Extra Chapter: The First Promise (Part 2)

{"You were a fool who has no emotions in your heart and only follows a directive given to you by your purpose and fate. Though back then, we fought due to our conflicting values and ways of concluding things, I cannot deny that when the day finally came when you poured out all of your wrath upon this world... I knew that your actions back then… was more Just than even I can ever do."}

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Alright… just raise the edges of your lips and let your eyes squint a little."

"L-like this?"

"Pfftt! S-stop! Ahahaha! You dummy! You look hilarious with that!"

"O-okay…"

It has been a long while since I have settled down in the Guardian Spirit's land and travelled beside her as she continued to go around her country to converse and meet with her people and fellow spirits.

Currently, we stopped by a pond where we rested before continuing to the next town. While doing that, she tried her best to teach me how to do something called a "smile", but it seems like I can't do it or do it good enough for her to accept it as passable.

"Haah… you're hopeless. Your face can't barely change expressions!"

"Sorry. I haven't really needed to change this expression on my face."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Whenever I rest, eat and even fight against Malignances, I never found any reason or moment to change the expression on my face."

"…"

"I have been intrigued because of that about humans. All of them, especially the lively little ones, seem to be able to do all kinds of expressions on their faces without any problem… including that expression that you call as a smile."

I looked back at the Guardian Spirit who has her long, jet-black hair untied and freely spread on her back, and dark brown eyes not unlike pure glistening amber, and saw that she was quite shocked with what I just said.

"Do you… feel jealous because of that?"

"Jealous? What is that word?"

"It's what you call when someone has a thing or can do something that you don't have or can't do. It is something that I discovered about humans and Spirits alike. All of them feel it and it pushes them to work harder to attain it."

"…"

"So, are you jealous that you can't smile like them?"

Being asked that question, I did as she has taught me before and consulted my own mind and heart. For a while, I repeatedly analyzed what "jealous" is and if it was the same thing as I feel right now about "smile".

"No… I don't think I am jealous."

"Really?"

"Mm. I also want to know what it feels to smile, but… I don't think I want to push myself too much just to get it…"

"I see. That's good since-"

"After all, I think that word "jealous" was the thing that caused all of the wars and battles I saw down in the central continent."

"-!"

"I don't want jealous… I think it is bad."

After I spoke that, I looked back at her as she had this still and shocked expression on her face.

"…"

"Is something wrong, Guardian Spirit?"

"…No. Not at all. If anything, I am glad that you spoke those words…"

"What do you mean?"

"About jealousy… you said that it might be a bad thing and you don't like it. I am happy that you have quickly recognized it as such."

"Was I actually right?"

"Mmm… You can say that. There are cases when jealousy is good since it creates competition between people that also makes them work harder on what they have to do rather than letting their talents and skills to stagnate."

"…"

"But from how I saw it all around our lands… sometimes, jealousy can become something more sinister… abusive… and in the end, destructive."

"I was right… am I?"

"To an extent, yes."

"Our journey… Do you want to continue now?"

"Nn, nn… let's rest here for a little more while. It's not wrong to enjoy this wonderful day by admiring our surroundings, right?"

"…If you say so."

As I said before, it has been a long while since I decided to settle inside the lands travelled by and protected by the Guardian Spirit of the northern continent, Love. Although she has always referred to herself as such, I am aware that her true name isn't supposed to be spoken like that.

This is one of the few rules for us, Spirits. Our simplified names can all be spoken in the Original World's central tongue, but our true names are spelled, written and spoken under one of the few surviving languages of the Original World.

For me, I am called and referred to as Law as both my simplified and true name has coincidentally also come from the Original World's central tongue.

"Love…"

"Yes?"

"Have you ever spoken your true name to anyone else?"

"That, huh?"

She paused for a moment while watching the herons feeding on the fish in the pond.

"You are also a Spirit, Law… You know that for our kind, our true names cannot be simply spoken to anyone else."

"…"

"Although I said that, I actually have a more personal reason as to why I have stopped telling others my true name. To the extent of my knowledge, only my spiritual brother and a spirit student of mine knows my true name."

"You have a brother?"

"Yes. Although you can consider us as siblings due to our materialization happening at the same time, we're total opposites. He's this kind of reclusive and apathetic being who doesn't leave his Subspace no matter it takes."

"What is his name?"

"Knowledge… he sometimes also refers to himself as Info."

"Knowledge… Info…"

I tried to deduce if I have met such a spirit before and it seems like to my memory, it hasn't happened yet.

"He's the spirit of knowledge, data and matter. The reason why he's always inside his Subspace is because he doesn't want to do anything other than write about the things that are happening in this world. I don't really understand him sometimes."

"I think he's just doing what he was born with."

"Huh?"

"You know… being spirits, our kind came to existence due to the thoughts and wishes of humanity and materialized using the essence of the Original world. Being a spirit yourself, you should be aware of this to an extent."

"Hmm… I do. But I haven't really needed to look back on it before. Most of the time, I just go around our lands to check up on the towns and villages to see if they are living peacefully and their needs are sustained properly. Being the spirit of Love, making sure that the people are satisfied and living happily is my passion and reason to exist."

Love showed me her wide smile that truly caught my attention when we first met. For some reason, it interested me about how it may feel to have that expression on my face one day.

"Then I guess I can render my help then, Love."

"Hm? What do you mean?"

"You said that being the Spirit of Love, your passion and reason to exist is to make sure your people live peacefully, and their needs are satisfied… Then being the Spirit of Law, I wish to uphold the rules of life so they can live the way we wish them to live."

"Haha… Ahahaha!"

Suddenly, Love repeatedly made some kind of joyous noise while a wide smile was plastered on her face. If I remember correctly, this is something called "laughing".

"Ahaha! My tummy… Ahahaha!"

"…"

She continued laughing for a while before she stopped and extended her hand towards me.

"Alright, alright… I guess I'll be counting on you then, Law."

"Mm."

"Shall we do it on your usual method?"

"Yes."

I took her hand and shook it lightly for a moment and spoke my promise.

"Upon my name, Law, the Spirit of Law, I pledge a promise to you. May these words be etched in my spirit, that I would not forget it nor break it."

"I honor your words of promise, fellow spirit."

After having this short conversation, we proceeded to walk towards the next town which she wanted to visit this early autumn season.

"It's the Guardian Spirit!"

"Everyone! She's here!"

"Call the village elder!"

As soon as we entered the surrounding barley fields of the village, those who recognized her ran to the settlement, shouting about our arrival and make the others prepare for us.

"Guardian Spirit… we thank you for your arrival."

"It's an honor to see your town flourishing again after last time, elder… It's unfortunate that I wasn't here during that moment."

"It's nothing to feel bad for, our Guardian… If anything, we owe you a lot for setting our departed to peace."

We sat at the center of the town where a large linen cloth was placed for us and the elder of the town. For a moment, she and the elderly man seemed to talk about a recent event here where some have died from something.

"Ah! In any case, who is this esteemed spirit that you have come with, Guardian?"

"Oh, this is Spirit Law. He's new around these parts and requested to join me around the lands to learn more about it. He's very inept when it comes to dealing with people due to his sparse interactions back from where he came from."

"I-I see."

"Still, he's quite dependable and has helped out at the previous places where we visited. Come on, greet them."

"Hello. I am Law. Pleased to meet you."

I spoke the three phrases that Love taught me to speak as a greeting and it seems like it worked to some extent as they looked a bit more relieved that earlier.

"W-well then… Are you here to check our harvest this year, Guardian?"

"Yes. Following the previous plague, I wanted to see if there was an abundance to one settlement so you can initiate trade with the other villages."

"Oh, I think we have enough to trade them to."

Love followed the elderly man and I tried to stand up to follow them too, but Love held out her hand and told me something.

"No need to follow me, Law. I'll just be outside of the village to check their barns."

"…Why?"

"It means I'll be quite busy, and you'll just waste your time. Instead, why don't you go around and talk with the people here. Who knows, maybe you can find out how to do the things I taught you earlier."

"…Alright."

I nodded to show her that I understand as she left the fenced off town, leaving me in here for a moment to do as she said.

"Hey, hey!"

"?"

"Lift me, sir spirit!"

"…Why?"

All of a sudden, a young boy pulled on my robe's sleeve and after I looked at him, he told me to lift him up.

"W-why?"

"Yes. Why do I have to lift you?"

"Umm…"

The boy looked like he was at the age where he still needed to be looked after by his parents. Probably 1,460 sunsets old or something near it.

"Sweetie? Sweetie! Why are you bothering the great spirit?!"

"M-mother!"

"..."

"A-Ahh… I apologize on behalf of my child, great spirit… I'm sorry if he spoke rudely to you…"

"Spoke rudely…"

I pondered about those two words and remembered the war cries in the central continent where both sides would shout insults or curses to each other. And after thinking back on what the child told me, I don't think he spoke rudely to me.

"Your child did not insult me. No need to apologize."

"H-Huh?"

"He asked me to lift him up. Although I do not understand why he asked for it, it is not something worthy to apologize for…"

After the child's mother lifted her face, I noticed some kind of pained expression on her face that is similar to those in the central continent who lost something important to them.

"T-Thank you for understanding, great spirit…"

"You…"

"H-huh?"

"Did you lose something important?"

"!"

"Your face's expression… is similar to the "pained" expression that your Guardian Spirit told me about."

"I…"

Instead of answering me, the woman lifted her child up to her arms and asked me to follow her to her house near the eastern gate of the village.

"I… No, we lost someone important, great spirit."

"…"

"This is his gravesite… my husband who died during the previous plague is buried here."

I approached the spot which was just recently dug and has some kind of stone marker over it. As I walked around it, I sensed someone's remains under it that must've been there for about 29 sunsets.

"Hello, father! We're back here!"

"Hik-! Kuh…"

"M-Mother? Why are you crying?"

"…"

To some extent, I understood what was happening and why the child approached me earlier.

"Can I?"

"H-huh?"

"The child made a request and I wish to fulfill it."

"Ahh… U-umm…"

The woman seemed distressed after I asked her to hand over her son for a moment, but after a while, handed him to me whom I held securely on my arms.

"Wow! I can see over the roof!"

"…"

"S-Son… Don't move around too much!"

"Don't worry. I am holding him properly."

The child waved his hand in the air, seemingly wishing to grasp the wind passing around him. His giggles and smile seems to have calmed his mother who was crying earlier.

"Mm… Muu…"

"It seems like he has exhausted himself."

"Y-Yes… please, great spirit. I will be taking him inside our shelter."

"…"

As he began to droop from sleepiness. I gave him back to his mother who took him into her arms and brought him inside their hut. As for me though, I continued to look down at the grave site, sensing something peculiar in the corpse under the ground.

"…"

"G-great spirit… I-is something wrong?"

"…"

There was something odd when I compared that child's aura and the residual aura of her husband under the grave… I knew that there was something not right for me and my principles that is happening here.

"G-great spirit…? Are you-"

"-!"

"Ahh-!"

As she was about to extend her hand to me, I caught her by the wrist which took her by surprise and for just a moment, make some noise before I muffled her mouth and held her against her house's wall.

"-!!!"

"I do not wish to injure or scare you, woman… But as the Spirit of Law, I am compelled by my reason to exist, to learn about something odd that is happening in this place."

"W-What…?"

I stared straight into her eyes which became full of shock after she sensed me exuding my aura in preparation for an ability.

"<Nullified Reality>"

In an instant, I formed a small dome that separated the place where we are located from the surrounding area. This is a weaker form of a Spirit Subspace, a place where I can ask my question and she can answer it truthfully with no one else hearing it.

"Answer me, woman… what is happening here? Why is that child and that departed man whom you call as your husband doesn't have the same auras?"

"W-Wait! I do not know anything about-"

"Are you thinking that such a lie can hide the truth from me, woman?"

"-!"

"I am the Spirit of Law. I do not take fraudulent answers, nor do they hide anything from me when the one speaking it is aware of the truth themselves…"

"Kh…"

"So, tell me woman… why do you weep about something and not because of your departed husband?"

"…"

I let her go so she can freely move and speak. For a while, she cried and cried while leaning on the wall, and it took her a while before she decided to answer my question.

"This town… has a tradition…"

"…"

"When a man and woman decide to form a family, the village elder would have to evaluate their compatibility before the day that they begin to live together."

She narrated a portion of this village's history and how the long line of village elders has kept this tradition alive even before they joined the protection of the guardian spirit.

"For men, it would be a set of questions regarding their ability to sustain a family and work to sustain the village's needs and interests… And for women… it is…"

"…"

"…the village elder will be taking the woman's first time."

As she spoke those words, I sensed something welling up from my chest… something not unlike the feeling I had when I saw how that widowed woman back then died.

"That is enough for me."

"W-what?"

"Your tears… your pain… your regret… I have bore witness and understood it."

I held my hand up to break the subspace and turned around to look again into her husband's grave.

"I swear upon my very being… all of the shame and regret of the people in this place will not be forgotten and allowed to perpetuate by I, Law."

"T-That…"

I bit the skin of my thumb, making it bleed lightly before I wiped some of it on the stone that marks the grave's place.

"Divine Armory…"

"Ahhh!!!"

"Come forth, Primordial Blood Oath."

In that very moment, from the blood that flowed out of my wound, materialized my spear that has a portion of its true strength.

"S-S-Spirit…"

"W-W-What's happening?!"

"What was that loud noise?!"

From the houses nearby, came out people who heard the sound of me summoning my weapon and wanted to see what was going on.

"…"

"I-I-Is that a Spirit?"

"Mother! Father! Is that the spirit from earlier?"

As some of them came out as well, I saw families and sensed the similarity or difference in the aura of the children to their fathers and knew that this woman was not alone in that experience.

"Tradition, huh? I guess there are some things that I do not like about humans after all…"

I whispered those words to myself as I twirled my spear around my hand and crouched to leap into the direction of the barns outside the village where my prey is located.

"…"

"Ahh!"

"…"

"W-What was that?!"

I leaped over houses and people, at a height that I usually use in order to perform plunging attacks to large malignances.

"…"

"W-woah!"

But this time, I am using it to quickly do my directive as I have made a swear to that man's grave and a promise to someone earlier.

"…"

"L-Law?!"

"E-Esteemed Spirit! W-What seems to be reason why you have leaped towards here in a rush?"

"I came here for you."

"EEEEEKK-!!!"

"L-Law! W-What are you doing?!"

The elderly man raised his arms in terror after I pointed my spear towards his bulging belly. Love, on the other hand, quickly held me by the shoulders and asked me what I am doing.

"He has broken one of my principles. And as the Spirit of Law, I have come here to correct it."

"W-W-W-What have I done t-t-to offend you, E-E-Esteemed Spirit?"

"Y-yeah! Why are you pointing your weapon towards him, Law?!"

"…"

I narrowed my eyes towards the elderly man who has an expression of pure horror on his face as he sensed that if my weapon even just grazed him, he would surely die.

"Love… have you known about the tradition of this village regarding how the elder is the one to take the purity of a woman before she comes to live with her husband?"

"W-What…?"

"…I guess not."

"AAAAAAHHHH!!!"

"Stop!"

I was about to stab through the belly of the village elder when Love intermediated and pushed me away with a blast of fire that could've scorched my robe if I didn't place a thin nullification barrier between us.

"…"

"Have you gone mad?! Why are you attacking people just for some shallow-"

"Move, Love… or you will be moved."

"-!"

"Only he is my prey… Let me do my directive and let us argue about this later."

As I gave her my last warning, I saw her eyebrows becoming knit and a sense of readiness for battle forming on her face.

"I will stand for my people, Law… As their Guardian who pledged to protect and care for them."

"…"

"Elder, run away as far as you can. I will hold him off, so please make your escape as quickly as possible."

"Y-Yes, dear Guardian!"

"…"

Seeing that she is resolute in her decision to stand against me, I planted my spear to make it stand by itself on the ground and stepped forward towards her.

"You-!"

"Let's make this quick."

"-?!"

"…I still have a potential hazard of a person to chase and dispose."

In an instant, she lunged towards me with her fists blazing with fire hot enough to melt the ground beneath her.

"HAAH! RAAH!"

"…"

"Don't underestimate me! I didn't become the Guardian Spirit of this land for nothing!"

"I would never do that."

She sent her blazing fists to my direction, some of which she made the fire to shoot out when it nearly connected with me. But none of it hit me as I narrowly dodged all of them, wishing that she can sense the distance between our power and combat experience and eventually give up.

"HAAA! RAAA! COME ON!"

"…"

"WHY…! WHY CAN'T I HIT YOU?!?!?!"

"Because I don't want to."

"-!!!"

"<Principles of Law>"

"No-"

"<Reversed Inertial Force>"

"AAAAAHHHHH-!!!"

"That's enough… Cease!"

"-!"

She flew upwards with triple the velocity of my charge towards her that I transferred to her body using a telekinetic attack. However, seeing that she doesn't deserve to be hurt by the trip back to the ground, I ceased the attack and kept her suspended in mid-air in a height that won't hurt her later when it wears off.

"Stop… STOP!"

"…"

"You're just a stranger here! I let you step inside of my land because you seemed to be harmless! But… but I will not let you to just-"

"How you view me is not important, Love."

"-!"

"Between your respect towards me, and the importance of my directive as a spirit, I will not think twice to do what I must and should do."

"L-Law… you can't be-"

I looked towards her as I picked up my spear from where it stands and spoke to her about something.

"As the only spirit who was there when humanity gained consciousness, I have seen the best and worst from humans… I have seen them wage the most savage wars over preferable settlements and copulation partners…"

"…"

"I have seen them drink their selves to stupor from the fruits of the vines that belong to the enemies they slaughtered…"

One by one, I narrated the things I have seen ever since I was born into this world as the Spirit of Law.

"I have seen them sell their kind to strange travelers, robbing them of any right that they should have as people who done nothing to deserve such bondage."

"Law… I-"

"I have seen them whip the bodies of helpless people, starving them to keep all of the land's blessings to themselves as they overnourish their avaricious bodies and doing nothing but languor day-by-day as those whom they bought served for their purposes."

"I…"

"I have seen a lot of things during my over 1-million sunset long journey across all of the corners of this world. I have seen all kinds of humans… fair-skinned humans, dark-skinned humans, those whose complexion lies between the two and many more… but all of them have the same goods and evils. I do not deny them such a trait… they are humans, they were given a conscience to guide their free-will and it is up to them whether they will hearken to such conscience."

"But if this was a tradition of theirs, this must not violate the laws and principles that you hold. Even I, the Spirit of Love, heard it from you earlier, and it never violated any of my principles for I am aware that different people have different practices!"

"…"

"Love is love, Law… No matter what shape it takes. So long as it is right and nourishing. It doesn't matter if a man has taken many wives, or a woman has taken many husbands. If it is their tradition, then we must accept it no matter how-"

"You and I are not the same, Love."

"Ah-!"

I made sure to speak those words with a strong tone that showed absolute resolution.

"I am the Law that exists within the hearts of every living human. Though there are differences in each of their tribes and kind about what is right and wrong and how one has to punish or reward it, deep inside of their hearts, the thoughts and desperation for order that gave birth to me are all united."

"Then… then what is-"

"If it is a tradition that we must accept no matter what form it takes because different people have different practices… then why does that woman and the other women in this village weep in despair and pain due to this truth?"

"-!"

"If love is what makes things matter, then why should a different man be the one to provide and care for a child that he does not share blood with and is ignorantly made to take the child in…?"

"I…"

"I do not care if you will hate me after this, Love. I am simply fulfilling my directive to punish what goes against my principles and might invite Malignances to manifest here later on."

"T-That will not happen! These people are happy! They are not-"

"-!"

Just as she was about to deny that, I sensed a massive amount of energy welling up in the middle of the village.

"What-!?!?!?!"

"I told you already…"

"L-Law… what is happening?!"

I undid my telepathic hold on her to let her go and see the devastation happening just a few hundred paces away from us.

"…if only you let me kill him earlier when that monster welling in his belly was still an immature maggot."

"N-No… the women… the children!!!"

Even from this distance, we sensed the massive number of deaths that happened in just a single moment due to that monster's sudden appearance.

"It's too late, Love."

"W-What are you doing?!"

I injected my Psych energy into my spear and stepped forward to not let her be caught in the shockwave of my leap.

"Leave this to me… It's my job after all to dispose of Malignances."

I leapt into the air with my spear in hand and once I arrived a few tens of paces away from the village gates, I finally saw the materialized malignance that came from the belly of that village elder from earlier.

"GRUAAAHHH…! GAU-!!!"

"A High-class one… probably has been lying in wait by staying in an immature state and feeding on that old man's lust wrapped in the fraudulent tradition of theirs."

"H-help… help mee…!"

"…"

"I am… sorry… It was just our ancestors' traditions… it must not die out…!"

"Fuuuu… Breath slowly, Law. You have done this again and again before."

The malignance took the shape of a bloated and misshapen giant block of human flesh, fat and twisted limbs and eyes that ate up almost half of the village's enclosed space, instantly crushing to death anyone who was near him when it materialized.

"R-Run!!!"

"Please save us, Guardian Spirit!"

"Leave it! We have to save ourselves!"

"Help mweeee!!!"

The survivors who saw the sudden appearance of the monster all ran out of the village while their village elder who became the catalyst of the Malignance's materialization moaned in pain as the Malignance drained him of the negative energy it stored in him.

"As I have sworn in my birth, to the people of this world…"

"T-The new spirit?!"

"As the one who was born from their desire for order and relief, as the one who judges what is right and what is wrong…"

"I-Is he exorcising that monster?!"

"It seems like he's doing just that!"

The villagers who heard my chant looked at me from afar as I opened a pool of Psych energy under myself in order to fully use my weapon's power.

"I therefore bear witness and do judgement upon this unlawful existence's terror and destruction… render unto me the right and power to extinguish its life…"

The Psych energy climbed into my spear, powering it enough so I can use my attack in a clean sweep.

"<Ars Caelestia!>"

"Ahhh!!!"

"My eyes!"

"This light…! It's too divine…!"

The clouds were parted, the sky turned dark. The stars that should only appear at night brightly shone amidst the dark expanse above our heads as if the sun's bright shine disappeared in an instant.

"<Principles of Law>"

And I, who casted it. Started the judgement I have called for.

"<Heaven's Strike!>"

As all of the stars in the sky glowed brightly to the point of blinding anyone who was looking at it, the innumerable number of beams of light showered down directly to the monster, vaporizing its body bit by bit in an endless barrage.

"<Ars Caelestia!>"

But I wasn't done yet…

"<Principles of Law>"

As the Malignance's upper half slowly disintegrated from the repeated shower of light from the stars, I pointed my spear towards the body of the village elder which is its core and energy catalyst.

"Strike him down! <Primordial Blood Oath!>"

My spear flung straight into his body in a speed that almost exceeded light. Enough to instantly vaporize his body, spirit and soul. It continued on until it hit an empty patch of land, still white-hot from the speed it flew out with.

"And to end all of this… <Ars Caelestia>"

"A third one?!"

"J-J-J-Just how powerful are Spirits really?!"

I prepared my last spell and formed a ball of light in the middle of my two hands.

"<Principles of Fragmented Reality>"

But this is no longer an attack. Instead, it is something I do to make sure any essence or residue of the Malignances I kill will not re-emerge later on in another host.

"UWAAAAARGHGHGHGH!!!"

"I rebuke you, being of chaotic void!"

"UWORGH! GRAAAH! GRAHHH!!!"

"Depart from this world! <Deliverance!>"

I pointed the orb of light towards him, and after it connected with the monster's body, expanded to swallow his battered down form.

"Return to me, Primordial Blood Oath!"

After absorbing him, the orb of light became small enough to fit on my palm again as I recovered my spear that I flung out earlier, attracting it back to my hand.

"Contain it for me, my weapon. Do not let it come back."

I pushed the light orb into the blade of my spear which absorbed it completely and locked it out from anyone's reach ever again.

"Woohooo!"

"Hurray! To the great spirit!"

"…"

From below, the villagers shouted and cheered for me as I floated down slowly to return to the ground.

"Thank you greatly for saving us, Great Spirit!"

"We owe our lives to you! We thank you very much!"

"…"

All of them seemed to be crying, but I didn't sense "pain" or "loneliness" in their tears.

"Thank you very much, spirit!"

"We were so scared! I ran away and I… I…"

Somehow, all of them seemed "happy" and "relieved". Something that didn't make sense to me because of their tears. But that is not what is important right now.

"Law…"

"…"

I am not dense to not know that unlike me, Love must've felt something after what just happened.

"Make way."

"Y-Yes!"

"Children! Give way to the spirit!"

I made some distance from the villagers before leaping up and gliding towards the pond that we stopped by earlier this day. I knelt towards it and saw from its reflection, the blood stains and gunk on my robe from my fight earlier against that monster.

"…"

"Law…"

"…What is it?"

It seems like she followed me shortly after I left, arriving quickly to ask me a question that seemed to bother her greatly.

"You… did you know what was going to happen earlier?"

"…Yes."

"Then why not just tell it straight to me? Why did you keep your lips shut before it happened?!"

"If I did so… will you believe me quickly enough to not let that monster take over that human and probably take your life?"

"-?!"

"You saw how monstrous that Malignance is… I needed three separate Caelestia Arts just to bring it down to a strength that is enough for my spear to contain."

"Kh-!"

"…You know nothing and can do nothing against such horrors, Love. That is exactly why you should proactively make sure that everything is truly in order for the humans under your rule."

I took off my robe, leaving me with a shirt and skirt that was given to me as a gift by a spirit I met in the central continent long ago.

"But… how can I do that?"

"…I was almost alike you before, you know? Except that unlike you who are too trusting and too hopeful about humans, I feel nothing and have no interest in them. I just pass by their villages and towns, disposing those who are infected by Malignances… may they be grown men or women or even children born from an unlawful act."

"That's…"

"I did just that for hundreds, maybe even thousands of sunsets. I had no reason to listen to their pleas and prayers for mercy. I disposed anyone who is already a danger or will be a danger to them."

I plunged my robe into the pond water to scrub the blood off it while still telling her my story.

"Then one day, I crossed paths with a fellow spirit, we conflicted against each other's values, actions and principles, and under her own challenge, fought for hundreds of sunsets to prove who is right… in the end, I won the battle, but lost the war."

"What… do you mean?"

"Even though she was defeated, she was successful in swerving my principles and lack of explanation for my actions. I won the physical duel, but she won the philosophical battle. In the end, we parted ways peacefully as I gave her an astounding amount of combat experience while she left me with a new appreciation and curiosity about humans."

"A spirit, you say…"

"Yes. In my long, long journey, I have met countless spirits. Some were young, some were old but not older than I. But amongst all of them, she was the first to show enough resilience and devotion towards her principles that before we parted ways, I gave her the honor of ascending to Caelestia and being called a Celestial Spirit."

After seeing that the stains have been washed off, I took my clothes out of the water and faced Love again.

"What separates us Celestial Spirits to normal spirits is that we have found a greater purpose for our principles and have detached ourselves from the things that would swerve us away from such purpose."

"…"

"You didn't sense the evil in this place nor the Malignance dwelling in that man's body because you have blinded yourself with the illusion that so long as you can provide the needs of their bodies such as sustenance and shelter, they will always be happy."

"Kh…"

"Though I do not have the "emotions" that you have, I am not dense enough to not know what the expression of a person who carries "pain" or "loneliness" is. I am aware… for in my long, long journey, I have seen it again and again and again… I know that humanity needs more than what you think they need."

Love became silent as I continued to speak to her what she lacked and let that disaster happen earlier.

"I know that unlike animals who possess no consciousness as complex as theirs, humans are very aware of their own being and what their heart and mind desires. Though they desire food, what is food if only they themselves enjoy it? Isn't that the reason why they feast together or eat as a family together?"

I spoke about humanity's innate desire to have someone dine with them as how I saw it across all of the world.

"Though they desire shelter, what is a house as large and luxurious as the chambers of Caelestia when it echoes with their voices that reach no ears other that theirs? Isn't that the reason why a man, woman and their children all live under the same roof? To share each other's companionship and warmth?"

I spoke about humanity's innate desire to have someone in their shelter, caring for its orderliness and those little ones who are yet to stand on their own feet.

"Though they desire the act of copulation, what is a copulation partner if they feel no attachment towards them? I am not aware of what truly binds them together… I only know that a man and woman seek each other's warmth and presence whenever they feel weakened and in need of care from the other. And lo, even though I have none of the "emotions" that you speak of, I have learned all of this more than you do."

"Tell it to me straight already, Law… what did I lack that I seem to not deserve to be my people's guardian spirit?"

Sensing that my robe has dried out due to my warming ability, I wore it and finally answered her question.

"You lacked the ability to let go of your illusion of their kindness and fragility. You wish to only see what is good in them when you what is bad in them is present right in front of you."

"-!"

"You told me earlier that you wish to protect your people and make sure that they are happy no matter what happens… but where do you draw the line?"

"…"

"I can only speak as I know… your protection and guidance makes them depend on you to the point that they don't know what else to do once you are gone."

"I know that… but as their guardian spirit, isn't it obvious that I should do as such?"

"…No."

My answer was precise, as I wished to show her with complete seriousness that I meant what I said.

"We spirits are not gods. What you are doing right now is almost indistinguishable to one who wishes praise through continued guidance of humans."

"N-No! I am not!"

"Not yet."

"-!"

"You cannot let this continue more than it already did, Love."

"…"

"Instead of continuously holding their hand, why not teach them to slowly stand on their own feet and later on, watch them thrive from afar?"

Love seemed to understand what I was trying to say. There was a bitter expression on her face, but it mellowed down as she held her elbows with her hands and finally made her decision.

"I did not start off as a Guardian Spirit… If I am going to be honest, I cared for them as a substitute to the spirit whom I took under my wing long ago as a student."

"…"

"I nurtured her, taught her about our kind, protected her ceaselessly from all harm and kept her close to me at all times. But as she grew, met more people and spirits and eventually formed her own principles, she began to distance herself from me until she eventually wished to depart from under me to travel the world by her own self."

"What happened then?"

"I told her that I will not let her leave my side and after that, we fought and fought until I eventually won… but her principles still remained in her heart as one day, I woke up and she was no longer beside me… I felt… lonely and failed. Because of my own selfishness, I did not respect what she wanted and instead of parting ways on good terms, she left with a heavy heart that even until now, she has not listened to my beckoning."

Love stepped near the pond and looked at her reflection on the still surface of the water.

"I united the people of this land and became the Guardian Spirit to fill in the painful gap of my student's departure… but in the end, it seems like you are indeed right… I need to change my principles in order to not be depended on ceaselessly by them, but instead, prepare them for the future ahead of them."

Love bit the skin of her thumb and let her blood drip into the pondwater as she took out her Divine Weapon which is a sword the size of her arm.

"Upon my name, Love, the Spirit of Love… I change my very being to change how I wish to act starting from this moment."

She took the sword that floated just above the pond water and placed it behind her back using a single hand.

"I no longer desire to forever be seen as a being for dependence and sustenance… not do I desire to keep my people close to me to the end of time. I have decided that in order for my reason to exist to truly be fulfilled and my promise to nourish humanity to be kept, I must prepare them to stand by themselves…"

She held the lower portion of her hair and in one single motion, it was effortlessly cut by her sword into a length halfway her back.

"I am Love, the Spirit of Love. And in order for my love to be spread towards all of them… I form a new oath towards humanity who gave me my life and being."

"An oath that I shall bear witness to."

"Law…"

"Go on. I will listen to it and be a part of it."

She knelt to the pond and let her hair float amidst the water.

"Amongst my principles, I shall now find the ills of their heart and fix them… for that is what true love does."

That day, the Spirit of Love made an oath that in the eyes of the Spirit of Law, made her eligible for the one thing he has the authority to give to spirits who have taken the right path towards fulfilling their reason to exist.

"Guardian… this is…"

"I cannot fix what has already happened. It's true that I never thought about your own pain from such a fraudulent and immoral tradition. And to think that all of you still see and call me as your Guardian Spirit…"

Back in the ruined village, Love handed the survivors a roll of parchment that has her name and proof of identity that instructs any village or town leader to take them in as refugees and new members of their settlement.

"To think that I've been taking care of a child that wasn't mine…"

"F-Father…"

Some of the village men grit their teeth and desperately held back their tears as the details of the tradition finally reached their ears. Some of the children felt just as bothered about the news as it meant that they shared no blood connection with the men they called as their fathers.

"You male humans… As the spirit of Law, I shall give you a choice."

"W-What?"

"T-The spirit will do what?"

"Today, I learned something from her, your Guardian Spirit. She said that so long as there is love, it shouldn't be seen as wrong. And right now, you are all frustrated with the truth that the first-born children you have is the children of the man who killed your friends and family earlier because of his evildoings… and how he became the one to take the purity of your wives."

"Khh!"

"Darn it!"

Hearing me speak the truth deepened the pain of that wound, but I did not say all of that for nothing.

"Therefore, I am giving all of you a choice."

"What would it be… great spirit?"

"Here."

"-!"

"I will erase all of your memories. You will all forget about this, and you can return to being the family that you used to be."

"…"

"It is almost against my principles as this is nothing but escapism and tricking of one's own self. But as one of my fellow spirits once said… "ignorance is sometimes the only salvation from the world's painful truths."… what do you all say?"

I extended my hand out and from the heavy-hearted crowd, came out the same woman from before.

"This pain and shame is truly heavy on our hearts… I regret keeping this from my spouse when he is still with us, but I believe being ignorant of it is a far greater pain and shame than constantly being reminded of it."

"…"

She took my hand, but she gently pressed my fingers inward, closing it as to not let anyone take it.

"This is the truth… we must face it and even though it will be painful and difficult… live with it until our departure from this life."

"I understand."

I lowered my arm and spoke with vigor towards them.

"Let today's pains, truths and deaths be a reminder to all of you… As mortals, all of your lives are fleeting, you are at the mercy of this world's hazards and your own bodies' limits, Malignances prey upon the darkness of your hearts and minds, seeking an opportune moment to snap up into your bodies and feast upon the bottled up evil in your selves…"

"""…"""

"Therefore, live a life with no regrets. Live a life that has a purpose. Live a life together with the people who are dear to you."

"S-Spirit…"

"Those words are…"

I spoke the words that should be familiar to them as I deduced that she must've traveled here once after we parted ways back then.

"Live a life that is Just… For in your short life that is alike the mist in the morning and the dew after a rain shower, how you gave your life a purpose and that purpose an appropriate justice, is what will be remembered."

"Spirit Justice's words…"

"Right… the spirit is right."

"Go now. Depart from this land and seek a new home to regenerate the wounds of your body, heart and mind."

After they left with their carts and remaining belongings, Love and I was left in the ruins of the village, watching the villagers leave for the nearby town that might take them in.

"Law."

"Yes?"

"Thank you!"

"…You're welcome."

She gave me her wide smile again and seeing her new appearance as her long hair was cut, made some kind of feeling well up in my chest, but not enough to change my expression.

"I… I think I might be just a wee bit younger that you given that you told me earlier that you have travelled around the world for over a million sunsets."

"Accurately, it's 1,825,036 sunsets. I've been counting it for a long time as I traveled around."

"I see… For me and my brother, it would be 1,374,821 sunsets. A little bit later than you."

"…Why are you saying all of this?"

"It's because of how I noticed the difference between you and I… you do lack the emotions I have and my ability to easily understand people. But it seems like you still know more and can do more because of your age and number of experiences."

"…"

"It somehow… made me jealous."

"Jealous, you say? Alright… take out your weapon, I will not hold back this time."

"Hey, hey! I am just saying it, I do feel it but… Argh! Just sit down and listen first, will you?!"

After placing my weapon back to my subspace, I sat down again to listen to her words.

"I'm jealous that unlike you, I am too inept to do anything back then… and you even said that the Malignance could've killed me if it wanted to."

"That was not a lie. It's really powerful, you know."

"Yeah… I saw how much power you used to defeat it. I am aware of how strong it is."

"…"

"Still, I should've sensed it or even provided some help to you earlier. I am the Gurdian Spirit but I am not strong enough to do anything against it… I feel powerless."

At this moment, where she admitted her shortcomings, I decided to inform her about something I decided on earlier.

"Love."

"Yes?"

"Remember what I said earlier about how I met someone and before we split ways, I let her ascend to Caelestia to be a Celestial Spirit?"

"Yes… I think I do remember that part. Why do you ask?"

I gave a question that later on, gave me both the happiest and most painful memories I still carry to this day.

"Do you also wish to see the human world from the place where I first opened my eyes?"

That night, another spirit ascended to the divine room where all of the Original World's essence coagulate in order to let this world to properly exist.