000 - What Makes The Sky Blue

After Lyria felt Rei sever their connection, she immediately relayed everything he had told her to the others.

"The Erste Empire again?! Why are they suddenly attacking Amalthea Island?" Katalina exclaimed in shock.

"No, that's not the main issue. The real question is—why Amalthea Island specifically? That place isn't just some ordinary island filled with civilians and skyfarers; it's home to people who can actually fight back," Djeeta said thoughtfully, touching her chin.

"Tch, those Empire scum... They claimed they'd given up, but they're nothing but liars!" Io said angrily.

As they pondered the Empire's motives, their eyes turned to Apollo, silently asking her for answers.

However, Apollo shook her head slightly. "I don't know either, but I have a couple of assumptions after hearing Lyria's story."

"There are two possible reasons why they're attacking another island. The first is Furias. He might still be furious after being repeatedly defeated by Rei and could be trying to lure him out for revenge. The second reason is Gandharva."

At the mention of that name, most of the crew looked confused—except for Katalina, who immediately understood.

"I see... That makes sense if it's the second reason," Katalina said, a serious expression on her face.

"What does that mean? Who is Gandharva?" Orchid asked curiously.

"Gandharva is a Lieutenant General of the Erste Empire's military. He was once a captain in an enforcement crew but was dismissed because of his cruel and violent methods to maintain control," Katalina explained.

"So he's probably attacking Amalthea Island as a form of revenge," she concluded.

"That's really bad... So what should we do now? I hate to state the obvious, but we're at least a week away from Amalthea Island," Vyrn said, flapping his small wings in agitation.

"Even if we push Grandcypher to her limits, it would still take us about three days to get there," Rackam added grimly.

"And we can't just abandon the people here. There are still monsters roaming around both inside and outside the city," Lyria said, her voice heavy with concern.

The group fell silent, each of them trying to think of a solution to their predicament.

Suddenly, Lyria felt a familiar sensation and turned sharply toward the desert.

"This feeling... It's a Primal Beast. It looks like Rei has already found Deus Ex Machina," she said to everyone, her voice filled with relief and urgency.

---

Meanwhile, with Rei:

After locating a cave in the middle of the desert, partially buried in sand, Rei wasted no time. He immediately used Tiamat and Yggdrasil's power to clear the sand blocking the entrance and entered the cave.

He sprinted through the narrow passageways for several minutes before finally reaching the core of Deus Ex Machina—a massive, glowing construct floating in the air. Unlike other Primal Beasts, Deus Ex Machina had no physical body, only its core. Rei didn't know why it was like this, but he had no time to ponder.

Channeling his Astral power, Rei spoke to the core, requesting to borrow its power. Without resistance, Deus Ex Machina complied and began merging with Rei.

The surge of energy was overwhelming, but Rei remained focused. As the connection finalized, Rei could feel Orchis's soul within the core.

"Found it," he muttered, tagging her soul with his power.

Without hesitation, Rei turned and sprinted out of the cave.

The moment he emerged into the open desert, he spread his wings and soared into the sky, flying at full speed back toward the Grandcypher.

A few minutes later, Rei arrived on the Grandcypher, landing gracefully on the deck where the others were deep in discussion.

"Did you already tell everyone, Lyria?" Rei asked as Lyria rushed over to him.

"Yes, I did. We're currently discussing what our next move should be," she replied.

"I see. What have you decided so far?" Rei asked as he walked closer to the group.

"We're considering splitting up, but the problem is that even with the Grandcypher at full speed, it would still take us at least four days to reach Amalthea Island," Djeeta explained, concern etched on her face.

"I have a suggestion for that," Rei said firmly, "but for now… Orchid, come here. It's time."

Rei extended his hand toward Orchid.

Understanding his intention immediately, Orchid stepped forward without hesitation and took his hand.

Apollo, observing the scene, could only sigh softly. A faint trace of jealousy flickered across her face—Orchid had accepted Rei's hand so easily, without any doubt or resistance.

In contrast, every time Apollo tried to speak to Orchid, the responses she received were always polite, distant, and brief before Orchid would walk away.

"Are you ready?" Rei asked Orchid, his voice calm and steady.

"I'm ready," Orchid replied with a small nod.

Seeing her resolve, Rei smiled gently and patted her head in reassurance before leading her away from the group to a more open space on the deck.

"It looks like it's time," Sandalphon said softly, and the others turned their attention to Rei and Orchid, watching silently as the two prepared for what was about to come.

Rei raised his right hand, his sky blue eyes glowing faintly as a swirling vortex of purple energy began to form in the air. The crackling sound of power resonated across the deck, and a rift tore open in the sky, its edges pulsating with Rei's signature purple aura.

From within the rift, a figure began to emerge—a delicate, floating body with long, snow-white hair cascading down to her back. She wore an ethereal white dress that seemed to shimmer with a faint glow, reflecting the light around her. Her expression was peaceful, her eyes closed as if she were in a deep sleep.

Everyone on the deck stared in awe at the replacement body.

"That body… it's so similar to Orchid," Vyrn said in amazement, his voice barely above a whisper.

"It's like… a perfect twin," Djeeta added, her eyes wide with wonder.

Lyria crossed her arms, her gaze fixed on the floating figure. "No, it's not just similar. It's identical. Rei… you really did it."

Orchid herself took a step closer, her pink eyes locked on the floating figure before her. "This… this is going to be me?" she asked softly, her voice trembling slightly.

Rei glanced back at her and nodded. "Yes. This body was prepared specifically for you. It's time, Orchid."

Taking a deep breath, Orchid steadied herself, her grip on Rei's hand tightening. "I'm ready… but…" She hesitated for a moment before adding, "I'm still… a little scared."

Rei turned to her, his expression softening as he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. "It's okay. I'll be here with you the entire time. Trust me."

With a nod, Orchid took a deep breath, steeling herself for what was to come.

Rei then extended his left hand, and an intricate magic circle formed beneath him, its symbols glowing with a mix of deep purple and faint gold light. The core of Deus Ex Machina's power flared to life within him, and he began channeling its ability to manipulate souls. At the same time, a faint, purple mist surrounded him as Celeste's death energy intertwined with the magic circle.

Slowly, a glowing orb of light began to emerge from Rei's chest, pulsing softly with a pale white hue. The ball of light floated upwards, hovering in front of the replacement body.

Everyone on the deck held their breath as they realized what they were witnessing—Orchis' soul.

Rei turned to Orchid, nodding silently. The moment had come.

Orchid's grip on Rei's hand tightened further as she stared at the floating soul. Despite her earlier resolve, fear flickered in her pink eyes.

"Don't be afraid," Rei said gently. "This is your moment. Everything will be fine."

Orchid nodded slowly, her lips trembling slightly. "Okay… I trust you, Rei."

"I'm gonna make you sleep, Orchid," Rei said softly toward her.

"After you wake up, everything's gonna be over."

Hearing that, Orchid could only nod, but before Rei could finally do it, she suddenly asked hesitantly, "Will you be beside me when I wake up?"

"Of course," he assured her, and then he touched her forehead, using his power to make her sleep.

Orchid slowly began losing consciousness, her eyes closing as she drifted into slumber. Before she could fall, Rei immediately caught her and gently laid her down on the deck floor.

After that, he made Orchid's replacement body float toward him, positioning it beside her.

Both of them were now lying next to each other, side by side. Now all Rei needed to do was put Orchid's soul inside the replacement body and Orchis' soul inside Orchid's former body.

"Well, here goes nothing," Rei muttered while taking a deep breath, preparing himself.

After a few moments, twelve multicolored wings appeared on his back, indicating that his full power had been activated.

"Wow, are those the new wings you two mentioned before?" Io asked Halluel and Malluel.

"Yep, those are the wings we were talking about," Halluel replied with a smile.

"It's been a while since we've seen his wings like that, right, Sandalphon?" Malluel said, turning to Sandalphon.

"Yeah, it has," she answered, her gaze fixed on Rei's wings.

She always loved seeing Rei with those wings. Seeing them now made Sandalphon think about how well they matched—both of them with such similar wings.

It felt like something straight out of one of the romance books she'd borrowed from Lyria. In those stories, it was always romantic when the protagonist and heroine wore matching outfits and spent time together.

"Maybe on our next date, we can fly together with our matching wings…" Sandalphon muttered softly to herself.

While Sandalphon was lost in her daydreams, Rei remained focused, pouring all his concentration into the task at hand.

He carefully began the operation, ensuring nothing would go wrong.

First, he placed Orchis' soul into Orchid's body to prevent it from deteriorating without a soul.

Immediately after, before the two souls could clash, he used Celeste's power to carefully pull Orchid's soul out. A glowing white ball of energy floated above her body.

Without hesitation, he transferred Orchid's soul into the replacement body.

Wasting no time, he then used the power of Deus Ex Machina to fuse Orchis' soul with her body.

Orchis' body was enveloped in a bright white light as her soul and body began to merge.

While that was happening, Rei quickly switched focus to Orchid's body. Using the same technique, he fused Orchid's soul with her original body.

However, unlike Orchis' body, which glowed with pure white light, Orchid's body emitted a vibrant purple glow as her soul fused with it.

The light from both bodies shone brightly for several moments before finally subsiding and disappearing entirely.

The magic circle that had formed beneath them also faded away, leaving no trace of its presence, and silence fell over the deck.

"Is it over…?" Rosetta asked curiously.

"This feeling…? No way… Rei, did you…?" Lyria suddenly shouted in surprise and panic.

"Wha—what happened? Why are you suddenly screaming like that?" Vyrn asked, startled.

"Orchid's new body… Her new body is a Primal Beast!" Lyria exclaimed, pointing toward Orchid's replacement body.

"What?!" everyone except the Primarchs shouted in shock.

Rei walked closer to Orchid's new body and placed his right hand on her chest.

Now, he needed to activate the Primal Beast core inside Orchid's body.

Rei took a deep breath as he pressed his hand firmly against Orchid's new body's chest. His expression was calm, but his sky blue eyes glowed faintly with power.

Suddenly, his twelve multicolored wings began to shift. The vibrant colors dimmed and were replaced by a deep, ominous purple. The feathers on his wings seemed to ripple like liquid shadows, and an oppressive, menacing purple aura began to flow out of them, spreading across the deck.

Everyone felt it instantly—the sheer weight of his power pressing down on their shoulders, making it hard to breathe. Even the Primarchs exchanged glances, sensing how unstable and overwhelming Rei's aura had become.

"This pressure… it's almost suffocating…" Katalina muttered.

"What… is this?!" Io stammered, clutching her staff tightly.

Even Sandalphon, who was used to Rei's power, narrowed her eyes slightly after sensing that.

Rei, unfazed by the pressure he was emitting, began channeling the menacing purple aura directly into Orchid's new body. Streams of purple energy flowed from his wings and fingertips, seeping into her chest like threads of light.

The moment the aura made contact with her core, the air crackled with energy, and a deep, resonant hum echoed across the Grandcypher.

The sky above them began to distort. Dark purple cracks stretched across the heavens as if the sky itself were splitting open. Violent winds howled across the deck, and arcs of purple lightning danced through the air.

"It's like… the sky itself is breaking apart…" Rosetta said, her voice barely audible over the deafening sound of energy ripping through the atmosphere.

"This is beyond anything I've ever felt…!" Djeeta said, shielding her eyes from the intense glow radiating from Orchid's body.

Primal Beasts were higher-dimensional beings, and activating their core—especially under such circumstances—was no small feat. The overwhelming phenomenon taking place was proof of the raw, cosmic power Rei was wielding.

The deck of the Grandcypher trembled under the weight of the energy being unleashed.

Orchid's body, now glowing with blinding purple light, began to rise slowly into the air, suspended by the sheer force of the aura coursing through her. Her white dress and long hair fluttered violently as if caught in an unseen storm.

"Hang on, everyone!" Rackam shouted.

But Rei's focus never wavered. His eyes remained locked onto Orchid's glowing form, and his aura flowed steadily into her, activating the primal beast core deep within her body.

In that moment, it was as if time itself stood still. The light from Orchid's body reached its peak, shining so brightly it forced everyone to look away.

Then, with a final pulse of energy, the light exploded outward in a shockwave that rippled across the sky, dispelling the cracks and leaving an eerie silence in its wake.

Slowly, the light faded, and Orchid's glowing body gently descended back onto the deck.

Rei, his wings still glowing with that deep purple menace, let out a sharp exhale as he removed his hand from her chest. The oppressive aura began to subside, but the air still crackled with residual energy.

"...It's done," Rei said softly, his voice carrying a hint of exhaustion.