122 Rosalyn Shadowgarden (3)
"T-That was!"
I woke up drenched in a pool of my own sweat. Huffing and puffing, I tried my best to compose myself and bring the shaking down a notch. However, the memories that returned to my mind still haunted me, and my cold sweats turned into absolute shivers of agony. And the piercing pain that resonated within my heart… Quickly turned into feelings of remorse.
Those memories… They weren't just mine.
They were Rosalyn's… They were Rosa's memories.
Yes… How could I have forgotten? The painful past that the girl was subject to. The sadness and loneliness she'd felt. And… The reason why I chose to stay with the girl. I wanted to make her happy. I wanted to make her whole again. I wanted…
To give her a soul. A new lease on life.
Yet, throughout these fifteen years, Rosa had been protecting me from the shadows. She'd faithfully protected me even when I had completely forgotten about her. Even when Irina pulled off her selfish stunt, Rosa was content to watch from obscurity.
Rosa didn't care about my attention, she didn't care about my love, she didn't care about whether my eyes turned to her or not.
All she wanted… was for me to be safe.
It was her heart-sworn vow, and it was an oath she'd kept even when the other three girls monopolised all of my love and attention.
However, as she repeatedly saw me subjected to danger, Rosa came to a dramatic conclusion. In order to keep me safe, she could no longer watch from the shadows anymore. To make sure that no one could ever hurt me again, she had to have me under her thumb. Even if it meant kidnapping me and chaining me in place. As long as I was in her territory, under the protection of the World Tree, she could protect me.
Which has led to this compromising situation…
"Jin, you're awake?"
Still bound by my wrists and ankles, I found my body restrained on the bed. Just like before, magic power was constantly being sucked out of my system, making it impossible for me to cast any spells to escape. My physical state was no better, as a weighing sense of lethargy held me down, and all my struggles were nothing more than a puppy's yelp.
Looking to the side, I didn't see the transcendental beauty anywhere. During this time of day, she was always doing something else. In her stead, however, there was one small fairy who was left to keep me company, or rather, keep watch of my movements.
"Sora…"
"Did you dream?"
"... Sora."
My voice fell, and my gaze pierced right through the floating sprite. I might have been naive before, but now that I have seen Rosa's memories, my eyes have been opened.
"Sora… Or should I call you Spirit of the World Tree?"
"Oh…" The shiny fairy's smile dropped as her crown started sparkling. After a few moments, Sora let out a huge sigh and said:
"Oh my, how did you figure it out?"
"Rosa… I saw her memories."
This phenomenon could only happen due to our soul exchange. As Irina said, we needed to be joined in soul, body and mind. Rosa and I already shared a soul bond, and due to her vigorous nightly activity, our bodies had practically become conjoined twins.
All that was left, were our minds.
Before, I couldn't figure out what was behind Rosalyn's thoughts. Why did she confine me to this bed? Why did she drug and restrain me? Why was she behaving so erratically?
But through looking at the world from her eyes, I finally understood.
Rosa was protecting me. In her own twisted way, she believed that by keeping me on this bed, she could protect me forever. It was twisted, yes, but Rosa's intentions were pure. As for this World Tree, on the other hand…
"World Tree… What on earth are you planning?"
"Planning, I'm not planning anything," Sora replied with the same tone of voice. "I may be a Spirit, but I don't have any true power. I'm just like any other tree out there… I just want to continue living."
"And in order to do that, you'll need to make Rosa suffer?"
My voice got more and more agitated by the second. The Shadowgardens and the Elves may have been the perpetrators of Rosa's pain, but the World Tree was the main cause. If not for the World Tree, Rosa wouldn't need to be subjected to all the restraints she was placed under. She wouldn't need to be treated as a tool. She could have been… Any regular girl.
"Suffer? That's far from it! Rosa is my friend!!!" Sora declared with her chest puffed out. "I would never choose to hurt Rosa!"
"Then… Why did you manipulate her in the past?"
"I… I needed her to follow the prophecy."
"Prophecy?"
Sora's words drew some intrigue from me. I never once believed in prophecies or fate. I believed one's destiny was something one needed to carve on their own. But at the same time, Sora was the Spirit of the World Tree, probably the most ancient living creature on our planet.
If Sora had seen a prophecy, I shouldn't just flat-out deny it.
"Yes… Nothing lives forever, not even the World Tree. Even if the World Tree could keep reincarnating, father time would one day have its due. As the Spirit of the World Tree, I accepted that. But…"
Sora's elf-like ears perked up as she stared right into my soul.
"I had a dream one day… Of an eternal World Tree. One that wasn't subject to the whims of humanity and the universe. One that could fully stand the test of time and live on as an eternal being."
Sora's eyes glistened ever so brightly as she repeated her dream to me.
"And there will be one man at the centre of that tree. No, one God. With a never-changing youth and the power to defeat time, he will protect the World Tree with his invincible power."
"And you're saying… That man is me?"
"That's right!" Sora pumped her fist down with pure elation.
"That dream… That prophecy… I believed in it for many thousands of years. I waited patiently… Patiently for your birth and patiently for your existence. I tried to deduce more, but I could only see the birth of your powers and the end for some odd reason. It felt as if… There was a mysterious power blocking anyone from viewing your fate."
"..."
I've heard that before. When I'd fought Sirius, he said he felt 'something' was hiding within me and that 'something' was strong enough to make the Stardevourer, the Moonreaver House's most powerful weapon, shake in fear.
Interesting… It seems like even more secrets are hidden, even to me.
Fate, destiny, providence… There must be some sort of magic trick that was eluding me. Alas, as much as I was interested in getting to the bottom of this, there was a more pressing problem to solve.
"For that reason, you forced Rosa to do your bidding? To serve you for all of time?"
"Jin… Rosa's existence was never meant to serve me." Sora shook her head as a bitter smile crept up her lips. "Rosa… The main reason why she was born… Was for your sake."
"My sake?"
"Yes," Sora nodded ever so enthusiastically. "Everything has been predetermined by fate, from Rosa's birth to your meeting, to the Outer Demon attacking you, and finally, your eventual ascension into greatness. Everything has been prophesied. You may not like it, but it was Rosa's destiny to meet you. And it was your destiny… To save her."
"..."
How disgusting.
This entire time, I had blamed the Shadowgarden House, the Elves, the World Tree… But, I've yet to look inward. I've yet to chastise the real reason why Rosa had been suffering and why she continues to behave in this manner.
Me.
"I see…"
Taking a deep breath, I channelled magic power from my inner core and onto my right hand. At that moment, five rings connected by chains graced my fingers. The middle finger sparkled with a deep azure colour, resembling the entire boundless sky.
The ring on my thumb was illuminated with the rainbow's colours, showing the universe's intense creativity and innovations.
The ring on my index finger glowed with a crimson hue as if the fiery pits of hell were encased within them.
And finally… The gem on my ring finger started to power up.
With an emerald glow that seemingly contained all of the world's lushest forests within, the ring shone brightly. And with that power, I started to see shining lights running all around me. The wisps floated irregularly, like molecules that collide and bind all together. But at the same time, they were independent and unique, much like their own lifeforms.
No, they were all lifeforms…
They were the souls of everything that surrounded me. The trees, the plants, the grass… Everything that had a living soul… They were now all visible to me.
I get it now… This was my fourth power… This was the power granted to me by Rosa…
This was… The power to control Life.
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