BakingTray POV:

  "Young Maiden, your spirit is compatible with a Bellguard and with that the ability to become a Bellmaiden!"

  The Spirit King howled, announcing it like it was the greatest revetion in existence.

  Pup and I just stood there.

  Neither of us understood a single damn word he had just said.

  "Uhm... that's cool and all, but what exactly does that mean?"

  She asked, scratching the back of her head while staring up at the teal giant.

  I couldn't help but let out a small chuckle at her bluntness.

  The Spirit King didn't answer immediately, postponing his reply as he stroked his ghostly beard, as if weighing something important in his mind. His translucent form shifted slightly before he finally spoke.

  "Well," he paused briefly, "back in ancient times, when the realms were still one—"

  "Yeah, can we skip the whole fshback thing and just tell me what—"

  I spped the back of her head before she could finish.

  "Shut the fuck up, dumbass. Listen to what he has to say," I hissed under my breath, making sure the Spirit King didn't hear a word of it.

  "But world lore is sooo boring!" she compined, her eyes gssy as she rubbed the back of her head.

  "I don't care," I shot back. "He might have useful information, so we're not skipping anything."

  Without waiting for another protest, I turned back toward the teal figure, quickly pasting on a polite smile before bowing deeply.

  "Please forgive the Maiden's insolence, great lord," I said smoothly. "She is... inexperienced in proper communication. I humbly ask that you continue your expnation."

  Xivan cleared his throat and resumed his tale.

  "During that time, all five realms were merged into one—their inhabitants as well," he expined, lifting a hand as magic flowed outward, shaping images in the air for us to witness.

  They were so vivid, so detailed, that even Lavapup stopped fidgeting and leaned forward slightly.

  "Chaos and endless war reigned over these nds," Xivan continued. "Death and sughter were daily occurrences. Monsters of the Void and demons from the Hell Realm spread fear across the three nds of Light."

  The images shifted, showing dark, inexplicably terrifying creatures tearing through cities, mass-murdering hundreds—no, thousands—of lives. Entire civilizations vanished in moments.

  "But the Hollow Realm and the Spirit Realm were not enough to fend off the dangers of the Dark Lands," Xivan said. "And so, in the end, the three leaders came to an agreement."

  This time, no images formed.

  Lavapup let out an annoyed groan, but neither the Spirit King nor I acknowledged it.

  "To bring peace to the realms, they had to be separated. Every single one of them," he said solemnly. "And to achieve that... they built what is known as the Bellguard."

  A new vision finally appeared.

  A massive, strange structure rose before us—five towering pilrs arranged in a circle, each one adorned with countless bells of different shapes and sizes. They shimmered faintly.

  "The Bellguard is a construct that acts as the divider of the realms," Xivan expined. "Each pilr represents one realm."

  I listened intently, nodding once or twice to show that I was still fully focused, even as the implications of his words began to sink in.Yeah, this works — and you're doing exactly what you think you're doing here.I'll keep this tight, clean, and you-shaped, no added mysticism.

  "But these pilrs were merely unlocked doors and by no means stable. So in order to truly seal them, keys were required—and someone to protect those keys!"

  The image shifted again, this time showing a woman dancing in the center of the Bellguard while five orbs hovered around her.

  I didn't get it at first—until I looked closer at the repeating image.

  The orbs weren't simply floating around her.

  She was guiding each one individually, with careful precision.

  Striking the bells with them in a destined pattern, creating a beautiful melody.

  "I see..." I cut in. "So the orbs are the keys, and that dance is some kind of ritual to seal the locks."

  I expined it aloud, actually leaving the ancient king baffled for a moment. He let out a small chuckle, stroking his beard.

  "You are very intelligent and observant for your age, mortal boy,"

  he praised, before continuing his expnation.

  "You are indeed right. These orbs you see are the Jinglets, each one meant for one of the pilrs. At first, we pnned to simply pce them there, but no one was able to activate them. The structure was... stubborn. You could say it had a mind of its own."

  He sighed.

  "We searched countless nights and days. Then, on one fateful full-moon night, we found a woman strolling through the Bellguard. She was barefoot, her pale feet brushing over the cold stone as she hummed a tune and danced gracefully, a thin translucent veil drifting around her form, illuminated by the distant light of the moon."

  He spoke as magic formed the exact scene before us.

  It was mesmerizing. Her veiled face, her voice, and every movement were perfectly linked.

  "At first, we wanted to call out to her. But then the orbs reacted... and we stopped. We continued to simply observe.It was almost unnatural. She had never done it before, yet her control was precise. As she spun, the veil followed her like mist, and the Jinglets moved as if pulled by invisible threads, striking the bells in a gentle, destined melody."

  "After she finished, the Bellguard finally reacted. It did what it was meant to do—splitting the realms and sealing the gateways shut."

  "This song, this dance, this ritual ter became known as the Sonata of the Bells. And the woman as the Bellmaiden."

  He finished, shutting off the magic projection.

  I was still frozen, mesmerized by the beauty of what I had just witnessed.

  Lavapup, however, saw it very differently.

  "Wait, wait, wait. So if I'm supposed to become this Bellmaiden type shit, you expect me to perform this dance and control those balls?!"

  She looked baffled. And pissed.

  I had to hold myself back once again from smacking this immature brat into oblivion.

  The Spirit King merely chuckled and nodded, stroking his beard.

  "Indeed, young maiden. You are going to learn the Sonata of the Bells and complete the ritual once again."

  "Eat my A—"

  My hand shot up and covered her mouth before she could finish. She cwed at me, scratching and biting my hand, desperately trying to get free. I endured.

  "That is wonderful, my lord," I said quickly. "The maiden will humbly accept this honor and dedicate herself to the study of the ritual."

  I could feel Pup's gaze burning into my soul with absolute hatred as I forcefully accepted the quest for her.

  But I didn't care.

  From everything that had happened so far, I knew this was a major quest.

  And the rewards were probably so good that there was no way I'd let this opportunity slip through my fingers.

  After the quest window updated, I finally let go of the brown-haired girl.

  And of course, the first words I heard were:

  "Fuck you. I'm gonna kill you."