"What you call Undead are, in reality, puppet bodies." The ethereal wolf laid it out without holding anything back, starting with the greatest revelation to Erias.

"Soulbound Sect…" He murmured, knowing about them from the ancient texts he read.

"They were a force who collected people with strong and exceptional souls. Their main method was to train not the body but the mind. They strengthened their souls, and all their spells were based on one's mind and their will. It was a unique method to gain power and a powerful one… if you had the talent."

"It sounds evil." Arcus snorted.

"You are a young dragon." Swimmy chuckled, "What? 6 thousand years old?"

"Four." He snorted, but he also looked a bit embarrassed.

"You were not alive back then." The fish-demon shrugged. "It was a different era when Meriath was still open to the Cosmos. Branded as 'evil' only worked if said force had no strength behind them. Those who could stand up to anyone were no longer 'evil.' The Soulbound Sect was powerful; taking them down would have been catastrophic, and we had a very carefully cultivated balance!"

"Hah!" Erias snorted, without holding back his displeasure listening to him, "Look at where that got you all! And us!"

"The past can't be changed." The wolf continued, looking at Swimmy to stop provoking them. "What you need to understand is that all of us were of the same mind. The Cosmos is a wild place, and the weak get crushed. We relied on each other, and we needed their unique strength. We were not letting any other force encroach on our domain."

"So much for the Golden Claw's cause and effect beliefs." Erias folded his arms, "From what I read, you all brought us down to the mud! Thank you very much!"

"Yes." The wolf nodded, not denying it, making Erias pursing his lips but remaining silent while continuing to listen. "The Golden Claw always played the role of the balance in the cosmic scale. But… that balance was broken too fast and too violently. The moment the Soulbound Sect tried to kill a young girl who was our adversary's daughter… everything escalated before we could act. One of our realms, the place where I am from, was conquered in a day."

"A day." Swimmy repeated with a tinge of fear in his voice, "Think of it this way… when those… Immortals became angry; they struck like lightning! There was no turning back; it became a fully blown-out war. Worse even…"

"Is there worse than that?" Arcus asked, finding it hard to imagine how the ancient lived.

"The Soulbound Sect," the wolf continued, "Were our ace in hand, so to speak. Their cultivation and use of the soul is unique even in the Cosmos. Yet the Immortals had their own version. They started countering our side, and we were constantly pushed back. Then, we had a premonition. A vision, if you will. We foresaw that we would be betrayed."

"I don't get it…" Arcus crossed his arms while sitting, scratching his chin.

"I do." Erias looked into the wolf's eyes, "You lot were losing the fight! Then the Soulbound fuckers decided to harvest you all, no? All their remaining friends were consumed with the hope of turning the tide of the war! Am I right?"

"Yes," Swimmy answered, apparent anger in his voice. "Those backstabbing bastards!"

"Serves you right!" Erias and Arcus replied at the same time, "And now we are plagued by the Undead! So they are still collecting souls? Is that it?"

"Yes." The two answered them with a sigh before the wolf could continue explaining, "The Golden Claw sect decided to surrender. They sent all their young disciples and promising future leaders to the Immortals. They gave themselves up without asking for anything. We foresaw that they would be just so we trusted our visions."

"Then who are those who we saw?"

"They are the bodies of the leaders, followers, and all those allies of ours who remained behind. They sealed this place, using their souls the same way as the Soulbound Sect used theirs to seal Meriath away from the enemy. They are currently in the Sea of Souls, waiting for their chance at returning, to be reborn."

"You mean…" Erias opened his mouth to ask, but the wolf simply nodded.

"I mean it for both. The Soulbound Sect carved out their own domain, just the same in the Sea of Souls."

"What is that?" Arcus asked, annoyed that he couldn't follow the discussion.

"No-Space," Erias answered him quickly, "So, the Undead can't be destroyed... Even if we kill them, their soul escapes and returns to that domain? How are we supposed to win, then?! They just… they will just come back later!"

"You need to kill the soul that is in the body they occupy. Damage it well enough, and it won't be able to return. The Golden Claw joined their souls willingly into the Sea of Souls, so they wouldn't be gobbled up by the Soulbound Elders. With their souls residing in what you call No-Space, the Soulbound Sect can't fully control it. We are still the balance between the living and the dead. Between you and what you call the Undead."

"Not the best balancing act, I say…" Arcus grumbled, getting half of the explanation only.

"Kill the soul… damn it… this is even worse than I thought!" Erias stood up, starting to walk up and down, his brain working in overdrive while he was biting his nails nervously.

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"They are going to commence a harvest." Swimmy said, looking at Erias marching back and forth like a pendulum, "They are collecting souls to heal up and gather power. They still did not accept defeat and want to retaliate."

"Great! You damned ancient bastards!" Erias spat at the feet of the two, unafraid of their powers or reaction, "Fuck them and fuck both of you too!"

"..."

"Turns out this is not some ancient curse but our ancestors harvesting us? What a fucking relief! You brought your whole realm into hell because of swinging your erect cocks around like some kind of horny motherfucker! You all should have been killed, and I should be laughing, pissing on your graves instead! Balance yourself on my erect dick, you pompous wrinkled asshats!"

"Um… Brother…” Arcus cleared his throat, trying to calm down Erias, "L-language…."

"Fuck you too, don't lecture me!" He snapped, and before the wolf and fish could realize what was going on, the two were wrestling on the ground and fighting, cursing the other like two drunken sailors in a pub somewhere.

"Should we…" Swimmy whispered, but the wolf simply shook her head.

"Let them be… they need to release some steam. It is normal. They are primitive beings anyway."

Soon, the two brothers were standing, panting with bruised faces but much calmer, especially Erias, who watched the ethereal wolf and the transformed koi fish.

"Can we stop them?"

"As you are now? No." The wolf replied, "You need to reach the limits of this realm. The Golden Claw sect was the master of the Eight Elements. You have already achieved your first fusion. That makes you eligible to be a Core Disciple. In the ancient days, our road was to fuse the elements, one by one, until only a single one remained. The ultimate element, carrying all the eight's properties, opening up a completely new level for you."

"Sure…" Arcus scoffed, "Nobody can use two elements at once! It isn't possible-" Then he stopped as the wolf and Erias simultaneously displayed a mixture of darkness and light.

"You were saying?" Erias grinned, but then he dispelled it, "But Arcus is right. It is not something that is thought possible in our times! I never thought about it before coming here. My mind simply refused to accept it being possible!"

"It needs a strong and open mind to achieve it." The wolf agreed, "If you remain here, I will teach you and accept you into the Golden Claw Sect. As their Guardian Spirit, I have the authority to do so."

"And with that power and knowledge… I can save our realm?" Erias asked, his tone deadly serious.

"You won't be able to defeat them. The time has not arrived for that yet!"

"Huh?" Arcus scoffed, "What do you mean?"

"You will." The wolf simply ignored him, continuing to speak directly to Erias. "You have to save those you can. Survive the incoming calamity. Then, I will teach you how to master your soul and go after the Soulbound Sect. But to defeat them… you must wait for your partner to appear."

"I am right here!" Arcus slapped the ground, getting angry at being ignored.

"Not you!" Swimmy rolled his eyes, "She is speaking about someone who is yet to be born. Someone with the same fate as him! With a soul that is destined to complete the circle. No action remains unanswered by the Cosmos. It is only that the ripple of their sins are yet to arrive."

"And when it will?" Erias asked.

"Nobody knows. But you will realize it when it happens. You need to prepare for that day."

"..."

"We foresaw it." The wolf said, her voice clearly indicating it was a conclusion that was set in stone. "You will understand when you start training your soul. You will see things that did not make sense before and feel the ripples of destiny. I will allow you to write down your experiences, but you must leave this notebook here."

"Why…?" Erias asked, furrowing his brows.

"Because your future partner will have to know about this."

…

….

……

Lia could barely believe what she was reading. Closing the little note, she stood up, looking out the window before turning around and only briefly surprised by an ethereal wolf standing there, watching her.

"H-hi…" Lia tried to smile, but her thoughts were still reeling in her head.

"You are more talented than your ancestor."

"Err… thanks? So… um… it was ordained that I come here? What about my brothers?"

"They are where you left them. I only brought you in. Don't worry; when you get back, they won't notice it."

"What about the random people from before?"

"Every soul that carried the potential you do, I surveyed. Now I know they were not ready… but you are."

"Ready for what?" Lia asked, feeling creeped out.

"For your destiny."

"You are making as much sense as some of Erias's journals…" She groaned, holding her head, "Look, we wanted to-"

"Use this place to get to other sub-realms." The wolf tilted her head, guessing it very quickly. "..."

"We can't?"

"..."

"Hello?" She waved her hand, wondering if the spirit malfunctioned or something because it just stood there, silent, unblinking, unmoving.

"No. I can't allow that. This place has to remain clean." She shook her head in the end.

"Yet you let me in… let my ancestor and his friend in!" Lia pouted.

"Because you had to know about it. Listen to me well…" The wolf said, walking closer, growing in size until their faces were at one level and she could look deeply into Lia's eyes. "Don't fear death."

"Excuse me?"

"The fact that you appeared tells me we are riding the final ripple. The realms, yours, Erias's, and everyone's fate, are about to converge. Ultimately, we will see if it means everyone's destruction or not… I can only hope in the elders' vision."

"Um… can't you speak more clearly? Pretty please?" Lia asked her, twitching the end of her mouth.

"Erias taught you all." The wolf tilted her head a little, "You only need to bloom, and everything will fall into place."

"Err…"

Before Lia could ask something, she felt her body and mind sway, and then, she was back in the cave, standing next to her brothers and Keily as if nothing had happened and no time had passed.

"What…?!" She flinched, and everyone looked at her.

"What happened?" Razael asked as he felt a slight fluctuation, and then… it was gone. He could no longer perceive the sub-realm.

“It… it is gone…” Lia gawked, blinking her eyes rapidly, and she couldn't sense it anymore nor access it.

"It was too insatiable after all!" Razael lamented, punching the cave walls, leaving a fist mark on it. "Damn it! Hah… all this for nothing!"

“Well… not really…” Lia murmured, but she found it hard when she wanted to speak. As if a mark was left on her soul, preventing her from speaking about what she had learned.

"Lia?" Solren asked, noticing something unusual was going on with her.

“Haaahh… nothing!” She shrugged, “Sorry… I think this was my fault…”

"Nah!" Razael hugged her closely, rubbing her head, "It was too good to be true! Come! I will bring the bad news to everyone… at least we tried!"

"I… I will stay here a little; maybe I can… find it again?"

"Haahh… sure." Razael patted her back as he left with Solren.

"Boss…" Keily tiptoed closer, looking at her worriedly as Lia looked really absentminded there for a moment.

"Nothing…" She smiled at him, "Go, tell the others… I'll need to think a little more."

After Keily was gone, Lia simply sat on the floor, looking at the empty wall, trying to think about the ethereal wolf's words. It made no sense… yet she was sure hints were hidden in them. Something that she had to figure out by herself…

"But what?"