The Primordial Spirit Boundary... its name alone seemed to command a great deal of respect and adulation as anyone who dared speak it would come to find Existence itself seeking a price.
The price, in this case, would generally be Divinity. Perhaps even thrice the amount of an Ancestor's Divinity would not be enough of a payment for uttering the name. Such a cost would no doubt exhaust even Natural Gods, bringing them toward a point of no return.
There was another category for such things, names that held too great a dignity or authority that it takes too much from Existence to maintain its existence, more so than any other creature, celestial body, Plane of Existence, Domain or Realm. They were called Forbidden.
The Primordial Spirit Boundary was a Forbidden Realm that existed long before most of the current Domains and Planes of Existence even existed.
It was ancient and archaic, inspiring the formation of many other Domains and Planes of Existence of a similar purpose. It was also perhaps among the first Realms to be created, and it housed some of the greatest beings to have ever graced Existence with their presence.
The curious thing was that not many people, if any at all, actually knew the name of this Forgotten Forbidden Realm. That is, of course, except for three people. Two of which were currently on Earth, staring at it in both disbelief and longing.
Caelum had spoken its name, and yet Existence did not seem to care for it. It should have sought the price, drained his Divinity for simply uttering the name, but it did not. Caelum knew he was tempting it, but he had to try.
He may be an Ancestor, but he was not an ordinary Ancestor. He was both the Ancestor of Blood and the Ancestor of Souls. Not to mention his Divine Epithets and the two Divine Constructs at his beck and call, he was perhaps the only mortal to ever exist that has more Divinity than actual gods.
He was certain that he would have been able to pay the price, especially considering that this was just a fragment of the true Primordial Spirit Boundary. And his gamble paid off.
[A Forbidden Realm seeks to reestablish an ancient connection with you. Do you wish to accept?]
"Yes."
[Connection with a Forbidden Realm has been established.]
[You have been recognised as the Master of the Primordial Spirit Boundary.]
[The Primordial Spirit Boundary has been greatly damaged and cannot support all its previous authorities.]
[Your authority as the Master of the Primordial Spirit Boundary will only be accessible within the bounds of the Forbidden Realm.]
Caelum was not surprised. He had expected such a thing to happen. After all, it was already a miracle enough for even a fragment of the Primordial Spirit Boundary to have survived. He could not ask for more.
He gazed toward the distant Realm, wondering how much of a coincidence it was for it to appear now of all times. Something was telling him that things were not as simple as they seemed, especially not when it involved a Realm.
It was during this time that the door to the rooftop opened. Ceres walked out while dazedly looking at the sky above. The scarlet veil and the screen of light were already gone. All that remained were the lingering auroras from the three divine lights.
"Brother, do you know what that place is? It just appeared out of nowhere, but you don't seem shocked by it."
"Oh I am shocked, believe me. And yes, I know what it is. Come on, let's get back inside before we talk."
It did not take too long to calm the entirety of Earth. The appearance of an unknown celestial body in space was not as shocking as witnessing the godly acts of the True Avatar of the Imaginary Tree. Even now, some of the people still knelt down, waiting until the auroras disappeared.
For most of the world, the day went on. Their purpose was clear: to rebuild the world. But this time, they were doing it with even greater vigour and passion or desperation and urgency.
Meanwhile, in Halo's main headquarters, sat around a round conference table were Caelum, Erta, Ceres, Reynor and the other leading members of the House of Grace. They have naturally gathered to discuss their plans moving forward.
"I honestly do not know how many, if any at all, would come here. All I can say is to prepare to receive them. Train everyone. Prepare for war."
Caelum truly wondered if there were any members of the House of Grace from the Myriad Worlds who would be able to reach Earth. Or if they would even arrive anytime soon for that matter. His call was not necessarily meant to hurry them.
He only wanted to let them know that the Pillar of Grace has now returned. He had blessed them to give them the power to protect themselves. And he wanted them to gather to consolidate their forces. They were a house, an entire race. He did not want them being spread too thin, too far from each others' reach as it only defeats the purpose.
"Yes, Your Majesty. We shall prepare everything. Even if they were to arrive a century later, we will be ready receive them."
Caelum nodded as they breezed over a few less important topics on their agenda. Finally, they arrived at the one that seemed to have piqued everyone's curiosity. It was Ceres who brought it up once again.
"So Brother, you said you knew what that place is?"
"Right. That is a Forbidden Realm called the Primordial Spirit Boundary. It was an old home of mine and Erta's, back when this Domain was still young. It was supposedly destroyed after a war that I can't fully remember. That was a long time ago."
The room fell silent. They could not imagine a war that would destroy the home of two powerful beings. Everyone present understood that even though Caelum and Erta were currently mortals, they were no doubt gods of the highest order in their past lives.
For their home to be destroyed, that war must have been on a level that would make this Great War look cute. And it was true. They did not know how correct their conjecture was.
Ruins were not an unusual thing. As long as there were forces of destruction, there would be ruins left behind. The same was the case for Realms. The problem was that the scale of the war that Caelum had mentioned was too great that it should have reduced the Primordial Spirit Boundary entirely to dust, not leaving even a single small fragment of it behind.
Caelum could feel something tugging at the back his mind, however. He felt that he was forgetting something. Something so important that it would not even matter that this fragment of the Primordial Spirit Boundary existed.
While his mind wandered, his eyes unconsciously shifted to the side. There he saw Erta staring at him with furrowed brows. And as though she was finally given the stage, she asked Caelum the one thing that had been bothering her from the beginning.
"Cal, how were you recognised as the Master of the Primordial Spirit Boundary? As far as I can remember, you couldn't receive that authority because your were missing your Source."
Indeed, this was something that Caelum had forgotten. In his cycle as Li Xing Yue, his Source was incomplete so to speak. A Source was basically everything about a being. From their body, mind, soul to their powers and memories and history. It was proof one's existence.
What Erta meant to say was that there was one particular aspect of Caelum's Source that should have been missing. A part that was integral to gaining ownership of the Primordial Spirit Boundary.
It was something similar to what Erta had recently retrieved for herself. She has her True Phoenix Down, the Source of her existence as a True Phoenix. Meanwhile, what Caelum needs to have is a True Dragon Heart, not the replica that he got from Fafnir.
It should have been impossible for him to regain ownership of the Primordial Spirit Boundary with just a Dragon Heart alone. That does not make him a True Dragon which means he should not have met the requirements of the Realm.
After all, the very foundation of the Primordial Spirit Boundary was the existence of the Primordial Dragon God, the first and most powerful True Dragon to have ever existed.
Caelum eye met Erta's gaze as they both frowned in bewilderment. The mounting mysteries of this situation was definitely not helping them at all. And no matter how much they try to figure things out, with their incomplete memories and lacking information of the Realm's current condition, it was simply a futile effort thinking about it.
"I think it's best we head there and see for ourselves, Cal."
"The sooner the better. We might even be able to find a way to Sanctuary there. Who knows?"
Since they have not really decided on how to go about searching for a way to get to Sanctuary, they decided that this was as good as any leads they could find.
The meeting soon ended, and with few preparations, Caelum and Erta finally set off.
It was time to return home.