"Blessings come from the heavenly Lord of heaven and earth. Blessings spring from the immortality of heaven and earth. Blessings come from the Emperor of heaven and earth. I am not a god, nor am I a believer. Yet I call to that truth that was before time. A nameless being, being that is alive despite being dead. Where the existence of all powers meets and where the destruction of all existence is hidden again. And where only the whisper of death in the darkness and the shadow in the light. Only I want to be your holder,I remember you.Look at me. Accept me."
Erwin finished reading the lines of the incantation in one breath. The words disappeared into the air, the room remained silent. Nothing happened. He stood in the same place, a faint disappointment welling up in his chest.
Taking three steps back, he thought to himself, maybe the door to the realm of the spirit would not open again today. Abandoning his plan, he took two steps forward towards the ancient book in front of him.
But suddenly, something unusual moved in the corner of his vision. A thick black fog slowly gathered around him, as if the curtain of an invisible world was being lifted.
A cold current ran down his spine. He realized that the incantation had not been in vain. He had already crossed that border. The door to the realm of the spirit had silently, but surely, opened around him.
"That means," Olivia said slowly, her voice firm, "you must first recite the entire incantation. Then you must stand exactly three steps back, and then move forward two steps. This rhythm and distance are the keys that open the border between the two worlds. Only then will your feet touch the edge of the realm of the spirit, and the veil of reality will be lifted and you will enter that invisible level."
But this time the scene was not the same. There were no hospital corridors, white walls, or rows of beds in sight. Instead, countless portals floated through the void, each like a crack in the darkness. From within those cracks came incoherent voices, broken screams, moans, and distorted whispers, as if many souls were calling out together, unable to bear the weight of their own existence.
Olivia floated still beside him and whispered,
"Master, I think these voices are those of Domenars who have almost lost control. Their minds are slowly collapsing, unable to withstand the power of the Core. Their consciousness is no longer bound to reality, so their cries are spreading through these portals."
Erwin wondered to himself, can I bring their souls here? The weight of these cries was pressing on his chest. He could no longer bear those broken voices, who were trapped in the darkness and only calling for freedom. Slowly he calmed his mind, and the screams around him were silenced by an invisible command. A deep curtain of silence descended on the spirit realm.
Then, from within that silence, a clear voice emerged, much more restrained than the others, yet filled with infinite fatigue "O Lord of the Spirit Realm, accept me. I await your grace. Release me from this pain. I surrender my existence in your name."
Erwin fixed his gaze on the portal from which the prayer was coming. The black mist around him was slowly turning a crimson hue, the red and darkness mixing to create a strange, unfamiliar color, as if the last wishes of a soul were becoming visible. Without a moment's hesitation, he reached out his hand towards the portal, and with the pull of his will, he summoned the owner of the voice to this realm. An invisible bond responded to his call, and he knew he had succeeded.
Alin saw two figures slowly becoming clear in the thick fog in front of him. One stood still on the ground, and the other floated in the air, their bodies completely disconnected from reality. Waves of fog swirled silently around them, as if this place was the last refuge of their existence.
A moment ago, he had felt an unbearable pain in his head, as if his thoughts were about to tear him apart. But when he came to this strange state, he was surprised to feel that pressure, that pain, all of a sudden disappeared. Here, his mind was calm, his body light, as if some invisible force was holding him.
He looked at the two people in front of him and asked in a hesitant voice,
"Who are you?"
"The one standing in front of you," Olivia said in a serious and clear voice, "is the one you have been praying to all this time. Hearing your cries of pain, he took pity on you and dragged you here."
The air around him grew heavier as he pointed to the figure standing in the fog.
Erwin said nothing. He stood still, listening intently to Olivia's words. A strange pressure was building in his chest, a strange mixture of fear, wonder, and unknown expectation.
Alin realized at this point that the fog-covered figure standing silently in front of him was the ruler of this spirit realm. That realization stirred devotion and thrill in his chest at the same time. Unknowingly, his knees trembled, and he hurriedly bowed his head.
In a low voice, but with deep sincerity, he said,
"Thank you so much... for saving me."
There was a vibration of gratitude in his voice, as if he were surrendering the weight of his own life with those words. The fog around him was spinning more slowly, and in that silence, Alin's bowing and utterance of gratitude remained still like a strange sacred moment.
"What can I do for you?"
The voice trembled in the fog, but it was a solemn request. He himself had not forgotten that during the prayer he had surrendered his life to the Lord of the Spirit Realm.
Erwin watched the scene silently. The figure of the young man kneeling before him was clear, but his face seemed to be hidden behind the fog. He did not understand what he should say in this situation, or what was expected of him as the Lord of this Spirit Realm.
Just then Olivia smiled lightly and said,
"I think you will be of no particular use to the Lord."
There was a tone of mockery in her voice, but there was caution in her eyes, as if she understood the depth of this strange situation better than Erwin.
"Yes, I will do anything," Alin said firmly from within the fog. Her eyes were filled with devotion and gratitude, as if the being standing before her at this moment was her only refuge.
Erwin deliberately deepened his voice, as if he were no longer the young student he had been, but a truly mysterious lord.
"If your desire is so strong," he said slowly, "then investigate the incident at the Wilson Palace in Masio City."
Olin bowed his head and replied, "I will do my best. It is my duty to carry out your orders." There was a strange determination in his voice, as if this task was now the meaning of his existence.
Then Erwin slowly removed control from the portal. The stream of mist shifted, the boundaries between light and darkness began to blur. In an instant, Olin's form disappeared into the swirling darkness, and only the echo of silence remained in the emptiness of the spirit realm.
Erwin slowly returned to the real world. The familiar room around him, the still air, and Olivia's clear figure standing by his bed all seemed to confirm that he was no longer in the spirit realm. But his chest still felt that strange energy pulse, as if another level of reality was flowing through him.
A sudden realization flashed through his mind.
"Then I can pull any Dominator's soul there… and control the waves of stress, distortion, and madness that have accumulated on them."
The thought sent a chill down his spine. Because it meant that he was not just an observer; he was someone who could reach into the depths of others' pain, stabilize their minds, or even break them completely.
The doors to the spirit realm were not just open to him, they were now waiting for his will.