Rebirth

Chapter 45: Rebirth

Eldertwine Tree region, Mirage Woods.

Underneath the tree trunk, the small cave structure Raven found earlier glowed crimson as the red feather began to shine.

Soon, the feather flickered intensely before forming into a reddish flame. The tiny flame gracefully danced and flickered until it grew larger, taking on the form of a person lying down.

Within ten seconds, the reddish flame molded like clay, forming a fitting image of Raven!

But instead of human flesh, Raven seemed made entirely of fire!

No, a slight change started to appear on his left thumb finger. Unlike the other areas, the fire seemed light yellowish, revealing Raven's real fleshy thumb!

The Flame 'Raven' remained in the cavern for over ten hours and soon showed slight movements.

At that moment, the pure reddish flame disappeared slowly, revealing Raven's real body underneath the layer of light-yellow flame.

It seemed like the red flame even reattached Raven's severed head with the body and gave him a second chance!

Slowly, the layer of light-yellow flame also extinguished, revealing his beautiful face.

Another few hours passed, but no sign of Raven waking up.

Soon, it became night, causing the cavern to engulf itself in complete darkness.

It was around 11. P.M.

Raven slowly opened his eyes and looked at the familiar ceiling made of roots.

"W-Where am I?" At that moment, the memory of him getting overpowered and assassinated by a dark-robed human appeared in his mind.

He still vividly recalled the pain he had experienced when his head was decapitated and felt a chilling sensation in his heart.

"Wait… Didn't I die? But how am I here in Eldertwine Tree Cavern? Zera? Are you still there?" He asked hurriedly.

[I'm here, lad. You are still alive because of the red feather I gave you last night. It is filled with the essence of 'Rebirth Flame' and can bring back the dead person alive even if his soul was shattered.]

"Rebirth? Such a spell really exists?" Raven asked in a shocked tone and tried to sit up but couldn't.

[Don't restrain your body. Although you have been given a second chance, your body is still weak. You must rest for a week before returning to your normal condition.]

Raven quietly nodded at Zera's warning and then focused on the situation.

"W-What should I do now? I must find a way to save my sister and aunt soon!" He was more worried about his aunt than his sister.

From the conversation he had eavesdropped with the help of the 'Past Finder' skill, he learned that his aunt would be sent to prison as a scapegoat.

[Calm down, lad. Even if you go there now, you will only get assassinated. What can you do with your current strength? You can't even face an Elite Rank Walker. Humph, even the Royal guards working in the Royal Palace would be around Rank-2 to Rank-3. If you go like this, you might either be killed or imprisoned right away. No. Even if you reach the Legend Rank powerhouse, you will still struggle to rescue your aunt and sister.] Zera's words were harsh, but they were the truth.

"What do you suggest? There is no way I can give up on my only family members. Even if the whole Zenith Empire stands in my way, I'll face everyone head-on and rescue my sister and aunt!" Raven said while clenching his fist.

[With this pitiful strength of yours? Haa, strength alone is not the answer to every solution. Think carefully. Is there no way to save your sister and aunt from the current situation other than immediately storming into the lion's den?]

Zera's words made Raven shut his mouth and think deeper.

"Royal Crown Challenge!" Raven still recalled his conversation with his aunt and sister yesterday and felt a glimmer of hope.

"But as Aunt said earlier, a prince needs the support of two Dukes, four Margraves, and seven Counts to participate in the Royal Crown Challenge. From the looks of it, it seems no one knew about my existence. Even if I prove to everyone that I'm the 66th prince with this silver bracelet, there is no way a Noble would support me." He also knew the Royal Family had over sixty princes and princesses and felt hopeless.

'Not even a rural baron would come forward to help me in my current situation.'

[Don't think negatively. To gain support from the nobles, you must become one of them. You have a big advantage over all the other princes. While the Emperor and the Prime Minister think you have been assassinated successfully, use this opportunity to create a new identity and grow your strength in the shadows.] Zera's words made his resolution firmer.

"Then, I need a new identity first." He muttered and soon added.

"And I also need an ally at this moment." He opened the inventory and took out a strange velvet color gemstone.

[Don't tell me-? Are you going to call for that woman? She is way too suspicious. From the information on her status, she belongs to a shady organization called Velvet Circlet, which seems dangerous, too.]

Raven also knew this thanks to the Monocle artifact, but he didn't have a choice now.

"I'm already feeling dizzy, Zera. I don't know when I'll lose consciousness again. I should seek help from her rather than getting starved to death here."

Without hesitation, he clenched the orb-like gem and crushed it.

[You are indeed correct. But before you lose consciousness, take out that silver bracelet in your left hand and store it in your inventory.] Zera spoke.

"This strange bracelet? But it never came out of my hand whenever I tried pulling it out." Raven slowly raised his left hand and noticed it wasn't attached to his skin like before, but it appeared removable now.

[When you were assassinated, the link between this artifact and you also got severed. That's why you can remove it so quickly. This artifact has a strange link with your blood and even has a tracking rune spell inscribed. So, we better hide this bracelet until you get strong enough to protect yourself.]

"Gavin also said something similar when my aunt asked him how he found them." Raven realized they had been constantly under the Emperor's watch.

[Unless you infuse your blood into it, it won't activate again. Still, keeping this thing inside your inventory is the best choice to evade unwanted attention.] Zera spoke.

Raven nodded as he removed the bracelet and stored it in his inventory.

After that, he took out a notebook and pen and started writing something on the paper.

Then, he stored the quill pen and kept the opened notebook on his chest.

As seconds passed, a strange fatigue assaulted his body, causing him to go into an unconscious state again.

…

A few minutes went by,

A blonde-haired woman in her late twenties suddenly arrived near the Eldertwine Tree and looked around in confusion.

She had gem-like amber eyes, a heart-shaped face, a high nose bridge, pale white skin, and neatly tied long hair. She wore a striking black combat dress that accentuated her slender figure. The dress featured intricate lace detailing along the neckline and sleeves, adding a touch of elegance to its otherwise utilitarian design. The bodice was fitted, cinching at the waist before flaring out into a full skirt that allowed for ease of movement.

The sleeves were long, ending in fitted cuffs adorned with tiny buttons, and were designed to allow for flexibility in combat. The skirt was slightly shorter than typical Rune Era dresses, reaching just below the knees to ensure freedom of movement.

Completing her ensemble were sturdy leather boots that reached mid-calf, providing both style and practicality for traversing varied terrain.

"Did I come to the wrong location?" She muttered to herself and quietly touched her watch in her left hand.

Soon, the watch emitted a bluish light and showed a holographic screen.

Then, a voice came from the watch while a detailed 3-dimensional image of the tree and its interior was shown in the holograph.

"There is a presence underneath that giant tree, my beautiful Eli." As the voice spoke, Elizabeth moved towards the tree's trunk and soon jumped to the other side.

Soon, she saw a well-hidden cavern-like structure concealed by tree branches and moved closer towards it. Then, she removed the tree branches and quietly moved inside the small cavern.

Thanks to the blue light emitted by the holographic image, she instantly noticed a small boy lying inside and rushed forward.

"It is Raven! But how did he end up in this state?" She asked in a confused tone.

A strange illusionary mouse suddenly appeared on her shoulder and spoke.

"I sense a strange probing power coming from his closed eyes. Is it an Arcane Fragment?" the mouse asked.

"Impossible! Arcane Fragments are scarce, even on the mainland. Also, don't dare to do anything funny, Whis. He is my student." Elizabeth glared at the illusionary rat and soon checked his pulse and breath.

"He has a high fever and also an irregular heartbeat." While checking, she noticed the notebook opened on his chest and looked at it.

"By the time you appear here, I might not be conscious, Teacher. But please hide my identity when bringing me back to the town at all costs. And don't look for my aunt or sister. They aren't in the town anymore." Although the words were short, Elizabeth vaguely sensed that something big must have happened to his family.

"I should investigate what happened to his sister and aunt later." She nodded inwardly and took him with her both hands.

Soon, she left the small cavern and started moving toward Darkcross town.