Chapter 111 — The Forgotten Palace of Empyrean Schism
The forest was silent.
Even the wind that brushed through the leaves seemed to carry a sacred hush, as if it knew something that words could not express. Akira walked through the fairy forest, his soft steps making no sound on the moss-covered ground. The faint glow of the fairy lanterns hovered in the air like scattered stars, illuminating the misty path that wound through the trees.
He followed the fairy of life — the one rare being among all fairies that could speak. Her wings glimmered in faint hues of emerald and silver, her presence serene yet heavy with an ancient power. Akira had traveled through many places, had seen realms hidden from human sight, but this one… this one felt different.
As the path opened ahead, Akira stepped out of the dense forest and froze.
Before him lay a vast palace — not the kind built by mortal hands, but something older, grander, divine. The entire structure shimmered like crystal, yet it was not made of any stone he knew. The air itself vibrated around it, faintly resonating with a melody that touched the edges of his soul.
The palace seemed alive.
Massive white pillars carved with glowing runes rose into the sky, their tops lost in a swirl of pale clouds. Delicate streams of water floated in the air, flowing upward instead of down, converging in the shape of a halo above the highest spire. Every brick, every petal of the strange blue flowers growing along the pathway, felt ancient — like memories of another time carved into matter itself.
Akira's golden eyes widened slightly, his expression shifting from awe to unease.
He whispered to himself, "Was this… really created by me?"
The thought sent a ripple through his chest. The dimension he was standing in — this sanctuary beyond the physical world — was supposed to be his creation, formed from his chakra and will. Yet this place didn't bear his energy. It didn't feel like something shaped by his power.
Instead, it felt alive on its own — ancient, sentient, and far older than he could comprehend.
He frowned, studying the runes on the pillars. They weren't made of chakra. They pulsed with something deeper — something that resonated with the soul rather than energy. I am past life it was once said that dojutsu, true divine eyes, were not just tools of perception but manifestations of one's inner self — reflections of the soul given form.
If that was true, then this place… was it a manifestation of his soul? Or someone else's?
He took a few slow steps forward, his small hands brushing against the luminous vines growing along the path. They felt warm to the touch. The air was fragrant — calm yet strange, like the space between dreams and waking.
"What is this place…" Akira murmured softly. "It feels… familiar and not."
The fairy of life stopped ahead of him, turning back. Her glowing eyes met his, and in that calm, melodic voice, she said,
"This place, Crown Prince, is the Sanctuary of the Goshenite Gem — the stone that was once worshipped on the planet Empyrean Schism. Long ago, this palace stood in the heart of the Liminal Expanse — your homeland. But that world was destroyed nine years ago when a demonic being descended upon it. The heavens tore apart, and Empyrean Schism vanished into the void."
Her words echoed like thunder in the silence.
Akira blinked, his breath catching. "Destroyed… nine years ago? And what happened to the Goshenite Gem?
The fairy nodded. "Yes. It has been nine years since the fall of Empyrean Schism. The divine veins of that world shattered, and the three great realms upon it — Liminal Expanse, Sapphire , and Ruby — were erased. Only this remnant, this sacred dimension, remains. It survived because it was not part of that world's surface. It existed between realms — created by your will and his highness's. And his highness left thing's. To give you."
Akira's eyes flickered. "Wait…"
He caught on a single phrase. "You said things that his highness left for me. Not one thing — things. That means there are more then one?"
The fairy nodded again, the gentle light of her wings dimming slightly as if to show respect. "Yes, Crown Prince. Two, to be exact."
Her expression shifted to one of surprise. "Wait… Crown Prince, don't tell me — you don't remember your first life?"
Akira's breath stilled. "My… first life?"
The fairy tilted her head slightly, studying his reaction. "Ah. Then the cycle truly did break. You have no memories of who you once were."
Akira frowned. His heart beat faster. "Wait… The title Crown Prince — it's not because of my royal Otsutsuki bloodline?"
His voice trembled slightly. "Then… it's an identity from my first life? Then who was I?"
The fairy bowed her head slightly. "Your Highness, you were the one of First Prince of the planet Empyrean Schism, ruler of the Liminal Expanse Kingdom. This place — the palace you see before you — was created by you and your fiancé, His Highness, who belonged to the same royal bloodline as you. He was the emperor's grandnephew — and your second cousin."
Akira stood frozen, unable to speak.
The soft glow of the palace walls reflected in his eyes, making them glimmer like molten gold. He felt something inside him tremble — not fear, not sorrow, but an echo of something deeper. A feeling too old to name.
He swallowed. "So I… was a prince of that world."
The fairy smiled faintly, her voice soft. "Yes. The Crown Prince of the Liminal Expanse. You and His Highness created this sanctuary together — a realm beyond the reach of death, where light and life would remain untouched by destruction. Before the planet fell, His Highness sealed two things here for you, saying: When the time comes, the Crown Prince shall return, and the path will open once again."
Akira lowered his head, his black hair falling gently over his face.
"I see…" he whispered. "Then this… is my third life. Not my second."
The air stirred, as if in response to his words. For a brief moment, Akira thought he saw something — a faint image in the reflection of the palace's mirrored wall. Two figures standing hand in hand beneath a tree of white light. He couldn't see their faces clearly, but his heart ached when he saw them.
A flash — a voice — laughter carried by wind — and then it was gone.
He blinked, confusion washing over him. He felt a wave of emotion pass through his chest, but it came and vanished so quickly that he couldn't grasp it. It was like watching someone else's memories play before him — a story told in a dream he couldn't remember after waking.
The fairy's voice brought him back.
"Your Highness, your soul remembers even if your mind does not. Memories of the first life are sealed deep within. What you feel now — that fleeting ache — is the echo of what was once yours."
Akira closed his eyes briefly. "So that's what this feeling is…"
He took a breath, trying to steady himself. "You said Empyrean Schism was destroyed nine years ago, but I am eight and a half years old.and 25 years old.I was born after that. How is that possible?"
The fairy folded her hands, her expression patient. "Because time, Crown Prince, is not the same between universes. Do not think one world's year is another's. In one universe, a century may pass in a heartbeat; in another, a moment may stretch into eternity. Between Empyrean Schism and your current world, the difference is beyond mortal measure. One year there could be equal to a hundred thousand years here."
Akira's eyes widened. "So when that world was destroyed nine years ago… in truth, it could have been countless ages before this one even existed."
"Exactly," said the fairy. "To your soul, it may feel recent — like the wound is still fresh — but to the flow of this universe, it is ancient history. The dust of that world became the stars you now see."
The words lingered, sinking deep into the stillness.
Akira slowly walked forward, his gaze traveling across the palace grounds.
So this was the legacy of a life he had forgotten. The remnants of a world that had perished long before the current one was even born. His chest felt heavy — not with grief, but with wonder, confusion, and a strange pull toward something long lost.
"Then this…" he murmured, reaching out to touch one of the crystal walls, "this place is both a memory and a promise."
The fairy nodded. "Yes, Your Highness. The Sanctuary of the Gem exists because your soul willed it to survive. It waited for you to return. And now, it calls you once again."
Akira's fingers brushed the smooth surface, and faint symbols lit up beneath his touch — ancient runes forming in spirals of gold. The palace recognized him.
A soft hum filled the air.
The fairy stepped closer. "The two things His Highness left are sealed within the Hall of Veins at the center of the palace. You will find them when your soul is ready to remember. But remember this, Crown Prince — memory and power are not the same. The past can bless you, or it can bind you. Choose carefully what you wish to awaken."
Akira nodded slightly, though his thoughts swirled with too many questions. His gaze lifted toward the horizon, where the palace towers reached for the light of two moons — one golden, one blue. The same colors as the worlds intertwined within his soul.
He whispered to himself,
"So this is who I was… and yet, I still don't remember his face — the one who called me his Crown Prince…"
The fairy smiled faintly, her eyes glimmering. "You will, one day. The heart remembers even when the mind forgets. For now, take what he left for you. The rest will unfold when the time comes."
Akira turned toward the palace, determination softening his calm expression. Whatever lay within — the gifts, the memories, the truths — he would face them. Not as the forgotten prince of a dead world, but as who he was now.
He stepped forward into the light, the grand doors of the divine palace opening soundlessly before him, as if welcoming back its lost master.