Returning once more to Reef Island, where he had spent decades, he sat in the Mage Tower's Terrace Garden and gazed into the distance. It was here that he had planted his very first magic plant-a sunflower.
He sat lost in thought, pondering.
Casting a miracle spell like World Puzzle required a great deal of energy, as well as a firm decision.
So he asked, "Would you be willing to let me leave?"
A gentle breeze lifted sprays of seawater as fine as diamond dust. Sunlight shone over the verdant woods, and from the wind, from the earth, from the ocean... from every corner of this world, its voice echoed in a murmur:
"Will you come back?"
The world's consciousness cautiously gathered around Kroya. Though it was the mother that enveloped the entire world and nurtured countless lives, it seemed a little forlorn now.
During Kroya's time here, it had grown attached to the warmth brought by Symphony's "Rainbow Poem." For that reason, it had even shown Kroya "favoritism."
In those early days, saying he stumbled upon treasures every few steps was no exaggeration. There was, of course, a reason Kroya had lived so comfortably in this barren stretch of sea deliberately concealed by the Merfolk Tribe.
Later, Kroya had helped it accomplish even more. Though Eden had been born in Kroya's dream, its wondrous properties could benefit the world consciousness.
And he had also returned the deities' authority to the world itself.
These were all reasons the world consciousness could not bear to part with Kroya. It knew that if he stayed, he would surely help it evolve into a stronger world.
Most Gaia worlds formed naturally, but some could also be cultivated afterward.
"Of course I'll come back."
Kroya answered, "I've actually explored less than half of this