The pillar connected the Heavens and the Earth. No matter which Plane you stood on, no matter which direction you looked, it could be seen.
It broke the laws of space and time, transcending it all and standing upon a plane all to itself.
The tower of flames spun faster and faster until it began to condense in on itself, rapidly forming into a small ball that concentrated it all into the smallest of dots that could hardly be seen even if you stood right before it.
Himari's expression flickered. She grabbed Elena's shoulder and explosively retreated. Her speed was so fast that she passed through three layers of spatial barriers before an explosion that took place not even a second after she moved made its presence known to the world.
A nebula of white-gold filled the skies.
Slowly, but surely, it began to compress.
The process took several months, and those months eventually became years, which eventually approached centuries.
That day, on the 999th year, the nebula finally formed into the body of a young man purer than even the snow that fell from the skies itself.
Ryu rolled himself into a tight ball, his knees tucked and his arms wrapped around them tightly. However, when his eyes snapped open, it was as though the entire world was basked in his glory.
His silver eyes flickered with a blue light, making it even more difficult to tell if it was a pale blue or a silver than it already had been in the past. His skin looked so delicate to the eye that a single touch might leave him covered in bruises. Even his hair radiated its own light, making it seem more like a concentrated mass of photons than physical filaments.
Ryu's body unfurled itself as he looked down at his palm.
But, after doing this, he could only release a sigh.
'… It seems that I'm blind again.'
The unfocused nature of Ryu's eyes became obvious at that moment. Even though he was trying to look down at his hands, it felt more like he was looking out to space. He couldn't even see blurred images, his sight leaving him completely in the dark.
Ryu had somewhat expected this to happen, but he didn't expect things to be this exaggerated. He had pushed his Mysteries of Heaven and Earth Pupils too far and had even used those cursed Spirit Seeking Lilies.
He wouldn't have minded paying such a price in exchange for the eradication of the people that had harmed his family, but because of this, Ailsa and Yaana were both trapped. Not just them, but so were Little Gem, Little Rock, and Nemesis.
If Ryu had had the opportunity to expel them, he would have. But, by the time he was forced to go so far, the enemies around him were far too powerful. Sending them out would have only led to their deaths.
Ryu began to worry. If even Rebirth couldn't heal his eyes completely, then how long would it be until he could undo these shackles and release them?
The Black Veined Spirit Seeking Lilies were something Ryu had been avoiding the use of for a long time. After he realized he would need to evolve his Heavenly Pupils to break free of their shackles, he always realized that he would inevitably have to take this route. But, he didn't expect that he would need to do things this way.
Unfortunately, the Valkyries and Mistress Holy Wing had been far too powerful. A million years of cultivation wouldn't have been enough to defeat them, Ryu had needed to go this far.
The Black Veined Spirit Seeking Lilies were a cursed Spiritual Herb. They were perfect for forcing mutations and evolutions, especially with matters related to Fate. This was why they were very good at forcing the hand of Heavenly Pupils.
The trouble was that the backlash for using them wasn't small. If Ryu hadn't undergone Rebirth, once the medicinal effect was finally absorbed, let alone just being blind, he would have been in perpetual pain.
Luckily, he didn't have to go through that. Unluckily, he was now pretty much out of options now.
If Rebirth wasn't enough to wipe away the lingering effects, what would be necessary?
In the best case scenario, Rebirth had already done more of the work and he just needed a small push over the edge. And in the worst case… Well, he didn't want to think about it.
The only good news was that while the Incubator was out of his reach now, it should still be able to benefit from the outside world. As for how helpful this would be, he would need to run some tests.
"Little Ryu?"
Ryu trembled when he heard the voice, his head snapping in its direction.
"Mom? What's wrong? Why do you sound so weak?"
Ryu was almost instantly agitated. He could see with his eyes, and he was so used to using Third Perspective as a replacement for Spiritual Sense that he was now completely in the dark. It was only after he released his Spiritual Sense that he could see his mom's form.
Seeing the wrinkles on his mom's face, Ryu almost broke down.
"Mom, what happened to you?"
Himari smiled, cupping Ryu's cheeks.
"My little baby boy, why are you showing your mom such a sight? Shouldn't you put your clothes on?"
Ryu flushed with embarrassment, a sight a very rare number of people could ever hope to see. His mother's giggles followed his panic to find his spatial rings, only for him to notice that they had all been destroyed.
It was a good thing that he kept all of his most valuable things in his Inner World, but unfortunately, he couldn't access them now.
Himari laughed harder. She had already known her son didn't have any clothes to put on.
Just when Ryu remembered that he could use his Master's Visualization to form clothes, his mother's hand opened and a beautiful butterfly appeared.
Ryu recognized it almost immediately. He had snatched that little beast after it almost killed him in a forest. But, he never ended up using it in battle as things hadn't progressed the way he expected them to.
It had actually survived?
Its aura seemed far more powerful than Ryu remembered too. Had his mom done something?
The butterfly creature fluttered, spinning around Ryu in a streaking of blue light that formed a small tornado.
When it was done, Ryu was covered in a fine icy silk that felt cool to his skin and radiated a noble air.
"See? Mom always said your best colors were white and blue. Don't wear black anymore, okay?"
Himari smiled brilliantly, fixing her son's collar.