So who are you? Azerion asks, gazing at the green-hued female form.
"Me? I'm no one important," the spiral energy form replies, a faint smirk tugging at its edges. "I'm just here to take what's mine." her smile becames wider.
"A spiral soul form… I guess you're a Sovereign, then," Azerion says, his gaze steady as he studies the being before him.
"Yes—and judging by the colour of your eyes, I'd say you're a Fallen," the female form responds, gliding slowly toward him with fluid, weightless movements.
"I don't want to fight. Let's both go our separate ways and not trouble each other," she says, coming to a halt a safe distance away, her posture relaxed but alert.
Azerion's lips curl into a sinister grin, eyes glinting with quiet cunning. "Of course. Let's both go our separate ways."
The female form nods, steps back, reaches out to claim the Twelfth Apostle, and vanishes into thin air.
"Why did you let them go?" Circlet's voice echoes inside his mind, sharp with confusion.
"Because I'm not dumb enough to fight a battle against a Sovereign—even if it's only a spiral soul—while trapped in this weak body," Azerion replies, starting to walk forward. The ground beneath in the form of a crater , and thick clouds slowly part, revealing the full glow of the moon overhead.
"I thought you were the strongest being from the Sun and Moon Era, yet here you are, refusing to fight what you call a 'weak' Sovereign," Circlet mocks, laced with amusement.
"I was the strongest, and I still am—even in this weak body. I'm just not foolish enough to throw away my advantage," Azerion retorts, tilting his head up to stare at the moon, his expression unyielding.
"Are you going to give Helios his body back now?" Circlet asks, shifting to a curious tone.
"Yes. I'll return it later let me enjoy this brief taste of freedom first," Azerion says, stretching his arms wide, his movements loose and carefree.
"But the contract states you must return his body once the fight is over," Circlet says, sounding genuinely perplexed.
"It never specified when after the fight ends," Azerion counters, a playful smirk spreading across his face. "And for once, I'm going to do something decent with my existence."
He continues walking, and Circlet's voice fades away into silence.
Helios jolts awake, gasping for air as if he'd been drowning the morning sunshine through his window. He clutches his head, a throbbing pain pounding behind his temples. "When did I get here…? It feels like someone's hammering nails into my skull."
Sara pushes the door open, her expression softening with relief. "You're finally awake," she says, hurrying over to his bedside. "Are you feeling alright?" She presses a cool hand gently to his forehead, checking his temperature.
"More or less. How did I end up back here?" Helios asks, his gaze locking with hers as she sits down beside him.
"Don't you remember? You returned home two days ago and passed out, after visiting the palace to confirm that the rebellion has been fully quelled," Sara explains.
Azerion suddenly appears, floating above Helios in his pure white ethereal form. He flips upside down, hovering just inches from Helios' face with a cheeky grin. "I brought you back. I also helped you secure the army's loyalty and talked with the royal family about the mission —where's my thank you?"
"Sara, could you please fetch me some water?" Helios asks, turning away from the floating entity and offering Sara a warm, grateful smile.
"Of course," she replies, standing up and closing the door softly behind her as she leaves.
"What do you want? And why didn't you return my body the moment the fight ended?" Helios demands, his voice tight with frustration as he glares up at Azerion.
"You never set a deadline in our agreement—it only said after the fight was done. Besides, I wanted nothing more than a little time to myself," Azerion says, chuckling lightly.
"And why can't I recall any of what Sara just mentioned?" Helios presses, confusion mixing with his irritation.
"I erased those memories—you don't need them right now," Azerion replies casually. "All you need to know is that I want to see someone soon."
"One last thing—why do I have to look at your ugly face?" Helios grumbles, rolling his eyes.
"I don't actually have a face," Azerion says, his tone deadpan. "And if you're asking why you can see me now, it's because you've grown stronger."
"Can I make you invisible again?" Helios asks, sighing heavily.
"You can try—but don't forget, I'll always be watching," Azerion says, his grin turning cryptic.
"The biggest question of all: why do I have multiple souls inside me?" Helios asks, his voice rising with urgency. "I have the old Helios' soul, my original soul, and yours too!"
"Technically, your soul and the old Helios' are already merging—so we can count those as one," Circlet's voice chimes in inside Helios' head, calm and matter-of-fact. "And someone's coming—you might want to stop talking about your souls out loud."
Right on cue, Sara opens the door again.
"This is going to be entertaining," Azerion murmurs, vanishing from sight with a quiet laugh.
"What did you mean just now, when you said you have three souls?" Sara asks, her brow furrowed in confusion.
A few seconds later, Helios is kneeling on the floor, head bowed like a child caught misbehaving.
"Tell me everything—and don't you dare lie," Sara says, though her voice is steady. She sits on the edge of the bed, a blade made of spiral energy held loosely in her hand.
"It all started a few years ago," Helios admits, looking up with a guilty expression. "The original Helios died, and I died too—my soul crossed over and settled into his empty body. Our souls have been combining ever since, which is why my eyes keep shifting colour all the time."
"I always wondered why they changed hue every time," Sara says, nodding slowly as the pieces fall into place. "So which version are you, exactly? The one I fell in love with… or an imposter ?" She tilts the blade slightly toward him, her gaze searching his.
"You never fell in love with the original Helios—because when I took over, he wasn't even the Leader of Blackthorn yet. And my real name isn't Helios. It's Orion," he says, gently pushing the blade away from his neck with a nervous smile.
"Orion, then. I'll call you that from now on," Sara says, a small smile breaking through her serious demeanour. "How many others know the truth? And how did you end up inside his body anyway?"
"She's taking this surprisingly well. I expected panic or anger, but I guess as a Seeker, odd occurrences are normal. This is probably just another strange tale to her," Helios thinks to himself, relieved.
"Are you planning to keep secrets from me?" Sara asks.
"Not at all," Helios says, snapping back to attention. "Like I said, we both died around the same time. I don't remember how I died—only that the original Helios took his own life. That left his body vacant, and mine slipped right in."
"Now there are no more secrets between us, Orion. We know each other's full truth," Sara says softly.
"I think I had a wife in my old life," Helios adds suddenly.
Sara's expression stays calm, but she turns her head away slightly. "So basically, you're admitting you'd be cheating on me, then?"
Helios bursts out laughing, shaking his head. "I'm only joking! I barely remember anything from either life—Orion's or Helios'. Most of it is just foggy fragments."
"Then who are you, truly?" Sara asks gently. "Are you Orion, or are you Helios? With your souls merging and all your memories blending, who do you see yourself as?"
"I never even asked myself that before… Who am I?" Helios' eyes widen as the question sinks in, his mind spiralling. "Am I Orion, who started this journey? Or am I Helios, whose life I inherited? Without full memories of either, what defines me?" The words WHO AM I repeat over and over in his head, growing louder with every second.
"ORION!" Sara shouts, her voice cutting through his thoughts like a blade. "Are you alright?" She leans forward, her face filled with worry.
"I'm fine, really," Helios says, shaking his head to clear the haze.
"You don't have to answer right now. Take all the time you need," Sara says, reaching out to brush a strand of hair from his face.
Helios nods, grateful for her patience. Suddenly, Sara grabs a pillow and playfully hurls it at his head. He ducks just in time, grinning.
"It's been ages since we had a pillow fight!" he laughs, grabbing the pillow and throwing it back at her.
For hours they toss pillows back and forth, laughing until their sides ache. Eventually, they collapse side by side on the bed, breathless and happy.
"Wait… why does something feel bulky under the blanket?" Helios wonders, sitting up and pulling the cover halfway back. His eyes go wide when he sees a small velvet ring box tucked there. He quickly shoves it back under, trying to hide his surprise.
"What's wrong?" Sara asks, leaning forward with curious amusement.
"Nothing! Absolutely nothing," Helios says, his voice a little higher than usual.
"Don't mess this up, human. I spent two whole hours searching every shop to find that ring while you were unconscious," Azerion grumbles inside his mind.
"Fine, fine," Helios whispers under his breath, sighing in resignation.
"Why are you talking to yourself and what do you mean by fine?" Sara asks, tilting her head.
Helios doesn't answer. Instead, he slips the ring box out, slides off the bed, and kneels on one knee before her. He opens the box to reveal a polished silver ring, set with a bright blue gem—its colour an exact match to Sara's eyes.
"Sara… will you stay by my side for the rest of our days? Through happiness and sorrow, through every storm and calm?" Helios asks, his voice soft but full of hope.
"Took you long enough," Sara says, tears of joy welling in her eyes as she leans down to hug him tightly. "Yes! A thousand times, yes!"
She stands up, wiping her tears, and walks over to a shelf beside the bed. She pulls out another identical ring box, turning back to him with a bright smile. "I was going to do it myself if you didn't" she says.
Elsewhere, in Circlet's realm, Azerion floats in front of a glowing mirror that displays the proposal scene. He watches with a satisfied smirk.
"What exactly are you doing inside my realm?" Circlet's voice rings out, sharp and annoyed.
"You only just noticed me? Or are you just bitter that I'm in a good mood, you grumpy crown?" Azerion teases, grabbing hold of Circlet's and spinning it around on his finger.
"Why are you even helping him?" Circlet demands, once Azerion stops spinning.
"Simple. I want him to grow stronger as fast as possible—and the best way to fuel someone's power is to give them something precious to protect. Someone to love," Azerion says, his smile turning cold and calculating. "Once he's strong enough, I'll take full control of his body. Win-win."
"He is my summoner—not your personal puppet," Circlet snaps.
Azerion bursts into laughter. "That's rich coming from you! You're the one who pushed Helios to summon me in the first place, because you were too lazy help him yourself." He stops spinning Circlet and leans in closer. "We both know the truth: you're letting me do this because you want me to claim his body too. If I merge with him, you'll gain a far more powerful summoner—and that means you'll finally surpass the other seven Primordial Artifacts. Admit it."
"This is exactly why every soul in the Veiled World says a deal with the prideful Crown of Greed will always end in ruin," Azerion smirks.
Circlet vanishes from his grasp, transforming mid-air into a tall, striking man with sharp golden eyes and black hair, dressed in elegant robes styled after ancient Roman nobility. He crosses his arms, his expression dark and unyielding.