Etheria is the starting point for all spirits and spiritual energy in the universe. It is an ethereal and intangible place where energies take shape, and spirits find their initial existence—a location where the World Tree maintains some of its roots.
The landscape is illuminated by a shimmering light composed of different shades representing various forms of spiritual energy. This light dances and flows, creating ethereal patterns.
Spirits organically emerge from the essence of spiritual energy, each with its own uniqueness and purpose. They go through stages of development before moving on to other dimensions.
Etheria is the center of all creation, connected to all dimensions and realms through dimensional portals, allowing spirits to pass into different universes.
But now, chaos reigns over Etheria.
"What have I done?" Kazess, the Spirit Lord, thought as he descended to the deepest center of the crisis's spread, a place accessible only to the most powerful beings.
He looked at the devastating scene, millions of spirits floating, all having lost their lives... For nothing.
He summoned Titania, and she appeared in her spiritual form. Kazess looked at his daughter before him and showed her a scene she never thought she would witness: a massive bridge of light with various points of light floating. It was the first time she had seen such an emotional vision.
"Dad, what is this?" Titania completely dropped her usual dignity and posture when meeting her father. She appeared to be only ten years old compared to her father, Kazess.
"Dead spirits," he said dryly, with a complicated look on his face.
"Who did this?" She quickly asked, moved by the scene. She understood that these "light dust" were corpses.
"You," Kazess said with just one sentence, causing Titania to fall slightly on her bottom.
"M-me?" She said, shocked.
"Your actions caused this, 1,823,423,242 died because of your request, and the number keeps rising," Kazess said and added, "I was foolish to agree to something as lowly as that."
"Dad, what are you talking about? There's no way this could happen because of a request!" She exclaimed slightly, finding it impossible to accept.
"Banning Dante Scarlet from the Spirit Realm caused one of the contracts to be broken; that Temperamental Familiar had her eye on the boy, and, as he was banned..."
"She can't make the contract..." She murmured slightly, and then, "But Dad! This is absurd!"
"She's the one who killed them all," Kazess said, lowering his head slightly.
'She?' Titania wondered as she looked around. They descended, floating to a completely flat area, where there was only one thing. A Broken Throne of Light.
Seated on the throne, a woman... or rather... a Spirit Familiar.
The throne was covered in white spiritual energy, an energy of the purest harmony... but at the same time, only pure chaos.
"Voralith," Kazess said, drawing the attention of the Familiar Spirit.
She was beautiful like a painting crafted by the greatest artists of the universe. Her eyes were deep and emotionless, yet they reflected an internal flame of chaos; they were amber and alternated in ruby tones. Her skin was delicate, and the apples of her cheeks were slightly prominent, standing out with a natural shade.
To complete the picture, two luminous horns adorned her head, curving elegantly backward.
Titania swallowed hard at such a sight. The Spirit was far beyond what she thought it would be, as if naturally someone superior to her. In the hierarchy of Spirits, Titania was a Spirit King, second only to the Emperor, who was her father.
Titania couldn't meet the Spirit in front of her with her own eyes, even if she tried to lift her head; she felt small.
She managed to look directly at the Spirit's face. The black flames covering her entire body began to change slightly, turning red.
Voralith had long white hair that reached the ground. Her hair emitted a gentle warmth and a hypnotizing glow, making her a truly unforgettable presence.
She was sitting cross-legged, a combination of elegance and sensuality. She wore a long dress made of ethereal fabric, which clung perfectly to her hourglass figure. The skirt flowed in layers, mimicking flames in motion. Bracelets, chokers, and rings carved with ancient symbols adorned her fingers, containing a lot of energy in each small detail. (N/A: Image in the paragraph's comment)
"Kneel," she said, and Kazzes showed no change, but Titania fell to her knees immediately.
"Two billion spirits have died. That's enough," Kazzes said.
The black flames began to surround Voralith; everything started to catch fire, and the souls of the spirits began to die, or rather, be extinguished.
"You know, Kazzes, I am like you. My soul was recycled by the Primordial World Tree, and I was assigned as a Spirit Familiar against my choice," Voralith said as she stood up.
"I can't make contracts with anyone, you know why? My race is highly valued, and few can truly withstand it. After all, I will lose almost all my powers when that happens," Voralith said, looking at Titania, who was kneeling and trying to rise with disgust.
"I will lose everything when I bond with a master. I can finally be set free and have a new life. After a million years, when someone finally appears, what happens?" She asked, and the pressure began to crush Titania.
She continued, and the pressure descended upon Kazzes, who had no choice but to use his trump card.
"Enough," he said, and everything stopped. The Ruler's authority was used, and the System interfered with Voralith's actions.
Titania stood up and faced the woman, the only person who could challenge her in her own dimension.
"You are crossing the line," he said, staring at her. "I brought her here to apologize," he said.
"One million years, Kazzes. There is no forgiveness," she said and sat back on the throne, continuing, "Get out of my way," she ordered.
"Calm down," Kazzes said, but nothing happened.
"You made a mistake and created an even worse enemy. If that boy dies because I couldn't help him, I will erase you," she said, and Titania trembled slightly.
"You wouldn't dare," he replied.
"Do you really think so?" She asked, and her body began to transform.
Two expansive wings emerged from her back, with luminescent membranes radiating a soft light, leaving ephemeral trails of ethereal patterns.
"How did you regain your form?" he asked, witnessing something he never wanted to see again.
A leaf appeared floating in Voralith's hands, and Kazzes read the content as she tore it in front of him.
"You have ten years to bring that boy to me. I am being generous because we have known each other for a long time, but that's it, Kazzes. Ten years and nothing more than that," she said, completely enraged. She had her reasons, and Kazzes couldn't refuse this, even if he wanted to. After all, he had to resolve things before they got any worse.
--
"I am Sara Vortex, not looking for a simple familiar. I want someone reliable who can journey with me until my eternal rest, just a travel companion until the end of my humble life. I don't desire power, just a friend," she said gently with an angelic smile on her face, and the magic circle began to spin, opening a portal.
From the portal, a bluish serpent emerged. It had two wings and floated gently, passing behind Sara's neck and snuggling in.
"I understand, your name is Iara? Oh, what a beautiful name," Sara said. Only the user could hear the voice of the Spirit Familiar.
"I am Clovis Arton, I want a strong flame to create the best things for those we care about, someone who can walk by my side so that I can reach my maximum in forging!"
From the portal came a red salamander. It emerged and climbed onto Clovis's shoulders. "Broky, a masculine name," he said with a smile, and the salamander confirmed.
"I am Elizabeth Tapes, I am the daughter of the Vampire King! I will become the strongest in the future to protect my mother. I want a companion who can help me with that!"
From the portal emerged a bat with red wings. It looked different from a common bat. "Hmm, Amora, it's a cute name," Elizabeth said as she stroked the bat's tiny cheeks.
Many others passed through, so many that Dante began to sleep in class and let everyone go. In fact, he wanted to be alone with the teacher. He was already fed up with all of this.
Time passed, and Dante heard the signal, along with a nudge. "Let's go," it was Clovis's own familiar giving him a nod.
"Go ahead, I have business with her," he said, and Clovis nodded.
The entire room started to empty, and only Dante and Akemi remained. He then got up and went to their table.
Akemi was surprised to see that Dante was still there, but she wanted to know why. Before that, she apologized lightly.
"I'm sorry for what happened. I didn't imagine something like that would occur," she said while rubbing one of her arms.
"I know, it's okay. But I came to ask you a favor," Dante said gently and sat in one of the chairs in front of Akemi.
"Go ahead," she said softly while sitting on her desk, a scene that would lead to a hentai if it weren't for the current context.
"I want to send a message to my mom. I know how close you are, so, as it's urgent, it would be better if you delivered this message," Dante said in a monotone tone.
"Hmm, sure, it's quite simple," she said. Indeed, for her, it was something quite normal, as she kept in touch with Valentina at least once a week. They were really great friends.
"Send this to her," Dante handed a paper to Akemi, who raised her eyebrows. "Don't tell me..."
"Yes, it was a conspiracy," he said, crossing his arms. "Apparently, that Seraphina is actually the Daughter of the Fairy Queen. The behavior she showed... well, she herself said '[My mother guaranteed that you can never touch a spirit].'"
"I know you can't give information about students, so I won't ask you to check on her identity, but the only one who can interfere in something like this is the Fairy Queen herself asking the Spirit King to ban me," Dante said, looking at Akemi. "It's been almost a month here, and I've received the worst treatment of all, even though I haven't done anything, and now this."
"What are you going to do?" She asked curiously, sensing a dangerous air.
"First, I'll inform my mom about the interference of the Fairy Bitch and the Princess Slut. As for the rest, I'll handle it alone," he said, turning around. "Do this for me, mythical nine-tailed fox who thinks so highly of herself. One day, I'll repay you," he said with a smile on his face and left the room.
Akemi sighed deeply and then cast a communication spell.
"[Valentina, your son asked me to send you a message.]"