Upon scrutinizing the contents of the gate’s surface, I knew this was the same place where I met ‘Mother’. A man who appeared to be hanging on a cross, the exact same carving I saw when I was trying to leave that place. But now, I came to enter it.

It slowly opened, the heavy doors sliding onto the stone surface, causing it to rumble slightly.

The large interior was revealed; An expansive, cathedral-like hall, with a large stained glass window depicting a black goat with red eyes being mounted by a pale figure, etched on the wall.

In the middle of the hall, was a wide stone platform, engraved with Gothic carvings. It was carrying a lady draped in a black robe. Her skin appeared grey, and her eyes were closed. Surrounding her were Lunar, Declan, Geneve, and ‘Mother’. These were their real selves. They were no vessels or anything resembling that, no, they were real.

Lunar stepped towards me and spoke with a respectful and surprised tone.

“You’ve… arrived.”

A dark shadow fell over my eyes as I began to remember older ‘me’’s words. Helvega was waiting for me in here, right? So… that must mean the woman lying on that stone platform must have been her.

I released myself and walked towards the stone platform, silently passing Lunar, who slowly turned back towards me. Declan and Geneve stepped to the side to make way, and I eventually reached the platform.

…This was Helvega.

She looked a lot different, but her main aspects; her cheeks, facial structure, and hair were the same. On the other hand, her skin looked grey, and she looked a lot skinnier than usual.

My eyes tightened, and I asked with a loud tone,

“The prophecy is real, isn’t it?”

‘Mother’ walked towards me, muttering softly,

“Have you…”

“Yes, I’ve made my decision,” I said, my gaze still fixated on Helvega. “There are a lot of questions I want to have answered. There are goals I still need to achieve. There are people I still need to save… starting with Helvega. There is one person I need to triumph over, my brother, Vaelen.”

I then slowly turned my head to the right, where ‘Mother’ stood, listening to me in silence.

“I can not die yet. I won’t let something like this take over my destiny,” I continued, as I, with furrowed eyes, swayed my gaze through the other three; Declan, Geneve, and Lunar.

“Not even any of you, or the prophecy will be able to command my life. I am my own person, my own soul! I create my own purpose!”

I slowly turned towards Lunar, who, just like everyone else, eagerly listened along to my speech with his hands crossed behind his back.

“Lunar.”

“Yes, Caelum?”

“Were you really trying to save me?”

“Yes, that is correct. We were created to serve and protect you. I would not be able to live with myself if you ended up becoming one of Michel’s puppets. That is why I killed you and threw your spiritual body in the sea.”

I saw what Lunar did, but I never saw anything regarding the other two. This lack of information, which would make me question them, was buried under a waterfall of motivation and pride. Much like adrenaline, or spontaneousness. A sense of responsibility washed over me. And with an authoritative tone, I said to them,

“Then, that means the three of you are bound to serve me until death, right?”

“Yes, we will,” Geneve said, kneeling before me as Lunar and Declan followed suit. Declan, with a clear and firm tone, spoke.

“You are the Pale Child. The Shepherd who raises the White Raven and Black Goat. You are the Ruler of the Everlasting Night Sky.”

“We swear our lives on protecting and serving you,” Lunar continued. “We will guide you through the perils of the prophecy, and aid you with finding the answers you are looking for. We are the extensions of your powers, and will serve as both shields and swords in your name.”

“…I want to know the nature of your existences,” I said, looking down upon them. “The reason of this prophecy, and everything surrounding it. I want to know it all. I may not believe in it, but I will play the role.”

Right as I said this, older and younger ‘me’ stepped forward. Each holding a silver sword in their hands. They both knelt in front of me and older ‘me’ took the word.

“There can only exist one Caelum in this world.”

He slowly raised the sword in the air whilst still kneeling down.

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“You must slay us both in order for you to become free. I am Rudalia; The Caelum who became the saviour of a desolate kingdom. I am still controlled by Michel, but his constraints, his chains, will be broken completely once you kill me.”

Before I could answer, younger ‘me’ spoke.

“I am Caelum. I am the person you once were. Kill me, and you will be able to live with your past and not allow it to define who you are. You will never become lost, and you will live your life with your own purpose. You were weak, fragile, and ignorant of how the world works. But you’ve come to accept it. Now, it is time for you to put it into stone.”

“…I understand,” I said. It was repeated numerous times throughout my journey. They were never ‘me’, as I was, in my own entirety. I was the Caelum standing in between two worlds. The one on the left, a world where I was going to become the person I always wanted to become. On the right, a world full of mist and haziness, serving to make me lose ‘myself’. Killing myself and rendering me null, a shell of the person I once was.

However, these worlds were bound by a chain that had to be broken. It was a chain that kept the world on the left in the hands of the fallen, and the world on the right one that would forever be thrown into turmoil because of my inability of self-acceptance. It had to be broken by ‘Caelum’. The Caelum who chose to forge his own destiny.

That was me.

It could only be me.

Understanding this, I took older ‘me’’s sword. Declan Geneve and Lunar were standing behind them with their eyes closed. Knowing what was going to happen. Older ‘me’ closed his eyes, and spread his arms wide whilst still kneeling down.

I’ve carried countless of swords in my lifetime. Yet none of them weighed as heavy as this one.

Older ‘me’ slowly opened his eyes, and silently nodded. Urging me to move forward.

Our surroundings seemed to have faded away, leaving behind an infinite black void, punctured by a singular illumination shining upon us both. The ground beneath us faded, too, and morphed into a stoney surface. We were shrouded in a heavy silence, and his voice sounded as though he was whispering into my ear.

“Do it, Caelum. Forge your own destiny.”

His words pushed me forward.

I tightened my grip around my sword…

…and plunged it into his chest.

He fell backwards, spewing out crimson liquid out of his mouth, his eyes slowly turning lifeless. His blood spread over the stoney surface like wildfire, and it gradually covered the entire surface and spread out into the darkness like a long, dark red path. I raised my head to trace the outline of the path and saw younger ‘me’ kneeling at the other end with an innocent smile on his face.

This was the world on the right. The hazy world filled with nothingness. This is the person I was going to turn into if I wouldn’t accept myself.

And thus, he had to die.

I let go of the first sword as it plunged into the pool of blood and stepped towards the other end of the path.

As I arrived, younger ‘me’ gently offered his sword to me. I looked at him with a pitiful gaze. It was not directed towards him, but at the nothingness that surrounded him. That was something I was going to become…

But thankfully, that reality was not mine.

I took his sword, and he spread his arms towards me with an even brighter smile.

“Thank you, Caelum,” he said with a soft tone.

I positioned my sword, stared into the eyes of nothingness, and struck its chest with a firm motion.

It was finally dead.

As it collapsed onto the ground, the darkness surrounding me crumbled, and I found myself standing in the midst of the Castle once more, surrounded by Geneve, Declan and Lunar, who were all clapping for me.

‘Mother’ then stepped towards me from behind, and knelt before me. She spoke after the others finished clapping.

“My name is Maela. I am the Mother of Desolation. I have given birth to you so that you could become the saviour of Humanity. My soul lies within this castle, as so does yours, and Helvega’s.”

As soon as ‘She’ said Helvega’s name, I turned towards her and silently listened to the continuation of Maela’s anecdote.

“She has lost herself. The memories of her past life, and the experiences she had built throughout her lifetime. She decided to take the hand of her younger self, but you may be able to bring her back to the person she once was. You’ve been given the torch by Rudalia, and so must you guide her towards her destiny.”

“She will serve you like how the Dark Triad serves you. She is the Angel of Despair who mounts the Black Goat. She will become your eternal guard, and you will become the White Raven guiding her through the righteous path. I have summoned you here because I knew you wanted to learn of the truth surrounding everything. I promise you…” ‘She’ said, slowly raising ‘Her’ head to meet my eyes.

“…As long as you remain the conductor of your life, you will learn about everything.”

“May I have one wish?” I said.

“Of course. What may it be?”

I turned towards Lunar and stared him deep into the eyes.

“I want Lunar to help me become powerful. A guide more significant than the sentiment he spoke of before. Train me until I pass out, and engage in frequent battles with me. Once I’ve become more powerful than you are, I will know you have served your role.”

“…Of course, my Lord,” Lunar said, bowing.

“And you, Declan, Geneve, I want the both of you to be the eternal shields of Helvega. Take care of her when I am not around. Ensure that nothing bad happens to her. You will also become both shields and swords for her sake.”

They both respectively concurred and bowed.

“We will do whatever we can to ensure her safety,” Declan added. “Nobody will be able to break our bond.”

As he said this, the iron gate slowly opened once more, revealing the misty world on the other side. I turned back to Helvega and carried her in my arms.

So… light.

She looked so fragile. So vulnerable.

Right at that moment, as I stared into her face, I swore to myself that I would protect her, no matter what storms I may have to pass through. Not only that, but Vaelen…

I shook my head and began to walk towards the threshold, carrying my sister in my arms, as Lunar, Declan and Geneve followed.

Whatever nonsense this may be, I will get through it. It could only be me.

A faint memory flashed through my mind. The moment when I stood before Vaelen, and said to him with a tone filled with fervor,

“What is a leader without a great spirit? I was born to become one!”

Indeed. What is a leader without a great spirit? I faced death, my future, nothingness, all whilst being constrained by chains of uncertainty.

But I still moved forward, because I was born to become a leader.