Village Head's Debauchery

General Reynold and the others, who had been looking around in confusion, finally understood what was happening as they stared into the severed space.

As they peered in, they realized something else.

The seed was digging into the root, and as it did, a silver-white sap, imbued with Iyria energy and primordial energy, flowed into it. Then, slowly, it began to construct a corporeal structure from the ground up.

The sap wove itself into perfectly known contours, from rib structures to nerve pathways, bone lattice, tissue networks, and flesh formations. Though the surface remained silver-white, everyone was sure that the being within was being reanimated.

General Reynold, Ilse, Oberon, and Zera, along with Margona and Avareille, stared in awe at the scene unfolding before them, then turned their gazes toward Orion.

They saw that he was completely silent. His attention was focused on the seed.

As the seed grew larger and the silver-white cosmic sap began shifting into a spectrum of colours, from the soft pink of bone to the reddish hues of forming organs, General Reynold trembled.

Though he had held onto hope, it had been blind trust. If the trial failed, he had wanted to bear the consequences himself. But now, seeing that the reanimation was truly him, he realized he would indeed recover his real body.

Soon, General Reynold noticed his metaphysical form was slowly fading into nothingness.

"What's happening?" he asked, alarmed.

Oberon and the others quickly surrounded him.

"Don't be anxious," Orion said, turning his head to look at him. "One of the rules I implemented into the method to prevent complications in the future is that a seed can only reincarnate one version of the same being. If the reincarnated body is still active, then the seed won't function."

He had already informed the Mysteries of the Twelve-Step Stairs about what was about to occur, so fortunately, there had been no interruptions.

General Reynold nodded in understanding. He felt relieved. Since it wasn't a problem, he stood tall with his legs together and chest forward. He gave Orion one last nod before his metaphysical form scattered into the air.

The scattered essence flowed into the seed, which now resembled an embryo. Then, a wave of White Flame surged from the tree bark, engulfing it in blazing fire once more.

"Phase two commences now," Orion said, narrowing his sharp gaze on the seed.

More streams of White Flame poured down from the bark of the White Flame Cosmic Tree, baptizing the seed and General Reynold as he aligned himself in perfect harmony with his reincarnation.

His original White Flame couldn't withstand the intensity of the evolved White Flame and quickly surrendered, transforming to match its nature as it continued to cleanse the seed.

Phase two would take two days to complete.

So they waited.

Two days later,

Phase two was completed.

Reynold's figure could now be seen clearly within the seed.

With a sharp crack, like the blooming of a flower, the seed opened.

Reynold stretched out his hands, gripping the edges of the seed for support as he stepped out.

He looked down at his fair, corporeal hands and examined other parts of his new body, a tinge of excitement lighting up his face.

His gaze shifted to the silver-white cosmic sap spilling from the seed, which quickly melded back into the roots of the tree.

Orion and the others observed him from outside the torn space.

Orion swiftly clothed him in a simple set of black trousers and a shirt.

"Thank you," Reynold said with genuine appreciation.

Orion nodded and turned his attention back to the seed. He noticed the split was healing, sealing shut, and the seed itself was shrinking, returning to its original size.

He had re-imprinted the seed, allowing it to serve as a womb for Reynold's future reincarnation within the White Flame Cosmic Tree. If Reynold truly died next time, he would be reborn through this seed.

Reynold and the others noticed this phenomenon as well.

Seeing their curious expressions, Orion gave an explanation.

"What if I die outside of Paradise? Will I still be able to reincarnate?" Reynold asked as he emerged from the torn void.

He stood on a black circular platform floating beneath their feet.

"Naturally, you will," Orion said with a nod, then explained everything to them.

Their reincarnation was now tethered to the White Flame Cosmic Structure as an intrinsic part of Paradise's cosmic framework.

While they were within an area dominated by the Mysteries of the Twelve-Step Stairs, the Divine Mysteries had been able to sense when Aerialia had tied herself to the Mysteries of the Twelve-Step Stairs.

Therefore, it should be taken as a given that even if they were to die in another cosmic structure under any circumstance, as long as they had truly died, they would be able to instantly reincarnate.

This was under the premise that the Mysteries of the White Flame Cosmic Tree were fully functional.

He was unsure whether it would work without the presence of a fully functional Mysteries, but he didn't want to take any risks.

"However, there is a drawback," Orion said.

"This method cannot be used too frequently, or else the required essence and soul for the reincarnation would weaken and be overtaken by the White Flame Cosmic Tree. You would lose yourself, and your will would be shrouded by the tree."

"Another is that once you have chosen this method, should you decide to tie yourself with any foreign Mysteries outside of Paradise, your seed will be shattered and destroyed from the roots. That's all for now. We will have to wait and see if any problems arise in the future."

He was pleased with himself for having successfully implemented such a complex idea in a single trial.

Since there were three more to go, he hoped to identify any problems that might lead to future complications and solve them immediately.

"I don't plan on dying anytime soon. And I don't plan on pledging my alliance elsewhere or aligning with any other Mysteries—my heart dwells and will forever remain in Paradise," Reynold said.

He sensed that not only had he been reincarnated, but he had also returned to his former divine strength before he ascended the stairs and fell.