The guardian beast loomed over Haru and Linqin, letting out a growl as it lunged for the both of them. Haru avoided the beast, still carrying Linqin around by her waist as he landed on the ground. He released her before resting his hands on his knees, a drop of sweat sliding down his face.

"I thought I was going to die." Haru sighed out.

"Why are you here?!"

"I was on its back the entire time," Haru shrugged, grinning once again. "I just got dragged along somehow."

"...?!"

"Who knew you were such a brave person, Linqin?" Haru laughed, patting her head. "The last time I saw you, you were such a spoiled brat! If you didn't get what you wanted, you would whine and–"

Linqin slapped her hand over his mouth, a red tint of her face. "Shut up!"

I can't believe he actually saw everything!

She lowered her hand but Haru wouldn't stop talking.

"I heard you crying earlier too, which I have to say, it saved my life! If it wasn't for your crying, I would have–"

"I told you to shut up!"

The beast wasn't happy that it lost its prey, a dangerous glint in its eyes as it launched another attack at the two arguing.

"Woah!" Haru dodged to the side, grabbing onto Linqin's arm and pulling her along.

He broke out into a sprint, and soon enough, the two of them found themselves running through the forest. Linqin's treasured mount came in at that moment, nudging its head at them.

It was asking them to hop on.

They gladly did so.

"What ar-are we supposed to do now?!" Linqin exclaimed, glancing back. "We can't keep running forever!"

"Sc-scary! How can you ride like this without falling?!" Haru yelped, clinging onto Linqin like he was hanging for his dear life. "Ahhh!"

Linqin made a face, shoving her elbow at Haru. "Idiot, not too tight!"

"Listen to me, Linqin!" Haru refused to loosen his hold, his face growing pale. "Th-the beast, it isn't angry at any of you!"

"What?"

"It has gone mad with grief! I don't know what it has been subjected to or what it has seen, but it is definitely not mad at you!"

"So, are you telling me...?" Linqin glanced back, her eyebrows furrowed.

"You can find a way to save it and turn it back to whatever it was before!" Haru exclaimed, still holding onto Linqin and her treasured mount. "I've heard about the legends of the three tribes and the forest from your brother countless times! To the point where my ears wanted to fall off!"

Linqin smiled at the mention of her brother.

"Oi, do you hear me?"

"I do, but..." Linqin frowned, looking back at the frightened Haru. "How do you know what the guardian beast feels anyway?"

"Heheh..." Haru slowly brought his head up, his face still rather pale as he showed her a cheeky grin. "I guess it's just instincts? I could just feel it, ya know?"

"..."

Linqin was speechless, the doubt written all over her face.

Nevertheless, Haru was never the type to lie. She had known him for years now, and he was also good friends with her brother. Her brother was always a good judge of character but he was biassed towards his family, especially Linqin who was a complete spoiled brat.

Linqin remembered her days of being that way, especially back when she was in the academy. A drop of sweat rolled down her face and she shook her head, she narrowed her eyes at Haru.

"Fine, I'll trust you. Only because you are the Haru I know."

"Haha!" Haru continued grinning. "So what do you plan to do now?"

Linqin contemplated, not answering for a moment.

The beast roared behind them once again, and Haru grew more pale as he let out a yelp. "Oi, Li-Linqin! At this rate, we are gonna be eaten!"

All of a sudden, Linqin lit up as she gasped. "I...I see! I remember it now, I get it!"

"We are really going to be eatennn!"

Linqin sighed in annoyance, leaning in and patting her mount. "Little treasure, let's go to the centre of the Sacred Forest. You should know where it is, right?"

Her mount purred in return and it swerved towards the right.

"Woah! Woa-ah!" Haru yelped once again.

He gripped tighter onto Linqin, making her grimace. However, a moment later, she broke out into a soft smile.

Mother.

Father.

It seems even after your passing, you are still supporting us.

She recalled the memories of her and her brother when they were young, listening with rapt attention as their parents conveyed the tale of the Sacred Forest with animated actions and explosive words.

To this day, she could remember it all.

She never knew it would serve a huge purpose like that.

She glanced back, seeing the guardian beast charging straight at them. It has lost all sense of reason and it clearly didn't resemble the guardian beast she heard from the myths. Nonetheless, she decided to trust Haru's instincts and take a gamble.

If we manage to break the spell over it...

The guardian beast would be free.

Free from those despicable black-winged demons and white-winged demons.

...and perhaps, we can save the others trapped within their grasp too.

She wore a confident smile on her lips, straightening her back as she raised her hand. "Go! To the heart of the Sacred Forest!"

"I wanna go home..." Haru cried out.

Linqin rolled her eyes.

Her little treasure let out an affirmative growl, picking up its pace.

***

Fyth and Nerri continued sharing the tale between Cecil and Xue. They navigated their way around the treacherous mountain and forest, their shoes sinking into the snow as the snow never seemed to stop falling from the cloudy sky.

Fyth spoke as Nerri led the way, showing them a safer path to traverse on.

K'xug noticed evidence of a fight on their way down, spotting the occasional feathers, both white and black. There were also spots of dried blood.

Has the war spread so far?

Even mortals are unwillingly dragged into it.

K'xug turned his attention back to Fyth. He would ask questions about the angels and demons here in this continent later on. On the other hand, Hana was listening carefully to every word of Fyth. Her expression reflected her sadness and pain, an expression that didn't suit the ever-smiling Hana.

They were nearing a town since K'xug noticed signs of civilization around the area as well, and the temperature wasn't as chilling up in the mountains.

"...that's where the memory ended," Fyth finished recounting the tale between Cecil and Xue, a despondent look on his face as he looked at K'xug and Hana. "Do you understand it all now?"

"We have to reunite with Xue." Nerri emphasised.

"After hearing your story," K'xug looked back at them, giving them a nod of approval. "We don't doubt your intentions."

"There's no way I will let anything happen to Xue and Cecil now!" Hana nodded eagerly. "I will help in any way I can!"

"However...we have no way of bringing you to him now," K'xug explained. "We are quite a distance away from Xue, and even if I flew back to him, there's no guarantee he would be in the same spot."

"But K'xug...!" Hana gasped.

"Even if we tried to find him, there's no telling how long it would take. Even before I left his side, the situation over there didn't seem good at all."

The two demon brothers.

A war between the three tribes, the demons and the angels.

Upon hearing his negative response, all of them halted. They were wrapped up in their cloak, their breaths seen as they exhaled and all of them wore conflicted expressions. The snow piled up on the branches of the trees around them, and the trees were still miraculously blooming. Its leaves, white as a snow, appeared mystical in the ever-lasting winter.

Unlike them, K'xug's expression was inscrutable.

"I have also noticed the presence of angels and demons here," K'xug stated. "They don't seem to be welcomed."

"They are considered our enemies," Fyth explained, letting out a sigh. "We have close relations to the Han tribes as we have traded with one another since long ago. We provide the resources as we possess an abundant amount of it, in return, they provide us with the labour that they call their "partners", the...residents...living in the Sacred Forest."

"The angels and demons made an enemy out of them, and the same applies to us," Nerri added. "Our home wasn't spared from the angels and demons either."

"Why...does the war never seem to end?" Hana questioned, her eyes downcast as her voice was full of sorrow. "Why must everyone suffer like that?"

All of a sudden, K'xug let out a breathy chuckle. However, it lacked amusement and it sounded rather bitter.

"K'xug?" Hana tilted her head in concern.

"Yeah, I heard enough and that's all I need to know," K'xug mumbled to himself, looking up at the cloudy sky as he exhaled heavily. "I will keep to my promise regardless."

All of them stared at K'xug in confusion.

He glanced back down at the three of them, his expression wasn't as guarded now.

"It's up to the two of you. Whether to chase after Xue, or to wait here patiently for him," K'xug spoke genuinely, smiling wryly. "Since you are Xue himself, you would know the choice to make."

"Of course, we are going to go after–"

"We'll wait here." Nerri interrupted.

"Hah?!" Fyth looked at Nerri in disbelief.

K'xug and Hana looked at the soul fragments of Xue in bewilderment.

"Calm down, Fyth. Feel his presence."

Fyth furrowed his eyebrows, closing his eyes and placed his hand on his chest.

"..." Nerri glanced at Fyth, crossing his arms across his chest. "We can't go where he is."

Fyth snapped his eyes open, his eyes wide in astonishment.

At that moment, K'xug felt unease welling up within him and he stepped forward.

"Where is Xue right now?" he questioned in an urgent manner.

"The demon realm," Nerri answered immediately, his expression composed. "A place we can't reach."

"What?!" Hana and K'xug exclaimed at the same time.

That's where me and Raz barely managed to crawl out from!

K'xug thought to himself, his eyes wide. He didn't have the slightest clue why Xue was even back in the demon realm, or why he was even willing to go back there!

Fyth sighed, burying his face into his own hand. "Forget it, let's just take a rest in the town today and besides..."

"Is there more?!" Hana asked, panicking.

Fyth nodded, turning back to look at the mountains they descended from.

"I have a feeling the influx of angels and demons trespassing our home isn't just a coincidence."

***

The first to react among the shocked group of people was the cobalt-blue haired devil.

"Why are you here?" Veau narrowed his eyes, clutching at his bloodied arm. "Xue, Cecil Lan and some...mortal."

"Some mortal?!" Ryo repeated, seemingly offended. "You partied with the captain and all of us before!"

Cecil gave Ryo a look.

"I didn't have a choice," Xue answered, clicking his tongue. "A subordinate of yours threw us here."

Veau glanced towards Cecil, his red demonic eyes showing an intention to harm. It was obvious he still had the mirror on his mind.

Xue gasped, moving forward to block Cecil from Veau's hostile gaze.

However, there was another gaze that Cecil was more concerned about. It came from the old angel that was pinning down Zeau, their wrinkly face was extremely pale but he was giving Cecil such a piercing stare.

She hesitated, taking a step back.

That look.

It seems as if he knows me.

Cecil wasn't wrong in her instincts.

"That mortal woman...feels extremely familiar," Valoel muttered to himself, stroking his beard once. "Where have I..."

"Veau!" Zeau called out.

In an instant, Veau realised the current situation and he turned towards Zeau.

Valoel was still focused on Cecil, unbeknownst to the spell Zeau was casting with his dark magic.

"Our master...!" Zeau grunted out, glaring at Veau. "Bind him! Hurry!"

Veau rushed over at once.

Cecil remembered that Valoel was a treasured mentor towards Veau, Zeau and Eona. She glanced towards Eona still behind her, a horrified look in her golden irises.

It seemed that Eona was unable to maintain the connection to the real world any longer, her figure disappearing without a trace.

Cecil frowned.

"It would be bad if anything happens to this old angel, right?"

[ Yes. ]

[ I'll leave the rest to you~ ]

[ ...don't use your powers though. ]

"Yes, yes. I got it."

She definitely wouldn't stand aside and watch something happen, she tugged at Xue's sleeve hurriedly.

"Stop Veau," Cecil urged. "That old angel is an important person, and he may be able to help us."

Xue nodded, disappearing from the spot.

"Hey Ryo, you need to..."

Cecil turned to look at Ryo beside her...

...only to find him missing.

"Eh? Ry-Ryo?"

She glanced around in confusion.

"...???"

Finally, Valoel snapped out from his daze and he noticed the dark magic coalescing within Zeau's palms. He leapt back to avoid the attack from Zeau, and the attack pierced through the ceiling in the dilapidated castle.

Zeau pushed himself and his body swayed. He was unstable but there was a clear look in his red demonic eyes.

Veau should be ready with the–

Zeau glanced at his brother, panting heavily.

That's when he realised Xue stood in Veau's way.

Zeau clicked his tongue, wiping the blood away from his lips.

Forget it.

I shouldn't burden my younger brother any longer.

I'll do it myself.

Dark magic burst out from Zeau, making him cough out blood. Upon seeing his precious disciple pushing himself to the limit in such a manner, Valoel gasped and took an unconscious step towards Zeau.

"Brother! Don't be reckless!" Veau hollered, colliding weapons with Xue as he gritted his jaw. "You need to escape at once!"

"I need to ensure our master doesn't do anything stupid again." Zeau mumbled to himself, the dark magic around him forming a circle surrounded by runes of indecipherable language..

Valoel realised what was happening and he prepared to fight back.

That was when he realised his hands were bound.

"...?!"

When did this brat–!

Zeau smirked to himself.

Spending a long time with a trickster of a younger brother wasn't for nothing.

I learned a lot from him myself.

He prepared to push the seal towards Valoel.

"I may be some mortal, but I can still stop you."

A halberd came swinging down and it broke Zeau out of his concentration. He gasped, recoiling back to avoid the halberd.

"As expected, my powers don't work here in this weird place," Ryo said, grinning arrogantly as his earrings glinted in the light. "No matter, I can still fight just as well!"

On the other hand, Cecil was already prepared to step in, even if she risked exposing her powers just a little. Upon seeing the appearance of Ryo, she faltered and blinked rapidly.

"...he read my mind." Cecil smiled to herself.

Ryo didn't allow Zeau to recover from the shock, charging in with swift and precise attacks with his halberd.

Weakened and flustered, Zeau found himself being cornered as all he could was avoid and defend himself.

Just then, it was as if something dawned on Valoel. His eyes grew wide and he seemed extremely relieved, collapsing to the ground on his knees.

"Master!" Zeau yelled out.

"You are so confusing," Ryo frowned, baffled by the concerned look on Zeau's face. "You care about that elderly angel, but you are clearly trying to harm him earlier."

"Shut up! Get out of my way!"

"Woah!" Ryo dodged the attack, spinning around and swinging his halberd.

Zeau who moved forward by two steps found himself being forced back.

"Sorry, not moving. Not until I'm sure you are a good guy that won't harm the elderly!" Ryo grinned.

On the other hand, just like Zeau, Veau called out to Valoel in a panic as well.

"...master!"

"It looks like you care about him," Xue commented, raising his eyebrows. "If you care that much about him, why do you bother fighting to your death?"

"Keep your mouth shut," Veau hissed, narrowing his eyes at Xue. "Are you back to being like the Supreme God you once were? Boring me with lectures about peace and unity?"

"No, I don't care what you feel," Xue shook his head, pushing against Veau's sword. "I just have a question."

Xue's expression was composed unlike Veau who appeared agitated.

It seemed as if they were in opposite positions now, since it has always been the other way around.

"I don't plan to answer it." Veau responded coldly.

"It's a question for yourself, Veau," Xue shrugged, his voice calm as he stared at Veau in the eyes. "After all this time, is revenge truly the only thing in your mind?"

At such a question, Veau found himself faltering.

Clang!

The light magic from Xue's spear pushed Veau's sword back, making him stumble. It was apparent that Veau lost his focus, finding himself being overpowered by Xue for just a short moment.

"Think about it."

Xue withdrew his spear, giving the surprised Veau a glacial glance.

"...demon lord, Veau."

Xue glanced down, feeling his powers returning to him once again and a tiny smirk curled at his lips. He lifted his hand towards Veau, waving it over in front of him.

"Ryo, step back." Xue commanded.

Ryo heeded Xue's words without a qualm.

In an instant, a light magic barrier was conjured and it covered half the room. He turned towards the doorway as well, barring the two other demons from entering the room.

Meanwhile, Cecil dashed over to Valoel the moment he collapsed. She hurried to support him, extending her hand out.

"Are you alright?!"

"I'm fine, young mortal woman, no need to fuss over this old man," he waved Cecil off, pointing to a tiny fox sleeping on the ground, away from the battle. "Instead, bring me that Kilgitsu from there. She'll wake up soon enough."

Cecil nodded distractedly, taking a few steps away from Valoel. She carried the sleeping fox on the ground, marvelling at its soft fur and she handed it over to Valoel.

"I didn't collapse because I was too weak," Valoel let out a chuckle, giving Cecil a grateful look. "It was out of relief and shock. All three of you have stopped this old man from doing something very silly."

"I'm not sure what it was," Cecil smiled at Valoel, nodding. "...but I'm glad we were of help in a way."

"Young mortal woman."

"Cecil Lan. That's my name."

"Yes, Cecil Lan," Valoel stood up, staring at her once again. It felt like he was studying her carefully. "It seems you may have another identity, that you may or may not know."

Cecil stiffened, trying to maintain her smile. "What do you mean?"

"I can sense it, the trapped power within you," Valoel stroked at his beard as he gave Cecil a cordial smile. "It is intimidating but very comforting, and I have felt such power once."

Cecil was shocked.

Did I know him when I was the Oracle?

There was something strange about this old angel.

"This doesn't seem to be the right place to be discussing all these." Valoel continued smiling, turning around to look.

Veau and Zeau were separated from him due to the light magic barrier.

Ryo and Xue joined back to Cecil's side.

"For now, there are some troublesome disciples for this old man to settle." Valoel said, his smile faltering as he stroked the fox sleeping in his arms.

Cecil felt the presence in her mind stirring.

[ There is indeed something strange about this old angel, now that I had a closer look at him. ]

"What do you mean by that?"

[ Angels and demons have a life expectancy of at least three thousand years before they leave for the spirit world. ]

[ This old angel...with your powers that you borrowed me, I can see it. ]

[ He is hiding his age. ]

[ There is no telling how long he has lived for. ]

"???"

[ From his words... ]

[ He must have known you from the time you were the Oracle. ]

[ Tread carefully, friend. ]

"If I could recover my memories..."

[ No! Definitely not! ]

[ You aren't ready to face the Creator yet! ]

Cecil hesitated, looking at Veau and Zeau.

"Be honest with me, Tano."

[ ...? ]

"Will I ever be ready?"

[ ... ]

For once, the voice inside her mind was completely silent and unable to provide an answer.

***

《 start 》

It-it's jealousy.

Hm?

What you are experiencing...is jealousy.

He placed his hand on his chest.

Jealousy fo-for me.

So this is called jealousy...

He fidgeted nervously.

The Oracle looked at him just then, the blindfold still covering her eyes. However, she showed the tiniest smile on her face.

It couldn't be compared to the smile he saw that day...

...but it was still a smile.

If it is concerning you, even if it is uncomfortable...I don't find it so bad.

I like it.

The ash blonde-haired crouched down, ducking his head down as his hand was still on his chest. It was as if he was clutching onto something.

The Oracle crouched down as well, observing him with a puzzled expression.

How...how can you be so cute?

What's the meaning of cute?

Right now, that's what you are!

Can cute be eaten?

...

He looked up at her, flabbergasted.

— ???

《 stop 》