Soul Realm：Fate Change

Chapter 2 - Meeting by the Lake

"Star what? The wind's too loud, I can't hear!"

I was currently perched on a Spirit Artifact belonging to a kindly Guardian, with the wind howling so loudly at this height that we had to shout to converse.

Spirit Artifacts were the "vehicles" used by Guardians in the Soul Realm - something I'd only recently discovered. Controlling these artifacts seemed to require some advanced abilities; apparently, only more powerful Guardians could use them.

A small, warm bundle of Raou cuddled in my arms, occasionally l*****g my palm. I held it tight, glimpsing the clouds rushing past below, trying to figure out how to safely inch closer to the Guardian for easier conversation while managing my fear of heights.

Ten minutes earlier, Fatty and I had passed the same intersection for the fifth time.

I turned Edwine's hand-drawn map over and over, convinced I'd been following his directions exactly. I'm certainly not directionally challenged, so there was only one explanation for why we were going in circles.

"Edwine's map is terrible."

"Terrible!" Since leaving Edwine's cabin, Fatty seemed to only manage simple words, mostly repeating what I said, but his response now perfectly matched my thoughts.

"Right? You also think Edwine's map is awful?" I sat down and stroked his head, enjoying the fuzzy sensation as he nuzzled my palm. "If only the Soul Realm had some navigation app - Edwine would be that unreliable GPS that leads you astray."

Fatty didn't understand what GPS meant, but happily stuck out his tongue, occasionally bouncing in place.

"Along the way, we'd met several Guardians, but without exception, none knew anything about Aster. Some seemed to have a vague recollection, though it was from long ago, while most had never even heard the name. Before we got lost, a kind Guardian had directed us toward a larger settlement to ask around."

But we hadn't even reached a place where we could gather information before getting hopelessly lost.

We couldn't keep wandering like this. Even if Fatty wasn't tired, I was exhausted. Whether from my previous severe injury or something else, my stamina had noticeably declined. I'd been fine when we first set out, but now I was getting winded after just a few steps, my legs feeling weak and rubbery.

I calmly waited for my strength to return, and when I felt slightly better, I unfolded Edwine's map again, looking it over repeatedly, trying to find some hidden trick or secret I might have missed. Finally giving up, I laid the map over my face and sighed.

Though I'd been walking for many days, looking at the map, I'd barely covered one-tenth of the journey. I hadn't even reached the edge of the Laurel Land, let alone crossed over to Nova Land to find Aster's dwelling.

Walking like this simply wouldn't work. In the past, I would have taken a car, or a train for longer distances, or even a plane for the furthest trips. But now...

"That's it - a plane!" I sat up suddenly, the map falling away, startling Fatty beside me. But I was too excited by my revelation to comfort him.

I made a small visor with my hand above my eyes, looking up at the black dots occasionally flying overhead - Guardians traveling on their Spirit Artifacts.

"Though the Soul Realm doesn't have planes, it has Spirit Artifacts. If I could just find a high-ranking Guardian willing to give me a ride..."

Ten minutes later, I was sitting sideways on a giant sword with Fatty in my arms. The sword's master was a Guardian called Pearl, who spoke with a familiar southern accent.

"Ah, miss, this wind is really too loud! Say that again - which Guardian are you looking for? Star-something?"

I tried to control my urge to look at the clouds below us, carefully shifting my position to get closer to Pearl.

"Aster—derived from 'star' in 'starlight' and '-ter' in 'astronomy'"

"Hmm-" Though I couldn't see Pearl's face, I imagined their brows must have furrowed. I waited anxiously for the answer; after all, Aster was now my only hope for survival, and I desperately wanted to hear some positive news.

"I have heard of them, actually."

Perfect! I clenched my fists in a small celebration. Just as I was about to ask Pearl if they knew Aster's exact location, the next words hit me like a bucket of cold water.

"But that was a very long time ago, and no one's even sure if this Guardian actually exists."

I wanted to jump right off the giant sword.

But I quickly felt I could still struggle a bit more: "Then... then where did they live a long time ago...?"

Pearl turned back to flash me a brilliant smile, freckles dancing on their tan skin. Despite the sunny expression, their words were ice-cold: "Nobody knows that either, of course."

"It was a very... long... time ago, all just rumors, you know."

"Miss, were you perhaps tricked? Though everyone in the Soul Realm is kind-hearted, you should still be careful of pranksters."

"But this Aster you mentioned was supposedly very powerful in the legends. Miss, do you have some trouble you need help with? Tell me about it - I might know some Guardians who could help."

"After all, you're a Divine Chosen, and everyone's eager to help the Divine Chosen with their problems."

I looked at Pearl, and Pearl looked at me. Seeing no response from me, they offered an encouraging smile and expression.

"There's..." I looked toward the direction the giant sword was heading and opened my mouth.

"Yes?" Pearl's expression was warm, like encouraging a child just learning to speak.

"There's- there's- there's a bird! Ahead! There's a bird!"

I frantically leaned forward and patted Pearl's shoulder, forgetting my fear of heights. Pearl looked ahead to see a flock of migrating geese flying toward us. They hurriedly adjusted the sword's direction, and the giant blade began maneuvering like a taxi trying to merge during rush hour - sharp stops, wild swerves, and violent up-and-down bouncing.

"Urgh... Pearl, I'm getting sword-sick..."

"Ah, don't throw up here! The people below will suffer!"

"... Thinking about that makes it even worse! Urgh!"

"Ah, don't empathize with the people below! Oh no, we're about to hit the birds! Ah, please don't throw up! Oh no, we can't avoid those birds-"

"We're going to crash-!"

"Urgh!"

Pearl gave me an indecipherable look and backed away from me, holding Fatty at a distance. I weakly straightened up, my head spinning. The consecutive days of travel without proper rest, eating only wild fruits to stave off hunger - there wasn't really anything to throw up.

Passing Guardians looked at me in pairs and threes, all wearing concerned expressions as they whispered among themselves.

The near-crash had almost cost me half my life, and even though Pearl had managed to land safely at the last moment, I couldn't help wanting a little revenge.

"Are you disgusted by me?" I spoke weakly, my face pale and my voice barely a whisper.

"Hearing this, Pearl's eyes widened, and she waved her hands frantically. From the corner of my eye, I saw the Guardians watching as their expressions turned to surprise, and they began whispering more loudly and pointing."

"I thought Guardians were supposed to be accepting, but you... *sniff*... *urgh*... *sniff*."

"Miss, please don't say such things!"

Pearl frantically pulled me to sit beside them. Suddenly, a small gust of blue-green wind rose from their palms, gradually growing larger, carrying the warmth and fragrance of early spring grass sprouting. It enveloped me completely.

I suddenly remembered how it felt when my grandmother used to hold me as a child. The wind was just like her embrace - warm, dry, and deeply calming. My body felt lighter, and my emotions gradually settled. I couldn't help but feel moved by the Guardian's abilities.

"I just thought you weren't feeling well," Pearl looked at me, placing Fatty back in my arms.

"And to clear the air of certain smells."

My feelings of being moved vanished instantly.

"This is as far as I can take you. I need to go tend to my old friend." Pearl patted the now dull and damaged giant sword beside them, indicating why we couldn't continue together. "Besides, I'm not a Guardian of the Laurel Land — I need to go much further."

"Where are we now?" I opened the Edwine-brand map, trying to find our current location.

"Lotus City!" Pearl leaned over, pointing at the map. "Right here, in the middle of the Laurel Land."

"Lotus City is a good place to stop. You can rest here for a while and ask around about that what's-his-name."

"Aster."

Saying goodbye to Pearl, I finally took a good look at my surroundings. This seemed to be the outskirts of a forest near a city. Smoke rose from chimneys among the trees, and in the distance, I could see the white spires of city buildings. It didn't look much different from the world I came from - none of the cold grandeur I'd imagined for a place where divine beings gathered. It even felt somewhat familiar.

Like Lotus Village.

"Lotus City is one of the core cities of the Laurel Land, without as many rules as other central cities. Guardians from all directions settle here to live. The facilities are complete, and news travels fast."

"Though you'll have to cross a large forest outside Lotus City before reaching the city gates, that's nothing unusual in the Laurel Land, where the Nature Spirit resides." Looking at Edwine's map, I found Lotus City's location while recalling Pearl's words, walking along the small path toward the city gates.

Fatty bounced along beside me, occasionally running off to dive into patches of lavender flowers, sniffing enthusiastically. Sometimes Guardians would pass by carrying baskets, and Fatty would run to their feet, using his flashing bean-eyes to earn their praise and snacks.

"It would be great if we could find news about Aster in Lotus City." To this day, I knew nothing about Aster's gender, age, or appearance.

Originally, when leaving Edwine's cabin, I'd been full of ambition. Finding Aster had seemed just a matter of time - if the person really existed, they must have left some traces. Now I couldn't help but hesitate. The Soul Realm was so vast - would searching for someone who only existed in rumors really yield results? Perhaps I should look for another way.

Though I had doubts, my feet didn't stop. As if I'd memorized the map perfectly, I smoothly walked out of the forest. But I immediately froze - according to Edwine's map, the city gates should be right after the forest, but instead I faced a vast lake that stretched beyond sight.

"Where's the city?"

After going in circles several times, I found myself back at the lakeside.

"This is crazy. I've been walking straight ahead - how did I end up back here? Am I trapped by this lake?" I angrily tossed a stone into the water. Fatty, on the other hand, seemed delighted, chasing after occasional wild rabbits that appeared near the shore.

"Getting lost once is a chance, twice is a pattern. Oh well, guess today's not a good day for traveling."

I crouched down dejectedly, absently touching the small white flowers by the lake while staring at the misty water surface in the distance.

The unnamed lake was eerily quiet, without a single ripple, not even signs of fish activity. If there were fish, I could have the big one and Fatty could have the small one, I...

Wait, where did Fatty go?!

I jumped to my feet. The lakeside was silent, the wind creating waves through the grass tips, but beyond that, there was no sign of any other living creature. Fatty, who had been chasing rabbits nearby just moments ago, had vanished completely.

The terror from being hunted in the park by that mysterious man came rushing back. The blood in my body seemed to flow backward, leaving my hands and feet cold and numb.

"Fatty... Francis Fatty!" I called out while mentally kicking myself for giving him such a long name - his little brain probably couldn't process that I was calling him.

I stumbled along the lakeside in a panic, gradually feeling my vision darkening as I struggled to catch my breath, forcing myself to stop. The fruitless search made my anxiety grow stronger and stronger. Images of terrible things happening to Fatty flashed through my mind, tears already welling up in my eyes, when suddenly I noticed fresh small footprints in the damp, soft ground by the lake, leading toward the forest.

"Are these Raou footprints? Is it Fatty?"

I followed the footprints at a run, and in the distance near the forest, I caught sight of a gray-white furry ball - it was Fatty!

"Fatty!"

I called out loudly, then immediately noticed there was someone else facing him.

It was a young man wearing a plain dark robe, with silver hair that stood out starkly in the evening forest. He stood face-to-face with Fatty, who unusually displayed a defensive stance. The atmosphere seemed somewhat tense.

"Something seems off," I swallowed nervously, "I need to figure out how to rescue Fatty."

By now I had mentally placed the young man in the enemy camp. Seeing he didn't appear to be armed, I felt slightly relieved.

I snuck closer behind a tree, carefully observing, and only then noticed there was also an unremarkable wild rabbit between the young man and Fatty.

"What's going on - are they fighting over the same rabbit? What's so special about this rabbit? Wait, the rabbit seems to have whip-like injuries, and it's standing closer to Fatty. Did this young man cause those injuries? Did Fatty discover this and is now protecting the rabbit? Then this man must be... must be torturing animals!"

Thinking about it, I'd never heard of Guardians harming other creatures, but just as people could be good or bad, perhaps Guardians were the same. I couldn't let my guard down.

I tried to get a better look, but my foot shifted and stepped on a twig, making a slight sound.

"Who's there!" The young man sharply turned his head toward my hiding place.

In that moment of distraction, the rabbit suddenly sprang up, and both man and Raou on either side of it moved into action.

Fatty leaped up with the rabbit, letting out a low growl toward the young man. Distracted by me, the young man's reaction was delayed, but his expression turned severe as he raised his hand. Thorny vines suddenly shot up around him, their sharp points aimed directly at both the rabbit and Fatty.

I became even more convinced that Fatty was protecting the rabbit from the man's a***e. Seeing the sharp thorns about to impale both the rabbit and Fatty, I couldn't help but run out.

"Wait!"

Fatty noticed me and let out a chirping cry, but the young man didn't even turn to look at me, his attention completely focused on the rabbit.

The rabbit, as if possessing intelligence, immediately changed direction upon hearing my voice and charged straight toward me.

"Look out!" Seeing the rabbit running toward me, the young man turned and made another gesture. "Arise, autumn flowers!"

In an instant, the lakeside seemed to twist seasons into full spring. White flowers spread outward from the young man's position, and wind carried the petals straight at the rabbit, trapping it in the middle. The rabbit found its path blocked and couldn't break free left or right, letting out angry snarls.

Even I, with no supernatural powers, could now tell something was wrong with the rabbit. I stepped backward, trying to maintain a safe distance.

My retreat somehow enraged the rabbit. It gathered an inexplicable burst of strength and violently broke through the barrier of petals.

I raised my arms to defend myself, but the rabbit ignored this, viciously biting my hand with such force that I realized its earlier burst of strength must have been specifically for this attack.

A bone-chilling coldness spread from the rabbit's bite through my limbs. The familiar suffocation matched exactly how I'd felt when engulfed by the black mist. I remembered what Edwine had once said - this was Dark Twilight.

"Hiss!" The rabbit's eyes were blood-red, and after biting me, it collapsed unconscious.

Only then did I realize that my initial failure to spot the rabbit wasn't because of its small size or dull color, but because it had faded to black and white under the influence of Dark Twilight.

The young man appeared before me in one breath and firmly grasped my arm. "Are you alright!"

"Dark... Twilight." Seeing me shivering and unable to form complete sentences, he immediately made a gesture. After a flash of green light, a small leaf covered my wound.

The leaf seemed to be absorbing the Dark Twilight from my body. As the leaf withered, I gradually regained my body temperature.

Seeing me breathing heavily after my near-death experience, the young man coldly released my arm. A soft vine quietly emerged from behind me, and in the blink of an eye bound my arm in place. I stared at him wide-eyed, admiring his deep-set features while feeling like crying.

"I'm sorry I misunderstood and disrupted your plan to repel the Dark Twilight. Please be magnanimous and don't hold it against me."

If he made me do chores to repay him for using up his divine power, who knows when I'd be able to find Aster.

"You know about Dark Twilight?" Instead of caring about helping me, the young man seemed wary about my knowledge of Dark Twilight. I immediately explained everything - being attacked by Dark Twilight, being saved by Edwine, discovering I would die at 25, and setting out to find Aster. The young man studied me, seemingly judging whether I was lying.

Meanwhile, Fatty had run over, and we both crouched in a line, looking up at him expectantly.

After what seemed like forever, the vines loosened, and a hand was extended toward me.

The young man helped me up. "I apologize. There's a barrier around the lake, normally no people or animals come in."

So he thought I had ulterior motives for getting in? Well, getting lost really led me into big trouble.

I silently complained in my heart but didn't dare say it aloud, afraid he'd bind me with vines again. I took his hand for support - his knuckles were well-defined, and unlike his cold demeanor, his touch was cool and smooth like fine jade. But I couldn't hold on for long; as soon as he saw I was steady, he withdrew his hand and walked away without hesitation.

"Wait!"

"Something else?"

"Yes, yes!" I grabbed his sleeve, thinking quickly under his disapproving gaze. He looked like a powerful Guardian - perhaps he knew more about Aster.

Having made up my mind, I gave him a determined look. "Do you... do you know Aster?"

"Aster?" A rare look of confusion crossed the young man's face. He repeated the name softly, as if tasting it.

I tentatively interrupted his contemplation. "Do you know them?"

The young man didn't answer.

"Seems like you haven't heard of them either." I slowly released his sleeve, hiding my disappointment as I picked up Fatty, preparing to leave. "Sorry to bother you, we'll go now."

Perhaps... perhaps Aster was just a name Edwine made up to appease me. Maybe there was no such person in the Soul Realm, and I had no chance to change my fate.

Perhaps that note predicting my fate was fabricated, none of it was real. After all, fate and dark energy might not even exist, and my grandmother wasn't really a witch doctor, just an ordinary village healer.

Something felt wrong - I felt so tired, so exhausted. My legs felt like they weighed thousands of pounds, completely impossible to lift.

I weakly patted Fatty's head. "Fatty, have you gotten heavier again?"

Fatty made anxious chirping sounds. "Human! Human!"

"There's no one else here." My vision kept darkening, and my hands were so weak I could barely hold Fatty. Fatty tried to grip my hand but couldn't manage it, finally landing on the ground and hopping anxiously around me.

"Human!"

"Be good, I'll hold you again in a bit, just let me rest..." I slowly sat down on the ground, then lay back. In my field of vision, the moon's light gradually dimmed, then was blocked by a large shadow.

The shadow had eyes and a nose - it was the young man.

Lying on the ground, in the moonlight, I suddenly noticed his hair wasn't pure silver but had strands of blue mixed in. He stood looking down at me while Fatty pushed at his leg and licked my face.

"You're dying," the young man said matter-of-factly.

Yes, according to the prophecy, I would die at 25 - in three years.

"It won't wait until you're 25. You're dying now."

I tried my best to open my eyes wide to express my surprise, but unexpectedly, I wasn't as panicked as I should have been. Perhaps life and death were truly fated - humans were like ants before the vast power of destiny, and struggling would only make fate laugh.

I instinctively knew this kind of thinking was wrong, but feelings of emptiness, despair, and futility pulled me endlessly downward in my consciousness. I was willing to give up my life, to stop searching for ways to survive, to let everything end on this moonlit night.

A small emerald vine quietly wound around my finger, pulling me back from my confused consciousness. I found some strength to speak again.

"...Why...?"

"What?" The young man's beautiful eyebrows furrowed, seemingly unable to hear what I was asking.

"I said, why... why am I dying now?"

He understood now, bending down to lightly touch my forehead with his slender finger. "You're missing a soul fragment and a spirit essence. Your body is now full of vulnerabilities."

I'm missing... a soul fragment and spirit essence?

I tried to concentrate, to feel the changes within my body, but as a mortal, I couldn't see the "field" the young man spoke of, nor could I detect anything different about myself.

But I could feel my consciousness dispersing, my senses gradually deteriorating.

The young man's voice remained clear as he slowly and concisely explained his theory: "You said you might have encountered Dark Twilight in the mortal realm and woke up in the Soul Realm, which means you're not a Divine Chosen who came through normal channels."

"Your soul fragment and spirit essence might still be in the mortal realm. If you find them soon enough, you'll have a chance to survive."

A chance to survive.

"But... I'm about to die now." My throat felt terribly dry, each word feeling like hot sand grinding against my throat.

The young man flipped his right hand, and green wind carrying leaves and branches swirled in his palm. Soon a seed fell into his palm, which he sent into my brow through the finger touching my forehead.

An indescribable warmth flowed through my body, and I instinctively thought of the phrase "life force."

"Ah, my throat feels better." Strength returned to my body, and those thoughts about dying right here had vanished. If before I was near death, now I was just barely alive.

"Thank you. What was that?" I gestured to mimic the seed's shape.

"It's... it's my return gift."

"What? What return gift?" I hadn't caught his words clearly, but before I could ask further, he changed the subject.

"The seed can only provide your life with seven days of energy. You must find your soul fragment and spirit essence within these seven days. You need to return to the mortal realm now."

"Yes, yes." I found myself automatically following his suggestion, but quickly caught myself. "But how do I get back to the mortal realm?"

Before this, returning to the mortal realm hadn't even been an option. I'd only had the vague goal of finding someone called "Aster." I hadn't even entered the Soul Realm through normal channels - I didn't know who or what force had thrown me into this mysterious world.

"I'll take you back."

"What?" I thought I must be hearing things.

The young man stood there like a tall ink bamboo, pointing first at me, then at himself. "You and me, together. Now get up from the ground, stop lying there staring at me."

"Oh, oh," I scrambled up, "you're coming with me?"

"This lake is called the Ninth Lake - it connects the Soul Realm and the mortal realm. The stars are aligned properly today, we should leave immediately."

I was shocked that this young man was willing to accompany me to the mortal realm to find my soul fragment and spirit essence, and confused because the name "Ninth Lake" sounded oddly familiar. While I was still processing which topic to discuss first, I watched helplessly as the young man walked toward a dock by the lake, leaving me stammering.

"You... I... ah, this lake... we're crossing it in a small wooden boat?"

The young man's hand paused briefly while untying the mooring rope, then continued as if nothing had happened, asking coldly: "Do you have objections?"

I hurried over with Fatty in my arms, eager to show my helpfulness. "No objections, no objections at all. It's just that I saw you could repel Dark Twilight and detect my missing soul fragment - you must be a very powerful Guardian. I thought we'd be using a Spirit Artifact to leave." Something felt off about this logic, but I couldn't worry about that now.

"Spirit Artifact? I have one." The young man flipped his hand, and a giant lotus flower whose shape seemed familiar appeared in the air, then quickly vanished. "But crossing by boat is more convenient."

Before I could figure out where I'd seen that lotus before, or understand why crossing by boat would be more convenient, I was urged onto the boat by the young man. A clear breeze stirred, and the wooden boat swayed gently toward the other end of the lake. Mist from the lake surface swirled around me, and I felt my mood expand like the lake's surface - the future seemed bright with possibility again.

"Great Spirit, my name is Raina Shen. I still don't know your name?"

The young man was silent for a moment before uttering a name: "Celeste."

"Great Spirit Celeste, what a wonderful name!"

"...No need for 'Great Spirit,' just call me by my name."

"Alright, alright, Celeste..." Perhaps my smile looked too foolish, because Celeste glanced at me twice before sighing helplessly. Before the mist grew too thick, he crouched in front of me, placing his palm over my eyes.

"The lake's mist is affecting you. Don't speak, hold your breath."

The question I was about to ask was swallowed back, and after losing my vision and quieting my breathing, my skin's sensitivity increased. The lake's mist had none of the heavy stickiness I expected - instead, it went to the other extreme, feeling like countless lightweight bubbles lifting my soul, as if I might float up to the moon and clouds.

At some moment, my body felt heavy, as if my soul had returned to its vessel. Then I could see clearly again, and my skin felt the familiar cold. The small boat had stopped at the lakeside - I was back in the mortal realm.

"To find the soul fragment and spirit essence, where should we go-- Oh? You... are you Celeste?"

I turned around and got a shock.

I saw a tall man in a black suit standing at the bow, though his face was still Celeste's face. His long hair had become short and black, with only his eye color remaining the same.

The suit accentuated his figure perfectly - long legs, broad shoulders, narrow waist. I couldn't help but stare.

"What are you looking at?" He frowned at me.

I quickly looked away. "Haha, no- nothing..."

Seemingly suspicious of my concealment, Celeste looked at me doubtfully, until I raised my hand and swore I absolutely wasn't secretly judging him, just concerned whether he'd be cold wearing a suit in this weather. Only then did he let out a light snort and step off the boat.

"Guardians don't worry about such things."

"Well, that's convenient..."

I hugged Fatty and huffed along behind him. After a few steps, I wasn't paying attention and bumped into his back.

"Don't stay so close." His tone carried a hint of fluster.

"Oh, sorry... where are we going next?"

"First, find a place to rest properly. You'll need your strength to search for your missing soul."

He turned and continued forward after speaking, and I followed, feeling like his ears had turned a bit red.

Wait, was he... embarrassed?

My gaze lingered on his reddened ears and suddenly froze.

Celeste was wearing an earring shaped like a lotus flower, or perhaps a water drop.

Exactly like the pattern on my jade pendant.