The Tree Fairy?

[Young man, why are you smiling?] Galanor asked in confusion. Even though the brat had his eyes closed, his face was split open with a wide grin— something that irked Galanor to no end.

"Was I smiling? Senior, don't worry about that! Why are you still here? Shouldn't you be gone by now?" Raymond feigned ignorance and asked in return.

[Ahem. I was just about to go on my way. Keep your eyes closed like that. You're not supposed to witness the process since you belong to the living side.]

"Okay, Senior, please hurry. Your soul might disappear if you don't!" Raymond somehow managed to keep a straight face while making himself sound urgent.

Galanor felt the urgency and that made him even more nervous as he had less time than when he had started. His wispy body was already flickering, signalling his impending doom.

[Is this boy playing with me? Why can't I enter his sea of consciousness?] Galanor grunted in frustration and again tried to enter Raymond's head.

Alas, he was destined for disappointment as he found himself on the other side of Raymond, instead of reaching his psyche.

Raymond suppressed his smile. He was ducking every time just before Galanor was about to touch him and would go back to his initial position. He had the timing down to a tee, which was making Galanor believe that he was simply passing through Raymond's head.

[Argh! That's it, brat! Stop messing with me!] Galanor finally broke his facade and screamed at Raymond.

There was no way he, a former god, could be fooled by these tricks. If someone proved that Raymond wasn't playing with him then he was ready to eat his hat.

"Senior, you're still here? Let me remind you, I don't have much mana remaining. It is going to run out any minute now. You should HURRY!" Raymond kept his eyes closed and completely ignored the outburst from Galanor.

[Stop acting, young man! I know you're aware of what is happening here! You think you can fool me?]

"Haven't I been doing that all along?" Raymond sneered, dropping his act.

[You!] Galanor felt like throttling the little bastard but too bad he didn't have hands. [How dare you trick me? Did you know I was once a god worshipped by the masses?]

"No, I didn't." Raymond shrugged. "You are the one who tried to trick me first. So it is only fair that I do the same with you."

[You will pay for this!] Galanor thundered.

"Okay, I don't like spending gold coins, do you accept silver ones?"

[What the hell are you talking about!?] In his long life, Galanor had never met someone as annoying as Raymond. [I am being serious here! You better let me take over your body or else…!]

[Or else…]

Galanor's voice grew quieter as he realised his predicament. His whole plan relied on the key point that Raymond was dumb and gullible. Now that he found out he was neither, how was he going to escape?

Galanor looked at the destroyed statue and sighed deeply. There was no going back now but to either take control of Raymond's body or die trying.

[Look! There is a tree fairy over there!] Galanor poured the remaining scraps of his soul power into tightening the chains around Raymond and shot towards him with breakneck speed.

"Where?" Raymond suddenly sidestepped and disappeared from his spot while completely destroying the chains that held him in place.

-Crack!

Something broke, maybe it was the chains or Galanor's hope, Raymond could only guess as he appeared in the distance.

"Huh? Where is the tree fairy? Even in your last moment, you're lying. Don't you know people always speak the truth when they're about to die?" Raymond asked innocently.

[Argh! You nasty fucker! I can't even tell if you're an idiot or not!] Galanor screamed at the top of his lungs.

"Keep guessing…" Raymond's voice suddenly turned dead serious causing Galanor to shudder in fear.

So, this was how he was going to die?

"I want my tree fairy!"

[Cough! Cough! You! I will not forget you even if I reincarnate!] Galanor no longer cared about his revenge against those who killed him. No, it was Raymond who had made it to the top of his shitlist. [Remember this, I will come back to haunt you!] Galanor could feel the claws of the void slowly enveloping his tiny wisp of a soul.

He no longer had any power to resist his inevitable journey to the abyss. At least, he wasn't going to die by that brat's hand. That was the only conciliation he had.

"Just one last question before you go," Raymond casually asked as the light around the tiny wisp of Galanor started to flicker crazily, on the verge of going off. "What did you feel when I let out my aura?"

[Sigh, stop talking. I don't want to hear your voice at this moment.]

"I will start singing if you don't answer."

[You motherf— let me die in peace! …never mind, I felt nothing but dread from your aura! You're a freak! People will run away when they realise it. No one will be there for you. You will die alone just like a freak is supposed to be!] Galanor really felt refreshed after venting his frustration.

"Alright, stop projecting, old man." Raymond chuckled and he stretched out his hand. After all, if he didn't kill the soul that made Vivian's life difficult, shouldn't he be ashamed to show his face to his Apostle?

-The Dread-

-Zingg!

A dense, oppressive aura spread out with Raymond as the centre and filled the chamber.

[Gah! Don't—] Galanor tried to speak but the pressure on him was so heavy that not only was he unable to utter anything even his soul had stopped flickering as if frozen in place.

"Goodbye," Raymond waved his hand and the pressure increased on Galanor's soul before being snuffed out like a candlelight.

Galanor couldn't even scream in his last moments.

"Sigh. I should've known he would do that."

"Huh?" Goosebumps appeared over Raymond's body as an angelic voice whispered in his ears as soon as he called back his Aura. "Who is there?"

He turned around and scanned the entire room but found no one besides himself.

'Is there another soul trapped here somewhere?' Just as Raymond was thinking about breaking every single thing inside the chamber, the chirping of birds echoed out from the ceiling.

Then, miraculously, sunlight peered through the roof and graced the entire chamber.

"It's me, your tree fairy." A gentle, soul-soothing voice reached his ears again, making him dazed for a second.

-Gulp!

Raymond gulped audibly as a breathtaking beauty descended from above. Her hair was a mixture of pink and blue, spiralling down her hips. The dress she wore was woven out of delicate and the most fragrant of flowers.

Raymond couldn't help but inhale deeply as the flowery scent flooded the room upon her descent.

Her head was covered in colourful flowers. It was hard to tell if the flower made her beautiful or vice versa.

"Who are you?" Raymond asked, staring into her clear, crystal blue eyes.

"Silly, I am the tree fairy you were asking for." Her tinkling laugh was music to the ears.

"What? You… you're the World Tree?"

"Not really, I am the World Tree's spirit." She corrected him.

"So you're the World Tree," Raymond said intelligently. He had never seen someone as gorgeous as her. She was like the purest flower in the world, untainted and unreal.

Raymond had the urge to embrace her and taint her ethereal body— cough!

"I didn't know you could take human form."

"Fufu, nobody knew that. You're the first one to know. I have always wanted to take a humanoid shape," said the World Tree.

"Then why didn't you? Why appear now?" Raymond asked out of curiosity.

"It's all thanks to you!" she chirped happily causing the flowers on her head to blossom. "I was keeping that seal in check and Galanor locked inside the statue until he found someone who could perform the ritual for him."

"Wait…! He was being honest when he said that?"

"No, he wasn't. Sadly, he was not the man I once knew. Being confined in the same place for a thousand years had changed him. Although the initial deal was to keep his soul from disappearing until he found someone like you, he no longer respected that contract. Instead, he gave into his fear of oblivion and tried to take over your body."

"So, he had become unhinged?"

"That would be correct but please don't misjudge him. If he had his complete soul, you'd have gotten to see what kind of a man he truly was." The World Tree sighed in melancholy, her eyes moistening in sadness.

"Why didn't you let him go when you realised his madness?" Raymond questioned.

"Sigh. I held onto hope. After all, he was once revered and worshipped by my children. I couldn't possibly forsake him."

"You do realise that he would've possessed Vivian if she had succeeded in breaking the statue?" Even if an enchanting beauty was in front of him, Raymond didn't forget about Vivian. If she had willingly let it happen, then there was going to be another death inside the chamber.