Chapter 361: A Ripple of Sadness

"Rest for now," Arthur smiled and poured in what was left of his mana into Rega's body. It closed its ruby eyes and fell to peaceful sleep.

His mana has bottomed out as well, and he was getting drowsy. Arthur looked around the cabin and walked toward one of the rooms. Opening it, he found a bed and a nightstand. Light came through the window that made the place peaceful.

Arthur passed out the moment he was on the bed and went into a deep slumber. At that moment and time, it felt as if the world didn't need his existence anymore, and he was given a short rest. He slept without a care for the first time since he arrived to Alka.

***

The people gathered below the giant tree. They left their camp and walked to The Divine Tree, the source of change in landscape. It has been a day since the walls were built, but the Seika didn't show himself.

When they asked, they were told that the Seika was resting after yesterday's events. Then, words leaked out that he was resting on the giant tree, so the people waited.

The residents saw a miracle. No. They witnessed an act of gods. It was the first time that walls were built in a single day by a single individual. The one who brought this change was none other than the Seika of Living Beings, known as the Gardener.

They stood beneath the tree in the sun, waiting. Then, as if sensing their existence, the Seika appeared on top of a branch after a while. His empty sleeve fluttered in the wind as the man stood there silently.

"I believe that an explanation is necessary." The Seika looked at the people below. "The walls that rose yesterday are extensions of The Divine Tree. I've built them. They are meant to keep you safe, not imprisoned. If anyone wishes to leave the area, simply apply at the Civil Affairs office for leaving."

The Seika reassured their worries, and some people sighed in relief. The scene of walls rising around you brought fear to many people. However, now that they realized it was just to protect them, they all felt awe.

The man in front of them looked young, no older than twenty, but the things he did were nothing short of miraculous. After he did his brief speech, he seemed confused as to why they were still here.

"Return to your work, and expect great things from this city."

The Seika walked back after saying that, and the people were left there standing. It wasn't clear who started chanting 'Seika,' but everyone soon followed until the forest had nothing but their voice.

***

[Estate level: 0.]

"Why didn't you increase?" Arthur said grumbly at his Estate's level. He thought that building the walls will make him level up, but he did not. Now, he needed to understand why. His eyes glanced downward at his Estate's size.

It was still a zero.

"I guess I need to clear out the monsters that are still in the city." Arthur sighed and massaged his temples. "This will take a while."

He knew that building the walls so far away would make things more complicated, but it gave them the room to expand. Unfortunately, his Estate level would have to wait before he could raise it.

"Excuse the intrusion!" Gala jumped in through the window and landed in front of his desk. Arthur blinked his eyes at her behavior, treating this as an everyday occurrence. "We are running out of time, dear Seika."

Gala said with a grin, and Arthur noticed wrinkles under his eyes and a few grey hair strands. His face completely crumbled as he stood up from his seat.

"Why? The tear I gave you should last you a year."

"Seika, Seika, Seika. You are not as calculating as you thought yourself to be." Gala walked over while waving her index finger. "You forgot that when I use my spirit, I use my life force as an exchange."

"That's impossible. Otherwise, you would have died long ago." Arthur said with a frown. "You can't have lived for thousands of years if that was the case."

"Witches have a powerful life force, even stronger than druids." Gala tapped the crystal embedded in her forehead. "Humans use life force, and we use Spiritual Energy. The reason we can contract multiple spirits easily is that we are a higher level of spiritual beings."

"And you've been using that energy until now to help me?" Arthur tightened his fist. Gala simply grinned and didn't deny it.

"We had a deal, Seika. I would use all of my powers to aid you, whatever it costs. And in return, you will kill me in the Spirits Dimension."

"I can give you other resources that can keep you alive." Arthur waved his hand. "Another Phoenix's Tear? Whatever it is!"

"Seika," Gala raised her hand, which looked the same until it began withering in front of his eye. Then, starting from her fingers, the flesh began dying rapidly and disintegrating. "Unless you are a god, there's nothing you can do to stop me from dying."

Arthur looked at her as the void opened again in his chest. It was the same void that tried to tear him apart above the duke's mansion. He wanted to hold it back, but he was still too weak.

His existence pulsed and created a wave around him. It traveled with him as the center, passing through everything in its way. The ripple passed through Gala before leaving the house and crossing thousands of miles.

It didn't harm anything in its path, but it resonated with the existence of everyone. Gala felt it the strongest: the emotions of the Seika.

"I understand," Arthur muttered, his eyes cloudy. "We will go into the Spirits Dimension tomorrow."

***

The look on Seika's face could not leave her mind. Even the pain of withering away by the passage of time looked insignificant in comparison. She felt it deep within her soul: his sadness.

She looked at the sky while sitting on top of the house the Seika made for her. It was cloudy, and it was inevitable that it would rain. Before she told the Seika, it was as clear as a blank page.

'Can a human drag the weather to feel the same sadness he feels?' Gala wondered as the first droplet of rain fell on her cheek. 'I'll miss this feeling of being alive.'

Yet, it had to be done. Gala was regretful that the Seika was the one who needs to kill her, but he was the only person capable of doing so. The spiritual power he wields was even stronger than hers.

He was the only person she met and trusted that could kill her and allow her to go through the ritual. However, she didn't think that he could make it before the incident with the Duke of Fire.

It was then that she realized he was the only person capable of saving her from the chains of time. His spiritual powers were necessary for the ritual that would allow her to reincarnate as a spirit.

For a demi-human, a human, or any being with a body to turn into a spirit was something against the world's natural order. Spirits, like Rega, can materialize in the real world, but the opposite couldn't be said to be true.

That's why what she attempted to do was a defiance of the natural order, but she believed in the person she followed: the Seika of Living Beings.

He was a performer that pulled rabbits out of a small hat. Every day, he would show her a new trick that made her more fascinated by him: his emotions and feelings, his powers and spiritual energy, and his identity and past.

She was never this fascinated by a human and more scared. Gala could never understand him, even after the numerous times that she tested his limits. It was as if the Seika was not one person but several.

Today, she felt his emotion. It was directed toward her, even. She couldn't mock or make fun of him this time because he felt this way because of her request.

A void ripped itself in her chest. It refused to close down, reminding her of the sadness that the Seika because of her departure.

Gala squinted her eye as the first ray of dawn slipped from beyond the horizon. Then, she stood up from her spot with a refreshed grin. Finally, after countless years of waiting, she can leave this disintegrating body.

Her spirit danced around her as she jumped off the building. They refused to be unsummoned after learning that she was dying today. Gala was sentimental as well, but she couldn't back down now.

She was eager and ran toward the Seika's house. As she was about to knock on the door, it opened to reveal the man in question. But, unlike yesterday, the Seika looked calm.

"Morning, Gala." The Seika said. The way he said her name assured her of her existence. "Are you ready to die?"