Chapter 205 - A Thousand Years of Prosperity

“The Verdant Wild, Prince Deka’s Divine Kingdom…” Yuzu’s eyebrows furrowed in worry. She remembered Argus mentioning this place before, though she didn’t know at the time where it was. She only knew that Deka had been defeated in a war between gods and hid inside it.

“Yes. A place in the cosmos that exists purely out of the manifestation of an immortal’s will.” Li Ru said, “Up until recently, Prince Deka has hidden himself in His Divine Kingdom, which itself was hidden away, unable to be found. But now, to prepare for His reincarnation, He has expended a tremendous amount of energy to bring back His kingdom.”

The temple and the astral plane had disappeared completely, leaving the pair floating in the starry black void of space. Li Ru’s tall, gaunt figure took on a skeletal feel as a demonic aura radiated off of him. The skin on the scholar’s face appeared thin and translucent in the harsh light from the heavens, revealing a bony white skull.

“You mean, the changes in the forest?” Yuzu asked.

“Deka is weak and desperate. He means to establish his Divine Kingdom in the physical plane, which would provide him the strongest basis from which to recover. However, right now the physical plane is only showing side effects. The real kingdom currently is anchored to the Aetheric plane. This is also part of his preparations.”

“I see…”

“You seem confused.” Li Ru observed Yuzu carefully, noting her lack of firm acknowledgement. “Are you wondering why he chose the Aetheric plane? Very well, while we travel, let me give you a brief lesson.”

The star field around them slowly began to spin as various stars twinkled brightly in the distance. Yuzu was honestly more disoriented by her surroundings than concerned about the conversation, but she let the Angel of Death speak without interrupting him.

“You are aware of the three kingdoms, yes? Gods, Demons and Humanity. And within each of the three kingdoms there are four domains. Each of the domains is attuned to various energies and aspects of creation, and in particular, each domain is attuned to a plane of existence.”

“The three domains which are particularly compatible with the Aetheric plane are Fate, Knowledge and Life.” Li Ru said.

“Is this why I feel stronger in the white world?” Yuzu asked, “Like in your temple.”

“It’s not my temple-” Li Ru corrected her, “But yes. Your powers are more potent, and you can draw energy from the surroundings more easily. Similarly, Deka being from the domain of Life, choosing the aetheric plane to anchor his divine kingdom was the most reasonable choice.”

“Then why does he have to bring His kingdom into the physical world?” Yuzu wondered.

“If he were at full strength then his Divine Kingdom would hold a presence in all of the planes, but the physical world would form the foundation. It’s only natural for him to make this move.” Li Ru said, “But also, there are problems with the aetheric plane in this region that would cause him to rush the process… well, you will see it soon enough.”

The sensation of standing on solid rock surprised Yuzu as she suddenly found herself on the side of a greyish white mountain. The background of stars faded away as a white sky materialized above her.

From these characteristics and her spiritual intuition Yuzu confirmed that they had returned to the aetheric plane, however her eyes were immediately drawn down to the landscape in below her.

A wild, untamed jungle filled with gigantic trees and strange glowing flowers stretched out for kilometres around, vibrant and shimmering with colours. Not only was this jungle vividly colourful, those colours shimmered with a subtle energy, like the opalescent sheen from a pearl.

Against the stark white sky and the grey mountains, this forest looked completely out of place.

“That’s…?”

“The edge of the Verdant Wild.” Li Ru said beside her, his looks returned to normal. “See how colourful it is?”

Yuzu nodded, at a loss for words. “Those colours… is that how the aetheric plane normally looks?”

“Yes.” Li Ru said, gently clasping his hands behind his back in a scholarly pose. “Anywhere else in the world but here.”

“Why?”

If it was just the visual appearance of the jungle, Yuzu felt she wouldn’t have been so shocked. However even from this distance Yuzu could feel an intense vibrant vitality radiating from the jungle. The bright colours of the jungle shone vividly against the stark white sky, and Yuzu couldn’t help but stare in awe. Colour, in the white world.

Li Ru was right, she had no idea the world could look like this.

If sitting in the white world at her shrine was like sitting in front of a small pond, then being here was like coming face to face with an ocean. The smell of aether that wafted through the air brought with it an intoxicating epiphany.

This is right. This is how it should be.

Yuzu stared down at the forest for several minutes, trying to comprehend the feelings in her soul, unable to express her thoughts into words.

“You see now, why the Abbott supports the God of Life.” Li Ru said quietly, “The land here is sick. The aether is constantly being leeched out of the soil. There are many places in the plane that have completely crumbled out of existence. Both the God of Life and the Abbott seek to fix this imbalance.”

“But… The way they’re doing it… Isn’t there a better way?” Yuzu frowned.

“Many roads lead to the same destination.” Li Ru said with a poetic air, “But which path is better, who can say?”

Li Ru looked carefully at Yuzu for a moment, then said, “If the aetheric plane were restored to its natural state, the damage to your soul would likely heal. That vial of aether that you carry with you would be unnecessary.”

“H-how did you know about that?” Yuzu asked. She had never mentioned the vial, nor the injury to her soul that was slowly killing her.

“I am an Angel of Death, the state of your soul was apparent to me from the moment you walked up my steps.” Li Ru looked deeply into her eyes, “The people of Noga are dying. Not as individuals, but slowly over the centuries. Their bodies and souls are starved of life energy, and each successive generation is weaker than the one before it.”

“But… Why?” Yuzu asked, “Why is the land sick?”

In response to this question, Li Ru looked out to the horizon. Yuzu looked as well, following his gaze.

In the far distance, past the edge of the forest the ground turned white and disappeared, as if the forest alone was keeping the ground from falling away. Even further beyond that, a singular building stood tall on an island of white earth.

Though it was far away, Yuzu recognized the shape of the building and the spires that came off of it. This was the Tye Ann Cathedral, the grand building that stood at the heart of Noga. However there was one glaring difference between the cathedral in this plane and the one in the physical world.

Out of the center of the cathedral rose a tall black spire. It extended up hundreds of meters into the sky like a needle piercing the heavens. This thin black line went so high that Yuzu couldn’t see where it ended.

“That spire is the source.” Li Ru said.

“Where did it come from? Did Lord Noga build it?” Yuzu asked.

“No.” Li Ru said, “That spire is ancient. As far as I know, no one knows who built it, or for what purpose it was built. But by chance Lord Noga discovered and claimed it. Back then, Noga was just a Disciple of Spacetime, and the whole continent was in a constant state of war as different factions sought to control it.

“At the time Noga City was a no-name farming village in the middle of nowhere, and Noga was just a noble serving the regional warlord. One day, the black spire rose from its hiding spot into the heavens of the aetheric plane and Noga emerged as an immortal. His rise to power over the next months was both unexpected and unbelievable, and the actions of him and his allies catalyzed the War of the Five Kings.

“After the War, he claimed Noga City as his capital and built the cathedral in the same spot that the spire occupied in the aetheric plane. And since then the aetheric energy has been gradually sucked out of the land.”

“Without a doubt, this black spire is the cause of the land’s sickness, and Lord Noga is the one controlling it.” Li Ru stroked his beard thoughtfully as he stared out at the thin black line that cut through the sky, “It is the source of his power, and though he is not a god himself, it gives him the strength to defy them.”

“Because of this spire, NianXing won the War of Five Kings and ended her era of warlords and inner strife. Because of this spire, NianXing has repelled her enemies and kept her borders safe.”

“Because of this spire, NianXing has seen peace and prosperity for a thousand years. Because of this spire, NianXing’s enemies have been crippled and starved until they have nothing but hatred and desperation left in their hearts.”