『Astria Caroline von Avery』

"...Here she is captain."

"Hmm. Good work." Someone nodded.

It was a calm and peaceful evening. It was dead silent to the point that one's footsteps could be heard echoing throughout the hallways. Yes, this was the Lizea royal palace. The Knight Captain Dahlia had just returned from the Sky Tower.

"I'm coming in." She said, opening a door.

The interior of the room was rather lavish. It included a fireplace and a number of furniture with what seemed to be expensive gemstones inlaid into them. In the middle of the room, a tea set could be seen along with a girl that seemingly was cautious around her surroundings.

"You can go now, I'll talk to her," Dahlia said, dismissing her subordinates that were in the room.

As the door shut behind them, the Knight Captain sat perpendicular to the girl.

"You are...?" Dahlia asked softly.

"...Minami Nishikawa." The girl reluctantly said.

"I see, I'm Dahlia Heathcliff. I apologize for the inconvenience that you went through."

The knight captain was informed of the situation. It seems that Minami had been summoned to Lizea kingdom as well, in a village near the capital. She had resisted at first but was ultimately no match against Lizea Knights.

"No... I was quick to assume that you were enemies."

"Though I have to say, my fellow knights informed me that you were pretty strong. That's coming from the best knights in the whole kingdom."

"What is it that you need with me...?"

Nishikawa Minami, while she was not very talkative, she still was the prodigy of her school back on Earth. It seems she was also well-versed in martial arts as his father had owned a dojo.

"I'm sure my subordinates have already informed you of the rest. We just need you to be stronger to represent us at the end-year Zenia's Youth Inter-Kingdom War. Rest assured, it's only a competition between kingdoms to decide who controls more Land and is not a life-or-death situation as the goddess' subordinates will oversee the whole war. Although, you are free to refuse this and just stay in the castle for as long as you like."

"..."

"No, I'll join. I don't want to just sit idly by and accept free meals."

"Hmm, thank you." Dahlia softly smiled.

Dahlia also further explained the world of Zenia and answered any questions that Minami had asked. After talking for an hour, it seems that Minami had lessened her guard.

"...And, you'll be joining the princess and one other person that also came from your world."

"...? Who might that be?" Minami asked.

"This girl." Dahlia opened her palm, projecting an image of Kaori.

"Oh. I think I've seen her."

That's right, while Minami did not attend the same school as Naoki and Kaori, her school was relatively close. They had competed against one another frequently, with Kaori and Minami usually pitted against one another. It had started some sort of rivalry between the two schools, with the two as the spearheads.

"Oh? That makes things easier. Tomorrow, we'll be completing your group by holding a tournament in the courtyard. We'll need five members if we want to compete after all."

"A tournament? I understand... incidentally, do you have more of these...?" Minami pointed at the empty plate that originally had desserts.

"Haha, there will be lots in a while. Princess Lydia and Kaori are in the dining hall at the moment, waiting for dinner. You want to join them?" Dahlia softly smiled.

"Mhm." Minami nodded, her face barely keeping its nonchalance at the mention of sweets.

As Minami stood up and went along with Captain Dahlia, she had begun to let go of her guard. It seems these weren't bad people, she thought. With that, the evening felt much brighter for her, unlike a certain someone...

<<----------->>

*Zap*

"Woah! Stop!" Naoki screamed.

"Hmph, you're quite nimble for a guy."

Naoki was running, it seems he had angered someone. As he barely manages to dodge the lightning bolts that were shot in his direction, he had reached a dead end.

"I swear I'm not after your life! Am I not weaker than you!?" Naoki exclaimed.

"True, though the fact that you know the state of my soul is already dangerous enough. I can't let you go." She said, charging at Naoki.

"Tch... no use talking huh? Fine." Naoki used his [Blitz] node to lunge back at the woman.

"...!" She staggered, she had not expected Naoki to lunge at her so fast.

*Thud*

Their bodies hit each other and tumbled a few paces.

"Urgh!" The woman groaned as she fell.

A moment later, The woman was first to recover. She looked at Naoki...

"You! Did yo-" The woman stopped, her eyes were tearing up.

"I-I... was that... yours?" Naoki's face was overflowing with tears, he had a hard time forming cohesive words.

They cried.

It seems that the moment they touched, in that instant, their souls connected. It might have been due to Naoki's unique soul or for another reason.

In that second, their memories and emotions of their childhood and until now have flashed before their eyes. It seems her name was Astria Caroline von Avery, and for all her life, she had lived as a shadow of her sister. Naoki saw that no matter how much she had struggled, she still was not able to become strong because of a specific constitution that made her aptitude weak. In the end, it was because she was weak that her mother sacrificed herself to protect her. She couldn't forgive herself for that. If only she was as strong as her sister, she might have been able to save her mother. So, she decided to seek another way to become strong but in the end, she just damaged her soul in the process and just burdened her sister even more.

"That... I'm sorry about what happened with your mother. It seems we're similar in that regard huh?" Astria wiped her tears.

"So... that lightning that you create is..." Naoki asked, still in a daze

"That's right... It was what I traded my soul for." She wryly laughed.

It was such a surreal sight, seeing as they were at each other's throats earlier. Who could blame them? They have witnessed an entire lifetime's worth of memories and emotions in the span of a moment. Taking their time, they finally somewhat managed to compose themselves.

"What just happened?" Astria asked.

"I think it has to do with my soul..."

Naoki explained how he could see the monster's memories and emotions. He was not completely sure that was the case this time but it seems like the most probable explanation, or so he surmised.

"Pft! HAHAHA! This sounds so oddly convenient I can't help but laugh! Even the most well-versed Soul Seeker can't see it that far." Astria chuckled, referring to her damaged soul.

"What do you mean?"

Astria mentioned that Soul Seekers can somewhat repair souls, but it was hopeless since they can't see through her soul. It seems it was broken to the point that it can't be comprehended anymore. Souls can fix other souls by comprehending it and supplying them with world energy but it requires the person to reveal all of themselves to that person.

"I'm about to die soon... Honestly, I don't think I have much time to live, a few days at most. But maybe, if you coul-"

"I got it." Naoki understood, with his hand on her shoulder.

"...! Sto-" She squirmed, the sudden sensation of her soul being seen was a bit embarrassing.

Naoki understood, and while Naoki had no experience in repairing souls, he had learned the general idea from Astria's memories. It seems she had just recently commissioned the service of a Soul Seeker who had visited the town.

"Ha..!" Astria gasped.

"This is...!" Naoki was breathing raggedly.

They stared into each other's eyes.

Maybe it was because they have revealed themselves to each other, maybe it was because they had connected their souls—but at that moment, both of them could feel themselves longing for the other. Their souls seemingly could not contain the raging passion within.

"I'm sorry!" Naoki shoved her down.

"Wai-"

*Thud*

Naoki made a blunder, he had not recalled all of Astria's memories. The Soul Seeker had explained to Astria that there was a reason why there are no male Soul Seekers and it was not because they were weak.

It was because THIS was bound to happen.

"Beautiful..." Naoki staringly said in a daze.

"..!" Astria's eyes were getting duller as well, about to drown herself in her desires.

Lust.

Even the most skilled Soul Seekers still need a Soul Artifact to block their own memories from being seen and also to protect themselves from... Carnal Desires. Astria was about to suggest getting one earlier but it was already too late.

Tonight marks the first night of the founders of Avery, where the fire of their passion rage on brightly. Amidst the town, In the back alleys of Avery that no one visits, two people could be seen connected metaphorically and literally.

Bright lights sparkled as luminescent lights illuminated Avery, The first night of the festival was at its peak. But the two birds had already escaped from all the festivities, it was as if the festive cheer had all drowned and that the world did not matter.

The night will eventually end, but this moment of their life had already frozen in time.

<<----------->>

*Zap*

"..Woah! Deja vu!" Naoki woke up by a sudden weak jolt of lightning that hit him.

"You animal!" A woman exclaimed.

"Ahaha, I'm sorry." Naoki said while remembering what happened last night, a grin forming on his face.

Despite her dismay, Astria seems to be more energetic. It seems her broken soul had somewhat been restored. Although, Naoki was unsure if it was fixed completely.

"To think that I'd be married before my sister... with this guy..." Astria grimaced.

"Hmm? What do you mean?"

"Eh? Ah, I remember you're a stray, aren't you?" Astria recalled Naoki's memories.

"You see-"

In the world of Zenia, doing "that" is equivalent to marriage. There are some who celebrate it with a feast but there were no marriage ceremonies. There are many benefits of getting married but the most obvious one is that...

"Our souls are connected?" Naoki asked, checking his soul.

"Yeah... unfortunately. The red light that you see there is a connection to me. It will tell you where I am and can somewhat read what I feel." Astria sighed, though she does not look as displeased as she made it sound.

"Thank you," Naoki said, staring into her eyes.

"For?"

"To think that such a beautiful woman would be my first."

"Urgh... how can you say that with a straight face?"

If there was one thing that Naoki was proud of, is that he can say what he truly feels when it mattered. After a few more romantic bickering between the two, they have decided.

"It seems I'll be in your care," Astria said, her face with mixed feelings.

"Likewise, Astria."

"...! Let's get going then!" Astria turned away, striding forward.

"Haha."

And thus the tale of the two begins. They set off to explore the city, taking in its sights as Astria paid for the majority of their expenditures. Embarrassed, Naoki vowed in his mind that he wouldn't let her regret this time in her life, even if he had only been dragged into it. They began preparing for the domain as they had decided to become stronger after all—although this time, together.

<<----------->>

"That's enough." A knight shouted.

"Winner, Leanna Heathcliff." She continued, announcing a break.

In the vast lands of Zenia, the Lizea kingdom was hosting a small competition in the Lizea castle's courtyard. It seems that they needed two more young cultivators to enter Zenia's Youth Inter-Kingdom War. The one who was overseeing it was no other than Dahlia Heathcliff.

"We now move on to the finals. While both of the finalists are already qualified, we would still want to see the full extent of their abilities."

"Now, on your stations!" The referee announced.

"Yes!"

"Hmm."

The courtyard was protected by a special soul formation that creates a dome around it. It has the ability to return everything to its normal state and prevent competitors from killing each other.

"On the left is the daughter of the captain of the Lizea knights, Leanna Heathcliff!"

"The daughter of the Knight Captain looks undefeatable." An audience commented.

"She really resembles her mother..." Another audience remarked

"On the right is the only daughter of the Klaus family, Janice Klaus!"

There were quite a number of people watching, and while only the noble daughters were the only ones participating, their relatives and their servants came to watch as well.

"Ara, it's been a while, Dahlia." A woman said smiling.

"As always, you still like hiding your strength?" Dahlia grinned.

"My, whatever could you be talking about? I'm feeble as a cat."

The one talking to Dahlia was no other than Hailey Klaus, the head of the Klaus family. While the Klaus family isn't that large and had no branch family, it was still one of the major families in Lizea kingdom—this is all due to the unparalleled strength of its head.

"Start!" The referee shouted.

"To think that our daughters would be fighting alongside from now on, this takes me back." Hailey softly said.

"Yeah, you were such a crybaby back then."

"You-!"

"Haha, to think you'd be so powerful now." Dahlia continued.

It seems the two had quite a long history. As the two competitors duked it out, it was still unclear which one will win.

*Huff* *Huff*

"I can't do anything about her Ice. It seems she had trained it quite well."

"You're quite strong but... I'll have to end this." Janice declared, her body glowing.

"Ah-! no choice!"

Using all of their soul nodes, the two had awakened forth their strongest move. Janice had summoned 3 gigantic ice swords while Leanna had rushed toward her opponent.

"Reckless!" Janice sent out the swords.

"Hopefully this will work!" Leanna nimbly dodged the swords.

Janice controlled the 3 giant swords and continuously attacked her opponent. Leanna can barely avoid them using her dedicated wind soul nodes.

"Hmph!" Janice touched the ground.

"Ah-!" Leanna's feet froze.

It seems that Janice had frozen the ground around her, trapping those who enter.

"I'm not done yet!" She clasped her hand.

Soon after a shockwave of wind was sent toward Janice, it was so fast that she had not created a proper ice wall to defend herself.

"Guh!" Janice was flown back.

"Take this!" Leanna sent shockwaves one after another.

It was now Janice's turn to be on the defensive, but she was not showing signs of fatigue. In fact, her eyes look as if she can continue on forever.

"Ara, it seems you have taught your daughter well." Hailey smiled.

"I could say the same. It seems that you have also taught your daughter 'that' technique."

"Well, I learned it from you after all"

They were referring to the technique that mitigates the effects of Soul Fatigue. If one used the soul node too often, one will get tired. Technically one can still use their Soul Nodes, but it was meaningless if they can't even move. Thus, veteran cultivators developed a technique that lessens its effects.

"Janice has always been the prodigy of the Klaus family, she had not even cried when she first tried it." Hailey said fondly.

"It seems that this battle will probably not end huh?"

Both sighed, it seems this battle would not be concluded anytime soon. After chatting and catching up with everything, they both decided to stop the match.

"That's enough!" both of them said, their voices seemingly resounding through the whole courtyard.

"...? Match concluded! Draw!" The referee announced.

"Ehh???"

"Hmph."

Surprisingly, none of them rebutted the Knight Captain's decision. It seems the others had also surmised that this match would not end anytime soon.

*Applause*

"Woah! Did you see that Kaori-chan? They're so powerful!" The jovial princess said.

"True, and we were so proud we've cleared the first layer of the Sky Tower..." Kaori sighed.

"Hmm..."

Minami was just observing the situation but even she could tell that even the three of them could not match even one of them.

"What do you think Minami-san?" Kaori prompted.

"...we're weak." She said bluntly.

"That's why we should strive to be stronger!" Lydia smiled, holding both of Minami's hands.

"That's right." Someone said.

"...?"

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice. It was no other than Captain Dahlia accompanied by Hailey Klaus.

"Auntie Dahlia!" Lydia beamed.

"Let's get to training, this time I'll teach you three a special technique so that you may become stronger."

"That's mean, Dahlia—these precious girls should not feel that pain yet." Hailey said concerningly.

"Hehe." Dahlia grinned.

"...devil." Minami said silently

Thus began their training, It was a technique called Node Shredding. It requires one to overuse their soul nodes to the point that it's almost breaking, then immediately try to repair it. This would develop the Repair Dedicated Soul Node, The stronger it is, the faster your soul recovers from soul fatigue. Ultimately, repairing a soul node was easier said than done.

Naturally, this will be painful as overusing soul nodes can be taxing and in the worst case, can permanently damage your soul. Although, Dahlia had already accounted for everything which was why she was confident.

Noon was nigh, yet it was already a gloomy occasion for the three of them. They all can't help but grimaced at their upcoming doom.

<<----------->>

"Not enough."

*Shatter*

Everything fragmented as if the world had cracked. What seems to be a clearing in a bamboo forest, had somehow turned into an arena.

*Cheer*

"That's a Star Maiden for you!" The audience cheered.

"As always, she ends her battles in a single strike!" Another shouted.

Amidst the land of the east lies the Sakurahime Empire, and currently, it is the monthly Deity Challenge. People across the world of Zenia, travel to its capital and participate to have a chance to spar with the Star Maiden, which is also the Empress.

"Yet again..." she softly muttered.

In the cacophony of cheering, stood a valiant and elegant woman. She was strong, stronger than anyone else—which had earned her the title of Star Maiden. Everyone knows of her name and many people strive to be like her.

"It always... ends up like this." She bowed, keeping her disappointment to herself.

No one was able to match her, let alone beat her. But unbeknownst to everyone, she is but human. For the longest time, no one had seen her like that. She was fine with that, she had gotten used to it, after all.

"Farewell." She said firmly, exiting the arena.

As the leaves of autumn fall, one could feel the chill. It was not because of the coming of winter but the ice-cold expression of the ever-victorious empress. The crowd cheered, unaware of the isolation that one must bear because of great power.