They went out of the tower with Dorin. Vitra teleported to them.

"I was watching from the orb, but I didn't think it would happen so quickly."

"So you did it on purpose."

"I needed to gauge the boy's strength."

Dorin stirred.

"A child? What child?"

"He means Ernest."

"He calls the king a child?!"

Ernest was not a person who liked to lie, even if he hid the truth. He had never lied about his identity, especially not as Kaelin or as Hope.

"The noise, it's gone. So the king is awake inside, is that it? And why is this spirit so strange?"

"You tell me. Maybe the king has always been awake, maybe it's because I'm the king. Maybe I was never a king."

Ernest was not lying in these words. In his heart he remembered his throne in Arvania, his battle with the giants, his deal with Nester, but he didn't feel the same. That's why he introduced himself as Ernest after he woke up, instead of Hope or Kaelin.

Ernest actually represented both Kaelin and Hope. He represented two alien souls becoming one.

He didn't even know whether it was Hope with Kaelin's memories or Kaelin with Hope's memories who took control of the body. The only thing he knew was that they would both remember the same things and make the same moves.

He was certainly not Kaelin when he was a king, and he was certainly not Hope when he was a mute boy. On the other hand, Ernest's personality was not the same either. Maybe he should have used a different name.

Inwardly he had been thinking about these things since the moment he woke up. But being Hope from Kaelin's point of view and being Kaelin from Hope's point of view did not change who Ernest was.

Ernest was their reincarnated identity who knew nothing and was slowly learning. In that sense he was just Ernest learning new things. The reason for all this confusion was that he had 3000 years of history.

If Hope had reincarnated in the past, Kaelin would have seen the future. I don't know how to explain this. I guess the easiest way would be the swamp man thought experiment.

According to the swamp man thought experiment, one day a man is struck by lightning while out for a walk and is blown to pieces. Simultaneously, another bolt of lightning strikes the edge of a swamp, causing a group of molecules to spontaneously rearrange themselves into a model of the man who had just been struck.

The swamp man has an exact copy of the stricken man's memories, behavior and thought patterns. He goes to work, spends time with his wife and even writes an article exactly the same way the stricken man would write an article.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

The question is whether the swamp man and the struck man are the same person. Ernest's situation is very close to this issue, but it goes beyond it.

After all, Ernest has not changed bodies since he was born in Yarya. In this case, it is possible to say that Kaelin and Hope are already dead and Ernest was born, or it is also possible to say that they are alive and together they form Ernest.

Dorin was talking incessantly again.

"How can you come here? My magic should have taken you around the dungeon. Maybe it wasn't working all this time. Did you break the spell? Or maybe you've been here all along for some reason. If you're teleporting, you should have seen this place first. Can you fly? If you can fly, you might have seen it from the air..."

Vitra looked at the others without answering, wearing a sour expression.

"Let's go back to the palace."

The first time they teleported outside the palace, the second time inside. It seemed that the more Vitra used teleportation, the less powerful the spell became. Teleporting a crowd of people required more intense power.

They entered Isadora's throne room.

"So you're back. Did

you get what you wanted, Vitra?

" "Yes, Your Majesty, thank you."

Isadora kept talking, looking at Ernest.

"And did you get what you wanted?"

"Not really."

Ernest was to discuss this with the queen in private. After two days at the palace, he parted ways with the Karmas.

With Vitra's magic, they teleported to a position close to Sertayaz. Ernest and Dorin remained in the palace.

"Queen Isadora, I would like to establish diplomatic relations with you, even though I am not currently king."

"In what context?"

"Nester will be back very soon. Humanity is as helpless as a newborn baby. Your promise to stand by me in battle is reason enough for me to build up your army."

Ernest was not really interested in armies. The breaking of the Numinith would increase the intensity of the spells. Not only the magic of humans, but also that of demons.

Kaelin's plan was not to strengthen humanity but to increase the number of warriors by uniting them under one roof. He and Dorin would do the real work.

Dorin was a master of deception spells. As long as Dorin confused the enemy, Kaelin alone could destroy dozens of demons. The real problem was the thousands of low-level demons that would attack at the same time.

Isadora already knew that with the return of the demons, all the kingdoms must unite. Now Ernest had made her an offer to strengthen her army. Of course she would accept.

"I would like to

meet you next time as King of Arvania and Queen of Eldoria. If you wish, we can send envoys to inform Arvania."

Eldorian envoys had already been sent to Arvania, heralding the king's rebirth. Vitra had done this in order to establish strong relations with Arvania. But Ernest realized this and lost trust in Eldoria.

"That's fine, don't let your envoys come all the way back."

The Queen was impressed by Ernest's new look. The single and beautiful Queen of Eldoria, the handsome and powerful King of Arvania. Maybe he could expand the kingdoms.

But Kaelin had been fighting all his life. He didn't know much about romance. From his point of view, Isadora was just a naive queen. He excused himself and prepared to leave the palace.