Death... and me

Rean was then given the job of working with trades in that gathering hub for visiting races. At first, it was quite hard to do since just a few items that passed through were related to blacksmithing. However, as time passed, Rean got the hang of the job and started to get things done.

It was during one of these days that Jakar finally appeared in the gathering hub. Of course, when he appeared, Rean also noticed the several Divine Senses that followed him with his Divine Sense bending skill. Though, that wasn't all. The Winged Provis race didn't want to commit the same mistake again, so they also assigned a trusted Winged Provis to be Jakar's shadow.

'Peak Stage of the Elemental Space Realm,' Rean immediately felt what realm that Winged Provis was in.

Hearing that, Roan commented from within the Dimensional Realm, 'The Elemental Space Realm is the divisor for those in the top powers of the Realm of Gods, it seems.'

'That's true,' Rean agreed with him.

In the territory of the humanoid races, the Space Bending Realm was the highest realm where one would still be considered a disciple of the sects, clans, and organizations. Once one entered the Elemental Space Realm, one would either become a full-fledged member of that power or an elder in rarer cases. In the Winged Provis race, something similar seemed to be happening.

"Tian, they really kept you alive!" Jakar couldn't help but rejoice.

Rean's mouth twitched in response, though. "I would also be free if not for you."

"Details, details." Jakar quickly brushed the issue aside. "Anyways, they let me come out and see you. I kept insisting for several days in a row, you know? See, am I a good friend or not?"

At the same time, Jakar talked with Rean through Divine Sense. 'Have you thought of a way of getting away from this place?'

Rean shook his head, replying, 'Dream on. By the way, your Uncle Fran made a deal with me. If I can convince you to not escape anymore, he'll give me two Iridescent Tears. With that being said, give up on escaping and let me take my tears.'

Jakar didn't know whether to praise or curse Rean for that. 'That's... quite straightforward of you.'

Rean didn't seem to care. 'So, how about telling me why you want to escape? From what I can see, everyone would love to be in your place in that so-called sanctuary.'

'Are you truly trying to convince me to stay after telling me in front of my face that Uncle Fran is paying you for that?' One couldn't blame Jakar for that. Everyone would have the same thoughts.

Rean shrugged his shoulders in response. 'As far as I can see, I have two paths to acquire my tears. One is to help your Uncle Fran, and the other is to help you. To be honest, I find your Uncle Fran's words a lot more trustworthy than yours. You did get me into this mess, after all.'

Jakar understood the meaning behind Rean's words. 'So you're confident of leaving this place with me, after all.'

Rean nodded, saying, 'It's a small chance. However, it would indeed be better if you didn't need to do that anymore.'

'No can do,' Jakar immediately refused. 'So what if everyone wants to take my place? I would trade that with them without thinking twice. You might not have noticed yet, but I'm not exactly a good leader.'

Nodding in response, Rean replied, 'That goes without saying.' He continued from there. 'You want to leave, but chances are low. Your Uncle Fran wants to convince you to stay, but those chances are also low. In the end, it's also because of this Golden Feather of yours, which brings us to the third option.'

'Third... option?' Those words definitely caught Jakar's attention. 'What option would that be?'

'You said it yourself, didn't you?' Rean asked with a smile. 'In the end, it's better to simply give this Golden Feather to someone else who really wants it.'

Jakar sighed in response. 'And here I thought you would say something useful. Do you think I haven't thought about that before? This fucking feather is not only connected to my head. Instead, it's connected directly to my soul and spirit core! Otherwise, Uncle Fran and the others would have definitely taken it away as it would be safer that way.'

Rean snorted after hearing that. 'Hmph! Do you think I don't know that? If I gave you that option, it's because it's possible.'

'It is?' Fran looked at Rean with a doubtful expression. 'How exactly?'

'You don't need to know that,' Rean answered. 'What you need to know is that there's a chance of failure. If it fails, then the Golden Feather and even you might die.'

Rean looked even more suspicious now after that. 'I heard from my mother that you have a Pocket Dimensional Realm and can even control Spatial Powers at the Transition Realm. Now you say you can pass this feather of mine to someone else. Just who are you, then?'

Rean could only smile at that. 'I'm Tian, a merchant that never lets an opportunity pass up. For those two tears, I'm willing to try some pretty crazy things.'

Jakar pondered over it for a bit before asking, 'Even if I accept that, do you think my uncle and the others will allow that? As small as the chances of failure might be, they definitely wouldn't bet on it. For them, it's a lot better to simply keep me here until I reach a level not too far from theirs.'

Rean nodded, saying, 'Correct. That's why we need to do it without them knowing. For that, we need someone who we can trust. That will be the Winged Provis who will receive the Golden Feather. Above all, it has to be a Winged Provis who truly wish to be the Golden Feather's holder. As for how we will do it, that isn't too hard. I can simply bring both of you into my Dimensional Realm and do the process there. The question here is, are you willing to risk your life?'

'Hmm... are the chances of survival higher than teleporting in scrambled space?' Jakar asked in response.

'I almost forgot that,' Rean still thought it was crazy. 'The answer is definitely yes. First of all, I don't think there are many things in the Realm of Gods with higher chances of death than what you did. I'm truly amazed that you survived that.'