"Explain. You've not given me enough information to agree yet. Is it dangerous for me?"

Tiohr-nam shook her head.

"If it was, I would not have spoken about it. Honestly, it is my last resort."

Straightening her back with more ease than before, she continued.

"Anyway, allow me to explain in further detail."

"When I said it was going to feed on your life, it is not exactly what it means. By forcing an opening inside your soul, I will forge a gate that will transfer your excess life force to me."

"I will develop further on what 'excess' entails."

This was a very heavy and important topic for Tiohr-nam. If she were to choose the wrong words, it was possible that Orion would refuse to help her.

"A human, like every living being, has a storage of energy in their soul. This place is used to replenish your body with life force when it is injured or sick."

"How it works is fairly simple: you cut yourself, and it drains the storage to repair the damage. You get a sickness, and it will drain it to keep you alive."

Orion nodded. He supposed that she knew what she was talking about while keeping a level-headed opinion on the matter.

"This storage can be depleted and exploited, but any excess is simply cast away once the maximum amount is contained."

"It is no miraculous area that can heal any injuries, either. This is a natural pocket whose only purpose is to help avoid instant death. The worse the injury or sickness, the faster your life force depletes and the storage drains. Simple, right?"

Orion nodded, standing with his arms crossed in front of the Avatar.

"Yes, I can follow so far. But let me ask. What about me? I'm not human to begin with. How does that storage work for me?"

"Like any other, except yours is more potent for beings like me. You have a life force bursting with energy and a seemingly inexhaustible storage. For what reason, that is, I can only hypothesize on your light element acting as a catalyst?"

Tiohr-nam left a small silence at the end, remembering something.

"From reflecting on the injuries I felt when I touched you, it explains why you stood strong when a human would have already lost consciousness."

"Recklessness was the cause of the deaths of many great people before you."

Orion frowned.

'Why does everyone tell me I'm reckless? I'm not-'

But Tiohr-nam saw through him.

"'I'm not doing this because I want to feel like a hero?' It is not significant to you, maybe, but the people around you are those living with those choices."

Seeing that his mood wasn't improving, she stopped criticizing him.

"Anyway, back to the life force explanation. Now that I gave you the gist of this natural process, this is where my own ability comes into place."

He noticed how easily she managed to irk him.

'I hate it when she reads my mind. I need to be careful not to let my thoughts escape.'

Orion looked straight into those green eyes that displayed a leaf symbol.

"I am slightly tired of speaking. I can see it in your eyes; you already understood what I said so far. Do you mind giving me your thoughts on it?"

Tiohr-nam closed her eyes and waited for Orion to make his deductions. Orion removed himself from his previous emotions and answered her.

"Well, I don't mind. First, I was thinking about that symbol in your eyes."

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"What of it?"

She smiled, not expecting it to be the first thing he brought forward.

"That symbol, as you said before, is your mark as a Remnant. It is a symbol that proves that you are one of the strongest beings in this world. What you hinted at before is that it is more than just a symbol; it is also a power by itself. An ability."

"You are correct."

She nodded.

"That said ability is the ability to leech on someone else's life force. If not, you wouldn't even mention it."

She kept the same smile.

"This much is not difficult to deduce. You even said it yourself. I'm not taking credit for that."

As her smile vanished, she instinctively reacted.

"What a hardened way of thinking."

Orion felt awkward after hearing her say that he was stubborn. He coughed and continued.

"Let's move straight to the point. You elaborated on the life force, the ability to create a sort of back door in the storage, and that you would heal yourself with it. It's self-explanatory, isn't it?"

"It is. That is why I am glad that you said it for me. I am terribly tired after regaining control of my roots."

He felt like she was playing with him right now, but he let it slide. She wasn't mocking him by doing so.

"To clarify a few details, I will only receive the excess— the part that your soul has accumulated and cannot do anything with besides erasing it. By receiving it, I will merge it with my own life force and fill my own storage with it."

"The reason I almost died is that it is completely depleted."

"So what do I do for you to open that door?"

Orion approached the Avatar.

"You will have to eat this seed."

The Avatar opened her mouth and spat a seed the size of a nut on the ground.

"No. I'm not eating this. What disgusting person would eat that!?"

He recoiled in disgust as the green seed covered in sap rolled toward him.

"I am sorry, I do not have hands. This is the only way, though, so simply do it."

With the most reluctant look on his face, Orion grabbed the seed and placed it in his palm.

"It's warm. That's the grossest thing I'll ever do in my life! It better saves you."

"It will."

Orion turned around, closed his eyes, and gritted his teeth.

'Would dad do it?'

While thinking that, he opened his mouth and placed the seed in his mouth. He gulped it without thinking.

"It tastes like honey..."

Tiohr-nam laughed, and the old Avatar bent over slightly.

"Thank you very much, Orion. I have a debt of life toward you for a second time."

He stayed silent.

"Give it a minute, and the seed will create a signal for me to access your soul."

They waited until Orion felt a burning sensation somewhere in his body. He didn't know exactly where it was.

"I have created the gate. I am able to receive your life force without any problems."

As the heat subsided, he looked at her and asked a question.

"So? How much time do you need to fill the storage?"

Tiohr-nam looked at him with a strange look.

"Why do you want to know? Do not take it the wrong way, as I will answer. I simply thought you would not care."

"I do care... You're taking my energy. I also need to know when you will stop consuming it."

Orion needed to know everything, and he will know everything that intrigues him.

"With the amount you create, I think a year will fill one storage."

"One year for one storage? Wait, do you have more than one?"

It was something that even he never thought about.

"I have five empty containers. This is the reason I can stay alive even after dying. They act as a second life, and only Remnants possess more than one."

"I see. That's good to know in case we find another Remnant. Knowing it can revive is one of the most important insights to have."

Orion noticed that the tree was slowly looking more tired.

"Glad to be of help? Well, then, I will not take more of your time. Moreover, please tell Karteira to approach me after you get back. I know I am just receiving your energy, but I have to use some immediately to help that child."

"What do you mean?"

~

Orion opened his eyes, finding himself in front of the giant tree.

'Now I understand what makes her the creator of the fairies. She is way more powerful than I give her credit for.'

He touched his chest, feeling a pulsing heat somewhere. He turned around after picking up his glass of wine and scanned the room to find Karteira.

Amelia was still speaking with her, and they were having a lot of fun. They stopped when they felt someone look at them.

They both left their seats and walked toward him.

"Do you need something? You were looking over to us."

"Not me personally, but there's something Karteira should do."

"Me?"

She wasn't expecting to be at the center of the conversation. She was sure it would be Amelia.

"Yes, if you could go and touch the trunk over there, that would greatly help me."

He pointed at Tiohr-nam.

"How does doing such a thing help you?"

"It will; can you do it?"

"I can, yes."

While looking at him suspiciously, she still walked toward the trunk.

"What was that about?"

"Something interesting will happen. Watch what a Remnant is capable of doing."

Karteira touched Tiohr-nam and immediately had her consciousness sent to her mother. She stood there, just like Orion.

The trunk opened and swallowed Karteira.

"Karteira?! Orion, what's happening?"

"Just watch."

Orion placed a hand on her head and continued watching while drinking his wine.

After a minute, the trunk opened, and it gave Karteira back to the world.

"How are you doing?"

Karteira opened her eye and touched her eyepatch.

"Orion... two times now. You've healed my wounds once again."

She grabbed the eyepatch and removed it from her face, revealing a beautiful green eye underneath.

The green color then vanished and turned to the same color as her other eye, which was a cerulean blue.

"I did nothing this time. If not for her power as a progenitor, she wouldn't have been able to heal you."

He rejected being a part of this event.

"Liar, she told me about the energy she used. She was unable to do this before because she was lacking the energy to do so, but now, mother is healing thanks to you."

"I got my eye back, thanks to you!"

She jumped at him and hugged his neck.

"It's fine to accept her thanks, isn't it?"

Amelia said, as Karteira's scorpion tail was frantically swaying in a circular motion all the while.

"Fine, just do whatever you want."

Under the warm gazes of the twins, the feast ended, and everyone returned to their room.