Act I: The Realm of the Goddess
Kael closed his eyes. When he opened them a few moments later, the world had completely rewritten itself. The landscape before him was entirely unfamiliar, sharp and cold, born of a reality far removed from his own mind.
Pushing himself up, he pinched his cheek hard. "Ouch… okay, not a dream," he muttered, rubbing the sore spot as reality sank in.
He raised his head, and his breath caught. Sitting upon a grand, towering throne was a goddess. When she looked down at him, Kael realized her eyes reflected the exact same hue as his own.
A sharp, knowing smirk played on her lips. "So, you are the one who grants the forgotten soul."
Stepping down from her dais, she casually picked up a glass of juice, swirling the liquid thoughtfully before fixing him with a piercing gaze. "Tell me, who told you about the forgotten souls?"
Kael parted his lips to answer, but the voice that tore from his throat wasn't his own. It was a hollow, fractured sound that belonged to a broken soul.
"Me…"
A dead, suffocating silence gripped the room. The goddess froze, her expression instantly hardening.
"Then you completed the task," she said, her tone shifting from casual amusement to heavy gravity. She stepped closer, deliberately pausing between each word so they burned into his mind. "But listen to my words… you… are… not… controlled… by… destiny…"
Kael nodded slowly, swallowing the sudden lump in his throat.
With a sweeping wave of her hand, the goddess tore open a gateway in the fabric of the room. Seconds later, a radiant, shimmering spirit floated through. The entity locked its glowing gaze onto Kael, its voice echoing with pure disbelief and malice.
"I am a Divine Soul!" it hissed. "How can a mere human know about me?"
The goddess simply shrugged, completely indifferent to the entity's outrage. She turned her attention back to Kael. "I am giving you a soul."
Kael blinked, thoroughly bewildered. "A soul? Whose?"
"Hmm…" She nodded faintly. "Vajr's soul."
Kael's breath hitched, a violent chill running straight down his spine. "The soul of the Devil King? But why?"
"No questions will be answered, and besides, this wasn't my choice," she replied smoothly, her voice a cool facade. "This was Vajr's idea. I think you should ask him yourself."
Defiance sparked hot in Kael's chest. He looked her dead in the eye, pulling himself up. "I will not accept it."
The goddess's eyes widened in genuine shock. But before she could speak, a crushing, celestial weight slammed into Kael. His knees buckled instantly. He collapsed heavily onto the floor, the world spinning as his consciousness began to slip away.
"Kael," the goddess sighed, looking down at his prone form, her voice softening with a strange, unexpected familiarity. "You know that I am too close to you."
From the shadows, Vajr approached. Without a word, the Devil King dissolved into a shimmering, dark soul form and surged forward, sinking directly into Kael's body.
"The Divine Soul has entered his body," the goddess whispered to the empty room.
The remaining Divine spirit looked at Kael, let out a bitter, defeated smile, and followed suit, dissolving into Kael's form.
Act II: Awakening and Revelations
When Kael finally opened his eyes again, the grand throne room was gone. He was back in his own bedroom. His mother was sitting anxiously next to him, Vrita was perched on his desk chair, and Sara was standing protectively beside his bed.
Standing a bit further back was Renjiro. He was looking at Kael with his usual cold, detached expression, but his eyes were bloodshot and heavily swollen.
Kael offered a weak smile, trying to shift, only to realize his leg felt incredibly heavy. Looking down, he saw it was broken and securely bound in a thick plaster cast. During the heat of the fight, the adrenaline had completely masked the pain, but now a dull ache was setting in. Exhaustion washed over him again, and Kael closed his eyes, drifting back into a deep sleep.
When he woke up a second time, the room was much quieter. Only Vrita, Sara, and Renjiro remained.
"Your mother is down in the kitchen," Sara murmured softly, anticipating his question. "And your father got an emergency call from work, so he had to leave."
Kael nodded faintly. Renjiro stepped forward, his gaze piercing. "Kael… I think you got the soul of my sister, too."
Kael closed his eyes in quiet acceptance. "Yes…"
A rare, relieved smile broke across Renjiro's face. "The work is done, then."
Kael raised an eyebrow, looking at him skeptically. "What work?"
Renjiro suddenly looked uncomfortable. He scratched the back of his head, awkwardly changing the subject. "Uh, Kael, I need to go back to my void realm."
Before Kael could press for answers, Vrita stood up from her chair. "Kael, you seriously need to take better care of yourself. When you broke your leg, it made me realize something dangerous—you don't have the power of healing."
Kael looked at her, repeating the word under his breath. "Healing."
"Yes," Vrita pressed on seriously. "If you can't heal yourself, then every single fight you get into will be a do-or-die scenario. Think about it. Anyway, I need to go. I just came to make sure you were alive. Next time, we'll meet properly."
With that, the group filed out, leaving the house and giving Kael some much-needed space.
Act III: Kael and Sara
The room fell quiet, leaving only Kael and Sara behind. Feeling restless, Kael pushed against the mattress, trying to sit up, but Sara immediately stepped in, gently but firmly pushing him back down onto the pillows.
"Kael, stop," Sara said, her voice a mix of relief and lingering worry. "You were the one who said, 'Finally, I get the strategic side.' "
Kael froze, nervously rubbing the back of his neck. "So… you found me out. Well, yeah. You caught me."
Without warning, Sara threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly. "You are the one who made me cry," she whispered into his shoulder, her voice trembling. "You need to start relying on me more."
Kael wrapped his arms around her, nodding gently. "Yes, of course. But… tell me the truth. You're not just some advanced AI tool, are you?"
Sara pulled back slightly, looking into his eyes. "Kael, I am not an AI tool. I am a human. I just happen to possess a very specific, specialized knowledge of the multiverse."
Kael looked downward, a soft, bittersweet smile forming on his lips. "Then… you're the one who is taking half of my powers to keep me alive, aren't you?"
Sara's gaze dropped to the floor. She tightened her fists, her knuckles turning white. "Sorry…"
"You shouldn't say sorry," Kael said softly, catching her hand. "Honestly, I should be thanking you for saving my life day after day."
A bright smile broke through Sara's sadness, and she hugged him tightly again. Kael patted her back gently, laughing a little. "Alright, alright, easy there."
When she finally let go, Kael averted his gaze, looking out the bedroom window at the fading light. "Sara… no matter what happens, there's no way I'm leaving you. So, you don't ever have to worry about that."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Kael realized how incredibly forward he sounded. His face flushed, and he quickly stared harder out the window, trying to hide his expression.
Sara noticed. She looked at the tip of Kael's ear, which had turned a bright, telltale red. A soft, breathless smile tugged at her lips, her own cheeks warming with a slight blush.
The quiet intimacy of the room was broken when the door clicked open. Elara, Kael's mother, stood in the doorway, looking between the two of them with a warm, knowing expression.
"Sara, dear, you should stay and rest here with Kael for tonight," Elara said gently.
[From Mother's POV]
Elara watched them, her heart aching slightly for her son. In her mind, Kael had gone to extreme lengths to find her and Adrian, going so far as to recklessly climb dangerous mountains just to get to them, which explained his badly broken leg. She wanted someone reliable by his side while he healed.
[Back to Story]
Sara looked over at Kael, then turned back to Elara and nodded. "Alright."
Elara smiled, gently taking Sara by the wrist and leading her out of the room for a moment to show her around. "So, this will be your room for tonight, right next door."
Sara looked at the cozy space and smiled warmly at Kael's mother. "Thank you, Aunty."