Chapter 319: Ch 318: Finding Seraphina - Part 1

The butterfly led Kael to an open space in the middle of a familiar temple space. It was a beautiful scenery with a lot of trees and greenery that Kael appreciated.

Moreover, this was the first time he saw actual people walking around.

But there was no Seraphina around.

He could hear these people whispering to each other, telling each other what they wanted to do next and what they were planning in life.

None of it sounded new or adventurous to Kael. Nor was it any information he could use.

In fact, this all sounded like ideal chatter people made when they had nothing to do. It was all filler background noise.

He needed to tune it out if he was going to find Seraphina. But the place to look for her was too huge. He was not sure where he could even start?

Kael looked around the temple grounds again, trying to figure out where Seraphina could possibly be hiding.

The temple was far larger than the one he had visited in the real world, and every path seemed to lead toward another courtyard, garden, or building that looked almost identical to the last one.

If this was truly Seraphina’s domain, then there had to be some kind of logic behind the way it was constructed.

’She would not simply create an entire temple for no reason. All domanis so far were places that were deployed integrated in the maker’s mind. So this place as well...’

He looked at the place with a detached expression.

’This place is probably based on her memories.’

That thought made Kael stop for a moment.

Kael closed his eyes and focused his senses on the mana surrounding him.

There was something different here.

Unlike Lyra’s domain, where Kael could immediately sense her presence within the room, Seraphina’s presence seemed to be spread throughout this entire place.

It was faint, almost indistinguishable from the mana that made up the domain itself, but he could still feel something familiar buried beneath it.

’So she is here.’

Kael opened his eyes and followed the faint sensation, moving away from the crowded courtyard and toward one of the quieter paths.

The further he walked, the fewer people he encountered, and the peaceful atmosphere slowly began to change. The sunlight became weaker as the trees grew denser, while the sounds of conversation gradually disappeared behind him.

Kael continued forward without hesitation.

He had no idea what kind of memory he was about to find, but if this was the place Seraphina had chosen to hide herself, then he was prepared to uncover it, no matter how painful it might be.

Kael crossed the paths but no one even tried to stop him. It furtner confirmed that he was in a dream-like state that had no end.

He opened one door and then another in order to find someone familiar. And finally, when he opened the last door, he saw a familiar head of silver hair in front of him.

"Seraphina-"

He called out but the instant he did, he knew that something was wrong. The female in front of him looked like Seraphina, but she was not the woman he was looking for.

But she was also someone he was familiar with.

Kael stared at the woman in front of him, and his expression immediately became colder.

There was no mistaking that silver hair or the familiar divine aura surrounding her. Even though the woman looked almost exactly like Seraphina, Kael knew that she was not her.

"Goddess Aria..."

The woman smiled when she heard her name, almost as if she had been waiting for him to recognise her.

"So you finally came."

Kael did not respond to her greeting. Instead, he carefully looked around the room before turning his attention back toward her.

"Why are you here?"

It was the only question that mattered to him at that moment. This was supposed to be Seraphina’s domain, yet somehow, Goddess Aria was standing in front of him as if she had every right to be here.

Aria tilted her head slightly.

"Why would I not be here?"

Her voice remained calm, but there was something strange behind her smile.

"This is where I am supposed to be. I will not simply give up my place because some imposters decided to take what belongs to me."

Kael frowned.

"Imposters?"

"The people who have been pretending to be me. Or well, they are me in a sense but not the one that matters."

Aria’s smile disappeared, and her eyes became noticeably colder.

"They were created using my power, my authority, and my essence, yet they believe they have the right to take my place. I will reclaim everything that belongs to me, no matter how long it takes."

Kael remained silent for a moment before shaking his head.

"I am not coming back."

Aria’s expression immediately changed.

"You still refuse me?"

"Yes."

Kael answered without hesitation.

"I have no reason to return to someone who tried to take everything away from me."

For a brief moment, divine pressure erupted from Aria’s body, causing the entire room to tremble. Her expression twisted with anger as she stared at Kael.

"How dare you—"

She stopped herself.

The pressure slowly disappeared, and Aria closed her eyes while taking a deep breath.

When she opened them again, her expression had returned to its previous calm state.

"You always were stubborn."

Kael watched her carefully, refusing to lower his guard.

"If you are not going to come back willingly, then perhaps I should show you something instead."

Aria stepped aside, revealing another door behind her.

"I will show you the truth."

Kael narrowed his eyes.

"The truth?"

"The truth of this temple, the truth of this world you spent so much effort trying to protect, and most importantly..."

Aria looked directly into his eyes.

"The truth about what they tried to do to you."

Kael’s expression changed slightly.

Aria smiled again as she placed her hand on the door.

"You have spent so long protecting people without ever asking what they truly wanted from you. Perhaps it is time you finally saw what was happening behind your back."

She slowly opened the door.

"Come, Kael. Let me show you everything you refused to see."