Cloud Thinking

When the moonlight quietly climbed over the branches, Helia woke up from her chaotic dream.

The towel on her forehead was completely dry. When she took it off, she tested the temperature with the back of her hand. The fever had indeed subsided, but there was still cold sweat on her back.

The room was dark and quiet, with no one around to look after it.

There was a cup full of water on the bedside. She picked it up and drank it all, which relieved the dryness in her burning throat.

She sat quietly to wake herself up, her dizzy head feeling as if it were filled with lead.

"Aya." The soft call made her look up suddenly, and her scattered vision was focused again.

Seeing no response, the voice sounded again: "Aya, are you feeling better?"

As the voice rang out again, the air began to distort. A ray of silver light seeped out from the void, flowing and condensing like melted moonlight.

The bed sank slightly, and Watersiser's figure gradually became clear - his long fiery red hair fell like a waterfall, starlight flowed on his dark-patterned robe, and his deep blue eyes were full of worry.

"Father God." Seeing Him, Helia's eyes lit up and her voice became lighter.

She extended her hand and the other person naturally took it.

Looking at Watersise's worried eyes, she pulled her pale lips and said, "I'm much better now. The doctor said I'm fine. Don't worry."

Watersiser touched the top of her head, stroked her hair very gently, and smiled reassuringly: "You have suffered a lot, and you did a good job this time."

Helia knew she had done well, but she couldn't help but feel proud when suddenly praised by Father God. "Well, my previous efforts were finally not in vain. I solved a big problem."

She paused, leaned closer to Watersise, and said something flattering in a sweet voice: "But it's all thanks to your help. I definitely couldn't have done it alone."

Watersiser shook his head, his eyes filled with an inexplicable tenderness. "I followed the agreement and didn't offer any assistance. How could I have been helpful? You should be praised for doing a good job."

He paused: "What reward do you want?"

"Huh?!" This unexpected surprise made Helia dizzy: "Anything is possible?"

"Anything I can do," Wattsiser promised.

Helia couldn't think of anything for a moment: "Can I save it for later?"

Watersiser's hand slid to the back of her neck and squeezed it gently: "Of course."

"Thank you, Father God. You are so kind." Helia thanked her sincerely.

"You need to get some rest recently," Wattsise warned. "You've been making too much noise, and you might attract the attention of the other gods. You should be extra careful from now on. It's best to participate more in mortal affairs. With the power of order to restrain them, they won't be able to take action."

Helia certainly understood that she had gone from being a popular commodity to a greasy roast duck.

Even if there are no gods coveting it, other people in the magical world will be eyeing it covetously.

What's more, she had to take the initiative to publicize the deeds of killing gods - this magical world is full of hidden dragons and crouching tigers, and there are many heaven-defying spells that she doesn't know about. If she did it in such a high-profile manner, she would simply make herself a target.

"Oh, Father God." Helia suddenly remembered something and summoned Theodore with a flick of her fingertips.

The top of the wand was tied with a strip of cloth that had obviously been torn from clothing, securing the bronze pointer.

"What's going on with this Theodore? Can you help me take a look?"

Since she started training in the tower, she no longer needs to rely on a wand to cast spells.

Apart from pretending in front of others, she seldom used this old friend that had accompanied her for many years - at least not as frequently as when she was studying magic in the academy.

Because of this, she was particularly shocked by Theodore's sudden outburst of power.

At this moment, she couldn't help but be curious about its origins.

Watersiser took the wand, untied the cloth and removed the pointer with graceful movements.

A faint glow emanated from the god's fingertips, and magic seeped into the staff like flowing water, meticulously exploring every line and every vein, as if listening to its breathing.

After a long moment, He slowly exhaled. When He raised His eyes, a penetrating light shone in His golden eyes. "As the name suggests, this is a gift from the gods."

"Ah?!" Helia was so shocked that she almost bit her tongue.

She had always thought that "Theodore" was just a name with a beautiful meaning, perhaps related to a great magician in ancient times who was comparable to a god - after all, in that legendary era, top spellcasters were indeed called "gods walking on earth."

I didn't expect it to be related to gods?

"I can sense the remnants of divinity, but even more so, the layers of power." Watersiser's lips curled up slightly, and his fingertips tapped the staff, emitting a clear humming sound. "This is a treasure passed down through the generations of high-ranking magicians, each leaving their own unique mark."

"Aya, you have obtained a rare inheritance."

Helia's mouth hung open like a stranded fish.

The funny thing is, the first thought that came to her mind was to rush to Avril and show off - because that girl always laughed at her for spending a lot of money to buy a flashy antique.

(Another entry in the little notebook of grudges)

"So..." She tried hard to turn her frozen mind around, "This wand was originally created by a god? Then it was passed down to several powerful magicians, and now..."

She looked down at her wand-hand. "Did it reach me?"

Watersiser nodded. "The previous owner must have been proficient in wood magic and sealed away all of its power, leaving the pearl covered in dust until now."

"It will not shine again until your flame breaks free."

Helia muttered softly, "Luckily it's sealed... Otherwise, I wouldn't have gotten such a good thing..."

Upon hearing this, Watersiser's lips curled up into a meaningful smile, and his low voice was filled with mystery: "Is there a possibility that it wasn't you who chose it, but it chose you?"

"Huh?!" Helia was shocked for the second time tonight. She stared at the wand in her hand that had been with her for many years with wide eyes, and her voice rose an octave. "It chose me? It's alive?"

"After thousands of years, I've witnessed the rise and fall of countless outstanding magicians and been immersed in magic of various attributes..." Watersiser's eyes fell on the wand, and his tone was full of admiration. "It's not surprising that it has nurtured spirituality."

"I can sense the magical powers of gold, water, earth, ice, wind, thunder, and wood within it." He paused, then looked meaningfully at Helia. "Perhaps it chose you to complement the missing fire attribute."

Helia was amazed. Who would have thought that this unassuming wand was actually collecting magic of various attributes like a collector!

What? Does it also have achievement requirements for collecting all attributes?

"Then I have to treat it well from now on..." Helia stroked the staff carefully, no longer daring to treat Theodore casually as before.

Thinking about how she had used it as a tool countless times and even broke it once, she suddenly felt a surge of guilt.

She even began to worry that Theodore might come to settle the score with her one night.

Her gaze fell on the empty groove at the top of the wand, and Helia suddenly remembered that she had just removed the blood crystal embedded in it not long ago...

Uh... I have to go back and ask the old man for a better gem to set it in...

Although she knew that no matter how precious the gem was, it could not compare to the value of Theodore himself, but... this was at least a remedy.

It is definitely not to enhance combat effectiveness, but purely to appease this spiritual magic wand.

The matter of Theodore came to an end for the time being, and Helia's eyes involuntarily drifted towards the bronze pointer.

Her lips moved slightly, and she looked like a tangled little animal, wanting to say something but hesitant, and her fingers were unconsciously twisting the corners of her clothes.

Watersiser picked up the crooked pointer and gently stroked the rusty surface with his slender fingers.

The bronze color contrasted sharply with the god's jade-white skin. Helia's throat tightened and she swallowed unconsciously - these hands were truly a pleasure to play with...

"What do you want to ask?" Watersise asked without raising his head, his fingertips lingering on the pointer groove.

As if seeing through her concerns, he added, "This is separate from the reward I owe you, so don't worry."

Helia's ears suddenly felt hot, and she unconsciously rubbed her cheeks with her fingers.

She wasn't thinking about this...

Taking a deep breath, she finally confided the question that had been lingering in her mind for a long time: "When fighting with Osinotto, I discovered that his strongest abilities were all related to memory and time and space."

"At first, I guessed that His power was 'control,' and the objects of His control..." She chose her words carefully, "perhaps the gaps between the powers of the gods, like a fish that slipped through a net."

"I can understand that He can control part of time and space—after all, He exploited the loopholes in the authority of the God of Time and Space."

"But memory..." Helia's fingertips tapped her knee unconsciously. "This is the ability He uses most frequently, so frequently that I wonder, could He be the one who truly holds the authority over memory?"

At this point, her voice trailed off, "Is this related to... the god's current state?"

The encounter with the God of Memory during his previous visit to the Arctic Village was still vivid in his mind, and Watersiser's previous warning was still fresh in his mind.

It was this concern that made her hesitate to touch upon this topic.

"Hmm..." Watersise stroked his chin thoughtfully with his other hand, his eyes slightly raised, revealing a rare thoughtful expression.

It was rare for Helia to see Him like this, and she couldn't help but feel a strange joy in her heart.

But soon, the smiling golden eyes lowered.

He shook the bronze pointer in his hand, his tone as casual as if he were discussing today's weather: "Actually, I'm not too sure."

"Why don't we go in and take a look together?"

The word "go in" was said lightly, but it meant going deep into the residual power of Osinoto carried by this pointer - equivalent to breaking into the fragment of the consciousness of a dead god.

This is very dangerous.

Because that guy had been beaten to pieces by Helia, turning into a pool of rotten flesh, and the fragments of his consciousness were also incomplete and fragmented.

But she had to go in, otherwise there would be no need for Helia to pick up the pointer.

She wanted to know what Osinotto had experienced and how he became a god.

Helia was about to agree happily, but her smile suddenly froze on her face.

"But if our consciousness enters it, then my body... won't it be empty?"

"This is very dangerous! What if there are ghosts or people with bad intentions nearby..."

Before, her consciousness left her body, and it was either Adalasi or Watersise who took over her body.

Anyway, her body is very popular and she never has a moment to spare.

This was indeed a concern, but judging by Helia's expression, it wasn't her biggest concern.

She still remembered that the last time she entered the consciousness sea of ​​the pagan Camelin, she was almost unable to come back because she was rejected by her own body and almost died.

Clemini said that if her soul left her body again before she could control the several conflicting forces in her body, she might never come back.

She doesn't want to be a lonely ghost.

Out of consideration, she did not discuss the matter with Watersise at the time, but it obviously became a grudge between the two.

Later, when her consciousness left her body again, Watersiser not only did not do anything excessive, but also tried hard to find her.

The palace was in such chaos at the time, but He didn't use her body for anything. Instead, He was always helping her, which made her trust Him more.

So now she doesn't dare to agree easily, because she doesn't know what the result will be this time.

She can't gamble.

Watersiser's eyes were like the deep sea, a whirlpool beneath a calm surface. Their gaze wasn't sharp, but it held a deadly tenderness, like a frog in boiling water, that could draw one down and suffocate without them realizing it.

At this moment, his eyes were as sharp as a hawk's, accurately capturing every subtle fluctuation in Helia's emotions. His gaze seemed to penetrate her soul, taking in the girl's thoughts.

"If you're still bothered by the incident in the palace..." Watersiser lowered his head slightly, his demeanor unusually humble, "I can give you an explanation."

This sentence carries a lot of weight.

When gods actively seek trust, it is equivalent to handing over the initiative and willingly taking a lower position.

Helia remained silent, simply gazing at Him quietly, her eyes filled with anticipation and scrutiny.

This silence is like an invisible ruler, measuring the truthfulness of God's words.

The fall of Osinotto seemed peaceful, but it cast a heavy burden between Helia and Watersice.

With a "bang", the delicate balance that had been maintained for a long time was completely broken.

After consuming Osinoto's divine power, godhead, and authority, Helia had gathered 90% of the conditions for becoming a god, almost the same as a true god.

At this moment, the relationship between the two is no longer that of man and God, but a confrontation between gods.

The unbalanced balance urgently needs to be rebuilt, the foundation of trust needs to be rebuilt, and the boundaries of cooperation need to be defined.

Watersiser's voice flowed softly as he spoke: "That loss of control was due to the power of the pagans."

"A seed of evil was planted in your body by a pagan long ago. The pagan's death gave the seed the power to break through the ground."

"I blocked your consciousness because I was afraid you would be contaminated by the pagan power. To avoid being implicated, I had no choice but to let it grow, which is why your body lost control."

The more Helia listened, the tighter her frown grew.

No one had ever mentioned anything about the seeds to her.

"If even you are afraid of being contaminated," she couldn't help but ask, "then why can Carlisle calm me down just by touching me? It can't be solved that easily, right?"

As soon as she finished speaking, her face suddenly changed - she was frightened for the third time tonight.

"Could it be... that the seed got into Carlisle..."