Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 4

4.

“It was because of the Spirit King.”

“Spirit King?”

“Unlike Earth, where the Main God directly intervenes, Arkhadon’s natural order is maintained through the four elemental spirits. Especially the Spirit Kings; their very existence can sway the flow of the ecosystem.”

“W-what’s that?”

At my question, Arehis stroked his chin with a troubled expression.

“Ah, right, since you’re from Earth, these terms might be unfamiliar. A spirit is a pure spiritual being residing in the four elements of nature: water, earth, air, and fire. The Spirit King is the being at the very peak of them, with a basic lifespan of over ten thousand years. Their abilities are almost god-like. Actually, after they ‘disappear’ [die or relinquish their position], they are granted a life as a god, so this distinction is meaningless.”

“Heh, they become gods when they die?”

“From the start, Spirit Kings are born only from the most complete and noble souls. They are qualified to receive the status of a god. Of course, it is also possible to reject this and choose the human world. In that case, they are likely to be born as a noble race, like a dragon.”

“Hmm, I see.”

Come to think of it, when he mentioned the four dimensions earlier, there was a place called the Spirit Realm. I couldn’t understand exactly what he meant, but I knew they were incredibly powerful beings. I nodded in understanding and asked.

“So, a disaster happened because of the Spirit King? Did they intentionally not make it rain?”

“No, it was a more fundamental problem.”

“……?”

“Recently, there was a change of generation for the Water Spirit King. When one Spirit King disappears, the next Spirit King is born immediately to succeed them. But for some reason, even though the previous Water Spirit King disappeared, a new Spirit King was not born. The cause of the ten-year disaster in Arkhadon was precisely that.”

“Just because of that?”

Just because one Water Spirit King or whatever is missing, it hasn’t rained for ten years? I was dumbfounded, and Arehis nodded without hesitation.

“It’s not ‘just,’ Jihoon. That’s how significant the existence of the Spirit King is. The ‘Water Spirit King’ has the rights and control over all ‘water’ in the natural world. Especially since Arkhadon is a dimension governed by the Spirit Realm, the influence is bound to be even greater.”

“Hmm, I guess so.”

“I’m glad you understand. Anyway, the gods were once again shocked when they investigated the reason why the Water Spirit King was not born. It was belatedly discovered that the soul of the Spirit King, who was about to be born, had suddenly disappeared.”

At that moment, the two guides behind him trembled. It was clear that they had suffered quite a bit from that incident. Arehis also closed his eyes with a face reminiscing about a painful past.

“It was truly terrible. Not only is it difficult to create the soul of a Spirit King, but the missing Water Spirit King had already inherited all the power from the previous generation. If we couldn’t find him, it would be the same as the Water Spirit King’s lineage being cut off. The birth of a soul is under the jurisdiction of this Underworld, so we were in a situation where we would have to take all the responsibility. We sent guides to all dimensions to search, took out all the past data and scanned it, and spent all day just trying to find him. Still, he never appeared, and we even thought it was hopeless.”

After explaining at length, Arehis smiled as if relieved.

“But today, we finally found the soul of that Spirit King. I’m so glad. The moment all the hard work we put in to find him over the past years feels like a distant dream.”

“Yes? You found him? Where is he?”

Hoping that I might be lucky enough to meet that great being, I quickly looked around. If it hadn’t been for Arehis’s immediate reply, I might have committed the foolish act of asking him to introduce me to the Spirit King. No, judging by my usual personality, I definitely would have. A really foolish act!

“Where is he? He’s sitting right in front of me.”

“Huh?”

What on earth? The only one in front of Arehis is me… Eeeek? S-surely? Was it just my imagination that Arehis’s expression looked so arrogant as he saw me panicking? He wore a smug smile on his lips, striking a pose like a victorious general.

“The color of the second Soul Mate is the status of the race. The multicolored hues that vary depending on the angle symbolize the spirits representing nature… Among them, the sapphire-like blue represents the ‘Water Spirit.’ But all the Water Spirits of Arkhadon have now disappeared. Lower spirits cannot be born unless the Spirit King is born first. Therefore, the only being who can choose the Water Spirit in this Soul Mate is the ‘Water Spirit King.'”

After explaining quickly, Arehis looked at me with meaningful eyes and opened his mouth.

“We’ve tried it on many souls who have lost their fate, but no one has ever chosen this color. We’ve been looking for a really long time, Water Spirit King Elquines. We’ve been waiting for you.”

“Eeeeeeeek??”

* * *

Once upon a time, long, long ago, there were four Spirit Kings who ruled the world. Their names were Ifrit of Fire, Minerva of Wind, Trowell of Earth, and Elquines of Water. One day, Elquines of Water knew that the time for his disappearance was approaching, and he immediately went to the Underworld to bestow all his power to his successor. A new Water Spirit King was born.

But what’s this? The newly born Water Spirit King was so foolish that he was mistakenly born in the wrong world and lived as a human.

Isn’t that crazy? Well, he didn’t even know he was a Spirit King until the messengers of the Underworld pointed out his mistake. People on the other side were dying because of the lack of water because of him. Isn’t he a really dull guy? Hahahahahaha!

“Well, I’ve said it many times, but this isn’t Jihoon’s, no, Elquines’s fault. You don’t need to blame yourself so much.”

Arehis, who had already changed his honorifics for me to the highest level of respect, said with a firm face. It seemed he couldn’t stand to see me wallowing in a world of fantasy(?) due to severe self-deprecation any longer.

“It was our fault that you were born in the wrong place, so the damage to Arkhadon due to your absence is also our responsibility. We have already taken various corrective measures for that, and fortunately, we found you before the situation worsened, so now all that remains is to return everything to its original state.”

The original state that Arehis mentioned meant that I would be reborn in a place called the Spirit Realm of Arkhadon. It wasn’t that I wasn’t curious, but because of a sense of unease in my heart, I couldn’t easily agree to his words.

“But are you sure you’re not mistaken? Someone as ordinary as me being a Spirit King…”

I wasn’t particularly smart, and my appearance was just average, so I had never even had a proper girlfriend. I couldn’t believe that I was such a great being. So, I cautiously asked, and Arehis immediately retorted as if it were nonsense, dismissing my thoughts with a single word.

“Soul Mates are created by the power of the Main God. There’s no way it could be a mistake.”

“But, but you said that the Water Spirit King hasn’t been born there for 10 years. I’m 17 years old now, you know?”

“No, to be exact, it’s been 25 years since the birth cycle.”

“Huh?”

“Even if the Spirit King isn’t born, the existing lower Water Spirits can last for a while. It’s only been 10 years since all the Water Spirits disappeared and the full-scale disaster began. Besides, the flow of time isn’t accurate between dimensions. Three years here could be 10 years on Earth, or it could be just a day.”

“Hmm, still…”

“Let me explain in more detail. You said you were weak when you were human, right? That’s because the human body couldn’t handle the Spirit King’s immense power. The frequent rain and the increasing damage over the years were because the Spirit King’s energy within you became stronger as you grew. Don’t you understand even now?”

Was, was that so? But if that’s the case, then all the kids who are the same age as me, born in Korea, and were weak when they were young are all Elquines candidates. How many of those kids are there!

The more I tried to understand, the more I felt like I was falling into an incomprehensible maze. But after holding my head and groaning for a long time, I finally nodded.

Okay, anyway, I just have to be reborn, right? There’s no point in worrying since they’re so sure. If it’s not right, I can think about it then. I’ve already been born wrong once, what’s stopping me from doing it twice? Even I thought it was a resignation, almost a ‘whatever happens, happens’ kind of feeling.

“Hoo, okay. Whatever will be, will be.”

“Of course. You don’t need to worry too much. The other Spirit Kings, Elquines’s companions, are there. They’re all good people… Well, anyway, you don’t have to worry too much.”

“…Just now, I feel like you didn’t finish your sentence?”

“Hahaha! That’s not possible. It’s your imagination.”

Is it just my imagination that Arehis is avoiding my gaze as he says that? Is it just my imagination that there seems to be a cold sweat on his forehead?

I stared at him so intently that it was almost obsessive, but I couldn’t get a proper explanation in the end.

I had a bad feeling.

* * *

From the moment he found out my identity, Arehis started to rush quite a bit. He looked at the sky several times as if checking the time, and then got up with an anxious face.

“Oh my, it’s already this late. Well, shall we go to be reincarnated now?”

“Huh? Already?”

“People are still dying by the hour in Arkhadon. Elquines needs to be born as soon as possible to regenerate Arkhadon.”

Ah, come to think of it, he said it was quite serious.

I obediently got up from my seat and followed him. Soon, we opened the door and started walking down the endless white corridor.

The deserted corridor was intertwined like a maze with dozens of branches. Moreover, the space was filled with a thick fog, making it very difficult to see ahead. Nevertheless, Arehis and the others, whether they had good eyesight or some special trick, decided which way to go without hesitating even once.

Their unstoppable feet stopped after a very long time, so long that I felt like I had been walking almost all day.

When I came to my senses, we were in front of a dead-end wall marking the end of the corridor. The reason I wasn’t flustered was because there was a small wooden door in front of it. I couldn’t see it clearly because of the still rampant fog, but there was a small sign on it.

[Dimension 4. Spirit Realm]

“…Surely, I’m not going to be born in the Spirit Realm if I go through this door.”

Yeah, surely that can’t be the case. There’s no way being born is such a bleak and simple formality. Yes, that’s right. But Arehis’s merciless answer flew like an arrow and pierced me as I muttered as if hypnotizing myself.

“Oh, how did you know? This is called the ‘Door of Life.’ Those who pass through this door will be born with the appropriate status and appearance according to their given destiny. You figured it out right away; you’re quick-witted.”

“……”

Damn it. Why am I so good at guessing things like this?

I frowned with a sullen expression. Huh? But what did he just say? Born with an appearance?

“Do spirits have appearances?”

“Of course. Especially the Spirit Kings; they are embodied closest to the appearance of their original soul. The material is fixed, so they each have their own unique color.”

“Unique color?”

“Like hair or eye color.”

“Ah! Hmm, so I’m just going to be born with the same appearance as I have now, but with a different color?”

I hadn’t been aware of it until now, but my current appearance was the same as when I was Kang Jihoon. Being embodied according to the appearance of the soul means that it is ultimately influenced by this appearance, right? I thought so calmly to myself. Then Arehis shouted in surprise.

“Huh? Surely not. There’s no way that could happen?”

“Huh? Isn’t it?”

“Of course not! Elquines’s current appearance is not your real appearance. It’s a state where your original appearance has been altered by the body you wore when you were human. When you return to your original position, you will regain your true appearance.”

“Oh, really?”

My original appearance is different? I hadn’t thought about that at all, so I answered a little hesitantly. It would be nice to find my true appearance since I’m going to be reborn anyway, but I still felt a little sad that it would be different. It’s the face I’ve been greeting in the mirror every morning for 17 years, and even though it’s not handsome, I’ve grown fond of it in my own way.