At the same time, her body shone with brilliant light before transforming into Margona.
Margona winked at him, then scattered just like Avarielle and flowed into one of the nurtured seeds.
Her body transformed once more, this time assuming the form of Zera.
Orion swiftly caught her and suspended her gently in the air beside him.
He checked her condition and discovered the cause: the pain of separation from both Avarielle and Margona, coupled with their complete absence.
It was a presence she had known all her life. Its sudden loss had left a traumatic scar that would take time to heal.
Orion turned his focus back to the seeds as the same process began once more.
Zera awakened from her deep slumber.
She was startled and inward. She realised that with her consciousness restored, she was the only one present.
It took her a while to recall everything that had transpired.
From now on, there would be no one observing her every movement.
No one instructing her on how she should behave, on what she could have done better, or predicting her future actions.
Zera began weeping profusely. They were tears of joy.
She realised that she was free. A hand gently touched her shoulder.
Zera turned her head toward the voice.
She nodded, though tears still streamed down her cheeks.
Orion wrapped his arms around her to comfort her. He understood what she was feeling and remained quiet, allowing her to release all of her emotions.
After three minutes, Orion sensed that she wanted to say something but was hesitating.
"I'm listening," Orion said gently.
Reynold, Oberon, and Ilse had gone elsewhere to observe Reynold testing the newfound power within his body. With the strength granted by the Iyria energy, Reynold could now be considered as powerful, if not even more powerful, than his former self.
It wouldn't be long before he fully adapted to this power and prepared for his ascension to true godhood.
Zera looked around but didn't see Reynold, Oberon, or Ilse. She sighed inwardly and whispered, "You promised me a kiss." She locked her gaze with Orion's shyly.
Orion nodded. "Before we begin, let's take care of something first." He reached out and gently removed her eye patch.
He saw her scarred eye; its damaged appearance was a stark contrast to the deep silver iris of her other eye and the harsh markings that spread on its edges. He placed his hand over it.
Seconds later, he withdrew his hand.
The scar was gone. Her left eye was now as flawless as the right.
Orion created a mirror out of thin air and held it in front of her.
"Now the view looks even better," he said with a warm smile. "Don't you agree?"
He never cared whether his women possessed flawless beauty or not. What mattered was that they felt comfortable in their own skin. Whisperwing, Celia, Ayla, Ingrid. and all his other older partners, even those from races whose ideals of beauty were vastly different, were perfect examples of that.
But in Zera's case, it was different.
Her scar had been inflicted by the Will of the Divine Mysteries; perhaps it was 'its' way of instilling fear in her, forcing her to sever all ties with Avarielle and Margona so it could take her to a dimension where those who had fled the curse, the Vylkr energy—resided.
Even the golden pool had only been able to stabilise the wound, leaving it as a permanent scar. Complete healing had been impossible.
Now, as a true god with power far beyond what he once wielded, Orion had healed her efffectively.
Zera looked at her flawless reflection in the mirror. She raised her trembling hand to her once-scarred eye. Feeling smooth, unmarred skin beneath her touch, her emotions surged.
Her newly healed eye began to glisten. Tears welled up, then spilt freely down both sides of her face.
Before she could start weeping again, Orion leaned in and sealed her lips with his.
Zera was taken aback and instinctively tried to resist, but only for a moment. She melted under his touch, her arms wrapping around his back.
Their tongues collided, rolling against each other as they each tried to assert dominance in the kiss.
Their movements were neither slow nor fast but perfectly synchronised with one another.
After some time, they withdrew their heads.
They stared at each other, breathing heavily.
A string of saliva still connected their lips until it suddenly evaporated.
Zera collapsed onto Orion's chest, her happiness soaring to new heights.
Is this what it means to be swept off your feet by love? Zera wondered.
The love blooming in her heart had surged like a mountain, steady against the wild winds and lifting her to heights she had never believed were possible.
At that moment, she felt more like a woman than a goddess. And the feeling was nothing short of incredible.
Orion wrapped his arms around her.
They remained silent, their focus fixed on the two seeds undergoing the Soul Genesis Crafting Reincarnation process.
The reincarnation was complete.
The figures of Margona and Avarielle emerged from their respective seeds.
Orion swiftly clothed their bare bodies in garments resembling their usual attire.
For Margona, it was an open-chested, fitted blue shirt that flared slightly below her hips, tucked into thick black leggings. The shirt had long, tight sleeves, while the outer halves of her arms were covered with sheer netting that extended to her wrists, revealing her fair skin beneath.
Over the shirt, she wore a black leather waistpiece resembling a corset decorated with mysterious blue embroidery. A beautiful blue gem secured it at the top centre. And a fur-lined cape nearly the same length as her attire was on her shoulders.
And Avarielle - a knee-length black gown as dark as night with rough edges at the hem.
The seeds began to heal, shrinking back down to their original size.
Margona examined her body, front and back, her eyes wide in disbelief.
Avarielle did the same.
They realised the reincarnation had worked; they now possessed bodies of their own. Yet they found it difficult to digest this realisation.
It took several minutes before they finally snapped out of their daze.
Margona raised her head and saw Orion standing before the torn space, Zera resting slightly against his arm. Nearby stood Reynold, Oberon, and Ilse.
In an instant, Margona vanished and reappeared in front of Orion, wrapping her arms around his neck. Her towering form had adjusted to match his height.
Without hesitation, she pressed her lips against his, kissing him passionately.
Orion didn't resist. He responded to her affection.
After a minute, they broke the kiss.
"I couldn't wait any longer," Margona said, breathing heavily, her eyes hazy with desire.
Orion turned slightly and saw Avarielle beside him. Without a word, she sealed his lips with her own, kissing him fiercely. Her arms wrapped around his waist as their kiss deepened.
A minute later, they parted.
Avarielle looked at Orion, her breath unsteady. "I won't blame you for letting her take the second kiss," she said. "But I can't stand the thought of her monopolising your lips. They look better when they're connected to mine, don't you agree?" she added, her legs brushing against his thighs as the heat in her body steadily rose.
Orion didn't respond. He knew that saying anything would only stir up another problem, which he didn't want to deal with at the moment. Instead, he said, "You should all take some time to settle into your new bodies."
Unlike Reynold, who had the foundation of his gift to quickly regain his former strength, Margona and Avarielle's powers were built upon their understanding of the laws of the universe.
While they might have retained some innate special abilities, their current strength was far weaker than when they existed in their previous combined form.
In the future, they could integrate some of their laws and possess them after their reincarnation, similar to the nurturing of a Divine Embryonic Seed. But for now, they needed to gradually recover their strength before they could even consider ascending to true godhood.
"It can wait," Margona replied. "There's something more important right now, and it's between us and you." She glanced at Zera and Avarielle with a playful smirk.
Zera shivered, tightening her grip around Orion's hand.
Avarielle responded with a sharp, narrowed gaze.
"What?" Margona asked, her glistening teeth visible. "Don't you want to enjoy a proper meal together?"
Zera lowered her head, flustered.
"You're getting ahead of yourself. Keep pushing, and I might just decide on the next body to seal you in," Avarielle retorted coldly.
"I was handicapped back then," Margona replied. "Of course, I couldn't resist whatever conniving schemes you pulled. But don't forget, I didn't become one of the nine greed gods by luck. Are you really sure you want to see if you can go toe-to-toe with me in your current state?"
I want to return to uploading two chapters per day. I will do so slowly.