Reaper of the Martial World

Book 8: Chapter 170: Results (2)

No, ‘babies’ wasn’t the appropriate way to describe them, or maybe it was. Dyon wasn’t entirely certain of the technical term, but they were both at least several months old, they looked to be approaching 1 years old. Too big to be babies, but too small to be toddlers…

Their appearances had changed as well. Of course, they looked identical, as they always had, but they had deep indigo colored hair that almost looked black unless the sun reflected upon them the right way. In addition, their hair was much longer than what one would expect for a child. Their coffins were lined with comfortable velvet cushions, but their hair was actually long enough to act as their blankets.

Their hair suddenly flickered, shifting from the deep indigo Dyon thought he saw before to a deep maroon. Moments later, it became a deep magenta. If Dyon had to describe it, it was as though Damaris’ and Giralda’s crystalline-like hair shimmering in pinks, light violets and blues had suddenly gone to the dark side.

Dyon couldn’t see their eye color since they were in a deep sleep, but he had a feeling that their irises were similar.

This wasn’t all that changed about the two of them. Their skin had a delicate grey glow to it. Despite the odd, clearly inhuman, tint, it didn’t seem unnatural. In fact, it seemed perfect for them.

Their small bodies were covered in the very same ceremonial garments Mia and Bella had been buried in, making Dyon realize that this definitely wasn’t a trick… This really was happening before his eyes.

‘Did I really leave two babies here for almost a year?…’ historical

This was the only explanation Dyon could come up with. Something happened after Mia and Bella died, causing them to revert to these youthful forms, and then they had slowly begun to grow once more to this point here.

An almost irrational fear overtook Dyon. What if it hadn’t been for Junior? Just how long would they have stayed here? How much longer could they have survived? No, how did they even survive for this long?

Dyon gently set their coffins down, taking care not to wake them up as he wrapped the two in their ceremonial robes and took them into his arms. His heart trembled as he tried to control his emotions, but his mind was a mess. He was caught in between being ecstatic and being filled with worry.

“What is going on?” Dyon turned toward Junior, asking this question for the third time. But, this time around, his gaze and tone were decidedly softer.

“I was thinking for a long time after you came to speak to me about the Life Stone, but I couldn’t figure it out. So, instead, I began to cultivate, thinking that things would sort themselves out eventually.

“But, when I did start to cultivate, something unexpected happened. I started to feel a deep sense of familiarity with the death qi that kept popping up. I didn’t understand why though … It wasn’t something as simple as my affinity for death will, it was something deeper than that.”

Normal youths wouldn’t be able to begin cultivating until their meridians matured. But, youths with more talent matured quicker than others. And, for Junior, who took the Martial Saint pill that elevated his meridians to the True Deity grade, he was even quicker. So, there was no issue with him beginning to cultivate so early on.

“It was then I realized that the sense of familiarity wasn’t coming from me, but the remnant’s of Orcus and his constitution. So, I focused in on that feeling, trying to tap into my constitution more. I thought that maybe if I did, I could find some of Orcus’ lingering memories then maybe grasp something.

“I ended up making great progression in just a few hours, likely because my body was created with a much higher level of Death God Body than I currently have, so my progress is smoother than it would be for others.

“It was then I realized that the sense of familiarity wasn’t exactly about Orcus either. Well, it was related to him, but not his body directly. It was as though it was some sort of outside influence I was instinctually feeling close to. But, this only confused me more…

“What could be related to Orcus and death qi, but somehow be unrelated to Orcus himself – or rather not directly related. I racked by brain, but I couldn’t understand it. That was when I remembered that among the core teachings of Orcus you showed me, there was a dual cultivation technique!”

Dyon’s eyes widened. That was right… He had completely ignored that technique because not only did he have a far better dual cultivation technique, one that would be coveted even on the Immortal Plane, none of his wives comprehended death will. So, it was next to useless to him.

“That was when I realized, the qi was familiar to me not because it was from Orcus, but because it was from one or many of his wives. I remembered then that you used the hearts of Orcus’ wives to catalyze the creation of my body. That was why it felt so familiar.”

“Still, none of this is enough for you to connect this to Mia and Bella.” Dyon said.

“You still don’t get it? They said that your smell was familiar and comfortable to them. But, they obviously hadn’t felt that way toward anyone else. Haven’t you understood why that is yet?”

As though on cue, Mia and Bella trembled slightly in Dyon’s arm, their beautiful, large dark opal eyes opening.

In that moment, the cry of two phoenixes shook Planet Soul.

Dyon understood then… Mia and Bella didn’t recognize his smell, per se… they recognized the scent of his death will.