Chapter 72 - Time and Space

As I lay down in the cold and yellowing grass, Erkut, the human man who's the former leader of the death-squad sent to finish off me and Millibelle, walks over and sits down next to me. I open my eyes, giving a disinterested glance at him before closing them again.

...

There's an awkward silence between us, but the bond our minds now share tell me what he's thinking of.

"Go on. I'll explain as best I can." I mumble to him. "Ah- Uh. If you don't mind me saying... You look much... different from what the description we were given." His voice quivers, equal parts nervousness and fear. He's sitting next to the sworn enemy of his former boss as if we were friends after all.

"Well, that's no wonder. Considering I'm not currently in that form." I answer as the thorns coiling themselves around most available supports in the grove start moving, seemingly undulating in tune to the song now emanating from the cave beneath the Elder Oak.

Seems her voice got even better once she Evolved. "Ah- is that the Vir'ava? I saw her enter that cave just before." Erkut asks, his eyes wide in wonder at the ethereal display before us. The mists start swirling, as if the grove was filled with phantasmal dancers, all the while the thorny vines keep the rhythm.

"Yes, she sings to soothe me." Erkut gives me an odd look. "Here, it's quicker if I show you." I get up and stretch. Although my SP isn't completely filled yet, it's high enough that I feel comfortable using Share Nutrients on Her.

As we approach the cave entrance, the Spriggan that guard it move to block Erkut from entering. A stern stare from me makes them back off though.

"It's okay, I'm just giving him some perspective." I tell the Vir'ava via Telepathy, sensing her annoyance at the human's presence.

"AH- W-What's that?!" Erkut cries out in horror at the form before him once his eyes adjust to the dim light inside the cave.

Before us lie the sleeping form of the Great Monarch, Millibelle. The Degradation is spreading at a steady pace. The limbs She regrew during the struggle with the Hero are the most damaged; swollen, purple and covered in tumorous, spiky growths. The damage is less apparent on the rest of Her body, but I know from being Her that the spread is soon too much.

I have at most a day or two to make the Divine Spring. I cannot wait for the Dragons to return with Oasis Water nor Celestial Marble. I have to see it, then replicate it here.

"That is my true form. This is the aftermath of the fight with the Hero." I state, plainly. "H-How could this-?" Erkut stammers, an instinctual fear of the Malice that's within Her welling up inside of him.

"Simple, your boss, Aurellium, fights dirty. That armor the Hero was given by the Aurellium was a Chimera of some sort, at least that's my working theory. Regardless, that armor had tubing full of pure Malice." Enforcing my will upon his mind, I forcefully calm him so he is able to take in the information I'm giving him.

"I'm slowly turning Hateful, and once I do, the World will end."

"Ah?"

"Think about it. A monster that absorbs the power of those she slays, combined with the chaotic hatred of the Malice... A monster that cannot be reasoned with; unlike the True Tyrant which let itself be killed once it realized the damage it was causing the World. The only end result would be the complete annihilation of all life but mine."

Erkut falls to his knees. "So it's all lost then? Why even offer us the chance of redemption if the end is so close at hand?" He asks, a hint of subdued anger in his voice.

"There is a way. I just need to create a Divine Spring, and Purify the Malice from my body." I point towards the pit dug in the floor at the very back of the cave. It's the best location to have it, especially considering we can't really move Her.

Erkut glances between me, the pit, and Millibelle, his bewilderment forcing me to hide a smile.

"You can do that?" He whispers, awe and confusion apparent.

"I sure hope so, at least. Speaking of which, please excuse me for a moment." I wave him off as a notification alerts me to the Air and Lightning Dragon's Evil Eye desiring attention.

Ah, finally the blizzard has subsided. I focus my eyes, and my view becomes that which the Evil Eye sees. There's the Air Dragon, doing loops of joy as the Lighting Dragon tries to pry apart the strange stones around them.

Unlike regular marble, Celestial Marble seems to be a swirling mix of deep blues and reds, with bands of purple and black, along with a peculiar speckling of white and gold flecks. It really lives up to its name, huh.

I run a deep analysis on it:

*Celestial Marble*

*A kind of stone with mythical qualities. Created when ancient layers of fossilized sediments from the age before man is unearthed by erosion. It is immune to the ravages of time, and nearly impossible to damage otherwise. The Celestial Marble that is found in Divine Springs has had its color changed by the pure energies of the Spring, looking nothing like its raw form.*

*Combining this information with data already obtained, it is now possible for you to synthesize Celestial Marble by modifying the 'Rock Formation: Wall' Spell.*

Oh- I'm so relieved. A huge weight just lifted from my heart. Let's get to work immediately!

Hm, seems Erkut left. Oh well, not that I blame him. I give the return order to the Air and Lightning Dragons. They seem surprised, but elated that they get to come home.

Another notification... Death and Life Dragons, along with the Lurastray, are ready to leave since the battle is over and the battlefield has been cleaned of bodies. I give the go-ahead, though from their tone, I think I should expect a surprise once they get here.

Now, let's see how I'm going to do this...

I'm lying on the cave floor, a worried Leraste (~The Quetzalcoatl~) pushing berries into my mouth. Ugh! This blasted weak body! I fume as I angrily eat the offered berries. They taste sweetly sour, and stain my mouth black.

As she flies off to find more food, I struggle to my feet. Before me is a half-finished pool, at one end, a statue of a woman like the one at the original Divine Spring. I managed to somehow replicate that one in one go, but getting the pool done has been my bane.

Most likely We didn't get a good enough look at the bottom of the pool... Or I'm just inept at making simple things. I ended up wasting nearly all my MP trying to get it right, and now I'm too tired to even try to continue.

I cast a glance over to my Other Half. I... I want to wake Her up, make her do it. But I know that if I woke her, the Malice would spread so much faster. It's simply not a risk I'm willing to take.

I should confer with Delpha, she and Samantha should have more knowledge on the Divine Spring than me. I wander outside, where the trio of ex-Aurellium are conversing in hushed tones. I don't care at the moment, I could always pry one of their memories later if I get curious.

Let's see, where is she? I reach out and locate Ame and Mabe. They're by the small river that runs close by the grove. Just as well, I'm thirsty.

As I arrive, both the Bidra and Delpha startle. Delpha's hands are stained with mud and dirt, her dress is also coated where she's been sitting down to get better purchase against the ground. Ame (I think) drops a decently sized rock they were carrying in their mouth in their surprise. It lands with a thud, and Mabe gives their twin a headbutt saying 'be more careful!'.

"Ah- no..." Delpha seems dejected. "What's wrong?" I ask, my voice almost carrying worry. "No its just that... I wanted this to be a surprise for Millibelle once she's cured."

Now that I look closely, I realize what Delpha is making. "The Gyger and Jotun told me how much she likes to soak in the river, but she's too big to get completely submerged, so I wanted to make a pool for her." Delpha pauses before giving an awkward smile.

"I guess you already knew that, though." She keeps an eye on me as I make my way over to the river and start drinking. Once I'm sated, I turn to her.

"I'll try to keep it a secret. However, I need a favor." I sigh, letting myself slump onto the ground. "I've managed to make the statue for the Spring, but I just can't get the pool itself right. When we saw the one at Spring Keep, I though the statue would be the most important thing to remember, so I didn't study the structure of the pool as closely." I admit.

"T-that's amazing!" Delpha exclaims at the news of the statue. "The pool, what shape are you making it? The one at the Spring Keep looks round, but it's actually square. They added gilded metal brackets to the corners to make it appear round, something about it looking better..." She puts a muddy hand to her chin, leaving a brown mark upon it as she thinks.

"OH! So that's why it didn't make sense!" I shout with excitement. I knew it! I was doing it wrong!

Flinching slightly at my outburst, but quickly smiling at my excited bouncing up and down as I express my joy at this revelation. "Thank you, Delpha, you have saved Us yet again." I bow deeply to her before scurrying back to the cave, my fatigue washed away by excitement.

Finally, the pool part of the Spring is complete. Once Delpha helped me, it only took a little while to do. Leraste seems exasperated by my quick swings between lethargic and hyped up, though. However, I'm left with quite a bit of Celestial Marble left over from my previous attempts. It's nearly indestructible, but my overwhelming Strength and the 'Excavator' Skill lets me break it apart with relative ease.

Perhaps I- or Her, rather, wants to use it for decoration? We never did get around to furnishing the cave.

A rush of nostalgia hits me as I remember all the things She wanted to do before things really hit the fan in regards to well... everything. Before the Hero, the Aurellium, hell, before me. I'll make sure to remind her of all the things we've neglected to do once She's cured of the Malice!

Eh? A notification... Oh! It's the second team. They've located an Oasis Tortoise. Focusing my sight, I involuntarily gasp at the spectacle before me as I look through the eye of the Evil Eye.

As far as the eye can see, a bland sandy landscape, but walking through it is a monstrous turtle. It's massive. Its flat shell is oddly shaped, almost like a bowl, and sand falls from the edges of its features as it moves. A cloud of Avianoid monsters follow it like seagulls follow a shoal of sardines.

The Dragons and the Evil Eye land atop its shell. I'd estimate the surface area to be around the size of a soccer field, with tropical looking trees and plants swaying in rhythm to the giant monster's steps. A thick carpet of lush grass contrasts starkly with the arid landscape the Oasis Tortoise lives in. In the exact middle of the shell there lies a pond, the water entirely still despite the rocking and swaying of the surroundings.

That has to be Oasis Water! I take a good, close look at it, ignoring the queasy expressions of the Dragons as they're swayed back and forth by the movements of the giant they're standing atop.

*Oasis Water*

*A miraculous liquid found rarely in inhospitable places where water should not normally exist. The most reliable location to find it is atop the back of an Oasis Tortoise, though scaling it safely is a greater challenge than finding the nomadic monster. The water itself has peculiar effects when ingested, rendering the imbiber completely immune to physical attacks for a while after drinking it. It also negates any harmful environmental effects.*

*Combining this new information with previously known data allows for the synthesis of Oasis Water by modifying the 'Create: Water' Spell.*

Okay! Now I have all the pieces, I just need to assemble them. I give the order to return to the Dragons. They seem relieved as I close the connection with the Evil Eye.

I bring out the eight Pure Magic Crystals I've made previously. These need to be placed in a specific order, and the pool filled a little between each time I place a gem. I take a deep breath. If this fails now, I need to consider what to do next.

No- let's see if this works before even thinking of plan B. It just makes me too uncomfortable.

So, first there was Death- the Abyss. Nothing else.

I slot the Death Crystal into the navel of the statue. It emits a sickly green-gray hue, not unlike the colors of the Death Dragon. I then fill the pool one eight full. A throb of energy releases from the gem, letting me know I've done it correctly.

Then, the All-Mother was born from the Abyss. Life sprang forth in her form.

Slotting the Life Gem into the bosom of the statue, where the heart would be, it glows with a gentle golden aura. Filling the pool two eights of the way, another burst of energy releases.

Tearing a piece of matter from the Abyss, She turned it over to reveal Light.

The Light Gem goes into the top left hand of the statue. It has six hands total, one for each Element that isn't Life or Death. The bright white light that shines from it is causing me to have to shield my eyes.

The backside of Light is Dark, and it was born just a moment after.

The Dark Gem slots into the top right hand. It seems to be a bit up to interpretation regarding which came first, but the order used for the creation of a Divine Spring is Light then Dark, so it might be the true order. The pool is now half filled, and the colors of the Celestial Marble is shifting and swirling, paling with each undulation.

The Abyss is, by its very nature, unable to host life, so the All-Mother instead tore the flesh from her lower body and molded it into a sphere, creating Earth, and the basis for the World itself.

The Earth Gem is placed in the middle left hand. As I fill up the required amount of water, plants begin to sprout on the edges of the pool, where the Marble meets the packed soil floor. In addition, it seems the roots of the Elder Oak itself strain to reach the water within...

To make the World rotate, the All-Mother blew on it, creating Air.

I slot the Air Gem into the middle right hand. Adding more water, the roots seem even more eager to touch it, though there seems to be something preventing them from actually entering the pool itself.

But the force was too much. The Air gouged the World, carving deep wounds into it. From the former flesh of the All-Mother, blood sprang forth, creating Water. It pooled in the deepest wounds, creating the oceans.

Lower left is the position of Water. The pool is almost full now, just one more. I tremble with anticipation.

Furious with Herself for harming the World like this, Fire erupted from her heart. It buried itself deep into the World, bringing warmth and heat to it.

Lastly, lower right, the Fire Gem. I fill the pool with the last bit of Oasis Water, trying to ignore the tremors of fatigue that ripple through my body.

With all the Elements present, the other Divine were born to aid the All-Mother in watching over the World. Soon, Souls were born from the Abyss now that they had a place to live, and the first monsters and humanoids were born.

Such is the Tale of Creation in this World.

I topple over as a bright flash of light and a massive outpouring of energy bursts forth from the newly created Divine Spring.