"Seniors!"


    Aaline and Soiartze immediately stand up and bow their heads towards the entrance. I look back and saw five people entering the door.


    The five of them walk towards the sofa and sit. One of the women who have blue eyes waves her hand at Aaline and Soiartze. After receiving the signal. Aaline and Soiartze stand up straight and sit beside me.


    "You must be Ysavel?" One of the men ask. He is wearing a long ck robe with an emblem on its chest part.


    I nod my head as a response to him.


    The man looks at hispanions, and they all nod their heads at him. The man then looks straight into my eyes. "I am Andreu, the head Senior of the Kosmo. We have heard things about you, and we have been wanting to meet you since the first day youe here. Mypanions here are the other four Seniors of the Kosmo," he then points his hand at the fourpanions he is with. Two men and two women.


    Each one of them introduces themselves to me. Louve who is responsible forw and the peacemaker of the Kosmo. Although his work revolves around making sure thew is being observed and spirits are always on their proper behavior, he doesn''t look like those policemen or thosewyers. He seems more like the gentle and warm type of person that you would not believe him if he said what his work is. I also like how he always has a smile on his face.


    The blue eyed senior, Marione, is the one responsible for medication. She makes sure that everyone is healthy and fit to do their work. Since her work isn''t much needed in here. She also makes sure that all things that are rted to health are safe. Take for example, for food. She makes sure that the food the cafeteria/restaurant serves is of the best quality and wouldn''t bring any harm to anyone.


    The second woman among the five Seniors, Nance, is the one responsible for education. Although most spirits are well educated but since many aren''t that skilled with their respective field, Nance makes sure that their skills will improve.


    Thest one, Amaury, is responsible for employment. He is the one who assigned work for new spirits and for those spirits who wants to work or change their job.


    "Ysavel, the Virtouse already inform us about your stay here. They also order us to answer any question you want to ask. I''m sure you have a lot of questions you wanted to ask. You also probably know by now that most spirits are not allowed to say everything they want to new spirits." Andreu said to me. He then looks at Aaline and Soiartze.


    I nod my head at them. "But why don''t you want other spirits to exin how Kosmo works to the new spirits? Are you hiding something?"


    Marione, the blue eyed Senior, smirk at my remarks. "Hiding something? What could we be hiding? Aren''t you a little suspicious?"


    I shrugged my shoulders at Marione. "I don''t know most of you, and I don''t know this world. It''s understandable for me to question things I don''t understand. Also, I don''t think there''s nothing wrong with what I just said. If you''re not hiding anything, then why won''t you let the spirits talk to the new spirits?"


    Louve sigh and shakes his head at Marione, who is about to repute at my words. He then looks at me. "We''re not hiding anything from you, Ysavel. If we are, why would we dare to make you ask us questions? Also, we''re only doing that to make sure that everything''s under control. Words from other mouths are hard to control. Who knows, maybe those words they said to the new spirits could be wrong. What will happen if that information could cause harm to the spirit itself or to other spirits? We''re just concern about everyone''s safety."


    Andreu takes a parchment of paper out of nowhere, and he puts it on the table in front of us. "These are some instances where we let the spirit brief new spirits. If you read the contents of the paper, you would notice that those new spirits were put on Temor for a couple of days because of the false information the other spirits gave them. Is that what you want to happen, Ysavel? We''re just doing our job as the guide of spirits on Kosmo. But if you still have doubts, you could raise any questions, and we will dly answer it."


    I look at the parchment paper that is cut into the size of a bond paper. I look at the content of the parchment, and true to Andreu''s words, there are many spirits who got harm because of the false information. So what they are saying is true? Can they really be trusted?


    I sigh. I still have doubts about them, but these people are the only ones who could answer my questions. "The Virtouse vaguely exins things to me. Aaline and Soiartze also further exin things to me, but I still have many questions left unanswered. The Virtouse said that I exist with Csille because of the imbnces between the two worlds. But I also learned that I share my body with Csille to hide my spirit from the fictional world. What will happen if the fictional world notices that a spirit from the real world is in the fictional world?"


    The seniors look at each other for a couple of minutes before Andreu looks at me and sighs. "What The Virtouse said is true. You exist with Csille to maintain the equilibrium between two worlds. You asked what will happen if the fictional world notices your existence? It''s simple. It would devour your spirit."


    I gasped with his answer. The fictional world what? Devour my spirit? I shivered. With a shaky voice, I ask, "What will happen if it devours my spirit? Will I be stuck in Kosmo too?"


    Andreu shakes his head. "When a world devours a spirit, it means a total death to the spirit. You will die. Your existence to the real world and the fictional world would be erased."


    I will die? Hold up! Why would I die? I look at Andreu with panic in my eyes. "I will die? But didn''t the other spirits came here even after dying in the fictional world? Why would I die? Aren''t you mistaken?"


    "They are a different case. Aaline and Soiartze failed their task. That''s the reason why the world they are staying in copsed. They didn''t die because they are not considered spirits of the fictional world. The one who dies is the original owner of the body. But if the fictional world notices a spirit from the real world. The first thing it would do is to help the original spirit of the body to slowly devour your spirit. And once you''re spirit got devoured, you will die. Aaline and Soiartze character''s owner of the body, die but not their spirits. That''s the difference between the three of you."


    "So, I cannot let the fictional world know my existence?" I whispered. It''s much scarier than to failed the task. At least if I failed the task, the only thing that will happen to me is to get stuck in Kosmo. But if my existence got noticed by the fictional world, then I would die. "But how could I hide my existence from the fictional world?"


    "You just need to continue living as Csille. Also, you need to stop deviating away from your character. Although since the creation of the Kosmo, no spirit ever got detected by the fictional world. So, you don''t need to worry much about it," Louve reply with a gentle smile. It''s as if he is trying tofort me.


    I sigh in relief. There''s no one ever got caught. Even Ancelm, who deviates away from his character? I should listen to Marione then. I''ll just probably take extra precautions in the future.


    "I have another question." I suddenly remember what Aaline and Soiartze told me before. "What does it mean that once I go back to the fictional world, then I could never return to Kosmo?"


    Nance, who has been quiet all along, suddenly talk. "A spirit can onlye to the Kosmo once. If a spirites twice, then the spirit will be stuck in here."


    I frown even more at her exnation. "But why would they be stuck in here? I thought only spirits who failed their task can stay here forever? What about those spirits who seeded? Do you mean that even if they seed but if they decided toe back here, they would still be stuck in here?"


    Nance shakes her head at me. "Once a spirit seeded in their task, they couldn''te back in this world. Every spirit, we''re supposed toe here only once. That is when they needed to know why they got transmigrated to the fictional world. That is what''s happening to you right now. But after this, you are not supposed to go back to this world. But if you fail your task, the Kosmo will take your spirit to make you a part of its world. Kosmo, only shows its existence to the spirit that needs guidance. A spirit who needs guidance to finish the task, just like you. And a spirit who needs guidance after their existence was erased on both worlds. Kosmo is made to guide and to help. So, if you seeded in the task, Kosmo''s job will be useless to you. that''s why it wouldn''t let you return here."


    I now understand why Aaline and Soiartze told me that I shouldn''t go back in here no matter what. Because if I return here, then it only means one thing, I failed my task, and all the fictional characters died.


    I look at Aaline and Soiartze, and they just smiled sadly at me. It''s as if saying, I shouldn''te back to this world no matter what.


    I nod my head as a conviction to myself. I cannot return. I need to be a writer and fulfill my dream for the sake of Aaline and Soiartze. For the promise, I made with them.


    "I have another question. Soiartze mentioned to me before that even if Kosmo let the spirit lives in here. It doesn''t mean that Kosmo epts them as its people. I don''t understand what does it mean."


    Amaury sps his hands. "It''s simple. We, spirits of the real world, are not considered Kosmo people. Kosmo is made to guide spirits but not nurture them. This isn''t made to shelter spirits. Its nature is only to guide. It''s the reason why no matter what happened, we cannot be called Kosmo people because we''re not originally from Kosmo."


    Nance shakes her head at Amaury. "I don''t think that''s what Soiartze wants to say. I think it''s about how the Kosmo follows different time and space."


    "Kosmo follows different time and space? So, it has its own unique time and space? But Earl told me before that Kosmo is the fusion of the fictional and real world. I thought it follows the time of one of the worlds."


    Andreu raised his hand, and instantly a hologram picture is shown in front of us. In the hologram are numbers and forms that I haven''t seen before. "Kosmo follows a unique time and space that is different from the real world or the fictional world. As you can see," Andreu swipes his hand on the hologram, and a picture of Aaline is shown. It''s probably recent because I couldn''t see any difference between her and the picture. "If you would see, there''s no difference between the Aaline in the hologram and Aaline who is sitting beside you. But this picture is taken the first day of her stay as an official resident of the Kosmo. Ten years ago."


    I immediately froze in my seat when I heard what Andreu said. What did he say? Is my ear ying tricks on me again? Hahaha. How could it be the same, Aaline? Based on Soiartze, Aaline is already more than a decade staying here. And this Andreu guy is telling me that the picture and the Aaline today is ten years apart. Am I insane? I probably got insane with all these real world and fictional world things.


    Aaline holds my hand and nod at me. "It''s true, Ysa. The picture is already ten years old."