The Ritual of Demigod Resurrection

Towering mountains pierced the clouds above endless plains.

A river wound like a ribbon around the ancient city, which had grown heavier with the passage of time.

Roar!

Silver-winged Flying Dragons soared over the plains and mountains, startling many beasts drinking by the river.

The dragons skimmed across the Shepherd's River, splashing water high before shooting back toward the sky.

The distant peaks drew closer and closer.

The Silver-winged Flying Dragons served as Duma's eyes, acting as the connection point between this side of the world and Ruhe Beast Island.

Duma had surveyed Ruhe Beast Island, a massive landmass higher in the north and lower in the south, covering millions of square kilometers.

This island was home to Snake People, various monsters, numerous Ability Users, and even Divine Beings.

Along the southeast coast, she had observed blood staining the ocean as far as the eye could see, with a nameless existence peering up from the immense depths.

She had been genuinely frightened by that terrifying shadow lurking beneath the waves, a powerful Life Ability Demigod.

In the Sunrise Mountains.

She witnessed people riding boats down from waterfalls that fell from the sky, landing in miraculous gardens filled with silver Desire Cups that shone brilliantly by day and glowed with endless lights by night.

She had seen the miracle temples of the Land of Sunrise, witnessed the spirits' sacred Wish Festival in the City of Lights, and beheld the magnificent Rainbow Trees of the Nymph race.

At Suinhor's Temple of Fire Protection, she had glimpsed the God-Descended City in the clouds, a relic from 250 million years ago. However, when she truly sought to see The Lost Kingdom, she arrived only to find it completely sealed off.

Even when the clouds parted, she could merely watch the flickering shadows moving within, unable to muster the courage to enter.

This land held forbidden zones named for death and featured creations the Snake People called relics left behind by Divine Beings.

But Duma recognized these artifacts as remnants from the previous era.

Though countless miracles existed here and many traces marked the Divine Beings' presence, she still had not discovered anything her own god had left behind in this world.

Now, she stood at the sacred mountain where mythology claimed the Life Sovereign had created the Snake People and the Winged People.

The Silver-winged Flying Dragons broke through the layers of cloud, flying ever higher.

Above the dense, layered clouds lay the golden peak, bathed entirely in brilliant sunlight.

The Silver-winged Flying Dragons finally reached their destination.

Pure white feathers drifted down from the sky as the Fourth-Rank Ability User's unique Divine Grace Puppet activated.

These feathers instantly transformed into the shadow of Sky Messengers, allowing Duma to appear right at the edge of the sun-drenched mountaintop.

Duma's Divine Grace Puppet stood barefoot at the cliff's edge, gazing down at the world below.

Dense clouds completely filled the view beneath her, though scattered breaks revealed glimpses of distant mountains and earth.

Even with Duma's typically reserved personality, she couldn't help but remark aloud.

"This mountain is unbelievably high."

Duma had never witnessed such a towering peak before.

Even the formidable Mount Fenbuk seemed small in comparison.

The mountain reached such heights that it truly seemed to overlook the entire world. A single glance confirmed this was no natural formation.

It was a miracle, a gift bestowed by Divine Beings.

Duma walked inward, carefully observing her surroundings.

She hoped to find traces of her people's origins, the very place where they were first brought into existence.

"Mountain of Life's Origin."

"Legend says the Life Sovereign blew a mighty horn, raising Ruhe Beast Island from the depths of the ocean, bringing life and lush greenery to the land between heaven and earth."

"The Life Sovereign first created the Snake People, and then desired to create beings that could freely fly through the skies."

Those beings were the Winged People.

Duma recited the Snake People's mythology, recalling everything exactly as Yafuan had told her.

He truly had not deceived her about these core tales.

Snake People civilization began in the era of Sermos, the Mother of All Snakes, more than a thousand years ago.

Even in that distant age, they had already mastered writing, city building, cooking, and farming techniques.

They worshipped the Life Sovereign devoutly. However, due to a mistake made by Snake Mother Sermos, the Life Sovereign left them in disappointment.

That grave mistake involved Mother of All Snakes Sermos allowing the ancestor of the Winged People to escape from the Tower of Heaven.

The Winged People subsequently left Ruhe Beast Island, journeying to the other side of the world.

After arriving on Ruhe Beast Island, Duma had encountered this legend numerous times.

She learned parts from books, and saw other parts depicted in paintings.

Some elements were woven into the poetry recited during festivals.

But only by standing here now, feeling the sheer majesty of the Mountain of Life's Origin and the lingering divine presence intertwined with potent life force, could she truly grasp how real it all felt.

"Although Yafuan didn't deceive me," she thought, "he did conceal the part of the legend where Snake Mother Sermos banished the Winged People's ancestor."

"Was he afraid we would come to hate and resent the Snake People if we knew the whole truth?"

Duma could guess at Yafuan's past motivations, but standing here in this place, it was difficult to fully empathize with those concerns.

Because it had all happened far too long ago.

It was so ancient that it could only be understood as mythology now.

Duma shook her head slightly. "Yafuan was an upright person, certainly a good person, and undeniably a hero to the people of Avel."

"But he also possessed mortal flaws, held biases, and displayed arrogance."

"We are always like this, containing both light and darkness within us."

Duma thought of Yafuan. Though they had never truly been friends, she still felt a sense of grief for his ultimate fate.

Duma bent down and picked up a simple stone from the ground.

She held it firmly in her hand, letting it bask in the fierce sunlight and feel the cold wind that whipped across the mountaintop.

"If our ancestors had remained on Ruhe Beast Island, what would have become of us?" she wondered silently.

"Would things have turned out better?"

"Or would it have unfolded just as the Mother of All Snakes feared, resulting in endless killing between natural enemies?"

Her mind wandered, posing one difficult question after another.

"The Life Sovereign was simply too great, born before all beginnings, needing nothing from mortals like us."

"She created us purely because She possessed the power to do so."

"Did She genuinely need our existence? What meaning did our being here hold for Her?"

Duma pondered these thoughts for a long time but found she still couldn't fathom such profound questions.

She was too small, too insignificant, to comprehend the mindset of eternal Divine Beings.

The mountaintop itself was bare, with seemingly nothing left behind from ages past.

Duma had seen Snake People records and ancient paintings showing that this mountain once held the glorious City of Life and the magnificent Temple of the Life Sovereign, complete with the Tower of Heaven reaching towards the divine realm. Yet now, all of it had vanished without a trace.

Duma positioned herself at the center of the mountaintop.

She looked around as a powerful spiritual force spread outward from the stone clutched in her hand.

This force pierced through the veil of reversed time, tracing information lost to ages past, attempting to reveal everything that once stood here.

Before her very eyes, roads began to form on the bare mountaintop, connecting sectioned buildings and leading to towering altars.

Behind these imposing altars stood a grand temple, ancient and profound in its striking simplicity.

It perfectly embodied that elusive divine quality.

The main hall, which should have held a divine throne resembling a flickering candle flame, radiated such overwhelming majesty that Duma's probing spiritual power dared not trace any further.

That presence was beyond what she could, or perhaps should, perceive.

Duma stared in awe at this city clearly built by giants. It possessed the same feeling as The Lost Kingdom, appearing not pieced together by mortal hands but seemingly carved from the very mountain by divine giants.

She walked through the ethereal streets of the City of Life conjured in her vision, moving past the tall altars where flames once burned brightly.

She continued walking toward the back of the envisioned Temple of Life.

There, she saw a massive, impossibly tall tower.

"The Tower of Heaven!" she whispered.

This was the legendary tower the Snake People built for the Mother of Life, said to be the very place She used to travel between the divine realm and the mortal world.

Duma walked step by step toward the base of the tower, and with each movement forward, the tower grew ever larger in her sight.

Her slender neck craned like a graceful swan's as she tilted her head higher and higher to take it all in.

"Divine Beings," she murmured.

"The original Creator, the ultimate source of all power and ability, manifested as the three fundamental gods of Wisdom, Life, and Dreams."

"As for the other Divine Beings, they were great existences who crossed through time itself from incredibly ancient ages."

"At the beginning of this current era, the Life Sovereign created everything."

"She was the originator, the creator of all forms of life."

"This place... this was where the Winged People were born."

"The Life Sovereign first created the Snake People here on the Mountain of Life's Origin, then She created us, the Winged People, atop the Tower of Heaven!"

Combining the information she had received from Yafuan, the visions witnessed through the Gate of Spirituality, and all she had learned since arriving on Ruhe Beast Island, Duma felt she was gradually unveiling the obscuring mists to glimpse ancient truths.

In this present era, very few individuals knew as much about these matters as she now did.

She finally stood at the very base of the Tower of Heaven, close enough now that she could almost touch its deep-colored, ancient stone walls.

She lifted her head even higher, gazing upward.

She could almost see chains fastened atop the Tower of Heaven and hear the distant, echoing voices of the Winged People's ancestors.

Those chains had bound a group of winged, intelligent beings who were naturally born to belong to the vast sky.

"My ancestors," she wondered, "did you wish to stay here, or did you desperately long to leave?"

"Did you truly want to be bound by heavy chains in God's high tower, or did you yearn to fly freely through the open skies?"

Though Duma couldn't physically see it anymore, she could vividly imagine everything that had once transpired here.

She seemed to hear the resonant clanking of chains being broken.

The Winged People's ancestors broke free of their constraints, flying further and further away into the boundless distance.

She mentally followed after them until she felt she nearly stepped off the cliff edge into empty air.

And just like that, everything around her vanished completely from sight.

No ancient city remained, no temple dedicated to the Life Sovereign stood there, and the towering spire itself was long gone.

But even though they were no longer visible, it didn't mean they had never existed.

Duma gazed out at the distant clouds, almost able to see flocks of Winged People flying powerfully, wingtip to wingtip.

Passing effortlessly through clouds, soaring majestically over vast seas.

"Perhaps things weren't arranged in the best possible way," she concluded softly, "but they also weren't the absolute worst."

"The world often seems to be like this."

Having completed her pilgrimage, Duma felt significantly lighter in spirit.

Duma prepared to depart, just as another person arrived unexpectedly on the mountaintop.

Outside Fort Pence.

A weathered man with an unkempt beard approached slowly from the distance.

His clothes were thoroughly covered in dust. The sword hanging at his side looked inherently valuable, yet its once-ornate scabbard had been replaced with a plain, unremarkable leather one.

Shana looked towards the distant capital of the Royal Court of Ten Thousand Serpents, but the divine mountain rising behind Fort Pence was even more striking to his eyes.

Shana halted abruptly in his tracks.

Looking up at the magnificent Mountain of Life's Origin, he suddenly recalled those specific words he had heard long ago.

"How can one claim to have truly lived in this world without seeing the Temple of Fire Protection in the City of Fire Protection, the Mountain of Life's Origin rising behind Fort Pence, and Iva's giant divine statue standing proudly in the City of Lights?"

Those words had ultimately brought him to this place, still searching desperately for any trace of Camon.

Next, he planned to venture into the desolate wastelands and then onto the frozen plateau.

He had already searched through many places but had found absolutely no sign of Camon.

But what else could he possibly do except continue searching relentlessly?

If he couldn't find a way to release this overwhelming powerlessness, this consuming hatred, and this deep despair, what was the point of continuing to live?

Besides, he constantly felt Camon was right beside him, tantalizingly close, yet he could never actually reach him.

He looked up again at the towering Mountain of Life's Origin, feeling incredibly small and insignificant in its immense shadow.

He felt so weak and powerless, just like any mortal confronting the inevitability of their fate.

Tears suddenly flowed from Shana's eyes, though he wasn't consciously feeling sad.

Or perhaps, ever since the day he left his hometown far behind, he had almost forgotten what the sensation of sadness truly felt like.

Yet still, the tears came unbidden.

A dark shadow broke through the clouds above, circling slowly around the cloud layer located halfway up the Mountain of Life's Origin.

Shana noticed that dark speck circling far above. His gaze, significantly sharper than any ordinary human's, instantly recognized precisely what the shadow was.

It was just as he had once pierced through the illusions of the King of Yinsai's tomb to clearly see the precious jewel set upon that ancient crown.

"It's that creature again," he muttered to himself.

Silver-winged Flying Dragons.

Meanwhile, atop the Mountain of Life's Origin, Duma's sharp spiritual instincts also detected someone watching her Silver-winged Flying Dragons from below.

Duma looked down from her high vantage point, immediately noticing Shana standing there.

But she didn't recognize him at all. After all, Shana had only appeared briefly before her once in the past.

That fleeting meeting had been just a momentary glimpse as the Silver-winged Flying Dragons passed swiftly overhead. Back then, he had looked no different from the countless other ordinary mortals scattered below.

Neither she nor Shana realized at that moment that none of their encounters were ever truly dictated by chance.

It was the spiritual source inherently drawing the personality fueled by desire, just as desire's source was constantly seeking its missing piece.

Dream Realm.

On the surface of the Divine Cup, a specific tool's name and all its detailed information appeared once more.

【Divine Artifact: The Destined Marionette】

【Sequence Number 19】

【The second-generation saint Stan Tito was a master craftsman who left behind a masterpiece called the Marionette of Fate. That ancient work vanished long ago in the passage of time, yet later generations still remember his story and legacy. This Divine Artifact was crafted based on Saint Stan Tito's work. Its creator changed the name from 'fate' to 'destined.' This change signifies that it not only symbolizes fate but also represents an eternal covenant passed down through the ages.】

【Ability 1 Memory Threads: The Knowledge Stone, created through the application of the Fourth Divine Grace Secret Art, was formed from Xiao's accumulated knowledge and personal memories. The captured memories of Barrow's eldest son, Camon, became the controlling memory threads for the puppets. These threads possess the power to control others' bodies, steal their accumulated wisdom, and even modify their existing memories. The memory threads themselves inherently lack wisdom and can only gain the ability to think by plundering others' bodies, utilizing their physical forms and inherent wisdom. Xiao's servant Camon, now transformed into these memory threads, will dutifully follow the original plan generation after generation until it is fully and completely achieved.】

【Ability 2 Personality Puppet: The Desire Stone, also created through the Fourth Divine Grace Secret Art, was formed from Xiao's powerful desire and distinct personality. The personality and inherent desire of Barrow's second son, Shana, transformed into puppet shadows that actively seek out suitable carrier species. They pass down through successive generations following that race's natural divisions. All carriers share the same singular personality, always following the intricate arrangements dictated by the memory threads. The Desire Stone and Shana's embodied personality instinctively seek what rightfully belongs to them, searching for the parts that Xiao once lost long ago.】

Though Shana saw the Silver-winged Flying Dragons once again, he did nothing more than briefly reminisce about his past experiences.

Duma noticed Shana below but gave him no further thought after the initial glance.

To her, he was simply another unfamiliar face within the vast crowd of existence.

At that very moment, another shadowy figure frantically rushed up the steep slope of the Mountain of Life's Origin, heading directly toward Duma's position.

Duma had just prepared to leave when she frowned deeply and looked behind her toward the disturbance.

"Who is there?" she called out sharply.

She saw countless white threads crawling rapidly up the mountainside like a massive swarm of strange insects.

The dense mass of threads wove themselves together intricately, finally merging into a distinctly human shape.

The resulting thread figure appeared extremely agitated and seemed chaotically formed.

"It's you..." it stuttered.

"It's really you..."

"I found you... I finally found you."

"Finally..."

"I found you."

The last time this entity had been near, he had also seen Duma's Silver-winged Flying Dragons pass by.

That encounter had been the first instance where Shana, guided purely by instinct, had come close to the embodiment of Xiao's spiritual power.

But because the Silver-winged Flying Dragons had flown past so quickly that day, Camon had no opportunity to catch up to them.

Now, years later, Camon finally encountered her presence once again.

Duma cautiously asked the strange thread figure standing before her, "Who exactly are you?"

As the thread figure's chaotic body gradually stabilized, its speech also grew noticeably steadier.

"I am God's servant," the figure declared. "My name is Camon."

The thread figure gazed intently at Duma, directly addressing her using the title "God's Apostle."

Duma's brow furrowed deeply in confusion and concern.

But then, in a sudden flash of insight, she abruptly recalled a specific name.

"Barrow!" she exclaimed.

Camon, transformed into the thread figure, answered in a flat, mechanical tone. "That is correct."

"We are..."

He paused abruptly, almost like a complex machine that had suddenly jammed mid-operation.

After a long, tense moment, he finally continued, "We are Barrow's descendants."

Duma fully understood the situation now. She realized she had finally found the contingency plan her god had arranged so long ago.

Indeed, it seemed everything significant was located here on Ruhe Beast Island, the very birthplace of the Divine Beings.

Duma posed a critical question, "How can I be certain that you are who you claim to be?"

Camon stared fixedly at Duma, stepping closer to her bit by bit.

He slowly extended his thread-formed hand toward this powerful King of Angels.

"There's no need for verification. We all belong to God."

"We share the very same origin!"

"We possess the same power, the same source."

Duma studied the strange thread figure carefully for a long moment.

Finally, she reached out her own hand, grasping the hand offered by the thread figure.

In an instant, a rapid succession of scenes flashed vividly before her eyes.

She seemed to see The Destined Marionette hidden away in some unknown, secret location. She saw the Knowledge and Desire Stones hanging high, radiating distinct lights, patiently waiting for the time of their return.

She witnessed the ancient God-Descended City from long ago. She saw three figures standing together—one elderly and two strong—present at the King of Yinsai's coronation ceremony, finalizing their ultimate, far-reaching plan.

Finally, she saw a figure radiating immense light.

An aged Trilobite Man knelt humbly before Him, gazing upward with expressions filled with hope and profound longing.

This, she knew, was the god she and all the Winged People worshipped.

The Lord of Radiance.

The overwhelming visions flashed past in what felt like the mere blink of an eye.

But they had effectively proven everything she needed to know.

The thread figure continued speaking, "My power."

"Can you sense it? It is the missing piece of God."

Meanwhile, on the other side of existence, within the Gate of Spirituality, Duma's true form watched as the entire Sea of Spirituality began churning violently.

The divine will residing within it seemed to nearly scream out the name, "Barrow..."

"Barrow..."

"Take it back... must take it back..."

On the Mountain of Life's Origin.

Duma nodded slowly, accepting the truth. "Where is God's missing piece then? Is it currently with you?"

Camon shook his head slightly. "God's power was divided into four essential parts: spirituality, wisdom, desire, and knowledge."

"God's Desire Stone and Knowledge Stone were placed somewhere completely unknown. Even we cannot locate them."

"Absolutely no one can find them now!"

"Only when the sacred ritual of God's awakening finally begins will the Desire Stone and the Knowledge Stone return on their own."

"God's wisdom was hidden within the Yinsai Crown. We spent a very long time searching, but we finally managed to retrieve it."

"God's spirituality entered the cycle of reincarnation and was lost somewhere beyond Ruhe Beast Island. We once attempted to venture beyond the treacherous Storm Sea to find it, but we failed."

Having finished his explanation, Camon stared intently at Duma once more.

"You... you... you!"

Camon seemed to jam again, the threads composing his body writhing uncontrollably and floating strangely in the surrounding air.

After another long pause, the threads finally settled back into their place.

He spoke again, his voice still uneven, "You have returned. Everything has now fallen into place as intended."

He began to ramble slightly, his words becoming somewhat repetitive, "You have finally arrived."

"Now we should begin the ritual. We must begin the final ritual."

Duma could clearly see that the being standing before her could hardly be called human any longer.

He didn't even possess a true self. He was merely a tool, fulfilling a predetermined function.

Duma asked him directly, "What exactly is this ritual?"

Camon answered Duma promptly, "It is the Path of Wisdom ritual."

"At the very beginning of life, spirituality naturally generates wisdom. Wisdom then gives birth to desire, and finally, life gains precious memories."

"This is the fundamental law of wisdom that the Creator bestowed upon all wise species. Only life that is naturally born following this specific path is considered blessed life."

"Not... not a tool."

Duma inquired further, "What is it that I must do?"

Camon replied clearly, "You only need to arrange for God's spirituality to reincarnate once again, directing it into the specific body that we designate for this purpose."

"However, the divine spirituality is far too vast and powerful on its own. Therefore, it requires a catalyst to facilitate the transition properly."

"That is precisely why the ritual is necessary."

Duma asked for confirmation, "Is that all?"

Camon affirmed, "That is all."

"Everything was determined long, long ago. Everything is destined to happen this way."

"Long..."

"Billions of years ago."

The chaotic threads making up his form danced erratically in the air as Camon's voice grew increasingly hollow and distant.

The threads gradually began to break apart and disperse into nothingness as Camon departed from the Mountain of Life's Origin.

His final words directed to Duma were, "Everyone has their own specific mission and task to fulfill. Everyone has their own predetermined destination."

"God's Apostle, your designated task is simply to guard the gate and continue to live well until the very end."

Dream Realm.

Within the Gate of Spirituality.

Duma's true form stood serenely above the clouds, a magnificent King of Angels who had recently grown one wing of her fifth pair.

Though the appearance looked slightly unbalanced, it possessed a certain unique, asymmetric beauty.

Her sacred wings spread wide, and her flowing white dress trailed gently upon the clouds beneath her.

She herself embodied divinity, beauty, and purity, much like every individual at the exact moment of their birth.

Her power represented the fundamental spiritual source from which all wise life initially begins.

Duma faced the vast sea formed entirely of spirituality, listening intently to the indistinct murmurs of the divine being emanating from the deepest depths of that spiritual "sea."

She had heard these unintelligible murmurs many times before.

Much like her own mother once did, she too had attempted to interpret the true meaning hidden within these mysterious words.

But unlike her mother, Duma hadn't descended into madness or mistaken these sounds for direct divine will.

She understood clearly that these were nothing more than divine murmurs, akin to the fleeting dreams experienced by mortals.

However, this time felt distinctly different. She had just met God's ancient servant, part of an arrangement left behind from the previous era.

"Is this truly God's actual will?" she questioned herself.

"Is this genuinely God's deliberate arrangement?"

Duma pressed further in her thoughts, "Is it not simply mortal arrogance? Isn't it just our own interpretation of what we perceive as divine will?"

After thinking everything through again and again, Duma finally decided that it likely wasn't just mortal interpretation.

The existence of Barrow's descendants.

Puppets originating from the previous era.

A seemingly complete ritual designed for divine resurrection.

This intricate planning had to be the work of God. None but God could possibly make such far-reaching arrangements that crossed the immense boundaries between eras, spanning across barriers of billions of years.

"God," she thought with a mix of awe and trepidation, "are you truly awakening at last?"

Duma gazed down into the profound depths of the Sea of Spirituality. She had once felt hopeful about this prospect, believing that God's awakening would surely bring much-needed light to mortals.

But after witnessing so much complexity and suffering, she now felt somewhat lost and uncertain.

What would the world actually be like when God fully awakened?

Would it align with the hopeful expectations held by mortals, and by herself?

"Ah..."

At that exact moment, a weary sigh echoed from the divine will residing in the deepest abyss of the Sea of Spirituality.

Cycle after cycle of reincarnation, spanning billions upon billions of years passing like grains of sand.

Even God's devoted servants clearly struggled to endure such an immense passage of time.

It seemed that even God, too, felt a sense of despair.

Duma suddenly felt awakened by this sound, also feeling a pang of sorrow resonate with this profound sigh.

"Billions of years," she whispered.

"Can even God feel weary and desperate after so long?"

Duma hesitated no longer. She began the process of arranging Xiao's spiritual reincarnation.

The great white mythological gate slowly swung open.

The vast spiritual sea churned and surged violently as the previously stagnant cycle of reincarnation began anew.

Though she knew she was only a mortal being in the grand scheme, Duma sent her heartfelt blessing toward her God.

"Oh God," she prayed silently, "please let this be the very last time!"

On the other side of the Dream Realm.

Positioned before the imposing Door of Truth, Ghost Polik utilized the Door's power to meticulously collect information from the reality outside the dream.

However, the Door of Truth wasn't truly omnipotent. At most, it could leverage the collective power of Avel's people to gather vast amounts of information originating from within Avel's domain.

It could only reliably gather specific pieces of particularly important information and valuable knowledge.

Right at this moment, a mortal was making a special offering to the God of Knowledge and Truth, presenting the unique knowledge and cherished memories they possessed.

The mortal knelt respectfully within the temple, facing the grand statue of the God of Knowledge and Truth as they spoke their plea.

"Oh Divine Being!"

"I offer you my unique encounter with the supernatural, which remains my life's most beautiful and cherished memory."

"I humbly beseech you, I truly beseech you to grant me..."

The Door of Truth judged this specific piece of knowledge and the associated memory as very precious, deeming it worthy of being accepted as an offering.

A memory scene took the physical shape of a book, drifting slowly into the vast ocean of knowledge existing behind the Door of Truth before finally settling directly in front of Polik.

The spectral book opened on its own, and Polik observed the memory and knowledge contained within.

A young child stood before a huge, vibrant, rainbow-colored tree, carefully placing a folded letter into a hollow opening within the Rainbow Tree's massive trunk.

"Please, can you send this letter to my mother?" the child pleaded softly.

"She's not in the mortal realm anymore. I know she's in the divine realm now."

"She absolutely must be there."

"Oh great and wonderful tree, if you possibly can, please send my letter all the way to the realm of the Divine Beings!"

As the child slowly walked away, they kept looking back over their shoulder at the magnificent Rainbow Tree.

It was clear that even they didn't quite believe their letter could actually be delivered to such a distant place.

The scene depicted in the memory vanished.

The scene then shifted to inside the child's home.

Several days later, the child experienced a vivid dream. They dreamed that their letter transformed into a beautiful, shimmering memory, merging itself into a dreamlike bubble that radiated pure beauty.

Every single word written in their heartfelt letter became a tangible, beautiful memory captured within life's ethereal dream.

The sleeping child turned over peacefully in their bed, suddenly laughing aloud in their sleep.

"Hahaha!"

"Haha!"

Ghost Polik's expression remained entirely blank and unreadable, but he received important analytical hints derived from the Door of Truth's assessment.

The Door of Truth could certainly distinguish between genuine dreams and mere effects or reflections generated by supernatural power.

He spoke aloud in a perfectly measured, mechanical tone, maintaining identical intervals between each syllable uttered.

"The Rainbow Tree possesses the ability to send letters not only to people far away, but also to the deceased?"

Even the comprehensive Door of Truth had never before collected and formally verified such specific information.

This was likely because no one would typically think to send letters specifically addressed to the dead, yet this particular person happened to encounter the unique properties of the Rainbow Tree by chance.

Polik returned to the central divine temple.

Standing upon the high temple platform, he picked up a single, colorful flower branch.

This branch originated from the Creator's own divine realm. It had been given to the God of Knowledge and Truth by Florrie, a beautiful nymph who claimed to be a messenger acting on behalf of the Divine Beings.

However, the God of Knowledge and Truth was currently sleeping deeply, so Polik had accepted the branch on his behalf.

Polik held the delicate branch carefully, looking outside the temple walls toward the ancient city residing in the deepest depths of all knowledge.

"Will this now become a significant factor of influence?" he pondered aloud.

Polik's ethereal form flickered for a moment, instantly reappearing at the outer layer protecting the ancient city.

He carefully cast down the Rainbow Tree's branch, watching as it slowly descended into the quiet streets of the ancient, sleeping city below.

"God Asai!" Polik announced formally.

"The designated messenger of the Divine Beings will now carry your unspoken words to the departed souls, conveying them to the dreamlike starry sea where all life and spirits ultimately find their way home."

"This single flower branch now possesses the ability to carry the words you never had the chance to say."

"It will speak to everyone you deeply care for, everyone you find yourself unable to let go of."