The cradle fell quiet again — but not in hostility this time. The Primordials exchanged glances, an unspoken decision rippling through them.
Hephaestus broke the silence first, rubbing his molten hands together with a smirk.
Hephaestus: "Before he breaks, maybe we should make sure he's not doing it naked."
Shojiro froze, looking down — and realized, with dawning horror, that the sap of Yggdrasil had dissolved into mist, leaving him completely bare beneath its faint glow.
His face went crimson.
"…You've got to be kidding me."
Savitar burst out laughing so hard the air blurred around him.
Savitar: "Oh this is rich! The mighty reborn hero, savior of existence — and he's flashing the gods!"
Poseidara covered his face with one elegant hand, trying not to chuckle.
Poseidara: "It's… not entirely inaccurate to tradition. Mortals are usually born without armor."
Aegriya: "Born, yes. Not resurrected."
Her voice carried that mix of motherly disappointment and dry humor that made Shojiro want to sink into the floor.
Hephaestus snapped his fingers. Sparks flickered into shapes around Shojiro — outlines of fabric, metal, and thread — but they all remained in flux, waiting.
Hephaestus: "Tell us, mortal. What kind of clothing do you desire?"
Shojiro blinked. "Wait, I get to choose?"
Hephaestus: "Of course. You are reborn — your attire should reflect what you are. Warrior? Monk? Wanderer? Monarch?"
Shojiro looked down at his calloused hands, at the faint crimson veins glowing beneath his skin.
He thought of his father.
Of the blood.
Of the street where everything ended.
"…Something simple," he muttered. "Something I can fight in. Move in. Black, maybe… red accents. Nothing too flashy."
Savitar smirked.
Savitar: "Flashy is survival sometimes. But fine — minimalist mortal aesthetic it is."
The air shimmered. Hephaestus extended his hand, and the surrounding energy responded instantly — molten light weaving itself into fabric. The glow cooled into obsidian black, lined with faint crimson veins that pulsed in rhythm with Shojiro's heartbeat.
The outfit formed around him — sleeveless, flexible, reinforced with a strange living weave that looked both natural and artificial.
Poseidara gestured, and the material softened — smooth to the touch, breathable yet resistant to tearing.
Aegriya raised her palm, and golden sigils etched faintly along the seams — protective wards woven invisibly into the threads.
Thanamira added the final touch, brushing her hand across his chest.
A faint spectral shimmer rippled across the fabric, as if souls themselves had blessed it with endurance.
Shojiro flexed experimentally. The fabric moved like a second skin.
Shojiro (quietly): "…Perfect."
Hephaestus: "Call it what you will, but it's forged of creation's sap and divine essence. It'll mend itself, so long as you draw breath."
Savitar (grinning): "And if you don't, you won't need it anyway."
Shojiro: "You're an asshole."
Savitar winked. "Fastest one you'll ever meet."
Even Kaiser cracked a faint grin, muttering under his breath,
Kaiser: "At least the boy looks like a warrior now."
The air in the cradle began to hum.
It wasn't the peaceful hum of life — it was deep, ancient, like the vibration of a colossal heart buried beneath worlds. The amber around Shojiro started to ripple, responding to something unseen.
Thanamira stepped back. Her soft tone faded, replaced by something sharper — ceremonial.
Thanamira: "Now that your vessel stands complete, it is time you learn the law that governs all strength — the pulse that moves through Primordials and mortals alike."
The word pulse resonated through Shojiro's bones. His vision wavered. The ground beneath him wasn't solid anymore — it was alive, breathing.
Shojiro: "What… what is this feeling?"
Kaiser crossed his arms, crimson light tracing the scars on his body like molten veins.
Kaiser: "You're feeling the root — the first heartbeat of existence. Every being born of Yggdrasil carries a trace of it. We call it…"
He paused, and the word rolled through the cradle like thunder.
"Vythra."
The sound wasn't just a word — it was a wave. The vines coiled tighter, the amber swirled faster, and for a moment Shojiro's own heartbeat matched the rhythm.
He staggered. "Vythra…?"
Savitar: "Think of it as your inner velocity — the raw current that makes your soul move. It's neither magic nor muscle. It's… everything between."
Hephaestus: "Creation's spark. Destruction's breath. The neutral essence that fuels all Chosen."
Shojiro: "And you expect me to just—control that?"
Kaiser's crimson eyes glinted.
Kaiser: "Control? No. Survive it."
He slammed his hand into the ground, and the entire cradle reacted — streams of red and black light erupted upward, twisting into ethereal chains of energy that wrapped around Shojiro's body.
Shojiro gasped. The moment the light touched him, he felt his veins ignite. Every nerve screamed as the divine current surged through his reborn flesh, testing, burning, measuring him.
Shojiro: "—What the hell is happening?!"
Kaiser: "Vythra rejects the unworthy. If your body cannot contain it, you'll be torn apart from the inside. Consider this… your first lesson."
The other Primordials spoke in unison, their voices overlapping like a choir of creation and doom.
"Breathe, mortal. Don't fight the current — align with it."
Shojiro's muscles tightened as the chains pulsed. For every surge of agony, there was a fleeting glimpse of clarity — the sensation of power that wasn't his, yet somehow belonged within him.
He forced air through gritted teeth. His crimson eyes flickered brighter with each heartbeat.
Shojiro (panting): "It's… too much… I can't—"
Aegriya: "Yes, you can."
Her voice boomed like a shield slamming shut. "The vessel was forged for this very storm."
Then — boom. The energy exploded outward. The vines recoiled, and for a brief instant, the cradle filled with a storm of red and white light.
Shojiro collapsed to one knee, panting. Steam rose from his skin. The chains of energy faded.
Savitar (grinning): "Hah. Didn't even die once. I'll admit, that's impressive."
Kaiser: "Barely."
He turned away, his tone sharp as ever.
Kaiser: "Next time, I'll increase the flow tenfold."
Shojiro: "Next time?!
Hephaestus: "You're still standing, aren't you? That's proof enough it worked."
Thanamira stepped forward again, her tone softening.
Thanamira: "Rest, child. Vythra has recognized your soul. The body and spirit are one at last."
As her hand brushed his shoulder, Shojiro's trembling eased. The cradle's glow dimmed back to its tranquil amber hue.
His heart still thundered in his chest, but now — for the first time — it beat in sync with something far greater.