Chapter 33: Ch 33: Choice!

“Can you explain more clearly?” Aegis asked, “What exactly are these seeds? How will they help their hosts?”

The Tree Spirit answered smoothly,

“There is nothing more that needs explanation. These two seeds were originally meant for the one who reached the peak first. However, since you both arrived at the same time, the Tree of Life acknowledges you equally.”

Her gaze turned between Aegis and Bella.

“You will both receive a reward. But you may choose only one seed each.”

She raised her hand slightly, and the green and silver lights pulsed again.

“As for their purpose, their names are already the clearest answer. What they grant, how they shape their hosts, and what price they demand… you will come to understand in time.”

A faint, mysterious smile appeared on her lips.

“All I can say is this: Choose Wisely.”

The wind at the peak fell silent.

Aegis eyebrows raised. Bella clenched her fist.

In front of them lay two paths.

Whichever seed they chose would decide not only their future strength, but the kind of beings they would eventually become.

Before he could act, Bella stepped forward first.

Her gaze lingered briefly on the silver-glowing seed before changing to the one radiating gentle green light.

There was hesitation, but no doubt.

She reached out and grasped the Seed of Life.

Aegis let out a breath of relief.

For a moment, he had feared she would choose the Seed of Mana instead. If that happened, he would have been forced to reconsider everything.

Fortunately, that was not the case.

Bella’s choice was carefully thought over.

She had long understood her weakness.

Her ice was absolute, sharp, and destructive—but it was lifeless. Frozen things shattered easily. They did not endure. She wanted more than cold domination. She wanted vitality bound within frost, life sleeping beneath ice, something that could regenerate, adapt, and grow.

Life within ice.

That was the path she sought.

As the Seed of Life touched her palm, it dissolved instantly into soft green light. The glow flowed up her arm and sank into her chest.

Bella stiffened as warmth spread through her body, clashing violently with her cold aura.

For a while, frost and life energy fought.

Then they merged.

Her ice aura visibly changed. It gained a little emerald undertone, as if frozen life itself now moved within it.

Aegis watched quietly.

Then he stepped forward.

Without hesitation, he picked up the Seed of Mana.

Unlike Bella, his decision was purely practical.

He already possessed an Ultimate skill related to creation. With Hydro-genesis, life itself was something he could already manipulate and give form to.

So the Seed of Life would be redundant for him.

What he lacked was endurance.

In unfavorable environments, prolonged battles, or high-altitude combat, even his vast energy reserves could be strained.

For him, Mana regeneration was the foundation of sustained dominance.

And that was exactly what he intended to fix.

The moment the Seed of Mana touched his hand, it shattered into silver light and poured directly into his core.

< You have acquired an Soul Treasure: Seed Of Mana (SS) >

<Regular Mana Regeneration increased by 100%. Mana control increased by 50% ]

Aegis’s body trembled as if electrocuted. His mana pathways expanded violently. His divine core pulsed, drinking in the energy greedily.

His already immense mana reserves deepened further. It became denser, more refined, and frighteningly stable.

The air around him rippled like water.

The Tree Spirit watched the scene unfold with an amused knowing smile.

“So the choices are made,” she said softly. “Just as I expected.”

The platform hummed as the Tree of Life responded. The seeds had been accepted. The future hosts had been chosen.

Bella breathed slowly as she adjusted to the unfamiliar sensation of life moving within her ice.

Aegis clenched his fist once. He felt the near-endless mana flow stabilize within him.

Two different paths.

Two different evolutions.

Above the world, the Tree of Life sighed in relief.

Its legacy had been secured.

[ Global Announcement! ]

[ The ongoing Global Event has ended. Participants will be transported to their respective islands shortly. ]

[ 10 ]

[ 9 ]

Hearing the countdown, Skylords and adventurers alike burst into frantic motion.

They grabbed anything they could reach. Leaves torn from ancient branches. Wild birds caught mid-flight. Unclaimed elemental fruits. Dead corpses. Even chunks of bark infused with lingering life essence.

No one wanted to leave empty-handed.

[ 8 ]

[ 7 ]

Across the Tree of Life, shouts resounded as people scrambled desperately, greed and fear driving every movement.

[ 6 ]

[ 5 ]

Some fought over the same spoils. Others simply clutched whatever was closest, unwilling to let go.

[ 4 ]

[ 3 ]

The space began to shake.

[ 2 ]

[ 1 ]

From the uppermost sky, Light exploded

And then thousands of radiant beams descended at once, enveloping every remaining participant.

In an instant, figures vanished one after another, swallowed by mass teleportation.

DesertFox was gone.

Eternal Warrior disappeared in a flash of distorted wind.

The Three Beautiful Princesses vanished together, their screams cut short.

Even Aegis and Bella, along with their respective companions, were torn from the peak and sent back to their own islands.

As the final light faded, the summit fell silent.

Bella, standing on her island far away, clenched her fists.

She was still dissatisfied.

The way Aegis had treated her. His indifference. His arrogance. His refusal to acknowledge her.

She would not forgive that fool so easily.

Not now. Not ever.

Back at the Tree of Life, silence ruled supreme.

The colossal trunk stood unmoving, ancient and solemn, as if nothing had happened at all.

At the peak, the Tree Spirit danced and sang lightly upon the circular platform. Her movements were graceful and unrestrained, like an immortal fairy untouched by time or conflict.

Her song was soul touching, mixed with emotions of thousands years buried deep:

I was born when the stars were young,

When roots first drank the breath of dawn.

I watched worlds bloom, I watched them burn,

Yet still, I stood, alone, forlorn.

I cradled lives in emerald shade,

Heard prayers whispered into bark.

I gave them hope, I gave them time,

But none remained when nights grew dark.

Oh centuries pass like falling leaves,

My laughter drowned by silent rain.

Immortal flesh, unwithering heart,

Yet bound forever to this pain.

I sang for kings who knelt in dust,

For gods who rose, then turned away.

Each vow they made, each oath they broke,

Carved deeper scars I could not say.

But once, beneath a shattered sky,

The seas themselves began to roar.

Golden light split heaven wide,

And fate stepped through my lonely shore.

A trident shining in divine hands,

Three tides bent to his will alone.

The ocean bowed, the storms fell still,

And for one breath, I was not stone.

He looked at me, not as a tree,

Not as a spirit bound to land.

In that brief glance, my endless years

Felt lighter than a grain of sand.

O hero crowned by waves and fate,

My savior, curse, and sweetest sin.

You walked the path I could not take,

You ruled the world I stayed within.

I loved you not with mortal tears,

But with the ache of endless days.

An immortal heart cannot pursue

What time itself must steal away.

So take my song, O sea-born god,

Let it echo where roots can’t roam.

If one day you return again,

Let it not be to find me gone.

For even as the ages rot,

And stars fall dim from darkened skies,

I’ll wait beneath the eternal bough,

With love that never learned to die.

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