Lord of The Mysterious Realms Chapter 918

Beneath the canopy of the colossal tree in the heart of the Evergreen Forest, Hathaway was completely oblivious to what had just transpired. Nor did she sense the pair of eyes still watching her from the dense woods. Chocolate understood everything that had happened since Jenkins first heard about the "Evil God's Child in New Truman City." The former God of Lies was not the only one paying close attention to the matter of divine domains.

As the first pseudo-god to become entangled in the incident of the God's Child, the God of Music's scheme was clearly a cut above the rest.

Chocolate was not at all surprised. After all, it had been born in an ancient era, long before the "Wondrous Musical Score" had even appeared. It knew exactly how this particular deity had come into being.

A soft meow was cut short by a sudden hiccup. The cat immediately clapped a paw over its little mouth and glanced around warily, but saw only an owl with unnervingly bright eyes perched on a branch behind it.

With a soft thud, the owl dropped straight out of the tree. A few seconds later, it shakily took flight again, a strange feeling nagging at its mind that it had just forgotten something very important.

The cat watched as Hathaway pulled her robes tighter and hurried away, only then leaping down from its perch. It darted with nimble grace across the clearing, finally coming to a stop at the base of the giant tree.

Jenkins, his soul conversing with a Star Spirit in the astral plane, was of course oblivious to his pet's "generous" act. He was currently asking the Star Spirit for help examining the holy sword, hoping to uncover the truth about the weapon.

"It's quite clear," the Star Spirit explained. "It is A-12-1-0044, the Skull Sword of the Departed Soul. However, its power has been drastically diminished, and it has been tainted with the breath of life. I'm astonished it wasn't destroyed by the conflict. This is a weapon that could only be born of a miracle."

Rakul nodded with absolute certainty. She swept a hand through the sea of stars, and a miniature, transparent model of the colossal tree from the Evergreen Forest materialized between them.

"This tree," she began, "has, to some extent, birthed a very simple consciousness. Such a thing is bound to happen with the accumulation of so much life spirit. When death—the antithesis of life—appeared, the great tree, which is linked to the entire forest, mounted an instinctive defense..."

Rakul spoke with a placid expression. She had no desire to lie to Jenkins—and besides, it wasn't a lie. No one could deceive him while he possessed the divine domain of [Lies]. She merely omitted the fact that a certain dagger, a gift from a certain god and made from the wood of the World Tree, was the crucial catalyst that connected his bloodline to the forest. Even if someone were to tell Jenkins about the elves at this point in time, it absolutely could not be her.

At the dawn of this epoch, the Star Spirit had caught a glimpse of this era's Millstone of Fate. She knew with perfect clarity that all the critical junctures of destiny were already written. To resist fate was to invite an end like that of the puppet who had self-destructed in the snowbound manor.

"...and with the addition of my power, the creation of this weapon was made possible. The starry sky is ancient, capable of embracing nearly everything. It is a union of both death and life, much like the current state of this sword."

Jenkins nodded as he listened. He could accept that explanation. He still had some lingering questions about the coincidences involved, but then again, coincidence was his constant companion. Viewed in that light, the events of the previous day seemed to fall into place.

"Oh, and I must thank you for your help," he added. "Without the aid of the starry sky, I doubt I could have defeated that sword so easily."

"You have no need to thank me; it was part of our contract. Besides, helping you defeat that sword contributes to the peace of the material world. While my kind does not interfere lightly in mortal affairs, we also do not wish to see the world plunged into additional, unnecessary turmoil at such a critical juncture at the end of an epoch."

Jenkins wasn't quite sure what Star Spirits usually did in the astral plane. It was a realm devoid of time and space, and while the sea of stars was mesmerizing, he imagined it would grow tedious over centuries.

Every time he came to see Rakul, she was always standing there amidst the constellations, clutching a book, as if she had been waiting for him all along.

Only later did he realize that Star Spirits were not material beings. They were aggregations of concept and energy, a race just a step below the gods. Her appearing in human form to meet with him was likely just for the sake of convenient communication.

After returning from the astral plane, he found himself genuinely unable to sleep. He woke at six on Sunday morning. While preparing breakfast for Chocolate, his mind drifted to the day's plans, but he was pulled back to the present when he noticed the cat wasn't eating much. A pang of concern shot through him.

Tonight was a full moon—the perfect time to brew the potion for the elves. But the key ingredients, the three wood hearts, had all been consumed during his final battle with the Skull Sword.

The consumption of the three wood hearts had played a crucial role in his ultimate victory, but it meant Jenkins now had to acquire more. Not only would it cost him gold pounds, but more importantly, it was a considerable hassle. The source of thɪs content is novelFɪre.net

He gently rubbed Chocolate's chin with his fingertip, but the cat just let out an unenthusiastic yawn. It usually adored his cooking and would devour every last bite, but today, a third of its breakfast remained untouched.

Jenkins grew more worried, but Chocolate simply stood up and took a leisurely stroll across the dining table, as if to demonstrate its perfect health.

Risking a scratch, he gently prodded its belly, but found no suspicious lumps or bumps. For now, Jenkins could only assume Chocolate was simply not hungry this morning. If it was the same tomorrow, however, he would have to consider making an appointment with a veterinarian.

The most important event of the day was the opera's premiere tonight. With nothing else to do during the day, he decided to head back to the church and see what was happening.

Papa Oliver looked busy, merely exchanging a quick greeting with Jenkins before hurrying off. By chance, however, he ran into Professor Burns on the steps of the church's public library. The professor was descending with a teetering stack of books—all ordinary history texts—that looked as if they might collapse at any moment.

"I have an important public lecture next week," the professor explained. "I'm borrowing some books to revise my lesson plan."

Because the stack of books was blocking his view, it wasn't until Jenkins moved to his side that they both realized they knew each other.

With the Skull Sword gone, the professor, being non-field personnel, was essentially at loose ends. But he had been at the church for the past two days and was privy to a great deal of firsthand information.