Clide and Shiki were still catching their breath when after entering the exit door.
The world beneath them suddenly warped.
A pull—stronger than gravity—dragged them downward. Before either boy could react, the soul gateway beneath their feet expanded, swallowing them whole.
They fell through a tunnel of swirling blue and white, a vortex of concentrated soul energy. Their bodies felt weightless, suspended in a current that hummed like ancient whispers. Then—light.
A blinding eruption of pure soul energy.
***
They crashed down into soft grass.
The Soul Garden stretched out around them—an endless, peaceful field glowing with ethereal light. This was where the final trial would be held. And around them stood the survivors.
Only 312 children out of more than 300,000.
No blood. No injuries. Every bruise and cut was gone. The realm had restored them all.
Yet many faces were pale—haunted by the trials they had endured.
And standing near the front of the crowd, trembling hands pressed to her chest, was Uriel.
She had been waiting the entire time—eyes fixed on the entrance, heart racing, terrified she would never see the blue-haired boy emerge.
"The final trial… it's about to start…" she whispered anxiously. "Where is he…?"
Then—
BOOOOM—!
A sphere of glowing blue energy erupted at the edge of the Soul Garden.
A wave of light washed across the field, startling every child and even causing the robed examiners to turn.
When the light faded, two figures dropped out of the orb—
Clide and Shiki, both face-first into the grass.
Uriel gasped.
"Clin!"
She sprinted toward him, sliding to her knees and pulling him into a tight hug.
"You made it! I—I thought you…" Her voice cracked from relief.
Clide blinked, still dizzy. "Woah, uh—Uriel? I'm… good? I think?"
But her warm expression vanished the instant she spotted the boy behind him.
Shikimori cracked his back and stood up, brushing grass off his clothes.
Uriel's face soured instantly.
"Oh… you."
Her tone was sharp enough to cut steel.
Shiki stared flatly. "Nice to see you too, Snowflake."
"What are you doing with this kid?" she demanded, jabbing a finger toward Clide.
Clide raised his hands defensively. "Long story—but I'll explain later, promise."
"No. No, I want it now." Uriel glared between them. "Why did you—and that douchebag—fall out of the same spatial orb!?"
Shiki pointed at himself. "Wow. Me? A douchebag? That's bold coming from somebody who screams when she sees a spider."
Uriel's eye twitched. "IT WAS FIVE CENTIMETERS WIDE!"
Before their argument exploded further—
WHOOMMM—
The giant tree in the center of the Soul Garden—the Soul Tree—began to glow. Its branches emitted threads of gold and blue, illuminating the entire field like dawn breaking.
Silence washed over the children.
The robed examiners appeared once again, standing before the radiant trunk.
One of them raised their hand.
"Maltropes," they announced, voice echoing across the garden.
"Your worth has been proven," the robed voice echoed through the Soul Garden.
"You shall now receive the blessing of our goddess—Averidia Eternity.
After this, your freedom will be granted. The Court of Souls has almost reached its end."
***
The Soul Tree shuddered.
Its branches ignited in radiant hues of purple and green, light pulsing like a living heartbeat. The air vibrated as the glow intensified, swallowing the garden in brilliance.
What… is this? Clide thought.
Before he could react, the light surged outward—
—and the world vanished.
***
Clide's vision blurred, then slowly sharpened.
He was standing in a vast white void, endless in every direction. No sky. No ground. Just a smooth, glowing nothingness beneath his feet.
"Hello?" Clide called out, his voice echoing faintly. "Anyone here?"
Silence answered him.
His chest tightened. The absence of sound pressed in on him, heavy and suffocating. He took a cautious step forward, then another.
Okay… don't panic. You've been through worse today.
Just as his breath began to quicken—
A voice called out.
"Clide Heatherson."
The air shimmered.
Something formed in front of him.
Clide stumbled backward, falling onto the void's surface as a being manifested before his eyes—one that could only be described as ethereal.
She resembled a woman, yet felt far beyond human. Her presence bent the space around her. Her eyes held the depth of galaxies, swirling with impossible beauty. Long white hair floated weightlessly around her, brushing against a flowing white dress that shimmered like starlight.
She looked down at him and smiled.
"Stand your ground, Clide Heatherson."
Clide swallowed hard and slowly stood. "H–How do you know my name…? Who are you?"
She tilted her head slightly, amused.
"You know who I am, Clide," she said gently. "Though it seems you have forgotten."
She raised a hand, light gathering around her fingers.
"Allow me to reintroduce myself."
"I am a shard of the being you know as—"
"Averidia Eternity."
Clide's breath caught.
"The goddess…?" he whispered.
Averidia smiled warmly. "Now, Clide… walk with me."
She turned and stepped forward.
With each step she took, the void changed. Grass sprouted beneath her feet. Flowers bloomed in brilliant colors. Trees rose gracefully from nothing, their leaves whispering in a breeze that hadn't existed moments before.
Clide followed, awestruck.
Mountains surged upward in the distance, rivers carving their way through the land as water began to flow. Birds took flight. Small creatures darted through the grass. The white emptiness transformed into a living, breathing meadow.
Clide stared, unable to speak.
"This place…" he murmured.
"A reflection," Averidia replied. "Of creation."
She waved her hand once more.
A small clearing formed—its center occupied by a marble table and elegant glass chairs that caught the sunlight like crystal. Averidia gestured toward one of the seats.
"Sit," she said kindly. "We have much to discuss."
Clide hesitated only a moment before obeying, his heart was now beating uncontrollably.
****
Clide broke the silence first.
"Miss Averidia… if I may ask," he said cautiously, "you're here with me right now—but what about my friend? And the other kids?"
Averidia's smile softened.
"Oh… you mean Uriel Alexandra," she said gently. "As for her—and the others—do not worry."
She folded her hands before her.
"The truth is, in this form, I am not the true Averidia Eternity. What stands before you is merely an incarnation of her soul. A fragment. A shard."
She looked out across the meadow.
"I am one of many."
Clide rubbed the back of his neck. "Oh… yeah, I'd rather not think too hard about that."
Averidia let out a quiet laugh.
Then her expression changed.
"Clide," she said, her voice lowering, carrying weight. "Do you know what you are?"
Clide stiffened. "This is the second time someone has asked me that! I'm human! My mother is human—and so is my… father."
Averidia stepped closer.
"Oh, Clide," she murmured. "How oblivious you are to your own birth."
His heart skipped. "What? What does that mean?"
She closed her eyes briefly.
"In this incarnation, I lack the authority—the power—to tell you the truth directly," she said. "But I can tell you this—"
She spoke a word.
A word that wasn't sound, but concept.
It rang inside Clide's skull like a bell made of light.
"**********."
Clide recoiled. "I—I don't understand! What language was that?"
Averidia opened her eyes.
"That was the Divine Tongue," she replied calmly. "One day… you will understand it."
She turned away and gestured to the meadow around them.
"But for now, hear this, Clide Heatherson."
Her voice echoed softly across the blooming field.
"When you are lost in Oblivion's shadow, reach out for your eternity.
Become a new bloom… in my meadow."
Clide frowned deeply. "What… what does that even mean?"
Averidia smiled—sadly this time.
"You will find out soon enough."
She stepped closer and reached out, gently touching Clide's nose with her fingertip.
"I grant you my blessing," she whispered. "Now live your life to the fullest. I see… great things in your future."
The world began to darken.
Clide felt warmth spread through his chest—then everything faded to black.
Just before consciousness left him completely, he heard her voice again, faint and broken, as if speaking across impossible distance:
"…the seraphim… … your…
Beware… the man…
with the… ****…"
Her voice wavered.
And then—one final whisper:
"The… Son… of… O******n…"