"Ok, let's start from the beginning," said Reiro.
"There are three worlds: the Soul World, the Human World, and lastly, the Blood Beast World. The Soul World is twice the size of the Human World, and the Blood Beast World is half its size.
"The Soul World has two regions: the Lower Soul World and the Upper Soul World. One- to four-star souls live in the Lower Soul World, while only five- and six-star souls live in the Upper Soul World. They are like royals and nobles. I don't know the current condition of that place, but 500 years ago, when I was still serving my lord, there were four royals and one prince. Others were nobles. My lord, the prince, was destined to be the next Soul King. But he was feared by the others. They tried everything they could, and when they couldn't defeat him in terms of power, their last choice was to banish him by unfair means.
"But after banishing him, the one who was second to my lord in the race to become Soul King became the next Soul Prince and eventually received the Soul King's power. We were also banished from the palace. My lord wondered for a long time, because once a soul is banished from the Soul World, he cannot enter again unless he gets another living body or dies once more. My lord has been waiting all this time to find a vessel, and now he has chosen you. But he will not force you to take his revenge. It is your choice," said Reiro.
He continued, "One- to two-star souls are pure souls. They don't have intelligence or a proper body. Three- to four-star souls have proper bodies and intelligence, but they are still souls and cannot leave the Soul World. But five- and six-star souls have both soul and human forms, which allow them to travel to the Human World."
"Now I think I'm starting to understand it," Kael said.
"Please, my lord, allow me to serve you once again," Reiro requested. He bowed deeply before Kael.
"Reiro, raise your head. I allow you to serve me. And please call me Kael," said Kael.
"Please call me Reiro, Lord Kael," Reiro replied.
Kael suddenly remembered something from the cave, from the moment he had lost control.
[When Kael was under the control of the Blood Beast]
Kael's soul was sinking, drifting into deep sleep. His will to fight back had almost faded.
"Kael..." A soft, steady voice called out to him. "Kael... wake up. This is not where you lose yourself. Your brother never taught you to give up. Wake up, Kael."
Kael's soul slowly opened its eyes. He found himself in a dark, empty space. He couldn't see anything around him, but he could still see his own body clearly.
The voice came again. "Kael, don't lose yourself. We still have a long road ahead. We can't fall here."
"Who are you?" Kael asked weakly.
"Kael, you won't understand it right now. Just remember that I'm on your side. I will always try my best to protect you. I need you, and you need me. We were both betrayed. I know your past. Kael, you did not kill your brother. I am sure of it."
Kael's eyes filled with tears. "B-brother… how do you know about that? It… it was my mistake. I killed him."
"No. It was not your fault. The one who killed you in your previous life, the one who caused your rebirth, was responsible for that incident. Don't blame yourself. If you really feel guilty, then live and fight against him. He never imagined that you and I would ever meet. This is fate, Kael. I consider him the worst enemy."
"So that's how he knew… my brother used to call me 'Loser' sometimes, just to tease me," Kael said angrily. "I will stop him at any cost. He won't have his way anymore."
"Kael, I will weaken the Blood Beast now. Take control of yourself. And remember, we are still far from defeating him. But no matter what happens, I am on your side."
"Ok. Let's do it together," Kael said.
[Present time]
Kael returned to the present, still hearing the echo of that mysterious voice in his mind.
"Reiro, what's the deal with this Soul Eater thing? And who is Reiko? Why is he here?" Kael asked.
"Reiko was from the royal family in the Upper Soul World. He was one of the candidates for Soul King. But something happened... I can't remember the details. Because of his actions, he was banished from the Upper Soul World. Then he came to the Lower Soul World and began building his army," said Reiro.
"Reiro, one more question. If this place is only for souls, then how am I here?" Kael asked.
"It is because of the Soul Prince," Reiro replied.
"Do you know where Reiko is keeping those villagers?" Kael asked.
"I don't know the villagers' exact location, but I know where Reiko's base is," Reiro said.
"Take me there," Kael ordered.
"Ok. Follow me. But be careful. Reiko has two generals. One is Isamu, his personal general when he was still a Soul King candidate. He is a five-star soul and a knight like myself. The second is Kaede, a four-star soul. I don't know his full strength, but he is skilled in both sword and magic," said Reiro.
"Alright. Let's go, Reiro," Kael said.
Kael and Reiro began walking toward Reiko's base.