Chapter 354: A Little Hope

"Since the explosions?" Regis asked.

Flonaralavenrosa shook her head. "Before that. I called her before those people came, too."

Regis frowned. He had thought that the curse might have interfered with their communication, but her answer made that explanation less convincing.

Elysia’s prayers had also gone unanswered, even when she invoked Yggdrasilia’s true name. The silence Flonaralavenrosa now described was likely connected to the one the queen had faced, though Regis knew nothing of those earlier prayers.

’Something that could stop a goddess from answering...?’

He looked at the injured girl beside him before setting the thought aside. Whatever had happened to Yggdrasilia, he was in no position to investigate it now.

"Flonaralavenrosa, can you—"

"You can call me Flona."

Regis paused. "You could’ve told me that earlier."

"You never asked."

A faint smile appeared on her face, and he could not help but return it. However, when she tried to rest her hand on the ground, her expression tightened.

Regis moved closer to examine the marks again.

"Flona, then. Let me see your hand."

She held it out, but her eyes remained on him.

"You’re hurt too."

"Hm?"

"Your soul. I can feel it."

Regis glanced down at his translucent hands before smiling wryly. "Yeah... Today hasn’t been particularly kind to us."

He had almost been torn apart more times than he cared to count. Nevertheless, the pain he felt now was still manageable, and there was something he had yet to try.

’Corruption Manipulation...’

His experience restoring Aurelia’s family came to mind. The gold had permeated their bodies so thoroughly that removing it carelessly could have destroyed what remained of them.

Back then, even the samples he practised on had crumbled into dust when he made a mistake.

He looked at the dark marks beneath Flona’s skin.

’This is different, but I should still be able to separate the corruption. I just need to start somewhere small.’

Through Soul Possession, he could feel the movement of her power from within. With Corruption Manipulation, he could attempt to influence the curse itself.

"Keep your power moving normally," he said. "I’ll try removing a little from your finger first."

Flona’s eyes followed his hand.

"With your demonic power?"

"Yes. Tell me immediately if it hurts."

She hesitated before placing her hand in his.

Regis steadied the evil craft keeping him inside her consciousness, then directed another portion of his demonic power towards her finger.

[Corruption Manipulation]

The dark mark stirred.

A sharp sting spread through his fingertips as he began examining it through the evil craft. The corruption was tightly intertwined with Flona’s own power, moving whenever the green light beneath her skin flowed past.

He resisted the urge to pull.

Instead, he followed that movement, gradually distinguishing the corruption from the energy surrounding it. Whenever he felt both beginning to shift together, he eased his control and tried from a slightly different point.

Flona watched him without speaking.

After several attempts, a thin strand finally moved on its own.

’There!’

Regis carefully drew it towards himself. Pain pierced his hand as the corruption entered his soul, but he kept his attention on Flona’s finger.

The green light remained steady.

He waited a moment longer before drawing out another strand. His Perfect Adaptation gradually eased the discomfort, allowing him to concentrate on separating the corruption without disturbing her power.

Little by little, the dark mark faded.

"Try moving it."

Flona cautiously bent her finger, then straightened it again.

Her eyes widened.

"It doesn’t hurt..."

Regis let out a breath before smiling. "Good. Let’s try the next part."

***

Outside the Ancient Tree...

A faint fluctuation of demonic power spread from Regis’s body.

Pandora immediately looked down at him, while Killian adjusted the hand supporting his shoulder.

"He’s using more power," Aurelia muttered.

Levada’s gaze sharpened. However, before she could approach, Aeola spoke from beside Marzana.

"Look at the trunk."

At the edge of the damaged area, a narrow patch of discoloration had begun to fade.

Marzana leaned forward, gripping Raxon’s arm as she watched. The splintered wood remained unchanged, but the darkness beneath the bark was slowly withdrawing.

Anna raised a hand when Levada glanced towards her.

"Let him continue."

***

Inside Flona’s consciousness, Regis had already moved on to her wrist.

The first success had given him a better sense of how the corruption behaved. There were still places where it resisted his control, but he could now recognise when he was drawing on Flona’s power along with it.

He left those areas alone for the moment and worked on the portions he could separate.

Time passed as the marks across her hand gradually receded. Once her wrist was clearer, the green light flowing through it became steadier, and Flona slowly loosened her grip on her injured arm.

"Does this part still hurt?" Regis asked.

"A little. But it’s much better."

He nodded and continued.

Through Soul Possession, he could feel the change extending beyond the small form before him. The movements of distant branches and the pressure around her roots became easier to distinguish as some of the pain subsided.

Flona noticed it too.

Her eyes closed for a moment, and the roots beneath them stirred.

Regis followed the flow of her power until it reached another heavily affected area. He carefully cleared what he could, then allowed her energy to pass through again before continuing.

By the time he stopped, his own hands were trembling.

’That should be enough for now...’

Several dark patches remained across Flona’s arms, with others extending beneath her clothing. However, her power was circulating steadily again, and the remaining marks had stopped spreading. Her form had also become clearer.

Regis waited through several more cycles to make sure the improvement held.

Flona looked down at herself, then slowly stretched out both hands.

"I can move them."

"Carefully," he reminded her. "There’s still some left."

"I know."

She turned her hands over, seemingly unable to stop examining them. Looking at her, Regis finally allowed himself to relax.

He had removed enough corruption to stabilise her condition. The Ancient Tree still needed treatment, but its own power was holding the remaining curse at bay.

"I should go back now," he said.

Flona’s hands stopped moving.

"Already?"

"I need to rest before I try again. The people outside are waiting, too."

She looked at his trembling fingers before nodding.

"Will you come back?"

"Yes."

Flona’s expression relaxed at his answer. As Regis began withdrawing from her consciousness, her small voice followed him.

"Thank you, Regis."

***

Regis opened his eyes and immediately found Pandora leaning towards him.

"Brother?"

"I’m back..."

He tried to straighten, only for Killian to tighten his grip on his shoulder.

"Slowly, Boss."

Regis accepted his help without arguing. A dull ache lingered in his head, and he closed his eyes briefly while Aurelia brought water to his lips.

Marzana waited until he had finished drinking before speaking.

"Did you reach her?"

"Yes. We spoke."

"You spoke with Flonaralavenrosa?"

Her surprise made Regis pause before nodding. "She’s awake. I managed to remove enough corruption to let her power circulate properly again."

Marzana looked towards the tree. The darkness had receded across several sections of bark, though the wounds left by the explosions remained.

"So she’ll be alright?"

"For now, her condition is stable. I’ll need to rest before working on the rest."

Marzana’s shoulders slowly lowered. With Aeola’s help, she approached the trunk and rested her palm against it.

"Thank you..." she whispered.

Anna waited until Marzana had moved aside before stepping closer.

"Can you identify the curse now?"

He shook his head. "I’ve learned how to remove some of it. That’s all."

Anna nodded, but before she could ask anything else, Regis remembered their earlier conversation.

"There’s something you should know. Flona said she can’t hear her sister anymore."

"Her sister?" Levada repeated.

"Goddess Yggdrasilia."

Both executors fell silent.

"Did she say when that began?" Anna asked.

"Before the explosions. She had already tried calling her before the demonic elves attacked her."

Anna looked towards the Ancient Tree, her expression growing solemn. The disappearance of its sister’s voice did not explain what had happened to the goddess, but the timing made it difficult to dismiss as an effect of the injuries before them.

After a moment, she turned towards Levada.

"We need to contact His Holiness."