Yggdrasil stood tall and mighty, overlooking the worlds below it. On one of its branches sat a confused young man by a being that rivaled gods. The words the Spirits Sovereign left Arthur with more questions. 

'I made that choice before?' 

The fact sat down beside him on the branch, alienating and refusing to sink into his mind. It wasn't something he could easily accept because that implied many things, and it revealed a lot more. 

'The person whom the Sovereign compared me to must be the First Seeker, the man who found the Spirits Realm and bargained his ability to feel for the empowerment of the human race.' 

This fact, concluded by the Sovereign's unelaborated words, proposed one further question: was Jizo the first seeker, and who the Sovereign talked about?

'I also thought Rega was talking about Jizo, but it said the scholar was the one following 'me,' and that means there was someone else that they mistake me for,' Arthur realized, and a sigh escaped his mouth. 

In the beginning, he only wanted to know where his father was. Now, he learned that his father was thrown into a different timeline, the same as Arthur. This made it more difficult for him to find his father. In the beginning, it was only a question of where, but now it was also a question of when. 

Arthur stood up from the branch as he began to feel Yggdrasil rejecting him. He decided to revisit the Sovereign, despite knowing how futile it was to ask anything more of it. 

"You are here again," the Sovereign sipped from its gourd, and the howls of spirits reached Arthur's ears. "More questions for me to reject?" 

"Only one," Arthur took a step forward. "Why do you refuse to answer any of my questions and make things complicated?" 

"Humans, no matter how much spiritual energy they have, tend to think they are capable of changing the world. If you knew what I knew, the natural order of events would be destroyed. You don't know for a reason, and you just need to seek answers yourself." 

"And what would that reward me? Nothing but being late to do anything about things." 

"It will reward you with growth," the Spirits Sovereign smiled. "You will understand once you know everything," 

"Fine," Arthur sighed. "I think it's time for me to leave," 

"As loved as you are by spirits and Yggdrasil, you still need to return to your world. Otherwise, the connection will be lost, and you will be another wandering soul in The Great Fog." 

"Can I return to the Spirits Realm?" 

"You can, but you will have to contract a spirit to leave it. I can send you to Alka directly from here, but the Spirits Realm has its own rules." 

"You pulled me here. Why not do it again?"

"I only pulled you here because you would have died otherwise," the Sovereign shook its head. "To replicate that event without the witch's technique would be difficult," 

"Gala's technique?" 

"She made sure to constrict the range of destruction to a singular point, creating a gap in the Spirit Realm. This gap allowed me to meet you without descending to the Skyey World and destroying it as a result." 

"Then, I can just contract a spirit," 

"They aren't worthy," 

"That's rude. So only spirits of the Celestial World are worthy?"

"Only I am," the Sovereign stood up and walked toward Arthur, meeting his eyes. "However, you will never be able to use my powers unless you reach the Astra-rank. Once you do, come back here." 

***

It seems that the Spirits Sovereign was convinced of his relation to the First Seeker, and he didn't want Arthur to contract any other spirit. 

"I am leaving," Arthur told Hana and the monk, who were sitting in a teashop in the harbor city, through the basin of water. The two looked for him with confusion. "I can only send you a message like this, but we will meet again." 

"Mister, you promised me that..." Hana began to say but stopped as if knowing that Arthur had no choice in this. 

"I will come and get you as soon as I return to the physical world," Arthur affirmed. "As for you, Lin Zhao..." 

"You know where to find me," the monk didn't say anything more than that. Arthur grunted in affirmation, and the image disappeared from the basin of water. 

"You humans are truly social creatures," the Sovereign said in awe. 

"This is how we survived until now," Arthur replied. "You said that you could feel my father being alive. Can't you do the same for Gala?" 

"Even I can't tell what happens after death," the Sovereign shook his head. 

Arthur was silent but nodded anyway. The Sovereign scratched its head before drawing a circle in the air. The ring turned into a portal that led to the outside world. 

"We shall meet again," the Sovereign said as Arthur stepped through the portal, appearing again on the ice plateau, alone this time. Gala wasn't here anymore, and that realization tore through his heart. 

Their time together was short, but she was one of the few he could call a friend. Now, her fate turned unknown, and only time could tell whether she survived or not. 

"Thank you," her shadow appeared behind him, and Arthur turned to see the portal turning into her figure. "You are the only thing that made me reluctant to do this, but I had to do it." 

"You are here?" Arthur took a step forward, and her figure disappeared. From within the smoke came the Sovereign's voice, distant and cold. 

"This was her last thought before she left the Spirits Realm and went to the unknown," the spirit answered, its voice drifting away. "This gift is to show you that your feelings are reciprocated and never one-sided." 

After it said that, the portal closed, ending Arthur's journey in the Spirits Realm. It was a short but memorable time where he got answers and more questions. Nonetheless, it would leave a scar on his heart. 

Their time together flashed in Arthur's mind like a fast-played movie. From the moment they met to the moment he killed her, there was a full spectrum of feelings and memories. 

"Farewell," Arthur muttered before turning to leave. He could do nothing more but wish her luck in her endeavor and hope they would meet again at a different place and time but under better circumstances.

As he reached the plateau's edge, Arthur placed his hands on the ground and used his Art of Creation. From within the ice rose violet roses from every inch of soil, covering the summit entirely. 

Taking one last look at the tribute he offered her, Arthur walked back the same path they came. The things he learned in the Spirits Realm repeated in his mind, and he tried to learn from them. 

"This world is full of mysteries," Arthur muttered as he reached the walls of roots that he created. "But  wasn't my dream to fight against the odds and emerge victoriously?"

Arthur jumped over the wall and cast his gaze over the city he was building. Stretching beyond forests and mountains, the roots of Rega enclosed all. 

"Welcome back, Master." Rega's voice appeared in his mind once he touched the roots. Arthur smiled and disappeared from the top of the wall, appearing on Rega's giant branch. 

"I'm back," 

The camp was bigger than he remembers, and he was sure that Courage did fine work running the city while he was gone. There was, however, no doubt that chaos ensued after he began his journey to the Spirits Realm. 

As he was about to descend toward the camp, a shockwave spread from the houses below. Two auras clashed against each other, and their simple collision was enough to threaten the people around them. 

"I guess I arrived just in time," Arthur muttered with surprise. He almost waved his hand instinctively to use his chains, but they weren't here anymore, nor was his left arm. 

Arthur sighed and jumped from the branch, using his skill to glide toward the two auras. As he landed in front of his house, he heard what the people inside were saying. 

"The rat has escaped, and we are here to take control of the situation." A voice said haughtily and recognizing it made Arthur smile. 

"Move away, child," another voice, ancient and gruff, commanded. "His Majesty ordered that if he didn't return, then we need to take control of the city and the Divine Tree." 

It took a moment for Arthur to recognize the second voice, but it was unmistakably that person. The fact that these two arrived together meant his disappearance gave an opening for them to exploit against him. 

"He will return," another voice answered defiantly, and Arthur paused when he heard it. It was Dia's voice. Arthur never thought she would come here. It seems this matter called for her intervention. 

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