I saw Eillie, awkwardly standing in front of the big guy.
He must be the big boss, I thought to myself. He is enormous but at the same time, I do not feel any ill will against him. As matter of fact, I cannot understand the feeling growing inside of me when I saw the big guy.
"He is our Heavenly Father, our creator and your creator."
"I thought you created me?" I asked Diamond back.
"I do not have that kind of power, all I did is share some of my will and you came to life. We are all came from him."
It is hard to understand but as I do not feel any thing amissed, it was easy to accept.
The Heavenly Father then started the trial for reincarnation.
"My dear child, you will be reborn, once again. Your former one is full of trials and unhappiness that brought your soul to this state, however your soul is one of my dearest child that have been cultivated for a thousand of years, from being an ancient tree soul to your very first time being a human soul. My dear child, you committed a heinous crime as a human soul, but it is your first time and you shall be given a second chance to stand on the ground, my dear child what kind of life you may want this time?"
"Wait!!!" I tugged Diamond's arm to protest. "What heinous crime? She was the one who was killed!"
Even if I was yelling, the two angels did not hush me up. It means we are far enough not to be heard of the ones involved in the trial. Or, it may be because we are not part of it, anything we says are not heard.
I watched Diamond and Clover looked away.
"Sprite, you have not been a human yet so it might be hard to understand. Her mortal body did not sinned but her soul did."
"Huh?"
"Humans are vulnerable to the darkness and lightness of emotions. This may affect their soul and that is when internal sins formed. Our child here, she started hating herself and the mother who have given birth to her mortal body."
"What?! But she is hateable! I hate her! Why it is not a heinous crime with me?!"
I noticed all the other angels looked down and look sad.
"It is a sin to hate the parents who gave you your mortal body."
"What?! But it is not a sin for them if they hate the flesh and blood that came out of them?! How that make sense?! It is not like she was given a choice to choose her parents!"
Diamond firmly looked back to me and said...
"That is why, Fate is cruel."
I am furious. How can this be?! Then some of my anger subsided when I heard her familiar voice.
"My dear Father, as I was a human soul, I have one last wish, please....., may I be a stone?"
"A stone!?" The Heavenly Father exclaimed.
The other angels also started whispering to one another.
"Yes my dear Father," but the tone of her voice is resolute.
I am surprised and my limbs started sweating. Why did Eillie asked for something like this? Does she hates herself this much?
The Heavenly Father looked troubled.
"From a tree, then a human to a stone. My dear child, you are not being punished so turning you into a stone is not fair, you have a thousand year old soul that we cultivated with care."
"Then how about, a tree. I want to be a Bamboo tree my dear Father."
"A tree.... Again..."
"My dear Father!" I could not help it anymore and my sprite self came forward.
I heard Diamond letting out a grunt but he grabbed me. I was going to fight back but...
"Dear Father, your benevolence sent me down to Earth to save this soul, as your acting eyes on the moments this soul was still living, I would like to add my opinion, this child had suffered unbearable pain, and had all the chance to commit another heinous crime to end it all, but this soul endure it until the end. I believe, that was enough punishment, please turn this soul to another human being." Diamond stepped up for me and begged in kneeling position.
I saw Eillie with widen eyes. She heard me. She can see me. Does she know it is me?
The high being chuckled, "stand up my child, you do not have to worry, this precious soul will not be a tree again."
When the Heavenly Father said that, I felt a sighed of relief but...
"Wait! You are giving me a choice and now you are lying to me."
Eillie does not like it. This is the first time I am seeing her protesting. She always goes with the flow, held everything inside and stand like a doll to take it all.
"I am not lying to you my child, you want to be a stone and a tree, I could give that life to you, but a tree with your kind of soul, will not be a simple tree. A tree with my utmost blessings will be akin to 'god' in 'human terms'. I do not believe that is the kind of life you want in your next one. A 'god' have to thread into thorns more than a single human does, and you do not need that kind of life, because you are not being punished."
I watched Eillie getting furious. She looked down at herself with pure pain and hate. I hate seeing her this way.
"Dear Father, if I may." Clover stepped forward.
When Eillie saw Clover, her demeanor became softer. She looked at Clover with softer eyes, like she knows the Angel.
It is true that Clover have been taking care of Eillie for a thousand year and Eillie's soul can feel the bond.
"What if she is reincarnated to a place where my presence is strong? To the place I was once a human."
"I am actually thinking the same thing, I could not think of any other place for this precious soul but that place." He then turns to Eillie, " you will still experience the same hardships as a human being, but this place I will send you to, needs your light, as much as you had given in your previous one."
I observed Eillie, I am scared she will opposed this idea and be adamant on being a stone.
"Then my Father, if you all really insist of giving me a life again as a human, please promise me one thing."
"Yes, what is it?"
"Please let me keep all of my memories from my previous lives."
Memories? Why she wants to keep them when she does not a single one worth to remember?
Diamond speak up.
"A soul will be reborn without it's former memories in order to be free from sufferings, if you keep your memories, your body and heart will remember everything that was good and bad, your soul will break."
A smirk escape on Ellie's lips. "A human with memories, or a tree without a heart, I will only accept either one."
The high being smiles back, "I am blessing you my child into your next life. Shine brighter than your previous one, and just like it, grace them with your kindness."
Diamond let out a deep sighed and Clover still looks like she is full of concerns.
"Hey, you said you will grant me one wish."
Diamond look back at me.
"Are you thinking of..."
As I was a being mirrored to his image and personality, Diamond understood what I want to happen.
I stared back to his eyes with firm will.
Diamond sighed and said...
"I'll do what I can do..."
...
Dia opened his eyes and he was welcomed by an endless spring. He hears the Wisteria tree's leaves dancing with the wind.
"Are you awake?"
Dia look at the beautiful man sitting next to him. His beautiful golden hair is a great contrast from the greens around us.
"Why are you here?"
Diamond deeply sighed.
"Look at this child. I am full filling my promise."
Dia gave Diamond an ominous stare.
"Nahh, I bet Clover pushed you off from the cloud you were resting at. Took you forever."
Dia started stretching his mortal limbs. He never knew he will have a mortal body like this. When he was a wind sprite, it was unthinkable.
"You took so long, now my muscles are all knotted. Ow, ow..."
Dia kept complaining about the pain of his body from sleeping too much but he is glad he is feeling something. Pain is the most noticeable feeling for being alive.
"So, were we trapped again from their pranks?"
Dia turned serious and so is Diamond.
"Those pesky Angel of Fates..." Words that sound like a curse is coming out of an archangel.
"The prophecy, I won't let it happen."
"It will be a hard fight but you are something that came from me so, I know you can do it."
"Ha! So you will not help?"
"You know, that this is as far as I can go. I managed to come down here, thanks to our old promise, but for sure those pesky Angel of Fates are webbing a worst case scenario to get back at me."
"Such a hobby they have. You angels are something else."
Diamond did not retaliate.
"So..."
Dia looked back to Diamond.
"So, I am going .. bye!"
Dia's mouth was left hanging.
"Wait?! That's it?"
"What? I woke you up, so bye!"
"No...no... Can you at least help me find Dream?"
"Nah, that's all you, now."
"Wait! How do I get out of here?!"
"Good point..." Diamond act like he was thinking hard. "Good luck!"
"Huh?!"
And he was gone...
"Huh!! That's it?! You kidding me?! You are totally useless when Clover is not involved!!" Dia yelled to the top of his lungs.
Arf!
Dia finally noticed the two wolves waiting by his side all this time.
"Chocola! Vanille!"
Dia jumped off the tree, but because his muscles and bones are all stiff he lost his landing but the two wolves caught him.
"I miss you guys! Now, do you guys know how to get out of here?"
The two wolves tilted their heads in opposite directions.
...
"Are you alright, princess?"
Dream snapped from her daze.
"I-I am fine!"
Sarah looked concerned.
"I want us to stay here longer, but we do not know if someone else knows about this place. Worst scenario will be a Hearthian soldier seeing us here." Queenie explained.
"No! I am totally fine. Ha ha ha... I just had a weird dream."
The two ladies looked at her with concern and that gave Dream guilt.
-You been weird since you woke up.
Even the owl is concerned.
Dream went to the crystal clear water for the last time and splashed her face with water.
She needs to focus.
"Let's go..." she whispered to herself.
-What was your dream about?
The owl that is hiding in her shadow asked Dream with curiosity.
Dream scratched her head, she does not want to think so much about it as she does not know the entire truth and only Dia can enlighten her about it. She decided to say one thing.
"Dia said just to go straight forward. By doing so, I will meet the person who wants to see me the most."
-Hmmm....
The owl did not comment anything.
...
"Your Regency! The King of Spade had open his eyes!"
Ace stood up from the wooden chair and marched outside from his temporary tent. He waste no second and went to the small hut.
As he opened the door, he noticed Kahel with a grim look. Ace knitted his eyebrows. He then proceeded to turn his gaze to the man lying on a wooden bed.
The man opened his eyes but there is no light in it. He is trying to move his limbs but he can barely make any movement. This man received the concentrated strange power on that day.
"The locals had healed his slashed wound and it is in the process of scarring but..."
The most knowledgeable healer of the Clover Country is summoned to this place to heal the King of Spade.
"Go on." There is firmness in Ace's voice.
The man could not look back to Ace. He is afraid to be the one to say it but he must.
"The King of Spade had completely lost his eye sight, your regency."
Ace clenched his fist tight. He feels like there is a rock blocking his throat but he must stay firm. He cannot show weakness in front of his vassals.
"Can we talk to him?" Ace asked.
The man looked down and observe the King of Spade.
"This is the first time we had encountered something like this but from my observation, the King's consciousness is still currently trapped and as you can see he is trying his best to get out of it. When... I cannot say for sure."
Ace observe his father's body. His limbs are shaking and he is sweating. He looks like, he is trapped to an endless nightmare.
That blinding light had affected most people in it's close approximity. Most had died and with bodies ending up like a rotten vegetable. Kahel and Ace was expecting that King of Spade may had been gone too. However a miracle happened and they found him alive. But he is obviously struggling to keep himself alive.
The King of Spade was the closest to the light, but heange
The Duke of Virgo who was at the end of that approximity is suffering with muscle loss. That light seems like granted a disease. It did not burn like fire nor electrocuted like electricity but it had caused this much damage.
Ace touched the seal of Spade on his neck. He was unaffected thanks to the seal. He then came to a conclusion. That power that ruined his grandfather and father's bodies is a power of a seal.
"The Seal of Light..." Ace whispered.
"Pardon?"
Ace shook his head.
"Get ready to move back to the castle. Make sure that the King of Spade is well taken care off during the journey. Also, Prince Kahel, please give the locals here award for their kindness. If it is not because of them fa-... the King of Spade had been gone by now."
Kahel gave the young Ace a nod and he walked out of the hut.
"Your regency, I will leave you two alone for now. We have given the King of Spade some spells of healing so that he will continue get nutrients even in that state. I will be back later to redo the spell." (Like an IV drip..lol)
"Good."
As soon as Ace said that, the man walked out of the hut. Ace is now left alone with the man struggling with himself. Fighting an unknown entity.
Ace slumped himself to a chair next to the bed. He then started shaking.
'He is still alive.... thank goodness... he is alive.'
Ace observed his father. They never had good memories with each other. He always remember the man like a mountain that he needs to overtake. A man that he wants to acknowledge that he can make it alone. A man that he eventually wants to protect.
They always bickered when they see each other and it became more personal when his mother passed away. Both men did not blamed one another but both of them became insensitive and stubborn.
Ace closed his eyes. He once remembered what happened that day. He was glad that the King of Spade finally decided to go back to Spade after years of war against the foreigners trying to invade Clover. Ace and his people are glad with the help from Spade but at the same time, he finds it unnecessary that the King of Spade decided to partake personally.
'He is worried.'
'Worried with what?' Ace exclaimed to Kahel.
'I might be more than enough to help Clover but he does not want to risk that you will get injured.'
'What nonsense! Just say he does not trust my abilities! I have the seal of Spade!'
'Most Spade Seal bearers died young you know, because they have that kind of mindset. Just admit it, you know it yourself, you will hate it, knowing that the person you care about get injured because they were not there.'
I observed the figure of my father busy preparing to go back to Spade. He certainly knows that feeling as he felt the same way all the time.
'I felt the same way with him and my sibling who stayed behind in Spade.'
'Look at you, all grown up!' Kahel grabbed Ace's head and made a mess out of it.
'I am seventeen already! Look! I'll be taller than you soon!'
Then the portal lighten up and a man with a brick red hair color stepped out of it.
'It had been awhile since I saw Sir Kaleid. He is as pretty as ever.'
'The plan is for him to stay here so that he can prepare the place where the King of Spade and my sister will move into.'
'Are you happy?'
'Happy about what?'
'You will be finally be with your family.'
'What nonsense! '
Ace left the teasing Kahel and moved closer to the King and his most loyal attendant.
Then he noticed that something is a miss. His seal started burning on his neck. He grabbed his neck and a sudden realization made him yell...
"Go away!" He yelled to the top of his lungs.
The Duke of Virgo who just entered the space to greet the visitors from Spade, run to the King of Spade in stead of running back.
Ace started running forward to them as fast as he could. He then saw the sword slashing his father's body. At the moment Ace yelled his father's name.
From that sudden realization, as if to protect the son running towards him, Joseph grabbed the man with a beautiful red hair. Ace watched them fall together to the cliff leaving a blinding light.
Ace pull out a deep sigh from himself. No one anticipated such thing could happen. Ace saw the man called Kaleid with a maniacally laugh with his red hair that is as red as his father's blood.
Ace had told Kahel what he had seen and he said, there is only one person inherited such red hair in Heart Country and that is the Duke of Aries.