Ruler of the Plane
Ruler of the Plane
"Brother?"
Julian blinked several times when Winter suddenly appeared before him. "What are you doing here, Winter?" he asked, confused. "You're supposed to be with Mother and Father. But why is your soul in here?"
Yes, Winter was in his spirit form.
"I don't know, Brother," Winter said, and he looked as confused as him. "I was having a strange dream when I heard Mother and Father calling for me. But when I opened my eyes, I found myself here."
"Ah, the same thing happened to me."
He also had a weird dream.
In that dream, he was in an unfamiliar world where he was the only son of their mother and father. Although he craved the love and attention of his parents all his life, he still refused to accept a world without Winter.
[Our family won't be complete without my little brother.]
But he thought his dream sounded depressing, so he didn't share it with Winter yet. It wasn't the right place and time to talk about it, anyway.
[I'll just tell Winter later.]
Winter knitted his eyebrows as if he just noticed something strange. "By the way, aren't you supposed to be with Solenn and Lord Forrester?"
"Lady Solenn, Lord Forrester, and I got separated when we arrived here," he said, ashamed of his mistake. He was confident that things would go well because he was with Solenn and the saint. But look at him now. He accomplished nothing yet, and now his little brother might be put in danger because something felt off in that place. "I'm sorry, Winter."
"Why are you apologizing to me, Brother? It's not your fault. Lord Forrester has lived this long because he's strong, so let's have faith in him," Winter said, then he gently patted his shoulder. "Moreover, we're talking about Solenn here. I'm sure she'll be fine."
"How can you be so sure about that, Winter? Aren't you worried about her?"
"Of course, I'm worried," his little brother said. "But Brother, don't you remember what Solenn told us before? The Plane is like a second home to her."
"Ah, right," he said while nodding. Thanks to his brother's reminder, he finally remembered that Solenn was familiar with the Plane. It was exactly the reason Solenn insisted on coming to the Plane with him. "Lady Solenn did mention she was reincarnated several times, so she must have spent a long time in the Plane."
<"That's right – Solenn Rosenberg is safe right here.">
It was an unfamiliar voice of a woman that echoed in the plain white room.
He immediately stood in front of Winter protectively when a figure covered with a blinding light appeared before them.
A few moments later, the light faded and…
"Solenn?" Winter, who was still standing behind him while clinging to his shoulders, said in a confused voice. "Is she being possessed by someone?"
"That seems to be the case, Winter."
It was Solenn who was standing in front of them at the moment.
But he could feel another being inside the young lady. That being possessed a very strong divine power.
"A deity?" he wondered aloud. "I believe a deity is possessing Lady Solenn's body at the moment."
"That is correct, Julian Moonchester."
"My brother is called Julian Nystrom, not Moonchester," Winter insisted firmly. "Get your facts straight, will you?"
Hearing those words from his little brother boosted his confidence.
"My brother is right," he said calmly, yet confidently. "I am Julian Nystrom."
"It doesn't matter," "Solenn" said. It was the young lady's voice, but the eerily calmness on her face definitely belonged to someone else. "I don't have much time since I'm only borrowing this body, and the host of this body is strong-willed. She'd eventually kick me out of here, so allow me to get straight to the point."
"We prefer it that way," he said, confident that Winter felt the same.
Since his little brother said nothing, he took it as him agreeing with what he said.
It was true anyway.
[A war is about to break out any moment. Although our parents see Winter and I as children, we aren't. We could fight alongside them– we should fight as a family.]
"First, let me introduce myself to you," the deity said. "My name is Serafina, and I'm the one who governs the Plane. In other words, I am the ruler of this place."
Winter gasped softly.
He, on the other hand, wasn't surprised.
"You took your sweet time arriving here, Lady Serafina," he said to the ruler of that world. "Are you aware that the Plane has been taken over by Kyro, the Moon God, for a long time now?"
"I am aware of that horrible fact," Serafina, the one possessing Solenn's body at the moment, said. "But unfortunately, I'm not the only one who rules the Plane."
"Huh? You just introduced yourself as the ruler of the Plane with your chest out," Winter reacted, and he could sense the sarcasm in his little brother's voice. He wanted to scold his sibling, but he knew it wasn't the right time and space to do so. "Now you're saying you're not the only one who governs the Plane?"
"I never said I govern the Plane solely," the deity said firmly. "I have a twin sister, and that wench betrayed me. Then she joined forces with Kyro. I don't know what kind of deal the two made, but we must stop them at all costs." She clutched at her chest tight. "If this child hadn't found me earlier, everything would have ended in vain."
"I'm afraid my little brother and I don't follow what you're saying, Lady Serafina."
"I will explain the details later. We don't have much time left, so we need to hurry," the ruler of the Plane said, the urgency in her voice thick. "For now, I need the two of you to decide."
The deity was looking at him and Winter as if she was expecting something from them.
That made him anxious instantly.
"What is it?" he asked nervously. He wasn't afraid of his safety– he was more afraid for his little brother. This was the reason why he didn't want Winter to be in a dangerous place with him. His little brother would have been safer with their parents. "What kind of decision do you want us to make?"
"Soleil Rosenberg, your mother, is the main reason why the Plane is acting strangely," Serafina explained in a serious voice. "Thus, I need one of her children to stop my twin sister who's currently possessing the body of Stella– the reincarnation of Elaine Moonchester."
His head hurt because he could already tell the incoming huge problem.
Elaine Moonchester's previous life as Auro Moonchester's sister was tragic. He could tell the poor royal princess was up to no good in order to get her revenge. Fortunately for him, the decision that Serafina wanted them to make was easy.
"I want to hear the rest of the story in complete details," he said calmly. "I'll stay here."
"By staying here with me, I'm assuming you're ready to give up your life when the need arises," Serafina said bluntly. "After all, what we're about to do in order to put everything back into place is something akin to a suicide mission."
He already expected that much.
Fighting against a deity that connived with Kyro, the Moon God, would obviously be dangerous. Thus, he volunteered.
"I know," he said, still calm. "Do you think I'll let you take my brother with you to fight?"
The deity was about to say something, but she closed her mouth shut when a loud yell echoed in the room.
"Brother!"
Yes, it was Winter who yelled at him.
He flinched, then he turned around to face his brother. To be honest, he was about to lightly scold him. But when he saw Winter's expression, he was rendered speechless.
[This is the first time I saw him this angry…]
"Brother, why is it so easy for you to sacrifice yourself for our family?" Winter asked angrily, the corners of his eyes brimming with tears. "Why do you think it always has to be you?"
Ah.
He understood why his little brother was being emotional.
"Isn't it easier if it was me?" Julian asked, then he cupped Winter's face in his hands. After that, he brushed his tears away with his thumbs. "After all, I'm the son our parents could let go without suffering a major loss."
Winter's response to his words came in the form of a headbutt that almost cracked Julian's skull.
***
TILLY could only describe it as being spat out of the Great Fire Tree's garden.
When Nia yelled angrily at her, the ground shook and the whole garden was suddenly engulfed in a blinding light. Then she felt her body being thrown away when a strong force sent her flying.
It was the same for Kiho who immediately grabbed her by the waist while holding Winter close with his other hand.
And when they returned to their senses, they were back in the North.
[Oh, dang it.]
Nia was suspended in the air, and she wasn't alone.
She could barely see the gloomy sky behind the angry princess because of the hundreds of winged-Crades, the flesh-eating monsters, that surrounded them.
[I knew this crazy bitch has something up her sleeves.]
"Crades, huh?" Kiho, who was still carrying the sleeping Winter in his arms, said while looking around. He could tell that her husband was already sizing up the enemies. The relaxed look on his face made her calm. "Tilly," he said when he turned to her. "Would you like me to take care of the Crades? I'm sure you want to deal with Nia Moonchester on your own."
"You bet, honey," Tilly said to Kiho, then she summoned her flaming wings in order to reach Nia. "Please protect Winter in my stead."
***
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