Silence could be the emptiness, but hush wasn't always something to warn the souls.

One could cite the pasts of Asno, glimmering with complete nothingness, but in this case, the quiet would've been appreciated.

Such was what Shi Hon sought, as far as Leopold could recall. Climbing up the stairs meant interrupting whatever he was pondering over.

Power meant silence, and that hush spoke of gathering what was left. However, on this specific occasion, amongst the torches leading through the grim grottos, voices echoed.

"Such are your wishes, and I must understand." Leiru's voice popped in, and Leopold stopped, putting one hand on a nearby wall. "Please reconsider, however, in the end."

"My stance stays the same." Shi Hon uttered as Leopold moved closer. "Sorry, Leiru. I wish there was another war in which I could fight. That's not for me though, not anymore."

Then, silence again, but such was broken by a heavy footstep treading elsewhere.

"I'm not trying to play you for a fool."

"If you did, you wouldn't dare to stand here." Shi Hon answered.

Leiru turned and soon met the other figure on the staircase. Passing by Leopold, he smiled and placed his hand on his shoulder, before moving further along.

Echoes again, of another word that he couldn't make out, but that didn't seem to matter in the grand scheme of things.

Glancing back, the hush waited for him, as if allowing someone to break it on purpose. He took the initiative and eventually faced the same velvet chandelier with Shi Hon on the other end.

He stared elsewhere, quietly spinning his finger, before halting, eyeing Leopold.

"Was something the matter? I heard your footsteps earlier," he asked.

"I thought I was quiet enough."

"In the realm of all the things Leiru spouted, every other noise was loud. I'll allow some more room before I go back to what I was doing." he smiled. "I don't mind your presence either. You seem to understand despite not being a demon. It's quite fantastic."

Leopold nodded, fixing his horns and mask.

"What was it that you sought?" he continued.

"Exactly what was already mentioned. People who seem to turn the tide."

"But of course." he stepped around, closer to Leopold. "I was wondering when you'd ask. It's been long enough, hasn't it? Your mask doesn't slip off as often now."

"I don't remember those moments either way." Leopold shook his head.

"...and such might be for the better. I brought new life in so you'd have the comfort of making that decision on your own. The human would wreck..." he put his hand on his chest. "...what this demon inside you pledged to become."

Leopold stepped back, almost instinctively. "Your hand is bleeding."

"Is it now?" he raised it. "I didn't even notice."

"You only bleed when you sacrifice your power."

"I always gather more. It's bound to escape from my grasp once in a while."

"For what purpose, Shi Hon?"

The demon in turn stopped, glancing back at Leopold. His gaze wasn't cold, but the smile changed into a lighter version of what it once was. Strolling forth, Shi Hon placed himself on the throne and put the bleeding hand up to his chin.

"How many words of Leiru's did you catch?" he asked.

"Nothing, practically."

"Oh, well. Lisbeth's been gone for a while now." he straightened up. "...and I'm sure Isak's going to listen to his words. You've noticed, haven't you? The demons are always up to seeking some new war. Even I heard words of them moving towards a bigger source with what they will have combined but... when I'm over here I'd say I couldn't care less."

Leopold breathed in.

"I already said what rested in my heart. My goals are simpler than what they want. A constant fight for the right thing, I suppose. Soon, the plans I told you of will come to fruition. People will grow stronger, and fruits will ripen. Instead of trying to strike down the tree, I'll be there to take the apple."

"...you once said that humans and demons are two sides of the same coin," Leopold added.

"Perfect, Leopold. Any demon can be like any human and vice versa. We all create different ways of caring for what we have, despite the sides we stand by. I'm too old to conjure a reason why I should kill a human and summon a demon in its place." he shook his head. "That's what I do with that energy. I take the tree cut in half and put it back in its place, but leave the fruit to ripen on its own."

Leopold glanced down. He fixed his hammer, a bestowed gift, and those chains left dry-blooded. The noises down there persisted, but the silence here only grew.

"You could've chosen a different path when I revived you. You were still a human, and you could've fought. A bloody hand, as you said." Shi Hon clenched his fist with a chuckle. "The energy I had went into you. The Leopold standing before me willingly chose the life he lives now, and I had no intention of keeping you trapped if you desired otherwise."

"Does the same go for the demons you create?" he asked.

"Have you ever met Atomu? He's a Paladian Demonear now, and even though he was revived by my hand, somehow, he slipped away from the carnal needs most of us have. Not for long, I suppose, but I have no intention of forcing him back in. Again, my goals speak of something completely different."

Leopold trod forward.

"There were demons which sought something or died despite me building that tree up. There was Ennyou, someone too human to accept a different outcome. There was you, who stood before me and..." he shook his head. "Another, lurking somewhere. What I'm trying to tell you, Leopold, is that unlike them, I'm not trying to destroy. I want to create with the power I've been given in focus. Silent, gathering more, until concluding."

Leopold gulped, before bowing. "I understand. Thank you."

"My pleasure." Shi Hon stood up, before staring at the wall and closing his eyes. Soon, his finger spun, as if all according to plan.

Leopold left, treading the same staircase as before. The sounds below grew louder, but up there, the only thing left after yet another conclusion was that hush the two longed for.

Silence meant gathering enough to think everything through and make the right decision. Even if slow, Shi Hon's plan was going just as he orchestrated.

In the end, though, Leopold couldn't dive into the same thought. A loud sound permeated, before a sharp end of a blade almost met his neck.

"Don't move an inch." a masked figure spoke.

***

What wasn't silent was everything that composed the Orawood Jungle. Not only did birds chime in, but the various creatures created a strange harmony atop the rivers flowing perpendicularly to the trees.

A few tacoons, small birds with extremely massive beaks seemingly always pointing towards the south, atop of making irritating noises were exactly what led Atomu through his ventures.

Rowing seemed a much harder exercise when there wasn't an additional nuisance in the form of Chyuuichi and someone who knew more about boats named Rowan. Still, that meant recalling what happened a year ago, and some memories were foggy.

Naturally, he used The Glyph Vial to its maximum extent until he recalled that one fact about the tacoons the Tributal mentioned.

South meant going in the general direction of one of the outposts, and what Paladians titled the Orawood Waterfalls.

Much less deadly than the Great Waterfall they stumbled into, but even thinking about the topic gave Atomu even more anxiety than he already had.

It was hot, obviously, and every loud noise present made it hard to focus. At first, it was supposed to be him and Chyuuichi approaching this request, but the other Mirillian disappeared a day before.

He didn't mind it much, because he thought an escape from all the bustling everything that made Saphrith would've been a nice change of pace atop all the Demonear work he had already done.

Alas, such turned out to be otherwise and there he was, sweating because rowing was too hard and the height of the task eventually came down.

Mentioning that third to last word, eventually, he reached the jungle lakes, placed neatly before the entrance to Westling and what he assumed to be the river that once took them out of Orania. Assumed, because he was really bad with directions, and the tacoons disappeared after a while.

Swimming to the other shore was a breeze in comparison, however, since he didn't have to fight against various tides or fight off those feral micetens which tried chipping away at his boat. Micetens, resembling mice and rats to some degree, lived in those extremely humid climates and only ate anything that was wooden. Half of the chipped llove trees were their work.

Upon reaching a small, grassy beach, Atomu tried his best to tie it to a small rock, before noticing a similar one with a rope around a wooden pole.

Someone was probably in the general area, as he assumed, but people weren't as common in Orawood so that was a mild surprise.

He wandered forward, with the landscape finally changing into more of the Orawood he knew. Kosmonia was composed of pretty much what the other parts were but with a bit more conifers than usual.

They weren't as tall and pronounced, and the thoroughfare from then on was uneventful, spare for a few centuras here and there and a small imp latching onto him.

One swing of the weapon and such was gone, allowing him to breathe out and let those sights of Dear seep in. The leaves were golden brown or red, extending far beyond the horizon, low enough for him to tread a nearby hill and oversee.

A few green conifers broke a certain rule, and the distant mountains with the clouds obtusely puffing out at the blue sky sent a chill down his spine. Or maybe it was the fact that it was kind of cold that day, especially in comparison to what the jungle offered.

After a few hours of similar sights and pondering over fruits which Jyuzou told him to remember, the waters grew nearer. The waterfalls began somewhere near the outpost which he missed because he confused the south with the west. He arrived in the middle of a small river building up to those monumental cliffs.

Foliage faded out, replaced by stone composing most of the ground, with patches of dirt here and there, forming into plateaus leading towards one big waterfall which seemingly marked the entrance.

Atomu shook the Glyph Vial, as if making sure, and then brushed his hair back, seeing as the signs pointed further ahead towards... a certain noise in the distance, breaking the otherwise 'silence' as that was mostly the few birds flying by and all the waters, gathering elsewhere.

Closer towards the second and third waterfalls, Atomu grew uneasy. The paths bent then and there and a similar noise, perhaps even closer echoed.

It wasn't screams, per se, but a lowly growl, as if something dark and brooding rested around the corner. Atomu gulped, with the Glyph Vial not revealing much. He put his hand near the blade, ready to pull it out at the given moment, and when he dared to peek, what he found was... rather... lukewarm.

Jyuzou and Rowan mentioned Kosmonia as home to one specific mineral, the hopper stone, which reverberated any sound nearby and amplified it to the highest degree. Such was what Sebastian's tool was made of, and what lay right in front of a snoring Paladian.

Atomu breathed out, annoyed, dropping Knrhum's Blade to the ground and taking a few angered steps forward. Kicking the stone created an even louder sound, which forced him to cover his ears, in turn waking the other Paladian up with a scream.

A few blinks later, they focused, with one snore making haste to escape.

"Ah." The Paladians sounded, smacking with their mouth, before focusing on the angered Atomu.

Focusing was the right word because the other party did the same.

"Ranpa?" Atomu asked.

"Do I not know you?" Ranpa asked, pointing, with one closed eye.

The other Paladian seemed taken aback, before landing a hand and helping him stand up.

 Atomu scratched his chin. "I was wondering whose boat that might've been."

Ranpa rolled his eyes. "You know how tired I was? Days of travel for someone else and I can't even snooze for a few minutes!"

"Using a hopper stone as a pillow though?" he chuckled.

Ranpa glanced up, confused. "What was your name again?" he snapped his fingers. "Adam. You brought anyone else with you?"

"Not a chance." Atomu giggled.

"Thought for a second someone was out there to save me from this gruelling task." he scratched his back.

"Heh, I hoped Chyuuichi would tag along too. Especially that I've had a tip that the place I'm seeking is somewhere behind those waterfalls." Atomu glanced around.

"Behind?" Ranpa stepped forth, his eyes meeting the next few waterfalls carving the road. "Like in witchtales?" he added, sarcastically.

"I guess we'll have to find out." he tugged on the Glyph Vial. "W-Wanna tag along, then?"

"Can't say no." he yawned again. "Give me five minutes of stretches and I'm there!"

***

With time, the landscape eventually changed its colour from the ever-present silver to the green mosses and alike piercing through the red to resemble more of what Orawood was.

Trees formed up the steps they've taken, caves opened in the distance for those majestic streams to pour in from the open holes above in a lake stretching towards a small river, dripping into a pond with a few rocks caving in.

The blue sky stretched further up, and the next peaks of the area carved the way for the two to follow.

"So, tell me the whole story," Atomu added, fixing his backpack.

"Where do I even begin?" Ranpa asked, sighing out. "I was supposed to return to Prope Portam a few days after everything settled down back then." he shook his head. "Alas, though, some things have kept me going."

"Could say I'm the same here." Atomu chuckled. "Although I didn't have anything else in mind afterwards, the entire world came crashing down with its plans."

"What plans, if I might ask?" Ranpa turned, putting his hands behind his head.

The two slid down a few patches of grass and ran up a log right above a river, with another waterfall plummeting nearby.

"I'm guessing, same things that might concern you, to some degree. Demonear duties, to call them one way, and favours for a dear friend of mine." he stood up, helping Ranpa follow through. "I wasn't going to leave things in need, especially after I got a second chance."

"Right." Ranpa breathed in. "Still sorry about that, even if I ever got to apologize earlier. I feel like I brought you into this mess with that knife." he rubbed his stubble, as they continued, with the sun as their guide.

"Took me right out too, and I couldn't stay mad forever. Enough about me though, I asked the question."

"You heard of Úgau leaves?" Ranpa asked, and Atomu stopped, turning back.