Chapter 243 – Element of Creation (Four)

The Spirit stared at the boy.

Though it could be certain he was not a human with evil intentions, it was still too early to let its guard down completely.

The very fact that he had climbed the island via the World Tree was proof he was no ordinary human.

He had used Magic in the Ancient Era’s style to defeat a powerful enemy that had been untouchable until now.

And then.

────────!

The Mana fluctuation inside the boy’s chest was something impossible not to perceive.

[How is it that you possess two Rainbow Shards?]

Ray could tell.

Depending on how he acted here, Blue might attack.

…Why, though?

He felt it didn’t matter.

Right now, it seemed he just had to do as his body and mind dictated.

Whoosh!

Two gems emitting yellow and green light were summoned onto his palm.

The Resonance and vibration emitted by the three gems instantly amplified uncontrollably, followed by a dazzlingly mixed Light Cluster that engulfed the branch.

In the world of slowly fading light, Ray and Blue continued their conversation.

[I’m looking for the Rainbow. I collected these gems thinking they might be Rainbow Shards.]

[Why are you looking for the Rainbow?]

[I heard that if you find it, any wish can be granted.]

[Do you have a wish you want to make?]

A brief silence.

The answer followed.

[There are people I want to see again.]

[So you are also afflicted by the curse of memory.]

He did not deny it.

The memory of that day in Sector 50, when the Black Rain fell, was not easily forgotten.

[If you are collecting Shards, do you intend to take the blue gem from me as well?]

Ray stared at the gem embedded in Blue’s forehead and shook his head.

[I have no such intention. There’s no guarantee I could win in a fight, and without the power of the blue gem, you wouldn’t be able to create Oases for the land animals anymore.]

Above all, he had become convinced that the Rainbow could refer not only to a natural phenomenon but also to a person.

In other words.

To have a wish granted, one must find the person called the Rainbow itself, not the gems.

[Blue Horn, what about you?]

[I also have no intention of taking the gems from you. My mission is merely to deliver the blue gem to the Rainbow. I have no prescribed course of action regarding the other Shards.]

As the light diminished, his vision returned to normal.

The scenery was no different from before, but the thick tension that had hung in the air was now gone.

Afterwards, Blue began the restoration work on the lake, and Ray stayed on the island for a few more days to recover his stamina.

It was also an action in preparation for the possible reappearance of the crimson-black sphere.

‘…It’s peaceful.’

Fortunately, no such thing happened.

The only attacks came from Spirits coveting the Gem’s Mana.

[Is he?]

[He seems to be sleeping?]

Rustle. Rustle.

The fox kits cautiously approached Ray, who was lying on the grass with his eyes closed.

They burrowed between his limbs or lay down beside him to sleep.

Some climbed onto his stomach, which was heavy… but the warmth he felt wasn’t unpleasant, so he didn’t bother shooing them away.

[The Mana coming from this person is the best.]

[Right, right. It feels cozy.]

[I wish he wouldn’t leave the island.]

The Gem’s Mana flowed out of his body regardless of his will.

Spreading through the air like paint, it mingled softly with the island’s Mana as if communicating.

‘I’ve never experienced this on the surface.’

He guessed it might be happening because both the Gem’s Mana and the island’s Mana possessed high purity.

At that moment, Philip’s figure came into Ray’s view, who had been peeking through half-closed eyes.

Philip approached majestically and scolded the fox kits.

[I told you not to disturb Ray-nim’s rest. I also said you shouldn’t climb on him carelessly.]

The fox kits, crestfallen, scattered quietly and quickly.

Watching them, Philip turned his head to confirm no other Spirits were around, then climbed onto Ray’s stomach.

Poke poke.

Just as he was pressing on the stomach with his front paws and about to curl up to settle in.

“What are you doing.”

Ray sat up, causing him to slide off with a shlurp.

“Ah, you’re awake. I thought your stomach felt cold, so I was about to raise your body temperature with my warmth.”

“Sounds more like you were about to satisfy your own selfish desires.”

“Grr, how could that be.”

Philip answered shamelessly and gave his report on what Ray had requested.

“We finished searching all areas of the island an hour ago. I’m sorry to say this, but we found no Stone Tablets or Murals.”

It seemed the only Stone Tablet existing on the island was the one at the bottom of the lake.

Ray looked at Philip and thought.

‘At first, I named him Philip just because of the glasses mark around his eyes, but the more I see him, the more he seems to resemble the real Philip in many ways.’

His shameless way of speaking and social maneuvering.

His crisp handling of tasks.

“By any chance, are you thinking of coming down to the surface with me?”

“So, for now, the search is concluded… Huh? Grr? Huh? Grrr?”

“I asked if you want to come down with me.”

“Grr? Grrr?”

Philip tilted his head as if broken, only making whimpering sounds before asking.

“Are you serious?”

“You can speak both human and Spirit language, right? I thought you could act as a means of communication between other people and Spirits or animals when I’m away. I could also borrow your knowledge about Spirits.”

Philip made pained sounds for a long while.

Unlike other Spirits, he had craved knowledge, not power.

The unknown world spread beneath the clouds, which he had only ever recalled through inherited memories.

…It was a temptation difficult to refuse easily.

“Could you give me more time to think? I will give you my answer before you leave tomorrow.”

“Alright.”

Philip disappeared into the forest on the opposite side of the lake.

The incessantly wagging tail betrayed his excitement.

[Have you decided to leave tomorrow?]

Turning his head, he saw Blue had approached.

[I can’t leave the Settlement below the island unattended for too long. And it seems what I can gain here ends with this.]

Whoosh!

Multicolored Mana gathered onto Ray’s palm.

A moment later, what appeared in its place was a brilliant white lump of light the size of a fist.

[This is the limit of the size I can make right now. If I make it using only the Gem’s Mana without mixing in Atmospheric Mana, I think I could make it whiter, but then I’d lack the colors needed as material.]

Ray touched the light lump like clay, shaping it.

The light gradually faded and disappeared, and in its place appeared a single flower.

In the literal sense of the word, it was Creation.

[It’s amazing. That you can do such a thing with Mana.]

[…….]

Blue silently watched the scene.

Wizards of the Ancient Era used Magic through free imagination.

Unlike the current era, they were not bound by any formulas or laws.

The manifested Magic always caused phenomena close to miracles.

But it can be said with certainty.

Not a single one of the Ancient Era’s Wizards performed a miracle as perfect as what the boy before its eyes had just done.

If there was such a person, there was only one.

Suddenly, a thought occurred.

Could it be, that this boy now…

It seemed like a speculation whose probability couldn’t be ignored, but due to the stolen memories, it couldn’t be sure.

[If something comes to mind, I’d like you to tell me.]

[The lake’s memories? It seems a lot of sorting is needed, but if something comes to mind, I’ll tell you right away.]

[I don’t need other memories. One is enough.]

[Which memory?]

[The Purple Guardian, the method she told me for recognizing the Rainbow.]

[Alright. That’s a memory I’m very curious about too.]

Blue used the blue gem’s Mana to create a small ice crystal for Ray.

It didn’t melt, nor was it cold.

[When you need help, or if there’s a reason to call me, infuse Mana—.]

Flash!

A pillar of light shot towards the sky, and simultaneously, the ice crumbled to pieces.

Curiosity and inquisitiveness were running wild within the boy’s Vessel.

[Oh.]

[…….]

Blue, who was seriously considering butting Ray with its horn, chose the option of creating another crystal.

[Use it carefully.]

[I’ll try.]

Blue returned to the lake to resume restoration work, and Ray, after putting the ice crystal in his pocket, practiced creating the Element of Creation.

Flash! Crumble!

[Do it in moderation.]

And so, the next day arrived.

Standing at the island’s boundary, Ray looked down at the thick layer of Black Cloud below.

The massive hole torn by the crimson-black sphere’s explosion had been filled again by the clouds that had gathered.

Blue, beside him, spoke.

[It’s bewildering. If I hadn’t offered to carry you to the surface, you were thinking of jumping down to reach the ground?]

[It’s not just falling, roughly, I was thinking of jumping to the clouds around that position. The top of the World Tree reaches down there.]

[Isn’t that death the moment you fail?]

[It’s fine. I have a friend who is quite skilled in Healing Magic.]

Blue’s back, which had been made of transparent water, transformed into a physical body, taking the form of a saddle.

Ray climbed on.

He similarly grasped the horn, which had also taken form, like a handle, and before departure, he turned to look at the forest entrance.

‘So he’s decided to stay on the island after all.’

Philip had not appeared until the very moment before departure.

Leaving the home one had lived in all one’s life was probably not an easy thing.

[It seems we can depart.]

[Let’s.]

The moment Blue powerfully leaped from the island’s boundary.

“Grr! I’m coming too! I’m coming! Why are you leaving without me!”

A fox came running out from the forest entrance. It was Philip.

Running with all his might, Philip leaped from the island, stepped on an ice platform Ray created in mid-air, and jumped once more.

Thump!

He fell as if slipping right into the bag whose opening Ray had held open.

After turning around once inside the slightly cramped bag, Philip stuck his head out and said.

“I thought about it a lot! But this seems right! It’s not like I can’t ever come back!”

Blue, running diagonally through the air, pierced through the Black Cloud in an instant.

The darkness that had veiled their vision cleared, revealing an open landscape.

“……!”

Philip lost his words seeing the world beneath the clouds for the first time in his life.

The heartbeat of the small lifeform also reached the boy.

Blue descended rapidly towards the surface, spiraling around the World Tree like drawing a spiral staircase.

Suddenly, a question was thrown.

[Boy, what kind of world do you dream of?]

It was a question whose intent was hard to gauge.

The boy pondered for a moment.

If it were his former self, he would have answered that he didn’t care how the world turned out.

But now was different.

Veronica, Philip, Ayla, Ain.

Jang, Parun, Is, Grine, Gant….

He had met countless people during his journey and heard what kind of world each of them desired.

Such interactions had clearly influenced the boy’s subconscious.

And at some point, a certain thought had sprouted in the boy’s heart.

“Brighter than now.”

Ray lowered his posture, pressing his body against Blue’s back.

“A world where more colors exist.”

The rushing wind enveloped the boy’s body.

In the distance, the figures of people looking up in their direction came into view.

And at that time, in Sector 37.

A man with his hood pulled low was hurriedly walking towards the eastern outskirts.

Arriving in front of a certain mansion, he pressed the doorbell without hesitation.

Click.*

Behind the opened door appeared a gentleman in a neat suit.

It was Jang, the former Rickshaw puller, now serving as the butler of the mansion’s annex thanks to Ray’s consideration.

“What business brings you… Ah, it’s Solite-nim of the Order.”

The face revealed beneath the hood, Solite’s, looked uncharacteristically anxious.

“Has Ray-nim returned by any chance?”

“He has not yet returned from his travels, but do you have an urgent message?”

Solite nodded.

It was a very urgent message.

This morning, a Saintess who could breathe light into the Artificial Sun had been found.