Chapter 16
The room was quiet after Arin spoke.
It was oo quiet.
Lily stood near the center of the living room, her hands clenched tightly at her sides. Her heart was pounding so loudly she could hear it in her ears. Every word Arin had spoken weighed heavily on her chest.
Spirit Art what really is the spirit art, she mustered to herself
It felt like She had heard the term before but but never like this. Or simply cannot remember
Everything was going to fast
Arin turned toward her slowly.
"You are afraid," Arin said calmly. Lily flinched. "O–of course I am," she replied. "You're talking about power that rivals big brother at his strongest. That's not something normal people can handle."
Arin nodded.
In the war against the gods a thousand years ago after januza's father died rajah and I chose not to interfere because I already made a law i wouldn't meddle with humans anymore
And so I created another universe and Rajah became my companion for thousands of years until she sensed someone worthy of her power.
"So I understand that fear is natural," she said. "Spirit Art is not a power meant for mortals. It existed before gods. Before laws. Before the Pantheon Void itself."
Sakura swallowed.
"Before… gods?" she whispered.
"Yes before the gods that were created through me ," Arin replied. "Spirit Art is the language of existence itself."
Rajah and I were the first creations of the supreme diety not only I , but they were 11 other creations with equal power apart from me that were created, each given a specific task and we we're scattered into the outer verse to create life and impude law and order in his name
She raised her hand slightly.
"When reality was still forming..before light, before darkness, before time...there were Spirits. Not souls. Not beings. But concepts given awareness."
Renji leaned back on the couch, listening closely.
"They were not created for the purpose of men or mortals ," Arin continued. "They simply… were."
She looked at Lily.
"Spirit Art is the act of borrowing authority from those primordial concepts."
"Spirit Art is not magic," Arin said.
"It is not energy manipulation. It is not faith, willpower, or imagination."
She took a step forward.
"Spirit Art is a contractual command."
Dracan frowned. "A command?"
"Yes," Arin replied. "You do not create effects. You request sections of reality to obey, and the spirit decides whether it will listen."
Lily's breath caught.
"So… the power isn't mine?" Lily asked.
Arin shook her head.
"It never was," she said. "That is why Spirit Art is dangerous."
They are limitless power, a power that will grow stronger in the hands of someone worthy
She gestured toward Lily's chest.
"The strength comes from the spirit. The cost comes from you."
"There are six spirits," Arin explained, "but only a two are called Oldest Spirits."
She raised one finger.
"These spirits embody absolute concepts things that existence itself cannot function without."
She listed them slowly....
Time, Space ,Life,Death,Light,Darkness,Memory
Origin or End
"These spirits are not good or evil," Arin said. "They are indifferent from the other six "
She turned to Lily.
"Rajah is one of them and the second is called vendova."
That name pierced into dracan memory he spoke hastenliy "vendova wait that is"
Arin smiled yes the spirit of the dragons but you dragons call him your God hence the name God of the dragons
The one who created all dragon life
Lily froze.
" But Rajah is the Spirit of Origin Instinct," Arin continued. "The will that drives all life to act, adapt, survive, and overcome."
Renji's eyes narrowed slightly.
"That explains why her presence feels… alive," he said.
Arin nodded.
"Rajah does not grant power freely," she said. "He responds only to those whose resolve does not waver when faced with annihilation."
Lily swallowed hard.
"There are two ways spirits interact with beings," Arin said.
She raised two fingers."Possession… and Bonding."
She pointed at the first finger.
"Possession is when a spirit overwhelms the host. The host becomes a vessel. Their will erodes. Their body changes."
She lowered that finger. "But bonding is different."
She looked directly at Lily.
"Bonding means coexistence."
Sakura asked carefully, "Which one happens with Spirit Art?"
Arin answered immediately.
"Both," she said. "Depending on the user."
Lily felt her stomach drop.
"If your heart wavers," Arin continued, "the spirit will take control. If your resolve is firm, the spirit will obey."
Renji exhaled slowly.
"That's why despair is dangerous," he muttered.
"Exactly," Arin said.
The Core Rule of Spirit Art
"There is one rule that overrides all others," Arin said.
Her voice became serious.
"Spirit Art cannot be used for selfish survival alone."
Dracan frowned. "What does that mean?"
"It means," Arin replied, "you cannot wield Spirit Art just to live, just to win, or just to protect yourself."
She turned to Lily.
"The spirit must believe your existence serves continuation."
"Continuation?" Lily asked softly.
"Yes," Arin said. "Of life. Of meaning. Of balance."
She paused.
"That is why many Spirit Art users of the other spirits die early."
Arin raised her hand, and faint symbols appeared in the air ancient, shifting, alive.
"There are three steps to using Spirit Art," she explained.
First: Recognition
"You must recognize the spirit," Arin said. "Not its name but its nature."
She looked at Lily.
"You don't command Rajah by saying her name. You call her by acting in accordance with her instinct."
Lily nodded slowly.
Second: Offering
"Now every Spirit Art requires an offering," Arin continued.
Sakura stiffened. "Like… blood?"
"Sometimes," Arin replied. "Sometimes memories. Sometimes lifespan. Sometimes emotions."
She looked at Renji briefly.
"And sometimes… darkness."
Renji looked away.
Third: the last with is authority Exchange
"The spirit lends authority," Arin said. "And in return, it takes something of equal weight."
She lowered her hand.
"There is no exception."
Levels of Spirit Art
"Spirit Art is not learned all at once," Arin said.
She outlined the stages.
There is the Whisper Stage
" The spirit responds faintly," she said. "Effects are small. Control is unstable."
There is also the Voice Stage
"The spirit acknowledges the user," Arin continued. "Abilities become consistent."
There is the Manifestation Stage
"The spirit's presence can partially manifest," she said. "Physical changes may occur."
Lily shivered.
4.The Domain Stage
"The spirit influences reality within a defined area," Arin said. "This rivals divine authority."
Dracan's eyes widened.
5. And lastly the Unity Stage
Arin paused.
"This stage is extremely rare," she said quietly. "The user and spirit act as one without loss of self."
She looked at Lily.
"This is where you must reach."
Lily clenched her fists.
"Why me?" she asked. "Why not someone stronger?"
Arin answered honestly.
"Because you are afraid," she said.
Lily blinked.
" I understand fear means you still value life," Arin continued. "Rajah does not respond to arrogance."
She placed a hand on Lily's shoulder.
"You hesitate. You doubt. You care."
Her voice softened.
"That is why you can survive Spirit Art."
But let me tell you the Risk of Spirit Corruption
" The spirit Art leaves scars," Arin warned.
She pointed to her chest.
"Every use changes you."
Sakura whispered, "What kind of scars?"
"Loss of emotion. Distorted instincts. Fragmented identity," Arin said. "In severe cases… madness."
Renji clenched his fists his face boiling with anger
"That's how gods fall," she said quietly Arin replied.
It does not scale like other systems," Arin said.
You cannot train it endlessly. You cannot brute-force growth."
She looked at Lily.
"Growth comes from alignment, not strength."
She turned to Renji.
"That is why your primordial darkness is incompatible without balance."
Renji nodded grimly.
"Januza's power came from domination an act to consume and destroy everything in it's path ," Arin said. "Spirit Art comes from permission."
She spread her hands.
"A god forces reality to bend. A Spirit Art user asks reality to move willingly."
She smiled faintly.
"And reality prefers kindness over force."
You see why I say you have the power to rival even januza at his strongest
In everything there is balance Light cannot exists without darkness
Arin stepped back.
"Training Spirit Art will break you," she said calmly.
"You will lose comfort. Safety and sometimes Certainty."
She looked at Lily.
"But if you succeed… you will stand where gods cannot." Because I will train you, you have now become my daughter since you are my son's sister in this lifetime
And when I train you you will stand toe to toe with your brother
Lily took a shaky breath.
"…I'll do it." If its to protect my big brother I will,
He has always stood with me since I was little now it's my turn to do the same
The room went silent and stayed quiet.
Lily stood there though she spoke those words her heart still racing , her thoughts tangled and heavy. The weight of everything Arin had just explained pressed down on her chest until it felt hard to breathe.
I won't waver, No i won't fall into despair
She swallowed.
Then, slowly, she spoke.
"…How do I even begin?"
Everyone turned toward her.
Lily clenched her fists tightly, her shoulders trembling just a little.
"How do I train in Spirit Art?" she asked. "What am I supposed to do first?"
Arin didn't answer right away.
Instead, she closed her eyes.
When she opened them again, there was something ancient in her gaze something that made Sakura's stomach twist.
"To truly master Spirit Art," Arin said calmly, "it takes thousands of years."
The words hit the room like a silent explosion.
Sakura froze.
Dracan's eyes widened.
Renji slowly lifted his head.
"…Thousands?" Lily whispered.
Her lips parted slightly as if she wanted to say more, but no sound came out. The idea alone felt unreal. Impossible. Her hands loosened, then clenched again as doubt crept in.
"T-thousands of years…?" she repeated.
Sakura stepped forward instantly.
"That's—That's impossible!" Sakura exclaimed. "She's human! She doesn't even have that kind of lifespan!"
Dracan nodded sharply. "Even most dragons wouldn't last that long under Spirit Art training."
Renji remained silent, his eyes fixed on Arin.
Lily lowered her head.
So this is where it ends, she thought bitterly. Before it even begins.
Arin watched her carefully.
Then...
She spoke again.
"That would be true," Arin said, "if I intended to train you in this world."
Lily looked up slowly.
"What…?" she whispered.
Arin turned and walked a few steps forward, her aura was full with pleasure and love
"I will take you to one of my creations," she said.
The room stiffened.
"One of… your creations?" Dracan asked cautiously.
Arin nodded.
"A place outside the flow of normal existence," she continued. "A realm where time itself is meaningless."
Renji's eyes narrowed.
"…You're talking about that place," he said quietly.
Arin glanced at him.
"Yes," she replied. "The one you were never allowed to enter."
Sakura swallowed nervously. "Arin-sama… what kind of place is it?"
Arin raised her hand slightly
"I call it Eidolon Hollow."
The name alone sent a strange chill through the room.
"It is a sealed domain," Arin explained, "created before the Pantheon Void laws were finalized."
Lily felt her heartbeat spike.
"In Eidolon Hollow," Arin continued, "time does not flow forward… or backward."
She looked directly at Lily.
"It simply… does not exist." Lily's breath caught.
"That means," Arin said, "a thousand years of training there may pass as a single moment here."
Sakura gasped softly.
Dracan whispered, "That's… insane."
Renji leaned back slightly, exhaling.
"So that's your plan," he muttered.
Arin nodded.
"It is the only way."
Lily's legs felt weak.
"…You mean," Lily said slowly, "I'll be training for thousands of years… but when I come back.."
"Nothing will have changed," Arin finished. "Not here." You might change in body appearance but here time will be like you are just gone for a day
Lily's chest tightened.
Fear mixed with awe.
"But," Arin added, her tone lowering, " now eidolon Hollow is not a safe place."
Everyone stiffened.
"It was not created for training," Arin said. "It was created to contain."
Sakura looked alarmed. "Contain what?"
Arin paused.
"Things that could not be erased," she answered simply.
It was a place when I first fought the gods where they tried to kill me when they thought I was weak
The silence that followed was thick and heavy.
Lily felt her throat go dry.
"…What happens if I fail?" she asked quietly.
Arin didn't soften her answer.
"Then Eidolon Hollow will break you," she said.
"Mind, body, and soul."
Lily flinched.
"You will lose yourself," Arin continued. "And Rajah will consume what remains."
Renji clenched his fist.
"That's enough she's not doing that ," he said sharply.
Arin turned toward him
"Like it or not this is the truth," she replied calmly.
"She deserves to know."
Lily took a shaky breath.
"…If it's that dangerous," she asked, "why take me there at all?"
Arin stepped closer to her.
Because," Arin said, "Eidolon Hollow strips away lies."
She placed two fingers gently against Lily's forehead.
"In that place, you cannot hide from your fear. Your instincts. Your desire to live."
She lowered her hand.
"Rajah will not respond to you anywhere else."
Lily's knees trembled slightly, but she didn't step back.
"…Will I be alone?" she asked.
Arin shook her head.
"No," she said. "I will guide you."
Sakura's eyes widened. "You're going in too?!"
"For the first phase," Arin replied. "After that… she must walk alone."
Lily closed her eyes briefly.
Thousands of years.
Pain.
Isolation.
A place that existed outside time,she opened her eyes again.
"…When do we start?" Lily asked.
Renji stared at her in surprise.
Sakura turned to her. "Lily-sama, please you don't have to..."
"I know," Lily said softly. "But if I don't do this… he'll destroy everything."
She looked at Renji.
"And I won't let that happen."
Renji looked away as worry began to show in his eyes
Arin studied Lily for a long moment.
Then, slowly...
She smiled.
"Good," Arin said. "Then prepare yourself."
Then let's leave right away Lily replied
Wait right away I don't understand this is happening to fast no wait think about this Lily Renji replied with concern in his face
You worry to much big brother Lily said with a chuckle in her face every moment we waste This azerin plans something more we need to get prepared.
He took choji away from us and I want him back
Every time wasted is precious to him!!
I'll be fine big brother you better get stronger before I get back
The kurogane's family won't be tainted
Arin smiled as she recognized the same fire within her , the fire that burnt when she first met Januza and Azerin father
Good!!
She raised her hand.
The air in the living room twisted violently.
A circular rift formed in front of them, filled with shifting silver light. Symbols appeared along its edges.....ancient, unreadable, alive.
"This gate leads to my universe," Arin said. "Once you step through…"
She paused.
"There is no turning back until your training ends."
Lily took one step forward.
Her heart was pounding and renji stirred faintly at her.
She looked back one last time.
Sakura's eyes were filled with worry the look of an aunty
Dracan stood straight, solemn.
Renji watched her silently.
"…I'll come back big brother I promise I love you " Lily said.
Sakura!!!! I love you
I love you too Lily-sama promise me you'll be back
Lily smiled as tears filled her eyes ...i promise and I'll get even stronger than you ..
Then he stepped into the light. An the gate closed behind her.