She had been taken aback by Orion's astonishing feat, having witnessed it from afar. She had no idea what the effects would be on Kasryn or when she might recover.
Zera gestured for several guards, silently observing from behind, to co forward. They imdiately advanced.
After listening to the priestess's orders, they picked up the dazed Kasryn and her beast and left.
Zera bowed respectfully to Aerialia before refocusing on Orion.
"You returned because the seal is reerging, right?" she asked.
"Yes. I planned to take another one, but I have no idea what its effects would be on , so I want to find out first before doing so," Orion responded with a nod.
Zera knew Orion ca from outside the pocket dinsion and swiftly understood his words. It was best to uncover the effects of the condensed Vylkr essence rebirth elixirs on him before he consud another one.
"Follow ," Zera said, turning and gesturing for them to follow.
They followed her, leaving the top of the fortified walls and heading to the other side, toward an empty room next to one of the eting halls.
...
An hour later,
Inside a room furnished with comfortable chairs around a small table in the centre, a chandelier hanging above, and softly glowing lanterns in the corners, Aurora sat on one of the chairs while Aerialia hovered beside her, observing Zera's actions.
"You can take another elixir so I can directly observe its effects on your body. Don't worry about any consequences-I can remove its effects from your system if anything dire happens," Zera said.
"Can you really do that?" Orion asked, his tone curious. Though Zera seed formidable in her own right, Orion had encountered many individuals more powerful than her, like the goddess within her, so her presence didn't feel as imposing as it had when they first t.
Orion was more wary of the two goddesses within her than of Zera herself.
"I can. I was the one who created it, albeit with so help. The goddesses made sure to impart their knowledge and teach everything I need to manage the sanctuary and protect it from Divine mysteries," Zera replied with a smile, noticing Orion's curiosity.
Orion nodded in understanding, finding it reasonable. His relationship with Aerialia gradually developed as he absorbed her impartations to grow stronger and help her reconstruct her body to its current state.
If Zera had received similar direct guidance from the goddess of Twilight Chorus and Fortune and the goddess of Malevolence and Witches, her strength would be formidable.
Aurora and Aerialia didn't react much to Zera's words.
Orion took out the elixir bottle from under his clothing and consud one pill before putting it away. Sensing the changes within him, he closed his eyes, carefully observing them.
Zera seized the opportunity and stretched her hand forward, placing it over Orion. In an instant, a pulsing golden rune erged on her hand, followed by several more that appeared atop Orion, moving up and down his figure, expanding and retracting.
After several minutes, Zera dispelled the runes and withdrew her hand, her expression filled with fear and disbelief.
Orion opened his eyes and frowned, noticing her reaction.
"The elixir has permanently increased your Vylkr energy reserves and detoxified the Vylkr energy within your body, making it less aggressive. Normally, it's only ant to cleanse tainted cells and infuse a more stable Vylkr energy. It also temporarily boosts Vylkr energy reserves through those cells, slowing the corruption and enhancing resilience against the Vylkr energy. However, since you have no tainted cells, the elixir has produced these effects," Zera explained.
"Does this an I would gain more benefits without the drawbacks like the others??" Orion asked.
Zera nodded. "Most likely. I haven't noticed anything negative, except that you need to be careful about taking the pill excessively, or you might risk increasing your Vylkr energy beyond what your body can handle. There's a reason why it's only ant to temporarily boost Vylkr energy reserves."
"No matter how much the Vylkr energy gets cleansed and becos easier to use, it's still a curse at its core. You could cause irreparable harm to your body if you overuse it. At most, you're allowed to take three elixirs a day. I'm sorry, but this is my first ti observing sothing like this, so I'll need more ti before I can confidently make an accurate report." Orion nodded in understanding. Noticing her pensive expression, he asked, "I'd like to know if the two goddesses are satisfied with my performance."
"They are. They also said that if you help push back the hordes of monstrosities brought by the divine mysteries, they're willing to create another elixir that would provide the sa effects without the side effects as a reward."
£You have an incredible affinity with the Vylkr energy, but not more than her, so it should be feasible. Of course, that's assuming I can continue to observe the effects of the condensed Vylkr essence rebirth elixir on you," Zera said, pointing toward Aurora before refocusing on Orion.
"Can you tell us who initiated such a promise? After eting that goddess, I doubt she would give such a promise that easily," Aerialia asked, narrowing her eyes at Zera.
"It was Goddess Margona," Zera responded, her shoulders slumping tiredly as the tension in the room suddenly rose.
"I thought she was going to stay silent until we left," Aerialia scoffed, clicking her tongue in ridicule. "If you want to make such a promise to one of my people, wouldn't it be better to reveal yourself and say it directly?"
Unlike Orion, Aerialia was eager to et the other goddess.
Aerialia wanted to know if her condition was similar to that of the Goddess of Twilight Chorus and Fortune. This would help her formulate a plan to aid Orion in achieving his goals. Most importantly, she wanted to et one of the Eight Greed Gods who had stood against the Seven Great Gods and Naka.
Regardless of the circumstances, Margona's survival up to this point proved her strength and that she was worthy of her title and achievents.
"She said she doesn't want to speak with a 'low-tier goddess' who couldn't even make it through the Stellar Gate," Zera replied with a wry smile as the temperature in the room
dropped again.
Seeing Aerialia's intense gaze and Aurora's fixed stare, Zera wanted to cry, not understanding why her goddess was putting her in the middle of this argunt.
'If you wanted to say sothing like that, why not co out and say it yourself? You're Goddess Margona, one of the Eight Greed Gods and strongest goddess from a lost era. I'm sure they would hide their intentions if you t them face to face and said this,' Zera thought, berating her goddess inwardly.
Zera winced in pain as she felt a tug on her soul, realizing her emotions had been sensed. She quickly dispelled her heartfelt thoughts.
"I didn't just protect my children; I also protected several other races who had sworn their loyalty to . I did so alone, all the way up until the brink of crossing the Stellar Gate. If I had been in full health and hadn't been attacked by one of the Seven Great Gods, we would have
crossed safely."
"The last I heard of you during the Great War, you ford alliances to cross over. So don't you dare look down on !" Aerialia retorted, gritting her teeth in anger.
"If Goddess Margona wants to say sothing to my mother, then she should co out and say it herself," Aurora said, summoning her sceptre and stirring up the Vylkr and divine
energies within.
Zera could almost feel the tears welling up in her eyes.
"Ahem," Orion cleared his throat, drawing their attention. "If Goddess Margona ant what
she said, then I will gladly accept this reward," he added.
Zera sighed in relief and looked at Orion appreciatively.
"I don't mind either. However, I will need to be present during each checkup. This goddess has already proven herself untrustworthy in our first conversation, and it would be foolish to assu she wouldn't try sothing while we're not around," Aerialia said.
Aurora nodded in agreent. "I agree."
"It's fine. You can stay during the checkups," Zera said, subtly clenching her hand into a fist as a faint smile appeared on her lips. Upon closer inspection, the smile seed a little pained. Zera suddenly froze before sighing slightly. "She said she would also reward you if you keep your end of the bargain and aren't swayed into making the wrong decision by your goddess. Rather than simply giving you the elixirs after they're produced, you'll be given the recipe and the entire production process will be taught to you from start to finish as part of your reward. Is that sufficient for you?" she asked.
Listening to her words, Orion adopted a pensive expression. He admitted that the reward was too good to pass up, especially since he would receive the elixir formula and learn the process
firsthand.
"And who will be teaching him the process? You or her?" Aerialia asked, her face darkening with a deep frown.
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