Chapter 46
As Kael meditated at the bottom of the pond, each breath felt heavier than the last.
The water pressed against his chest, squeezing the air from his lungs as the pill's effect continued to fade. His breathing grew shallow and uneven, his heart pounding violently beneath the crushing pressure. He tightened his aura instinctively then loosened it again forcing his body to slow, to obey.
Panic lingered at the edge of his thoughts.
He swallowed it.
Calm was no longer a choice. It was survival.
Then
A voice reached him.
Deep. Ancient. It did not travel through water, nor did it echo in the usual sense. It simply existed, resonating directly within his soul.
Kael's eyes opened slightly.
He could not tell where it came from. The sound surrounded him, layered over the pressure of the pond itself, as if the water had learned to speak.
Kael.
The darkness before him shifted.
The crushing weight vanished in an instant.
"My domain."
The words were spoken softly, yet the world responded.
Space folded.
The water peeled away like a discarded veil, replaced by a vast, translucent sphere that shimmered with muted light. It felt solid and unreal at the same time present, yet removed from the pond entirely. Inside it, the pressure was gone.
Kael inhaled sharply.
Air filled his lungs.
He staggered forward, now standing upon an unseen surface, surrounded by drifting motes of pale light that moved like slow stars in a hollow sky.
Before him, a colossal presence took form.
Regal.
A towering beast stood in silent majesty half dragon, half lion. His body was vast, yet perfectly still, as though motion itself deferred to him. Ancient scales, worn smooth by ages beyond counting, caught the light like old stone polished by time. A mane like molten shadow framed his leonine face, while great draconic horns curved backward, etched with natural markings that resembled forgotten runes.
His eyes were the most unsettling part.
They did not burn with aggression or rage.
They remembered.
Power radiated from him not violently, but with the quiet weight of something that had existed before conflict, before kings, before names.
Kael found himself unable to look away.
"Welcome back, Soul Prince," Regal said.
The title carried no ceremony. No praise.
Only recognition.
Kael steadied himself and met the creature's gaze.
"Who are you?" he asked, his voice steady despite the enormity before him.
Regal inclined his massive head slightly, a gesture that felt like an old habit rather than courtesy.
"My name is Regal," he said. "I was once the partner of the First Soul King."
The space seemed to deepen at those words.
"I am half lion, half dragon. A guardian forged before thrones were built and before souls learned to wander."
His gaze sharpened, settling fully on Kael.
"Welcome once again, Soul Prince."
Kael steadied himself and spoke, his voice echoing faintly within the strange space.
"Regal… I see. But what are you doing in a place like this?"
Regal's gaze did not waver.
"I am not physically present," he replied. "What stands before you is only my image an echo shaped by will and memory. I felt your presence, and so I answered."
The light within the domain shifted subtly, as if reacting to his words.
"Ever since that man ascended as Soul King, the title of Soul Prince was erased," Regal continued. "He decreed that until the end of his reign, there would be no heir, no successor no power that could challenge his rule."
A faint weight entered Regal's voice. Not anger. Disapproval.
"I could not serve a king who fears succession," he said. "So I withdrew. I waited."
His ancient eyes fixed fully on Kael.
"But you…"
"You are different."
Regal lowered his massive head slightly, the gesture carrying the weight of ages.
"I will not serve him," he said calmly. "Instead, I choose to serve you."
The space grew still.
"The true Soul Prince."
Kael hesitated, a flicker of surprise crossing his face.
"Regal," he said slowly, "if you choose to stand with me, understand this it will not be an easy path."
The light within the domain dimmed slightly as he continued.
"My enemy is someone I do not yet understand," Kael said. "Something that moves unseen through all things, bending what it touches without ever revealing its shape. The true Soul Prince that exists within me could not protect himself… and in the end, I too was caught in the snare of his design."
He met Regal's ancient gaze without looking away.
"If you still wish to walk this path," Kael said quietly, "I will not stop you."
For a moment, Regal was silent.
Then a low, resonant sound echoed through the domain.
A laugh.
Not loud. Not mocking. Old. Amused.
"Who would choose a slow, simple, and meaningless existence?" Regal replied. "To sleep endlessly and wait for time to erase purpose?"
His massive form shifted slightly, light rippling across his ancient scales.
"I would rather face a mysterious force than rot in silence," Regal said. "Rather than wait, I choose to move."
His eyes burned faintly not with rage, but with anticipation.
"Someday," he added, "I would very much like to meet this unseen enemy."
The domain steadied.
Regal lowered his head once more.
"And when that day comes," he said, "I will stand with you."
Kael frowned slightly, unease surfacing despite the calm of the domain.
"Regal," he said, "Reiro calls me the Soul Prince. And now you do as well. Is that… appropriate?"
The question lingered between them.
Regal regarded him in silence for a moment, his ancient eyes tracing something far deeper than Kael's physical form.
"It is," Regal replied at last. "And it is not a matter of courtesy."
He raised one massive claw, light rippling faintly through the domain.
"You are addressed as Soul Prince because the Soul Prince's soul is no longer separate from your own," he said. "The two have begun to merge."
Kael's breath caught.
"This occurs only under one condition," Regal continued. "When soul and body are born together when acceptance is mutual. The Soul Prince's soul has accepted you."
The words carried weight.
"At this stage, distinguishing between your soul and his is nearly impossible," Regal said. "To those who can perceive souls, you are the Soul Prince."
His gaze sharpened slightly.
"There is a seal upon your soul power," Regal added. "A deliberate one. It restrains what you can access but it does not separate you from the Soul Prince's essence."
The domain remained perfectly still.
"In time," Regal said calmly, "even that distinction will fade."
He looked at Kael steadily.
"That is why they believe you to be the Soul Prince."
"And why," he added, "they are not entirely wrong."
Seal…
Did my father place it?
Kael's thoughts stirred quietly.
Then I still have one more question to ask him… when I finally meet him.
Regal's voice broke the silence.
"Kael," he said, "form a summoning pact with me. When you require my aid, call my name."
The light within the domain dimmed slightly.
"But remember this," Regal continued. "I am not a being meant to walk freely in your era. Calling me will exact a heavy toll upon your body and soul. Do not summon me for trivial matters."
Kael did not hesitate.
"I understand," he said. "I am ready for the pact."
Regal extended one massive claw.
Ancient markings ignited along its surface symbols older than language itself. The light flowed outward, then gathered around Kael's outstretched hand, wrapping it in a luminous sigil. It did not burn. It pressed inward through skin and bone, sinking into his soul like a weight he chose to accept.
Kael felt it.
A presence settle within him.
Not overwhelming.
Watching.
The domain trembled once.
The markings faded.
"It is done," Regal said.
His massive form began to lose definition, edges dissolving into drifting light.
"Be careful, Soul Prince," Regal added, his voice softer now. "Your path will draw eyes you are not yet ready to face."
Kael looked up.
"I will remember," he said.
Regal inclined his head one final time.
Then he vanished.
The light collapsed inward, the domain folding back into itself.
The pressure of the pond returned.
Darkness closed in once more.
But Kael was no longer alone.
On the surface, Reiro paused.
He felt it.
A faint shift in the flow of souls.
A small smile touched his lips.