In addition to the familiar white room, Polaris had greeted him. He looked genuinely happy that Souhait had returned safely, which made Souhait feel the same. His mind was usually so fixated on his duties that he never had the time to relax or let his guard down. Now that he was confident with what he discovered, it felt as if some weight was lifted off of his chest. The sight of Polaris alleviated all of it.
Taking a trip down memory lane made him delay his return back to reality for there was somewhere else he wanted to go. Polaris was the only one who could fulfill this request; there was no way he could refuse him.
"Polaris…" Souhait looked straight into his green eyes.
"Master Souhait?" Polaris locked his gaze onto his.
"Please summon that for me."
He could see Polaris's eyes slowly widening as his expression changed from serious to surprised.
"That, as in…?"
"The golden door."
Polaris's gaze started wavering. Souhaited detected worry coming from him; it made sense he'd be worried because it was something he rarely requested. He wondered when the last time he had requested this was; he couldn't remember.
When Polaris fixated his gaze back on him, he asked, "Are you sure about this?"
"You are the guiding soul, my dear Polaris. You are the only one who can guide me there…. So, summon it for me, please?" He emphasized the final word in a sultry way, trying to rile up Polaris and make him flustered; it worked as the target took a few steps back with a rather flustered expression. Souhait found the way he was averting his gaze amusing.
There was a bit of reluctance in Polaris's demeanor, however. He clenched his fists and lips tightly before freeing one of his hands to snap and summon a golden door. He then approached it and placed a hand on the knob before turning around and stretching out another hand towards his master.
"Let's go together, Souhait." Polaris smiled. Souhait's eyes widened at the sudden change in his speech. Polaris was very polite and would speak very formally. However, in special instances, he would change over to a casual manner of speaking; this only occurred when it was just both of them alone when Nova was asleep. Souhait loved it when it occurred; he took his hand as his response.
Souhait was no longer inside the Contract Room. Instead, he was in a dark forest surrounded by balls of light of various colors and sizes. The Spirit Realm was a special place that only he could enter. He had told Nova about it, but it was a place where his vessel could not enter. It was hauntingly beautiful. The silence felt relaxing; however, being here with Polaris made him happier.
How long has it been when it was just us without Nova?
They were walking side by side and hand by hand. He then felt Polaris's grip on his hand tighten. There was uneasiness in it. "Is something the matter, Polaris?"
"You wanted to grant the wishes of the souls of this world, yet I couldn't bring any to you. None of them have regained their sense of self; they're just aimlessly wandering about like always."
"It is fine. While Arcturus's wish has come true, it will take a while for these souls to come to us for wishes. It takes time and we have all the time in the world, after all."
"You're right…" His tight grip loosened.
"By the way, how is Sayaka doing? Are you teaching her about this realm well?"
Polaris was the Guiding Soul of this realm. He was the only "soul" with a sense of self before Sayaka came recently. His duty was to be loyal to his masters and to protect the Spirit Realm. His duties were all carried out by his lonesome. Now that Sayaka came in as the second soul with a consciousness, Polaris had taken her in as his apprentice. Some of his duties became hers now. She was to watch over the souls and to notify him if any of them had disappeared; none have done so yet. Souhait knew all of this because he always knew what was happening in the Spirit Realm; Polaris always gave him updates mentally.
"She's a hard worker. Since she's here, I feel like some of the weight on my shoulders have been lifted. It's nice to have an assistant."
Souhait smiled. "Let us hope that these souls are able to regain their sense of self. I want to see what sort of place the Spirit Realm would be when it becomes a place bustling with life. Maybe it will be urban by the time I return here? I can not wait to see…"
Polaris just chuckled. "It's gonna be the same as always."
They spent the rest of their walk rambling about what had happened during Souhait and Arcturus's venture throughout the outskirts and other topics. Souhait made sure to inform Polaris about the connection between Ri and the Invader and other vital information they need for their mission. Souhait constantly had a smile on his face. While being with Arcturus and Nova was fun, the happiness he felt with them was much different from what he felt with Polaris. It was as if they were off in their own world. He wanted to etch this moment into his heart and soul for eternity.
Unlike eternity, their walk had an end as they were now fixated on a giant white sphere in the middle of the dark forest. The size and color had amazed Souhait, but he was more focused on what was inside of it. He took a good look at what seemed to be a person sleeping in the middle of the sphere. The person was a man dressed in white and had short, unruly black hair. He looked like he was sleeping rather peacefully. Souhait removed his hand from Polaris's and placed both hands on the sphere. He couldn't help but to feel rather melancholic at the sight of this sleeping man.
Polaris inquired, "The wounds are completely healed. Do you have plans on returning to your physical body any time soon?"
Souhait shook his head. "Not now. I just want to stare at my body. It feels unusual to see myself sleeping so peacefully."
"You are in this state because this is a place where the Invader won't ever reach–the core of Terrenter. It is omnipotent. Destroy the core and the very planet will be eradicated. This is why we had to place it here. Should the Invader ever manages to reach this place, it's practically double suicide for her and for us."
Knowing that his body was well-protected made him feel reassured. For countless years, he had believed his goal to be impossible to achieve and that he would eventually his demise had he encountered the Invader again, but he no longer felt somber. He felt hopeful. He had Nova, Polaris, and Arcturus with him. He knew that his wish could come true this time around.
"Polaris, I believe that my wish can be granted at long last…"
"Are you sure about your wish? You could always change it…" Polaris looked rather concerned.
"I have made my decision. I will not back out from it. It is the only way it can be achieved."
"Very well…"
Suddenly, a sharp pain came to him as he knelt down and clutched his chest. Another soul had been taken out of this realm. Polaris panicked and contacted Sayaka via hologram screen to confirm. She did confirm that another soul had disappeared. Polaris cursed under his breath before checking up on Souhait.
"Are you okay?"
"I am fine…absolutely fine… It does not hurt…not at all…"
Polaris's eyebrows furrowed. "Don't act so tough."
Souhait held onto Polaris's shoulders. "This is not painful. I can endure it. Besides, there will be much more painful things when we progress. However, I trust in Arcturus to help us overcome them."
Polaris averted his gaze and adjusted his glasses. "You certainly have strong trust in him."
"I do."
Their eyes locked. Polaris spoke up, "If it still hurts, you should return to reality."
"I should. I want to meet up with Arcturus, but I feel like I should ask Sophia some questions first…"
Polaris suddenly had a tight grip on his shoulders. He had a serious look on his face. "There is something I must tell you…"
Souhait became nervous. "And that is…?"
Polaris took a deep breath, "I don't think that comb would look great on you…" He darted his gaze the moment he finished his sentence. He turned his head around, but Souhait noticed his ear turning red.
Souhait smiled. "I will still keep it, though. It is a gift, after all."
"Yeah, it would be a waste to not use it after the thought and effort he put into choosing it. I'm just rambling, so don't pay attention to my words…"
Souhait was happy, regardless. He then reached a hand out to Polaris. "I want to go back to reality. Could you summon the door for me?"
Polaris stared at him one last time with a smile before obliging by holding his hand in his.