The Flower Blooming from Despair

Weishi Hosen was tied to the Island of the Dead, where the great poet Tito had once suffered. Centuries ago, this place was covered with the corpses of Yinsai people, but after Saint Tito's time, it had become an ancient relic.

Stone pillars lined the island's perimeter. The once filthy and foul-smelling land had been meticulously cleaned, and at its center, a stone-paved plaza had been carved out.

Upon it stood statues of the great poet and the first King of the Abyss.

The great poet Tito, carrying a basket on his back, stood back-to-back with the old man wearing a stone helmet.

Both had determined and devout expressions, one bowing his head in prayer, the other looking up to the sky.

The background rock wall was carved with scenes from the God-Given Land: endless fields of sun flowers and pyramid temples.

And above all,

Transcending the sky and stars, was the symbol representing Yinsai God and the Creator.

Even in the Abyss Kingdom, Tito was still viewed as a holy figure.

His legendary experiences were known to the nobles and people of the Abyss Kingdom, and his "Hymn of the King of Wisdom" was also sung there.

Weishi Hosen's hands and feet were locked in stone shackles, bound to one of the stone pillars. Without great strength and weapons, it was impossible to open these shackles.

Just as the female Abyss knight had said.

Perhaps, truly only God's will could save him now.

The female Abyss knight stood before the weakened Weishi Hosen, looking at him with hate-filled eyes.

"Weishi Hosen, prince of the Volcano Kingdom."

"Our sins were forgiven by the great Yinsai God the moment the first King of the Abyss ascended to God's realm."

"Now, under the watchful eyes of God and the saint."

"Repay your own sins!"

The People of the Abyss dove back into the sea, leaving Weishi Hosen alone in this forbidden sea area.

Under the scorching sun.

Weishi Hosen felt his bone armor heating up, felt the moisture in his body being drawn out bit by bit, as dizziness and thirst crept into his mind.

His fingers twitched slightly.

He could feel that his powerful strength was still there, the power from his wisdom ability and bloodline still churning within him.

If he could just release it, he could break the shackles on his body.

But as soon as he tried to use his wisdom ability, the Sun Cup would draw out his mythical blood, then completely devour him.

Hope and death, at this moment, had crystallized into a circle.

It was a circle he could never escape from.

This was the most terrifying part.

The female Abyss knight hadn't pushed him completely into despair, but had exiled him to a desert and given him a cup of water.

Drinking from that cup might offer him a chance to escape the desert, but the water was poisoned.

He finally understood what true despair was, what real pain and torture meant.

The most horrifying darkness wasn't falling into the abyss, but false hope.

In his pain and torment, he repeatedly twitched his fingers, trying to break free from the shackles.

His eyes revealed longing and expectation.

But upon seeing the brilliant Sun Cup on his shoulder, he stopped in terror.

This cycle of hope and despair repeated endlessly, wavering between determination and hesitation, slowly driving him to the brink of madness.

"AH!"

"DAMN IT! DAMN IT ALL!"

"You bitch, you lowly monster, descendant of sinners."

"And you, Henir, and all who betrayed me, who coveted my throne."

"I curse you, curse you to die horribly."

"I curse you..."

If Saint Tito had faith and ideals to support him in his despair, Prince Weishi's heart had now completely turned to darkness.

His heart was empty, with nothing to fill this void, nothing to stop him from falling into madness.

He could only try to vent his inner fear and despair through loud shouts and frenzied struggles.

He cursed Henir and those who betrayed him.

He raged at those monsters.

Until he had no strength left even to curse and rage, slumping weakly against the stone pillar.

In the blazing light shining in his eyes, through his blurred vision, he saw a silver shadow passing over the sea surface in the distance.

"What is that!"

"Is it an illusion?"

The shadow drew closer and became clearer.

He saw with his own eyes the Divine Boat he had been desperately seeking, coming from the distant sea, passing by the island right before him.

"Ah!"

"It's the Divine Boat."

This sighting confirmed his earlier suspicions; the Divine Boat's appearance was no mere coincidence.

Weishi Hosen stared at it with blurry eyes, weakly mumbling.

"So, you really are retracing the great poet's journey back?"

"Where are you going?"

"Are you trying to return to God's realm again?"

He saw the Divine Boat come from the horizon, reach the edge of the island, just a stone's throw away from him.

Then, it began to move away slightly.

"Don't go"

"Don't leave!"

He cried out in despair, weeping bitterly.

At this moment, he had lost all the glory of being a prince. Having fallen to the lowest point, he had nothing left to be proud of.

He begged pitifully, violently banging his head against the stone pillar as if kowtowing, seemingly trying to attract the attention of the Divine Boat.

His actions and expressions were more humble than any slave he had ever seen.

"Wait for me!"

"Just wait a moment!"

"Save me, please!"

But alas.

He was not the great poet Tito.

He was not a saint on a pilgrimage to God's realm carrying Divine Artifacts, nor was there anyone coming to rescue him with God's will.

The Divine Boat, sailing away on dreamlike starlight, didn't pause for a moment.

He finally couldn't hold back anymore.

Weishi Hosen burst forth with his wisdom ability, his mental power breaking through his mind and consciousness, whipping up a fierce storm.

With a roar, his mental power controlled a stone to fall from above, smashing the stone shackles binding his hands.

He had freed his hands, but didn't have the strength to free his feet.

"Wait for me!"

"Wait for me!"

Dragging his legs with the stone shackles, he crawled towards the Divine Boat reflecting silver light under the sun, the boat to God's realm.

He wanted to board that Divine Boat.

He crawled to the edge of the island. Just a few meters more, and he could climb onto that sacred ship.

The silver boat full of hope.

Wild joy surged on his face, but at the same time, he felt something.

He looked back.

He saw that the Sun Cup, now fused with him, had drained all the mythical blood from his body and swollen to its limit.

The transformed Sun Cup opened its mouthparts,

"AH!" —

The prince died, leaving only a corpse.

From the corpse, a beautiful flower bloomed, its dense roots taking hold in Weishi Hosen's body, completely devouring his flesh and blood.

Even his bones were ground to dust, swallowed into the flower cup.

It was a flower that bloomed from Weishi Hosen's despair.

It gained consciousness, awakening its own wisdom.

"Hmm?"

As mental power blossomed outward, it also saw the Divine Boat in the distance.

It didn't know what that was, but felt an urge to chase after the Divine Boat, a strong desire to board that ship.

The Sun Cup, having absorbed Weishi Hosen, seemed to have inherited fragments of his memories. Bathed in sunlight, it pursued the Divine Boat across the shimmering sea surface.