The road stretched quietly ahead.
Morning light had barely settled over the land when Kael and Reiro left the city behind. The stone path gave way to packed earth, then to open land where the wind moved more freely.
For a while, neither of them spoke.
Kael walked beside Reiro, his thoughts still lingering on what he had seen in the city. The system, the people, the quiet acceptance of everything.
He exhaled slowly.
"Reiro," he said at last, "I need to understand something properly. Yesterday I stepped in, I spoke, I tried to change something… and nothing actually changed. So tell me clearly… where do I stand in this world?"
Reiro did not answer immediately.
He slowed his pace.
Then stopped.
Kael stopped with him.
Reiro turned slightly, his eyes calm but firm.
"If I answer that question right now," he said, "you will misunderstand everything that follows."
Kael frowned slightly. "Then explain it in a way I won't misunderstand."
Reiro shook his head.
"No. Your body is not ready to understand it."
Kael's eyes narrowed.
"That makes no sense. Understanding is not physical."
"It is," Reiro replied without hesitation. "In this world, it is."
A brief silence passed.
Kael held his gaze.
"Then don't explain it," he said. "Train me first."
For the first time, Reiro gave a faint approving nod.
"Good," he said. "Stand properly."
Kael adjusted his stance instinctively.
Reiro raised his hand slightly.
"Do not move," he said.
The air shifted.
It wasn't visible.
It wasn't loud.
But it was there.
Pressure.
Kael felt it instantly.
His breathing faltered.
His shoulders tightened.
His legs felt heavier, as if the ground itself was pressing back against him.
"What is this—" Kael started.
"Do not resist it like an attack," Reiro said calmly. "If you fight it, your body will collapse faster."
Kael clenched his teeth.
His instinct was to push back.
To release his aura.
To break through.
But he stopped himself.
Instead—
He adjusted.
Slowly.
He straightened his spine.
His breathing became more deliberate.
The pressure didn't lessen.
But his body began to accept it.
Seconds passed.
Then more.
Sweat formed along his neck.
His muscles tightened, not from strain, but from adjustment.
Reiro watched quietly.
"Good," he said. "Now hold it."
Kael didn't respond.
He focused.
The pressure remained.
But it no longer felt like something crushing him.
It felt like something… present.
Something he had to exist within.
After a while, Reiro lowered his hand.
The pressure disappeared.
Kael exhaled deeply, his body relaxing slightly.
"That…" he said, catching his breath, "that wasn't just pressure."
"No," Reiro said. "It was Soul Force."
Kael looked at him.
"Then start explaining," he said. "Now I can feel it."
Reiro nodded once.
"Living humans rely on aura," he began. "It is tied to their life, their instincts, their physical existence. But souls… survive differently."
Kael listened carefully.
"Everything here exists because of Soul Force," Reiro continued. "Without it, a soul cannot maintain its form. It is not simply power. It is existence itself."
Kael's expression sharpened.
"So strength here isn't about how much you release…"
Reiro nodded.
"It is about how much you can hold."
Kael thought for a moment.
"That explains the pressure," he said. "My body wasn't ready to handle it."
"Exactly."
Reiro began walking again.
Kael followed.
After a few steps, Kael spoke again.
"You mentioned something before," he said. "Stars. What does that actually mean?"
Reiro didn't look at him.
"Souls are not equal in how they handle Soul Force," he said. "They are categorized by capacity. We call it stars."
"Capacity as in how much they can absorb?"
"Yes. And how much they can retain."
Reiro continued.
"A one or two star soul cannot absorb much Soul Force. Their bodies become unstable. They cannot maintain a proper form."
Kael listened.
"A three star soul can absorb it," Reiro said, "but most of it leaks. Their efficiency is low."
"And higher?"
"A four star soul begins to stabilize. From there, real growth becomes possible."
Reiro glanced at him briefly.
"Five and six star souls absorb the most and lose the least. Their control is far superior."
Kael processed that.
"So training improves that?"
"No," Reiro said. "Training improves how well you use your capacity. But capacity itself is determined at birth."
Kael frowned slightly.
"Then where do I stand?"
Reiro didn't answer immediately.
They walked in silence for a few moments.
Then—
"You do not stand in a position yet," Reiro said. "You stand in potential."
Kael didn't like that answer.
But he didn't argue.
Instead, he asked another question.
"And Earth?" he said. "How does this work there?"
Reiro's expression grew more serious.
"The Soul World is dense with Soul Force," he said. "That is why souls can exist here naturally. But Earth…"
He paused.
"Earth has very little Soul Force."
Kael's gaze sharpened.
"So souls can't survive there?"
"Most cannot," Reiro replied. "Only five and six star souls can remain there for any meaningful time."
"For how long?"
"Fifty years at most for a five star," Reiro said. "A hundred for a six star."
Kael stopped walking.
"And after that?"
"They burn out," Reiro said simply. "They are not alive. They are consuming their own Soul Force just to maintain form."
Kael absorbed that slowly.
"So even if someone crosses worlds…"
"They are on a limit."
Kael exhaled.
Everything was starting to connect.
But before he could ask more—
Reiro stopped again.
This time, his gaze shifted forward.
Kael followed it.
Smoke.
Thin at first.
Then clearer.
Rising from a cluster of buildings in the distance.
A village.
Kael's expression changed instantly.
"Something's wrong," he said.
"Yes," Reiro replied calmly.
Kael didn't wait.
He moved forward.
Fast.
---
[Renvik Village]
The village was in chaos.
Shattered wooden structures.
Broken carts.
People running.
And creatures.
They weren't normal animals.
Their forms were distorted.
Bodies stretched unnaturally.
Eyes glowing faintly.
Their movements erratic.
"Rift beasts," Reiro said as he walked in behind Kael. "Unstable Soul Force creatures."
One of them lunged.
Kael reacted immediately.
He stepped forward and struck.
The impact landed—but something felt off.
Too much force.
Too much energy wasted.
The creature staggered, but didn't fall.
Another came from the side.
Kael turned quickly.
This time he adjusted.
Less force.
More control.
His strike landed cleanly.
The creature collapsed.
Reiro watched.
"Better," he said.
More creatures approached.
Kael didn't hesitate.
He moved forward.
His body still felt heavy from earlier training.
But now—
He understood why.
He wasn't just fighting.
He was managing.
Every movement.
Every release.
Every bit of energy.
"Don't release everything at once," Reiro said as another creature lunged. "Control it."
Kael adjusted mid-motion.
His strike became sharper.
More precise.
The creature dropped instantly.
The fight didn't last long.
The creatures were unstable.
Dangerous—but unrefined.
Soon—
Silence returned.
The villagers slowly emerged.
Fearful.
Relieved.
One of them stepped forward.
"Thank you," he said, his voice unsteady. "We… we couldn't stop them."
Kael looked at him.
Then at the village.
Broken.
Shaken.
But alive.
"If we didn't pass here…" Kael said quietly as he turned to Reiro, "what would have happened?"
Reiro didn't hesitate.
"They would have died."
Kael said nothing.
---
[Royal Capital of Eldoria]
The gates opened without delay.
Ossban walked through calmly.
The guards recognized him immediately.
No questions.
No hesitation.
Inside, the capital stood as it always had.
Orderly.
Stable.
Untouched.
He was escorted directly inside.
No public audience.
No announcement.
A closed chamber.
The doors opened.
The King sat at the far end.
Young.
Composed.
Watching.
"Ossban," the King said, his voice steady, "if you have come on such short notice, then the matter must be serious. You have also asked the other dukes and the prime minister to be present here. Speak clearly."
Ossban stepped forward.
"This is not a border issue," he said. "Nor an internal conflict."
The room grew quieter.
"What we are facing does not belong to any known structure of this world."
The King's expression didn't change.
But his eyes sharpened.
"Explain."
Ossban continued.
"They are organized. Coordinated. And they operate with knowledge that should not exist here."
A pause.
"They are called… Night Ray."
Silence.
Not confusion.
Not disbelief.
Recognition of weight.
"Is this internal?" the King asked.
"No," Ossban replied.
A longer silence followed.
Then the King leaned slightly forward.
"No public announcement," he said. "Send word to all dukes. This matter stays contained."
Ossban nodded.
The war had begun.
Quietly.