The Rise of the Divine Oracle

Chapter 6 - Three Gifts

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La Zaxia was smiling down at him this time around. He sat up and faced her with a smile of his own: "Lady Zaxia, do you feel better?" Her smile widens: "I have many sons now. They will keep me busy."

She places her hand on Wuxian's heart: "Divine one, for your kindness I will grant you three blessings: a wish, a glimpse and a ward." Wuxian opens his mouth to decline but she stops him: "It is my destiny to grant you these three, whether you accept them or not."

When he looks down and nods she continues: "What happened to your golden core?"

He smiles back: "I gave it to someone who needs it more than I do."

Zaxia: "I cannot give you a new one, but I can heal your body."

Wuxian shakes his head: "Please don't. This pain is payment for sins I've committed."

Zaxia frowns: "Divine one, no one deserves this kind of pain but I will respect your wishes. What do you fear the most?"

Wuxian closes his eyes and says: "I don't know who I can trust. In my previous life many have loved me but forsaken me when things got tough. I don't know whom to believe anymore."

Zaxia grabs his hand and pulls him close enough to whisper in his ear: "I will grant you the ability to know who's on your side, come what may. Your presence will comfort them like no other so let them embrace you without hesitation." She blows a gentle breath on the skin beneath his ear and moves back with a wicked smile when she sees his red cheeks. For some reason he was too scared and embarrassed to ask what she's done to him.

She then asks him to close his eyes, cups his cheeks and places her thumbs on his closed lids. He sees a moment in time:

Sizhui crouches on the ground in agony. A silent scream is ripped out of him as he clutches someone bloody wearing black garments and a red hair ribbon. He's yelling at someone something Wuxian cannot hear. He can feel Sizhui's unadulterated anguish as he continues to yell. Slowly, Wuxian turns around to look at who's being yelled at and sees a kneeling Lan Qiren. Gradually, sounds become clearer and he can hear what Sizhui is screaming: "... but you didn't listen! Why won't you ever listen! You killed him! You're supposed to protect him and your pride KILLED HIM AGAIN!" Sizhui takes an agonizing breath and continues: "You never accepted him even though he gave his all to gain your approval.. How could you! HOW COULD YOU!"

With one last frustrated scream from Sizhui, Wuxian opens his eyes to look at a sorrowful Zaxia: "This will be your second ending if you're not successful in gaining his favor. This time your soul bond will not wait patiently and soon after will follow you to the after life." Wuxian shakes his head and tears begin to well up. She smiles reassuringly at him and wipes some of the tears that made their way down his cheeks: "Divine one, your fate is not set in stone. The greatest anyone can offer in any relationship is empathy. Soothe his sorrows as you've done mine and he will forever be in your favor." Wuxian nods, accepting her advice.

She then gets up and walks towards the tree root she was sitting on earlier. She looks around and finds a stick and goes back to Wuxian. She clears a patch on the ground and starts drawing what seems like talisman. When she is done she takes Wuxian's hand, uses the tip of the stick to prick his finger then lets a drop of his blood fall on the drawing. The ground starts to shake and a root starts to grow where the drawing used to be. A single golden leaf emerges from the new plant and glows with energy. She looks at a wonder-filled Wuxian and explains: "This talisman allows you to grow a temporary wishful tree like me. It will gather energy from nature and allows anyone who eats the leaf to heal completely from any ailment within a day. Unfortunately, this talisman has its limitation: It cannot bring back the dead, it will not be able to heal you and the tree will disappear once the person it's intended for heals. You can only make one tree at a time and only you can summon this power. Use it wisely."

She gets up, pulling Wuxian with her. He bows with appreciation for all the gifts she's bestowed upon him: "Divine one, the road ahead of you is rough. Be patient so the world can witness your greatness."

With a warm embrace from Zaxia, the white light surrounds him and he's back lying in Lan Zhan's lap. He opens his eyes and says: "Let's go home."

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