His voice was just as I remember. Low, menacing and chilling. At that moment, just one thought ran through my mind.

Thank god.

Thank god I didn't remove my mask.

...but I'm still doomed.

I came face to face with a younger version of Zetheal. Despite being ten years younger than I remember in my previous life, he still had an intimidating air around him. His silver-black eyes were bottomless, which suited him for a man who hid too many secrets. Even from his very own family. His straight eyebrows were set in a deep frown, and his lips were stretched into a thin line, showing the unpleasant mood he was in. His short, silver hair shimmered in the scorching sun and his tall, lean stature cast a long shadow on the stone ground.

Again, just like in the past, he was covered from head to toe in clothes, and the only exposed parts of his body were his hair and his face. If it wasn't a long coat or cardigan, it was a turtleneck. I was always curious about his fashion, even in such unbearable weather.

He tightened his hands around my throat, his veins bulging out.

"Speak."

I gasped for air, my face growing pale.

"Please...don't...kill me..." I struggled as I gripped his hands, meeting his eyes.

Also, how about letting me go first so I can actually speak properly?!

Despite feeling aggrieved and frustrated, I was quaking in fear on the inside. In my previous life, I had experienced many things, and people were even afraid of me but compared to this man, I was just a tiny mouse. Other than death, he was the only living being that made me feel fear down to my bones.

"You scoundrel!"

I gaped in shock as Auldiane leapt into the air, smacking Zetheal on the head with my slingbag.

"What do you think you are doing to Hetha! She saved my life, you bastard!"

Zetheal frowned at her words, releasing me as I dropped to the ground, inhaling the air greedily and I coughed violently the next moment.

[ An injury has been detected.

Your mana will now be consumed by your passive skill, "Regeneration (S)". Your bruises have now been healed. ]

I touched my neck, I swore I could still feel his hands clamping down on my neck, making me wince. I glanced up and watched as Zetheal came face to face with his younger sister.

"...!" Auldiane dropped my slingbag in shock, covering her mouth. "...Zet!"

"Hitting me in the head with someone's bag..."

I hastily grabbed my bag and the items that spilled out, sighing in relief when I realised that nothing was damaged from hitting Zetheal's head. That man was simply indestructible.

Out of all things, why did Diane have to use my bag to whack him?

This crazy pair of siblings...

I looked up once more, my mouth dropping open when I saw an unbelievable sight from him.

"You have become more bold, Diane." Zetheal finished his words, a soft smile curving at his lips.

"Why...why has your hair become like this? I couldn't recognise you because of that!" Auldiane exclaimed, embracing her brother as she burst out in tears. "How have you been all this time? Are you doing okay? What exactly happened inside there? Do you want something to eat? I can cook our favourites. What do you miss, hmm?"

"It's alright, for now, I'm just happy to be back. As for everything else, it's...a long story."

"Thank you for coming back alive. Thank you..."

"I promised that I wouldn't leave my sister alone in this horrible world, didn't I? I will come back alive, always."

Meanwhile, the entire time I made a face as I overheard their touching conversation as they finally reunited after a year. I stood up and packed my stuff into my slingbag after Auldiane's rough actions. Though, it wasn't Auldiane I was offended by. It was all because of that annoying silver-haired man.

That handsome face doesn't suit him.

Stupid face.

Stupid smile.

Stupid insane bastard.

I groaned, touching my neck and I winced once again. I didn't bother listening to any of their heartwarming conversations or observing their touching reunion any longer. I made an angry face behind Zetheal's back, raising my hand up to give him an imaginary whack. I huffed, walking away in a hurry.

"Where do you think you are going?" Zetheal questioned.

I stiffened.

"Zet! Wait, I still have some things to talk about!" Auldiane cut him off, and from the corner of my eye, I noticed her subtly gesturing to me with her hands.

I tilted my head.

Is she asking me to run?

I winked gratefully towards her, sprinting back into the desert. Now that I had regained my abilities, there was nothing for me to be afraid of anymore. I grinned from the bottom of my heart, stretching my arms out.

Since I'm done with what I'm doing in this gate, I'm free!

I waved my arms about, thinking that the scorching sun wasn't so bad after all. I ran towards the horizon, cheering to myself happily.

"..."

"..."

Alas, my freedom didn't last too long as he appeared before me a minute after I took off. Auldiane stood at the corner, eyeing me guiltily. She clearly failed to stop her brother from chasing after me.

"You..."

He took a step towards me, and out of fright, I withdrew back hastily. Since the ground was all sand, I immediately lost my footing and fell to the hot sand, making me wince. He paused before gradually stretching his hand towards me, making me widen my eyes in surprise.

What does he want?

Did he discover the dagger in my slingbag? Does he want me to hand it over?

I glanced over to Auldiane, and she nodded at me. I nodded back in agreement, digging into my slingbag and inching forward, placing the dagger in his hand before shifting back. Zetheal looked at the dagger in his hand, blinking once before looking back at me. I blinked at the same time, frowning in confusion.

"What now? I gave you my only weapon."

"...?"

From elsewhere, I heard the audible sound of someone smacking themselves. We both turned to look at Auldiane who smacked herself on the forehead. She widened her eyes at me, gesturing vehemently. She stretched her other hand, mimicking Zetheal's pose before placing her other free hand over her outstretched hand.

Take his hand?

I gazed at Zetheal's hand for a very long moment.

What am I? Crazy?

Why would I take his hand?

I blinked away, pressing my hands on the hot sand as I winced.

[ A very, very minor burn has been detected.

Your mana will now be consumed by your passive skill, "Regeneration (S)". Your wounds have now been healed. ]

I pushed myself up, patting the sand off my hands before walking away. Auldiane stared at me, clearly speechless by my actions. At that moment, I paused and went back to Zetheal, taking back my dagger in his hand.

"That's mine, thank you."

Auldiane was still speechless.

Meanwhile, the entire time, Zetheal remained in the same position, blinking rapidly in bewilderment.

"Hetha!" Auldiane hissed at me as I glanced back. "What are you doing?"

"See ya!" I winked at her, giving her a wave.

At that moment, I felt a presence approaching behind me and they reached for my arm. I pulled my arm away from his reach, staggering back as I eyed him in shock. Zetheal narrowed his eyes at me, making me stiffen and I looked away. I didn't dare to take another step back, and I was definitely not taking a step forward.

Why is he so insistent on chasing after me?

What did I do to offend him this time?

From the corner of my eyes, I noticed his approaching hand towards my black mask, making me gasp as I smacked his hand away. My hands trembled slightly and I lowered my eyes, not daring to meet him.

I'm doomed.

I'm so doomed.

What if he decides to cut my hand off?

I squeezed my eyes close.

"Zet! Hetha! Watch out, the sand is moving!"

I felt the sand vibrating beneath me and before I knew it, someone grabbed me by the collar, dragging me back. I collapsed to the sand in surprise just as a sandworm emerged from the sand. This time, it was no ordinary sandworm. Its shadow covered half of the desert before my eyes.

[ Your rank is high enough to view details about your current opponent.

Enemy: Colossus Sandworm (Boss)

Species: Annelids

Rank: A

Description: A colossal sandworm. In the Burned Desert, it is the true apex predator. It is an extremely rare sight, and should you ever lay your eyes on one, your only choice would be to escape or kill it. ]

Auldiane rushed to my side, supporting me as she looked up at the scorching sun high up in the red sky as a colossus sandworm loomed over us.

"ZET!"

He had been completely swallowed by the sandworm.

×××

Memory Diary of Zetheal: #08

"What did you say her name was?"

"Qiu Xue Yi."

In the wee hours of the night, the room was still brightly lit. Zetheal was wearing a white turtleneck, covering every part of his skin like usual. He placed aside the folder he was browsing through earlier, tapping his fingers on the table with a contemplative expression.

"I'm not surprised she lied about her name, but I'm more concerned about her other identity."

"The Saintess?"

"A healer working with those pig-headed government bastards," Zetheal spat out, narrowing his eyes. "Moreover, she's an A-ranked healer. What a troublesome woman."

"Do you need us to get rid of her?"

Zetheal turned to look at his loyal servants that donned their trademark cloaks. They belonged to another dimension, and despite that, they chose to follow Zetheal willingly after he stepped in to act as a mediator between the hunters and their people. Even after Zetheal claimed that he did so to save his own life, along with his sister, they insisted on following him.

Unbeknownst to Zetheal, his loyal servants have already come to admire his vision and want to help him achieve the future he wanted for his sake. They realised how blessed they were to have chosen such a great master to serve.

"No need, just let her run around freely and report her actions to me, especially anything related to those scums. I wonder how she managed to get a position within that corrupted group."

"As you wish, master."

"I'd rather we get rid of those scums as soon as possible, but I cannot risk losing any of you for my sake," Zetheal muttered, tapping his finger on the table. "We just need to create some cracks on the inside. Their weakness will eventually reveal itself."

The loyal servants were touched beyond words, lowering their heads as they resisted the urge to smile. They were indeed right in choosing such a great master.

"Ain."

"Yes, master."

"Plant some spies in the government, but only choose those closest to those scums. Don't get the innocent ones involved."

"Understood, master."

"Vin."

"Yes, master."

"You will be in charge of shadowing that troublesome woman."

"Understood, master."

The loyal servants prepared to set off on their mission, but Zetheal called them back.

"Wait."

The two of them bowed their heads in obedience.

"Did any of you manage to get a picture of that troublesome woman?"

"No."

"Yes."

Ain gave his brother, Vin, a look of disbelief. Ain couldn't understand what ran through his brother's mind to take a picture of a young lady. Even Zetheal raised his eyebrows in surprise, but signalled for Vin to hand the picture over.

"..."

"..."

"She has a pretty face, probably one of the prettiest I have ever seen," Zetheal commented, placing the picture down on the table and frowned. "It explains one part of the reason for how she managed to sneak into their ranks."

Ain and Vin exchanged a look before bowing their heads down again.

"You are right, master."

"Have you taken a liking to her, master?"

Ain widened his eyes in bewilderment at his brother's words.

There was a twinkle of delight in Vin's eyes as he raised his head up. He was clearly happy that Zetheal had finally opened up his heart, and became an ordinary man that fell in love with an ordinary woman.

"..."

Zetheal clearly wasn't pleased with Vin's words, taking the picture and throwing it at his face. Meanwhile, Ain smacked Vin on the back of the head.

Getting attacked twice in a row made Vin whimper, and he rubbed at his head. "But you said she was pretty, so I–

"Scram."

"Yes, master."

Vin scrambled out of the room, and Zetheal cast his eyes on Ain.

"Do I look like I fancy a woman like her?"

Ain shook his head vehemently.