Chapter 274 - One Whole

"Wain, we have to do something." Maria said seriously.

"What do you mean?"

"We need to get out of here. It's been less than a minute in the outside world, but we've been here for months. I'm grateful to you for guiding me on the path to freedom, but how can we be free while in an endless cage?"

"I agree." Eva muttered, "Also, we will start to have problems in time. We're fine now, but what happens to us if we're here for a year? Ten years? Fifty? We'll go crazy. It's inevitable."

"Well... It's really a problem, but I don't know what we should do. Does anyone have any ideas?" Wain asked.

"I do!" Eva raised her hand.

...

For the next few hours, they discussed and tried different options. However, nothing worked out for them. Most of the ideas were meaningless or unrealistic, but even the worthy suggestions proved useless.

"Okay, at least we have a common goal, and we'll keep working in that direction." Wain said calmly.

"Yes, if we act together, we will surely find a way out of this situation one day." Maria nodded. She was upset that all their ideas had failed, but hope was still visible in her eyes.

"It's like we're one team! The one whole!" Eva exclaimed.

Wain and Maria smiled. They agreed with her and didn't even notice exactly what she said.

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

Suddenly the ground trembled, and the island began to split apart. From the island's center, where the bloody river flowed, a huge tree with white bark and bare branches quickly grew.

It was covered in blood, and the river changed its direction. It was divided into hundreds of small streams that circulated through the tree, like veins.

Then Wain, Eva, and Maria saw the messages before them.

[You have become one in spirit and mind, and now you may receive the final reward in the Sacrificial Tree.]

They were puzzled.

"What? Isn't that too easy?" Maria muttered.

"No, it's not." Wain pronounced, "Think about it. Thousands of people came to the island, and only nine became contenders. Obviously, in such a case, the competition between us is inevitable and is at a phenomenal level. There were only three contenders left when we got here, and to pass the test, we had to unite in spirit and ideas."

Eva nodded, "Maria, don't forget that we're all lucky to be human. I doubt it would have been possible if a member of another race had been among us."

"You could call it a series of circumstances, but mostly it's our merit. If we had continued to fight on and hate each other, we would have accomplished nothing. Time would have gone on, and at one point, we would have gone mad." Wain said.

"It's strange to hear you talk about teamwork." Maria muttered.

"Huh, I don't argue. If we weren't immortal, the outcome would have been different, but the reality was additional. Okay, time to find out what that reward is."

Maria and Eva nodded and followed him.

The sacrificial tree looked ancient and majestic. They felt as if they were headed for the last tree in the world. Blood veins sometimes pulsed like the tree was alive.

The roots of the Sacrificial Tree were massive and thick. Among them was a small cave within which something shone brightly. It was obviously their reward.

"Hey, who's going to take the reward?" Maria asked.

"It's not worth thinking about yet. I'm sure it will be something unusual and extraordinary. Perhaps it will be useless for some, and for some, it will be irreplaceable. We'll decide after we've seen everything."

"Of course."

They saw a glowing fruit hanging from the ceiling on a root as they entered the cave. It was unusual because the fruit looked like a heart. It was even beating slightly.

Wain touched the fruit and saw the description.

[Living Heart (Unknown)

This is a unique fruit that is almost impossible to find. It takes at least one eternity for the Living Heart to appear. This fruit is an anomaly, and it is capable of a natural miracle.

*It can resurrect the dead. You need at least 10% of the original body.

If you pluck the fruit, it will spoil in twelve hours, and all its magical properties will be gone]

Wain was stunned, and Maria and Eva saw this. They touched the fruit, and they trembled, and their eyes went wide.

Maria's first thoughts were that she might have resurrected one of her family members. However, tears came to her eyes when she read the full description. 

She realized there was nothing left of her parents long ago. They had not been buried but had been eaten by monsters.

"Shit!" Maria shouted and fell to her knees.

"Eva, do you want this fruit?" Wain asked. He knew from Maria's reaction that the fruit wouldn't do her any good. It was sad, but they had to decide who got it.

"No." Eva shook her head.

Wain nodded. He knew that Eva's parents had died long before the apocalypse began. It happened when she was in high school. The cause was trivial, a car accident, but terrible and catastrophic consequences.

Many years had passed since then, and Eva was used to it. It hurt her as much as it did Maria to read the description of the fruit and realize that she wouldn't be able to resurrect them, but she thought it was even better that way.

Eva didn't want to choose between her father and mother. It would have been unbearable torture for her. She loved both of her parents equally, and leaving either of them dead was horrible. She wouldn't be able to decide who to resurrect.

"I see, so I'll take the fruit, but honestly, I don't know where to apply it." Wain muttered.

They were in a strange situation. In front of them was a treasure that billions of people worldwide had dreamed of. However, they couldn't use it. It was both funny and sad at the same time. 

Many thoughts ran through Wain's mind. He thought about where the heart could be used, but he had no one to resurrect. All of his comrades were alive, and at one point, he saw the image of a tall man with ashy hair and pale gray skin.

He had one peculiarity, and that was the absence of a heart, and so Wain remembered it. The fruit looked like a heart, and Wain thought of resurrecting a Forgotten. It was the only option, and twelve hours was enough time to reach Overion from the island.

Wain made this decision because Forgotten's body was unnaturally strong. When the clouds disappeared, and the two of them fell from a great height, nothing happened to the wounded and defeated Forgotten.

Wain wanted to resurrect him and make him his ally. Moreover, he believed that Forgotten knew more about this world than anyone else. He was a mysterious person.

'It was a Purgatory zone, and it should have collapsed, but does the zone itself disappear? I need to find out about it. Perhaps my idea makes no sense. I won't have much time, but I'll give the fruit to Gisle if anything. He'll probably find a use for it in a second..' Wain thought and plucked the fruit.