulantly, totally engrossed. "Yaxiu." "Hmm?" "I want to go home." Yaxiu turned toward the Witch, repeating in an uncertain tone, "You want to go home?" The Witch nodded firmly. "Back to our home." Yaxiu said nothing more, continuing to play games with her until she drifted dizzily off to sleep, only then carrying her back to the bedroom. Afterward, he called Weise, Felix, and Daedalose over, saying calmly: "Let's go to Nabistin." Weise cautioned, "The Law Angel can enter Gospel through the Void Gate at any moment." "I know. But we won't necessarily alert the Law Angel. And even if the Law Angel really does come..." "So what?" The Silver Lantern froze. Yaxiu was keeping his head bowed, so no one could see his expression. His tone was utterly calm, yet beneath his voice lay an unmistakable, indomitable arrogance. The sickness and pain afflicting the Sword Princess and the others had provoked not only his tenderness, but also a molten, volcanic fury. He had had enough of the despair known as powerlessness. This was not only their trial; it was Yaxiu's trial as well.