No matter how often Queen Selene witnessed this scene, she could never quite wrap her head around how Orion had managed to make a being like the Princess of the Garden one of his partners. It was as though the young man had a talent for cultivating relationships beyond anything else.
The Princess of the Garden gazed at Orion and the others with curiosity. "I wasn't expecting your presence in the Garden, especially this early morning. Is there something of concern that I am not aware of?" she asked, her voice tinged with genuine concern.
Though she previously didn't concern herself with matters of the Prismerions, Princess Crystalia's relationship with Orion changed her perspective. Now, anything affecting them also concerned her. Therefore, she was curious and concerned about why all three were in the Garden.
Orion nodded and explained Queen Selene's situation to the Princess of the Garden.
After Orion finished explaining, the Princess of the Garden nodded contemplatively. "Okay, as long as you've thought about it, I don't see any problems trying it," she responded as she shifted her gaze and focused on the leather collar around Queen Selene's neck.
"Let's go, I'll escort you to the Divine Essence lake," the Princess of the Garden said, turning around and leading the way forward.
Orion and the others followed closely behind.
Upon reaching the Divine Essence lake, as though Aegis of the Arctic could sense their presence, a massive hole emerged beside them.
"You can go ahead; I'll wait until you have finished. And I have some good news that I think you'll want to hear," the Princess of the Garden said, smiling warmly.
"What kind of good news?" Orion asked, his voice tinged with scepticism.
He briefly glanced at the Princess of the Garden's stomach, wondering if what she wanted to share with him had something to do with their child.
The Princess of the Garden shook her head as if she could discern Orion's thoughts. "No, though I wish it could be that, it's something else," she responded, smiling weakly.
Orion took a deep breath and approached the Princess of the Garden, kissing her cheek. "Alright, I'll be back as soon as possible to hear the good news," he replied, a broad smile on his lips.
The Princess of the Garden's expression brightened, a warm smile spreading across her face as she nodded in response.
Meanwhile, Crystalia and Queen Selene briefly locked eyes before quickly averting their gazes. Both were surprised to find the other looking at each other simultaneously.
Crystalia wasn't taken aback by Orion's display of affection, having received many such gestures from him before.
However, mindful of the Prismerions' cultural norms, she typically kept such displays to a certain level, especially in the presence of her mother. So she glanced at her to gauge her reaction.
Meanwhile, Queen Selene was thinking about something else, prompting her to divert her attention from the unfolding scene.
Orion directed his attention towards the tunnel. "Alright, let's move," he said before leaping into the hole. Crystalia and Queen Selene followed suit.
…......
"Alright, brace yourself," Aegis of the Arctic Deity said as he regarded Queen Selene standing before him.
As Queen Selene faced Aegis of the Arctic Deity's imposing presence, her body trembled, prompting her to glance back at Crystalia and Orion.
Orion and Crystalia both nodded in reassurance.
"If anything goes wrong, I'll intervene immediately," Orion said firmly.
"I'll pray to Naka to ensure everything goes smoothly, Mom. So give it your best and stay focused on the process," Crystalia added, her voice filled with hope and resolution.
Taking in their words, Queen Selene nodded resolutely and turned her attention to Aegis of the Arctic Deity. "I'm ready," she said, her voice brimming with determination.
Aegis of the Arctic Deity then took control of the stream of water, filled with several golden threads, some already broken, flowing above them. He directed it downwards towards Queen Selene.
The water enveloped Queen Selene, engulfing her from head to toe until she was completely submerged, her feet no longer touching the ground. Strangely, within this translucent stream of water, Queen Selene found she could still breathe freely.
Before she could grasp what was happening, the golden threads, alongside the broken ones, began to encircle and coil around her neck. Suddenly, a dense, medium-sized drop of crimson blood hidden within the strings of golden threads was revealed.
In an instant, Queen Selene recognized the divine blood without being told, sensing its immense power. She also observed the strings of golden threads pulsating with golden light as they wrapped around the pseudo-divine artefact around her neck.
As the divine blood, resembling a jewel, touched her leg, it spread slowly like a cast, enveloping every part of her body.
"Ahh!" Queen Selene screamed in agony.
Every fibre of her being pulsed with divine energy, causing her muscles to contract and expand simultaneously.
Suddenly, Queen Selene's scream abruptly ceased. The pseudo-divine artefact around her neck began to act up, tightening its grasp around her throat and choking her.
As the pain became unbearable, Queen Selene reached out her hands towards her neck to grab the collar and prevent it from tightening further. However, both her hands were instantly repelled backwards, numbing them.
Crystalia turned her head away, unable to bear witnessing the scene unfolding before her.
Meanwhile, Orion couldn't bear to watch either, ready to instruct Aegis of the Arctic Deity to halt the process if it became too much for her to handle.
"There's no need to be afraid; the pain will soon be over, and you will become unconscious while I handle the rest," Aegis of the Arctic Deity assured, his resounding voice ringing loudly in the air, calming Crystalia and Orion's hearts, as well as Queen Selene's, who immediately understood that this was part of the process and decided to endure.
Immediately, the bloody crimson cast reached her upper stomach and continued to spread until it covered her body entirely, sealing her from head to toe.
With the first phase completed, Aegis of the Arctic Deity shifted his attention to the pseudo-divine artefact.
He controlled the strings of golden thread to suppress and take control of the pseudo-divine artefact while the divine blood slowly merged and imprinted the divine essence deep into Queen Selene's flesh and soul.
