Evalynn thought she was aware of Michael's potential and power level, but she was sorely mistaken.
The extraction tendrils engulfing the Curse had been different before. They were stronger than they used to be. They were more than they used to be.
'It felt just like when I use the mist.' She thought.
The ominous mist was part of her being, yet it wasn't. Not exactly, at least. It was not only her power. The extraction tendrils at the end of the battle were just like that.
"You exorcised the – without killing…how?!"
Michael thought he was mistaken because he couldn't hear his mother's words. She was slurring and seemed to have a hard time speaking, and a bad headache crept up the back of her head.
Evalynn's mind drifted to the end of the battle when the serpent shot out of Michael's back. The memory surfaced, and the confusion permeating her mind intensified. She appeared behind Michael and stared at his back, where the Living Image of the World Serpent slithered calmly.
"You can control –...."
At last, the Geas was triggered. Evalynn Fang screamed in pain and began bleeding from her nose and eyes.
Evalynn had a lot to say, but she couldn't. Even if she wanted to say something, the Geas restrained her. Her legs caved in, and she smiled weakly. The headache caused by the Geas and the pain worsened her condition considerably.
Evalynn was weakened from using the Cursed Chain Circle, which had allowed her to restrain the Curse's power. It would take a while before she was back at her peak.
However, she was not sad about this. Evalynn expected to end up like this after promising to help Michael.
"Can you bring Danny back?" She asked, slightly hesitant.
It was not difficult to sense that Michael was more confident than ever about Danny's return, but Evalynn was still reluctant to believe it was possible. She didn't want to hope for her dear son's return only to be met with failure.
But Michael was confident. He could sense Danny's will to live, and there was no doubt that Danny would make it. The only thing Michael couldn't be sure of was Danny's condition.
"I'm certain," Michael answered right before Evalynn collapsed.
Michael caught his mother and smiled at her, "Thank you…
mom…"
He hated her for everything she had done to him and Danny, but Michael couldn't deny that their mother played a major role in the fight against the Curse. Without her help, Michael would have failed to separate the Curse from Danny.
Michael smiled vibrantly and used Cosmic Stride to teleport them to the best infirmary on the campus. Simultaneously, he used Archangel's Grace to stabilize his mother. She would be weak for a while, but there wouldn't be any permanent issues.
Michael stopped using Archangel's Grace after ten minutes and was just about to leave his mother's side to give her some rest when he saw that someone familiar appeared in the infirmary.
"I sensed your Shard. Well, it's my shard, but whatever."
Maria smiled lightly at Michael. It had been several months since they talked, and she couldn't hide the awkwardness. Even though she was the strongest healer of the Trilance, Maria couldn't help but sense the gap between her and Michael. No matter how she looked at it, Michael was on a different level than her.
Her mother said nothing specific about Michael except that he would never join the Seraph family. According to her mother, they didn't have anything Michael desired. Not even their monopoly of powerful healers was attractive to Michael. Maria learned enough about Michael to understand that he was probably one of the wealthiest Lords among the Lesser Lifeforms. Some Berserkers and Warlock Centaurs shared rumors that Michael provided them with high-quality goods. The value of the goods was higher than the earnings of many Higher Lifeforms.
According to some statistics, even some minor noble households earned less than Michael. The credibility of those statistics was never 100%, but most could be trusted.
"Archangel's Grace is a powerful Soultrait. I'm glad that it found the right owner," Michael smiled back at Maria.
He didn't know what to say to Maria. Michael had often thought about his friends in the last few months, but Danny had always been a priority. That was even more so right now.
His brother's Living Soul was still in the Miniature Coffin Keychain. It was cracked and would crumble into countless pieces soon.
There was no time to chit-chat with an old friend.
"How have you bee–..." Maria asked, only to be interrupted by Michael.
"I'm terribly sorry, but I have to go. I need to resurrect my brother!"
Michael's words resounded through the infirmary before he disappeared. He used Cosmic Stride to teleport back to his room where he opened the Runic Gate to return to the Origin Expanse.
He needed a place filled with both origin energy and lifeforce, and the Untamed Jungle became perfect for that.
It was time to finish what he started. It was time to rescue his brother!!
As Michael returned to the Origin Expanse, Maria stared blankly ahead. Michael didn't even have enough time to talk to her for a few seconds. They saw each other for the first time in months, yet Michael disappeared after a few seconds.
"I believed we were friends…" She mumbled, the corner of her lips tucking downward. Sadness washed over her.
"Do I mean something to him? Probably not… Though, it looked like he was in a hurry. Maybe the timing was bad. His mother doesn't look that good either. She is exhausted, but there is something else that is missing as well," Maria cast a glance at Michael's mother.
"Mother said that Michael's mother is probably the closest human in the Trilance to ascend to a Divine Lifeform. I cannot sense her strength, but she seems too weak right now."
Maria became unsure what happened, but she gave Michael the benefit of the doubt. Michael was indeed in a hurry because of something extremely important. It must be related to his mother's exhaustion and his brother's resurrection.
"Wait… Isn't his brother dead?" Maria blurted aloud, her beautiful complexion contorting in confusion.
'What are you doing, Michael?!?'
**
Michael didn't know anything about Maria's confusion. He was a bit sorry that he had left her just like that, but Danny was more important to him.
He rushed to the Greater Nature Spirit, where he retrieved the Energy Stones and Life Essence, which he had accumulated for a while now. The Life Essence had been nourished in a small cove within the Greater Nature Spirit's tree trunk, where it became condensed and liquefied.
Michael perceived life's waft permeate the air around the Greater Nature Spirit. He grinned from one ear to another while unleashing the Dome of Extraction to tap into the lifeforce and hundred thousand Energy Stones simultaneously.
At last, as the energy and lifeforce flooded his entire being, Michael accessed the Miniature Coffin Keychain.
The keychain could not contain the power Michael channeled into it…and burst.
At this point, Michael only has seconds to grasp the Living Soul and insert it into the Soul Grimoire without inflicting any injuries.
Michael became not allowed to make a single mistake!
