Chapter11-The Realm's Retaliation
The abyss didn't stay silent for long.
The moment the Sleeper vanished, the void around Ling and Arin twisted violently, as if the realm itself was trying to stitch its wounds shut. Cracks of white and black lightning tore through the darkness, each one pulsing with rage.
Arin staggered, still weak, her newly reformed body trembling. Ling caught her before she fell, pulling her close.
"Easy... I've got you."
Arin's fingers curled into Ling's sleeve, her voice barely a whisper.
"Ling... the realm isn't going to let this go."
Ling looked up.
The darkness above them churned like a storm. Shapes formed inside it – guardian silhouettes, faceless, towering, their bodies made of pure void. Not individuals. Not spirits. The realm's enforcers.
The realm spoke through them, its voice layered and cold.
"Guardian Arin has violated the verdict. Human Ling has corrupted the balance. The Bound Soul seal must be undone."
Ling stepped in front of Arin, wings flaring wide.
"You're not touching her."
The enforcers descended.
Slow. Deliberate. Like executioners.
Arin grabbed Ling's wrist, panic rising in her eyes.
"Ling, you can't fight them. They're not like the Gate. They're the realm's will."
Ling didn't blink.
"Then the realm can learn to deal with disappointment."
The enforcers raised their arms – and the void around them condensed into spears of pure darkness, each one aimed at Ling's heart.
Arin's breath hitched.
"Ling--move!"
But Ling didn't move.
She lifted her hand.
The Bound Soul seal ignited.
A ring of white-gold fire erupted around her, swirling upward like a cyclone. The enforcers froze mid-strike, their spears cracking under the pressure of the light.
The realm hissed.
"Impossible."
Ling's voice was steady.
"You keep saying that."
The enforcers lunged.
Ling met them head-on.
Her wings snapped forward, releasing a shockwave that shattered the first spear. She spun, catching Arin's hand, pulling her behind as she blocked the second strike with a burst of light.
But the third spear--
It slipped past her guard.
Straight toward Arin.
Arin gasped.
Ling turned too late.
The spear was inches from Arin's snapped.
The seal flared so violently it burned through her clothes, glowing like a star. A blast of white-gold energy erupted from her heart, vaporizing the spear before it touched Arin.
The enforcers staggered back.
The realm screamed.
Arin stared at Ling, eyes wide, voice trembling.
"Ling... your power—it's changing."
Ling didn't answer.
Because she felt too.
The seal wasn't just reacting.
It was awakening.
And the realm knew it.
The enforcers regrouped, forming a circle around them.
The realm's voice dropped to a whisper of pure threat.
"If the bond cannot be undone... then the human must be destroyed."
Arin's breath broke.
Ling stepped forward.
"No."
Her wings spread wide.
Her light rose.
And the realm prepared to strike again.
The enforcers didn't hesitate.
The moment Ling's shield flared, they shifted formation – their bodies dissolving into streaks of darkness that circled Ling and Arin like a storm of blades.
Arin's breath hitched.
"Ling... they're adapting."
Ling tightened her grip on Arin's hand.
"Then so will I."
The Bound Soul seal pulsed again—harder this time, like a heartbeat that wasn't hers. A wave of heat shot through her chest, spreading into her arms, her wings, her fingertips.
Arin felt it instantly.
Her eyes widened.
"Ling--your light... it's not guardian light anymore."
Ling didn't answer.
Because she didn't know what it was.
The enforcers struck.
A dozen spears of void shot toward them at once, each one faster than the last. Ling spun, wings snapping open, forming a barrier of white-gold fire that caught the first wave.
But the second wave--
It slipped under her guard.
Straight toward Arin.
Arin froze, too weak to dodge.
Ling reacted without thinking.
She grabbed Arin, pulled her close, and twisted her body around her—taking the hit herself.
The spear slammed into Ling's back.
Arin screamed.
"LING!"
But instead of piercing her--
The spear dissolved.
Burned away by the seal's light.
Ling gasped, dropped to one knee, the impact rattling her bones. Arin fell with her, arms around her shoulders, voice breaking.
"Why would you do that? Why would you take the hit for me?"
Ling looked up, breath shaking.
"Because I'd rather break than lose you."
Arin's eyes filled with tears.
But the realm didn't stop.
The enforcers merged into a single massive shape – a towering figure of pure void, its arms stretching into blades longer than Lin's entire body.
The realm's voice echoed through it.
"The human must be erased. The guardian must be reclaimed."
Arin clutched Ling's arm.
"Ling... we can't win this. Not like this."
Ling stood slowly, wings trembling, the seal burning like fire under her skin.
"We're not losing."
The enforcer raised its blade.
Arin whispered, terrified.
"Ling... please... run."
Ling didn't move.
Her eyes locked on the enforcer.
Her voice steady.
"No."
The enforcer stuck.
Ling raised her hand.
The seal exploded.
A shockwave of white-gold fire blasted outward, tearing the enforcer apart in a single burst. The void shattered like glass, fragments scattering into the abyss.
Arin stared at Ling, stunned.
"Ling... what are you becoming?"
Ling didn't answer.
Because she didn't know.
But the realm did.
Its voice trembled with something she had never heard before.
Fear.
"The bond is evolving beyond control."
The abyss cracked beneath them.
A rift opened under Ling's feet.
Arin grabbed her hand, panic rising.
"Ling-- don't let go!"""
Ling held on.
But the ground vanished.
And both of them fell.
The fall didn't feel like falling.
It felt like sinking.
The rift swallowed them whole, the world above collapsing into a smear of white and black light. Ling clutched Arin's hand tighter, refusing to let go even as gravity twisted around them.
Arin's voice trembled through the rushing void.
"Ling... don't lose consciousness. Stay with me."
Ling tried to answer, but the Bound Soul seal pulsed violently, sending a wave of heat through her chest. Her vision blurred.
"Arin... I'm fine."
She wasn't.
Arin knew it.
The rift spat them out suddenly, dropping them onto a cold, cracked surface. Ling hit the ground hard, the impact knocking the breath from her lungs. Arin landed beside her, stumbling but managing to stay upright.
The world around them was... wrong.
A vast, silent plain stretched in every direction, covered in ash-white sand that glowed faintly under a sky with no stars. The air felt heavy, like it was holding its breath.
Arin's eyes widened in horror.
"No... no, no, no—Ling, this is the Lower Layer."
Ling pushed herself up, wincing.
"What does that mean?"
Arin swallowed hard.
"This is where guardians go when they're too damaged to return. Where the realm hides things it fears."
Ling's heart tightened.
"And it threw us here."
Arin shook her head.
"No. We fell here because of your seal."
Ling froze.
The Bound Soul mark burned faintly on her chest, glowing through the torn fabric. Arin knelt in front of her, hands trembling as she reached toward the mark but didn't touch it.
"Ling... this seal isn't just binding us. It's pulling you deeper into the realm."
Ling frowned.
"What does that mean."
Arin's voice cracked.
"It means your soul is starting to overlap with mine."
Ling's breath caught.
"Is that... dangerous?"
Arin looked away.
"For you? YES."
Ling reached out, lifting Arin's chin gently.
"Tell me."
Arin's eyes shimmered with fear she couldn't hide.
"If the overlap continues... you won't be fully human anymore."
Ling didn't flinch.
"So?"
Arin's voice broke.
"So you could disappear. Like I almost did."
Ling's chest tightened – not from fear, but from the way Arin said it. Soft. Terrified. Like losing Ling would destroy her.
Ling cupped Arin's cheek.
"I'm not going anywhere."
Arin grabbed her wrist, desperate.
"You don't understand – the realm will keep pushing you deeper. And the deeper you go, the more the seal will change you."
Ling and Arin froze.
The ash-white sand shifted.
Something massive moved beneath it.
Arin whispered, voice barely audible.
"... Ling... we're not alone."
The ground cracked.
A shadow rose.
And the Lower Layer revealed its first monster.
The ground trembled beneath their feet.
A deep, dragging sound echoed through the ash-white plain – like something enormous was pulling itself upward from beneath the surface. Ling instinctively stepped in front of Arin, wings half-open, even through her body was still shaking from the fall.
Arin grabbed her arm.
"Ling... don't provoke it. Lower Layer creatures don't think. They react."
Ling didn't take her eyes off the shifting sand.
"What does it react to?"
Arin swallowed.
"Light."
Ling froze.
Her entire body was glowing.
The Bound Soul seal pulsed once – a soft, golden heartbeat – and the sand exploded upward.
A massive shape burst out of the ground, ash scattering like smoke. The creature towered over them, its body made of cracked stone and shadow, its limbs long and jagged like broken pillars. But its face--
It had no eyes. No mouth. Just a hollow mask of smooth stone.
Arin's voice trembled.
"A Hollow Titan..."
Ling tightened her stance.
"Can it see us."
Arin shook her head.
"No. But it can feel your light."
The Titan turned its head toward Ling, the hollow mask tilting unnaturally, as if sniffing the air. A low, rumbling growl vibrated through the ground.
Ling whispered:
"...It's coming for me."
Arin stepped forward suddenly, placing herself between Ling and the Titan.
Ling grabbed her wrist.
"Arin--what are you doing."
Arin didn't look back.
"It senses your light. So I'll cover you."
Ling's breath caught.
"Arin, you're still weak--"
Arin spread her arms slightly, her body trembling but determined.
"I'm a guardian. Even broke... I can still protect you."
The Titan roared.
The ground cracked.
It charged.
Ling shoved Arin aside just as the Titan's massive arm slammed down where they had been standing. The impact sent a shockwave through the plain, knocking Ling off her feet.
Arin screamed.
"LING!"
Ling rolled, barely dodging the Titan's second strike. The seal flared instinctively, releasing a burst of light that made the Titan recoil with a furious, animalistic shriek.
Arin ran to her, dropping to her knees.
"Ling--stop using the seal! The more you see it, the more it pulls you deeper!"
Ling gasped, clutching her chest.
"I don't have a choice--"
The Titan lunged again.
Arin grabbed Ling's shoulders, forcing her to look at her.
"Then let me fight with you."
Ling stared at her.
Arin's eyes were fierce, terrified, and full of something deeper – something she had been holding back since the Gate.
Ling nodded.
"Together."
Arin exhaled shakily.
"Together."
The Titan roared and charged again.
And the Lower Layer shook as their combined light and shadow collided with the monster.
The hollow Titan roared, its voice echoing through the empty plain like a collapsing mountain. Its massive stone limbs cracked open, revealing veins of black fire pulsing underneath.
Aria's breath hitched.
"Ling... it's waking fully."
Ling steadied herself, wings flaring, the seal burning hot under her skin.
"Then we finish this before it does."
The Titan lunged.
Its arm – a pillar of stone and shadow – swung down with enough force to shatter the ground. Ling grabbed Arin's hand and pulled her aside just in time, the impact sending a shockwave through ash.
Arin stumbled, still weak, but she forced herself upright.
"Ling-- on your left!"
Ling spun, catching the Titan's second strike with a burst of white-gold light. The impact rattled her bones, but she her ground.
Arin moved behind her, shadows gathering around her hands – thin, trembling, but sharp.
"I'll distract it. You strike."
Ling shook her head.
"No. We strike together."
Arin's eyes widened – not in fear, but in something deeper. Something that made her chest tighten.
The Titan roared again and slammed both arms into the ground. The ash plain cracked open, releasing a wave of black fire that surged toward them like a tidal wave.
Arin gasped.
"Ling--jump!"
Ling grabbed Arin's waist and leapt, wings beating hard. The fire roared beneath them, scorching the air.
But the Titan's wasn't done.
It opened its chest.
A hollow cavity glowed inside – a swirling vortex of void energy.
Arin's face drained of colour.
"Ling... that's its core. If it pulls you in--"
The Titan inhaled.
The vortex expanded.
A violent suction force ripped through the air, dragging Ling toward it. Her wings strained, feathers scattering like sparks.
Ling gasped.
"LING!"
Ling's grip slipped.
The Titan pulled harder.
Arin didn't think.
She threw herself forward, wrapping her arms around Ling from behind, anchoring her with her entire body.
Ling gasped.
"Arin--!"
Arin's voice broke.
"I'm not letting it take you."
The suction intensified.
Ling felt her feet sliding across the ground.
Arin dug her heels into the ash, wings flickered weakly, her entire body shaking.
"Ling--use the seal! Now!"
Ling closed her eyes.
The seal pulsed.
Once.
Twice.
Then--
It erupted.
A beam of white-gold fire shot from Ling's chest, slamming into the Titan's core. The vortex shattered, the Titan screaming as cracks spread across its body like lightning.
Arin held Ling tighter, shielding her from the blast.
The Titan staggered.
Fell to its knees.
And collapsed into a cloud of ash and shadow.
Silence.
Ling collapsed forward, panting, the seal flickering dangerously.
Arin caught her, pulling her into her arms, voice trembling.
"Ling... you can't keep using the seal like this. It's tearing you apart."
Ling leaned into her, exhausted.
"I didn't have a choice."
Arin pressed her forehead to Ling's.
"Then I'll find us one."
The ash around them settled.
But the ground beneath them... began to glow.
Ling lifted her head weakly.
"Arin... what's happening?"
Arin's eyes widened.
"The Titan's death... it triggered something."
The ground cracked open beneath them.
A symbol – ancient, circular, glowing with the same white-gold light as Ling's seal – appeared under their feet.
Arin whispered, stunned.
"... Ling... this is a summoning mark."
Ling's breath caught.
"For what?"
Arin swallowed.
"Not what. Who."
The mark flared.
And someone began to rise from the light.
The summoning mark beneath them glowed brighter, its white-gold light spreading across the cracked ground like veins of fire. Ling shielded her eyes, the seal on her chest pulsing in sync with the mark.
Arin stepped back, breath trembling.
"Ling... this isn't realm magic. This is older."
Ling swallowed.
"Older than the realm?"
Arin nodded slowly, eyes wide.
"Older than guardians. Older than the Gate."
The light surged upward.
A silhouette began to rise from the centre of the mark – first a faint outline, then a clearer shape. Human-like. Tall. Cloaked in shimmering fragments of light and shadow.
Ling's heart pounded.
"Arin... who is that?"
Arin didn't answer.
She couldn't.
Her entire body had gone still.
The figure stepped fully out of the light.
The glow faded just enough for Ling to see--
A face.
Sharp. Calm. Eyes glowing the same white-gold as her seal.
The figure looked at Ling first.
Not with hostility.
With recognition.
"So... you're the one carrying my seal."
Ling froze.
"Your... seal?"
Arin staggered backward, voice breaking.
"No... No, this can't be real..."
Ling turned her.
"Arin? What's wrong?"
Arin's hands shook violently.
"Ling... that's not a guardian. That's not a realm spirit."
She swallowed hard.
"That's the one who created the Bound Soul."
Ling's breath caught.
"The creator... of the seal?"
Arin nodded, terrified.
"The First Guardian."
The figured smiled faintly.
"I've been waiting for you, Ling."
Ling's wing trembled.
"You... know my name?"
The First Guardian stepped closer, his presence heavy but strangely warm.
"Of course. You awakened my seal. And now... it's time you learned why it choose you."
Arin grabbed Ling's arm, pulling her back.
"Ling, don't go near him! He's not what he looks like."
The First Guardian tilted his head, amused.
"Still dramatic, Arin. Even after all these centuries."
Arin flinched.
Ling stared between them.
"You two... know each other."
Arin's voice cracked.
"He trained the first generation of guardians. He disappeared before I was created. He's a myth, Ling."
The First Guardian smiled.
"A myth standing right in front of you."
Ling stepped forward despite herself.
"What do you want from me?"
The First Guardian's expression softened.
"To show you the truth. About the seal. About the realm. About why it fears you."
Arin's grip tightened painfully.
"Ling... don't listen to him."
The First Guardian extended his hand toward Ling.
Not threatening.
Inviting.
"Come. Your power is awakening. And if you don't understand it soon... It will destroy you."
Ling's heart pounded.
Arin's breath shook.
The Lower Layer fell silent.
And Ling had to choose.
Only the faint hum of the summoning mark glowed beneath their feet, casting long shadows across the ash-white plain. Ling stood frozen between two forces pulling her in opposite directions.
Arin's trembling hand on her arm. The First Guardian's steady, open palm extended toward her.
Ling's heart hammered.
"Why... why me?"
The First Guardian's eyes softened.
"Because the seal does not choose the strongest. It chooses the one who can change the realm."
Arin stepped in front of Ling, wings flaring weakly.
"Don't listen to him. He abandoned the realm. He abandoned us."
The First Guardian tilted his head.
"I left because the realm became something it was never meant to be."
Arin's voice cracked.
"You left because you broke the laws you created."
Ling looked between them.
"You two... what happened?"
Arin didn't answer.
The First Guardian did.
"I created the Bound Soul to save a guardian who was dying."
Arin stiffened.
Her breath hitched.
Ling's eyes widened.
"You... bound a human and a guardian before?"
The First Guardian nodded.
"Yes. And the realm punished me for it."
Arin whispered, voice shaking.
"Ling... don't believe him. He twists truths."
The First Guardian's gaze sharpened.
"Do I? Or does the realm hide the truths you were never allowed to know?"
Arin flinched.
Ling felt the seal pulse painfully in her chest—like it was reacting to the tension, to the truth, to the choice.
She pressed a hand over it.
"Stop... both of you."
The First Guardian lowered his hand slightly.
"Ling. Your seal is evolving. If you don't learn to control it, it will consume you."
Arin grabbed Ling's shoulders, desperate.
"I can help you. I won't let it hurt you."
Ling looked into Arin's eyes.
Fear. Love. Guilt. All tangled together.
Then she looked at the First Guardian.
Calm. Knowing. Dangerous.
The seal pulsed again – harder – sending a shock through Ling's body. She staggered, gasping.
Arin caught her instantly.
"Ling!"
The First Guardian stepped forward.
"It's starting. You don't have much time."
Ling's vision blurred.
"What's... starting?"
The First Guardian's voice dropped to a whisper.
"The Merging."
Arin froze.
"No... no, that's impossible--"
Ling breath shook.
"Merging... of what?"
The First Guardian met her eyes.
"Your soul and Arin's."
Arin's wings collapsed.
Ling's heart stopped.
The seal flared violently.
The ground cracked beneath them.
And Ling realized--
This wasn't just a bond.
It was a transformation.
Ling's breath came in sharp, uneven bursts.
Her chest burned. Her vision blurred. The Bound Soul seal pulsed like a second heartbeat – too strong, too fast, too alive.
Arin held her tightly, voice shaking.
"Ling... look at me. Stay with me."
Ling tried.
But the world around her flickered – the ash plain, the cracked sky, even Arin's face – all shifting like reflections in broken glass.
"Arin... what's happening to me?"
Arin swallowed hard, tears gathering in her eyes.
"The merging... it's starting too soon."
Ling's knees buckled.
Arin caught her before she hit the ground, pulling her into her arms, wings wrapping around her protectively.
The First Guardian watched silently, his expression unreadable.
Ling forced out a whisper.
"Why... why is this happening?"
The First Guardian stepped closer, his voice calm but heavy.
"Because the seal awakened faster than excepted. Your souls are aligning."
Arin's voice cracked.
"She's human. Her body can't handle this!"
The First Guardian's gaze softened.
"Which is why she needs guidance. Mine."
Arin's wings flared, weak but fierce.
"No. You're not taking her."
The First Guardian didn't argue.
He simply looked at Ling.
"Tell me, Ling... When the seal flares, do you feel her pain?"
Ling froze.
Her lips parted.
"...yes."
Arin's breath hitched.
"Ling..."
The First Guardian continued.
"And when she's afraid... does your chest tighten?"
Ling nodded weakly.
"...yes."
Arin's grip tightened around her.
"Ling, don't answer him--"
But Ling couldn't deny it.
She felt everything Arin felt. Ever fear. Every tremble. Every heartbeat.
The First Guardian's voice dropped to a whisper.
"That is the merging. Your souls are beginning to overlap."
Arin shook her head violently.
"Stop. Just Stop. She doesn't need this."
The First Guardian finally looked at Arin – really looked – and his expression shifted.
Not cruel. Not mocking.
Sad.
"You know what happens when a guardian's soul merges with a human's."
Arin's wings collapsed.
Her voice broke.
"...she'll lose her human form."
Ling's heart stopped.
"Lose... my form?"
Arin cupped Ling's face with trembling hands.
"Ling, listen to me. If the merging completes... you won't be fully human anymore."
Ling whispered:
"Then what will I be."
Arin's voice cracked into a whisper.
"...like me."
Silence.
Ling stared at her.
Arin stared back, terrified.
The First Guardian stepped forward.
"You have two choices, Ling."
Ling's pulse hammered.
"Choices...?"
He raised two fingers.
"One: You let the merging continue. You become something new – something the realm cannot control."
Arin's breath caught.
"No... Ling, please--"
The First Guardian raised his second finger.
"Two: You break the bond. And lose her."
Arin froze.
Ling's chest tightened painfully.
The seal flared – violently – reacting to the choice.
The ground cracked beneath them.
The air trembled.
Arin whispered, voice breaking completely.
"Ling... don't choose without me."
Ling looked at her.
At the First Guardian.
At the seal burning on her chest.