The Upper Realm Part 1

In the middle of the night, they arrived at the location where Mahendra would land and then walk up the hills toward the Upper Realm. The Memory Pool would be there, and with a strong hope, Mahendra wished that all the scattered pieces of his past would finally connect.

"Whether it's the me from the old world, or the me who has repeatedly lived this life in this world, I need a definitive answer."

Saying goodbye to the ship The Sun and all its crew would not feel so painful. Even though they were called his companions, Mahendra knew that his presence was not easily accepted by ordinary people.

The exception was Liliana—the tearful captain of The Sun. Her meeting with Mahendra began by chance, her obsession with the figure of the Devourer Destiny and her decision to consider Mahendra—her Master was her own selfish desire. She was the one most reluctant to part with Mahendra.

Liliana had only one wish for him, to escort him to the Upper Realm. And now, she was fulfilling that wish, which was also a request from her late father.

"It shouldn't be me escorting you. But, i wantyou should be taking me to the Upper Realm," Liliana whined, hugging Mahendra's right leg tightly.

Mahendra was silent, his leg frozen in her embrace. He didn't know what to do other than try to calm Liliana, who was still fussing and begging to be taken along.

"Captain, we can't go with him. The Upper Realm is a place for gods and the dead." Her crew tried to persuade Liliana.

"You can go with this boy if you want," said the Wandering King, pointing at Mahendra. 

"But, you have to die," he added nonchalantly.

"No, you can't!" One of her crew quickly covered Liliana's ears with both hands.

"What?" Liliana, who had heard too late, was now curious.

"Nothing. That blind man was just trying to mess with you, Captain," another crew interjected.

They all knew that if Liliana heard the condition for going to the Upper Realm, she would do it without a second thought, even if it meant dying. That's why her crew insisted on covering her ears.

"Uhh... the captain of The Sun has overprotective crew."

"It's better not to cause more trouble. All right, I'll go." Nephilim left the ship with his pair of wings.

"That guy too... why did he only leave now?" muttered the Wandering King.

Although Liliana was so reluctant to part again, in the end, she reluctantly let him go. Mahendra patted her head gently, telling her that he would definitely see her again.

After midnight, the journey to the Upper Realm finally began. Since the reins were in Ningsih's hands, she would, of course, be joining him.

During the journey, they hiked for hours, then followed a path along a river before crossing it. It took a long time, so long that the sun had risen again by the time they reached the entrance to the Upper Realm.

The entrance wasn't like an ordinary door, it was a mass of white clouds stretching from the right to the left, and as far as the eye could see, there were only white clouds and a blue sky.

This was the boundary between the Upper Realm and the Human Realm. It was also the border between the Northern Region and the northeastern.

"Are we there yet?"

"Yes. We should be," Mahendra answered, opening his map again.

The map drawn by the Wandering King should not be wrong, and of course, it wouldn't be. Their journey had been quite fast, safe, and very quiet. So quiet that it felt strange.

"Are you sure we've arrived?" Mahendra repeated the same question that Ningsih had asked.

"Yes. You just said so," Ningsih looked at him in confusion.

The journey had been so smooth without anyone bothering them. It felt like something was wrong, though he didn't know what. Mahendra rolled up his map and turned around.

"I'm sure I didn't take a wrong turn. I double-checked everything."

"You were so sure and kept saying that throughout the journey. Why are you suddenly doubting it?" Ningsih asked.

Mahendra shook his head, then said, "I just feel strange. We weren't bothered by anything. Even though the Wandering King told me to be careful."

"By the way, don't you feel strange being here? Not just anyone can enter another realm," he added.

"I'm a strong person." She said this proudly as she walked into the Upper Realm, stepping on the mass of white clouds.Mahendra reluctantly followed her from behind because the chain kept pulling him.

"Can you let go of the chain? For some reason, I feel humiliated... I mean, as if I'm a wild animal."

"No. I'm also worried you'll suddenly lose control again."

He didn't know what the Wandering King had told Ningsih that made her unwilling to let go of the chain or let Mahendra walk on his own.

On this journey, Ningsih still held onto him as if she was afraid Mahendra would suddenly disappear. It felt like her pet was going to run away if she didn't watch it.

"That blind man really is something... at least don't use this slave collar, right? My dignity... ah, it's so embarrassing."

All Mahendra could do was complain inwardly and let out a long sigh.

They walked along the soft white clouds, which felt like a floor made of cotton—thin but sturdy. The footing in this other realm was different from the solid ground where ordinary beings lived.

After walking straight on the white clouds for a long time, there were still no signs of enemies attacking. Instead, it was so quiet it felt like they were in heaven.

"Don't be deceived. I'm sure that—"While Mahendra was mumbling to himself, the chain was suddenly pulled to the right, as Ningsih had found a place she called very beautiful.

Mahendra, who had almost stumbled, quickly regained his footing.

"What is it?"

"Flowers!"

Behind a thin mist was a field of fresh green grass and bright-colored flowers—white, pink, and other vibrant colors. The sweet fragrance was thick, but it wasn't nauseating.

"This sweet smell is a bit like the place in the Western Region, and also... her," Mahendra mumbled, glancing at Ningsih.

But what Ningsih found wasn't just this beautiful field. As they walked around it, they seemed to be led by a dozen butterflies the size of a clenched fist to another place.

"From a distance, I can also see the edge of that tree," Ningsih said, pointing forward.

What she wanted to show him was not just the field, but also a place that seemed to have a different dimension from it. There, it looked like it was separated by a transparent wall, showing a very large tree with thousands of round yellow fruits scattered on its branches.