The Primordial

The Nineteenth Chapter

Far away from Rais, still somewhere mysterious within the primaeval Szornix Garden, an ancient voice resonated. If Rais heard this voice, he would immediately recognize it. Considering he had heard it a few days prior, during his ritual to obtain authorization cultivating true qi.

The unforgetting, sombre tone of the horrid, incorporeal monster.

"Eh eh eh hehe," a laugh lingered despite no response in return. "My friendly neighbour, The Forest God." Waiting for an acknowledgement to return, the voice of the ancient halted, but no response resonated.

"Extra Large Cunt," sounded in a trivial provocation, but still no response returned from the one named; thus, he continued on with his bag of insult.

"Dog of Szronix, although confined to this forest, you remain the last remaining remnant of the gods residing in Illipra. No, according to my divination, not just Illipra, but the whole of the Septenary Ring System."

"Unexpected, for a primordial presence to so eagerly sought after this humble self."

"Child, you mock me!" The horrid voice growled.

"Huff, yet acting petty, even though this lesser one always attempts to reach your greatness. Ever since that moment, I was confined to this forest," Immediately blinding light manifested in the depth of an ocean while sinking towards the dark, mysterious seabed.

"Mistake not, if I suppose, that curiosity kills the cat. Even in my case, so do tell, what this Septenary Ring System you speak of?"

"Eh he ha," a smirk formed on the silhouette of the incorporeal monster. "Are you not, a nobody? Lacking knowledge regarding something so trivial. Unusual for that Szornix child, Ignoring all his extraordinary commands to favour you."

"Child, answer, why did he bind you to this forest."

"Please ignore my rudeness, you already answered it for yourself, I am," he proudly emphasized. "A Dog of Szronix, though if his greatness ever dėsɨrės for his neighbour's happiness, he might fancy adding 'The Loyal' before the dog."

"Eh eh he, Loyal Puppy, why snoop into my matter with your snoopy nose," an exalted pressure dimmed the blinding light.

"Oh my, did I hurt my neighbours feeling? Be ȧssured, I merely compiled in accordance with my mission. Which may I remind you is against you."

"Against me? child, you have no idea."

"No idea who I talk to? Of course, but I don't need to know. All I need to know is Master Szornix wants you locked up."

"Even though you act as a World Spirit, also the power you currently have is limited to one. However, I doubt your true self is anything close since master locked you instead of killing you."

"Imprison me? Yet your ignorance continues. Answer my question?"

"The true world consciousness sought after me, so I healed them. Why so hurt this time when I interfered with countless times."

"Fine, you want the World Spirits to live on, also fine that you helped them rescue the child, but why still help the child to live on?"

"Huff, why else but five months, I thought you would be too buŧŧhurt after destroying your own divination."

"Child acting as a god, answer me?"

"Why ask questions when you can deduct them yourself. Apart from you, many already wish for his death. For the first time, because of your world 'spirit intent', the curse reached his soul, he will die the moment he leaves the vicinity of the forest."

"Intriguing, my judgment is not wrong. Answer me, who else wants him dead?"

"Oh, how could I have forgotten? You merely possess the power of World Spirits. So stay as one and explain what this Septenary Ring System is."

"Remember child, I will rip you apart."

"You seem way too eager to remove a dead child."

"Remember what I say, time is the most dangerous thing one can give to someone. I immediately eliminated everyone you rescued before, today I will do the same. Try stopping me."

"If he is out of the forest, knock yourself out; otherwise, someone else will eliminate him before you. Maybe it will be me, you see, since he is dying, I want to test something out. If he complies, otherwise too bad. "

"What is going on? What have you done?" The Forest god immediately vanished before learning what he came down to."

"Ha ha ha, Child, do you not dėsɨrė to know..."

"of the Septenary Ring System? Why leave this lonely fool so fast? let the cat die!"

"Brother, you seem to have all the fun," within the darkness, at the bottom of the sea, another voice resonated.

Primeval forest, at the base of the void piercing tree, Rais gazed at the crystallized skeleton of the toddler. Red, he saw a beating heart, grappled by viscous milk-white roots, inside the toddler's fragile ribcage.

In total silence, he heard heartbeats, the rain, then the thunder, somehow he continued to experience the state of his body. From far

far away. Eyes, downcasting them off the skeleton, sense no longer, he could. Though he stared back, craving the incorporeal sense to sense his earthly self.

When he sensed it again, he felt the little qi he had on his body being drained. Startled, mystified, he turned curious, attempting to see through his eyes.

Sinister green flame, just off his forehead startled him. He snapped back to the depth of the forest. The vicinity lightened with ethereal pockets of light, even within the baleful yin curtain. Though once reaching a certain height, they departed, behind the inky curtain.

From its last flare, Rais saw twirls within the curtain, remembering the tiny diamond-shaped winged creatures that he observed after one of his visions. Their number continued to increase.

Though puzzled by their increase in number, arising from below. Rais stared down to notice the twirl forming at an increasing pace from beneath the tree roots. At that time, a totem symbol formed within his primordial qi domain, but he couldn't discern what type of energy it was.

Then Rais remembered the sinister feeling, he felt radiating off the two sisters. Though he failed to further examine the totem symbol due to the disconnection of the mind and body.

When Rais once again decided to stare at the skeleton, he heard a voice resonating down from the void.

"I Lrnsaion, son of Szornix, Divine Tree of Light, welcomes, the mortal heroes."

"Son of Szronix?" Baffled after catching the echoing resonance, Rais directed his attention toward the void.

"The arcane rune you obtained stores a fraction of my aura, allowing mortals to enter the forest at their will. Tough how far one reach depends upon their will."

"Scion of the heroes, here lies a vast reserve of untapped treasure trove, untouched since an era before the Age of Gods. The sacred place you stand on, no mortals yet had reached. Though once the worthy does reach it, they will obtain a supreme power devised by this humble one's respectful father."

"If you are worthy, the treasure and the power will be yours, but for this opportunity and further favors, you must promise to fight my dark mirror, The Devil Tree."

"For the betterment of the realm, you must find it before the seal that binds it deteriorates. Reconstruct it before its destruction, the time nears."

"A Devil Tree? I should inquire mom regarding this," thought Rais, since the information he obtained seems strange to him.

"Tiny little baby, we finally meet again," a curious, childish tone entered his head, while Rais processed through everything the divine tree had stated.

"Ha! Who?" His eyes widened. "We have never met, your divinity but I must thank thee for permitting this mortal within the forest." Although overwhelming, Rais felt the warmth of the divine presence; thus, he eased up.

"We have met, but you were a little baby frozen within mana crystal being carried by a powerful woman."

"Oh, you met me, but was I not too young to meet you?"

"Haha, not wrong, state your name, teeny, tiny baby."

"This tiny baby is Rais, my mother, she kept my complete name hidden from me."

"Why does a boy lie to me? the realm disassociates the name Rais with you."

"Huh?" Baffled by the familiar line, Rais felt slight unease. "The name Rais is the sole name I hold and know," Rais explained, feeling extreme powerlessness yet again.

"Strange, you lie not; how come, tiny baby, knows not his name. If upon any reason, I became incapable, to bear my name, I would be very, very mad," a tree root patted Rais out of compassion and frustration.

"Tiny baby doesn't seem to trust me, how so, did I hurt you? How about us two play together, once I regain my body? Wouldn't that be wonderful?!"

"Hmm, I definitely will, but please inform me regarding my name and how do ..." Before Rias finished his thought, he heard another voice talking through his inquiry, "Aisaron Fios, leave the forest immediately, hurry," "... you know it?" Rais finished his question quieting down.

Without obtaining an answer, Rais spoke again. "Please transfer my consciousness, I must leave now," Rais identified the urgent voice, so he immediately complied in alarm.

"No, don't go, stay a bit longer; I will answer you," Rais unable to express his plight, disagreement, stood frozen.

"While heaven forms primordial qi domain, the mortal's ceremonial name carves within. Thus, when I passed you the arcane rune, I happen upon your name." In Rais's plight, the divine tree seemed unaware since tiny black diamond-shaped creatures blocked its senses.

Struggling, feeling horrified, Rais stared down, fighting against a wicked inclination; he noticed roots, creeping up, binding his soul, dimming his vision.

The moist ground, it slit open, revealing an enormous crescent, abyssal eye, "son of Nazarc, do you not crave to know? I will tell you; your name."

"...," Rais screamed utterly terrified, but no sound left him. He sunk into the chasm.