Reiro returned with the villagers.Kael had also recovered from his injuries.
Upon seeing Kael, Shinji asked in a weak voice,"Are you Yui's friend?"
"Yes," Kael replied.
Shinji was the one entrusted with protecting the location of the Soul Stone, and upon closer observation, he too noticed the soul of the Soul Prince within Kael.
"Kael," Shinji said, his voice trembling with exhaustion."Please protect the Soul Stone. I can sense a large group of men and the beasts of this world moving together toward it. I fear Reiko as well. His army of Soul Eaters may already be on the move."
"Shinji, why are you placing such a burden on a child? This task is clearly too dangerous," said a man standing behind him.
"I know," Shinji replied, his breathing growing heavier. "But I will go as well. My life exists for only one purpose… to protect the Soul Stone."
Kael stepped forward and gently held Shinji's hand. Looking directly into his eyes, he said with quiet resolve,"I will go. I will protect the Soul Stone."
"I have already lost the Life Stone, and most likely the Beast Stone as well. This is our last chance," Kael thought.
"Then I will go too," said another man.
"Listen to me," Shinji said firmly. "First, we must return to the village. We are all injured. We should receive treatment, gather help from the villagers, and then return."
Everyone agreed, but Kael spoke up,"I think Reiro and I should go ahead to the Soul Stone."
"But you need rest," a man said. "It must have taken great effort to reach here. Have you eaten anything at all?"
"Oh… I forgot," Kael replied. "I didn't feel hungry, so I didn't eat."
"You should come with us then," the man insisted. "We'll make a plan and stop them together."
Kael looked back at Shinji."How much time do we have?"
Shinji exhaled slowly.
"Even if you take the best possible route," he said, "reaching the Soul Stone will take nearly one month."
The men around him stiffened.
"One month?" someone asked.
"Yes," Shinji replied. "Between here and the Soul Stone lies an ocean. Not a river. A true crossing. Even if someone could fly without rest, the distance alone would still demand time."
He paused, then continued.
"And after the ocean, there are many regions that must be crossed. Soul-heavy lands. Beast territories. Broken paths where travel slows no matter how strong you are."
Kael absorbed the words quietly.
"This world is wide," Shinji said. "Distance is not measured only by speed."
Kael nodded once.
"Then give me two things," he said without hesitation. "The route, and something to eat. I'll leave immediately."
"Are you sure you don't want to rest?" another man asked.
"No," Kael replied calmly. "We can't afford to waste time."
"You can eat fruits from the forest," Shinji added. "That forest holds Soul Fruits. They provide energy and nutrients, and there are other edible fruits as well."
"Alright," Kael said. "How do I locate it?"
Shinji summoned a sword. The blade gleamed faintly, as if responding to Kael's presence.
"My father gave me this sword," Shinji said. "My family has protected it for more than two decades. Now I entrust it to you. This sword will guide you to the Soul Stone. From this moment on, both the sword and the Soul Stone are in your hands."
Kael accepted the sword respectfully.
"I will take the longer route with some of my men and meet you from the opposite direction," Shinji said. "Kael… be safe on your journey."
"Alright," Kael replied.
Shinji's group returned to the village, while Kael and Reiro headed toward the forest to gather food.
"Reiro… am I weak?" Kael asked quietly as they walked beneath the trees.
"No," Reiro replied without hesitation. "You are not weak. Strength is not decided by the body, but by the mind. A strong mindset is required for hard work. I will help you grow stronger."
"Train me, Reiro," Kael said. "I've noticed my normal attacks don't work on souls, but aura techniques do. I need to master them."
"I can help you with that," Reiro said. "I have developed a training place. Given our limited time, it's the best option."
"Oh… really?" Kael said, surprised. "Then it's decided. After gathering some fruit, let's go to your training place."
Meanwhile, in Ivan
Ossban departed for the royal palace, while Victor continued training in the training grounds. Ossban's journey would take three days.
At the same time, NightRay was preparing for its next move.The Great Ivan War was drawing closer.
[Soul World]
After collecting fruits from the forest, Kael and Reiro headed toward the training ground.
Several hours later, they arrived.
The area was wide and open, with still air and a quiet pond at its center. The water reflected the sky like a dark mirror, undisturbed.
"Lord Kael," Reiro said, "we will begin with aura training."
"My aura…" Kael murmured. "I've heard of it, but how can I master it quickly?"
"The fastest method will take only two days," Reiro replied. "But it will be extremely difficult."
"Tell me," Kael said.
"We will follow several steps," Reiro explained. "First, meditation. Then aura pushups. Finally, training your aura to refill itself."
"Oh… alright," Kael said. "So I should sit now?"
"Yes. But first," Reiro asked, "do you have extra clothes?"
"I'm already wearing clothes."
"I mean spare clothes."
"But why? They smell bad."
"They don't," Reiro said. "They'll just get soaked and ruined during training."
"Wet? How?"
"You will meditate beneath the pond," Reiro replied. "Its depth is approximately seventy meters."
"That deep?" Kael asked, startled.
"Yes. I will train both your mind and body. If you don't have extra clothes, I still have some from my childhood. They should fit you, and they're waterproof."
(smiling) "Thank you, Reiro," Kael said. "I'll gladly accept both the clothes and the training."
Kael changed from his noble blue robes into a black knight's outfit.
"Black suits me," he said.
They stood before the pond, the surface calm and silent.
"I need to control my breathing, right?" Kael asked.
"Yes and no," Reiro replied. "I'll give you two pills. One will reduce your oxygen requirement by seventy percent for nearly two days. The other allows you to breathe underwater, but only for seven hours. In that time, you must adapt to the pressure."
Reiro continued, his tone serious."During these two days, you must form your aura around your body. Learn to reduce pressure by coating yourself with it. Manipulate its shape and density. Imagine it like an elastic bubble. It can take any shape or size, and its strength depends entirely on you."
"I understand the basics," Kael said with a small nod. "Give me the pills."
"Here," Reiro said.
Kael swallowed them one by one with water.
"I can feel it," Kael said, smiling faintly. "My need for oxygen is already decreasing."
He looked toward the pond.
"So… shall we begin?"
"Reiro, one thing," Kael said. "For this training phase, don't call me your lord. I am your student now. Until I am ready, don't treat me as your lord."
Reiro inclined his head slightly."As you wish, Kael."