"Master, may I apany you...?"


    Rex heard an ethereal voiceing from the back that snap him out of his contemtion, he already knows the owner of this sensuous voice that spoil the ears. "I thought you were done calling me master, Giste"


    "I remember that you allow me to call that when we''re alone, master", Giste replied.


    Slowly turning his body around, Rex''s eyesnded on Giste descending the short stairs towards the courtyard with her silvery-white hair swayed by the chilling night wind, shaded simrly to an innocent soul thatplimented her personality.


    It was only at times that he noticed this, but Giste always look stunning.


    Due to the approaching Ice and Snow Full Moon that shaded the air with blue moonlight energy, Giste''s crystal blue eyes are glowing even brighter inside the nket of the night. But her eyes contain signs of sorrow for some reason.


    "Why aren''t you in your room?", Rex asked as she arrived in front of him.


    Rex''s body is very tall naturally and also the addition of his Werewolf bloodline, he needs to tilt his head down just to see Giste''s eyes that are below hisfortable eye level. "I''ve never ustomed to sleeping, even though I''m not an Undead anymore"


    Looking down at Rex''s wide chest subtly, she blinked her eyes elegantly before gazing back up.


    "But you, master... despite being a Werewolf you are fond of sleeping, one of the few acts that can put your mind at ease", Slowly raising her slender hand, Giste hesitantlyy her hand on Rex''s chest. "Your breaths, I always like to hear your calm breaths during your sleep that areforting and can make me sleep. I''ve never heard of them again ever since that day"


    Upon hearing this Rex frowns but that didn''tst long.


    If he wanted to he can also hear the light breathsing from the others in their respective bed chambers, the Werewolf senses are just too keen, all he needs is a little bit of focus to catch all kinds of noises.


    "I''ve watched you stand herete at night for more than a week, you don''t sleep anymore"


    Rex''s expression tighten as he heard this, he then turns around to face the tombstones again and said, "Yeah, I know you''ve been watching me. It''s gettingte, Giste. Go to your room, I''ll go back inside in a bit. And also, don''t mention this to anyone..."


    Wanting to dwell in the sorrow for a bit more, he sends Giste away.


    Although that is what he intended to do, his eyes widened when two arms wrapped around his stomach from the back. Rex nced back and saw Giste hugging him from behind, it was more surprising since Giste is very obedient so this is unexpected.


    "An Undead knows clearly the pain of solitude. Master, what is on your mind?"


    Giste asks gently with her ethereal light voice that spoils his senses. At first, he wanted to resist, but he quickly stop as he just stood there while looking at the tombstones, "I can''t sleep, no... I don''t want to sleep"


    Through his heartbeat, Giste can know that he''s starting to open up.


    "Every time I closed my eyes, I see them smiling at me before being taken away from me. It''s the same thing all over again, the only thing that''s different is that I''m not there to watch them die", Rex grabbed his chest that is starting to burn from within. "I''ve always thought that seeing them die in front of me is the worst, but it hurts... this hurts the same"


    Looking up while touching Giste''s warm hands, Rex then mutters, "I''m alone once again"


    As he said that he falls to his knees as his body began to tremble, and the pain that he felt for years back then during his time in the military resurfaced again. But this time, he''s haunted by an even more terrifying nightmare.


    Upon hearing that and feeling his trembling body, Giste pulls him to make him face her.


    Cupping Rex''s face with both of her warm tapering hands while also kneeling, she lifts his face up to force him to look at her. Putting on a beautiful smile, she then said, "Everything that had happened, that is fate. It''s not anyone''s fault, that is just how it''s going to have to be. But there''s one thing that is for certain, any deaths are not meaningless"


    Rex widened his eyes, he was surprised by the profound words that he heard.


    "It''s not the same thing all over again, master. Maybe you were alone back then but now, you still have me and the others. Just like you said, we''re a family", Giste added as her smile blooms even wider.


    Just like that, Rex''s expression wobbled as he stares at Giste briefly before leaning forward.


    In response to this, Giste pulls Rex before she held him in her embrace letting Rex finally grieve from the loss of his foster parents that came out of sudden. Even his conscious needs this long to finally recognize the sorrow and finally lets his body grieve.


    Feeling the emotioning out, Rex raised his arms to hug Giste back.


    Giste''s face thatys on Rex''s shoulder slowly shows signs of a gentle smile, her body moves on her own as she rubs Rex''s back while letting him grieve in her embrace. Both of them stayed in that position for quite a while, apanied by the humming of the forest and breezes of the night air.


    But there''s not one tear that stream down Rex''s face, he cries a silent cry.


    After staying there until Rex calmed down, she pulled back with her hands still around his neck.


    Surprising Rex once again, Giste pulls his arms towards her before forcing him toy on her thighs. Before Rex can even realize it, he''s already facing the night sky with the back of his head against her soft thighs.


    "G-Giste? What are you-"


    Before Rex can even finish his sentence, Giste already shush him before she smiled.


    Without saying anything, Giste started circling her index finger that is glowing with blue energy above Rex''s face, "I may not be able to help ease the pain, but at least I can make you forget about it for the night. Undeads are experts in magic, and I happen to be able to cast nightmare negation"


    Giste''s hand stopped moving after she created a thin blue circle that isforting to see.


    "Rest for tonight, master. I''ll protect you from the painful nightmare that''s haunting you", Giste added before she flicks her fingers in front of Rex''s face, the thin blue circle then sshes, turning into energy essence powder.


    Like an aurora falling onto his face, Rex feels his eyes bing heavy as he let this all happen.


    Just before he was put to sleep by Giste''s magic, he managed to force out the words in the nick of time showing that he''s grateful for her presence, "Thank you, Giste. For consoling me, apanying me, and understanding me..."


    It was then that he lost consciousness as he was put to sleep.


    ~


    Somewhere inside the human territory, in a barren desert.


    Riding two mutated camels that are a little bit bigger than the regr camels are two people wearing loose-fitting white cotton clothes, head wrappings, and white robes. Both of them look like merchants with that kind of outfit.


    Carried by the camels are many big bags containing all kinds of goods and even money.


    "Say, why don''t we just volunteer to be the fixed merchants of the city? It''s not a bad deal, we can travel to ces selling goods and even use some of the money for ourforts, the others in the city wouldn''t know"


    "Traveling under this zing sun? You go do it, I''m definitely out"


    Pulling his loose top back on forth to breeze some air into his sweating body, the man with sharp eyebrows and cat-like yellow eyes raises his arm to block the direct sunlight that feels like they are being scorched inside an oven.


    Under such circumstances, it seems that he really hates this travel.


    Swoosh!


    Out of nowhere, a fairy-like water figure appeared above them before it ps its hands which creates a bubble of water that blocks the zing sunlight, it instantly makes the air around the two cooler as if they are not traveling through the desert.


    "If this is a way to try and persuade me to be a merchant, the answer is still no"


    "Come on, you''re justzy, don''t me the sun for yourziness"


    As the two of them quarrel about bing full-time merchants, their eyes suddenly caught sight of a figure walking alone in front of them. Both of them frown when they realized that the person is not wearing anything,pletely naked despite walking in a desert.


    Seeing them approaching, the figure gazes at them slowly with his brown eyes.


    Leaning to the other man on the side, the man with cat-like eyes then whispered warningly, "Something is off about that person, avoid talking to him. If he asked something let me answer but we''ll not stop"


    "Okay, no problem", the other man replied with a nod.


    Just like the middle-aged man thought, the figure approaches them and stopped by their side.


    "Excuse me, If you''re so kind, I heard that there was a weird earthquake that happened a couple of months ago. I''m asking for you to point me in the right direction", the figure asked with a somewhat monotone voice.


    Upon hearing this, the other man pointed at his back, "Go straight there"


    "You''ll find a city, just ask around and someone would direct you. But you can''t enter the city if you''re not a merchant, strict rules because of the ident. Not only that, but you also won''t be able to get close to that ce since there are a couple of Awakened sent by the UWO that guards that ce ever since the incident when a couple of Awakened died there", he added.


    The middle-aged man nced at the man thatpletely disregard what he said earlier.


    It''s clear that he''s annoyed judging from his eyes.


    Even though he just warned the man to let him do the talking earlier, the manpletely disregard what he just said and answered this weird person himself. "What?", the man asked as if he did nothing wrong.


    Sighing to himself, the middle-aged man then smiled.


    "Just go in a straight path and keep the sun on your left, you''ll get to the city. But sorry friend, we can''t take you there as we have a ce to go", the middle-aged man nodded his head before the both of them walked past him.


    As they are walking past the weird person, the middle-aged man ps the other man.


    "What was that for?!"


    "I told you to let me do the talking, you''ll get us killed one day"


    "You and me killed? You''re a seventh-rank realm Awakened and I''m a sixth-rank realm Awakened, we''re not dying anytime soon. In this part of the world, we''re practically invincible!"


    "Keep your arrogance away from me, I''m still young and I don''t want to die"


    "Now that is a dangerous thought, since when does 40 years old young? It''s halfway into the dirt already"


    Wanting to smack the man again for hurting his fragile heart, the middle-aged man decided that it was not worth it as he exhales lightly to calm himself. In the next moment, he can''t help to look back to see the weird person earlier.


    Somebody that is walking naked in the desert is clearly off, and he feels wary of that weird person.


    Just as he looks back he doesn''t find the weird person anywhere, this made the middle-aged man frown as he now clearly knows that the weird person is not just a regr person. But then out of nowhere, the man beside him mutters, "What the he- huakh!!"


    Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man turns his head to look at his front before his body freezes.


    Ssh!


    Looking down at his chest he can find a pale de prating his chest and bursting through his back, he held the pale de before he slowly raises his gaze to find the weird person standing not far from them.


    Not only that, but the weird person''s arms were the pale de stabbing both of them in the chest.


    The middle-aged man widened his eyes in realization when he caught sight of the weird person''s face that slowly morphed into a featureless face, he coughs a mouthful of blood before his vision started to turn blurry, "S-Shapeshifter...?!"


    As he mutters that, he falls to the sand with a thud feeling his body paralyzed.


    With only his eyes able to be moved, the middle-aged man saw the Shapeshifter''s legs approaching him before stopping right beside him. Forcing his body to face up, the Shapeshifter looks at the middle-aged man with its featureless face.


    But slowly that featureless face morphed and contorted into the middle-aged man''s face.


    Realizing that the process of morphing takes only a second to finish, the middle-aged man widened his eyes as he realized that the Shapeshifter is not just a Shapeshifter. Doesn''t even have the courtesy of ending his life, the Shapeshifter stripped him naked and wears the clothes itself.


    Giving a slight nod, the Shapeshifter gets on the camel and slowly rides away.


    The only thing that the middle-aged man see is his friend''s lifeless body before he was picked up by the God of Death, his vision turns intoplete darkness as his soul drifted away to the underworld.