Dranus (04) 052. Piercing Radiance Overwhelming the Senses
The radiance filled his vision so piercingly that it seemed impossible to ever grow accustomed to it. Faced with the true essence of the Spirit Realm, Kalen found himself at a loss for words.
It wasn't just the sunlight. The Spirit Realm itself shimmered with blinding brilliance. One might say the lines were different—the very contours that shaped the world were unmistakably unlike those of the human realm, enough to draw an involuntary gasp of awe.
It was the ideal paradise everyone dreamed of, a sight straight out of a romance-soaked novel.
Kalen stared blankly at it all until a light tap on his back snapped him back to his senses.
"There's no time...! We can't afford to just stand around. We have people to meet."
"..."
Sorry. Kalen nearly blurted it out, swallowing his surprise inwardly. He wasn't the type with a twisted personality that couldn't apologize, but he didn't consider himself one to offer apologies lightly, either. If he thought about it, the only person he'd ever sincerely apologized to was Sinat.
Was it because her tone sounded somehow more mature? For whatever reason, Kalen felt unusually flustered at nearly apologizing to Felisierus without thinking.
"What are you staring at so intently? The spirit contracted to you will be coming along, too."
"I don't have a contracted spirit."
"Are you serious? What human doesn't know their own contracted spirit?"
Kalen furrowed his brow. Her words made no sense.
1st Hierarchy magic formed the foundation, followed by 2nd Hierarchy and 3rd Hierarchy for Nature and Combat attributes, respectively. Sinat might have one, but Kalen had never studied Contract Attribute magic. Naturally, he couldn't have a contracted spirit.
As he met her gaze with clear confusion, Felisierus pressed a hand to her forehead and pointed at him.
"The second time you left and came back."
Felisierus was Sinat's spirit, naturally sticking close to her and spending most days together. Kalen had spent every day with Sinat as well—except for two occasions. The times he'd left to resolve matters with the Rakatus and Hiatt families. And the "second" one referred to his trip to the cabin during the Hiatt affair.
"What about it?"
"...You really have no idea?"
"I did try Contract attribute magic right before that, but nothing happened. That was my first and last attempt to reach the Spirit Realm."
"..."
Felisierus's eyes widened as if she were genuinely baffled, then she let out a deep sigh.
"...Tiase is going to be so disappointed. She was so excited to meet you for the first time."
Kalen could easily infer that this "Tiase" Felisierus mentioned was the spirit he'd unknowingly contracted with. Removing her hand from her forehead, she continued with a look of deep pity.
"You. Aside from when you faced Sinat and the betrayer, haven't you had a similar experience?"
What came to mind was the cave. The one he'd found on Hiatt Mountain, isolated with Selasier amid strange mists, its entrance marked with a pattern resembling Sinat and Felisierus's contract sigil.
"Yeah, the second of the three Betrayers. How could no human have encountered one in centuries, yet the same guy meets two?"
"I didn't contract a spirit there."
"The pattern on your back is the sigil of the Klaimene family... you know, Tiase's lineage."
So that's why it was similar but slightly different. It felt like an itch finally scratched.
"Haa... To think it was a forced contract."
"If I'd contracted with Tiase, why would the mark appear on my back instead of my wrist?"
"I don't know. And there aren't really rules like that to begin with. Contract marks can appear anywhere; wrists are just the most intuitive spot, so that's the norm."
He'd heard something similar before. 'The North has its own traditions.' Recalling those words helped him understand Felisierus's point. He hadn't delved deeply into the Spirit Realm anyway, so it wasn't strange that spirits had their own cultures.
"Since ancient times, my Eckelhart family and Tiase's Klaimene have been deeply intertwined. We're the same age, grew up close, and Tiase has always been... a bit like that, so I've been looking out for her...!"
Zing. Felisierus's gaze sharpened as she glared at Kalen, her eyes reprimanding him like a corrupt adult who'd lured an innocent child. It made him shrink back uncomfortably.
"Hoo... Anyway. She'll be here soon..."
Felisierus fidgeted restlessly, clearly impatient. It seemed they planned to join up with Tiase and travel together. In the meantime, Kalen had cooled his head. He'd gained some clues about the longstanding tension between Sinat and the so-called betrayers, his own bizarre Mental Image, and various frustrations had eased. Even the similar-yet-different pattern had an explanation, letting him move on.
"You said we were in a hurry. I want to check on Sinat soon, too. Can't we head out first?"
"No."
She shook her head firmly at that.
"What if our paths cross by mistake? And you didn't even know about your contract with Tiase. We have to reseal a betrayer—we can't go in an incomplete state."
She was the one who'd said they were busy. As Kalen gave her a look, she let out a small "Eut" and added,
"...No matter how rushed we are, this is essential. For your life, at least."
Stepping closer with a few strides, Felisierus faced him directly.
"You said you left your body behind and brought only your soul here, right?"
"Master would know that and protect my body."
"Correct. Then you understand what happens if your soul gets damaged or takes a near-fatal blow here?"
Her words were phrased as a question, but grasping their implication was simple enough. Few could imagine anything positive from a damaged or destroyed soul.
"My contractor is Sinat, so I can't expect perfect synergy with you. But since she called you a genius, meeting Tiase will minimize the time lag at least."
"Got it."
"The reason we're short on time... is because Sinat's soul is probably in the Tomb. If the betrayer holding her tries to possess her body in defiance of the rules, we need to hurry. That's the most likely scenario, so..."
As Felisierus explained Sinat's predicament, a clear, somewhat cute voice rang out from behind Kalen.
"Felisi!"
Turning around, Kalen saw a girl waving with a pure smile.
The girl soon scampered over on dainty legs, reaching the human and spirit.
"You need to watch your step, Tiase."
"Sorry. But I was a little late..."
The girl's mouth hung half-open. Her eyes—the palest shade of purple—fixed on the boy.
"Ah..."
It was a sigh of awe. The girl called Tiase froze mid-hug with Felisierus, staring at him. For slightly different reasons, Kalen was much the same. The intensifying resonance on his back confirmed it: this was Tiase.
Should he shake her hand? As Kalen awkwardly extended his,
"Ah, hello..."
She bowed her head politely in greeting, her hair—the same hue as her eyes—flowing gently.
Now it felt even more awkward to respond in kind. Felisierus cut in impatiently.
"Save the greetings for the human realm, Tiase. Hurry up."
"Ah, uh, y-yes."
Kalen eyed the two girls curiously and noticed Tiase's face flush bright red.
"Just a moment..."
Lowering her eyes shyly, she turned her back to them. Her hands reached behind, toward her back. A few coughs echoed, and then Tiase turned around again, cupping her hands together.
"This..."
She politely offered her joined hands to Kalen. Nestled in her neatly cupped palms shimmered a faintly moist cluster of light.
As Kalen blinked in confusion, unsure what it was,
"P-please... eat it..."
Tiase whispered, her face beet-red as she bowed her head deeply. Her voice was so tiny that Kalen froze blankly, not quite catching it.
"Hurry and eat it."
"...Where did this—"
"Normally, spirits teach spirit magic to humans after crossing to the human realm, but since this isn't the contract you wanted anyway, we're bending the rules just this once."
Kalen glanced up at Felisierus, who had turned her head away while perking up her ears. They were adorably flushed.
"We're still in heir training, so we can't seal betrayers ourselves. You'll have to use your world's power. Eating that will let you borrow Tiase's power fully for the duration."
"..."
"It doesn't work when spirits go to the human realm, but humans coming here can use this method once. So hurry...!"
Turning back, Kalen saw her ears and neck burning as if scorched. Tiase's outstretched hands trembled visibly. It was clear enough that the act embarrassed her deeply.