Chương 87: My Mind is Clear

Joe blinked as he slowly regained consciousness. Something was dragging his body, jostling him from side to side, pain flaring through every inch of him. He winced, grimacing in confusion. His vision was gone in one eye; the other was blurry, watery, and edged in red. He just lay there, feeling the dull scrape of stone shifting under his body, scraping across an open wound.

"He's waking up," someone said nearby. The voice was familiar, but his mind couldn't focus enough to place it. Gradually, the fog lifted, and memory rushed in. Pathfinder. The pillar city. The fight. He forced his one good eye open, vision clearing just enough to see Gao. What was she doing here? He pulled up his mini-map and party chat. There, Veda's dot, close by but out of sight. His chat log was a blur of messages, hundreds of lines shouting at him to wake up. [I think, I want to die,] - Joe.

[About time you woke up, child. Pull that thing out of your arm,] - Veda. [Where is Pathfinder? How are you here?] - Joe. [He's dead. I'll explain after you get rid of that thing. No one can help you right now,] - Veda. With a wince, Joe raised his battered arm, fingers brushing the thrashing vine. It gradually came to a halt, then detached with a wet pop. He guided the limp vine to his leg, which burst at the tiniest touch, flying out in pieces like a puzzle smashed on the floor.

It then reformed in a flash of white. He gasped as he sensed the vine now, embedded within his leg. Someone knelt beside him, pressing a pill into his mouth, hands gently brushing the caked blood from his lips. He swallowed, feeling the beautiful rush of healing surge through his body, dulling the pain, easing the burning in his limbs. Tiny droplets of water followed, dripping into his parched throat, soothing the burning dryness. For the next ten minutes, Joe just lay there, letting himself knit back together.

Letting water slowly fill his empty stomach. He heard Esha's voice nearby, though she hadn't come close yet. Gao and Samira had approached, checking on him in quiet intervals. Veda settled next to him, curling up lightly against his chest. Joe let out a quiet grunt but didn't complain. He lay back, eyes heavy, heart slow, healing in contemplative silence. After a while, he forced himself upright, wincing as Veda slid into his lap.

His vision was still blurred, but through the haze, he saw Corel, unconscious, her head resting on Esha's lap. He was glad he had such reliable friends. Whatever had happened to Corel, he was sure it was probably tied to him, so he was glad Esha was there to look after her while he was out of it. She was like a mother hen, he chuckled. His eyes stayed on Corel; she looked… different. Her horns. Her aura. Her hair. Gao and Samira huddled nearby, eyes bouncing between him and Corel with worry.

Joe clenched his teeth and hauled himself to his feet, dragging Veda with him. Every step shot pain through his limbs, but he pushed on, kneeling beside Corel.

"Welcome back to the land of the living, Farmer," Esha murmured. She looked like he felt.

"Don't worry, she's just drained. Your vine sucked her mana dry."

"Shit," he breathed, lowering himself to sit beside them. His hand reached instinctively to his bond. A soft pulse of warmth answered from Corel, faint but sure, and his shoulders sagged in quiet relief. She'd be okay. His whole body throbbed. His mind was swimming with questions, but he stayed silent, eyes half-lidded, listening as Esha began to speak.

She wove a story, light and teasing, of four heroic women crossing enemy lines to save a kidnapped farmer, because, as she put it, who else was going to keep them fed? Joe let out a dry chuckle, but even that small sound sent a sharp jolt of pain through his ribs. Then… A shadow flickered at the edge of his vision. Joe turned his head, sluggish, confused. A glint of steel met his eye. Cold, precise, inevitable… the dagger plunged forward, straight into his eye socket.

The world erupted in searing, all-consuming pain. Time felt like it stopped dead in its tracks. Joe's mind splintered into multiple images, fragments of memory: the bloodline gate; Catalina Terravignion's human form, bent over him, pressing a potion to his lips; an egg, glowing with lava-like markings; a werewolf, jaws red, howling among torn villagers; a giant red tree clawing at the sky… And a tiny red lizard, eyes glimmering with tears, smiling at him, her mouth moving…

'There is something important I need to tell you…' Movement. The world snapped back into motion, but he was blind, blind in both eyes; he tried to move from the dagger piercing his face. A shape flashed by, a tail, whipping through the air, then an explosion of wet, brutal force as the shadow was obliterated, blood spraying across Joe's skin, hot and sharp. Joe was flung to the side by the blast of air, smashing into a wall. A pain-filled grunt rippled from his throat.

Screams, crashing, rumbling, someone hurt, someone falling, he flailed, trying to sit up, trying to understand what just happened.

"Esha? Veda? Someone! I… I can't see! What's happening?" Arms wrapped around him, pulled him close, held him tight against a trembling chest.

"It's okay, Joe. It's okay," a voice soothed, breaking with strain.

"It's gone. Veda killed it. You're safe." Joe gasped, trembling as darkness wrapped around him like a shroud. Safe. He was safe. Veda had… Oh no. No. No, no, no, no, no… Joe's mouth opened, a warning rising, but it was too late. In the black, a notification flared across his vision: System Announcement Rule 23267 broken. A party member has intervened in the integration. Permanent removal from the Integration in five, four, three… Joe felt a faint brush, the lightest touch of a tail against his shoulder.

And in his mind, the last words Veda would ever speak to him:"I'm sorry." System Message Veda Locvora has been removed from your party and the integration. He stared at the message, his mind blank, uncomprehending.

"No," Joe whispered.

"No, no, no…" His voice broke as he lurched upright, spinning, stumbling, hands reaching.

"Veda! Veda!" His hoarse shout cracked through the empty air, raw and frantic.

"Veda! Where are you? Veda!" His legs buckled, and he dropped to his knees, fingers curling into fists against the dirt. His chest heaved, a tremor rippling through him as the first tears splashed down his cheeks. She was gone. Just like that, she was gone. Without thought, without direction, Joe surged to his feet and ran. Someone called his name, but the sound barely grazed his awareness. Blind, he ran, ran through ruined streets, crashed through walls, ran from the unbearable weight crushing his soul.

__ Corel woke with a sharp, gasping breath. The bond on her chest blazed, a searing flood of grief so vast, so raw it stole her own breath. For a moment, the world tilted and spun. Then, slowly, she understood. It was Joe. His grief. His devastation. A face swam into view, Esha, eyes wide, lips pressed thin, staring off to the side, silent. Corel tried to push herself up.

"What… happened?" she croaked, lifting a shaking hand to rub her horns.

"Corel, hey, easy, you're okay," Esha soothed, catching her arm.

"Don't move too much. Take another pill." Fumbling, Corel pulled out a healing pill and swallowed it. The world steadied, her pulse slowing, returning to its normal cadence. But Esha was still staring away, still not meeting her gaze. Gao too.

"What's going on?" Corel's eyes swept the space. Panic prickled along her skin.

"Where's Joe?" At last, Esha looked at her. Tears were sliding down her face. Corel's stomach turned to ice.

"What happened?" she whispered, struggling to shove aside the crashing waves of grief funnelling through the bond.

"I'm sorry, Corel," Esha said softly, voice breaking.

"It happened so fast… none of us could stop it." She lifted a trembling hand, pointing toward a body sprawled nearby.

"He stabbed Joe, and Veda protected him." Protected. So Joe was okay. A shaky breath left Corel, a moment of fragile relief, until Gao spoke, her voice heavy.

"He ran. After Veda was removed from the integration… he just ran." Corel's mind reeled. The words took a heartbeat, two, three, to sink in. Protected. That meant Joe was okay. She breathed out in relief. But why was he so sad?

"He ran out of the city when Veda was removed from the integration," Gao repeated. Corel turned to her. The words slowly sinking in.

"She was… removed…" Her voice faltered.

"Oh no." As the truth crashed into her, all three turned in unison, and to the west, something erupted. A distant, shuddering wave, rolling through the air like a gathering storm. __ Samira flew high, tracking Joe as he streaked across the land. She was pushing herself to the edge just to keep him in sight, heart pounding in her chest. Something in her gut screamed at her, if she lost him now, something terrible would happen. So she forced her wings harder, slicing through the air, never looking away.

Joe finally stopped at a lake, standing motionless at its edge, staring blankly at the rippling water. Samira veered downward, ready to approach, when suddenly… Her danger senses went haywire, her skill shrieking an alarm in her head. She twisted midair, wings screaming with the strain as she shot away at full speed. And behind her… The world turned white. This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

__ Joe stood blind, staring up at the pale sky as the Eternal Spark within him erupted. White light roared outward, engulfing everything. He could sense a flicker above, faint and fast, Samira, fleeing. Somehow, without knowing how, he nudged the surge of fire away from the fragile dot, sparing it as his friend soared from the blast. Everything else burned. Within a mile in all directions, trees, grass, stone, beasts, animals, air, everything died, reduced to ash and silence.

A blazing circle of light shone, visible for hundreds of miles, an unrelenting, searing cone of fire at the centre of his world. And at its heart, Joe stood, alone, as all turned to flame. __ For twelve hours, the Eternal Spark burned. Corel remained as close as she dared, her knees dug into the blackened earth. The bond on her chest was a conduit of pure, raw agony, funnelling Joe's grief, his shattering sorrow straight into her heart.

His grief eclipsed any feeling she had ever felt from him, and it tore her apart. She turned, ready to retreat. But then… the light winked out. Her heart skipped a beat. Needing no other signal, she ran, faster than she ever had, straight toward the place where Joe stood, where only silence remained. __ Joe sat as the last flickers of the Eternal Spark faded around him. His shoulders slumped, and at last, his mind calmed. Corel crashed into him. She threw her arms around him, burying her face in his shoulder.

Her voice muffled against him.

"It's going to be okay," she whispered, over and over. Her voice gave off the faint tremor of doubt. A short distance away, three women stood in quiet watch. None spoke. They simply watched, letting the moment belong to them. Two days later, with his eyes finally healed and sight restored. Joe activated Nature's Embrace and Nature's Paradise. A massive flow of Nature energy poured through him and into the land, Corel meditating quietly in his lap.

The blackened earth around them began to stir, green shoots piercing through ash, grass weaving across scorched stone, saplings twisting upward toward the sun. Joe's hands clenched, his whole body shaking as he pulled on every reserve of mana, draining himself dry. When his primary mana bar emptied, he switched to his enriched mana. A fresh surge burst forth, emerald light flooding the night as the ground drank greedily, transforming death into life.

Corel worked beside him without pause, creating mana pills as fast as her hands allowed, feeding them to Joe between breaths. Around them, a forest bloomed. Trees soared higher and higher, some brushing a hundred meters, their canopies spreading like emerald clouds. In the centre of the lake, a single red sprout appeared, trembling as it pushed skyward. That evening, Joe sat by a crackling fire, savouring a thick slice of spiral mammoth meat. Each bite was heavy, earthy, and delicious.

He let out a soft sigh, feeling at peace. A hand rubbed his back. Meeting Corel's gaze, he smiled. She snuggled close beside him, nibbling at her own piece of meat. For the first time since her return, Joe let himself truly see her. Her skin shimmered a dark, rich green, her horns gleamed faintly with violet light, and her long black hair, streaked with white, was swept back in a braided ponytail that brushed the ground.

But it was her eyes that caught him, crescent moons in a night sky, glowing softly in the fading light. In the lake below, Esha and Gao laughed as they swam beneath the massive tree's reflection. High above, perched on a crimson branch, Samira plucked at a harp, soft music drifting down on the breeze. Joe felt a tear slip down his cheek. Corel reached up, wordless, and pulled him tightly into her arms. It was two more days before Joe finally stood, stretching sore limbs, and held out a hand to Corel.

She smiled as he helped her to her feet.

"Let's go," he said softly. She hopped onto his shoulders with a light laugh, wrapping her legs loosely around him, and he caught them with his hands, chuckling as they headed toward the city. The following week passed in a blur. Joe helped Corel manage the transition of the newly claimed city, working alongside the Relashra Clan representatives when they arrived. There were meetings, arrests, and even a few grim executions.

Joe did what he could to help calm tensions and smooth over the transfer of power with his overwhelming Aura. Surprisingly, it went peacefully. Most clans had already broken free of Pathfinder's grip, and when word spread of his death, they submitted to Relashran authority almost without resistance. The old clans of Cartheno and Vor were formally dissolved, along with the few remaining Ghoyusiffiy, their remaining members merging under the Relashra banner.

Varaiya arrived to help oversee the transition, and soon a new pillar owner was chosen from among the surviving elders. Corel let out a visible sigh of relief as she handed over ownership, her burden at last shared. Esha and Gao left soon after, promising (or in Esha's case, threatening) that Joe and Corel had better visit Kunlun within the month.

"I swear, Farmer," Esha warned with a grin, "if you don't show your face, I will come find you and burn you alive." Joe just smiled and waved as they departed. Samira left a few days after them, finally missing her friends back home. Three days later, Joe stood outside the city beside his tent, gazing up at the massive tree rising from the heart of the lake. Had he… overdone it? The thought made him laugh softly. The tree soared so high it almost hurt his eyes to follow it, the crown lost somewhere in the clouds.

He ducked inside the tent, which was slightly bigger now. It seemed to be growing in size as he levelled. He found Corel sitting cross-legged on the bed, busy with a bit of alchemy. She finished quickly when she noticed him. Joe blinked, his face heating unexpectedly. When had she gotten… He realized he was staring and averted his eyes, noticing that she wasn't wearing much.

Maybe it was the new dark green of her skin, or the way her black hair shimmered, or those crescent-moon eyes that caught the faintest flicker of light. Whatever it was, for the first time, he found himself genuinely flustered around her. Stop it, he scolded himself, it's Corel, you fool. He sat in the chair, deliberately facing away, and heard the soft rustle of her smile behind him. She made no move to cover herself.

"Are you ready to move on soon?" she asked gently. Joe remembered a promise he had made to Corel what felt like an eternity ago. To help her free the Voldura and remove Pathfinder. Well, he had helped a bit, but it turned out she was the one to deal with that problem. So now his duty had been fulfilled.

"How are you feeling about everything? About Pathfinder? Is there anything more you need?" he asked, trying to gauge her feelings and what she wanted to do next.

"I have finally put my ghosts to rest. My brother and my parents can finally move on into the afterlife." Joe turned his head and tapped his sunglasses, making them vanish. He looked deep into Corel's glowing eyes and saw the smile on her face. She looked truly happy, as if all her burdens were finally gone.

"So is that it? Your clan is free. The Voldura are free. You are free. What do you want to do now?" She sprang to her feet and gently flicked him on his forehead.

"You are right. I am free, now I can finally focus on what I want to do."

"And what is that?" Joe asked.

"No idea," she said with a laugh.

"But we have an integration to win and plenty of time to decide what to do in the future. You aren't trying to get rid of me, are you?"

"No chance. As far as I am concerned. We are bound by fate. You are mine, and I am yours." A silence hung in the air, but he had no regrets about his choice of words. They were bonded. They shared a link that surpassed any other, and he was happy with that. He felt a warmth on his chest as… Corel pulsed adoration at him and embarrassment. He knew then, with complete certainty, that things were going to get very interesting now. The world was free. The Volduran pillars had agreed to release all captives.

There was no more running, no more constant battles, no looming deadline. He looked over at Corel, who watched him with quiet tenderness. It took more effort than he liked to admit to keep his gaze fixed on her eyes.

"Do you prefer the heat or the cold? He asked at last. Corel's smile widened. And so Ends Book 2 of Eternal Spark I hope you have enjoyed Joe's journey into the multiverse. He will return One day… Epilogue Step… Step… Step… A small brown door creaked open into a dank, empty room. A quiet sigh echoed as a short, cloaked figure walked to the centre. She raised a hand, and in an instant, the emptiness shimmered, light flared, and a small red box appeared on the floor before her.

Catalina pressed a fingertip thoughtfully to her lips, gazing down at it. With a flick of her wrist, the box hissed open, a faint gust of air whispering out. Inside, Veda lay curled, asleep. The system had placed her in a comatose stasis. Another subtle wave of Catalina's hand, and Veda's sleeping form floated upward, weightless. Gently, she guided the serpent onto a dais that materialized at her side.

With delicate fingers, she traced along the smooth red and black scales, pausing when they brushed over one broken, unhealed scale midway down Veda's long tail. What encounter left you with this? Catalina wondered silently. Her fingers moved lightly to the back of Veda's neck, feeling the soft rise and fall of breath. Then, her senses pressed inward, probing gently through Veda's body, searching for hidden damage, for anything out of place. She found none.

Her attention shifted, drawn inevitably, magnetically, to the small spark nestled within. It had grown. Since the last time she saw it, the spark had nearly doubled in size, its shape shifting into something like a flame of bundled emotion. It was… unique. Not a bond, yet just as powerful. Catalina leaned closer, her divine senses threading deeper, studying. Within it, she discovered three distinct parts: First, a sliver of Veda's own essence, her soul. Second, a trace of the High Human's. And third…

something Catalina could not name, but felt oddly familiar. She frowned. It shimmered like fate, tinged with the unmistakable weight of platonic love… but beneath that, something more. Something she, in all her knowledge, could not grasp. A tiny knot of the unknown, nestled inside this small creature's spark. Her jaw tightened. She hated not knowing. She was a god, and yet… she could not name this. She straightened slowly, exhaling. For now, she would wait.

A soft wave, the dais faded, and Veda's body and box vanished into concealment. The room shifted around her, transforming into a ripple of mana to resemble an ornate bedroom wardrobe. A portal opened with a faint glow. Her daughter was calling. Rose stood on the other side of the portal, watching her.

"Mother, there you are. I was wondering… do you know when Father's returning?" Rose asked.

"Aqua? Hmm…" Catalina pretended to sort through the wardrobe.

"I believe he's due back in about ten years." She flicked a glance at her daughter.

"Why? Is there something you want to tell me, daughter?"

"No, just curious." Rose tilted her head, peering through the portal.

"What are you doing?" Catalina smiled softly. Her daughter was sharp. Too sharp.

"Merely pondering a decision I need to make," Catalina murmured.

"Tell me, daughter. What do you think I should do? I've recently acquired something of… immense value, and I'm torn on what to do with it." Rose's eyes sparkled with curiosity as Catalina continued, her voice light, almost playful.

"The way I see it, I have two choices. One, I open it and use it for myself. Or two…" Catalina turned, locking eyes with her daughter.

"I give it to you." For a heartbeat, they stood, eyes locked together, mother and daughter, blue and red eyes. Rose's brow furrowed faintly as her mind ticked, trying to read the undercurrent behind her mother's words. Catalina watched the flicker of thoughts race through her. If her daughter chose wrong here, well… one problem would quietly resolve itself.

"Can I get a hint?" Rose asked cautiously. Catalina's lips curved in approval. Her daughter was quick on the uptake.

"Only one," Catalina replied.

"Ask carefully." Throughout Rose's life, Catalina had thrown her puzzles like this: questions with hidden meanings, body language as subtle hints, answers disguised in silences. Usually, Rose would miss the deeper cues, flounder, and gamble. But this time, this time, Catalina saw her daughter pause, think, and adjust. Rose paced, deliberating, then stopped.

"Family?" she asked softly. Catalina smiled, a rare, genuine expression reserved only for her children. Perhaps… that had been too much of a hint. She watched as the understanding dawned, as the spark of realization lit up her daughter's face. Drat. Rose lifted her chin, confidence shining through.

"Give it to your daughter," she answered simply. Catalina let out a quiet, fond sigh. Rose beamed, knowing she'd won.

"You win, daughter." With a wave of her hand, the room's illusion melted away. The dais appeared, the red serpent resting atop it, peaceful, still. Rose's eyes darted to the figure and widened. First in recognition. Then, in shock. Then, in simmering, rising anger. Catalina Terravignion, Goddess of Eludia, watched her daughter's expression shift and smiled. The End