Soul Realm：Fate Change

Chapter 3 - Dark Twilight

Chapter 3

Celeste noticed I was lagging and waited, his expression somewhere between annoyed and resigned.

"Problem?" He had a way of making simple questions sound like accusations.

Living by the sacred rule of 'don't tick off the guy keeping you alive,' I hurried to catch up.

"Not at all! We can crash at my place for now." I was still blissfully unaware of the complications ahead.

"...Fine."

Celeste kept walking, and after his less-than-enthusiastic response, I had to ask: "We're seriously walking the whole way?"

He paused before answering, choosing his words carefully. "A flying Spirit Artifact would draw too much attention."

What a waste - everyone was too busy doomscrolling on their phones to notice a magic lotus soaring overhead anyway.

We walked side by side as the mountain trail widened into something more civilized. The sunrise caught his earrings, making the lotus design shimmer with a hint of red - like a drop of blood diffusing through water.

I couldn't help stealing glances, trying to be subtle about it and failing miserably.

I thought I'd been sneaky about my glances, but Mr. Guardian had apparently been counting every single one. After what must have been his last nerve snapping, he finally called me out.

"What exactly are you staring at?"

Oh great, his ears were turning pink again.

"I was just... just... just wondering if you needed to pierce your ears for that earring!" Maybe it was just a clip-on.

My nonsensical answer clearly wasn't what Celeste was expecting. He opened his mouth, closed it, and the ear with the earring turned an even brighter shade of red.

"... Ridiculous." He seemed about to storm off, then remembered he'd volunteered for this mission and had chosen me as a Divine Chosen. He managed to recover some dignity and added, "It's a Spirit Artifact. None of those mundane concerns apply."

"Oh, right, a Spirit Artifact." I remembered the giant lotus he'd shown me before crossing the lake and realized why it had seemed familiar. No wonder that giant lotus had felt familiar earlier - it matched the pattern on my jade pendant.

"But why make your Spirit Artifact an earring?" I watched it swing back and forth as he walked. "Not that there's anything wrong with that, but it seems like an unusual choice for Spirit Artifacts."

Even in an age of free expression and personal style, it was pretty rare to see a guy wearing such an ornate earring.

Celeste was quiet for a moment before asking, with genuine confusion, "Is it unusual?"

"Huh?" I quickly reconsidered my position. His puzzled response carried such authority that it made me wonder if I was the weird one for questioning it - as if wearing an earring was the most natural thing in the world for him.

"Never mind." He reverted to his icy demeanor. "If you don't like looking at it, it can take other forms."

A soft light flickered, and the earring vanished, reappearing as a brooch that looked surprisingly at home on his suit.

I leaned in for a closer look, complimenting his excellent taste.

"You... keep your distance!" Our resident ice prince was bristling again.

I recalled the giant lotus he'd shown me before crossing the lake and realized why it had seemed familiar - it matched the pattern on my pendant perfectly. Come to think of it, my feeling of familiarity when seeing the giant lotus must have been because its design was identical to the pattern on my jade pendant.

Could this be just a coincidence?

I fingered the jade pendant in my pocket - this mysterious object that had supposedly appeared with me on my grandmother's doorstep might have a more extraordinary origin than I'd thought.

Lost in thought, I fell silent, and Celeste didn't speak either. The morning wind tugged at my clothes and ruffled Fatty's fur. He nuzzled my palm and gently nibbled my fingers. For a moment, I forgot about all the death and fate business, experiencing a rare moment of peace.

The mountain path wasn't long, and we soon reached the main road. Cars rushed past, and the familiar sounds of street vendors and pedestrian chatter brought the modern world rushing back. A feeling of homecoming washed over me, bringing unexpected tears to my eyes.

Thinking about how I only had seven days to live made the tears flow even harder.

Fatty tried to burrow deeper into my arms, then planted his rear end firmly, apparently trying to comfort me with his solid presence.

"Fatty," I sniffled through my tears, "stop moving, I can't hold you anymore."

"Human!" Fatty, missing the point entirely, proudly lifted his head and puffed out his chest. "Can lean!"

A small dog's chest isn't exactly great support, and a tiny Raou's even less so. But Fatty kept squirming around restlessly, so I turned to Celeste in desperation: "Want to hold him for a bit?"

Celeste took two steps back, rejecting the offer with cold efficiency: "No."

Both Fatty and I stared at him in shock. Fatty was probably surprised that a Guardian could dislike Raous, while I was amazed at how bluntly he could refuse.

I held Fatty up Lion King style: "Come on, he's adorable! What's wrong with holding him for a minute? What if he runs away when I put him down?"

"Run!" Fatty helpfully announced.

"I need my hands free to call a cab. At this rate, I might die before we get home," I tried reasoning with him. "And I don't mean from exhaustion — I mean it might take seven days to walk there."

Though I was exaggerating and didn't even know our current location, a little dramatic flair never hurt - and look, Celeste was already considering it.

"Put it down," he instructed.

Once Fatty's four paws hit the ground, Celeste flicked his finger, and vines grew from a nearby patch of weeds to tie Fatty up. Fatty let out a string of indignant protests.

But nobody cared.

"Call your cab," Celeste made a "go ahead" gesture.

I pulled out my phone, which had finally regained signal after what felt like forever. Like a chatty friend who hadn't spoken in eight centuries, it diligently displayed every missed call, message, social media notification, and shopping alert that had accumulated.

I watched helplessly as my phone spent ten minutes freezing up from the incoming notifications flood. When it finally came back to life, the battery level showed only a thin red warning strip.

I hurriedly opened the ride-hailing app - getting home successfully was more important than returning any messages or calls.

Celeste watched me operate the phone, and when he saw me open the map to check our location, he heard my exclamation about being surprisingly close to Lotus Village, listened to my brief outpouring of nostalgia about my grandmother, and finally watched me decisively input my home address.

Moments later, Celeste observed a small black car icon on the map moving toward our blue location dot.

"You've secured transportation?" he analyzed, speaking with careful formality.

Though I was exaggerating and didn't even know our current location, a little dramatic flair never hurt - and look, Celeste was already considering it.

"Put it down," he instructed.

Once Fatty's four paws hit the ground, Celeste flicked his finger, and vines grew from a nearby patch of weeds to tie Fatty up. Fatty let out a string of indignant protests.

But nobody cared.

"Call your cab," Celeste made a "go ahead" gesture.

I pulled out my phone, which had finally regained signal after what felt like forever. Like a chatty friend who hadn't spoken in eight centuries, it diligently displayed every missed call, message, social media notification, and shopping alert that had accumulated.

I watched helplessly as my phone spent ten minutes freezing up from the incoming notifications flood. When it finally came back to life, the battery level showed only a thin red warning strip.

I hurriedly opened the ride-hailing app - getting home successfully was more important than returning any messages or calls.

Celeste watched me operate the phone, and when he saw me open the map to check our location, he heard my exclamation about being surprisingly close to Lotus Village, listened to my brief outpouring of nostalgia about grandmother, and finally watched me decisively input my home address.

Moments later, Celeste observed a small black car icon on the map moving toward our blue location dot.

"You've secured transportation?" he analyzed, speaking with careful formality.

"Yep." I tucked my phone away, then looked at Celeste curiously. "Hey, do you have phones in the Soul Realm? You don't seem very impressed by all this."

I was a bit disappointed - where was the classic 'immortal being encounters modern technology' scene? You know, the one where they're absolutely amazed by smartphones.

"Divine Chosen have phones," Celeste lowered his gaze, his thick eyelashes casting small shadows. "Guardians have their own communication bracelets."

"Do you have one?" Show me!

"I don't." Celeste's face was impassive. "I don't like communicating with others, and I have no need for it."

I suddenly remembered what he'd said earlier - the Ninth Lake had barriers, and usually no living beings entered the area. Had Celeste been living all alone by that lake?

"What's with that look?" Celeste glanced up at me.

"What look?" I pulled out my phone to check my reflection - my eyes looked clear, still the same optimistic, slightly foolish Raina.

"It's a bit like... like how the adult Raous in Lotus City look at baby Raous." Celeste stumbled over his words. "I'm not a Raou."

"Cheep!" Fatty chimed in right on cue to confirm that he was.

I got it - it was a pity. I must have felt sorry for him living alone by the lake when I heard about it. But for a Guardian, that kind of sympathetic look was probably unacceptable. After all, Guardians protect humans; they're not meant to be pitied by them.

"I analyzed the situation with my usual problem-solving mindset, adjusted my expression, and was about to change the subject. A black sedan pulled up smoothly in front of us, and Celeste moved first, opening the door and sliding his long legs in before turning back to look at me. "Coming?""

"Yes, yes!" I hurriedly untangled Fatty from the vines and followed Celeste into the car.

It felt a bit like a CEO and his secretary-s***h-maid.

The car drove smoothly along the road, and by the time we wound our way out of the mountains toward the city, it was nearly dark.

The radio softly reported current traffic conditions, and the car's heater made me drowsy.

"When we get home, we'll start looking for my soul fragments," I muttered, half-asleep.

Hearing this, the driver turned down the radio volume and kept glancing at us through the rearview mirror.

In the mirror, he saw two faces as pale as paper, accompanied by a creature that looked like a dog but wasn't quite a dog - a furry ball making sounds that alternated between sharp and deep, like a middle-aged man's voice.

Celeste was naturally pale, and I was practically dying, so being a bit pale wasn't exactly surprising. As for Fatty, those were just his snoring sounds when he slept - he really needed to go on a diet.

The driver didn't know any of this, of course. His face showed obvious terror, mixed with a hint of "I should never have accepted a ride request from the middle of nowhere."

Celeste caught the driver's eye in the rearview mirror.

"She's talking about a video game," Celeste's voice was steady and matter-of-fact, creating a new backstory for me. "She's really into gaming."

I wanted to point out that Celeste's eyes didn't look particularly normal either. So even though he'd tried to explain away my strange comment, the driver still pulled out a tissue to wipe his forehead sweat, then rubbed his palms on his pants before reaching over to turn up the heat even more.

"Ha ha, ha ha." Perhaps out of professional courtesy, he forced himself to respond to Celeste. "Kids these days do love their games. Just the other day, someone got way too into their game, didn't know who they were looking for, running down the street waving a knife and shouting 'Come out! Come out!'"

"Best not to get too absorbed in games."

No one responded, and the car fell into silence. The radio helpfully switched to a lighter program - an interview with a famous local psychologist. They were discussing urban stress, using a case study to introduce the topic.

"... Under such pressure, city residents are prone to mass hysteria, like the recent Park Hysteria Case."

The other host picked up the thread: "Our listeners must have heard about the Park Hysteria Case. It happened just recently - multiple people reported witnessing a violent assault in the city park, but there was absolutely no evidence at the scene."

"Was that me?" In my drowsy state, hearing about the park triggered something. Those witnesses must have seen me being attacked.

The driver jumped so hard he nearly hit the ceiling. He peered at me through the rearview mirror: "Ma'am, did you say something?"

Celeste glanced at my half-asleep form and blocked the driver's view: "She's talking in her sleep."

I'm not really sure how we eventually made it to my apartment building. The driver couldn't even finish his farewell speech before hitting the gas, leaving us with nothing but exhaust fumes and a lingering scent of herbs wafting from the car.

"What's his problem?" I asked, confused.

"Don't worry about it. I left something in his car - he won't stay anxious for long." Celeste's response made him sound like a villain, but I didn't dwell on it. Right now, all I wanted was to collapse into my own bed and get some proper sleep.

However, when I reached the door, I found the password wouldn't work no matter how many times I tried.

"Password incorrect."

Celeste stood behind me with his arms crossed, keeping a foot's distance from Fatty: "Are you sure this is the right apartment?"

I looked up at the unit number. The door still had the small sticker I'd gotten from buying that limited-edition milk tea.

"This is definitely it." I scratched my head, running through all my possible passwords before trying again.

"Password incorrect. System locked. Please try again in 5 minutes."

"Grr!" Seeing I still couldn't unlock the door, Fatty bounded forward and started scratching at it furiously. I quickly picked him up, worried he'd damage the door and I'd have to pay the landlord for repairs.

"Francis Fatty, we can't damage public property. "This isn't like the Soul Realm — everyone here has serious security." This door is really thick; no matter how hard you scratch, it won't open — "

Before I could finish speaking, the door creaked open just a c***k.

Fatty and I looked up simultaneously to find a hulking man standing in the doorway, towering over us. His muscular arms and chest quivered as he squeezed out a question.

"Who are you?"

----------

"Why am I so unlucky—Jenny—waaaah!"

"This isn't bad luck, it's your terrible memory! The landlord already said he was taking back the apartment - how could you forget something so important?!"

I wanted to protest - it wasn't my fault! Who wouldn't forget what happened before when they'd had a knife stuck in their neck? Though it looked like I'd only been gone a week, I'd experienced more in that week than ever before in my life.

But I couldn't tell my best friend any of this, so I just cried louder.

Upstairs at New Path Bar, Jenny alternated between poking my forehead and wiping my tears: "Where on earth did you go, Raina? I sent you so many messages and you didn't reply to any of them, called you over and over but couldn't get through. Every time it said you were out of service range. "Where could you possibly be that would be out of range? The sky?!"

"I..." I really was out of range, my dear friend. I went adventuring in another world, and brought back a deity.

But I couldn't be sure whether I was allowed to tell Jenny about the Soul Realm. Coming to the bar's upper floor was just an emergency solution after losing my home.

After repeatedly entering the wrong password, the muscular tenant had opened the door to warn me that he lived there now. Since the landlord couldn't reach me by phone, all my decorations and daily necessities had been cleared out.

With nowhere else to go, I brought Celeste and Fatty to Jenny's place. She'd mentioned before that there was an empty small room next to the storage area on the bar's second floor that could be made livable with some cleanup.

Seeing that I couldn't answer, Jenny gave up on questioning me, showing a sort of 'broken pot needs no mending' attitude: "Oh whatever! You're 22 now, I can't control you anymore." She leaned in close, sneaking glances at Celeste who was examining rock albums in the corner: "Next time you have a romantic adventure, don't turn off your phone!"

"Me?" I pointed at myself, "Him?" I pointed at Celeste.

"Well, you've got good taste," Jenny pretended to be casual while quite obviously studying Celeste's face. "But he looks so cold. Raina, since when are you into ice princes?"

He's not really an ice prince, I thought instinctively. An ice prince wouldn't conjure fields of autumn flowers or agree to come to the mortal realm to help me find my soul fragments.

"How old is he? Where's he from? What's his education? What's his job?" Jenny picked apart Celeste's qualities one by one. "And he needs you to find him a place to stay? Doesn't look like he has much money."

"Oh come on, stop!" I pushed Jenny to her feet. "Aren't you busy? This must be peak hours for the bar!"

"I'll pay you rent for this, just let us stay in this little storage room temporarily. As soon as I find a new place, we'll move out right away!"

Jenny clung to the doorframe, seemingly wanting to say more, when a shout came from downstairs - customers calling for Boss Ning to mix their drinks.

"Coming!" Jenny called back to the customers, then quickly turned back to me. "Clean up a bit first, then come downstairs. I'll treat you... both of you to dinner."

"And don't even think about not showing up! After disappearing without a trace for a week, I need some proper answers."

After the whirlwind that was Jenny left, I collapsed onto the sofa with a long sigh. Celeste had finally finished his extensive rock album investigation and was quietly stretching his stiff joints.

"Your friend is... very enthusiastic," Professor Celeste offered his assessment. "And quite imaginative."

"What could be more imaginative than the existence of a place like the Soul Realm?" I was exhausted, my vision going dark, but I hadn't forgotten our mission. "Quick, can we look for my soul fragments now?"

Celeste raised his hand slightly, and a small vine crept along his wrist, twisting forward and coiling around his fingertips. With two soft "pops," tiny green leaves sprouted on either side, forming what looked like a small vine bird.

The little bird swayed as it flew toward me, but halfway there it suddenly burst into smoke, turning to ash that drifted to the floor.

Celeste's expression changed dramatically.

Fatty whimpered and ran forward, sniffing anxiously around the ashes. I didn't understand what this meant and looked at Celeste in confusion.

"What happened?"

Celeste's face grew serious: "This is a Path-Finding Bird. It can help locate your soul fragments."

"If your soul fragments exist and can be found, it would fly in their direction; if your soul fragments are hidden, it would fall into a dormant state."

"But I've never seen it burst into flames mid-flight before."

"Huh?" I didn't quite get it. "Maybe... maybe that vine wasn't good quality?"

Celeste clearly didn't agree with this assessment, but still made another bird.

It burned up again.

Celeste tried using different plant materials to make another one.

Not only did it burn up, but it flew around erratically first.

Finally, with a thick layer of ashes on the ground, Celeste's face seemed even paler, but he was still preparing to make another gesture.

"That's enough!" I quickly ran forward to stop him. "Isn't there another way?"

"There is, but it will take longer."

"That's fine!" I perked up, feeling like I'd gotten another chance at life. "As long as it doesn't take more than seven days, anything works!"

But Celeste remained silent, and after a long while, spoke with difficulty: "There's one last method. I can communicate with the city's plants and grass, see if they've witnessed your soul fragments."

"Oh, that's not a bad idea." Like when I used to ask the neighborhood stray cats to help find other cats.

"However," he raised his eyes to look at me, his azure eyes devoid of emotion, as if delivering death's prophecy, "the Path-Finding Bird's reaction doesn't indicate that your soul fragments can be found, nor that they're hidden. There's only one possibility left."

"Your soul fragments no longer exist."

"If this theory is correct, even if I communicate with all the plants, we won't find your soul fragments. They can't find something that doesn't exist in the first place."

The room fell silent. Music from the bar drifted up faintly - a husky female voice singing about life's uncertainties.

"It's—it'll be fine!" I pretended to be casual. "You said this is just your theory, right? Maybe my soul fragments just haven't connected with the bird's signal—ah! Or maybe the signal was too strong and burned it up, right? And maybe my soul fragments just aren't compatible with bird-finding methods, haha."

Celeste let out the faintest sigh, walked to stand in front of me, and after a moment's hesitation, gently placed his hand on my head. A soft herbal fragrance enveloped me, and the uncomfortable, oppressive feelings gradually left my body. After a moment, Celeste stepped back to maintain a careful distance.

"Your emotions are unstable."

"Thank you," I sniffled, speaking softly with my head down. "I know this is causing you a lot of trouble... you didn't have to care so much about me. We're just strangers who happened to meet, you have no obligation or responsibility to help me..."

"But still, I'm begging you."

Celeste hesitated for a moment, then created a vine bracelet with a white autumn flower dangling from its end. He bent slightly, lifted my wrist, and helped me put on the bracelet.

"What's this?" I raised my hand to examine the flower closely - its petals were so thin they looked fragile.

"Communicating with plants requires considerable time and energy. When I'm not around, this will help stabilize your emotions."

Celeste looked up at me: "I will help you, until we've exhausted every possibility."

I froze, not understanding why Celeste would be so dedicated to helping a complete stranger. After thinking it through, I could only attribute it to a Guardian's natural instincts.

"What is it?" Though Celeste asked, he seemed uninterested in my answer. His eyelashes lowered as he stepped around Fatty, who was curled up on the floor, and returned to the corner to study rock band posters, apparently fascinated by the members' makeup and style.

"Nothing!" I wiped my eyes with the back of my hand and tried to sound energetic. "I'm going to help Jenny since we'll probably be staying here for a while."

New Path was a coffee shop by day and a bar by night. The owner, Jenny, operated on the principle of not letting a single penny slip away, working hard to build up a considerable customer base.

Seeing me come down to help, Jenny generously let me take over the cash register. Her cocktail shaker flew between her hands, and moments later she placed a drink that sparkled like starlight beside me.

"It's our new house special, on the house." She winked at me. "I'm thinking of calling it 'Heart River.'"

I took a sip and offered my critique: "Pretty basic name, pretty bitter taste. Jenny, did you just get dumped?"

"No more drinks for you! Next time it's just coffee!"

I laughed and dodged her attack, counting the items on the cash register. In the morning's business records, I spotted that familiar combo of Americano and basic sandwich again.

"This guy," I pointed at the register record, "he came again?"

Jenny leaned over to look, making a knowing sound before confirming my suspicion: "He comes every day now. Recently he's not just here in the mornings, but evenings too." She pointed toward the bar. "He's sitting right there!"

I looked in the direction she pointed, and the man happened to look over too. Unlike the last time I saw him when he was disheveled and depressed, the man was now well-dressed and proper. Apart from the dark circles under his eyes, his mental state seemed much improved too.

I tried to compare him with the man who killed me in the park, but I couldn't recall the latter's face at all.

"I bet he found a job," Jenny wore a knowing expression. "Right after you went missing, he transformed into what you see now, looking more like a proper person."

"Some people lose their homes, some people find jobs - fate really treats everyone differently."

"Oh, shut it." From the corner of my eye, I saw the man order a new drink and start walking toward us with his glass. I instinctively wanted to leave, but he moved too quickly, smoothly placing an iced whiskey in front of me.

"Hello." The man seemed somewhat shy, appearing to be in his early thirties. Seeing me respond to his greeting, he nervously rubbed his hands together and pushed the glass forward a bit more.

"Can I... can I get to know you?"

I laughed and dodged her attack, counting the items on the cash register. In the morning's business records, I spotted that familiar combo of Americano and basic sandwich again.

"This guy," I pointed at the register record, "he came again?"

Jenny leaned over to look, making a knowing sound before confirming my suspicion: "He comes every day now. Recently he's not just here in the mornings, but evenings too." She pointed toward the bar. "He's sitting right there!"

I looked in the direction she pointed, and the man happened to look over too. Unlike the last time I saw him when he was disheveled and depressed, the man was now well-dressed and proper. Apart from the dark circles under his eyes, his mental state seemed much improved too.

I tried to compare him with the man who killed me in the park, but I couldn't recall the latter's face at all.

"I bet he found a job," Jenny wore a knowing expression. "Right after you went missing, he transformed into what you see now, looking more like a proper person."

"Some people lose their homes, some people find jobs - fate really treats everyone differently."

"Oh, shut it." From the corner of my eye, I saw the man order a new drink and start walking toward us with his glass. I instinctively wanted to leave, but he moved too quickly, smoothly placing an iced whiskey in front of me.

"Hello." The man seemed somewhat shy, appearing to be in his early thirties. Seeing me respond to his greeting, he nervously rubbed his hands together and pushed the glass forward a bit more.

"Can I... can I get to know you?"

Upstairs at New Path Bar, in the temporary room next to the storage area.

Fatty lay in the corner playing dead, while Celeste stood under the fluorescent light, his expression dark and unreadable.

A small whirlwind spun in his palm - a basic technique for Nature Guardians. This wind was stronger than any he'd created before, its energy more concentrated, its color more pure.

Suddenly, the supposedly dead-playing Fatty flipped over and stood up, sniffing the air repeatedly before letting out a low growl. Celeste, as if sensing something too, closed his hand around the wind and turned toward the dim stairwell. Looking down at the flickering neon lights of the first floor, his eyes were as deep and unfathomable as the ocean.

"You sense it too, don't you?" he softly asked the Raou behind him.

"There's definitely Dark Twilight here."