Soul Realm：Fate Change

"...Raina?" "...Raina Shen?" "Raina Shen!" I jolted awake. The afternoon sunlight filtered through the coffee shop's tinted windows, gently catching my eyes. Soft jazz flowed from the speakers, mixing with the winter heating to create a drowsy atmosphere. ...Had I fallen asleep? "Raina, are you alright?" My best friend Jenny Ning's voice cut through my thoughts, her worried gaze studying my face. "You haven't seemed yourself lately. First you were passing out every night, and now you're dozing off during work hours." "Sorry, sorry, I didn't even realize it..." This had been happening more often lately - waves of inexplicable fatigue would suddenly overwhelm me. But as Jenny pointed out, previously it had only happened at night. "You're working yourself too hard." She leaned over and pulled the newspaper from my hands, still open to the job listings. "Look at you - you lost your job and didn't even take a break. You jumped straight into this coffee shop job, and when you're not there, you're rushing to interviews. Give yourself room to breathe." I stood up and stretched vigorously in the small coffee shop kitchen, my joints making satisfying popping sounds. "Ah, you don't understand. Someone like me has to work twice as hard just to get anywhere." "What do you mean, 'someone like you'?" Jenny scolded me while sorting receipts and preparing orders. "You're educated, young - no different from anyone else." "You know how unlucky I am..." The examples came easily: always picking the spoiled fruit at the market, getting "durian candy" every time I bought a durian. Tripping and spraining my ankle was routine, and I'd even been grazed by falling bricks while walking past a building. Despite having multiple job offers, I'd somehow always pick the worst company, only to have the project dissolved and get laid off shortly after... The list went on and on. They were all minor things, similar to what everyone experienced, but they happened to me more frequently than to the average person. "That's all in your head," Jenny said, pushing a loaded serving tray into my hands. "This isn't like you, Raina. Didn't you use to say you could handle anything life threw at you?" "The economy is what it is - everyone's dealing with optimization and layoffs. Don't overthink it, or you'll get stuck in your head." "This is for the man at the second window table. After this delivery, you can head home - I need to prepare for the evening shift." Jenny's coffee shop transformed into a bar at night, switching from early morning to late evening service. I checked the receipt carefully - the cheapest sandwich paired with the cheapest coffee, a familiar combination. "That man again?" "Shows up like clockwork, nine to five. I might as well be a full-time employee here. He's job hunting too - reading the same newspaper as you." The man we were discussing was a recent regular at the coffee shop, usually sitting at the second window seat, constantly marking up a crumpled newspaper. I placed the tray beside him, but he showed no reaction, muttering indistinctly to himself. His newspaper looked even more worn than in previous days, as if he hadn't gotten a new one. Looking closer, I noticed the job listings were from a month ago - was he even really job hunting? I remembered Jenny's assessment: "He seems a bit off. Be careful - people are on edge these days." But I wasn't one to judge by appearances, especially not paying customers. "It's you!" Before I could step away, everything changed in an instant. Bony fingers suddenly gripped my wrist and yanked hard. The tray went flying, cups and plates shattering against the floor with a piercing crash that shattered the coffee shop's tranquility. I turned back in horror to meet the man's fevered gaze. He grabbed my clothes with his other hand, his chapped lips moving rapidly: "It's you, it's you! I understand now! I know what they meant... it was you! Please, please..." "Sir!" I pulled at his hands, trying to break free, but the man seemed to have concentrated all his strength into his grip on me, leaving me immobile. Jenny ran out of the kitchen at the noise, customers scattered in all directions, screams and calls to the police mixing in chaos. In the midst of it all, the man pulled out a knife and plunged it deep into my neck. Pain forced tears from my eyes, and through my blurred vision, I saw a strange black mist surrounding the man. The mist crept closer and closer until it enveloped me in complete darkness...... "...Raina?" "...Raina Shen?" "Raina Shen!" I snapped awake, afternoon sunlight filtering through the coffee shop's tinted windows into my eyes. "What are you spacing out for?" Jenny nudged me aside, taking over the register from me, flashing an apologetic smile at the man in front of us. "Sorry about that - one Americano and basic sandwich, right? Cash or card?" I listened to her voice, unconsciously touching my neck where the knife had pierced me. The pain from the stabbing seemed to linger, yet I could feel my pulse beating steadily beneath my fingers. The man paid and took his receipt, settling in the second window seat. Seeing me still frozen in place, Jenny sighed almost imperceptibly: "Don't tell me losing your job twice in a row hit you that hard? Raina, your health comes first - you're scaring customers by falling asleep standing up." "I fell asleep!" So it had all been a dream, but I had no memory of closing my eyes before drifting off. Thinking back on my recent sleep patterns, I realized falling asleep had become eerily effortless. Back when I was working, insomnia and all-nighters were the norm. Could I be under more stress than I realized without knowing it? That didn't seem right - I'd always been good at handling things. Throughout my life, I never experienced major emotional swings and was skilled at processing negative feelings. People always say you're more likely to die from overwork than starve from unemployment. "Not only did you fall asleep, but you went deaf too. Your phone rang several times without waking you. Check your missed calls - don't miss any HR callbacks. That's enough for today. Go home and rest." "I'm not docking your pay or anything. Working at your best friend's shop means you can take it easy when you need to." Jenny hung my bag on my shoulder, stuffed my phone in my pocket, and finally handed me a package. "Your grandmother's package - though I'm not sure why she sent it to the shop." "I'm sorry, Jenny." I felt genuinely apologetic - regardless of the reason, affecting work was a fact. "There you go again!" Jenny ruffled my hair in frustration, pushing me toward the coffee shop door. "Can't you be less polite for once? Now go home and sleep!" "Look who's talking, Jenny Ning! Messing up my hair now - you're not that little kid who used to follow me around anymore!" The coffee shop door closed behind me, briefly letting out a mix of Jenny's mock anger and my amusement. But I wouldn't be laughing for long. "I understand, landlord. I'll pay the utilities and rent on time." I sat on a park bench, speaking submissively on the phone. "I've been renting from you for two years now and have never been late for payments." "I'm unemployed now, but I'm working part-time. There won't be any issues with rent or utilities." "... If you really don't rent me anymore, could you at least give me a few more days? I can't move out by tomorrow. I need time to find a new place—" Ah, they hung up. "Hmph! You just want the place back because you saw how nicely I fixed up that bare apartment. Acting all high and mighty just because you were born early enough to buy property when prices were good. Having a few apartments isn't that impressive!" "..." "Okay fine, having property IS impressive." I dejectedly closed my phone, staring at the distant sunset, feeling lost. Losing my job and then my carefully decorated apartment - life's blows kept falling one after another on this fresh graduate wage earner. I couldn't imagine how other girls could break down facing all this. ...But who was I? I was Raina Shen, the girl who could use the sky as a blanket if it fell. No job? Find another one. No home? Find another place. What's the big deal? I calculated that I could stay up all night, find a new place, and pack everything for moving tomorrow. When I came to my senses, I realized the sun had already set. Twilight cast long shadows on the trees, and a wind blew from somewhere, carrying this season's desolation. The weather forecast said it would snow in a few days. I shivered and decided everything could wait until I got home. As I stood up, I almost forgot my grandmother's package. I picked it up, holding it securely in my arms. The package was small and soft, with what felt like a hard square object inside when squeezed. More and more black mist engulfed me until not a trace of light remained. "What could it be?" My thoughts drifted as I recalled my recent contact with grandmother. My grandmother was a folk healer who often treated minor ailments for the village elders, earning herself a good reputation. From my earliest memories, it had just been the two of us living together in the village. After I left for university, grandmother rarely initiated contact. The occasional phone call was just to check how I was doing. She sent packages even less frequently, usually just letter-sized envelopes containing talismans meant to ward off misfortune. I wondered what grandmother had sent this time, weighing the package in my hands. It was light - perhaps clothes? The sky grew darker, and the temperature dropped steadily. "Strange... did I take a wrong turn?" I stopped and looked around. There wasn't another soul in sight, the wind had died down, and the surroundings were eerily quiet. This neighborhood park wasn't large, and I'd spent countless late nights sitting on its benches after overtime work, letting my mind wander. I should know its layout well enough to walk through blindfolded. Yet the time on my phone showed twenty minutes had passed since I'd decided to head home. A strong sense of unease crept over me, and the dream of the coffee shop suddenly invaded my thoughts. After confirming I was heading in the right direction, I quickened my pace. Fortunately, I soon saw the flickering streetlight at the park exit. Unfortunately, I heard rustling sounds behind me, like something moving on the grass. The streetlight's glow grew clearer. I nearly broke into a run, and whatever was making the rustling sounds seemed to grow more agitated as my speed increased. Three meters. I clutched grandmother's package tightly, as if whatever was inside could give me strength. Two meters. The rustling sound was almost at my back now. I suddenly accelerated, trying to create some distance. One meter. The dim streetlight was within reach, and the strange rustling had disappeared. I felt my tension ease slightly, thinking perhaps I'd just frightened myself. I was almost out of the park - surely it would be fine to look back now? I maintained a position with one foot suspended mid-step across the park boundary, ensuring I could quickly step onto the street if needed. I turned my head gradually, afraid of seeing something I shouldn't. Thankfully, there was no one behind me. People aren't unlucky all the time! I relaxed and was about to continue forward when I felt my footstep on another foot. As I turned, a man's face suddenly loomed large before my eyes. His tears dispersed like black mist, and in his raised hand gleamed a sharp knife. I instinctively lifted grandmother's package to block his attack, but the knife easily sliced through it, driving straight for my neck. "Please, please... just die!" Everything seemed to move in slow motion. The blade touched my skin, and with a squelch, the sound of blood spraying was deafening. The streetlight fell in my line of sight, and the torn package flew up, then fell heavily, spilling out a glowing jade pendant. What a shame - I never got to see what grandmother had sent me. Why did this man want to kill me? I looked up at him in confusion, my lips moving but no sound coming out. The man ignored me, wailing as increasingly dense black mist poured from his eyes, draining all color from everything it touched until only black and white remained. More and more black mist engulfed me until not a trace of light remained. "...Wake up." ...Who's talking? Has my apartment's soundproofing gotten that bad? My body feels so heavy, and my head hurts... This feels like the third time I've woken up from a dream. If this were the opening of a novel, the author would really be lacking in creativity. "Human! Roll your eyes!" "Yes, that's right. Remember, when their eyeballs move, they're close to waking. You can try rousing her." "Human! Wake up!" ...Something's l*****g me, and there's something furry against my hand. Could it be that stray dog I always feed that's found its way to me? I probably didn't feed it yesterday. Next time I should just kidnap it and take it home... I'm so tired. Since the work alarm hasn't gone off yet, it must still be early. Let me lie here a bit longer - after all, waking up early ruins the whole day. "Human! Not waking!" "Let me try... Hello friend, can you open your eyes? I'm a Guardian." Mm-hmm, and I'm an emperor from a thousand years ago. Actually, I didn't die - I achieved immortality, and I have a treasury with two hundred million in savings that needs a modern person to help me inherit. Oh Raina, Raina, have you been single for so long that you're dreaming up such a gentle male voice? None of the men you've met before come close to this. I lay there with my eyes closed, enjoying the softness of the bed, the fresh natural fragrance in the air, and this incredibly real dream. My body and mind felt completely at peace, and I was reluctant to open my eyes. Until a piercing phone alarm suddenly rang. I sat up in bed, clutching my phone and staring in shock at my surroundings. The room's layout was completely different from my familiar bedroom. The spacious forest-themed wooden cabin was bright and airy, with grass and wood fragrance carried by the wind that lifted the white gauze curtains by the wooden windows. Morning sunlight gently caressed the floral bedspread, and the room was neat and tidy, equipped with all necessary living items. Surrounding me were furry creatures I'd never seen before, varying in size but all with tiny limbs supporting round bodies, eyes like black beans, looking like sheep with ears from "Shaun the Sheep." Seeing me awake, they quickly gathered around, jumping and celebrating, their pointed ears bobbing up and down. Am I still dreaming? "Human! Human!" The fur balls spoke, their tone jubilant. I must still be dreaming. I flopped back down, staring at the ceiling. Perhaps because my movement was too sudden, it pulled at the wound on my neck, and the pain reminded me of everything that happened before I lost consciousness. The terror of near-death and that night's thick black mist suddenly enveloped me again. My breathing became rapid, my temperature rose, and my palms began to sweat. Suddenly, the bed beneath me changed. The soft straw disappeared, replaced by a large patch of green grass. The wooden cabin vanished, and a brilliant blue sky appeared above me. The fur balls scattered, bird songs grew louder, and sunlight bathed my soul. "Feeling better?" The voice I'd heard between sleep and waking appeared again. I squinted against the light to look up, and a man with golden shoulder-length hair wearing a simple white robe stood smiling not far away, holding a small white fur ball in his arms. His clothing was unlike anything I'd seen before, looking more like traditional dress from some minority ethnic group. The man's voice was gentle, like an afternoon breeze: "When I sensed your sudden anxiety, I instinctively made these changes, hoping they would help." He came to my side, bent down to place the fur ball on the ground, and then lay down as well. "Don't be afraid. You're safe now." ...How can I not be afraid when a stranger lies down beside me?! I scrambled up, backing away several steps while supporting myself on the ground, eyeing this stranger warily: "Who are you?" My reaction seemed to exceed his expectations, and after a moment of surprise, he curved his eyes in a muffled laugh: "Ahem, I thought... sorry, sorry, I should introduce myself. I'm Edwine." "You're now in the Soul Realm, on the outskirts of the Laurel Land." Soul Realm? Laurel Land? Though my geography grades weren't great in school, I knew the world's continents well enough, and this continent's name was clearly not within my understanding of the normal world. "The Soul Realm is where Guardians live. Humans chosen by Guardians to enter the Soul Realm are called Divine Chosen, and you should be one such 'Divine Chosen.'" "Guardians send invitations to Divine Chosen at appropriate times, perhaps through dreams or divine messages. Do you remember who extended the invitation to you?" A Guardian invited me? I sat there stunned, trying to process this enormous amount of information, attempting to recall any distinctive voice in my memory, but no matter how hard I thought, the only one who seemed to have invited me was the God of Death. The wound on my neck throbbed faintly. Perhaps because I had been silent for too long, Edwine coughed a few times and continued with a smile: "It's alright if you don't remember - that's normal. I think you're a special case, as I found you in the Dark Twilight." "Ding," I mentally added a sound effect, "Soul Realm Encyclopedia updated! New entry: Dark Twilight." "What is Dark Twilight?" I asked hoarsely. "Come with me." Edwine stood up and led me a short distance before stopping, pointing to a spot not far away: "Dark Twilight... you can think of it as a type of energy. That's a place that was just corrupted by Dark Twilight." He was pointing to a tree that, although still green, looked sickly and dim, as if infected by something. "Does this... um... phenomenon happen often here?" I chose my words carefully. Edwine turned to look at me when he heard my question, and I sensed something complex in his gaze before he shook his head. "Before meeting you, it had been a long time since we'd seen Dark Twilight on this scale." Dark Twilight on this scale. I mentally underlined these words, remembering what I'd seen before my "death": black mist spreading endlessly, draining all color from everything it touched. "Oh right, there was a package next to you when I saved you." Edwine lifted his right hand and with a gentle flip of his palm, produced a dark red cloth package, though the fabric had a long tear in it. "Is this yours? Check if anything's missing." The package had a long gash that looked like it had been cut by a sharp weapon. A corner of an envelope peeked out, along with a jade pendant. It was the package grandmother had sent me. I never expected that after my "death," I would have the chance to satisfy this curiosity. "Thank you." "It must be something important?" Edwine stood up, made a subtle gesture, and vines twisted and coiled beneath me, weaving themselves into a chair that lifted me up. A fur ball came running at Edwine's call, quietly settling at my feet. "I think you should have some privacy," he said, still smiling warmly. "If you need anything, you can have this Raou come find me." Sitting in this strange world, I suppressed my anxiety and opened the envelope. Familiar handwriting jumped off the page. Grandmother had written a long letter. "Raina, there's something I've kept from you all this time." "The truth is, I don't know who your parents are. You were left at my doorstep on a rainy night, wrapped in a dark red bundle. With you was this jade pendant and a note." "The note listed major events that would happen in your life - being adopted at three months old, leaving the village at 18. My clever Raina, everything on this note has come true so far." "And according to this note... your final fate is to die at age 25." "The dark energy within you is peculiar and malicious, present since birth. I found an ancient book that might hold your one chance at survival - you must go to the Soul Realm." I suddenly crumpled the letter, crushing the note detailing my fate in my fist. The Raou called "Fatty" seemed to sense my sudden surge of anxiety and despair, jumping onto my lap and whimpering as it licked my face. It took a long time before I could muster the courage to continue reading. "Raina, I know you must be devastated right now. I never wanted to tell you this, but remember when you called to tell me about suddenly losing consciousness more frequently? The nightmares, the bad luck, the restlessness?" "I'd rather believe it's true than risk dismissing it." "I used every method I could think of, every resource I could find, and could only barely discover that it might be the inexplicable dark energy within you affecting you." I remembered now - grandmother had mentioned that the dark energy within me was peculiar and malicious, present since birth, unlike anything she'd ever seen. "A few days ago, I found an ancient book left by our ancestors. Within it might lie your one chance at survival." "To dispel the dark energy, you must go to the Soul Realm." "Raina, I don't know where the Soul Realm is, so I can only tell you this first. I'll keep searching for more information, hoping to help you escape your fate of dying at 25." "Be careful and take care of yourself." "Grandmother loves you." "Human, water." Fatty nuzzled against my tears, trying to wipe them away, but I couldn't control my crying. Unable to dry my tears, Fatty called out softly and jumped down from my lap, running away. I broke down sobbing. Please, have mercy - anyone who learns they'll die in three years would cry like this, right? I clutched the jade pendant tightly, as if doing so could give me the strength to live. But I couldn't dispel my fear and confusion. Being an orphan was something I could trace and understand, and with grandmother's love, I never felt alone. But I... I was someone destined to die. The only consolation was that I had already reached the Soul Realm grandmother mentioned, but I only came here after I "died"... Unless... unless... Suddenly, a thought struck me. If that note predicting my fate was true, then wouldn't that mean I couldn't die before 25? "Am I actually still alive? Just in another world?!" Now I sat face to face with Edwine in the wooden cabin. After hours of crying and Fatty's comfort, I could finally tell him everything: the strange man, grandmother's letter, and my fated death at 25. "Am I... am I still alive?" I asked desperately. "Of course," Edwine replied gently. "The Soul Realm is simply another world parallel to the mortal realm. Coming here doesn't require losing your life." Relief flooded through me - while there's life, there's hope! "However," Edwine continued, "the 'dark energy' and 'fate' your grandmother mentioned aren't problems that Guardians can solve. We can protect humans, but we don't have the power to change fate." My brief moment of joy vanished. I truly was still that unlucky Raina Shen. "Not at all! You saved my life today - I'm already very grateful!" I forced myself to be cheerful. "If that's the case, I shouldn't impose on you any longer, so maybe I should..." "Your wound is severe," Edwine gestured vaguely at my neck. "It almost hit a major artery. You should wait until you're healed before leaving, or I'm worried you won't make it out of the Soul Realm." "In that case, let me help you with work." "Hahaha," Edwine laughed heartily, looking at Fatty beside him. "Then you can help me look after these children. I have some matters to attend to, and might not return for a while." I readily agreed. Soon I learned that while most Raous could only chirp, some, like Francis Fatty, had learned simple words. "No more eating!" I scolded the particularly round Raou. "Human! Mean!" Fatty protested, bouncing away - right into Edwine's stomach as he entered. "Oof!" Edwine let out a muffled grunt. "Are you okay?" Getting hit by Fatty could hurt - I knew from experience. "Ahem, I'm fine." Edwine's face was paler than when I first met him, and his lips had lost their color. I poured him a cup of hot tea: "Your health doesn't seem very good." "Don't worry about me," he still smiled warmly. "How about you - is your wound healed?" "All better!" I showed him my neck, where only a faint scar remained. "Very flexible." I demonstrated with some neck-stretching dance moves. "Now I just want to get back to the mortal realm and bring that knife-wielding guy to justice!" A law-abiding citizen of the new era, solving problems through legal means. "Human! Stupid!" "Where are you learning these words?!" Being so bluntly insulted by what was essentially my own pet was a first. My temper flared, and I chased after the round ball, who displayed surprising agility for his shape. In the chaos, my jade pendant fell from my pocket. "This pendant..." Edwine picked it up for me, showing confusion for the first time. The jade pendant was about the size of my palm, translucent and smooth, with intricate patterns carved into it. The design looked like a lotus flower, or perhaps a water drop - the lines were abstract, seemingly not the work of a master craftsman. "What about this pendant?" I took it back and returned it to my pocket. "Nothing." Edwine shook his head, then looked at me. "About what you mentioned before - I might have a lead. If you need to change your fate, or confirm what it is, perhaps you could find a... person." Edwine hesitated before saying that last word, as if unsure how to properly address this individual. "However..." "But what? Tell me quickly - I can handle it. Is it going to cost me dearly or something?" I couldn't help but think of all the novels I'd read, with their deals with devils and important items being pawned - it was always the same pattern. Edwine smiled and shook his head: "Nothing like that. But no one knows what this person looks like, or where exactly they live. It's said they're a reclusive individual who lives alone and deeply dislikes having other beings around." "But they're the only ones in the Soul Realm who might be able to see your fate, because they're not a Guardian - they're a Stargazer." "A Stargazer?" "In legends, only Stargazers can guide human fate. I figure if they can guide fate, they might also be able to modify it." "However, Stargazers are almost completely isolated from the world, and very few know anything about them. They might live in the southeastern part of Nova Land, but the journey there is long. Maybe it would be better to try your luck back in the mortal realm." "I want to go!" Edwine looked at me in surprise: "Are you sure?" I nodded: "Rather than rely on luck, I'd rather seek out the most powerful expert." I didn't have much time to waste. Rather than trial and error, I preferred to find him directly. It didn't matter if he pushed people away - I would persist until my sincerity moved him. I had so many things I still wanted to do. I couldn't stop worrying about my grandmother, my friends, my new home, the stray dog I fed downstairs, and all my plans for the future. Though I'd always been unlucky, it didn't matter - if I tried enough possibilities, I could find that one chance at survival. I didn't want to die. I wasn't ready for death. "In that case, I won't try to discourage you. I have a map here - head in the direction of Nova Land." Edwine gave me his hand-drawn map and also gave me some provisions and a Raou. "Remember, the most powerful Stargazer you're looking for is called Aster." I left Edwine's wooden cabin with Francis Fatty, setting out on my journey to find Aster. What I didn't know was that after I'd gone, Edwine watched my departing figure thoughtfully. Then, with a wave of his hand, he changed his attire. The simple white robe transformed into an intricately patterned cyan outer robe, and faint tattoos appeared on his neck. "That was the jade pendant you told me about, wasn't it, Aster?" He idly flipped through some letters, their pages yellowed, the handwriting on them bold and austere. "After that exchange, you never replied to any of my letters. This time, please accept this gift I'm sending you." "Don't forget to write back, Aster."