Gaea started off by saying that yes, in fact, she could help him save Su'ong. “The only other option is to allow me to perform a Ritual known as a Soul-Union, to which I will be making a few major modifications. This is a process only made possible through the bond between a God, or Goddess in your case, and two willing participants. At least one of which must have previously received a formal Blessing from that same deity, though it would be better if it were both. Luckily for you, you have already received my Blessing!“ Her smile wilted like an unwatered flower.
“But unfortunately,” Gaea looked over at Su'ong and lowered her voice, as if afraid the injured Naga was listening in. “In this case, it simply won't be possible for me to provide her with my Blessing. Though I would gladly do so, her spirit is far to damaged for me to form a spiritual link with. I fear her soul has already spread itself so thin trying to reform what she has lost, that an interference on my part would likely cause what remains of her spirit to shatter. A bond between a deity and a mortal goes both ways, after all. It is a mutually beneficial relationship.“
Alan looked down at his slowly-regrowing arm and considered her words. With the pathetic rate his arm was growing back, he couldn't even imagine the difficulty, not to mention time required, to reform half of one's entire body. I'm pretty sure that last attack would've killed me instantly, Alan thought seriously.
“Very much so!“ Gaea remarked a little too cheerily for Alan's comfort, after continuing her casual reading of his thoughts. “As a (G-Stage) mortal, such an injury would've instantly ended you, no question. Your soul is much too flimsy, what with it still being in an embryonic stage. Though it must be said that Su'ong is not much better off, I'm afraid. (F-Stage) might be a full grade above your own, but it is still the baseline of the Multiverse. It was only through your abnormal luck, and my last-minute interference, that she currently lives at all.“
“Pull up your Statistics would you please,” Gaea asked, seeking to return to the topic at hand. She pointed at the description for her (Complete) Blessing “Because our bond is of the highest Tier, you now receive a fragment of my essence, as well as a minor affinity for my element. If you look closely, you'll see that you are receiving a flat 10% bonus to both Vitality and Endurance, because those are my specialties. It also grants you a minor affinity to Earth, which is my dominate element.“
“But,” Gaea held up her hand to cut off Alan's questioning. “What it doesn't show you is that in return for my Blessing, I receive a shred of your Spiritual Energy. Until the later stages of Evolution, the spiritual energy you generate is so miniscule that it is quite honestly next to nothing. But as you grow, and evolve, slowly perfecting your soul, mind, and body, the amount of energy generated increases by leaps and bounds. So, typically a God or Goddess wouldn't even think about providing a (Complete) Blessing to one such as you. There would simply be nothing to be gained for many, many years.“
She gave Alan a wink, “You can consider my (Complete) Blessing to be investment into your future! But now, as I'm sure you can see, if I were to form even a (Partial) Blessing with Su'ong in her current state, even with the essence she gained through the Blessing, she simply couldn't afford to lose any further Spiritual Energy. My Blessing would likely kill her before it helped.“
“Listen Alan,” She said, speaking frankly for once, “A Soul-Union Ritual honestly isn't going to cost me very much. I will simply provide the catalyst, and begin the process. But as the only Blessing holder, the true cost must be borne by you, and you alone. Come, walk with me,” Gaea said, wrapping her tiny fingers around his index finger and pulling him along behind her.
She led Alan to the reinforced barrier housing Su'ong, and gestured he should be seated beside his injured partner. Alan obliged, sitting cross-legged on the cool metal floor. He peered into the glowing orange barrier, and took immediate relief. It seemed Su'ong's color had greatly improved.
It was only after checking his Party tab to make sure it wasn't just his eyes playing tricks, that he allowed himself to turn away from Su'ong, and face his Goddess.
“What do I need to do?“ Alan asked without a trace of hesitation, “I don't really understand what a Soul-Union is… Let alone the requirements. But if we can fix her, I want to do it. Please, start the Ritual Gaea.“
Alan's Goddess gave him an incredulous look. “If only it were that simple, I would've already started. Unfortunately the minimum requirements are that all parties must be willing. This is typically a Ritual performed after a wedding ceremony, to bind a couple at the spiritual level. I'm just going to modify the process. However, regardless of my alterations, the requirements don't change. All parties must be in full agreement. There can be no coercion, nor pleading, nor bargaining. If either you, or Su'ong, are to say no, there will be nothing further I could do. I'm going to tell you what I can, and then I will wake the Naga. You may then explain to her the situation, and inquire if she is willing. That is all. Only she can determine her fate, as it should be.“
With a grunt of discomfort, Gaea pulled out a two-foot-long strand of her brown hair. “Here's the gist,” She said, holding her hair out between them. “Using a piece of my body, I will form a spiritual bridge between the two of you. Normally, this would be done with a strand of each of your own hair, and the process would be brief, and wholly satisfying. A brief meeting spiritual encounter, to bind your soul to your loved one, in the eyes of the Gods, for all time. But since you are not in matrimony, nor has your relationship been consecrated, were going to be needing a bit of extra time, and energy, so I'm providing my own hair as a substitute.“
Gaea reached out and tied one end of her hair around Alan's wrist. After tugging on it to make sure her knot held, she looked up at her youngest disciple. “This,” She wagged the end of the hair not attached to Alan's body , “is going to form a permanent connection between your souls. This connection will never fade. Once the connection has been made, I will begin making alterations to the Ritual. I believe that with the extra energy I provide, we should be able to repair the damage to Su'ong's soul. We will be using your own healthy, albeit weak, spirit as the foundation upon which her soul can consolidate, and begin to reform.“
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She hesitated for a moment, her forehead bunched up with worry. “Though there is a high likelihood this will come with permanent consequences. The energy required will be taken from your soul, and if the drain is too severe, you could suffer spiritual damage as well. Even if it works out perfectly, there are still dire risks. You will be bound at the spiritual level, and because every soul is different, the results will be unpredictable. There is another dangerous vairable to contend with. You are both of wildly different species. You, a (G-Stage) Human, and she, an (F-Stage) Beast-Folk. Both her physical makeup, and Soul are fundamentally different, as well as stronger than yours. So there may be some bleed over. I honestly can't say for sure.“
Gaea threw up her arms and sighed. “This is mostly uncharted territory for me. So I can't provide many certainties. Hells, your Bloodline might be roused into cancelling out the entire process, though it is my belief that it won't interfere with a Ritual you are willingly undertaking. One thing I can say for certain is that your souls will become permanently bound together, and death is the only way to separate that bond. And the death of one, may very well kill, or maim, the other. In a very fundamental way, the two of you will share a single, interconnected soul.“
“This Soul-Binding, as we'll call my adapted Ritual, may come with new skills, or abilities.“ “OR, Gaea abruptly poked Alan in the chest with her slender finger, “it may end up allowing the dungeon, through it's bond with Su'ong, to feed on your soul, leaving you a husk alongside her.“
Alan's mind was greedily absorbing and processing the information as fast as possible, but it was beginning to seem like his Goddess was trying to convince him NOT to go through with this. There were so many risks, and uncertainties, that Alan knew that he would be better off to refuse. But he couldn't bring himself to do so. He knew without a doubt that the earth Wyrm would've eaten him if not for Su'ong's sacrifice. What would that say about my character if I refused? I'll admit, the risks sound terrifying. I mean, what if I grow a tail? Or turn into a snake-man?
He knew his worries wouldn't be proven true or false until it was too late to reverse the effects. He fully understood that if he agreed, there was no turning back. But his mind kept coming back to a single promise. One made to himself in the darkness of the void. Once more, he repeated his vow. I will NOT let anything else be taken from me while I still stand. I will do everything in my power to protect what matters most to me, and to destroy anything, or anyone who would raise up arms against me, or mine.
This is what Alex was talking about. Alan realized solemnly, thinking back over his uncle's words. “You will have to decide when to bend to the fickle whims of Fate,” he had said ominously, “and when is the time to stand firm in the face of certain annihilation. Alan knew the time had come to make his decision. “Am I going to back down, or will I stand firm, and do what I know needs to be done…”
Yet no matter how he sliced it, even for him, the plan Gaea set forth seemed both excessively risky, and downright foolish.
It's probably not a good sign that I'm so excited. Alan understood that this was going to be dangerous, but he had already promised himself to do what it took to protect his friends. He'd already given Su'ong his word. Not to mention that in the back of his mind, he could feel the System Oath he'd freely given. To do everything he could to free Su'ong from the Dungeon.
The Oath was weighing the contents of his thoughts, and waiting to cast judgement upon his decisions.
As Alan muttered under his breath, Gaea let him be. From here, she knew, it had to be his decision. Though she couldn't help but feel both proud, and a little disappointed when he finally spoke up.
“I'll do it." Alan said, his mind made up. "I made myself a promise, and I don't want to back down.
Gaea nodded once, and asked him to give her four beast cores.
Alan handed them over and watched in confusion as she charged them with her energy until they began to glow. She then crushed them into dust in the palm of her hand. With a flick of her other wrist, she materialized two tiny crystal glasses, each one filled with a small amount of blue liquid. After placing half the crushed cores into each glass, the liquid began absorbing the cores energy. As Alan watched, the contents of each glass began to boil. Plumes of rainbow hued steam wafted into the air, almost instantly vanishing.
After setting the glasses down, she posited that it would temporarily boost both Alan and Su'ong's energy levels, which should take some of the burden off of Alan's soul.
“This is a combination of Water Essence, and my own. Because Su'ong has the natural water attunement, it is my hope that having water essence in your body during the Ritual will increase your likelihood of receiving the water affinity. Which would help cool any potential future influence of the Daemonic Flames.“
Without further explanation, the barrier protecting Su'ong shimmered and disappeared. Alan scooted over and sat next to Su'ong. He looked to his wrist, and Gaea nodded her head. “You must tie the opposite end around her wrist, and when she wakes, you may explain to her what is happening, and the risks should she choose to say no. But, you may not, under any circumstances, try to change her mind should she refuse. The Ritual will only work if she agrees of her own freewill.“
Su'ong's eyelids began to flutter as Alan tied Gaea's hair around her wrist. The dense energy radiating from the single hair roused her from her deep slumber. She tried to speak, but all that came out was a hoarse groan. She looked up at the orange-eyed child next to Alan with a wide-eyed look of confusion, and back at Alan questioningly. The
“I know you are probably confused, but you were nearly killed when you knocked me out of the Wyrm's mouth. It's only thanks to Gaea that you are alive. I've had time to think about it, and I really don't understand why you saved my life Su'ong. I... I don't even know how to properly thank you... But. I think I can save you, and that's probably a good way to start,” Alan said with confidence he hadn't known he had until now. “No, I'm GOING to save you” he quickly corrected, “If you are willing to let me, that is."
As quickly as he could, he told Su'ong everything he knew about the Soul-Union, leaving out nothing in his explanation. Su'ong had several concerns, but with the help of Gaea, most of those were cleared up. Though rightfully so, she seemed a bit leery about permanently binding herself to someone she hardly knew. However, the alternative was simply too much to swallow.
******
I just want to go home…Su'ong thought, Grandmother is surely worried, and…I don't want to die like this…I can't even fight as half a person…
“Listen Alan, If you're sure you are willing to take this risk, than I am willing to do so as well,” As she said those words, the hair connecting her to Alan gave off a bright pulse of light then immediately fell dark again.
“But, I have to be honest with you first… I just… I can't keep it a secret if we are to go forward with this.” She looked into Alan's eyes, “it was the Dungeon Wraith that arranged our very first meeting Alan… The one called the Dungeon Master. He told me that you were our best chance at escape. And I can't be sure it was even me that chose to save you… I think the Master might've taken temporary control through our bond, and coerced me to move in your defense. He was willing to sacrifice me to save you...“ She grunted and clenched her jaw, obviously in pain. But when Gaea leaned down and placed her hand on the Naga's shoulder, she visibly improved.
“Go on child,” Gaea said softly, a proud smile tugging at the corners of her lips “Say your piece. I will block out any unwanted outside interference." Her voice grew weary.
"Though what happens after you return to the Sandstone Palace is out of my hands.“