"So, who are you?" Nebula asked again, her tone sharp.
"I am your spirit, Master," Celestial replied with a gentle smile.
Nebula's fingers tightened around her teacup, but she resisted the urge to crush it. She wanted to throw the cup against the wall and shout "Don't mess with me!" — but she held back.
Instead, she spoke coldly, "But aren't you the Guardian of this world?"
"I was," Celestial said softly. "I was the Guardian—until my death, thirteen years and eleven months ago."
He paused as he noticed Nebula's eyes widen in shock.
"I died," he continued. "And after my death, I chose you as my Master."
Nebula took a deep breath, trying to steady her thoughts. "So… you're not a spirit?"
"Not in the way you're thinking," Celestial explained. "I'm not a natural-born spirit born from elemental energy. I am a spirit born of will. A fragment of myself that chose to remain. So, I still count as a spirit."
Nebula tried to piece it together. She had read about spirit creation before—how gods and dragons could craft beings with souls and spirits. So… why not a Guardian reborn as a spirit?
"So what is a Guardian?" she asked.
Celestial smiled faintly. "To answer that, we need to go back. Far back. To the beginning of this world's creation."
Nebula gestured for him to continue.
"In the beginning, when this world was forged, the first beings born were humans."
"Stop." Nebula interrupted, frowning. "Humans were the first? That makes no sense."
"Don't interrupt me again," Celestial warned, his tone firm. "Or I'll stop talking."
"Fine. Please, go on."
Celestial nodded. "At the dawn of creation, the first true beings designed to sustain this world were humans. But not like the humans of today. They were grander—giants, imbued with the Creator's power and knowledge. They could command their bodies, nature, even the laws of existence. They were called Divine Humans.
The Seven Sages—the first humans—and their seven daughters became the root of life. From them came giants, deities, demons, monsters, animals… every being that exists."
Nebula wanted to ask more, but Celestial continued before she could.
"The gods you worship… the demons you fear… all of them once lived on this world, alongside countless other races in various dimensions—except the Void, but that's another matter.
Demons, because of their chaotic nature, gravitated towards Hell. The Deities established Heaven. The others were given separate realms to prevent their conflicts from tearing the world apart."
"So… all beings were given their own worlds?" Nebula asked.
"Not exactly. The descendants of the Sages—like me—maintained the balance. Travel between realms was possible, but only with approval or overwhelming power."
His tone darkened. "But everything changed when the demons launched a war against the Deities. The heavens fell into chaos. The demons had been preparing in secret, their combined forces overwhelming even the divine. The Deities fled. The war was catastrophic."
Nebula felt a cold shiver. "So, all this destruction we see… was just collateral damage?"
Celestial nodded grimly. "The demons sought to shatter the world's foundation. That's when the Guardians intervened. We, the Divine Humans, stood between them. To maintain the laws, we sacrificed ourselves, battling the demons in the void between realms."
His gaze grew distant, as if reliving the battle. "We fought in the empty spaces, in forgotten worlds. The clash tore through reality—worlds collapsed, space fractured, time itself faltered. The demons that leak into this world before were the remnants—those that slipped through cracks or became too weak to be noticed at that time."
Nebula could barely imagine it. "But why tell me this? Does anyone even listen to such stories anymore?"
Celestial smiled and raised his hand, touching the carriage wall. But instead of solid wood, his fingers met an invisible barrier.
"This wall separates worlds. Only someone from beyond our reality or strong enough to break it could hear us now."
Nebula felt a strange comfort in his words, though she couldn't explain why.
"We, the Guardians, paid a terrible price," Celestial continued. "On the brink of extinction, some Deities agreed to be reborn as humans, mingling their bloodlines with mortals. The Ancient Dragons sacrificed themselves to forge a barrier—one so strong that only gods could pass through."
"But… why can gods pass it?" Nebula asked.
Celestial's expression darkened, his smile tinged with bitterness. "Because gods are bound to their own realms. Their power diminishes when they enter another's domain. Or so we believed. The final war resulted in the birth of devils—void beings infused with the essence of deities, dragons, guardians, and demons. My ancestors… my parents… and I… we perished to destroy them."
For the first time, Nebula saw tears forming at the corners of Celestial's eyes.
"But don't worry," he whispered. "I destroyed the root of their corruption. There's no need to be afraid."
Nebula was overwhelmed by the weight of his story, but she held herself together. She needed answers.
"Then why did you choose me?" she asked quietly.
Celestial's smile returned, softer this time. "It was a promise. I swore to help you… but I failed because of my death. And because the world still needs a Guardian."
Nebula clenched her fists. "And if I refuse?"
"Huh?" Celestial blinked.
"I said—what if I don't accept it? Do you think I'll just agree to this?"
Celestial leaned forward, his tone suddenly sharp. "Do you think this is about me?"
"Then why me?" Nebula insisted. "You came to me. You need me."
Celestial sighed, his gaze softening. "I chose to help you, but you were never meant to be a Guardian. You care deeply for yourself, your family… you value your own life. That's why. Guardians… we've always sacrificed ourselves, but you—you desire to live."
He glanced out the window, his tone thoughtful. "Besides, I've already planted the seeds. You've seen how people around you have changed. They've grown stronger, found paths they couldn't see before."
Nebula narrowed her eyes. "So… you used me."
"I guided you," Celestial said firmly. "People desire growth. We only show them the path. It's not manipulation—it's guidance."
Nebula fell silent, lost in thought. Her mind reeled, revisiting every moment since she met Celestial, analyzing her choices, her actions.
The weight of it all pressed down on her until her head throbbed with pain. Eventually, her body gave in, and she drifted into sleep.