Galaxy's First Ruler

Grrrr!

Aldrich felt like there was a surging river within him, washing his innards with cool and freshwater. A mass of bluish aura surrounded him and the surrounding Mana, like a chain reaction, roiled and churned in response.

It was the first time that Aldrich had transferred his Attribute Points from Perception to Correspondence. He had already known that both Perception and Correspondence contributed towards the ultimate value of MP. And even after using the Item Devil's Oldest Change, the total values of HP, SP, and MP never changed. But there was a reason that Correspondence was the selecting criteria for Mage Class and not MP.

If Perception was a tool to increase the senses of Dreamers, then the Correspondence was a tool to communicate with the Mana itself. It provided acute control of MP within a Dreamer and assisted in many Skills that required a continuous and regulated output of Mana.

Huuuu!

Aldrich let out a blue breath and the emerald hue in his eyes gradually turned deep blue. He felt the Mana in the vines, roses, leaves, and the wind. Aldrich raised the bow and tilted it away from the rosebud at the top of the tower, sensing the coming wind. His hand reached towards the bow and a bowstring of pure Mana materialized suddenly. He pulled the Manastring, guided by the Skill All Proficient, and just as a sizzling long arrow appeared, let it go.

Ssshhhhh!!!

The arrow was like a spear thrown in a straight line, blurring everything it passed by. Only a thin silk like string of Mana remains attached to the arrow and Aldrich's hand. As the arrow reached half the distance, the hammerish wind struck the arrow and rerouted it towards the platform.

Thump!

Aldrich felt the vibration from the silk and gave it a few jerks, making sure the Mana-arrow had got stuck completely. He pulled out his legs from the gap between the vines and took a deep breath.

"Here we go again!"

Aldrich sucked the Manastring within him and, like a bullet, went flying towards the top.

"Yooo… hoooo…"

The gusts of wind blasted his masked face, and the sound of rushing air by his ears was like blocking them with tons of cotton. But amid all the turbulence, Sha's excited voice still entered his mind as if nothing could trouble her. He looked at the Mana String that reminded him of a grappling hook and couldn't help but thought.

'Why am I feeling like a Batman?!'

"Yeyyy… Daddy… Batman."

Bang!

Aldrich's feet landed under the leafy part of the rosebud. In the distance, he saw some stony steps, but still a considerable distance away. As the Mana-arrow vanished, he aimed at the foot of the steps and fired another arrow. Aldrich tightened the Manastring and with a single swing arrived at the steps. The stone steps seemed to be embedded within the gap of two petals of the rosebud, reaching to the top platform.

Aldrich enhanced his Agility and within seconds arrived at the entrance of the platform. Aside from the columns at its circular edge, the floor was red and devoid of anything whatsoever. There was no sign of a door, ornaments, or any sign of Oracle. Aldrich made a round within the platform and felt the columns, which seemed to be made of vines. The tempest-like winds hadn't stopped, but the platform lightened their intensity. Aldrich looked out towards the pinkish clouds and saw a towering column of smoke.

"The Extreme Mana Teleportation Research Center suffered many casualties in that explosion. Unfortunately, it also engulfed the lives of our many dear guests."

Aldrich's entire body shuddered, hearing the words. His scalp tingled at the realization that someone could have approached him without him knowing about it. And Sha had already involuntarily sent out a vein towards his right hand.

Aldrich slowly turned around, and what he saw made him narrow his eyes.

In front of him, there was a little girl, only 13-14 years old. Her lower half was covered in a skirt of leaves and vines, and her upper half had only a few rose petals covering her breasts. There was a crown of thorns on her head, the tips of which glowed with dark green color. The little girl twirled the locks of her red hair, and her green eyes seemed watery because of the wind. Her lips were thin, like two fresh rose petals in the morning dew.

"Ancient Oracle?!"

"Daddy… Daddy… Please… Sha… eat… her?"

Aldrich ignored Sha's pleading voice and raised his defense. Those who could disregard his Perception couldn't be called weak, despite their outward appearance. The little girl approached Aldrich and gave a deep bow.

"I, Ancient Oracle, welcome God of Black and White… or was it White and Black… Mmm…"

Aldrich observed her body language and subtle changes on her face and concluded that the little girl, or Ancient Oracle, wasn't putting up a facade.

"Just call me Aldrich."

Hehe!

The little girl laughed sheepishly and skipped all around the platform before coming back to Aldrich.

"Do you like our home?"

"Cut the nonsense! I am thankful to you and the House Venomous Rose for reviving me. The only reason I went along with this absurd demand of coming up was to show my gratitude. If you can do prophecies then you already know that I am not some God."

Aldrich snapped, and the little girl's laughing face turned completely blank. Aldrich had slipped his last sentence to test the Ancient Oracle and waited for her to fall into the trap. The little girl shrugged off the tension and smiled again. She took a step towards Aldrich, making him take a step back. But the next words of the Ancient Oracle were even out of his expectations.

"I can and I can not. The prophecy wasn't only to revive you but it has one more part."

"What?"

"We need to… You… You are to be the father of our children."

Aldrich saw the blushing little girl, but a smirk had already come upon his face. He looked above her head and calmly replied.

"You are lying."