Chapter 3

Aelquines, the Spirit King [Revised Edition] - Chapter 3 (3/608)

Chapter 3

"Come, sit here."

"……"

While I stood there stiffly like a country bumpkin who had just arrived in the city, Arehis and the guides calmly took their seats on the sofa. Their expressions were so calm that it made me feel embarrassed for my shock.

'What, is this kind of thing normal here?'

Feeling a bit awkward, I hesitantly sat down opposite Arehis. They could at least have given me a heads-up. Though his tone was gentle, he seemed to lack any consideration.

As soon as I sat down, the atmosphere began to calm down remarkably. After a moment of contemplation, Arehis soon pulled out a square, transparent box from his robes. The box appeared to be empty, but when he opened the lid, several cards suddenly popped out. The backs were all black, and the fronts were all brightly colored.

"……?"

Seeing my puzzled expression at this unfamiliar object, Arehis continued the conversation with a different topic instead of explaining it.

"Do you know where we are?"

"Well, isn't it the afterlife?"

"Hehe, close. It's more accurately called the Spirit Realm."

"The Spirit Realm?"

"One of the four major dimensions, along with the Divine Realm, the Spirit Realm, and the Demon Realm. Unlike the Intermediate Realm, where Jihoon lived, such as Earth, these four dimensions exist independently. They are worlds that ordinary beings with physical bodies cannot easily enter. Does that make sense?"

So, in other words, you can only come here after you die?

To be honest, I couldn't understand most of what he was explaining. It all felt like a story from a completely different world (which it actually was). As I blinked in confusion, Arehis sighed and continued with a bitter smile, as if he had expected this.

"You don't need to worry too much about this part. Anyway, the role of the Spirit Realm is similar to that of the afterlife you're familiar with. We collect souls whose lives have ended and redistribute them to the afterlife. Specifically, to souls like Jihoon."

"Um, I get the general idea. So, what about me? Was I properly processed as deceased? Earlier, they said I hadn't even been born yet…."

"I'll explain everything about that now. That's why I'm here."

Arehis answered gently, then his expression turned serious as he looked at me.

"First, I want to apologize to you, Jihoon. This incident was entirely due to our mistake. There was a problem in the soul distribution process. You are a victim."

"Soul… distribution?"

It was a phrase that gave me a bad feeling from the start. When I asked with a dubious tone, Arehis nodded calmly.

"Whether a soul is walking the path of the afterlife or newly created, once it takes on a physical body, it goes through a distribution process in the Spirit Realm and follows a predetermined path of destiny. However, occasionally—though it's not common—errors in the distribution process can cause a soul to be misdirected to a different path of destiny."

"Are you saying I'm one of those cases?"

"Yes, that's correct. The probability is extremely low, less than one in a billion or even one in ten billion. It's truly regrettable that this happened. By the way, did you have any close ties with your family?"

"……!"

I was startled as if I had been burned, and Arehis sighed, as if he had expected this reaction. He looked at me with a complex expression, a mix of sympathy, guilt, and pity, and continued.

"They probably treated you indifferently because you were not part of their family's predetermined destiny. They likely found it hard to understand why they were neglecting you. 'Why do we reject this child?' Because of our mistake, you suffered wounds you didn't deserve. I'm truly sorry."

"……So, do I have a real family somewhere else?"

"You will when you find your original path. Your destiny hasn't been fulfilled yet."

It was like saying the track I had been running on was wrong from the start. I was at a loss for words, and Arehis gave me an awkward smile.

"To be honest, I was more surprised that you had been alive until now. Souls without a destiny have a weak bond with their physical bodies and can easily separate from even minor shocks."

"Hahaha…."

I had thought it was strange that I died from what didn't seem like a severe collision. However, I couldn't fully accept his explanation. The traffic accident I experienced was just a minor fender bender. I had often experienced similar levels of impact before without any issues. In fact, some of the impacts I had received in the past were more severe.

To be honest, it's not something to brag about, but in middle school, I was beaten up badly by some delinquents. Fortunately, Taejin, who happened to be passing by, saved me. Otherwise, I might have spent a few days in the hospital.

That incident led to me becoming friends with Taejin, so I remember it clearly. If the bond was supposed to break, shouldn't it have broken then?

"Ah, that's because you didn't perceive those situations as threats."

"What do you mean?"

"Your physical body was fine, but your bond with your soul was weak. In such cases, you are more affected by mental shocks than physical ones. In other words, the bond breaks when you perceive that you are 'dying.' From what I can see, you had a very strong will to live."

"……"

In any case, that strong will was quite fortunate for me. If I had died as a child, I might have wandered alone forever until I was accidentally discovered, unable to find a guide on my own. When I heard this from Arehis, I consoled myself that I wasn't entirely unlucky.

But my luck didn't end there.

* * *

"Alright, let's find your true destiny. Please look at this."

Arehis handed me the cards he had placed on the table when we first sat down. When I looked at them with a puzzled expression, he smiled gently and explained.

"These are called 'Soul Mates.'"

"Soul Mates?"

"Companions of the soul. Each color on these cards represents a destiny assigned to a soul. Since there has been a 17-year gap, you need to return to your original place as soon as possible. These Soul Mates will help you find your position."

After finishing his explanation, Arehis shuffled the cards and laid them out on the table with the black backs facing up. I looked at the face-down cards with a mix of anxiety and curiosity.

"What are we supposed to do?"

"It's simple. Just choose a card that you like."

"……Is that all?"

"Haha, it seems too simple, doesn't it? But despite appearances, the Soul Mates are created by divine power. You can trust them."

"……"

When he said 'divine power,' did he mean the highest deity?

Though I didn't feel like it, I decided to go for it, thinking there was nothing to lose. I picked a card without hesitation, as I believed that overthinking wouldn't change anything.

"I'll go with this one."

"Oh, you've made a choice? Alright, let's check it now."

Arehis nodded and flipped the card I had chosen. A vibrant color immediately caught my eye. It was a clear, sky-blue color.

Or rather, it couldn't be called just sky-blue. The color changed slightly depending on the angle, showing shades of sky-blue, white, red, and brown, appearing and disappearing in a regular pattern. Each one was beautiful in its own way.

At that moment, Arehis and the guides' faces turned pale.

"Ah! Lord Arehis!"

"This, this is—!"

"……?"

They all gasped and began to look back and forth between the card and me with wide eyes. Even without fully understanding the situation, I could tell something was wrong.

Is there something wrong with the card I chose?

Feeling increasingly anxious, I asked hesitantly.

"Um… why are you reacting like this? What's wrong?"

"Ah. This is either incredible luck or destiny… It seems we've finally found it. I'm truly relieved."

"Excuse me?"

Found what?

Confused by his cryptic answer, I looked at him with a puzzled expression. Realizing his mistake, Arehis quickly put on an apologetic face.

"Sorry, I got carried away. I didn't expect this to happen, so…."

"What exactly is going on?"

"Are you curious?"

"Ah, never mind. Can we just pick another card? I feel like I chose too hastily earlier."

But Arehis shook his head with a smile.

"Haha, it won't work. The choice of a Soul Mate isn't just about picking a card you like. Even if you were forced to choose or picked randomly, you would inevitably select the color of your destiny."

"Uh, really?"

"Yes, even if you were given another chance to choose, you would still pick this card. Because this is the color of your destiny."

Arehis paused for a moment, taking a deep breath to calm himself. His cheeks, which had been pale a moment ago, were now slightly flushed.

"I'll explain the meaning of the colors on the card. The first color of the Soul Mate represents the race of the physical body assigned to the soul."

"Race?"

"Yes. It might be unfamiliar in the world you lived in, but in the Intermediate Realm, there are countless dimensions with races other than humans. Green represents the elves, who symbolize plants; red represents humans, who symbolize passion; black represents the demons, who rule the darkness; white represents the divine beings, who symbolize sanctity; blue represents the dragons, who symbolize nobility; and gold represents the dwarves, who symbolize exceptional craftsmanship. And… this multicolored one needs some additional explanation."

"……?"

After listing the colorful races that seemed to belong in a novel, Arehis smiled and took out another set of Soul Mates, this time only four cards.

When I looked at them with a puzzled expression, Arehis encouraged me to choose again. Without knowing the reason, I focused on the Soul Mates once more. This time, I chose a card with a refreshing, sapphire-like blue color.

The moment I saw it, Arehis nodded as if he had expected it. Then, he suddenly asked me an unexpected question.

"Jihoon, in your previous life, were you often sick or had a weak constitution?"

"Um? Ah, yes, I was rather weak…."

"Did you often experience rain, typhoons, or heavy rainfall?"

"I don't remember any typhoons, but it rained a lot. Is there a problem with that?"

When I was younger, I didn't notice, but in recent years, it seemed to rain excessively in South Korea during the summer. Every year, there were reports of roads flooding and people being trapped in valleys, with heavy rainfall causing significant damage.

However, I couldn't understand why this was being brought up now. My previous life was already invalid, so what was the point of discussing it now? Besides, wasn't I supposed to be finding my original position?

"It's not a problem, but it's relevant."

"What do you mean?"

"Do you remember what I said earlier? That there are dimensions in this world with various races, not just Earth?"

"Yes, I remember."

Nodding, Arehis continued with a satisfied smile.

"Among these dimensions, there is one that is particularly renowned. We call it 'Aquadon.'"

"Aquadon?"

"It means 'First Birth.' It is the first dimension created in the Intermediate Realm and is known for its nobility and sanctity."

I wondered why he was bringing this up, but I listened quietly, suspecting it might be related to the questions he had asked earlier.

"Recently, we received news that a disaster has befallen this place. It has been over ten years since a single drop of rain has fallen across the entire continent."

"Ten years? That's not just a disaster; it's almost an apocalypse. If it hasn't rained for so long, it must have already perished, right?"

"Not yet. While there is no rain, there are no additional problems like intense sunlight or heat. Moreover, Aquadon is a world with special methods. The mages are using artificial rain to barely survive."

"Wow, mages?"

Mages, like in games, actually exist? I couldn't hide my surprise, and Arehis smiled warmly, as if looking at a cute grandchild.

"Aquadon has many particularly skilled mages. While they can't completely solve the problem, they are doing their best."

"Then what can be done? Shouldn't something be done about it?"

"Of course. Moreover, Aquadon is one of the dimensions that must not perish. All the gods in the Divine Realm once focused on Aquadon's situation and found the cause of the disaster."

"What was it?"

Perhaps because the story was so intriguing, I found myself absorbed in his words, even though it had nothing to do with me. I felt increasingly anxious and restless as the story unfolded. Arehis smiled calmly, as if he had anticipated my reaction.