📢 AUTHOR'S NOTICE
The number of weekly chapters for this novel will decrease from 6 to 4.
It was a tough decision, but a necessary one due to the time I must dedicate to my other novels, fanfics, and especially my original storywhich, to be honest, hasn't been as popular as I had hoped. That makes me a little sad, but I have no intention of abandoning it. After all... it's my story. My world.
From now on, new chapters will be posted Monday through Thursday. I'm sorry for those who expected more, but not everything is bad news: I"ve managed to set up a proper schedule, and the days I Don t write give me time to better plan the plot, develop ideas, and improve each chapter.
Now then, here"s the chapter:
🌸 Chapter: The Soul Flower
Lua finished eating after a few minutes. She calmly wiped her hands while glancing around the room. Liora was dozing off on a rabbit-skin-covered couch, curled up on a soft cushion, while Loli washed the dishes with a quiet smile. Sig had already left some time ago, after purchasing the land.
Lua picked up the bag that had been set aside and opened it. For an instant, a white flash burst from insidea signal. She recognized the spell instantly. A magical beacon… and she couldn t stop it anymore. She simply ignored it and began checking the contents.
The bag was spatial, similar to the ones she crafted herself, though visibly inferior in quality. It had been made using only magic, forcibly expanding its internal space. Because of that, its weight was still perceptible, and if it was too full, it could become too heavy to carry. Even so, its capacity was remarkablealmost twice that of her usual bags.
Maybe I could study its core spell and adapt it for chests or storage trunks in the players" houses, she thought. It would be a useful improvement.
Without further delay, she flipped the bag over and let everything spill out onto the floor.
A disorganized pile of items fell at her feet.
Among them were a pair of black daggers, materials from poisonous beasts, a golden sword, at least five demon beast cores, and several potions glowing in different colors.
But the last object to fall changed everything.
A flower.
Multicolored, vibrant, glowing like a rainbow. Its light was anything but ordinary. Its presence was anything but random.
Lua"s eyes widened in a mix of shock and awe. Her hands trembled for just a moment.
Loli, noticing her reaction, turned curiously. She saw the scattered items and slowly approached the glowing flower.
"What"s this?" she asked, reaching out.
"Wait!" shouted Lua suddenly.
Her voice was so firm that Liora jolted awake, lifting her head and glancing around in confusion.
Loli froze in place, startled by the sudden command.
Lua looked at both of themat Loli, whose eyes were wide open, and at Liora, still half-asleep.
"Sorry… this is important," murmured Lua.
She stepped forward and carefully picked up the flower, handling it as if a single mistake might shatter it. She stared at it in silence. She had to be sure it was real. Not an illusion.
I dreamed of this flower for years, she thought.
She had ventured alone into territories swarming with demon beasts, facing horrors just for this flower. She had nearly died more times than she could count. Even after becoming a demigoddess, she kept diving into the most dangerous forests, fleeing from hunters, chasing a single goal. This flower.
Even her clone had continued the search.
"The Soul Flower…" Lua whispered, a faint smile forming on her lips.
And without another word, she dashed out of the room. At full speed. As if nothing else mattered.
She rushed to her bedroom, heading straight for the corner. With a quick gesture, she revealed a hidden magical hatch. She descended the stairs without hesitation.
There it was.
A crystal sarcophagus.
Inside, her mother. Asleep. Always asleep.
Lua froze for a moment, paralyzed by fear. What if it doesn t work? she thought. What if this is the last time I hope for something… only to be let down?
But she couldn t give up.
With trembling hands, she opened the crystal lid and slowly brought the flower to her mother"s chest. She gently placed it there. Her fingertips barely brushed the fabric of the dress.
And then, as if the flower understood its purpose, it began to shine. A light of a thousand colors surrounded her mother"s body. The flower melted, transforming into pure liquid essence. It flowed over Silvia"s bodyso quickly it seemed like a flash.
Lua covered her eyes from the brightness.
When the light finally faded, she looked. Carefully. Like she had so many times before.
She waited.
And waited.
Seconds passedan eternity in her heart.
Silvia"s eyelids began to move. Lua leaned in, unable to breathe.
Then, Silvia opened her eyes.
At first, she stared at the ceiling, disoriented. Then she closed them again. She opened them once more and turned her head toward Lua, frowning slightly. Then closed them again.
"Mmm…?" she murmured.
She opened them fully this time. Slowly sat up, supporting herself with her arms. She stared at Lua with clear confusion.
"Lua? Is that you? Why are you so… big?" she asked, surprised and a little afraid.
"Mama…" whispered Lua, and threw herself into her mother"s arms.
The tears she had held back for centuries came pouring out.
Silvia didn t understand anything. She was lost and confused. But as she watched the young woman sobbing in her arms, clinging to her like a child
Those eyes. That hair. Those horns.
She knew.
It was her daughter.
Silvia hugged her, still confused, while Lua wept without restraint.
From the hatch above, Loli and Liora peeked down silently. Their eyes wide, unsure of what had just happened… but knowing it was something extraordinary.
…
"Easy now… my little star… well, my big star," murmured Silvia affectionately, gently patting Lua"s back. Despite the gesture, Lua didn t let go of her mother; she held her tightly, with the strength of centuries pouring through her arms.
"...It looks like you awakened your divine blood," Silvia said suddenly, causing Lua to frown and pull back slightly.
"What did you say?" she asked, her voice still thick with emotion, but now alert.
"Hmm? Isn"t that why you suddenly grew up so much?" Silvia asked naturally.
"Two hundred years have passed," Lua replied as she wiped her tears with her sleeve.
"What? Two hundred...?" Silvia"s face went pale. "What happened to the others?" she asked urgently, worry flashing in her eyes.
Lua slowly shook her head.
"You were alone… for two hundred years?" Silvia whispered. Seeing her daughter nod, a painful knot tightened in her chest.
"I m so sorry," she said in a broken voice, taking Lua"s hands in hers. "I m so, so sorry…" she repeated, tears now falling from her eyes.
Lua lowered her head a little, letting that moment be just theirs.
But then, she returned to the question.
"What did you mean by divine blood?" she asked again, still holding her mother's hands.
"Ah… nothing," Silvia replied, trying to smile. "Maybe I was just confused after being asleep for so long."
She wiped her tears and gently caressed Lua"s face.
"Look at you… so beautiful. So grown."
Lua let the comment about divine blood goat least for now. Her heart was far too full to chase answers at that moment. She simply smiled, happy just to see her mother alive.
But Silvia noticed something else. Her gaze slowly shifted toward the hatch, where two curious heads were peeking in.
"You said there were no more spirits left… didn t you?" Silvia asked with a hint of confusion.
"They"re… different," Lua replied softly.
Liora stepped inside with a childlike smile, her wings fluttering gently as she walked forward.
"Hello," she said cheerfully.
"Oh my…" Silvia smiled warmly. "What a lovely little spirit."
She studied her more closely.
"It"s rare to see someone from the angelic race," she added casually.
Lua frowned again.
"How do you know her race?" she asked, a bit on edge.
"Hmm? You didn t know? The goddess of fortuneone of the Ten Godswas from the angel race. Her story was in the fairytales I used to read to you as a child."
Lua lowered her gaze slightly.
"Those books were burned…"
She remembered parts of the stories, of course. But after so much time without them, the details had inevitably faded.
"That"s a shame…" Silvia murmured, her voice tinged with shared sadness. "They were the only remnants of the old Spiritual Empire. They had records of evolutionary branches, profession recipes, spells… even blueprints of ancestral weapons."
Her eyes then fell on Lua"s outfit, her expression shifting slightly in confusion.
"That outfit… where did you get it?"
"Well… there"s a lot I"d have to explain," Lua admitted, glancing down at her gearobtained as a system drop.
"It looks a lot like the ones from the stories. The uniforms of the Imperial Guards," Silvia said with a nostalgic tone.
At that moment, Loli, who had spent the last several minutes mentally hyping herself up, finally gathered the courage to enter. She crossed the room with small, nervous steps.
"H-Hello… I m Loredana. But everyone calls me Loli. It"s an honor to meet you," she said, offering a shy, improvised bow.
"Well now… another beautiful spirit. And astral-type, no less. That"s rare too," Silvia replied warmly.
Lua tilted her head slightly.
"Mother… do you remember many races?"
Silvia chuckled softly.
"Well… I was the village chief for over a thousand years," she said with a calm smile.
Loli"s eyes widened at the number. Even Lua, who hadn"t known the exact figure, fell into a moment of stunned silence.
Inside her mental interface, SIA didn t hesitate to chime in:
"Chief… I m sorry, but I think you should consider giving your leadership position to your mother."
"Shut up," Lua replied instantly.