I Refused To Be Reincarnated-Chapter 900: The First Gate

"That's..."

"Troublesome?" The Silver Moon tree cut Adam off. "I think not. Take what I'm about to tell you as conjectures based on the priestess's stories about Lady Mortis. I believe Decarabia was the cure. Not his bones, but his mind and dominion over nature. She left him to rot in the Silver Moon elves' prison, making him feel his power set like a dying sun, while his own energy tried to consume what was left of his sanity. Grum'Thal said it: only a stroke of luck could birth the cure, and Decarabia found it in the purging enchantment he carved into his bones. The Silver Moon elves went extinct, and his prison was shattered. Yet, he remained saner than ever fifteen thousand years later."

Adam pressed his fist beneath his nose, the light pulsing from the tree's bark accentuating the shadows around his frown. He had nothing to refute the tree's reasoning. It even felt logical with what he knew himself.

But it meant more. So much more.

Replicating the enchantment was... beyond his current knowledge and capabilities. Could demonic energy even be substituted with mana or qi? Everything pointed to a frustrating no that had haunted him and Lulu for eight years. Understanding and their free will project aside, mana twisted against his will whenever he tried to reproduce the enchantments, as if it consciously opposed it. As if it were disgusted by their nature.

His project didn't matter for now. No! It did. Grum'Thal had said something similar.

"Mana cursed Grum'Thal after the Netherworld overseer suppressed the demonic contamination afflicting him." He tapped his fingers against his lips. "It became part of him, and therefore, mana abandoned him. Wait..."

His eyes widened in realisation. Mana never touched the shamans, yet they used curses and hexes he couldn't feel. Had he ever felt demonic energy? Never. He saw it distort the air or pool into corrupting miasmas. His eyes could make out its trajectory after it took physical form, but as an energy? Nothing.

If his assumption was correct, it meant Grum'Thal tapped into the demonic energy suppressed within him. The new orcs inherited part of the corruption from him. Most became warriors, while those who could tap into their cursed heritage became shamans. It had been in front of him the entire time.

As he sighed, the Silver Moon tree spoke again with a voice gentle enough to melt his frustration. "Grum'Thal is quite something. The last orc, a living legend I've heard of. He contributed significantly to the human victory in the demonic war, even though he avoided the front lines. To see his true state, the costs he paid... Return, Adam. I don't know how, but I believe in you to save Grum'Thal and his descendants from their fates, even if Lady Mortis' predictions don't seem to point at you as their saviors."

Adam nodded, delighted that at least someone didn't believe in these foolish predictions. "Decarabia's dominion over nature—I'll start with that."

"I have no more advice, then." A gust rustled the branches of the tree as the moonlight beneath its bark dulled.

He breathed in the fresh air. The scent of the few cultivator plants he had transported from the void palace added chestnut and cinnabar tinges to the palette of flavors of his soul sea. He closed his eyes, questions settling into background noise to his serene determination.

Nature faded when he reopened them, replaced by the soft crackling of the War Council braziers. Across from him, hope still burned beneath Grum'Thal's arched brow.

"Your shamanic arts come from the corruption," Adam stated, and Grum'Thal answered with a slow, surprised nod.

"Do you remember the Silver Moon elves?"

Grum'Thal began to shake his head before freezing mid-movement, then nodding. "I do. Another species that faced annihilation before Lady Mortis saved them. They were exceptional wardens, but not the ones we seek."

"What makes you so sure about it?"

"I..." Grum'Thal sighed. "I have a question of my own. Many, in fact; about you, your prowess in magic, or your ability to use life force. But I won't ask, won't distract us from salvation. Still, this one needs answers." His red eyes narrowed. "You're young, barely sixteen, and I own the only Gate in the cultivation realm. So, how do you know what it is?"

"You'll have to content yourself with the simplest answer. I know—that's it." Adam leaned back against the back of his chair. "The true question, however, is why you own the only Gate of the realm when they work in pairs?"

Grum'Thal pursed his lips. "Fine. It'll tie back to your previous question after you understand more about the origins of the Gates." He closed his eyes. For three heartbeats, silence. Then, his next words blasted Adam's mind.

"With how corrupted I was, I avoided the front lines. Too scared of falling for a higher demon's commands, of turning against my allies. Instead, I specialised in logistics to guarantee Lady Mortis could move her pieces across the board however she wanted. I created the first set of Gates after years of research, and it was the turning point of the war. Why one? How do I know the Silver Moon elves don't have the cure I seek? How do I know about the children of the stars?"

His voice darkened. "The very first Gate I built on the ruins of Sryl'vara. That's where mine should lead."

Adam's eyes widened, words spilling out of his mouth before he could think. "We can return to our realm?!"

"In theory. I'm not so sure in practice. The children of the stars discovered my project around ten thousand years ago—that and another one. Haldris has been obsessed with birthing mythical humans ever since we migrated to this realm. A strange obsession I didn't question when he entrusted me to create one. I worked on it on the side, yet made significant progress before realising it. Human physiques can't carry that much power until they reach higher tiers. I still needed their cunning. I added the durability of trolls and the mana attunement of the most ancient tree of our realm without much hope, and even less care for the result. Yet the mix yielded something beyond anything I expected."