Willow Tree of Four Seasons

The overwhelming radiance engulfed Ariase, rendering his sight useless.

But in that moment of blindness—something happened.

The four leaves of the camellia flower started to multiply rapidly.

Four became sixteen.

Sixteen became two hundred fifty-six.

Two hundred fifty-six became sixty-five thousand.

Leaves upon leaves, countless and endless, spun into a vortex around his very soul.

They encircled him, wrapping him in a cocoon of luminous green.

And then, each leaf merged and sank into his being, weaving itself into the very fabric of his soul.

Ariase couldn't see it but he felt it.

Something inside him was filling up.

A deep, profound power—one that had always been meant for him, yet had never before been unlocked.

Then, before he knew it, his soul was dragged back as he rose from the Filament Sea of Destiny.

Countless leaves followed and continued to swirl around him.

Their presence was overwhelming—a storm of seasonal force.

Elder Spirit of Blood took a step back, his expression shifting to one of mild amazement.

"What a sight to behold… To think that such a damaged soul would be the first to awaken an advanced element," he muttered, his eyes gleaming with intrigue.

Then, a flicker of interest passed through his gaze, "Now, I wonder… what talent glyphs will you be blessed with?"

...

Time has been distorted inside the Monochrome Realm.

Yet within the Grand Altar of Endless Stars, the change was undeniable.

Beneath the starry expanse, leaves of varied colors rained down relentlessly, swirling and converging above him.

From their union, an awe-inspiring illusion took shape.

A willow tree appeared with leaves of four distinct colors, each hue emanating an aura of a certain season.

At first, the gathered students remained unmoved.

They had sat through countless awakenings, watching natural and unnatural elements appear over and over again.

But now, something entirely different was unfolding.

Their boredom shattered into gasps of disbelief.

Murmurs spread through the crowd.

"I-is that really the tree element?!"

"Incredible… To think that white-haired student would be the first to awaken an advanced element."

Some students, desperate to get a better look, tried to stand—

Only to fail.

The restrictive force that had bound them to their seats for ages kept them down.

"Damn it, I can only see the tree! If only I were seated closer to the center, I could witness his awakening properly."

"..."

"Hmph, I bet the element he awakened is just a lower branch of nature element."

"Shut up, you're just envious."

"What did you say, you bastard?!"

"..."

Amid the excitement and hushed disputes, hundreds sat near the center, witnessing everything with absolute clarity.

One of them was Alex.

Unlike the others who sat far away, his mouth wasn't open in shock because of Ariase's awakening.

His eyes remained locked onto something else.

The Willow Tree of Four Seasons.

It was gracefully beautiful, irresistibly enticing to those who sat close.

It even exuded an addictive presence that stirred something deep within one's soul.

Their fingers twitched as an unconscious thought passed through their mind, "...If only I could touch it..."

As if in response, the tree's leaves swayed back and forth as they fell.

They carried waves of contrasting forces—cold, heat, vitality, and corruption—gushing out in relentless surges. 

And then—

A few of the drifting leaves landed on certain individuals.

One such leaf fluttered into Alex's hands.

It was warm, unbearably warm.

"Ouch!" Alex flinched, his hand burning as he nearly dropped the leaf.

But before he could react, the leaf sank into his skin.

A searing agony erupted through his left hand as he let out a sharp cry.

His body tensed, every nerve in his arm screaming.

But then—just as swiftly as it came, the pain vanished.

Like it had never been there at all.

Alex gasped, his heart pounding in his chest.

And he wasn't the only one.

Around the altar—others screamed.

Some, like him, had felt an intense heat.

Others shivered violently, their bodies assaulted by an unimaginable cold.

Some were delighted, their bodies overflowing with vitality, as if they had been blessed by a divine spirit itself.

But there were others, the unfortunate ones.

Those whose entire being twisted in pain, something inside them was being corrupted.

Agonized groans filled the air.

And still, the tree continued to shed its leaves.

...

Back in the monochrome realm, Ariase remained lost in the depths of his awakening.

Nearly twenty minutes had passed, yet it was far from complete.

The Elder Spirit of Blood simply watched, waiting and overseeing the process.

But then—

A sudden cacophony of screams echoed from the outside world, breaking the eerie silence.

At first, the spirit dismissed them as nothing more than the usual panic of the unawakened.

However, something felt… different.

With a furrowed brow, he closed his eyes and opened his third.

At that moment, his vision shifted.

He peered into the real timeline of the Grand Altar.

His gaze locked onto the illusionary tree, watching as its mystical leaves descended upon the unawakened students.

Sweat formed at the nape of the Elder Spirit of Blood's neck as he watched the chaos unfold.

His lips curled into a nervous smile, "This is insane… It's been years already, and to think that there would be another awakening that could affect others like this…"

He exhaled sharply, closing his third eye.

His gaze shifted back to Ariase, who was still in the depths of his awakening, wrapped in the final moments of transformation.

A stray thought surfaced in his mind—one that made his expression boil in ecstasy.

"If this kid's soul weren't damaged… just how much impact could he have on the mortal realm? Tch, it's truly a pity, but..."

A brief flicker of nostalgia crossed his ancient features before he scoffed.

"This generation of humans… they aren't bad. Still… They're nothing compared to the monstrous ones from back then."

The distant screams of students still echoed through the monochrome realm, their cries of pain and confusion breaking the stillness.

The Elder Spirit of Blood could hear their agony. It grated on his nerves.

Yet, he didn't lift a finger to help and just swallowed his anger.

To him, this was nothing but a blessing in disguise.

Their suffering was temporary, but what they had received would make them stronger.

And in the long run, that power would benefit not just them, but the Anitos as well.

So he simply waited.

Minutes after, Ariase's awakening came to an end.

The last leaf fully merged into his soul.

A moment of silence followed.

For a brief moment, Ariase just stood there, unmoving.

He didn't know what to feel.

Happiness? Confusion? Regret? Anger? Sadness?

His gaze dropped to the ground, longing to return to the place where he had seen the threads of memory.

His fingers curled into fists, grasping nothing but emptiness.

He had finally seen his mother, and yet, the moment slipped away like a passing dream.

Even now, her face remained burned into his mind, a ghostly afterimage that wouldn't fade.

Ariase bit his lip as a murmur slipped from his lips—one so soft it was almost swallowed by the air itself.

"You liar… You told me to be like the leaves… And yet, you left me so early…"

His mother's voice—so warm, so distant—lingered in the recesses of his mind.

He then shut his eyes, forcing himself to swallow the emotions that threatened to consume him.

A few long seconds passed before he finally exhaled, steadying himself.

When he looked up, the Elder Spirit of Blood was watching him.

There was something in his gaze, something between curiosity and amusement.

The spirit let out a low chuckle before speaking, "Human, congratulations. You're the first one in this batch to awaken an advanced element."

Ariase's expression remained blank.

He barely processed the words before the Elder Spirit continued, his tone carrying something unreadable.

"But… I can't say whether that's a blessing or a curse."

His next words sent a shiver down Ariase's spine.

"If it weren't for the fact that anything that happens in here can't be revealed outside… you'd already have countless enemies waiting for you."

Ariase frowned as he thought, 'Enemies? I didn't even do anything. Why would I—?'

His thoughts were cut short.

The Elder Spirit moved in a blink of an eye.

Before Ariase could react, the blood machete pierced through his chest.

'Damn this spirit, not again—!' he thought, as a sharp, startled gasp tore from his throat.

His vision blurred, waking up to the feeling of weightlessness.

His body hovered in midair, encased in thick, twisting roots that encircled him like a protective cocoon.

Above him, a massive willow tree floated in the sky, its branches stretching endlessly like the arms of something divine.

Yet, his gaze didn't linger long on the tree.

His sight shifted to someone else.

A figure rested on its branches—a woman with light-green skin, her hair made of cascading vines adorned with delicate leaves.

Her glowing green eyes opened, locking onto his.

A slow smile graced her lips, "Little leaf, you're finally up."

Her voice was soft, carrying a tinge of ancient wisdom.

But before Ariase could even process her presence, she reached out a hand.

"Now, let's go."

Ariase barely had time to react again before his vision shifted.

The world twisted.

Everything around him blurred into an explosion of color.

...

And when he opened his eyes again.

His breath hitched as he took a step back in disbelief.

Before him stretched a landscape impossibly lush, filled with vibrant greenery and golden light.

Flowers blossomed endlessly, and the trees carried an air of primordial divinity.

His heart pounded.

His voice trembled as the words left his lips, barely above a whisper.

"Garden of Eden…?"