I Refused To Be Reincarnated-Chapter 909: The First Breath of Freedom

Grum'Thal reached for the dissipating soul flames that had engulfed the contract. His fists wrapped around the last ember, just in time for it to dissolve into his palm.

He closed his eyes, his voice the whisper of someone who finally realised his impossible dream after fifteen thousand years—fifteen thousand long years of suffering, of dimming hope, of guilt. "Free."

Adam slumped into his seat. His eyelids dropped, his voice slurred from exhaustion. "I'm glad you endured the treatment... I must return... Not now... An hour to rest... Lulu, come back."

He passed out, yet his grin reached his closed eyes.

Lulu gave him a tender nod. Then, she flew before Grum'Thal's emerald eyes. Slowly, she reached for his light copper cheek. "I hope we'll meet again, friend. Until then, make sure to catch up on these fifteen thousand years of freedom robbed from you. And... sorry about the pain you went through."

As light radiated from her silhouette, Grum'Thal called out. "Wait!" There was something he couldn't understand. He had to ask. "My core... How did Adam overwhelm the demonic energy protecting it?"

Lulu pointed her finger at his nose, smiling. "You're too powerful for him to overwhelm your energy. No. The one who let him through was you."

"Me?" Grum'Thal's eyes widened.

Lulu nodded. "When Adam suppressed your vitality, you were on the brink of withering. For the briefest moment, you became weaker than him, and he spoke a single command you subconsciously obeyed. You got me scared for a second there, by the way."

"Do you mean..." Grum'Thal snapped his gaze toward Adam, leaving his sentence hanging.

Lulu took it from where he left it. "That his bones can command demons weaker than him, yes. He staked everything on this slim chance, and here you are." She dispersed in brilliant particles, her words filling the War Council with warmth. "I'm glad you're cured." 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"The pain was well worth it. Thank you." Grum'Thal bowed his head slightly toward Adam's peaceful face. Then, he picked Bao off his head and brought her before his face. "You too, little one. You might be young and small, but your heart is vast."

Bao's sad grimace at Lulu's departure faded. She shook her head, even though she blushed beneath her fur.

"Yes, you are." For the first time in fifteen thousand years, Grum'Thal took a sharp breath full of mana.

The new core in his chest throbbed with energy, pure, familiar, yet inaccessible. Not anymore. The palm supporting Bao began to shine as he used the shamanic arts of his ancestors, the true magic of the orcs, not the demonic variant he had been forced to use.

"Oh, elements forming lands, heavens, and oceans, please heed my request." His voice was deep, reverent, not like a mage shaping mana into spells, but like someone requesting nature itself to cast it.

Streams of earth, water, fire, wind, and lightning slithered curiously around him, as if they had always been there but refused to show themselves. It warmed his chest. The elements were truly answering him once more.

Smiling, he lifted his palm. "Let your ancient blessing descend upon this courageous child. May your essences take root within her and answer her call for all time. Let me fix the wrong I did to her species through her."

The elements hesitated for a moment. Then, they moved toward Bao.

She gasped when they wrapped around her with infinite gentleness. They were beautifully vibrant, humming, sizzling, and throbbing with life. She felt them sink through her skin without harm, reaching for her small beast core. Then, they gently vanished inside, as if taking residence within her. She didn't know what had changed in her, but the show and her warm belly were all she needed to purr in gratitude.

Grum'Thal struck his chest three times to honor the elements that answered him. Then, he rubbed Bao's fur pensively. "That's nowhere enough for you to break your species limits, little one. What you need is to reconcile with your ancestors' ways." He glanced at Adam, then smiled. "I believe he'll figure it out on his own."

Bao followed his gaze, then nodded with a growl. Of course, her teacher would help her. Then, she would become strong together with Quintella, and maybe surprise him one day.

A chuckle escaped Grum'Thal's lips, cut short by a voice that erupted behind the door.

"See our unconscious people in the streets. This was a day of celebrations, but it turned into a nightmare. We're going through no matter what you say!"

"We lost our shamanic arts and devolved, Grakka. You can't bar us from getting answers."

"Move, Grakka, or in the name of the ancestors, I'll strike you down for treason!"

"The great shaman commanded me to guard the door. You're the traitors."

Sounds of axes being drawn and staves striking the ground reverberated. For a heartbeat, silence. Then, Ulgarath's voice thundered.

"All I care about is the great shaman's safety!"

BOOM

The door flew off its hinges, shards and metal crashing on blackened ground. The towering warrior charged through the guard lines like a siege engine let loose down a slope. He turned into a coppery blur as he weaved beneath Grakka's axe.

"You can't!" Grakka roared, but he slipped inside.

Yet, he froze in his steps when he saw Grum'Thal standing in front of the war table. His lips quivered. "The great shaman, too?"

Rokhan, Grakka, the six other legendary warriors, and the hooded shamans rushed behind him, all freezing upon seeing the light coppery skin of their great shaman.

"Human trickery!" Ulgarath spat through his clenched jaw as his eyes locked onto Adam's sleeping face. He gripped his axe with both hands, lunging at him. "Kill the human!"

Grum'Thal waved his hand. The ground shifted beneath Ulgarath's feet, and before he knew it, he was charging at his leader. Horror twisted his face for a heartbeat, then firm hands wrapped around him like the embrace of a father reasoning with his son.

"The human freed me—freed us all. But I can explain what happened only if you cleanse your mind of your mistaken rage."