With a trembling voice, Erold asked: "What do you know about my past?"
Karl replied: "I know a great deal… far too much." Then, he leaned down, placed his fist on the ground, and bowed his head, saying in a sharp tone: "I know enough about you… Your Majesty, King Dante."
Erold froze in his place, his eyes widening in shock. "Dante…? What is this name? Wait… a King!"
Karl: "This is the name given to you by your father, the former King Ayric Yursha, ruler of the Kingdom of Yursha."
Erold shouted irritably: "Stop! Don't mention that name again! My name is Erold… just Erold!"
Karl shook his head slowly and said: "No, your true name is Dante. Erold is merely a name you gave yourself."
A brief silence fell before Karl continued his revelation: "Your father was the King of Yursha, and your mother, Queen Lisa, was not of the Jinn, unlike your father. She was a human sorceress, distinguished by her beauty and intelligence. The King fell in love with her seven years after his first wife's death. In those days, King Ayric lived his happiest years in a long time; your mother knew how to change his heart, and even the bloodthirsty Jinn changed. Thanks to her, they lived through a period of order and prosperity."
Karl paused for a moment, then added in a sadder voice: "But everything was shattered suddenly… the King died in a mysterious accident, followed by a devastating explosion that swept through the kingdom—destruction the likes of which we had never seen before. Your mother fled the Jinn world while carrying you in her womb. She was afflicted with a strange illness, and we only managed to reach her in her final moments… we found her under a tree, trying to stay alive with potions and remedies, but the disease had overtaken her. She died smiling, instructing us not to harm humans. We thought you had died with her in her womb… but the surprise was that your birth came at the very moment of her death."
Erold placed his hand on his head, traumatized, as Karl continued coldly: "At that time, you were left in one of the villages, and a simple family took care of you… but they were killed when you were only two years old. Afterward, a merchant took you toward Egypt, and there, a bandit attacked him. He almost killed you, if it weren't for… my intervention. I am the one who delivered you to the King of Thieves himself. I handed you to him while he asked me: 'Who is this?' I replied: 'Take care of him, King of Thieves… he will be of use to you when he grows up.'"
Erold whispered: "This… is impossible…"
Karl stepped forward, his voice growing stronger: "Then, I began to see the edges of the Power of Balance emerging within you. I remembered what the King said long ago… a prophecy warned that a Jinn would obtain that power, and it also warned that one of the Jinn would destroy everything."
Erold shouted in rage: "And you made me kill you for this?!"
Karl raised his head, looked directly into his eyes, and said slowly as if uttering an eternal judgment: "Just as the prophecy said… Dante."
Erold screamed with overwhelming fury: "Don't you dare call me by that name!"
Karl replied steadily: "Whether you deny it or not… your true name is Dante Yursha, King of the Kingdom of Yursha. As for the kingdom… it has been destroyed. Your throne is there, and no one dares to approach it."
Erold asked in a faint, shocked voice: "Why?!"
Karl narrowed his eyes, his voice fading as if the memory were choking him: "Because there is a majestic presence shrouding the place… a presence that makes one's instincts scream to flee. Even I, whenever I tried to approach, found my powers fading. There is something… something extremely powerful…"
Karl stopped, placing his hand on his head as if trying to recall a missing image, then whispered: "I see red eyes glowing in the darkness… and a majestic body with six arms. But… the memory is blurred in my head…"
His voice trembled slightly, then he added regretfully: "I am sorry, Your Majesty… after my death, my memory became scattered. I don't even remember the past clearly, I don't even know exactly how I died… but I am certain of one thing… that you are the one who killed me."
The world around them began to collapse. The ground cracked, the sky crumbled into ash, and the winds tore through everything. Karl looked at Erold with a tender smile and said: "I think you are about to wake up, Your Majesty."
He stepped closer and added: "Take care of yourself… I will see you soon, King Dante."
Erold remained still, his eyes wide open, staring at Karl in astonishment and confusion as the world around him fell apart. He whispered in a fragmented voice: "Will I find you here again?"
Karl replied with calm confidence: "Of course… I will be here until your soul departs from this place." Karl added: "By the way, Your Majesty, to separate the worlds, you must head to the Kingdom of Yursha. Good luck accepting this shock; I hope you are strong enough to overcome it."
Then, Erold heard a familiar voice piercing the noise of the collapse—Jasmin's voice calling him: "Erold… Erold, wake up…!"
The world around him collapsed… everything disintegrated and vanished into an endless chaos. Suddenly, Erold caught a glimpse of a small, distant light. It began to expand bit by bit, filling his eyes and warming his heart. He took a deep breath, and the light grew stronger until he suddenly found himself in a room. The walls were calm, and the air carried a familiar scent… the scent of safety.
He stared around, his eyes adjusting to the light, and saw Jasmin sitting beside him on the bed, looking at him with eyes full of both joy and worry. She smiled and said with a voice full of relief: "You've finally woken up…"
Suddenly, she cried out while weeping: "Guys! Erold is awake!"
Jasmin's tears were falling on his face, and the joy was clear in her eyes, while Erold tried to process reality after everything he had been through. His heart was beating powerfully—a mixture of shock, relief, and gratitude for having those he loved around him.
Erold suddenly burst into hysterical laughter: "Dante, huh!"
Argus and Luce entered, stunned by this sudden laughter. Luce asked in bewilderment: "What's wrong with you, Erold?"
Erold answered, laughing through his tears: "This world…!"
Everyone fell silent for a moment, then a familiar voice was heard saying: "Hello, Erold… I was waiting for you."
Erold turned to find Astra standing before him. Jasmin ran toward her, her eyes filling with tears: "What happened to Erold, Astra?"
Astra said calmly: "Leave him to me."
Luce let out a long whistle as he looked at Astra in amazement and said: "So this is… the Lady of the Stars? She is truly beautiful!" Luce turned toward Argus, his face red with shock. Luce shouted: "Breathe, you idiot!"
Argus shouted in amazement: "Does Erold know this angel?!"
Astra intervened and said in a calm voice: "Please… leave us alone." Luce replied with a smile: "As you wish… come on, Argus." Argus replied: "If you want to leave, go alone… I won't leave an angel without a guard." Luce said angrily: "Come on, let's go out."
But Astra turned to them with a sharp tone: "Out. Now."
Everyone felt her presence… a presence that was nothing less than incredible, making hearts tremble and minds stop thinking for a moment. Majesty, beauty, and power were all gathered in the person standing before them.
Argus said, sighing: "Fine… sorry, we're leaving. What are you doing, Luce? Come on, she asked us to leave!"
Jasmin pulled them away irritably, whispering: "Stop arguing!" Then she gave Astra a long look as she stood beside Erold before closing the door behind her.
Astra approached and sat beside Erold. She was silent for a moment, then said quietly: "So… what have you learned?"
Erold replied in a hoarse voice: "Did you know all of this? About my power… about me being just a puppet in the hands of the Balance?"
Astra lowered her eyes to the ground and said in a pale voice: "I knew… everything. But, you are not a puppet. The Balance handed its power to you of its own will… after witnessing your fate. But… your fate has changed now."
Erold raised his head, his voice hesitant: "And what was that fate you were talking about before?"
Astra sighed with a heavy, heart-wrenching sound: "Your destiny was to see everyone around you die one by one… after the death of Ali, it was Jasmin's turn, then that girl Amalia and her entire village. Afterward, you meet Argus while drowning in despair, and the two of you walk the same path… but when your condition began to improve, he would sacrifice himself for you. In the end, Karl would appear to you… but you wouldn't have been able to kill him, not like what happened this time. That was when he would reveal the truth to you. With all those shocks, Arthur would disappear, and your mind would begin to collapse until the essence of the mind returned to you. Then you would kill Karl mercilessly… and take a path leading to the destruction of both the human and Jinn worlds together, as mentioned in the prophecy."
She placed her hand gently on his shoulder and looked directly into his eyes before whispering sincerely: "Whether you are Erold, or Arthur, or even Dante… you will remain the good man, the kind man, who cares for others without expecting anything in return—unlike the prophecy. You will remain the man that… I have come to admire, Erold."
Erold's eyes widened, then he let out a short, desperate laugh, closer to a breakdown than joy. He said: "Why… why are you doing this, Astra? For heaven's sake, don't tell me you admire me… this world never stops being insane! I just discovered that I am half-Jinn and half-human… that I am the king of a destroyed kingdom, born from the womb of a dead princess! Everyone who walks in my path… ends up dead. And worst of all… I possess powers I don't know if I control… or if they control me!"
Astra replied with warm eyes full of tenderness, a calm smile forming on her lips as she looked at Erold: "This is natural, Erold… it is not natural to bottle up your feelings inside. Everything you feel now is normal. Yes… I have come to admire you; in fact, the word 'admire' is far weaker than what I feel for you."
"I have watched you since you were young… out of curiosity at first, like a story, and I was impressed by the Balance's choice of you. Two years ago, I was watching you at Ra's farm. Do you remember when he collapsed from exhaustion? How you insisted on making him rest, and took all his work upon yourself so he wouldn't exhaust himself further, even though your left leg was broken? You tried not to let him notice so he wouldn't work more. Then that woman kidnapped by bandits in the desert… how you sneaked away while Ra was in a deep sleep to secretly help her and return her freedom. I wondered why someone like you had to go through such a desolate fate."
"Then… I looked inside you. I didn't see only your actions; I saw your soul: a pure soul, a bit confused… but clear as water. Since then, I didn't understand my feelings for you. I kept watching you every day, every hour, and every minute—I didn't lose sight of you for a second. And now… I understand. I saw someone whose life was and became like mine; someone who didn't choose this path. And that is how I understood."
She moved closer, her voice growing warmer and stronger: "Erold… I lived to love you, and I loved loving you, Erold. It is as if I haven't lived for millions of years; I feel as if I have just been born."
Astra looked at him with a sad face, describing her feelings: "After I saw you, I doubted my feelings, and every time I meet you, I find a happiness that no one has ever seen on my face before." Then she lowered her eyes and added sadly: "I have been known since my youth as being different among the stars… I couldn't make friends like the other star children did because of my status among them. Every time I tried to be normal, my brothers would scold me to be more serious. I lived for millions of years without any goal, only doing what was asked of me and judging among the stars. Even after the star massacre and my brothers joining me, there was nothing to fill my life… until I saw you."
Erold motioned for her to come closer, feeling sorrow for what she had been through. Astra approached, and he sat beside her, gently pulling her to lie down next to him. She was startled for a moment, but he looked at her with eyes full of warmth and said: "Continue…"
Tears began to fall from her eyes, and she whispered: "No… there's no need…" Erold interrupted her: "So… this is what you were feeling, Astra? You've had a great deal of pressure on you since you were young, and you weren't able to live like the other children because you were a Higher Star."
Erold said in a faint voice: "Astra, I do not harbor hatred for you, so do not worry. But what happened to me was something difficult to accept… I have questions, I even have powers I don't understand—powers that gather souls."
Outside, Argus was angry, his voice rising: "How is it possible for someone like Erold to know that angel?!"
Luce replied calmly, observing the situation: "That is not a human, Argus." Argus shouted: "Of course she is an angel!" Luce said quietly: "No… she isn't. She is one of the stars." Argus swallowed hard, his voice dropping: "Stars…?" Jasmin replied as she joined the conversation: "Not just an ordinary star… she is the Lady of the Stars."
Argus was shocked, losing his mind in amazement: "The Lady of the Stars herself?! What does she want from him? And what exactly is their relationship?" Jasmin smiled calmly: "She is here to help. And it is clear she harbors feelings for Erold. I'm going to go check on them."
She headed inside, saying to Luce: "Keep this madman here." She opened the door, her eyes closed (not looking yet): "How is Erold doing?" She was surprised upon entering to see Astra lying beside Erold, both of them laughing together. Jasmin shouted: "What the hell are you doing?!"
Erold smiled and invited Jasmin: "Come here, Jasmin." Jasmin ran over quickly, stunned: "What are you doing, Astra?! Have you gone mad?!" She stood between them and sat in the middle. Astra held her head with a calm smile: "Don't worry, Erold is fine, Jasmin." Erold said to her with a smile: "I'm fine, little one."
Tears began to fall from Jasmin's eyes as she said: "You idiot, you scared me… what happened to you?" Erold sighed and began telling her everything. Jasmin was shocked: "You are a king? What on earth are you talking about? Has something happened to your mind?" They all went silent, and she looked at Astra and asked: "Is what he says true?" Astra nodded: "Yes."
Jasmin was stunned: "How can you be a hybrid between Jinn and human, and possess powers that absorb the souls of creatures?" Erold said sharply: "Don't tell anyone about this, Jasmin; it might be difficult to explain to everyone." Jasmin smiled: "Alright, Erold… or should I call you Dante? Hahahaha!" Astra laughed, and Erold said with a sigh: "You are so annoying."
Arthur shouted from within: "Congratulations… we've become kings, Dante!" Erold said: "It is my name… and your name, you fool." Arthur replied: "Impossible! My name is Arthur… dammit, I won't be able to call you 'Nameless' anymore."