Become a Heroic Spirit

"What is the Root? And what am I? The Counter Force... what is that?" The boy spoke with utter indifference, yet his voice brimmed with questions.

Alaya and Gaia exchanged a glance.

The boy didn't understand why the two little girls had fallen silent.

He closed his eyes, as if about to fall asleep again.

"Hey, wake up." Alaya touched the boy again.

The boy opened his eyes once more and looked at Alaya with a helpless, aggrieved expression.

"Why would he choose to keep sleeping? I cannot understand." Gaia shook her head and spoke mechanically.

Unlike the emotionless Gaia, Alaya, born from humanity's wishes, could somewhat understand the boy.

A human body, human physiology, and a soul much like a human's—combined, they made him human.

An ordinary human.

A human who could think.

"You must be tired after wandering outside for so long." Alaya spoke up.

Gaia turned to glance at Alaya, as if she wanted to say something, but in the end, she said nothing.

"Tired?" The boy glanced at Alaya, then continued looking at the Root before him.

He didn't know what it meant to feel tired.

"Let's get to the point." Gaia seemed a little impatient. "We need you, boy."

"Need... me?" The boy calmly voiced his question.

"That's right. We need you." Alaya didn't stop Gaia and echoed her.

"Why do you need me? What do you need me for?" The boy continued to ask.

Gaia's vacant eyes fixed on him. "We need you to help us suppress the decay of this world itself."

"The world... is decaying?" The boy tilted his head.

He still didn't understand what was happening.

"So what exactly do you need me to do?"

Gaia was about to speak, but Alaya answered first. "Become a Heroic Spirit."

"A Heroic Spirit?"

Gaia opened her mouth, then looked at Alaya.

"Leave a sufficiently renowned mark on human history and become a Heroic Spirit. That's what we need you to do."

"That sounds pretty good." The boy smiled.

"Then please accept my blessing, Thread of the Root (Anno)." Alaya held out a hand.

Gaia hesitated, then held out a hand as well. "Please accept my blessing too, Thread of the Root (Anno)."

"We'll send you to a renowned period in history."

"Please."

The boy seemed dazed for a moment, then smiled and nodded.

"I hope I can do it."

The boy, having received the Counter Force's blessing, disappeared from above the Root, leaving behind the two great Counter Forces.

"You never said you wanted him to become a Heroic Spirit, Alaya." Gaia's tone was calm, but her displeasure was unmistakable.

The Throne of Heroes was under Alaya's control, and Gaia had little say in the matter. If Thread of the Root (Anno) became a Heroic Spirit, that meant he would automatically become one of Alaya's people.

Alaya understood that she had gone too far this time, but she had no intention of backing down.

"Wouldn't it be good for him to become a Heroic Spirit? At least he'll leave his mark on our world sooner."

Gaia glanced at Alaya without a word, then her manifested body disappeared into the Swirl of the Root.

Alaya made something like a smile, then vanished as well.

The sky above the outside of the Root was as empty as ever.

The chapter has been heavily revised. Please enjoy.