Chapter 19

FELS POV, EARLY MORNING, 2 DAYS UNTIL THE ATTACK ON SOMA FAMILIA:

Fels walked in the heart of Deep Forest Seolo, bathed in the early morning sun's gentle glow. The forest exhaled tranquility and vitality, a realm where nature reigned supreme. Towering trees reached skyward, their trunks robust and their canopies a lush green canopy that danced with the light.

As Fels walked, a slender path guided them between the colossal trunks, the ground beneath adorned with a rich tapestry of wildflowers and moss. Every step seemed to harmonize with the forest's ancient rhythm.

I am sorry Ouranos, but if what Shalltear said is true and it can resurrect monsters...

Fels continued to walk through a thin path through the trees, their familiar, a white owl perched on Fels' shoulder.

Soon, the path unveiled a wide, circular depression in the terrain. It was a monster's nest, and within its embrace lay a clutch of eggs. Ten eggs, cradled in the embrace of nature between two trees.

Yet, a tense presence lingered. Guarding these precious eggs were three Bloodsaurus—a trio of red carnivorous dinosaurs, each standing at an impressive sixteen feet in height. Fels paused, recognizing the potential danger that lay ahead. The forest, serene on the surface, was still a realm where the law of survival reigned supreme.

Crouched amidst the vibrant foliage, Fels retrieved hidden items from under their flowing black robes. The owl, a silent accomplice in this mysterious venture, perched attentively, receiving the offered items with an air of readiness. The trap, a piece of raw meat that would entice the forest's hungry denizens, and a meticulously crafted citrus-hued high-potion.

With a silent flutter of wings, the owl vanished into the forest, carrying its mission.

Moments slipped by, and the Bloodsaurus' vigilant presence shifted. The hunters turned hunted, drawn by the allure of the trap's scent, and one by one, they withdrew from their sentinel post, leaving a solitary guardian behind.

"Now then…" Fels rose, a poised figure amid the verdant expanse, their gaze unyielding upon the lone Bloodsaurus that remained. Motherly instincts now directed the creature, moving fiercely and protective, between Fels and the eggs.

As the Bloodsaurus roared, a defiant tempest erupting from its massive form, Fels' robes fluttered, but their posture remained unwavering. The dance began, a dangerous duet, as the creature circled with predatory intent, urging Fels to yield ground.

"I suppose that is as good a position as any…" hand, adorned with intricate patterns etched upon a magic gauntlet, lifted. Power surged, and a colorless shockwave burst forth, propelled by Fels' will. The shockwave found its mark, colliding with the Bloodsaurus in a violent symphony of energy and impact. The creature's immense frame collided with trees, its defiant roar twisting into a pained howl that echoed through the ancient woods.

Unfazed, Fels advanced, "Your suffering will not continue for long…". The injured creature caught between agony and instinct, met the second shockwave with a shattering impact. The second impact was too much for the surface monster, and its magic stone shattered, causing the dinosaur to disintegrate and leave a pile of ash behind.

The words of a spell echoed from Fels, "O untrodden domain, O forbidden wall. Today on this day, I turn my back on the laws of heaven—".

"Rod of Asclepius, Goblet of Salus," Fels' voice rose, carrying the weight of ancient power, "O ye who is beyond the power of healing—I ask you to wait."

A white magic circle expanded by the moment. The twinkling magic energy surpassed the realms of human comprehension.

"Lord's judgment, lightning of conviction," Fels' words cascaded, their resonance echoing like a sacred hymn through the tranquil forest. "Shall I be burned, rejecting your providence—"

The white magic energy illuminates the depression in the forest and bursts through the tall canopy of trees, forming a white pillar that reaches to the heavens.

This is why Fels had come to this place, to test this spell away from Orario and hide the exact location of the ritual between the towering trees of the forest. It wasn't an option to do it during the night since the pillar of light would attract too much attention, it was better to do it during the day when it was illuminated. Plus, being early in the morning there would not be many people waking up and much less people near the forest.

Only one deity could have felt the ritual, with his powers unsealed: Ouranos.

o-O-o

OURANOS POV:

"Using that now, are you, Fels...?" Ouranos said from his stone throne deep underground. Then, the wizened deity closed his eyes.

o-O-o

"—I shall journey to the realm of the dead myself. Gates of Charon, over the river of time. Lend your ears, O Lord. Listen to this deranged melody.", the chant song's tempo increased.

"Never-ending tears, lamenting wails. The price has already been paid." As the magic circle glowed even brighter, the area around Fels disappeared in the white light.

It was taboo magic conjured with an extremely long chant. It could overturn predetermined fate, a secret technique capable of defying an irreversible, absolute truth.

"O path of light. I ask you to sacrifice the given past and cast light on this foolish desire. Yes, I will not turn away", the conjuring was complete, the magic energy at its peak. And a request was made in exchange for all of Fels's Mind.

"Dia Orpheus", with those words, the pillar of light began to flake apart. In its place, millions upon millions of light fractals overwhelmed the depression in the forest. The light pillar shattered a moment later with the sound of breaking glass.

Slowly, cautiously, Fels gazed as if in prayer...only to see the female Bloodsaurus, eyes closed and curled up against the trees. She was weak but alive, the resurrection magic had brought a monster back from the dead. The piles of ashes on the floor were noticeably smaller than before.

"...That...was my first success," Fels confessed in a voice that carried both exhaustion and triumph. With trembling limbs, the black-robed mage lowered themselves to the forest floor, every ounce of their energy and resolve expended in the ordeal.

From above, Fels' faithful white owl descended, delivering the much-needed Mind potion. The potion shattered upon impact against Fels' skull, its potent elixir seeping into their bones. There was simply no normal way to drink a potion since they became skeletal.

"Eight hundred years, has it been...? How I loathed this pointless magic, this useless hope that took up one of my Status slots all this time…But yes...there was a point." Fels struggled to form the words.

As the potion started to work its effects, Fels left the area, and the Owl perched on the trees followed behind.

Fels felt a deep emotional impact, and sadness directed at Ouranos. They have worked together for centuries but he never talked about this. "Resurrection magic designed for children works on monsters, while resurrection methods designed for monsters work on children", the memory of Shalltear's words hummed in Fels' mind.

o-O-o

??? POV, EARLY MORNING:

A tall man and a five-foot-tall girl were in a horse-drawn cart going through Fianna's Causeway to the south, coming from Orario. The back of the cart was filled with empty barrels and high-quality mining and forestry instruments.

The man had his beard shaved and was wearing a sky-blue undershirt under metallic light armor. The girl had green eyes and long, red hair tied into a tail behind her head. She wears a short teal and brown top that exposes her stomach, shorts of the same color with pouches attached, a teal and pale blue cap with goggles, a yellow ribbon, and teal and pale blue gloves.

They were members of a highly renowned familia of Orairo, in fact, it was one of the most difficult familias to join since most applicants were rejected after failing a task given by the god. It didn't make it any easier that the familia tended to hide from the world and be self-sufficient.

Currently, the man and the girl were going on a Familia mission going south to the Forest of Elan. The girl was vigilant of her surroundings, readying a bowgun made of wood and magic conductive mithril.

Suddenly, the girl noticed a pillar of light northeast of their location, "Hey Hey! Isn't that?!" the girl chirped energetically.

"Yes... Marco, it seems a god is returning to the heavens" said the man with concern on his face.

The girl reached to her head to equip her goggles, improving her vision of the pillar light coming from the Deep Forest Seolo, her bowgun now resting against the moving cart.

The bowgun shakes with the cart and falls upside down, revealing an engraving signature composed of three hammers—The Goibniu Familia emblem.