The atmosphere in the tent had shifted—tense, heavy with something no one could quite name. Vael and Kira could both feel it. Something was about to happen, something they weren't ready for.
Seraphina stood still, her eyes fixed on Clied.
"Come forward, child."
Clied hesitated. He glanced nervously at Vael, unsure of the stranger before him. His hands trembled slightly.
He didn't like being near people he didn't know. Deep inside, a voice whispered the same fear again—what if he was being given away? Abandoned again?
Vael offered him a gentle smile. "It's alright, Clied. I'm still here."
With small, uncertain steps, Clied moved toward Seraphina. He looked back several times, checking if Vael was still there, like a frightened child trying to be brave.
When he finally reached her, Seraphina knelt and took both of his hands in hers.
"You're safe. I'm just going to see a little deeper. It won't hurt... not much," she said softly.
She closed her eyes. The air inside the tent grew thick and heavy, a powerful gust of wind swirling within. Objects rattled. Kira looked around, frightened.
Vael's heart pounded. Something was wrong—he could feel it.
Clied's face twisted in pain. His breathing became shallow. He clenched his eyes shut.
Seraphina's own eyes slowly turned completely white, and then—
She was no longer in the tent.
---
She found herself standing on a dark, endless void, the same haunting place Vael had once seen.
The ground beneath her feet felt like water, but it didn't ripple. She stood as if weightless, floating in silence.
"Where am I…?" she whispered.
With a snap of her fingers, she scattered glowing specks of mana like fireflies, hoping to illuminate the space.
And then a voice came—not the same one Vael had heard before.
"Who are you?"
It echoed all around her.
Seraphina's eyes widened. The voice held no age, no tone—just raw, swirling emotion.
She answered carefully.
"Clied, it's me… Seraphina. I'm a friend of your father—of Vael. We've just met, but… we're friends now."
No reply.
The voice came again, louder, colder, more broken.
"Who are you?"
She turned and gasped. There, ahead of her, was a child—sitting with his arms around his knees, trembling. Bruised. Crying.
"Clied?" she whispered, running toward him.
She couldn't see his face—he was turned away—but something inside her knew it was him.
Then the voice began to shift. The sadness twisted into fury.
The black void morphed. Suddenly, Seraphina was floating, unable to move, as if unseen chains held her body in place. Something unseen gripped her throat, choking her slowly. Her limbs fought back, but she couldn't resist.
Then, just as quickly, the emotion in the air shifted again—into grief. The scene around her dissolved and reformed.
She now stood on a lonely island, surrounded by a vast, dark ocean. Rain poured violently from the skies. Lightning split the clouds. The earth trembled under her feet.
And then came the tsunami.
A monstrous wave, taller than the tallest buildings, rushed toward her. She turned to run—but there was nowhere to go.
She reached for her power—nothing. No mana. No core. Nothing responded.
Panic set in.
"This realm... it's not mine," she muttered. "Why can't I use my power?"
She remembered the ancient legends: In the Spiritual Realm, power doesn't belong to you—it belongs to the one who controls the realm. The authority. The God.
But Clied... was just a child.
"How can this be his realm? He's not even awakened… not even a god…!"
She barely had time to think as the wave crashed down.
---
Outside the trance, Kira had her eyes locked on Seraphina and Clied. Their bodies were still, their hands clasped, but something was wrong.
Clied's face twisted with pain. His eyes were shut tight. Tears flowed from the corners.
Seraphina, too, had tears falling from her blank, white eyes.
Vael acted quickly. He rushed forward and pried their hands apart.
As soon as the connection broke, Seraphina gasped, waking as if she had nearly drowned.
Clied collapsed, unconscious, into Vael's arms.
Seraphina knelt, her breathing shallow, her hands trembling. She didn't say a word. Her face was pale.
Vael looked at her, desperate for answers.
She stood slowly and whispered, "Later. Not here. Not in front of them."
After Seraphina regains consciousness, she pulls Vael aside while Kira watches over Clied.
Seraphina's voice is low, almost trembling.
"Vael… you didn't tell me he was like that."
Vael's brows furrow. "Like what?"
She grips his arm. "I wasn't just inside a wounded boy's core. I stepped into something vast, ancient… divine. That boy is a gate—or worse, a vessel."
"A vessel?"
"If the High Council of Awakened Authorities even senses this, they'll classify him as a Godborne, or a Forbidden Core, and they won't hesitate."
"You mean—"
"They'll wipe him out. No trial. No question. They'll say he's a threat to reality itself."
She releases his arm and looks back at the unconscious Clied.
"I've kept this secret for now. But shadows listen. Whispers spread. If they find out, not even I can protect him."
---
They left the tent in silence, Clied still unconscious in Vael's arms.
As they stepped out into the fading light of the park, Seraphina finally spoke, her voice low.
"You better take care of that kid," she said, almost like a threat. "Or I swear, I'll punch you."
Vael gave her a tired smile.
"Alright… thanks."
But deep inside, he knew—something beyond understanding had just been confirmed.
Clied was no ordinary boy.
He was something else.