Spirited Bonds and the Shadowed Pit
"...Don't stare at me like that."
"Ah, sorry."
There was no time to waste. Kalen needed a moment to process this utterly unfamiliar situation, but that didn't mean he wanted to delay saving Sinat for even a second.
Felisierus led the way at a full sprint, with Kalen and Tiase close behind.
They possessed a beauty that felt slightly different from humans—one that stirred the soul. If he could leisurely tour this spirit realm paradise alongside such stunning women, it would be a dream come true.
But they had to hurry, the landscapes blurring past in their periphery.
Even so, that beautiful, adorable face kept turning toward him. Tiase glanced at Kalen shyly while keeping pace.
"Th-this is my first contract... Of course, we'll part ways once this is over..."
She clenched her fists and covered her mouth bashfully. The way she bashfully lowered her gaze was utterly captivating. If Tiase were a human noble lady navigating high society, countless men would have vied for her affections, drawn to that pure, endearing charm.
It was certainly true. When Felisierus had spoken of Tiase, she'd casually let slip her regret that Kalen was her first contractor.
He recalled hearing that humans were fascinating, mysterious beings to spirits. To humans, spirits were objects of curiosity and study—and evidently, the feeling was mutual.
As those words resurfaced in his mind, Kalen nodded firmly.
They'd agreed to dissolve the contract after this, but there was no need to keep things awkward in the meantime. He'd swallowed that strange orb of light to borrow Tiase's power temporarily, but surely it was better to fight on good terms than at odds.
For a spirit to wield physical force in the human realm—especially without a proper form—was absurd. Yet this betrayer, the one entangled with Sinat, had even blackened Kalen's heart with its corruption.
Here in the spirit realm, it would be no weaker than before—likely stronger.
"You can look."
Kalen's words came after he'd just told her not to, prompting a puzzled look from Tiase.
"Then, if you please..."
With permission granted, Tiase clasped her hands behind her back and leaned in closer. It looked a bit risky at their running speed, but she casually let her eyes roam over him.
Those eyes scanned his face from every angle. He had no idea why his own cheeks were heating up, but getting closer couldn't hurt.
"Tiase."
"Yes?"
"You call her by a nickname."
Kalen met her scrutinizing gaze, then nodded toward Felisierus up ahead. Tiase's eyes widened slightly in understanding before she broke into a bright smile.
"It's a pet name."
A pet name. Sinat called him "Kal" the same way. It was like a nickname to ease familiarity, but surprisingly effective.
Understanding the context mirrored his own, Kalen listened as Tiase continued.
"Felisi's name is so long, and we've always played together, so it just stuck."
"Is it because you both hold high status?"
"High status?"
"Heirs to the royal line, right?"
Tiase tilted her head in brief confusion, then smiled as realization dawned.
"Felisi must really like you, then."
"Was it a secret?"
"No, I just phrased it in terms humans could grasp."
Tiase murmured words like "royalty" and "heir," straightening her posture as she leaned back.
"It's not exactly not a secret, though."
"...We had no choice in the rush. It was to help you understand."
Felisierus's voice slipped in between them, soft and kind in a way Kalen couldn't forget. Looking ahead, he saw her glancing back, exchanging looks with Tiase before facing forward again.
"Felisi's always so kind. If not for this situation, you two could have had a wonderful relationship."
"..."
"It was Felisi who convinced the Eckelhart monarch first."
Monarch. That single word echoing in his ear seized Kalen's full attention.
"Does that make you monarchs too?"
It was a question he'd held since the start. From Blamia's ancient texts, he'd guessed the spirit contracted to Sinat was a monarch. The links between seals and monarchs were too tangled to unravel from books alone.
"No, we're heirs. We're literally in training to become monarchs."
"Ah."
Felisierus had said the ancient betrayers were sealed by the old kings of the three realms. Their lineages played the role of imperial houses, passing down the heir training unbroken.
Piecing together the floating fragments in an instant, Kalen drew a conclusion.
"Got it. The monarchs are the kings of the three kingdoms, the ones who sealed the betrayers. You're not quite there yet, so you're heirs. That's why Felisierus contracted with Sinat after that incident."
He looked to Tiase for confirmation, and her clear eyes blinked rapidly.
"Y-yes, exactly."
"And since you're still heirs without the power to reseal them, you need me."
"You're so sharp..."
But that left one thing unexplained: why convince the monarchs at all? If the betrayer had wreaked havoc here too, couldn't a monarch just reseal it from the start? And why use the word "convince"?
As if reading his thoughts, Tiase flinched under his gaze and turned to the spirit realm scenery.
"Have you heard that the betrayer is using Sinat's body to bypass into the human realm and revive?"
"I have."
"That would bring great tragedy to Sinat's body and the human realm, but..."
Tiase trailed off, her voice thick with apology, as if the words pained her.
The rest came from ahead.
"It wouldn't affect the spirit realm."
"Revival, though."
"Revival in the human realm. If a spirit forcibly seizes a human body to revive, it can't return here."
Only then did Kalen grasp why they'd needed to "convince" anyone. The betrayer was a nightmare incarnate. A monarch would fight tooth and nail to prevent its revival here. But this workaround—reviving in the human realm instead—left the spirit realm untouched. And once done, no return.
In short: Spirits found humans intriguing, even endearing at times. They formed contracts through contract-attribute magic. But that was it.
There was no reason for the spirit realm to bear the cost of averting a disaster in the human realm.
It sounded callous at first. But Kalen had seen it—their world, not reducible to mere "spirit realm." Not just a source for human contracts and magic, but a living realm they built and inhabited.
So he understood. Why these monarchs wouldn't risk themselves for the human realm.
And he appreciated the two spirits' careful wording, mindful of hurting him.
"Thank you. And you don't need to be so delicate. I get that positions matter."
Sinat, Eliana, Selasier. He'd navigated varied bonds and tangled lines of stance.
"..."
"..."
The two spirits were stunned, realizing his sincerity. They might have thought he'd feign understanding out of convenience. Not everyone grasps others' positions—but that's why relationships involve apologies, consideration, adjustment.
Felisierus and Tiase were especially tenderhearted. They'd dreaded wounding him but braced for rebuke when he proved too perceptive. Instead, his genuine understanding brought surprise and gratitude.
"Thank you, truly."
"Me too, Kalen."
Kalen nodded as if to say, don't dwell on it. Silence followed for a while, but the air between them had softened considerably.
They ran without pause, reaching their destination swiftly.
Kalen, Felisierus, and Tiase halted before a massive pit.
An ominous darkness rippled within, its depths impossible to gauge. Like a crater from a fallen meteor, it radiated foreboding menace.
"I don't know the exact path, but the betrayer's aura will be overwhelming—the most horrific, colossal energy. Just follow that."
"Got it."
"Tiase has lent you all her power, so she'll hang back. I'll support you, but you have to seal it."
No monarch with sealing power was present. Fortunately, Kalen held Eckelhart's origin world.
"Felisierus."
"Yes."
"You're a spirit too. Why risk yourself to save Sinat?"
Felisierus looked up mid-instruction, meeting his eyes. It wasn't ignorance in his gaze—just confirmation. He wanted certainty of her heart.
"...Because I like her."
Sinat was pure. Vibrant and innocently crude at times, yes. But purely so. She saw the world unfiltered, accepting it wholesale. Otherwise, she couldn't look at Felisierus with those eyes.
Sure, she'd done dizzying things under the guise of "training" her manifestation, and named her Karyong—utterly dreadful. But Felisierus liked Sinat all the same.
She spoke from the heart, and Kalen was satisfied.
"Then let's go."
With precautions noted, it was time to save Sinat for real. As Kalen moved to leap into the pit, Felisierus grabbed him.
"...Honestly, I don't know how far it's progressed. In the worst case, Sinat might not even recognize you."
She took a deep breath before continuing.
"So..."
A short while later, three shadows plunged into the pit.
"To think these fools walked right into the tomb on their own."
The unidentified monster chuckled with its guttural rasp. Its eerie eyes fixed on the chained girl, head bowed.
"Kalen..."
Mind shattered, she murmured a name, her tears stilled.
One step. Just one more step remained.
Even if they arrived, they could do nothing.
Descendants of the one who cast him into this abyss, and the human bearing that one's power—they came here.
The monster rose for the first time since forcibly dragging the girl's soul, a sinister smile twisting its lips. To herald the prelude of long-awaited vengeance, soon to unfold.