Epic of Caterpillar
chapter-1970

The moment he arrived in this strange world, he immediately felt tired. His breathing became heavy, he couldn't feel his divine energy pathways across his body, as if they were being blocked by overflowing energy, and to make things worse, he had been stranded farther away from his friends, alone… Well, not completely.

"Everyone- Ugh…! W-What's going on?!"

Meiji's eyes were filled with shock and fear as he saw his many spirits, his family, groaning in agony. As Spirits they absorbed the energy from their environment to sustain themselves. However, this proved to be extremely fatal in the Spiritual Plane, even if it was filled with their same energy.

Incapable of controlling their endlessly overflowing power, their transparent and energy-based bodies began to distort themselves, their bodies were melting away…

"M-Master! Help!"

"It hurts! IT HURTS!!!"

"M-Meiji-sama…!"

"Uuaarrgghhh…! Papa…!"

"N-No! Everyone! Argh…! W-Wait, I'm… Ungh…!" No matter how much Meiji tried to reach them to at the very least bring them inside his Divine Realm, the entrance was clogged, and he was incapable of saving them.

Their bodies began to slowly crystalize, turning into strange, berserk-like monsters while screaming and crying. The reason why the Spirits of this world were different than the ones from other worlds was because to be able to harbor the enormous quantities of spiritual energy everywhere, entities need to crystalize themselves, leaving behind their phantasmal, ethereal bodies behind.

If they were to remain ethereal in this world, they would burst like balloons by the endless surplus of energy, and die on the spot Meiji's spirits were powerful, and desperately tried to crystalize, a painful and agonizing process that made them go berserk, their shapes distorted into monstrous beings.

"Everyone!"

As Meiji tried to drag himself towards them despite the danger, he felt weaker and weaker, his body was being intoxicated by the very energy that was making his spirits suffer… Since he had summoned them that they were like his kids.

It was thanks to them that he slowly grew more braver, and it was thanks to their support that he became someone responsible, and someone even admired by many among Kireina's subordinates. Even Kireina recognized him well, and even one of his spirit daughters, Brontes, became Kireina's wife, and even gave birth to an adorable granddaughter, Vudia.

His love for his spirits was like that of a father, to see his children screaming in agony… It was the most painful thing he had ever seen, perhaps more painful than Kireina's death.

"How pitiful… How about I lend you a hand?"

A strange voice echoed above Meiji, as his eyes gazed into a strange humanoid and wasp-like entity made of rainbow-colored crystals, a smile surging in their lips, showing sharp fangs.

"W-Wha…?! Who… are you?!" Meiji cried, trying to muster some words.

"Don't worry, I'll just help you and your little spirits feel better~" Laughed the entity, their aura expanding like countless black and red hands made of spiritual energy.

They grabbed Meiji and his spirits, forcing them to merge together, while Meiji was encapsulated on the crystallization of that entity's powers, slowly falling unconscious, as he felt his connection with his spirits strengthen to his limits.

It felt as if he and them became one, becoming a whole entity, incapable of thinking on its own, and only obeying the orders of this entity, trying to destroy a village filled with innocent people, and even being forced to fight their own friends.

"No… make it stop…!"

"Please… enough!"

"ENOUGH! NO MORE!!!"

When Meiji opened his eyes again, gasping for air, he realized he was resting above a bed made out of a soft, crystalline fabric, he looked everywhere, realizing he was in some sort of crystal-made room.

"W-Wha…? I'm… myself?!" He couldn't believe it, glancing at his own hands. "Ah…!"

"Mister monkey, are you alright?"

Suddenly, a little, green-colored crystal doll-like girl appeared at his side, looking at Meiji with a curious and concerned gaze.

"A-Ah… Y-Yes…" Meiji sighed in relief. "So… That monster… It was defeated, thankfully… Where am I? And who… are you?"

"Oh… I'm Emerald!" Giggled the little girl. "Ah! I should go call everyone else! Wait here mister monkey!" The little girl quickly ran outside the room.

"Everyone? Are they all in here?" Meiji wondered. "Ah, my Spirits… Everyone, are you there?"

Meiji tried to summon or talk to his Spirits, but he couldn't find any reaction. In fact, not even inside of his Divine Realm could he find any of them.

He still felt their Soul Connection, but… where they were was a mystery, no, in fact, it felt as if they were nowhere. That they… ceased to exist.

"Everyone?! Come on… Are you there? You don't really need to be summoned! Just talk… Or give me a signal." Meiji started crying. "Anything…?"

He started to fear the worst, Meiji began to grow restless, constantly calling for his Spirits, constantly trying to summon them, he couldn't find their presences anywhere, the crystals making the monster weren't them either.

"Please… Don't leave me…" He started to break down, as if his entire world started to break apart around him. "Please…"

"Meiji!" The voice of Kizuato echoed. "Are you alright?!"

"Kizuato…" Meiji opened his eyes, glancing at his old friend as he was crying. "I lost them… They are not responding…!"

"Wha…?" Kizuato felt confused, as he saw his friend break down into tears. Without hesitating, he quickly hugged him, letting him cry on his shoulders.

"The spirits… I can't find them, I can't summon them, I can't sense them!" Meiji continued crying. "They're gone…"

"Ah…" Kizuato finally realized what he meant. "Meiji…"

The spirits that were like his children, that had been there since the beginning. Now, it felt like they were not there, that they died alongside the monster they were turned into.

Kizuato didn't knew what to say, so he only comforted his friend with his hug, and gave him gentle pats on his back.

"I'm sorry, Meiji…" Sighed Kizuato.

"There… might be a way to bring them back." However, Amethyst walked into the room, Meiji glanced at the Spiritian with eyes filled with sorrow.

"A-A way?! How?!" Meiji screamed.

"You must cultivate a Spirit Heart." The Spiritian said. "And with enough spirit power, the connection to your spirits… Might revive them."

Perhaps hope was not completely lost…