05: Goodbyes

There was a moment of silence where Alaric's face turned blank with surprise. It was as if his brain could not turn fast enough to take in the information from his wide eyes. Every muscle in his body froze before he gave out an incredulous expression.

As soon as he entered the door, he was transported into a vast field. However, it was not what got his attention. At the center of the grassy land stood proudly an enormous trunk. Its large barks were so patterned as it was carved to perfection. Alaric stared at it in awe. He looked like an ant in front of a titan. Looking up, Alaric's mouth hanged wide open. The tree stretched up to the high heavens. He could barely see any form of leaves. It definitely looked nothing like the one he first encountered.

"How am I gonna find the fruit?" It never crossed his mind that the Divine Tree would be humongous! It would probably take him an eternity to search for it. Nonetheless, he was brought here by the Guardian Monk for this reason.

"Wish me luck, sweetheart." Alaric sighed. The fruit would not reveal itself if he just stood there and do nothing.

With that in mind, he slowly walked towards its huge roots. As soon as he found a perfect spot, he carefully set his daughter down. He had no idea how much time he would spend on top of the tree, so he wanted to make sure to give a proper protection for his child. Concentrating some of his powers on his hands, he closed his eyes.

Soon enough, a bluish energy found its way to the tip of his index and middle fingers. Smiling to himself, he quickly drew a symbol on the air. It expanded towards his daughter's sleeping form, and soon formed a small barrier.

"That should do it. I would be right back, sweetie." He nodded to himself and turned to look at the top. He knew it would be a challenge because of its enormous size, but he had to do it for his daughter. Not wasting time, he began to levitate.

As soon as Alaric landed on a gigantic branch, the cold atmosphere hugged his whole being. It immediately crept under his clothes, spreading across his skin like a snake. His teeth begun chattering as his lips slowly turned blueish hue. Alaric hugged himself in an attempt to give his body some warmth, but the cold instantly chilled his fingers into numbness. It even found its way into his toes and spread painfully throughout his feet.

Not a second later, he collapsed on his knees. He was not prepared for this, yet somehow, he let a small smile plastered on his face. It was at times like this when he would miss the Divine Empress. He could already imagine her lecturing him about his weakness. "Forgive this stupid son of yours, dear mother."

With trembling hands, he tried to gather what was left of his powers. He needed to warm himself as soon as possible.

Sitting on an indian position, he closed his eyes.

After a few minutes of struggling, Alaric finally felt the familiar warmth slowly taking over his veins. He had to shut his eyes even more as the burning sensation started melting the cold all over his system. It was as though he was stabbed by millions of needles, however, it was all worth it. A refreshing energy soon took over his whole body. Breathing in, he slowly opened his eyes as he stood up. That was when he truly registered his surroundings. Below him was an army of endless clouds. Looking around, Alaric realized that he now stood on the branch of a glistening Ash Tree. There, he saw some red blossom that were gracefully dancing with the strong gust of wind. The leaves were thick and sparkling evergreen. Adding to that, some of them were shaped like a fruit, making his mission almost impossible.

"I can do it! I have to!"

oooOooo

It had been over thirty minutes, and Alaric was getting frustrated.

No matter how much effort he exerted, he still failed. He knew he had already explored every corner, but to no avail. It was as if something prevented him from finding it. He wanted to yell. Vent his anger on someone, and have a tantrum like a child, however, he restrained himself. He was once the Crown Prince of the Immortal Realm. Such actions was below him.

Taking a meditative position, he tried to calm himself. He wanted to clear his mind with any negative energy. As he closed his eyes, he breathed in. Taking in the fresh and cool fragrance of the surrounding. He always do this whenever he was angry and it was really effective.

Just then, the words of the old Monk invaded in his mind. Realizing something, he snapped his eyes open.

"Got it!" Closing his eyes yet again, he began to feel his surrounding.

It was not that long when he found himself on a complete darkness surrounded by crystalline water. Time seemed to stop as he tried to expand his senses. It was then when a sudden vibration engulfed every fiber of his body. Concentrating even more, he felt the disaster coming: albeit slowly. By the looks of it, he still had some time before it reached them.

Glancing down, a small smile etched on his face when he saw the clear image of his daughter through the waters. He was about to reach for her when a foreign force suddenly hit him with a terrifying magnitude. It was followed by an intense pain that suddenly erupted in his chest. Like a burning lava found its way to his heart.

Alaric gave out a loud cough. He even felt the hot and sticky liquid that started flowing on all sides of his mouth. Catching his breath for a second, he ignored his condition as he tried to dive further. Doing so, he was almost drowned by the vast life essence of the tree, but he stood his ground. His guts told him that he's already nearing his goal.

"Just a little more!" Cold sweat started flowing on his face as more blood continued to find its way out of his mouth. As the seconds passed, he felt his whole system slowly crushed from the inside.

It was not that long when a scintillating aura overwhelmed him. Alaric immediately covered his eyes, but it was too late. The bright light had already seeped through the small veins in his eyes and momentarily blinded him.

It took a few minutes before everything was back to normal, but he waited patiently. The result gave him an almost dark eyesight, yet, he grinned as soon as he finally saw what he wanted.

With a speed that no mortals would ever hope to achieve, the Divine Fruit was already within his grasp.

Despite his blurry vision, Alaric could not help, but marvel at its appearance. He had always thought that the fruit was something oozing with powerful aura and laws, but this. It was only the size of his thumb and surprisingly soft. Though its peculiar color somehow got his attention, he still thought that it looked ordinary.

"Have I expected too much?" Wiping the blood on his mouth, an old memory instantly flashed in his mind. According to the stories of his mother, the fruit was formed from the purest energy of the universe, combined with the vital energy that belonged to their first ancestor. The Immortal Dao Lord. Looking at it now, he just could not understand how something this small had the ability to seal the powers of even the strongest deities.

"No matter. As long as it could do something about this terrifying powers." Smiling to himself, he began flying down the tree.

The second he landed, Alaric hurried to his daughter's side. The surrounding barrier automatically disappeared as he took her to his arms.

"Hey, sweetie. I'm back." Kissing his child, Alaric prepared the fruit. He did not have much time.

When he was about to put it in her mouth, a booming voice suddenly filled the surrounding.

"I would not do that if I were you."

Alaric spun around as soon as the words hit his ears. Carefully cradling his daughter to his chest, he scanned the area. His eyebrows met when he saw nothing. There was not even a single movement.

"Who's there? Reveal yourself!" He prepared himself. They could be hiding somewhere. He also let his senses spread throughout the area.

"Do not fear, child. I am not an enemy."

Looking around, Alaric witnessed how the giant tree slowly shrank. It was replaced by something that even he had no knowledge of. Its whole body was made up of smaller barks, however, he had a visible face.

"What are you?" Alaric stepped backwards. He had no idea what just happened, but he won't take the risk. He already came this far, and he won't give up easily. Especially now that he had the Divine Fruit within his grasp.

"I am finally free! I can now return to my creator."

"That did not answer my question!"

"I apologise for my rude behaviour. Let me introduce myself then. I was once known as the mighty Yggdrasil. The one who cradled the fourteen worlds of cosmos. Millions of years ago, I did something unforgivable. Because of that, I was punished by my Primordial Father. He sent me here as the Tree of Life with a crucial mission. I waited ages for this faithful day, Crown Prince."

Alaric stepped even backwards. It was confirmed. This thing was a potential threat. "I am not the Crown Prince anymore, so you should not address me as such." Alaric narrowed his eyes. Despite his story, he was still wary on that thing.

"I had no time to explain everything. I am only here to warn you about something important. Would you like to hear it?"

Raising a brow, Alaric stayed silent. He could not possibly trust its words. He wanted to say no, but his instinct told him to grab it. "Then I shall receive the message."

"No need to beat around the bush. I will tell you the huge consequences on using the Divine Fruit."

This piqued Alaric's interest. He then stared at the fruit on his hands before returning his gaze to the tree.

"Consequences? Do tell me!"

"While it was true that absorbing it would seal the powers of even the mightiest deities, it also had a permanent effect on its consumer." Yggdrasil paused for a moment. It looked at Alaric straight in the eyes as he continued what he wanted to say.

"In return, she would lose all of her feelings. and at times, even her emotions. Your daughter would feel absolutely nothing. She would become a walking statue when the time comes. Now tell me, would you like her to walk this path?"

Alaric became silent as soon as Yggdrasil finished talking. Looking down on his precious little one, his mind battled on what he had to do. Does he really want his only child to live like a stone? He wished for her to have a normal life. To laugh, to cry and find her other half when the time comes. He wanted her to experience what it felt like to love someone and be loved back, however, he knew he had no choice. This would be the greatest sacrifice that he would regret forever.

"Is there any way to break it?" Alaric's voice was almost fragile. His eyes were burning, but he desperately tried to hide it. His guilt was like a gasoline in his guts: burning out badly until there was nothing left, but a mere shell. It soon weighed down upon his shoulders as it slumped down. Nonetheless, a part of him clung on the word, hope.

"It would all depend on her fate. The moment she learned the true meaning of love and accept her destiny, only then could she break the seal."

The tears that he tried to control began rolling down his eyes as soon as the words escaped Yggdrasil's lips. Some liquid fell on his daughter's face resulting to her looking up at her father. With her tiny hands, she tried to reach his face.

Upon seeing this, Alaric whimpered even more. He then bent a little to let her touch his face for the last time.

"We don't have much time. You have to make a decision now!"

Managing his emotions, he kissed her forehead. "Pardon your useless father, sweetie. But I have to do this. I hope you would learn to forgive me someday. Your mother and I loved you so much!"

Inhaling a huge amount of air, Alaric hardened his heart. He then put on a serious face as he looked at the Holy Tree.

"So be it."

As soon as it escaped his lips, Yggdrasil grinned. It extended its branches and to Alaric's surprise, the fruit slowly levitated a few meters above the ground. Out of nowhere, it gave out a bright light. Alaric immediately held his hands up in an attempt to cover his eyes.

When everything was back to normal, the fruit was already gone.

"Where is it? What happened?"

"My task here was finally done! The Divine Fruit had now merged with its new master. It would only separate itself from her the moment she learned of its existence. Now, It is time."

With a heavy heart, Alaric nodded.

Seeing this, Yggdrasil grew a bit larger. Without any further ado, it split into two.

Alaric immediately felt the strong gust of wind as a swirling black vortex formed in the middle of Yggdrasil. Instead of moving, he stayed rooted on the ground. He was busy asking himself if he was doing the right decision.

"Why are you hesitating now?"

Instead of answering, Alaric stayed silent. He thought that he had already prepared himself for this moment, but when the actual time comes, it would always be a different scenario.

"Are you selfish enough to let your daughter die without experiencing the right to live? How shameful! I wonder what your wife would say if she was here!"

At the mention of his beloved, Alaric felt as though he was drenched in cold water. Looking down, he was instantly taken aback when he saw his daughter's new identity.

The crown on her forehead was nowhere to be seen. The Divine Fruit might have something to do with it. He also felt an omnipotent spell that hugged her soul; guarding it like a ferocious beast.

The biggest change was her outer appearance. Gone was her flawless, milky white complexion. She now had a neutral skin undertone with a slight touch of pink. There were also a few visible freckles on her face, but he figured that this might be for the best. This way, she would be free from the watchful eyes of any deities.

Hugging her closer, Alaric whispered on her ears. "Thank you for giving me a chance to be your father. The last few hours that I held you in my arms were the happiest moment in my life. Your mother and I would be forever grateful for having you. Though we won't be with you physically, know that our love for you knows no bound. No matter where you are. No matter what you do, we would always be with you. In your heart. Guiding you. Protecting you and loving you, forever." Kissing his beloved princess for the final time, Alaric hugged her like his life depended on her.

Salty tears flowed yet again from his eyes as the awful hollowness in his heart threatened to kill him. The numbness pounding his brain somehow took over his soul and body entirely. A second later, and he gladly let the darkness engulfed his whole being.

It only took a few minutes, but for him, it felt like hours. He then diverted his gaze on Yggdrasil with a hardened expression.

"I am ready."

Without any words, his daughter slowly levitated towards the black vortex. Alaric turned around. He cannot bare to send his daughter away.

"Farewell, my sweetest Shivani! I hope you grew up to be a legend!"

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