Re: Timeless Apocalypse Chapter 264: Perfect Foundation

Uriel’s brows lifted in curiosity as he heard that.

In all truth, the trial had been so easy that he had almost forgotten it was one in the first place. Getting a reward felt, in a twisted sense, almost undeserved.

But still, a reward was a reward.

"Co."

The Spire Spirit walked towards the vats, and Uriel silently followed after it, his mind churning as he tried to guess what the reward could possibly entail.

’Last ti I saw a vat like that was at the Training Crater grounds of the settlent, it was the simulation pods.’

Given those pods looked infinitely more sophisticated and advanced than these simple and unassuming vats, it was still close enough.

’Maybe this’ll send our minds into so sort of training grounds? Or maybe, since this trial had to do with the natal layers, it’ll be a sort of lesson?’

’Oh my goodness, please let it be an advanced healing thod. Please!’

Only the Gods knew just how much Uriel needed such a thing. If he had sothing like that, it would truly be akin to giving a tiger wings.

Plus, it seed like the more truly powerful opponents he faced, the more of them had complex healing thods which he simply couldn’t bypass, let alone match.

Kael and his Phoenix Flas was the best example of that.

"These are called the Crysalis Homo-Rhykan Chambers."

Uriel listened attentively. "Huh. Fancy na."

The Spirit nodded. "Geniuses tend to be extravagant."

They stopped right in front of the four vats of churning athyst waters. Uriel stared at the so-called chambers, feeling the sheer amount of aether contained within each particle of the water that flowed inside.

It was such a vast amount of energy that it felt almost impossible to fathom.

"This is the reward. When you enter the chambers, your body will be plunged into a dormant state, and these waters will reforge your body, soul, and talent from the ground up."

"They grant what is called a Perfect Foundation."

Uriel’s eyes widened.

"A perfect body, a perfect soul, a perfect mind, and perfect layers of existence. And that perfection can scale with your own original foundation."

"The greater the foundation you had before, the greater the rewards you’ll reap from this." The Spirit paused, thinking particularly hard about sothing.

"But that only has aning to those with already maddening talent. A regular mortal from a poor and broken bloodline and a lesser world, with these waters, would have the power to match pioneers of high worlds."

"I’d say they may even be able to surpass them, but not everyone has the Will necessary to capitalize upon the gifts given to them."

"But ah, I digress."

The Spirit turned to Uriel, only to find him frozen in pure shock. It didn’t find this surprising.

Rather, it found his expression—one of silken horror, mouth wide agape—quite unsettling. It had never seen a human with such a form before.

"Any questions?"

Uriel took a couple of monts to gather himself, then exhaled. "Is there any backlash or price to be paid?"

The Spirit shook its head. "The price is energy. But the waters take care of that, and the vat itself uses a complex formation to do the work."

"The only downside, perhaps, would be that to so, it may hurt, since their bodies will be reforged. And to others, it may cause so illusions which can be unpleasant."

"Since your soul will be rebuilt, you may be plunged into a dream to protect your mind during the process, but nothing else."

Just as Uriel was about to point at the others, the Spirit dismissively waved a hand.

"Do not worry, I’ll take care of that. It’s actually better for them to be unconscious during the process. The young man sealed in that coffin will also be taken care of."

"Don’t worry. Go and reap your rewards," the Spirit said with a smile.

Uriel had been spending so much ti around two-headed snakes as of late that the Spirit’s sincerity and tranquil aura unsettled him.

Still, he did his best to smile, then nodded. "Thank you. I’ll leave it in your hands then."

"Great," the Spirit pointed at his specific vat, "just place your hand on it and you’ll be sucked right in."

Uriel did as told. He walked over, extended a hand, touching the cold glass—and then—

WHOOSH!

—his mind went blank.

...

[?]

The sky was a radiant blue, and the sun shone brightly over a large field of ripe wheat, swaying with the push and pull of the wind’s dance.

Flocks of birds twirled and twisted across the sky, their chirps loud and resonant through the open air. In the far distance, a thick line of trees vanished into the depths of a grand forest.

The trees swayed, their branches and leaves rustling, adding to nature’s beautiful choir of life and growth.

"Haha!"

The bell-like laughter of children echoed alongside the overlapping reverberations of footsteps across the earth and wheat slapping against skin.

"Hey! It’s not fair!"

A group of children ran across the wheat field, chasing after one another, each covered in mud and with faces flushed red from their repeated laughter and exertion.

A little boy, his hair entirely white and of a rather thin stature and fra, ran particularly hard, flashing a wide grin as he heaved and zigzagged across the wheat.

He was the slowest of the entire group, so he was always targeted. But he was also the most clever.

"Got you!"

A little boy with hair of gold and eyes as blue as the sky—tall and agile—suddenly appeared in front of him, instantly lunging forward.

The white-haired boy didn’t stop once. Instead, he leaned back entirely, ducking as he slid beneath the boy who had suddenly appeared in front of him.

He slipped through his legs, then vanished into the wheat.

"Damn it!" the golden-haired boy cursed, then turned to chase after him. But before he could get far, a little girl appeared behind him.

"You’re it!" She touched his back, then vanished into the wheat too.

"NO!" the boy roared in fury. His azure eyes sparkled with determination, and he exploded forward at speeds only the most accomplished Olympians could ever hope to match.

He caught up to the white-haired boy and smiled, extending a hand, but then—

"Ha! Idiot!"

—the white-haired boy suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. The blue-eyed boy felt his heart leap into his throat.

At the speed he was going, if he crashed into him, not only would he injure him, it might even cripple him.

Left with no other choice, unable to cancel his montum, he threw himself to the side, dodging the white-haired boy and diving into a thick puddle of mud.

SPLAT!

Arthur, the blue-eyed boy, groaned and cursed inwardly, blinded by the mud that caked his face as he lay in the pool of sloshing filth.

For so reason, the mud hadn’t dried and was even warm, making it more liquid than it usually was. It didn’t help that it also stank of rotten flesh.

Pushing himself out of the small pool, he sat on the ground and wiped the mud from his face, only to find the white-haired boy kneeling beside him.

Arthur was about to chide him, but then suddenly he noticed sothing.

The white-haired boy seed terrified. Beyond that, the boy also had a finger pressed to his lips, signaling him not to make a sound.

’Huh? What’s happening-...?’

It was at that mont that he realized the second oddity.

He couldn’t hear his friends’ laughter anymore.

The field was absolutely silent.

He looked at the terrified white-haired boy and saw him silently mouth a set of words that sent chills crawling down his spine.

"They... are... here."