With that, Edward waved a hand and severed his connection with Pallez, making him disappear from Sefirah Castle. Then he looked at the others and said calmly, "Follow Pallez's arrangements."
All five bowed their heads at once. "We shall obey your will."
A few minutes later,
Accompanied by Pallez's deep supplications, a hazy, illusory gate gradually appeared in the depths of the gray fog. Layer upon layer of spiritual power rippled outward, agitating the surrounding grayish-white mist.
Amid the spiritual vibrations, the five Spirit Bodies felt as though they were standing naked in a biting wind, about to be torn apart the very next second.
Edward extended his own spirituality, adding it to the vibrations and agitation of the Illusory Door.
Clang!
Amid a sound that did not seem quite real, the hazy gate slowly opened!
Edward waved a hand, sweeping their Spirit Bodies into the illusory gate. The instant their figures disappeared, he severed the spiritual connection and closed the gate.
He immediately connected to their Crimson Stars again to observe their condition after leaving Sefirah Castle, and discovered that all five had successfully become evil spirits-and rational ones at that.
Was it because of Sefirah Castle?
Or...
Edward suddenly remembered something. According to the original story, everyone became a wandering soul beside the River of Eternal Darkness after death-even the resurrection of Miracle Invokers and the Undying could not avoid this. But now... the River of Eternal Darkness had all but dried up. Could it be related to that?
A moment later,
Edward sensed a faint revelation: the ritual for advancing to Sequence 3-
Was complete!
He immediately breathed a sigh of relief. "Finally, it's done."
*As expected, bringing a story into reality wasn't simply about having them "step" into reality. They also had to exist in reality.