The Key to the Spirit World
And so the day came to leave Dragon Valley.
Sunlight, slanting even through the shade of the trees, woke Lawrence.
The boy greeted the fresh morning by packing his things first.
Though “things” was generous—he had little with him in the spirit world besides the robe Edith had sewn for him and Blackwell’s letter.
Lawrence remembered what Acheron had told him.
In the spirit world, you are closer to the shape of a soul. This current form of yours is the calm, ideal shape you yourself have drawn.
He looked back one last time at Dragon Valley.
It had certainly begun by chance.
An unexpected clash with mercenaries.
The life-or-death struggle in Spider Forest had driven the boy to the brink.
After a fierce battle, the goddess of victory had smiled upon him.
And yet, even as a victor, his body had been a wreck.
At the end of a weary road, the traveler had come face-to-face with a sanctuary that should not have existed.
It had been an adventure beyond belief.
The encounter—nothing short of miraculous—had led the boy onto a new path.
Acheron, the last guardian of Dragon Valley.
Veles, the ancient dragon preparing to set out on a far journey.
The four-legged rabbit who had shown him the true face of a neighbor.
And the little neighbors who had played with him in the valley.
He would probably never forget what had happened in Dragon Valley, no matter how much time passed.
He forced his feet forward, unwilling though they were to move.
Climbing the hill along the white path of snow, he found Acheron waiting in the gorge where Veles’s tree grew.
“You’re late.”
“I’m sorry.”
“I understand! You don’t want to be separated from us either, do you? Good thinking. Why don’t you stay here even now? It isn’t too late yet.”
Seated down, Lawrence met the rabbit’s gaze.
“Sorry. I don’t think I can do that.”
“Is that so? Well, it can’t be helped. Still, that’s all right. If you ever feel that way again, come back anytime. We’ll always welcome you, Lawrence.”
When he reached out a hand and a foot, the rabbit answered with a smile.
“Lawrence.”
He turned to face Acheron.
Their first meeting had been all wariness, but now gentleness lived in the guardian’s eyes as he looked at the boy.
“There is one last thing I would tell you.”
“I’m listening.”
“Be careful with grimoires.”
What was this supposed to mean?
“Ordinary grimoires from the mortal world aren’t a problem. After all, they were copied by humans from human magic. But there are grimoires that are not human at all—books that were originally of the spirit world.”
Acheron paused, then continued.
“They are commonly called Grimoires. I do not know whether you have heard of them.”
The boy shook his head.
He had only heard that there were magic shops, but he had never once gone to a village that actually had one.
“Human mages seal Grimoires away as forbidden books and manage them with great care. The reason is simple: they cannot endure the mysteries of the spirit world contained within them.”
“Because of cognitive concepts, I assume.”
“Indeed. Unless you have a connected mind, you are directly exposed to the influence of the spirit world. And even then, you cannot truly say you are safe. Without eyes to see, what meets those eyes is nothing more than meaningless writing. You could never hope to glimpse the true essence of the mystery. Even if you protect yourself with several mysteries, that still cannot serve as complete defense. It is the price of desiring miracles beyond your measure. To fail to preserve one’s core at the end of it is the inevitable result.”
For some reason, Lawrence felt as though he had heard something like that before.
A grimoire that drove people mad just by looking at it. Mad mages.
…It seemed like the mercenaries who had chased him through Spider Forest had said something along those lines.
“Among the Grimoires, there are forbidden books inscribed with the sorcery that brings neighbors of the spirit world into the mortal world. The ancient beings called these the Keys to the Spirit World.”
In Acheron’s hand, a black book shimmered into being.
“The Keys to the Spirit World are made up of three volumes: Lemegeton, Codex Gigas, and Al Azif. Of these, Lemegeton had been under Veles’s care.”
The moment Lawrence laid eyes on the forbidden book of the spirit world, he understood.
“That’s really…. a book?”
This was not something that could be dismissed with the word “book.”
Merely floating there, it felt as if the world itself were screaming.
The density of mana pouring from Lemegeton was so intense that it was beginning to interfere with his breathing.
“Ancient mysteries become infused with divinity simply by existing. As you say, this has already gone beyond a book and is closer to a living organism. That is why Grimoires are treated as forbidden and why they are dangerous.”
Acheron swept a branch over it.
A thick book cover settled over Lemegeton.
Once the seal was clamped over it, the forbidden book that had been gnawing at the world fell silent.
“This is a gift from me. Veles gave his permission before he set out on his far journey, so he too wished for you to become the owner of this Lemegeton.”
“You’re giving this to me…?”
“Lawrence. You were different from the other cherished children. Even though no magic was ever taught to you, you never once complained. It was remarkable. You are worthy of becoming the owner of this book.”
Something swelled painfully in his chest.
Had anyone ever recognized him this much before?
And not just anyone, but Veles and Acheron.
“Thank you.”
Lawrence accepted Lemegeton and slid his hand over the book cover.
“Three years.”
A branch blocked his hand.
“For at least the next three years, do not open Lemegeton. Keep the sealing clasp firmly bound and only begin to study it when you truly believe you are prepared.”
“Is it that insufficient?”
“Before the Keys to the Spirit World, everyone is but a tiny thing. That is with your growth taken at its fastest pace. If safety is what you seek, five years would be wiser at the very least, but…. I would like to place my hope in your potential.”
“……”
He lowered the hand that had rested on Lemegeton.
Greed would do him no good.
For now, he should simply be grateful that he had obtained the grimoire he had wanted so desperately.
“When you return to the mortal world, seek out a rift into the spirit world.”
“A rift into the spirit world… You mean the passage that brought me here.”
The broken goddess statue in the Lost Sanctuary.
That statue had led Lawrence to Dragon Valley.
“If it is true that you passed through a rift of the spirit world, then it means you were guided by the stars.”
“Would coincidence happen twice?”
He did not fully understand what guidance by the stars meant.
Still, he knew it was a miracle-like phenomenon to the neighbors of the spirit world.
“Once or twice is not the issue. What must happen at the right time will surely happen, and we call that a miracle. I am certain that you will find another rift into the spirit world, and that wherever you go, you will be loved.”
“Being a cherished child really is something extraordinary.”
“You are you, Lawrence. ‘The cherished child’ is merely an epithet draped over you. If you were not you, I would not have given you my teaching. If you were not you, Veles would not have shown you his final dream.”
His tone was certain.
It was also a warm encouragement for Lawrence as he set out upon his road.
“Lift your head. Straighten your shoulders. Put strength into your eyes and meet the world’s gaze. Do not shame the effort you have made. You are Lawrence, the one taught by the last guardian Acheron. You are the child recognized by Veles, Lord of the Wind. Wherever you go, carry that truth deep in your heart.”
He lifted his head.
He straightened his shoulders and looked at Acheron.
When the guardian saw his eyes, a satisfied look came over his face.
“Words carry the power of command, and so long as you remain aware of that fact, our names will always be with you. Do you understand?”
“Yes. I’ll keep it in mind.”
When Lawrence reached out with the thought of a handshake, Acheron opened both arms instead.
He understood what it meant.
And yet, this was a little embarrassing.
While Lawrence hesitated, Acheron pulled him into a warm embrace.
“Flower blooming in the dawn, I pray that limitless glory shall blossom upon the road you walk.”
“Please take care of yourself too, Acheron.”
The embrace shared with the last guardian carried a ticklish warmth.
Acheron shook a branch.
Veles’s tree was dyed in gold.
Falling leaves created a radiant shower of gold.
It was strikingly similar to the halo of light Lawrence had seen at the broken goddess statue.
“We’ll meet again, won’t we?”
“So long as you continue to seek the laws of this world, our paths will cross again.”
Acheron said it with utter certainty.
His voice held no hesitation.
He seemed able to sound so confident because he knew this was not the end.
That made Lawrence smile too.
If it was not the end, then that was enough.
“Then you have to stay healthy until we meet again, Acheron.”
Acheron let out a small smile, just barely visible.
“Goodbye, everyone! See you again!”
“Farewell, cherished child!”
“See you again, Lawrence!”
Having said his goodbyes, Lawrence stepped toward the golden radiance.
* * *
Golden light flowed onward.
Entrusting his body to the current, Lawrence simply drifted along with it.
Like a falling comet.
The golden radiance left behind a long trail of starshine.
A dreaming starlight. The path of a star.
A flicker of light that should never have been reachable.
Where the falling star had landed, there lay a vast lake.
A lake like the night sky itself had been poured out across the earth, glittering with starlight.
Or perhaps a cradle reflecting the stars that had fallen from the heavens.
Without thinking, he reached out a hand.
It felt as though he might be able to catch that blinding star now.
Only the path of light brushed his fingertips.
The starlight that slipped through his fingers drifted toward the far side of the lake.
He followed, and followed.
He did not give up.
Even if the star ran away, there was nowhere it could flee from here.
The trail it left behind was an excellent signpost.
The starlight grew stronger.
By the time he was submerged in a torrent of falling stars.
Before he knew it, the lake of the sea of stars had vanished, and Lawrence was a boy again.
The world narrowed around him. The alleyway shrank in upon itself.
The stench unique to backstreets stabbed into his nose.
It was Hilton Village, the place where he had once run about in a frenzy as a child.
He did not wonder why.
A pleasant pounding beat against his chest.
The boy chased the fleeing starlight down the alley.
Old memories rose to the surface.
No matter how far he ran, the end of the alley never came into view.
Slip through a few corners and buildings, and there was always a new sight waiting for him.
When he was young, he had thought that was a door leading to the world.
The idea of crossing beyond the backstreets and leaving the village was a dream too large for a child’s heart to hold.
When had that fragile understanding begun to change?
You’re alone?
He knew it.
That had probably been Lawrence’s starting point.
The one who changed the boy’s world was the Leader.
At first, he had not wanted to admit it.
Accepting the Leader’s words would mean admitting he was intoxicated by an empty dream.
He had not wanted to accept that, so he ran.
That the alleyway leading to the world would never end.
That even in a filthy back alley, a desperate wish could still bloom.
That was what he had wanted to believe.
When he burst out of the alley, a familiar hillside appeared.
Below the red-tinted sunset, four graves stood in view.
They were the graves of the friends who had dreamed of the world the Leader had shown them.
When a friend dies, at least send them off with a smile. That way, they can leave without worrying.
The tomorrow that orphans had not even been allowed to dream of.
What they wanted, what they should never even have imagined—they dreamed it together.
So even in their young hearts, they had all made up their minds.
It was all right if they could not all stay together.
So long as even one of them escaped the alleyway.
The dream would not end as a dream; it would continue, carried in the heart.
Do not spill your sorrow.
All you need do is keep it in your heart, burning.
Beyond the dream, run toward the dream.
I’ll take you into the world.
And at last, the boy seized the starlight.
The star of the night sky that he had been allowed only to look at.
The star in his hand shone with a brilliant golden hue.
He was only momentarily dazed by its beauty.
Then Lawrence realized, strangely enough, that the world around him had grown bright.
The lake of the sea of stars, once draped in deep darkness,
was now filled with countless stars.
Red, black, white, and…
Starlight blooming in a hundred colors painted an impossible, fantastical scene.
He had forgotten even the fact that he had caught one of those stars.
Lawrence stood transfixed by the miracle of a sky in full bloom.
Even if he took anything at all from the world, there would never be a sight that surpassed this one.
No matter what words were chosen, no description could ever truly explain such a wondrous vision.
It was as if he were being overwhelmed by stars in bloom.
The emotion rose beyond awe into reverence, leaving behind a strange, uplifting thrill.
The golden star slipped from his hand.
The star drifting above the lake did not run away.
As if bewitched by the starlight, Lawrence approached the water.
Amid the countless stars, there was one golden star that stood out above the rest.
He reached for it once more.
And then the golden star vanished into the lake.
Now, even if he reached out, he could not touch it.
Once it had sunk into the lake of the sea of stars, there was no way to find it again.
But that was not the end.
Starlight surged up from the lake and poured down toward the boy.
He shut his eyes reflexively.
…There was no pain.
When he opened his eyes cautiously, he saw the dreamlike sea of stars.
It was unlike the cold darkness of the night sky.
The beckoning starlight was welcoming him with warmth.
Now the golden star was right beside him.
When Lawrence instinctively tried to catch it, he stopped himself.
It began as wind and a wish. Beneath the star-filled sky, the tiny being spoke prayers and hopes toward the light that glittered above.
At last, he remembered Veles’s teaching.
That was right.
He must not seize the star.
He must not try to hold it, nor take control of it.
Why had he not realized it sooner?
The golden star had been whispering from the very beginning.
All they had to do was drift together toward the place they desired.
He entrusted himself to the flow of the stars.
One by one, the drifting starlight seeped into his body.
A warmth that tickled the heart.
A mysterious energy spreading through him from head to toe.
Ah, the laws of the world were whispering.
At last, the starlight he had longed for had taken root in his heart.
“Shadow Light.”
A golden star bloomed at his fingertips.
Dreamlike starlight that drove away even the darkness reflected in the lake of the sea of stars.
Dawn was breaking.
And before long, the starlight became more than golden radiance—it led the boy back into the world.