My Soul card is a Reaper-Chapter 1044: Dreams of the Past: The Second Awakening Ceremony
A few hours later, the world returned to them slowly, like fog lifting from the mind.
Rael's eyes fluttered open first, his lashes heavy, his body strangely warm, and the familiar scent of their room filled his lungs before he even fully understood where he was. The bed beneath him felt too soft for a battlefield, the sheets too clean, and when he tried to move, he realized there was no pain, no soreness, no broken ribs screaming at him like before. His body felt… whole.
Beside him, Eon stirred at the same time, as if their souls had been pulled back into consciousness together, and she blinked slowly, her pale eyes sharpening with confusion as she lifted her head from the pillow.
For a moment, they both just stared at each other, their hands instinctively reaching out under the blanket to confirm that the other was real.
Then Rael's gaze shifted past her shoulder.
And his breath caught.
Aurelius was sitting in the chair near the window, his posture straight, one leg crossed over the other, holding a book as if he had been there for hours.
The sunlight poured over his shoulders in soft gold, but the Duke's expression remained unreadable, calm as ever, and the silence in the room felt so controlled that even the curtains seemed hesitant to move.
Aurelius turned a page slowly, then closed the book with a quiet thud, finally lifting his eyes toward them.
"You woke up," he said.
Rael's throat felt dry. Eon sat up slightly, her hair falling over her shoulder, and both of them stared at their father as if unsure whether they were about to be scolded or praised.
Rael swallowed and spoke first, his voice rough. "Father…"
Eon echoed him softly, her gaze steady. "Father."
Aurelius held their eyes for a moment, then his tone softened just enough to sound almost human.
"Relax," he said. "I don't have any questions for you."
Rael's shoulders loosened slightly, but only slightly, because when Aurelius Garcia said he didn't have questions, it usually meant he had conclusions.
Aurelius leaned back, resting the book against his knee, and his voice remained calm, but the weight behind it made the room feel smaller.
"I have only a couple of things to say," he continued. "First, I am deeply impressed with the way you fought today. You did not rely on arrogance, you did not panic, and you did not waste your lives for pride. You fought as heirs of House Garcia should."
Rael blinked, surprised, and Eon's eyes narrowed faintly as if she was trying to decide whether this was real praise or simply another lesson wrapped in cold words.
Aurelius' gaze shifted between them, and the faintest change appeared in his eyes, something like thoughtfulness, as if he had seen something on the battlefield that he could not unsee.
"And I have decided one thing," he said.
Rael's body tensed again.
Eon's fingers curled lightly into the sheets.
Aurelius spoke with the certainty of a man who could command a duchy with a single sentence.
"As long as you wish to live together under the same roof," he said, his gaze resting on Eon now, "then no matter who you choose, whether it is a noble, a prince, or anyone else, I will force them to live as a matrilocal son-in-law of House Garcia."
Rael's eyes widened slightly, and Eon's lips parted, her expression shifting into genuine surprise, because those words were not something a duke of their standing would ever say casually.
Aurelius continued without hesitation, as if he had already made peace with the consequences of such a declaration.
"From my side," he said, "I will never do anything that can break you two apart. I now understand the nature of your bond better than anyone else in this house, and if the world insists on forcing separation upon you, then the world will have to break itself first."
The room fell silent.
He looked at them again, his eyes sharp.
"It will only be up to the two of you to decide the rest," Aurelius said. "I will not interfere in your personal choices, but I will ensure the outcome never forces you to abandon each other."
Eon's throat moved as she swallowed, and her gaze dropped for a brief moment, not out of weakness, but because she didn't know how to respond without showing too much emotion.
Aurelius shifted the book in his hand and continued, his voice returning to its practical tone.
"Second," he said, "I wish both of you to graduate from the academy so that you can be trained properly on everything."
Eon's voice came out cautious. "Graduate…?"
Aurelius nodded. "Yes. You are talented, but talent without refinement becomes chaos. I believe both of you need a proper guidance."
Rael frowned. "So, you want us to return and train here?"
Aurelius' gaze sharpened slightly, and then he spoke the next words with a surprising calm.
"This is simply giving you an option," he said. "If you still wish to continue at the academy, then you may continue. If you wish to leave and be trained under my direct guidance, that option will also exist. It won't be just me. The entire House Garcia will help both of you train."
Rael and Eon stared at him.
For a moment, neither of them spoke, because the idea of Aurelius giving them a choice felt almost unreal, like the Duke had suddenly decided that his children were no longer chess pieces but players.
Aurelius stood up, the movement smooth and controlled, and he placed the book back on the table beside the window.
"Rest," he said. "Do not overthink it. Your bodies have recovered, but your souls are still exhausted. You will need time."
Rael's voice came out quietly. "Father… thank you."
Eon hesitated, then said softly, "Thank you."
Aurelius didn't respond to the gratitude directly. He simply nodded once, turned toward the door, and walked out, leaving behind only the faint scent of his presence and the heaviness of his words.
The door closed.
Silence returned.
Rael and Eon sat in their bed, staring at each other as if the room had become too quiet to breathe in.
*
The next day arrived with a strange calmness.
It was the kind of calm that came before something sacred, before something that would reshape their fate. The estate was quiet, servants moving carefully, knights standing straighter than usual, and even the sky above the duchy looked clearer, as if the world itself was watching.
Rael, Artaigne, and Eon traveled to the ancestral temple together once again, after three years.
The demigod priestess awaited them within.
She stood near the altar like a statue carved from moonlight, her robes flowing softly, her eyes ancient and unreadable, and the moment Rael stepped inside, he felt the strange pressure of her presence settle around his skin.
Her gaze moved to Raphael first, then to Eon, then to Rael.
But when she looked at Eon and Rael, her eyes lingered longer.
A second too long.
Long enough that Rael noticed.
Long enough that Eon's fingers tightened around her weapon.
The priestess said nothing, though, and her expression did not change. She simply raised her hand and spoke in a calm voice that echoed through the temple like a hymn.
"The second awakening ceremony begins."
The runes on the floor lit up.
The altar glowed.
And the air trembled.
Rael stepped forward first, his body tense, his Death Scythe absent for now, but his soul still heavy with its presence. He knelt as tradition demanded, placing his hand against the cold stone of the altar, and the moment his palm touched it, a pulse of energy surged through his veins like lightning traveling through blood.
The temple's runes flashed.
A symbol appeared above him.
A metallic shimmer formed in the air, and something descended, not like a spirit, but like a construct being summoned from deep within his soul.
A piece of armor.
Rael's eyes widened as a familiar sensation wrapped around him, the memory of Arthur's gift years ago returning like a forgotten dream.
Artificial Armor.
The energy molded itself around his body, invisible at first, then briefly visible as a faint translucent plating that shimmered like a thin layer of steel forged from light. It did not feel heavy. It did not restrict him. Instead, it felt like his skin had been reinforced, like his bones had been given a second layer of protection.
Rael exhaled slowly, his heartbeat pounding.
So it had awakened.
The priestess' gaze flickered slightly, and for the first time, Rael thought he saw faint approval.
