Chapter 114 — The Law, the Soul, and the Guardian's Fate
Akira followed the fairy through the forest . The fairy's wings brushed the air, leaving trails of light like ribbons in the dark.
Akira finally broke the silence.
"But what does this law have to do with how I'm supposed to find the prince?" he asked, his tone steady but curious.
The fairy turned, hovering just ahead of him. Its glow pulsed faintly as it spoke.
"It's not separate, Crown Prince. It's all one and the same. As I said before, souls from the Soul Realm are different. There is more to it — every soul born from the Soul Realm is created already bound to its other half."
Akira's eyes widened slightly. "Other half?"
The fairy nodded. "Yes. For you, Crown Prince, that other half is His Highness — the one I mentioned before. The people of Empyrean Schism all share this nature. They are souls from the Soul Realm, born in pairs — two halves of one essence. Each pair is destined to meet again, no matter how many worlds or lives separate them. And for you… that connection was with His Highness."
Akira absorbed the words quietly. The faint hum of the palace around them felt almost alive, as if listening.
The fairy continued, "Normally, Crown Prince, you would have remembered this on your own. The history of Empyrean Schism is a story every child of that world knows. You should know it, too."
It fluttered a little higher, its voice softening as it began to recite.
"Long ago, before the collapse, Empyrean Schism was not known by that name. It was first called Mystic Planet. It was the first of the living worlds created by the First Guardian. At the time, the First Guardian was only two years old — that is, by the measure of Soul Realm years. But remember, time flows differently there. By your world's measure, that would be countless ages."
Akira's brows furrowed slightly. "Two years old? And he created a planet?"
"Yes," the fairy said. "Three years ago — again, by Soul Realm time — he formed Mystic Planet. But when he made it, he created only the world itself, not the life within. The planet was vast — so vast that if its material were divided, it could have birthed billions of universes. Yet, for all its beauty, it was empty. It had oceans, light, and life force, but no living souls."
The fairy's light dimmed, taking on a solemn glow.
"At that time, the God who guided the First Guardian watched in silence. The Guardian's creation was incomplete, a hollow masterpiece. But instead of destroying it, the God made a choice. The God said, 'If this world cannot birth souls of its own, then let it become a cradle for souls of the Soul Realm.' And so, the souls of the Soul Realm began to descend — not born of the world, but bound to it by resonance. Thus, Mystic Planet was born."
The fairy turned its gaze toward Akira. "That is the history of creation. Do you have any doubts?"
Akira tilted his head slightly, his tone thoughtful. "Yes. One thing doesn't make sense."
The fairy blinked, waiting.
"You said the First Guardian was two years old," Akira said slowly, "and that the world he created is three. How could he create the planet a year before he was even born? And… what was his name?"
The fairy gave a soft, airy laugh, half amused and half uneasy.
"Ah, that's the difficult part to explain. The First Guardian is not like you or me. His being transcended linear time. When he died — yes, he did die — his soul returned to the Soul Realm and began again. Now, in the Soul Realm, he is two years old once more. The creation he made remains three years old because it was born before his rebirth. His existence circles, not moves forward."
Akira blinked slowly. "So… he died and was reborn? And no one knows his name?"
The fairy nodded. "Names are sacred in the Soul Realm. They are not spoken lightly, and most are never written. The First Guardian's name is unknown now. Perhaps forgotten, perhaps sealed. And your own true name, Crown Prince — the one bound to your soul — is also a secret."
"My name?" Akira asked.
"Yes," the fairy replied. "In Empyrean Schism, true names are soul names — reflections of one's divine essence. They are not spoken before a certain age, for a name has power. Only those who have reached twelve Empyrean Schism years may speak or use their true name. You, Crown Prince, are now thirteen by that reckoning. You are allowed to use it, but you have not yet remembered it."
Akira looked down, his fingers brushing the pendant that hung near his chest. "Then… when I remember my name, I'll remember who I truly am?"
"Perhaps," the fairy said softly. "But names awaken more than memory. They awaken destiny."
Akira's gaze lifted again. "What happened to the First Guardian? Why did he die?"
The fairy's glow flickered faintly, like a candle before a storm. "He died protecting the Soul Realm. As his title says, he was the Guardian — the one who stood between creation and destruction. He fought against a great enemy, an ancient demonic being that devoured light and corrupted creation. It was that same being," the fairy's tone grew darker, "that destroyed Empyrean Schism nine years ago. The same enemy that ended the First Guardian's first life."
Akira stood still, eyes narrowing slightly. "The same enemy…"
"Yes," the fairy said gravely. "The destroyer of Empyrean Schism. The devourer of realms. It killed the First Guardian once… and it returned to finish what it started."
The air grew cold around them. The silence stretched, heavy and ancient.
Akira clenched his fist around the pendant. "Then that enemy… might still exist?"
The fairy met his gaze. "If the laws of the Soul Realm still hold — then yes. As long as fate has not undone itself, that darkness still moves somewhere between worlds."
The flicker of determination lit Akira's eyes — calm, steady, but burning deep inside.
"Then," he said quietly, "I'll find the prince. And if that thing still exists… I'll find it too."
The fairy bowed its head, its wings shimmering.
"Then, Crown Prince, your path has already begun again — the path of one who defies fate itself."