As Orion rose into the sky, he looked down at the majestic golden castle adorned with precious rubies and gemstones stretching far into the distance. Beyond it was an enormous and equally beautiful city, vast in its expanse. He rose higher, realizing just how endless it seemed. He could not see its boundaries. It appeared as though this kingdom spanned the entire land.
Despite already knowing how wealthy Ilse was, Orion felt he had gained a deeper insight into the true extent of her wealth. It was easy to understand why a divine being like Naka would require her funding for his experiments-she was practically a walking treasure chest.
Although he could envision countless ways to use such a treasure, which functioned like a portable dimensional world, it would all be futile if he didn't deepen his relationship with Ilse for Paradise's sake.
Orion's eyes were immediately drawn to the outline of an immense figure towering high in the clouds. Furrowing his brows, he ascended, with Aerialia following close beside him. The moment Orion emerged from beneath the clouds, he was stunned and froze in place.
Aurora stood as a colossal figure, hundreds of meters tall. Her massive legs, capable of crushing mountains, pressed against the clouds, while her head seemed as though it was trying to touch the world's imitation of the remnants. Behind her stretched two broad wings -one side, inky black, the other shimmering white, with tendrils spread over the edges like delicate webs. Her gown hovered around her ankles, appearing like curtains in the high skies. Her right arm extended across tens of miles, and within her open hand, massive strands of energy intertwined with wisps of divine power. Yet from below, it was difficult for Orion to discern precisely what was happening.
Orion had witnessed many gods transform into enormous beings, so the size alone didn't surprise him. The fact that this colossal being was Aurora left him astounded. Nonetheless, he quickly regained his composure.
Liora seemed to be enjoying the scene before her, stretching her hands as if trying to reach Aurora's gigantic form.
Sensing their arrival, Aurora dispelled the ball of energy gathering in her palms and glanced downward. A smile curved her lips as she looked at Orion, Aerialia, and Liora. Then, her wings retracted into her back, and her enormous body began to shrink until she returned to her average height and form, landing gracefully before them.
Without hesitation, Aurora wrapped her arms around Orion, pulling him into a tight hug. "I'm so glad to see you, darling," she said, pulling back slightly to kiss his lips.Witnessing Aurora's affection, Orion reciprocated the gesture.
Moments later, she pulled back.
"What happened?" Orion asked, his tone filled with curiosity.
He needed an explanation for everything Aurora had experienced and how she had transformed so dramatically. Though he had suspicions, he preferred hearing it directly from
her.
Aurora nodded and eagerly began to explain everything that had transpired-from the moment she went unconscious to her encounter with the Will of the Divine Mysteries, her Ascension trial, and how she had emerged victorious, transforming into a goddess capable of wielding both Vylkr and Divine energy.
An anomaly! The Will of the Divine Mysteries!
Orion mulled over these concepts deeply as he digested her words.
"Does that mean I'm also an anomaly?" Orion thought to himself.
He knew Aurora would never have gotten pregnant without his seed, meaning she would never have had the opportunity to experience any of this. He also remembered that his presence had rendered the village chieftess's gift to foresee the future useless, which had caused her to develop feelings of doubt-doubts that only lessened as his progress with Paradise advanced and their frequent meetings continued.
From what Aurora had explained, he was sure he was also an anomaly.
For now, Orion kept these thoughts to himself, assured that Aurora and Aerialia had come to similar conclusions.
"It's good that you're safe and well. I was worried something terrible might happen to you," Orion said, exhaling with relief.
"I have a gift for you. Tell me if you like it," he added, gesturing for the sceptre to float toward Aurora.
Aurora had already fixed her gaze on the sceptre, sensing a strange connection, but had focused on her husband and daughter first. Now, she turned her attention to it.
Curiously, she reached out and grasped the sceptre. Instantly, the bright ball of inky black and warm white light at its centre glowed with intensity. A dusting of light from both sides emerged, swirling around the sceptre momentarily before returning to the shimmering ball of energy.
"In my many lives, I have never witnessed the birth of an artefact of this calibre during a divine being's ascension," Aerialia said, her eyes fixed on the unusual changes taking place in the sceptre within Aurora's grasp.
Typically, artefacts are formed during a divine being's ascension trial due to the tremendous energy gathering around their environment. However, the ranks were usually at the epic, unique, or legendary artefacts due to the condensation of various lesser energies that accumulated in a fixed location during such moments.
If every ascension trial led to the formation of a divine artefact, every divine being would look forward to it--but that was not the case.
Because of this, Aerialia couldn't help but gaze at Aurora with admiration and emotion. She also glanced at Orion, wondering what kind of phenomenon his ascension trial would create.
Considering that Orion was an even more significant anomaly than Aurora, Aerialia knew his trial would be anything but ordinary. Despite the challenges they might face that day, she couldn't help but look forward to it, hoping she would have fully recovered her body by then so they wouldn't face the same problems they had today.
"Go ahead and bind with it," Orion said with a smile. Judging by the artefact's reaction, he knew he had made the right decision by giving it to her.
Aurora nodded. With the sceptre in her right hand, she pressed her left palm against it, and immediately, bright crimson blood emerged, flowing out and smearing across the sceptre's surface. The blood was swiftly absorbed into the artefact.
Aurora felt her energy-both Vylkr and Divine-flow into the sceptre.
The artefact, which had appeared dull previously, gained a peculiar lustre on its metallic sheen. The small, bright ball of light expanded until it nearly touched the edges of the arched 'C' structure at the head of the sceptre.
A wave of pure Vylkr and divine energy surged into Aurora's body simultaneously, filling her reserves and causing it to spill over her form. Dramatic changes began to unfold. Her white and inky, black feathered wings, with tendrils spread over their edges like webs, sprang from her back and widened broadly behind her.
Her eyes had a dual appearance-one side tinted with inky black, the other glowing with white. Only faint white pupils shimmered at the centre of the latter. Both energies overflowed from her body, scattering into a fog that hovered around her, following her every movement.
Within the fog, tendrils of Vylkr energy formed as though attempting to grasp the white mist, or Orion, Liora, and Aerialia, before being dispelled and reforming again. The fog shrouded the sceptre, revealing only its head.
"Are you okay?" Orion asked, breaking the tense silence after Aurora's sudden
transformation.
"Hah... I'm fine!" Aurora replied, controlling her voice to prevent it from creating powerful sound waves from the rush of excitement flowing through her. Fortunately, she had some time to calm herself before Orion's arrival.
"Are you sure?" Orion asked again, his tone filled with concern. He felt unsettled by Aurora's cold and indifferent expression, a stark contrast to her previously gentle but firm demeanour. Her entire transformation made it seem like he was gazing at a different woman. Aurora nodded confidently. "I feel even better than I did before. The artefact was created from the balance of Vylkr and Divine energy. Not only does it empower me with an additional personal reserve several times my own, but it also allows me to properly control both energies simultaneously. In other words, it's the perfect gift for me," Aurora explained,
leaning in to kiss Orion.
"Thank you for the gift, darling. With this, I'm confident I'll be able to help shoulder your responsibilities in supporting Paradise and its territories," she added, pulling back with a
sweet smile.
Feeling Aurora's lips on his, Orion experienced a sudden chill spreading through his body, causing him to stiffen and freeze. He immediately released his Vylkr energy from his containers, allowing it to flow through every fibre of his body.
Gradually, Orion regained his movement.
"Are you okay?" Aurora asked, a frown appearing as she sensed the Vylkr energy surging
through him. She couldn't help but worry.
"I'm alright," Orion replied swiftly with a confident nod. There was no way he was going to tell his wife that her kiss had felt like he had brushed with death.
Meanwhile, witnessing this bizarre exchange between husband and wife, Aerialia couldn't help but feel frustration building, almost as if veins were throbbing on her forehead-if she
had any.
Author's Note: We have just completed a major milestone in the novel, everyone. We are getting closer to the second half of the story.
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