Learning

"Alliance? Say, what kind of alliance did my father make with a big empire like them? Is it concern with our kingdom's independence?"

"It is not like that, Your Highness. During the treaty between His Highness The King and The Emperor of Ares few years ago, our side agreed in something in return of the East Empire gave us a hand."

While the dead knight explaining the history of the kingdom, he looks perplexed whether to continue speaking it or not. He looks suspicious in the eyes of Diana.

"Something? Something like what?" Diana keeps pushing the question as obviously there is secret that the dead knight trying to hide.

"This... I really should not say it. My apology, my Princess! You will know it when it is time." The dead knight suddenly kneels on his legs in fast speed.

"Fine fine. Nevermind. Even if I force you, you will not talk about it. Now get up. I feel like a bad superior who punishes innocent person." Diana has no will to continue forcing since he is stubbornly keeping that from being revealed. Very suspicious.

The dead knight immediately stands up and looks back at the Princess.

"Thank you, Your Highness. And thus, that's all the brief history of our Kingdom. Again I cannot tell you about that 'something' because only Your Highness' Royal parents and our Highest Lords know and it is confidential. But other than that, if you have more questions you can ask me. I am at your service."

"That's fine. My questions today have been answered. Thank you for your service. You can leave." Diana looks at the while she continues talking before the dead knight goes out from her room.

"Sir Knight, your will is read. You can rest well now and give proper farewell to your family. Do not delay, or you will regret."

The dead knight feels like there is hidden meaning from Princess Luna's words. It is like a mournful advice. "Well said. Thank you, Your Highness."

"I wish you peace." Now Diana is left alone in the Royal Chamber. She zones out while looks at the window. Her mind is now running with lots of information. 'Maybe I was just overthinking...'

...

That night, Diana waits for Undine to come over. She needs to discuss something important to Undine as she has thought about it over and over. In this era, survival is a must. If we do not prepare well, our life will be in risk any minutes even though maybe living in a secluded kingdom like this Vita Kingdom.

Right when the moon shines it's glowy light through the slip of window, Diana sees the familiar hue of blue coming in. Undine in her butterfly form slips through the window and places herself on Diana's cradle.

Undine greets Diana, the only baby that is living the cold night with her radiant smile like a smiling moon. There are few days already since this baby is born, but every midnight especially this baby princess never closes her eyes. It seems her eyes are part of the starry sky of night.

For Diana, not gonna lie, she is still in awe seeing the eye-catching forms of Undine whether in her butterfly form or human form.

Both look so mystical for her, who only experience this kind of thing only on screen of television or phone. If modern people see Undine, they might think her as CGI character. The real version of CGI.

"Undine, you are my lifetime contracted spirit. If let's say one day I die, what will happen to you?"

"Regarding this matter, Luna of the Moon spirit will never die. It is true she is once almost dying but she manages to find her human body before she disappears completely and now she is already in her original form, the immortal spirit. We spirits are all created by the Holy Lord, live under the permission of Holy Lord and obey in doing our each role. Now she is doing her role in guiding the moon directly from this human body."

"Oh. But is it possible if spirits die in human body after they successfully reside in it?"

"Body is just a vessel. Spirits can transfer into anything we see, hear, or touch. For high rank spirits, we can transform into complicated form like humans without being killed first. But it differs to another spirits because the souls are still too young so if they are harmed, they need to stop by in a newly developed human flesh. They have to strive to not get destroyed before they transfer to a suitable body."

'Sounds like law of conversation of energy, except for the part of created and destroyed. Or maybe actually this law has error that actually an energy can actually be created and destroyed?'

"I see. But how about Luna? I mean my soul and hers are entangled together now. If my human soul is in danger, will that drag her immortal soul too to disperse?"

"Eventually speaking, you have special occasion. This body you both reside is a fragile body of a princess who is her ancestors lived in this kingdom for generations, rarely met direct sun or muddy soil. Undeniably you will feel pain sometimes, but both the souls reside in it, neither from this world, so the body will adapt with the souls' time frame unless it's the time for human soul."

"You mean..?" Diana becomes more confused listening to Undine's explanation.

"Luna to do residing in a human body, another wandering human soul must combine with hers. Our Holy Lord arranges for you to be the human soul needed, so that's meant your soul had escaped and wandered between space and time. And seems your soul is stable in this world's environment, so that leaves you are from an unknown time period. Just honestly we also do not know when are you from."

"I see... Yes you are right I am from this world which is during my time, we name as Earth. I indeed came from hundreds of thousands or maybe millions years or maybe less than that too, in future... I could not say the specific time gap since I'd also never heard this icy kingdom from my history book nor History channel. But I assure you, I really came from a time where the history of this kingdom is never heard and also our civilisation then is different than here."

"So you are the final period's human souls... Never thought Holy Lord will actually choose the most youngest soul to here, and I'd never had the idea of meeting a soul like you. Luna and I are lucky spirits to meet the youngest soul. Rarely spirits found younger souls more than hundreds years."

"What final period? Nah you're joking right? Don't scare me, Undine..," cold sweats suddenly are poured down her cheeks and forehead.

'What did she mean by final period and youngest soul? That's it. The discussion of here-after is too creepy. It gives me goosebumps. I should change the topic.'

"Then what is with my soul's time frame and 'unless it is the time for the human soul' thing?"

"You can transfer back to your original body during your time frame."

"What? Really?" Diana unnoticingly speaks in higher tone making her parents who are sleeping, start to move and check her from the bed area. Diana immediately closes her eyes and pretends to sleep. Seeing their baby actually sounds asleep, the King and Queen lay their heads back and continue sleeping.

"What did you say? I can come back to my time?" The baby princess changes back her tone to normal, to not alarm her parents.

"Yes your souls will grow and bring this body until the time your body supposes to release your human soul. Hundreds of thousands years more. You will leave this body and transfer back into your original fated body. But do not worry, since you are special case of spirit-human, your body will stop change after you end your growth at adult age. The beauty of yours will everlast. Hundred of thousands years will never touch any skin from you."

'Wow really sounds dreamy. Like a fantasy. Ever-lasting beauty! But sure this is logic-defying sense. I bet humans will act crazy if we ever can do this kind of thing...'

There is a long pause before Undine starts to speak again.

"You can actually choose too to not return to your body. But the consequence, you will become immortal until the end of era. Without hiding my intention, I know humans would love to fight to get this so called immortality. They have many ways to get this..."

"No. I... I want my old life back. I have important promises to settle. Plus, there is something I must confirm." Diana's memories before she died, comes through rapidly. Now she knows she have second chance to go back where she is supposed to though she must struggle first in this new life.

"Old life over immortality?" Undine asks back to get the confirmation. She is actually quite surpised too when this princess rejects sternly the opened limited offer. Never once she knows there is a human who is not greedy enough to not bait eyes on this. Not even this princess does not have to search for the immortality, the immortality itself is already in her body, but she wants to reject it instead.

Over the years she is inspecting humans after she comes down from Spirit Realm, humans are always greedy enough to fulfill everything to their heart contents, despite their fortune of multi-purposes brain, they always indulge themselves in sea of sins.

"Though the offer is tempting, but still nope. Sorry but I have to go back. I left life before I'd complete my promises... I know I can break my promise but my conscience will take me as an ungrateful servant, daughter, family and friend. Everyone, my God, parents, family, friends and society have done much things for me that I could lead a happy life, I will feel bad if I cannot do anything good for them back. So please I beg, I want, I need to keep on this life until my time."

Diana feels sad but mixes with hopes too. She will do anything to go back, though it costs of millions of eye-catching offers. Just call her greedy, but her life is what makes her today. She is stopped suddenly when she barely starts anything. This is her biggest regret.

'Not only she rejects the most important part of non-worldly creatures; the immortality, but she knows how to appreciate her short life, her people very preciously. She really does have good karma. No wonder Holy Lord chooses her.'

This time, Undine knows her effort of saving this baby during her birth, is not in vain. Saving a good karma human will also lead Luna's and her power to be used well. Worth the whole risk Undine took in bringing the most awaited generation of Vita Kingdom, of her protection.

"Nicely said. As your contracted spirit, I will accompany and lend you my protection and power. Until your time arrives." Undine in her butterfly form flies above Diana, while writes something in the air with her sparkles. The writing is simple but then it disperses without any trace.

"Hm Undine, what will happen to you after I leave this body during my time?" Asks Diana while tries to mimick the writing in the air. It is so beautiful when looks from under it. Just now it looked like few small drone projectors flying to write something in the sky, making it like glowy stars.

"I will go back to Spirit Realm with Luna soul. Our time is already extended when I have to live here with my daughter, but then we also have to accompany you to the final period. Unless Holy Lord allows it, we can still be here accompanying the you in your time."