The light inside my body spread out like a thin, semicircular layer, reminiscent of a snow dome. It felt thin and slim, yet…firm. It was strange. I’d have expected it to feel more brittle. But the Stella’s barrier proved stalwart. Maintaining it was difficult for me…but possible.
“Oh my! Look at that…!” the Centaurus exclaimed.
“Tinaris, you… This light…!” Curalius glowed and I understood. The Stella’s blessing was bolstering her strength.
I didn’t know exactly how it worked, but the Stella was a concentrated form of Air’s divine power. Despite teetering on the edge of death just moments ago, the Stella was now making the Great Curalius evolve into a mighty half-dragon, half-god. I could feel as much.
“You did it faster than I imagined,” I heard a familiar voice beside me.
“Air!” I cried.
The barrier was complete, so I believed we were safe.
“What’s it like,” Air asked Curalius, “becoming a dragon god? Doesn’t feel much different, does it?”
“Yes…” the glowing dragon god mused. “But it’s strange. Is this what it’s like to be neither living nor dead?”
“Yes. If you’d like, I could invite you to the divine realm. What say you?” Air invited.
My actions had ended up evolving the Great Curalius into a dragon god. Her white scales shined and her golden eyes overflowed with life. She spread out her wings, now wider and brimming with vitality. She looked even better than she had after my potion had restored her health.
“I appreciate and am honored by your invitation, O mighty Air. But there’s no need,” Curalius said, shaking her head. “I’ve decided to remain the leader of this continent until a new one is in place. Please…give me time until I can elect my successor.”
“I will wait,” Air nodded. “I am training your son now. But I think it might take him 500 years before he can deify. Perhaps he should lead the Mythical continent for a time and gain experience. That said… I was surprised to see Akari’s thoughts still remain. Does she have any intention of becoming a god?”
“Huh?!” I froze up, realizing he was now talking to me. “I, uhh…I can’t hear her anymore…”
But the mere fact that I had heard Lady Akari’s voice earlier meant some of her must linger inside the Stella.
Lady Akari… You saved me again. Thank you.
“Well…” Air said, somewhat disappointed. “You need a soul to deify. So lingering thoughts aren’t enough. ‘Tis a pity. If there was so much as a piece of her soul left, I’d have been able to do something. I did acknowledge her prowess…”
“…Lady Akari chose to live and die as a human,” I told him quietly.
Renge had told me as much. When Akari had first fallen ill, her brother Keria had made her a potion of immortality—an elixir of life that would’ve allowed her to live forever. But Akari had rejected it. She chose to live and die as a human to teach Renge the importance of transient life.
All life is bound to end. That is why we must protect and save others. And humans are especially weak, their lives ending more easily unless they’re offered help.
That was Akari’s choice as a mother. That was what had made Renge so kind. She’d taught him that the weakness and transience of life is part of what makes humans what they are. What makes them precious.
I was so impressed by her. I didn’t think I could make the same decision.
“She was, indeed, special. I may hate humans, but Akari was always…different,” Air said.
Even this misanthropic god acknowledges her uniqueness. Lady Akari was truly a one-of-a-kind Holy Woman, who’d rejected immortality and godhood in favor of remaining human and dying. And that inherent humanity was what had defined her way as a Holy Woman. And though I could only hope to measure up to her, her residual thoughts still guided me.
“You’ve…become a god, haven’t you, O Great Curalius?” the Centaurus asked the new dragon god in awe.
“Yes…” she mused. “But as I said, it does not feel like much has changed. Though I do feel young again.”
“Then you will keep guiding our continent?!” the Centaurus asked expectantly.
He’s likely very anxious without a clear leader to look to…
“Yes, I will. I shall continue ruling until Revireus grows older. For now, I’ll try to convince the Colossi to surrender. I’d left that task in Renge’s hands. But now, I think I’ll be able to convince them. That is…assuming you will allow it, O mighty Air?”
“Yes, I do,” Air said. “And you may guide the Mythical continent, too. But when I go into hibernation, I need you to protect Wisty Air from outside forces.”
“Of course. I will keep this world safe, even if it costs me my life.”
The Great Curalius stood there, mighty and lofty. I was truly transfixed by the visage of this proud, shining white dragon. From now on, Air is no longer the one and only god in this world…