— Alright, understood. You’ll meet the Great Spirit, Lily.

‘Okay, but how do I meet it?’

— It’s similar to how our spirits meet the Great Spirit. When you desire to meet the Great Spirit, and if the Great Spirit is willing, it will call for you. Just follow that call.

‘Hmm…’

— Originally, humans couldn’t meet the Great Spirit, except under very exceptional circumstances. However, since this was such an unusual situation, maybe the Great Spirit would respond to your wishes.

When I heard that, I immediately asked Somnia a question that came to mind.

‘Do you mean that I’m an unusual case because I’m your contractor, the dream spirit?’

— There’s that. There’s another reason. I’ll tell you later.

‘Okay, I get it.’

With that, I followed Somnia’s instructions and began.

‘Great Great Spirit, please meet with me.’

I repeated those words several times, sincerely hoping to meet the Great Spirit. The dream space seemed to shake for a moment, and Somnia cautioned me with a slightly alarmed voice.

— Lily, I’ve said this before, but the Great Spirit is a mysterious being, even to us spirits. Please be cautious, and…

Soon after, my consciousness was abruptly pulled out of the dream space. It felt like a strong force was dragging me away, or as if invisible hands were lifting me forcefully.

Despite not being in the physical world, I felt as if I couldn’t breathe, and I held on tightly to prevent my consciousness from scattering. I feared that I would shatter into pieces in the powerful current guiding me, or that some unseen force was trying to snatch me away.

This feeling was unlike anything I had ever experienced, and I was filled with an overwhelming sense of dread. I knew that if I let my guard down it could lead to my undoing.

I tried to gather my thoughts and remain composed, but after a while, I felt a sensation as if I had been placed somewhere.

And then, I sensed it. The presence of an immense being that could easily crush me with just a fraction of its power.

‘….’

I couldn’t say anything. I just blinked blankly. The place I was in was a vast space filled with golden light,….and at the same time felt like the belly of a big beast.

To be honest, it was amazing that I was maintaining my mind. The pressure of this being was enormous.

‘Great…. Spirit…?’

I called out in a bewildered tone, and the golden space seemed to resonate. I felt slightly shocked and could only blink blankly.

‘I have come to make a request, if I may.’

Then, I felt a gaze that seemed to crush me. Rather than threatening, it seemed to feel that way because it was a heavy gaze.

If I had met the Great Spirit with a real body, wouldn’t my body not be able to withstand this pressure? It would have been literally crushed.

‘There is someone I must seek revenge against.’

Instead of making a grand explanation, I decided to speak honestly. There was no point in lying to the Great Spirit, it could see through me.

‘Could you please, even just for a moment, release the restraint placed upon Somnia? I beg of you.’

The golden space seemed to resonate. It appeared to be almost laughing and crying at the same time. A strange and intricate mixture of emotions flowed from it. At the same time, a foreign memory suddenly intruded into my consciousness.

‘This…?’

A powerful explosion of magic that shook the earth. A mountain being carved away to reveal a golden heart.

‘That is… a Spirit Stone?’

All ancient spirits in the natural world create spirit stones. These stones are conglomerations of memories, emotions, and time, often referred to as the heart of the spirit.

When these spirit stones are destroyed, the spirit rapidly loses its power and transcends to the afterlife. As a result, spirits typically hide their hearts in deeply concealed and secret places.

However, it’s rare for anyone to attempt to destroy a spirit’s heart.

The problem lies in the fact that the Everett family has always displayed malevolence beyond imagination.

‘That person is… Duke Everett.’

Memories left behind by the spirit who had to enter the afterlife after its heart was destroyed.

A ground shaking with a man-made earthquake. The ancient spirit of the land that existed before Terra.

The Everett family had casually destroyed the heart of the spirit who had taken care of this land for countless years. All for the sake of harvesting the souls of countless people.

And to bestow a new land spirit upon Hessen, his youngest son…

If Terra had not been an immature spirit, it would not have formed a contract with Hessen. Duke Everett had gone to such lengths for his incompetent son.

‘…I see.’

I fully understood why the Great Spirit had shown me this memory. It also made sense of the cryptic words that Somnia had spoken to me.

‘Do I have to put an end to this?’

The Great Spirit had likely already seen through everything, even before I was born.

Perhaps, even before my existence.

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