Everything was in chaos.
Monsters and sins clashed violently against angels in a battlefield soaked with blood and despair. Screams echoed through the skies. Fires raged in the distance.
Caelum stood frozen amidst an endless field of fallen bodies human, divine, and demonic alike.
Then, from the heavens, a radiant light pierced through the darkness.
A figure descended.
Wings of blinding light spread wide, his armor forged from divine aura. A glowing sword crackled in his hand, distorting the air around him with raw spiritual pressure.
Archangel Michaelos.
He hovered above the ground like a force beyond comprehension.
Before him stood a terrifying figure shrouded in pure black aura, massive obsidian horns twisting upward, wings like void shadows spreading across the horizon.
Lucel the King of Sins.
Their blades clashed.
The shockwave was so powerful it felt like it could rip the earth in half.
The heavens trembled. The battlefield was engulfed in light and darkness.
Michaelos raised his sword, his piercing gaze locking with Caelum's.
"Wake up… heir of will."
Caelum jolted awake.
He gasped, drenched in sweat, heart pounding like war drums.
He was lying on a bed of straw, bandages wrapped around his body.
Beside him, Sainm lay still breathing but unconscious.
The fire crackled quietly nearby, and Vulkager sat silently, staring into the flames.
Caelum sat upright, still dazed.
The memory of that battlefield, the clashing of gods and demons, the voice calling him heir of will it all lingered in his mind like a dream he couldn't fully grasp.
A strange warmth stirred in his chest… something he couldn't describe.
Still processing everything, he glanced at the fire and spoke softly.
"Thank you… sir."
The older man didn't look up from the flames. "It's fine. You're lucky I was passing by and saw that blinding light."
"Spirits must be protecting you"
"Spirits…?" Caelum asked, confused.
Vulkager finally turned, a faint smirk on his face. "You don't know? This forest is protected by the spirits of the land. Old, ancient guardians.
They watch over this place… guess they decided to watch over you too."
Before Caelum could reply, a familiar voice stirred beside him.
"Yes… we owe our thanks to you. And to the spirits," Sainm said weakly, slowly sitting up.
"Master…" Caelum's voice cracked, relief washing over him. "Thanks to you, I survived."
"Don't flatter yourself, boy." Sainm grimaced, holding his side in pain. "you protected me too."
"yes," Caelum mumbled, eyes welling up slightly despite the smile forming on his lips.
"I haven't introduced us properly," Sainm said, breaking the silence.
"My name is Sainm, and this little brat is Caelum. Pleasure meeting you."
Vulkager chuckled, giving a nod. "Pleasure's mine. Name's Vulkager."
After a moment of quiet, Vulkager leaned forward, his expression turning serious. "That man… the one wielding dark energy. He could've killed the boy. Why didn't he?"
Sainm's eyes narrowed, voice low. "Because he needs him alive."
Vulkager's brow furrowed. "Why?"
Sainm turned toward the fire, the flames casting flickering shadows across his worn face.
His voice dropped, steady but heavy.
"Who knows what those bastards are planning…"
Caelum looked up, confusion stirring in his eyes. "But… Master, he said he came to kill me."
Sainm didn't turn to look at him. Instead, he stared into the fire as if searching for something far away.
"Make no mistake… it was a lie when he claimed that."
Caelum's chest tightened. "Then… why?"
Sainm's silence lingered for a moment before he finally spoke again. "Because something or someone wants you alive, Caelum.
And that's far more dangerous than someone simply trying to kill you."
"Take rest, boy," Sainm said gently, laying a hand on Caelum's shoulder.
"We still need to reach the Spiritual Realm. Once we recover… we move."
Two days passed in quiet recovery. The wounds had healed just enough, though the pain still lingered.
Morning sunlight filtered through the forest canopy as the time came to depart.
Vulkager stood near the edge of the camp, arms crossed. "Heading out already?"
Sainm gave a respectful nod. "We're grateful, Vulkager.
Thank you for everything."
"Ahh, don't mention it," Vulkager waved off. "But Sainm… that ancient magic of yours Astralis Dominion your core won't last long if you keep using it like that."
Sainm paused, then gave a small smirk. "I know. But sometimes… we don't get to choose."
Vulkager nodded solemnly. "Then take care, both of you. And if fate wills it… we'll meet again."
Caelum and Sainm bowed in unison. The fire crackled behind them as they stepped into the unknown once more toward the Spiritual Realm.
As they reached the edge of the ancient forest, the sunlight dimmed unnaturally.
Thick clouds of mist began to roll in, curling around their feet, swallowing the trees, and shrouding everything in a ghostly silence.
Within moments, the world turned pale and distant nothing could be seen beyond a few steps.
Sainm halted, eyes narrowing. His voice dropped to a whisper.
"Caelum… be careful."
Caelum instinctively reached for his sword.
"This is the territory of the Mist Monsters," Sainm continued. "Don't move too fast. Don't speak loudly."
"…Mist Monsters?" Caelum asked quietly.
"They lure you with voices of those closest to you," Sainm said, scanning the fog. "You'll hear familiar words. See familiar faces.
But don't follow them. Don't trust your senses."
Suddenly, a soft voice floated through the fog gentle, familiar, loving.
"Caelum… my dear child…"
Caelum's eyes widened. It was his mother's voice.
He took an unconscious step forward, heart clenching
Sainm's hand shot out, grabbing his arm.
"Don't. That's not her."
The voice changed, turning twisted distorted with malice.
"…Die here like the rest."
A flicker of dark mist slithered past them, vanishing into the trees.
Caelum's grip on his blade tightened, and his breathing steadied. "Right. I'm not falling for that."
Sainm gave a nod. "Stay close. We get through this together."
They moved forward, shadows writhing in the fog step by step.Until the dense mist began to fade behind them, the forest slowly returned to view trees swaying gently, the weight of spiritual pressure lifting from their shoulders.
Caelum exhaled shakily, his eyes still darting to the sides, as if expecting the mist to return. "Master… why do those things lure us? Why not just attack?"
Sainm didn't answer at first. He stepped over a gnarled root, then finally spoke, his voice low and distant.
"…Because they can't."
Caelum blinked. "What do you mean?"
"They were once guardians of this forest," Sainm explained. "But long ago, they turned against their purpose.
They tried to consume the spirits they were meant to protect."
Caelum's eyes widened. "So…?"
"They were cursed," Sainm continued, "by the Saint of Valor himself. Their bodies lost form. Their blades lost strength. Now, all they have is voice illusion."
"They can lure, whisper, twist your mind… but they can never strike the final blow."
Caelum shivered slightly. "That's… almost worse."
Sainm nodded grimly. "It is. Being trapped in eternal hunger, unable to touch what you crave… it drives them mad.
That's why travelers lose themselves here not to violence, but to illusion."
Caelum clenched his fists. "Then I'm glad I didn't fall for it."
Sainm gave a faint smirk. "You're getting stronger. But the real trials lie ahead."
They stopped by a gentle river, its waters sparkling under shafts of light that managed to break through the forest canopy.
The tension from the misty forest had faded, replaced by the calm babble of flowing water.
Sainm knelt near the edge, splashing water on his face. "We'll rest here for the night. Caelum go catch some fish."
Caelum blinked. "Eh? But Master, I don't have a rod or net or anything…"
Sainm gave him a sharp glance. "Fool. Use your spiritual energy like I taught you that night. Shape it. Control it. Catch them with magic."
Caelum groaned, scratching the back of his head. "You make it sound so easy…"
He took a deep breath, focusing. A soft glow formed around his hand as he reached toward the water.
One fish… just one fish, come on…
Suddenly SPLASH! his spiritual thread caught something… way too big.
"Uh-oh."
A massive fish erupted from the water, slapping him across the face before escaping.
Sainm raised an eyebrow. "Impressive. You angered the fish."
"Can't I just cook berries instead…?"
"Try again. You're not eating berries tonight unless you become one."
After hours of struggle, splashing, and a few embarrassing moments of nearly falling into the river, Caelum finally emerged soaked, panting, but victorious with a large fish held above his head like a prized trophy.
"Master! Master!! I caught one!" he shouted, eyes sparkling with pride.
Sainm jolted awake from his nap under a tree, blinking slowly.
He squinted at the fish, then gave a tired nod. "Hmph… not bad. Now make a fire and cook it."
Caelum froze. "Eh? Wait I just caught it! I did the hard part already!"
Sainm closed his eyes again. "Child labor, is it? Welcome to the world, boy."
Caelum groaned, dragging his feet as he gathered wood. "I swear this is abuse in some kingdom…"
But as the fire crackled and the smell of cooked fish filled the air, a sense of peace settled over them.
Caelum glanced at his master, now quietly dozing again by the firelight.
Caelum chuckled to himself as he turned the fish over the fire, the skin starting to crisp. "Someday, I'll make you do the labor, old man," he smirked.
From behind him, a gruff voice cut through the quiet. "What was that, brat?"
Caelum nearly jumped, turning quickly. "N-Nothing! Just talking to the fish!"
Sainm sat up slowly, one eye open, unimpressed. "…You're lucky I'm too tired to throw you into that river."
Caelum let out a nervous laugh, trying not to meet his master's gaze. "Eat first, punish later?"
As Caelum handed over the cooked fish, the fire's glow flickered strangely.
Sainm's smile faded.
"…Do you feel that?" he asked, suddenly alert.
Caelum blinked. "Feel what?"
Then they both heard it.
A distant ringing sound, almost like chimes but warped, unnatural. The flames shivered. The wind died.
The stars above began to vanish, one by one.
Caelum looked up.
"…The sky…"
A strange sigil began forming above them in the darkening clouds glowing crimson, spiraling with ancient symbols which sainm recognized.
Sainm stood up instantly. "No… this can't be."
"What is it?" Caelum asked, heart racing.
Sainm's voice was grave. "We've been marked."
Then
The sigil cracked open the sky.
A colossal eye looked down upon them, unblinking, inhuman and it knew their names.