''My lord, now that the ritual has started why are you still on guard? The shrine's seal is unbreakable, and none sense the ritual in this pocket dimension.''
''It seems that you forgot something, my dear Dawon. Don't you remember when someone attempts to tamper with the soul who comes to bring judgment on them?
''But will he punish you, my lord? Even though it's for the world.''
''Yes, that's his sacred duty. Manipulation of soules is a sin. He never discriminates; even if you are a god, you will be punished for this. Only if the trinity gives permission, you are allowed to do this.''
''So how will you overcome him, my lord? He is a real god and can easily disrupt the ritual.''
''Yes, if we do not handle this situation carefully, the world might end before time.''
A giant crack appeared in the space. From the Crack, a terrifying aura got released, and screams that could make even a deaf person raise their hair could be heard from that Crack.
''Looks like he came; nothing can we do now.''
A man with the same terrifying aura appeared to form the Crack with a noose in his right hand and a book in his left hand.
''Please accept my humble greetings O God That Rules The Realm of the Dead and represents the south cardinal direction, Lord Yama. I Aeon, the temple's guardian, welcome you to this sacred place .''
''Cease your formalities Aeon. You broke the world's laws, and I will not spare your wrongs. As the guardian of these laws, I will bestow upon you the judgment.''
''Looks like I have done something that has angered you. Please accept my humble apologies and enlighten me with my sins.''
''Acting ignorant are you. Then I will reveal you your sins.''
The book in his left-hand glowed and started levitating in the air. Its pages started moving on their own, and a loud voice that contained authority was heard.
''Aeon, the 6th head of the clan that oversees the time, has been charged with breaking the natural order of the world and attempting to manipulate the soul of the dead, and thus he will receive primordial punishment.''
''Suggesting possible judgment, according to the rules created by the trinity, the soul of the sinner must be executed to maintain a balance in the world.''
''Now that you have heard your sins, I will capture your soul with my noose.''
'Lord Yama swung his noose to capture my soul. It's a divine weapon exclusive to him only. It possesses details of all the sins a person has committed in their life. With this, he can capture the souls of those about to die. If necessary, he can extract the soul of the living for judgment. As for the levitating book, it's also an exclusive divine object.'
The noose lord Yama swung towards me and returned to him without capturing my soul. Seeing something unusual, he used his eyes and looked at my soul.
''A contract...? So you made a contract with time itself. Why no how, How did you make a contract? Knowledge of the contracts is forbidden in the lower worlds. No information about the contract and its procedure was disclosed to Overworld or the human world. How do you possess this knowledge, Aeon? Answer me.''
''Lord Yama, please calm yourselves. As for how I possess the knowledge about contracts, please have a look at this.''
I took out a gold embroidered pendant with a blue stone in the center from the chest pocket and showed him.
He held the pendent and examined it. After understanding the aura sealed in the blue stone, he showed a satisfying smile.
''Interesting. So it's that woman's handiwork. But how did you manage to make contact with her? And why are you performing this ritual despite knowing the rules of the contract?''
''How I met her that's a story for another time. As for why I am doing this despite being contracted, please look at the boy's soul. You will understand everything.
''Very well''
Lord Yama concentrated his eyes on the shrine, specifically Ark's soul. After carefully observing his aura his eyes widened and a surprised expression appeared on his face.
''How does this boy possess the same quality of aura as that woman? And not just her he possesses your clan's aura also. How is that even possible? Just who in the world is he.''
'' The sole survivor of my clan who inherited the true royal lineage. Unlike the branched ones who possess a fraction of the quality of the aura, his is genuine. And with the addition of her aura, his potential is far beyond what anyone in the Overworld can imagine.''
''Though he may be called a half-blood, his rank is above all. Lord Yama, I am pleased to introduce to you my successor, the next head of my clan and the son of that woman, Ark.''
The aura of a god and a human that possess time and space. Even for this god, who is alive even before humanity existed, it's something that was unheard of.
''The wheels of fate always run strangely. His soul is unstable; if not taken care of properly, it might destroy half of the world. So he is the reason you perform this ritual, and since you are just stabilizing him, you did not receive punishment for violating the contract.''
''Yes, that's how it is. I will do anything to fulfill my objective to save the world and for her's sake. So Lord Yama, am I still a sinner.''
''Yes, according to the sacred rules, you are still guilty. But I will overlook this for now. But I must warn you, what you desire is impossible. It's not a sin per se because no one has attempted it in the past as they die before they reach her.''
''Even so, it's my only desire from the beginning.''
''Is that so, then I will not stop you. The road you have chosen has many hurdles; be prepared to face them, as some will not be to your liking.
''I understand the risk very well and am prepared for it. But before you go, I request you to keep his existence a secret. As you may know, his existence will cause a massive uproar not just in the Overworld but in the heavens also. And he is not prepared to face them right now.''
''I understand it would be best to keep his existence a secret, but how will you introduce him in the Overworld? A half-blood popping out of nowhere will cause suspicions.''
''I have planned how he will be introduced in the overworld very well.''
''Don't make it noisy otherwise, everyone in the heavens will notice the anomaly.''
''Now it's time for me to return.''
Swish Lord Yama swung his noose in the air, and a crack tore in the space.
''Before a go, I must give him a parting gift.''
Lord Yama raised his noose in Ark's direction and chanted.
''I Yama, One of the Lokapāla – Guardians of the realms – representing the south cardinal direction bestows you my blessing. With this blessing, death will always be away from you, and you will always walk on the path of rightness. Additionally, I grant you the ability to talk to the undead and the right to walk in the realm of dead alive.''
After bestowing the blessing, Lord Yama returned to his realm, and the distorted space became normal.
''That was strange, my lord, to think he will receive the blessing from the god of death. He possesses a strange fate.'' Dawon, who was hiding somewhere, appeared before Aeon.
''Dawon hah... it was good you hid. If he were to notice you, then we would be in trouble. As for Arks, yes, I never thought he would receive a blessing, not just one but three. He is a troublesome boy.''
An intense light came from the shrine, illuminating all the darkness in the pocket dimension.
''Looks like the ritual is about to end before anticipated. The divine aura must have boosted the process. Let's go Dawon and see what Ark has become.''
''Yes, my lord.''
Both of them teleported before the shrine.
The light shines even brighter. It looks as if all the impurities in the area would be exterminated before it. The aura that was unbalanced before is now stabilized. A human body could be seen with an unmeasurable aura flowing from it.
As if it was time for him to wake up from his slumber, the human boy opened his eyes. The sun's orange eyes could see anything in the world and look at the barrier before him. He raised his hand and applied pressure on the barrier.
Cracks appeared on the unbreakable barrier.
''Impossible, no one should be powerful enough to break the barrier. Even though his soul power is sealed, how can he create cracks on it with just a little force even though his soul power is my lord?''
''He is not a normal being Dawon, so you can't compare him to anyone. No, there are no standard criteria to compare him with any being in the world.''
The barrier shattered, and the human boy went out of the shrine.
''So you made it alive, Ark. I welcome you to this new world. Hope you will survive it.''
The boy replied with a smile.
''Yeah, it was painful at first, but I am glad I made it alive.''