《A Psychic's Scarlet Dream》


 Chapter 1: Encounter

    Throughout history, humanity has discovered things that are beyond their comprehension. They have encountered countless phenomena that couldn¡¯t be explained by any available means. They called these things ¡®supernatural¡¯. But just what are they?


    They once used to call the moon a ¡®ghost¡¯. That was until they found out that it¡¯s just a satellite. They once used to call the sun a ¡®god¡¯. That was until they found out that it¡¯s just a star. And they once used to call each other ¡®brothers¡¯. That was until they found out that there is no love between them.


    In this world, there are people who can do things that seem impossible, things that are labeled ¡®supernatural¡¯. They are called ¡®supernaturals¡¯. Among those supernaturals are the people, who can use psychic abilities, known as ¡®psychics¡¯.


    I wonder if people like that will ever be understood in the coming future too. They probably will ¨C just like the moon and the sun, they will be understood by others and will no longer be considered incomprehensible. Surely, they¡¯ll be understood.


    And ¡­ and when that day comes, surely people will stop being terrified of me for being one of them. And when that happens, I would probably be able to finally live freely without needing to hide myself. That day ¨C will surely come ¨C I know that much. But, will I be alive to see it?


    *******************************


    ¡°This is unusual.¡±


    As I search through my wallet, I found something that I don¡¯t recognize. It¡¯s a small, round object that looks to be reflecting light. I try to pull it out to see what it is, but it won¡¯t come out.


    Shopkeeper: ¡°Is there something wrong, Kais?¡±


    Kais: ¡°Huh ¡­ uh, no.¡±


    I had originally been checking my wallet to pay for the things I bought. I should check it to see what the thing is after I¡¯m done paying up.


    Thinking that, I pull out the money needed to pay the bill. Suddenly, something shiny fell off my wallet. A ringing sound echoes as it races through the ground. I hand out the money to the shopkeeper and started hurrying after it.


    Shopkeeper: ¡°Hey, be careful. The floor might be slippery.¡±


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry.¡± I murmur as I chase after the object that had raced through to the other corner of the grocery store. It¡¯s really small. If I had not been paying attention to it, I might not have been able to find it.


    ???: ¡°What¡¯s this?¡±


    But as I chase after it, suddenly someone else picks it up. That someone¡¯s a man who looks to be my age. He has brown hair and an average built.


    Kais: ¡°Excuse me, that object ¡­¡±


    Man: ¡°Oh, is this yours?¡±


    Kais: ¡°Uh ¡­ yeah, kinda.¡±


    I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s mine or not, but it did drop out of my wallet, and I am curious as to why it was there. I don¡¯t think I need to tell him all that much though.


    Man: ¡°I see.¡±


    He looks like he¡¯ll hand it over, but then a smile creeps up on his face. For some reason, that smile irritated me.


    Kais: ¡°Uh, you okay?¡±


    Man: ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine. I¡¯m sorry about that. It¡¯s just that this object reminded me of something.¡±


    He tosses the object to me as he says ¡®Here¡¯ and turns to leave when,


    ???: ¡°Are you done yet?¡±


    A female voice comes from behind. As I turn around, I see a woman with a bag in her hand. She has a slightly tall, pale-skinned, slim figure with black hair that will attract much attention because of her beauty. It seems like she was calling for this man.


    Man: ¡°Yeah, I have got everything I came here for.¡±


    Even though it seems like he isn¡¯t carrying anything that he may have bought from this store, he still acts like he has done a lot of shopping. What¡¯s up with this guy?


    Woman: ¡°Well, is this a friend of yours?¡±


    The woman asks him as she notices me. He looks at me after hearing that question and has a smile on his face, but unlike before, it¡¯s not irritating me.


    Man: ¡°Well, I just met him, so I can¡¯t say that. But that reminds me; I never got your name.¡±


    Kais: ¡°My name¡¯s Kais.¡±


    Man: ¡°Just Kais?¡±


    I expected that question. It¡¯s something people always ask when I introduce myself. So I was ready for it. If I haven¡¯t been, I¡¯m sure I would have made a face I never want to show anyone.


    Kais: ¡°Yeah, just Kais.¡±


    Man: ¡°I see. I¡¯m Ethan Kales; nice to meet you, Mr. Kais.¡±


    Ethan extends a hand as he says so, but just as I start shaking his hand, I feel a chill run down my spine. I decide to ignore it for now.


    Kais: ¡°Yeah, likewise.¡±


    Woman: ¡°Well, my name¡¯s Sneha Stone.¡±


    After Ethan, the woman introduces herself and extends a hand. I shook her hand as well but this time, nothing happened.


    After that, the two leave the store. Was that chill just a coincidence? I get the feeling there¡¯s something more to this Ethan Kales than meets the eye. But, oh well, it¡¯s none of my business.


    I shift my gaze towards the object in my hand. It looks like a shiny crystal ball. It¡¯s really small but could probably sell for a lot if I try to sell it. But how did it get in my wallet? I don¡¯t remember seeing it anywhere before.


    Well, I will hold on to it for a while. Since it looks really precious, I should probably turn this to police, but I have an instinctive feeling that I should keep it. And I tend to value my instinct quite a bit.


    So with that decided, I walk out of the store. Well, I guess it¡¯s another normal day for me. Not that I am complaining. After all, living a normal life is what I chose.


    I¡¯m a 20-year old with completely normal black hair, brown eyes, pale-skin and slim build, who lives by himself in an apartment complex. I had good grades in high school, but I decided not to go to university. I took a job in a caf¨¦ near to my apartment. On rare holidays like today, I just take care of groceries and stroll around town. That¡¯s right; this is what I chose ¨C a completely normal life.


    This is how things should be. No one needs to know about me ¡­ about the fact that I am a psychic.


    *******************************


    Having left Kais, Ethan and Sneha keep walking along the sidewalk. They would give the impression of being a couple if they talk to each other. But the whole time, both of them have been silent.


    The silence continues for a long time. Neither of them looks discomforted by it. It¡¯s natural for the two of them. But because of curiosity, Sneha turns to look at Ethan.


    Sneha: ¡°Tell me something. That man we met earlier, is he ¡­?¡±


    Sneha¡¯s expression stiffens and she looks hesitant to finish her question while Ethan stays silent. The same silence that had been present for so long without either of them caring, now starts to make her anxious. Ethan sees this and sighs ¡­ and smiles.


    Ethan: ¡°Yeah, he is.¡±


    The smile on his face at that moment is the one that irritated Kais. This smile is the mischievous smile of a hunter who had found a prey he had been searching for years.


    Ethan: ¡°If I¡¯m right, then his life of peace ends today.¡±


    Seeing Ethan¡¯s expression and hearing his answer, Sneha turns to look back. She was looking in the direction that man, Kais, was; even if she couldn¡¯t see him. She thought, ¡°I feel sorry for you, Kais. I really do. But this is the only way,¡± as she continued to walk further away.


    *******************************


    The lift arrives at the 4<sup>th</sup>floor where my apartment is. But as soon as I step out of the lift, I see the door to my flat wide-open.


    What!!! I¡¯m sure I locked it when I left, so why is it open like that. I decide to slowly walk towards it but I feel something ominous when I close in some gap. The feeling only multiplies. Damn, what¡¯s going on?


    I keep slowly walking towards my flat but suddenly I see a liquid flowing out of the flat. It¡¯s transparent and is flowing really fast. It looks like water. Is there a leakage somewhere? But, I checked it just this morning. There wasn¡¯t even any sign of a potential leakage happening.


    As my steps come closer and closer to the flat, I get a slight view of the inside. It looks like things are just like they were when I left. Then what exactly is going on?


    As soon as I reach near the entrance, I stick myself to a wall and try to take a peek inside when,


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to be so on-guard about.¡±


    I hear a voice I have never heard before. This surely means someone I don¡¯t know is inside there. From the voice, it should be a man.


    ¡°Yeah, come right in. It¡¯s your home after all.¡±


    Another voice comes. That means there are at least two people inside. And it looks like they know I¡¯m here. Trying to sneak in is pointless now.


    I decide to straighten myself and walk in. As I enter, I see that everything is undisturbed, everything except water that¡¯s leaking from somewhere. My flat has a slightly narrow lobby at its entrance surrounded by a room on both sides. As I walk in the lobby to get to the living room at the end of the lobby where the two men seem to be, I spot the trail of water getting thicker. Just what¡¯s going on? If these two are thieves, I am confident enough in myself that I can take care of them. But it doesn¡¯t look like they are trying to steal anything. Then what¡¯s ¡­


    Just when I was about to form the question in my mind, I got the answer.


    Kais: ¡°I see. So that¡¯s what is going on here?¡±


    I see the two men sitting idly on the sofa. They are both wearing lab coats. But I know for a fact that they aren¡¯t scientists. Their coats have a particular symbol on it, a symbol that I know all too well.


    Ro: ¡°Well, it makes things easy if you understand already, but I should introduce myself. My name¡¯s Ro Garland. And this here is Mohammed Unman.¡±


    Mohammed: ¡°Well, it sure is a pleasure to meet you, Kais. And sorry about that water flowing out. I accidently spilled all of it.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Tch!¡±


    I clicked my tongue before even realizing it. But of course I would. Who do these two think they are talking so casually like this?


    Ro: ¡°No need to look so angry, Kais. We are just here to offer you a deal.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Then why did you break into my flat?¡±


    Ro: ¡°Come on, you make us sound like some thieves.¡±


    Kais: ¡°That¡¯s what you are acting like.¡±


    Ro sighs. His expression is only irritating me further. I know what ¡®deal¡¯ they are taking about and it¡¯s frustrating that they still think I¡¯ll accept it.


    Kais: ¡°I have already turned down this useless deal I don¡¯t know how many times by now. When will you people give up?¡±


    Mohammed: ¡°Don¡¯t take it out on us. We are only doing what we were ordered to.¡±


    That is why I am controlling myself from kicking your faces.


    Ro: ¡°Okay then, how about it, Kais? As a representative of Vermillion, I invite you to join us.¡±


    Vermillion ¨C an organized group of psychics who have members throughout the world. Their very name makes my blood boil. I close my eyes to try to calm myself. I have already decided on my answer, but I¡¯ll let him at least say the full thing.


    Ro: ¡°With your prowess as a psychic, we can benefit in many upcoming endeavors. And in exchange, we will give you the right to be in the supreme council.¡±


    The supreme council is the political body that makes all the decisions in Vermillion. It¡¯s made of 10 really powerful psychics, often referred to as the 10 Hellfires.


    Kais: ¡°Upcoming endeavors, you say? All you people are gonna do is try to take advantage of my power to win the war you are waging.¡±


    Mohammed: ¡°And is there anything wrong with that?¡±


    The fact that these guys don¡¯t even understand something as simple as that is surprising and infuriating at the same time.


    Kais: ¡°Something wrong with that, huh. Yeah, there¡¯s something wrong with that. Everything¡¯s wrong with that.¡±


    Ro and Mohammed look at each other. They look surprised by my reaction. I do think I am getting a little too angry, but it can¡¯t be helped.


    Ro: ¡°I suppose your answer is no then.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Exactly.¡±


    Ro: ¡°That¡¯s too bad, really too bad.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Right, now get out of here.¡±


    Mohammed: ¡°I¡¯m afraid we cannot do that.¡±


    Kais: ¡°What?¡±Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    Now what¡¯s that about? Are they gonna keep insisting me to join until I throw them out or something?


    Mohammed: ¡°You see ¨C this was the final time we would give you a deal. We were told if you refuse, we were to USE FORCE.¡±


    His last words pitch high as he waves his hands like he was pushing something. Suddenly, a huge wave hit me. It looks like something splashed across my chest. But I couldn¡¯t see anything.


    Kais: ¡°What ¡­ was that?¡±


    Mohammed: ¡°It¡¯s ¡®Invisible Water¡¯. I can control and attack with it however much I want. Since you can neither see, nor hear it, there¡¯s no chance for you to dodge. It¡¯s a liquid so trying to block it will be useless too.¡±


    Ro: ¡°In other words, don¡¯t even try to fight back.¡±


    What the hell? Do they really think I¡¯m that weak?


    Kais: ¡°Do you actually think a half-psychic like you can defeat me?¡±


    Ro: ¡°Don¡¯t misunderstand, Kais. We are not underestimating your psychic abilities or anything. We just won¡¯t give you any chance to fight back or run.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Run? Why would I wanna do that?¡±


    I am an actual PSYCHIC, you idiots. I may not care much about honor but I¡¯ll be damned if I let half-asses like you defeat me.


    As I think that, my body completely fades away in the air within a second. I see that the two of them are stunned to see it happen, especially as it happened out of nowhere.


    Mohammed: ¡°Is that ¡­ the teleportation ability?¡±


    Ro: ¡°Well, looks like it. But where would he have teleported?¡±


    Mohammed: ¡°He can¡¯t just leave his house and run away, he knows that won¡¯t do him any good. So he should be somewhere nearby, right?¡±


    Ro nodded to Mohammed¡¯s logic. But just as they were about to head to search for me, Mohammed got hit by a hard object. That hard object was a punch in his gut.


    Mohammed: ¡°GHHH!!!¡±


    The power exerted in the punch was not what humans normally would exert and not what one would expect from a slim figure like mine. But regardless, it was me who punched him. It¡¯s simple actually. I can manipulate light ¨C ability called photokinesis ¨C and make myself invisible through that. After that, I simply collected energy into my fist and punched him.


    Ro: ¡°Wait, does that mean ¡­ he¡¯s still here?¡±


    Kais: ¡°Damn right I am.¡±


    I focused energy on my leg and kicked Ro. A cracking sound came from his leg as he fell down on the ground.


    Ro: ¡°¡­ Damn!¡±


    Both of the times, I put just enough force in my attacks to shatter a few bones. I hope this is enough to wave them off.


    Mohammed: ¡°So you are invisible, huh. Don¡¯t think that means you have won.¡±


    Kais: ¡°If you think you can win, you are a hopeless idiot. Just give up.¡±


    Mohammed repeats his earlier action and a wave of some liquid rushes past me as I jump out of its course. It seems he was trying to attack in the direction my voice was coming from. But that shot didn¡¯t seem to cover enough area. When he can¡¯t see me, he will have to try to cover a large distance to make sure he doesn¡¯t miss. And even after that, I can just teleport to a different spot far from my previous one. These three abilities ¨C teleportation, the ability to transverse through space within short time-frames; photokinesis, the ability to manipulate light; and Aura Manipulation, the self-explanatory ability that can be used to concentrate aura and releasing it that can pack as much power as one tries to give it. That¡¯s all it would take to completely overpower these two.


    But, there¡¯s no way for either of them to overpower me. As I was pondering about that, I see the both of them get up simultaneously. Seriously, are these two idiots really going through with this?


    Kais: ¡°Have I not displayed how outmatched you two are already?¡±


    Ro: ¡°You have, but that doesn¡¯t matter. We came here knowing we¡¯d lose if we need to fight. But that doesn¡¯t mean we¡¯ll let you win.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Stop rambling like a clich¨¦ side character. It doesn¡¯t even sound cool.¡±


    Mohammed attacks again with his Invisible Water. I follow up with the teleportation plan and get out of the way. It is kinda troublesome that I can¡¯t see his attacks and so I have to teleport as soon as he attacks. But if the end result is the same, it doesn¡¯t really matter.


    Ro: ¡°Did it hit him?¡±


    Mohammed: ¡°How am I supposed to know?¡±


    I have to give them some credit though. Mohammed¡¯s ¡®Invisible Water¡¯ is actually pretty formidable against someone who isn¡¯t a psychic. But this fight¡¯s over.


    I focus energy into both my fists and teleport behind them. From there, I punch right at their femur. Blood comes from both their mouths and they fall to the ground. That one should have paralyzed them for a short while, unless they have something that can instantly heal them.


    I remain standing there for a while to see if they try any other tricks, but they aren¡¯t moving. They seem to be unable to say anything either. Their fingers are shaking and their legs are moving from them writhing in pain. So it¡¯s probably just as I wanted, damage was focused on their femurs. Well, that should do for now.


    Kais: ¡°But I¡¯ll need to call an ambulance and try to disguise it so no one can tell I did this. What a hassle!¡±


    I turn around to see them again as I suddenly felt a pain in my stomach.


    Kais: ¡°W ¡­ What!¡±


    The pain¡¯s growing. What¡¯s going on here? It looks like the spot that got hit by Invisible Water is burning or something.


    Mohammed: ¡°T ¡­ that¡¯s ¡­ the aftereffect of ¡­ Invisible Water. It ¡­ takes some time to ¡­ kick in.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Damn! You have quite the ability, don¡¯t you?¡±


    But if it¡¯s the aftereffect of being hit by that ability, then it would dissipate over time. After all, these abilities just use the conversion of kinetic energy to form different things. Yeah, it¡¯ll go away in a while.


    But something about this is a bit bothering to me. Mohammed looked surprised for some reason as he mentioned his ability¡¯s aftereffect, as if he doesn¡¯t really know why I am feeling pain but is trying to bluff me out.


    I slowly walk away from the two keeping my hands on my stomach. I hear my shoes making a splash sound when they hit the ground. Wait! There¡¯s water all over the place. Ah, I see. It looks like Invisible Water becomes visible after a while. Well, that kind of explains why water was flowing out from the apartment.


    I sit on a chair as I keep thinking to keep myself distracted from the pain. But wait, something¡¯s not right here. If that water came from him using Invisible Water, then why did he use it? Was he fighting someone before too? If so, it can¡¯t be Ro; he was perfectly fine when I came in. Then, that means ¡­ no, I¡¯m over-thinking this. He could have used that ability for something other than fighting.


    I look around to see what he may have used it for. But I can¡¯t figure out a single thing. Of course, there are things he could have used it on, but the traces of water are only present on the floors. Every other place the water¡¯s present has gotten wet during our fight. If that¡¯s ¨C


    ???: ¡°You sure like to keep your mind occupied.¡±


    A voice interrupts my thoughts. It¡¯s a female voice. It sounds bored. But who is the owner of that voice? I turn my head to look in the direction from where the voice came from. If I ended up fighting another person, it might not end very well.


    ???: ¡°Right, it will be really bad for you.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Uh ¡­ wait ¡­¡±


    It¡¯s like she can read my mind or something. Or am I saying my thoughts out loud without even realizing it. No, I don¡¯t think the latter¡¯s correct. But then,


    ???: ¡°Why? Is it really that hard to believe someone can read your thoughts?¡±


    Kais: ¡°So, I was right. You are a telepath.¡±


    ???: ¡°Oh, believe me, I¡¯m not a telepath. People are just easy to read when they are in pain.¡±


    I keep trying to find her with my eyes as I try to hold this conversation. Man, if she¡¯s a psychic, I¡¯ll have no choice but to teleport out of here. But if what she says is true and my thoughts are easy to get from my face then,


    ???: ¡°No way am I letting you do that.¡±


    She would know that¡¯s what I am thinking right now.


    Kais: ¡°Oh yeah? Then why don¡¯t you show yourself to try to stop me.¡±


    The voice grows silent. This is eerie. I can¡¯t sense or see her, but I get the feeling I¡¯m in danger right now. I try to step back and then,


    ???: ¡°As you wish then.¡±


    Within a split second, there seems to be someone behind me. I try to turn but I feel a heavy pain at my neck. It¡¯s like she chopped on my neck. No way. Is this ¡­ is this supposed to be some kind of joke? When the hell did she do that?


    I feel hard ground hitting my mouth, or was it my mouth that hit the ground. Either way, I am losing my consciousness. My ability to think is diminishing. Is there anything I can do before falling unconscious? Come on, think. There should ¡­ be something. I ¡­ no ¡­ this ¡­


    Everything became a blank.


    *******************************


    The town Kais lives in is somewhat in the middle of its transition from rural to urban area. The people here are mostly those with rural mindsets. During late night hours, very few can be found on streets that don¡¯t have any shops alongside them. In other words, if a person wants to remain in a quiet place while also not feeling isolated or alone, streets at night are a great place to be.


    And so, a man with this goal, Ethan Kales, walks the sidewalks. As he does so, he keeps thinking about a particular incident that happened 12 years ago ¨C an incident that left humanity with a big scar and many unsolved mysteries. It happened in an instant. Nobody knew what exactly took place back then. At least, that¡¯s what people believe. But there was one witness ¨C someone who saw everything happen right before his eyes as he stood there unable to move. He wasn¡¯t actually petrified, but terror had sapped away his ability to think or move. That boy was the 8 year old Ethan. Now that he has grown into a 20-year-old man, of the same age as the man responsible for the incident was back then, and has become someone who doesn¡¯t have any restrictions that a child would, he has vowed to get to truth of that incident. But, he realizes.


    Ethan: ¡°But still, I never expected things would go so smoothly.¡±


    Ethan Kales is no one special, just an ordinary human being.He himself realizes this more than anyone else.


    Ethan: ¡°That¡¯s right.I¡¯m just a human.¡±


    This was a phrase he had ingrained into his mind. It¡¯s to remind him that he was powerless, to make sure he understood he has no chance of rivaling those called supernatural.


    He is not someone who could use psychic abilities like Kais, a psychic, can. He is not someone who can control auras like his comrade Sneha, an Aural, can. He can¡¯t form contracts with spirits and make them do his bidding like a Spirit-User. There are rumors of there being blood-sucking creatures of night as well as ghosts, but whether the rumors are true or not, he is not one of them either. He is just a human.


    Therefore, he could never afford miscalculations. He could never afford to become lenient with his plans. If he were to truly get to the bottom of a mystery surrounded by supernatural forces, he would have to be smarter than everyone else. That was the only thing he could do.


    Ethan: ¡°Ha!¡±


    A laugh escapes his lips, the reason for which is to relax his tense shoulders.


    Ethan: ¡°Well, I wonder if Kais would have accepted the deal or not, probably not. Either way, Barry will make his move today.¡±


    He looks up as he wonders about the person he was thinking of. A smile comes on his lips.


    Ethan: ¡°It¡¯s time for you to face the truth, Kais. It¡¯s time for you to understand your fate, understand how cruel this world can truly be.¡±


    As he stands there watching the sky, Ethan mutters those words that wouldn¡¯t reach the person they are meant for, but will still hold meaning nonetheless.


    *******************************


    I don¡¯t remember how my parents looked like. Back when I was a 5-year old, they left me in my brother¡¯s care and left. After which, they never came back. There was not a picture of them in the house; neither did my brother ever talk about them. They left us because they were terrified of me and my brother ¨C Barry. The only family I had in the whole world was my brother. He was the only one who could understand me, because just like me, he was a psychic.


    He was the one who told me how to control this power. He was the one who told me how I could use different psychic abilities. He told me about the dark yet calming abyss psychics experience during their sleep ¨C the place I am at right now.


    It is a cold place devoid of any pain and suffering. A person can be happy just by being here. As I float in this never-ending abyss, memories I had buried within me keep flowing into my conscious. All of those are memories of Barry. I remember how much I used to admire him. I wanted to be like him, but I wasn¡¯t even close. He was just so much better at everything.


    You¡¯ll surpass me in a few years.


    These words ring out in my ear. I remember these words. Barry used to say these words like it was nothing. And I ¡­ used to believe him. Who knows, maybe I would have surpassed him. But I would never know; no one will; because on that one day 12 years ago, everything changed. He understood me better than anyone. And I was foolish enough to think I could return the favor. I was an idiot.


    The kind yet strong brother I had known till that day destroyed the lives of thousands of people. It was a massacre ¨C the culprit of whom was Barry.


    I don¡¯t know. I still don¡¯t know. Was the Barry I had seen for the 8 years of my life the real one? Or was it the one I saw on that day? No matter how much I want to deny it, something keeps telling me it was the later.


    Sometimes, I remember that Barry used to tell me stories. They were stories related to psychics and other such supernatural forces. I loved those stories. I loved them so much I had memorized all of them. But everything changed on that day. I forgot about them. I forced myself to forget about them. But now, those stories are coming back to me. Of course, they were always there somewhere in my memories. It¡¯s just that now they are coming back to the surface.


    I remember. Yes, I remember them now. I remember all of them now.


    I remember the story of an island where only psychics lived.


    I remember the story of a man who had eyes that could not be deceived.


    I remember the story of a dragon who befriended a god.


    And ¡­ and I remember the story of a man who massacred thousands.


    That last story. It came true that day 12 years ago. That day, Barry became the protagonist of that story. Was he trying to tell me he would do something like that? Was that a made-up story ¡­ to give me some kind of clue to something? I forced myself to forget about Barry. And so I forced myself to not think about these questions. But in the deepest recesses of my mind, these questions surely had taken place. And now, now that they have all come back, ignoring them is no longer possible.


    Ignoring them, huh? Yeah, I guess that¡¯s what I was doing. To be blunt, I was trying to run away from reality. I tried to run away from it, from all of it. When people who knew about my psychic abilities came to me asking for help, I refused them. When people came to me offering me help, I refused them. Whenever anyone who knew about my psychic abilities offered or asked for anything, I refused them.


    I thought keeping away from supernaturals will change things. I thought if I acted like a normal person, I could get away from it all. But deep down, I knew that would never happen. Because ¡­ well, because I had seen a monster even more terrifying than all the psychics in the world. I had seen a demon that could tear the very fabric of time and space apart.


    That day I stood there watching my brother as he laughed like a madman, I saw a demon. I saw a demon take form right in front of my eyes and kill Barry. That was it. A split second was all it took to kill the brother I had adored for so long. It was an anomaly far beyond my imagination. For a moment, that demon stood there looking down on me with smile on its face ¨C a smile like a grin of a sadist after having fulfilled his fantasies. As I saw the hands that took Barry¡¯s life, my face twisted in terror, in agony, in grief, and ¡­ and then in pleasure.


    That was the thing I wanted to forget the most. I wanted to forget the sickening happiness I felt at that moment. I think I now understand what that demon was. I understand who it was. It was me, wasn¡¯t it?


    At the moment I realized that, I knew the world would end soon. Without any exaggeration, it would literally be the end. And I also knew the moment I try to do anything to deny the existence of that demon, to deny myself, it will be the beginning of the end.


    And yet ¡­ and yet, I desired more than anyone to deny him. And I did. I denied my own corrupted soul and set the world on the path of certain doom.


    I can¡¯t feel it but it looks like I¡¯m laughing right now. I can¡¯t hear it. I can¡¯t hear or see anything in this place. But I can feel it; I can feel all of it.


    When I could have helped people with this power, I turned my back on them. When I should have accepted the truth, I denied it. And just like that, I became a monster far worse than what Barry ever was. Is ¡­ is this supposed to be how I surpass him? What the hell? What kind of sick joke is that?


    Even right now, unaware of where I am, waiting for someone to wake me so my body pulls my consciousness back to it, I am wishing that I could stay in this darkness forever. I am wishing I could keep running away forever.


    Truly, I am a monster. I am a monster ¡­ and I despise myself. But even more so, I despise this world.


    I despise the world that took everything from me. I despise the world that never stops taking even more from me. I despise the world that has tortured me for so long, and that refuses to go all the way through to kill me.


    Suddenly, everything shakes. It looks like an earthquake, but that¡¯s not what it is. This is what it feels like when my time here ends. My body is waking up. My consciousness is being pulled back to it. I see. So that¡¯s it. That¡¯s all the time I had. I have to go back ¡­ back to the world I despise.


    *******************************


    As I open my eyes, I see a sky half filled with pure white clouds. It is a scene everyone expects to see when they look up. But natural beauty does not appear every time when I look up. It only appears in places enriched by nature. So, where exactly am I to be able to see it right now?


    I shift my gaze to left. It looks like I¡¯m lying on the sand. The whole ground is covered with sand. Just what is this place? If this side is sand, then what¡¯s on the other side? I shift my gaze to right to find the answer to my question. And it¡¯s ¡­ the sea.


    This looks like ¡­ like I am ¡­ no way! This just shouldn¡¯t be possible. I need to make sure.


    I try to get up as I think that. There¡¯s no way it can be true. As my legs regain their strength, I try to pull my body upwards. My hands slowly regain their strength too. My whole body looks like a set of machines that are being powered up one by one. But that is of secondary concern right now. I need to make sure my suspicions are wrong.


    I stand up and look around. It shouldn¡¯t be. It¡¯s just not possible.


    The sight that awaited me was that of an island. I remember getting knocked out by that woman whose face I couldn¡¯t even see. In fact, thinking back on how quickly I lost consciousness, it was pathetic. But that¡¯s a different issue. Even if they kidnapped me or something, there¡¯s no way they could have brought me tothatisland.


    Of course, this just has to be some other island. It¡¯s just some island. Yes, I need to believe. After all, bringing me to that island just makes no sense.


    Yeah, it¡¯s just ¡­ just not ¡­ possible.


    My vision starts to blur. My hearing stops working. My limbs that just regained their strength start to go numb again.


    This is ¡­ really happening? It ¡­ has to be ¡­ a coincidence. Right, right ¡­ it has to be a coincidence. I am ¡­ just feeling dizzy ¡­ ¡¯cause I ¡­ I ¡­


    A sharp pain arises in my head. It¡¯s a pain I have no way of ignoring. Just what is going on? This shouldn¡¯t be ¡­ possible.


    I see ¡­ droplets ¡­ on the ground. They are still ¡­ falling. But where ¡­ could they ¡­ be coming from? I am pretty sure ¡­ clouds weren¡¯t rainy ¡­ when I saw ¡­ them. I try to distract myself with these thoughts. I touch my head as it kept bursting, and ¡­ I realize ¡­ I am ¡­ crying.


    I see. That¡¯s it then. No matter how much I try to deny it, some part of me has realized that I really am on the island in one of Barry¡¯s stories, the island where only psychics used to live.


    *******************************


    In the vastness of a particular forest, there¡¯s a tomb. It¡¯s a structure that¡¯s said to be one of the oldest things in the world yet it looks like it was made only a year ago. It¡¯s a tomb many want to find for reasons of their own. But no one has found it. None could even come close. That is what is believed by supernaturals throughout the world. In truth, many had been able to find it; they just haven¡¯t been able to return to tell the tale.


    And so, for many years, the guardian of this island and this tomb has been the only one who had known the secrets of it.


    But even that has to change. The guardian knows that very well. There might finally be someone who has come to the island who might be worthy of knowing those secrets. And so, outside the entrance of that tomb, a man stands in an old-fashioned white robe covering his whole body. For a long time, this man has been the only one who truly knew about what is inside the tomb. As his instincts tell him that this fact would soon change, he smiles.


    Man: ¡°So it¡¯s finally time for it, huh.¡±


    *******************************

 Chapter 2: Jack And Jill

    I open my eyes, but see the scenery I didn¡¯t want to see. I had fallen unconscious because of the intense headache. That headache made me go back to the same dark abyss. Barry used to call it ¡®The Cage¡¯. I don¡¯t know what that means or how that name fits it. To be honest, I don¡¯t think it does. But regardless of the name, going back there helped me calm down again and collect my thoughts.


    This island ¨C I want to deny it, but I can¡¯t ¨C This Island had been in one of the many stories Barry had once told me.


    An island where only psychics lived.


    After the dizziness I felt completely matching up to what any psychic feels when they step on the island in the stories, I have to believe I really am on that island, not to mention my intuition tells me the same thing and the intuition of a psychic is something to be proud of. To be completely honest, I did think that those stories were not all fiction. I did consider the possibility this island exists. But to be thrust upon by the realization that it does and I am on it was still a little shocking. I still don¡¯t want to accept it. But, that won¡¯t solve anything.


    From what I heard in the story, I know that there¡¯s a forest on this island, which is another thing that matches up with the story since I can see it from here. There¡¯s a tomb in the middle of the island. There¡¯s a pond near it where no creature can survive. There¡¯re some creatures that can only be found here. But that¡¯s about it. Everything else about the island that was present in the story was the history of the island. All that was back then is gone now.


    That said though, the tomb should still be here. If I try to go into the forest and walk towards the middle, I should find the tomb in a few hours. That¡¯s the only way I can find any clues as to what is going on.


    But still, it¡¯s kind of awkward to think I got kidnapped by some people and was thrown off at an island. It¡¯s pretty obvious I need to be careful. Especially, because of that woman who knocked me out and people as strong as her. I still don¡¯t know how she did it, but it¡¯s clear she is strong enough to overpower me. Whatever I do, I need to keep my mind protected. As long as my brain works, I can use teleportation and escape to safety.


    Well, that being said though, just standing here won¡¯t solve anything. I need to get a move on. It¡¯s already evening. At this rate, I will have to travel through forest at night. Visibility shouldn¡¯t be a problem for me, but who knows what kind of creatures live in the forest and whether I¡¯ll be able to handle them at night or not.


    And so, I start walking towards the forest that I can spot in a distance. There¡¯s a large area of sand before the forest. But that¡¯s to be expected from an island that was the home of a whole civilization. That reminds me, I haven¡¯t used my psychic ever since I got here. Though I may just be a little paranoid, but what if my abilities aren¡¯t working? I should check just in case.


    I brought my hand up and tried to force the process of forming fire in my hand. It¡¯s the ability called Pyrokinesis. With my level, I should be able to generate fire in 15 seconds. And just like I assumed, a small fire lit up in my hands in about 15 seconds. 15 seconds for Pyrokinesis - whether that¡¯s good or bad, I would say it¡¯s slightly better than average. Though my own knowledge of what¡¯s good, bad or average comes only from what Barry told me. But it¡¯s pretty obvious that Pyrokinesis isn¡¯t my strong suit. I do like it in terms of sheer attack power. But I¡¯m not a big fan of playing with fire, so I am not worried about it not being that good.


    I turn my attention back on the road. The trees are only about 5 steps away. I didn¡¯t even realize I had reached this close as I kept walking while trying to activate pyrokinesis. Well, no reason to stop now. Thinking that, I enter the forest ¨C or so I would have liked to do but something blocked the path. It was a couple a dog-like creatures. They have golden fur even though they look like bulldogs. It¡¯s awkward to see such creatures. I wouldn¡¯t call them pretty, but they are definitely not ugly either.


    Both of them stare at me intently as if warning me to not come any closer. I remember there being a mention of these creatures in the story, but I don¡¯t remember anything about them stopping people from entering the forest. Then again, the story was set during the past, who knows how many things would have changed by now?


    Bulldogs: ¡°---GO---AWAY---¡±


    Kais: ¡°Uh ¡­¡±


    Wait! Did they just talk? They did, didn¡¯t they? And both of them said it together as well. They are acting like trained dogs and can manage to form words. That doesn¡¯t make sense. Who could have trained them? And if they were trained to say ¡®go away¡¯ to whoever tried to enter then,


    Kais: ¡°So someone wants me to stay out of the forest?¡±


    Bulldogs: ¡°---GO---AWAY---¡±


    Same line again? Are those two words the only thing they are capable of speaking?


    Kais: ¡°Well, sure, I¡¯ll go away. That is, if there¡¯s a way out of this island, please tell me.¡±


    They remain silent. They are still looking at me intently. It looks like they are ready to attack if I try to come any closer to the forest, but they won¡¯t attack if I stay here or get back. Observing this, I can¡¯t help but sigh.


    Kais: ¡°I see you are really good guards and all, but I have to wonder why your master doesn¡¯t want me to go in the forest.¡±


    There can be one possibility I can think on. Of course it¡¯s based on the story Barry told me, but it sounds really plausible.


    Kais: ¡°Is whoever trained you two trying to protect the tomb?¡±


    They give no reaction and keep staring at me. It sure is hard to tell what this silence means exactly, but


    Kais: ¡°I think I should take that as a yes.¡±


    According to how the story played out, the tomb was given to someone to guard it. That someone was a dragon. He was the protagonist of a different story, ¡®the dragon who befriended the god¡¯. The tomb is for the said ¡®god¡¯, and the dragon protects it. That¡¯s how the story ended. This ¡®god¡¯ was not really god but someone who was so powerful that people called him a god. But regardless of that, it¡¯s his tomb. And its guardian seems to not want me near it.


    Bulldogs: ¡°---GO---AWAY---¡±


    Kais:  ¡°Yeah, yeah, I heard you the first time. But neither of us is helping the other¡¯s situation right now.¡±


    Even if about 1000 years have passed from the time the story is set in, the dragon would still be alive and probably be doing his duty as the guardian. So, I have to assume that the dragon is controlling these dogs. If that¡¯s the case, they are like machines that can¡¯t do anything except stand there and block the path and attack when necessary. On the other hand, if they were trained by the dragon to do this instead of being controlled right now, I doubt they will be left without any training further than those two commands. I think so because the dragon is said to have human-level intelligence, if not more.


    So taking all that into consideration, there is one trigger I can pull right now.


    Kais: ¡°So well, tell me; is Ozyllus¡¯ soul still in the tomb?¡±


    Their expressions finally change. They have started growling now. They are gritting their teeth and anger¡¯s clear on their faces. I thought this would work, didn¡¯t know it would work so well. Ozyllus is the one this tomb is for. He was a psychic, but not an ordinary one. He was so powerful that many preached him as god. Even saying his name brings unrest to the creatures around the tomb. Again, I knew about that because of the story of this island.


    Kais: ¡°Now that you look all fired up, I don¡¯t think getting in without a struggle is possible.¡±


    They are still looking at me intently and barking from time-to-time while doing so. I could try to teleport into the forest as far as I can see, but that¡¯s risky. Who knows how many and what kind of creatures will come out to stop me there. I am confident I can handle these two if it comes to fighting, but I am not overconfident enough to say I can take care of anything this forest throws at me.


    Bulldogs: ¡°----KILL---HIM---¡±


    Wait! What! Did I just hear that right? Are they actually saying that? They were kinda creepy when they were saying ¡®go away¡¯ in sync, but this was beyond creepy. For a second, it looked like a thirst for blood came in their mouths.


    I take a step backward. I don¡¯t know how and when they might attack me, so I need a safe distance between us. Or wait, is it them who¡¯s going to attack? Or are they going to call someone else? Now that I think about it, they did say it in a way that indicates they are saying it to someone else. I know they weren¡¯t saying it to me. Then, who ¡­


    ???: ¡°Well now, isn¡¯t that a pleasant surprise?¡±


    An unknown voice comes from behind. It doesn¡¯t seem hostile but I can¡¯t help but suspect it. And so I turn back readying myself for teleportation. But the sight that greets my eyes is,


    ???: (chuckling) ¡°Your face is so funny. It looks like you have seen something unbelievable.¡±


    It¡¯s a little girl. She is about half my height and looks like a normal girl. Except, I find it hard to believe a normal person can be found on this island. She can¡¯t possibly be ¡®just¡¯ a little girl. There¡¯s definitely more to her than meets the eye.


    Girl: ¡°Don¡¯t glare at me like that, mister. You should be at ease seeing how I am just a girl.¡±


    You saying that made it impossible for me to even think about it now.


    Kais: ¡°Like hell I am dropping my guard against anybody on this island.¡±


    The girl chuckles hearing my answer and holds up a finger to order the two bulldogs to get back. I wasn¡¯t oblivious to them approaching, but I just couldn¡¯t focus on that. I get a feeling this girl will be more dangerous than those two combined.


    Girl: ¡°You really don¡¯t drop your guard, mister. Well, that¡¯s fine. I was bored of everyone always giving me the same reaction. It¡¯s good to see someone who would be suspicious of even a little girl.¡±


    Kais: ¡°I just happen to not judge people based on appearances.¡±


    Girl: ¡°Oh?¡±


    She tilts her head as if she wants to ask something, and then closes her eyes and smiles.


    Girl: ¡°Did you learn that from personal experience, mister?¡±


    Kais: ¡°Tch!¡±


    I click my tongue. She is right. Of course she is. It¡¯s not like someone is born thinking like that.


    Girl: ¡°Looks like I was right. Yay!¡±


    She raises both her arms and smiles. She looks and acts just like a normal girl, I almost feel guilty about doubting her ¡­ almost.Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    Kais: ¡°And why the hell are you so happy?¡±


    Girl: ¡°Hmm?¡±


    She stops celebrating as soon as I start speaking but the smile never disappears from her face. Why do I get the feeling I¡¯m being made a fool out of?


    Girl: ¡°Let¡¯s see ¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Kais: ¡°What?¡±


    Girl: ¡°You asked why I was so happy. I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m just happy.¡±


    Kais: ¡°That ¡­ uh ¡­¡±


    Damn it! This conversation isn¡¯t going anywhere. I need to get to the topic. That¡¯s right; I need to ask her about the tomb. Who knows? Maybe the dragon is not alive anymore and she is the current guardian.


    Kais: ¡°So anyway, who are you?¡±


    Girl: ¡°Who am I?¡±


    She puts a finger on her chin and tilts her head trying to think.


    Girl: ¡°Well, for starters, I am human and then ¡­ I am a girl and then ¡­¡±


    Kais: ¡°I already know all that. I meant to ask why you¡¯re here.¡±


    She tilts her head as if wondering why I¡¯d ask that. She is acting like the answer should be obvious to me.


    Girl: ¡°Why I¡¯m here? It¡¯s because I live here.¡±


    She ¡­ she does? She actually lives here? I never expected that now, did I?


    Girl: ¡°That¡¯s different too. Everybody is always shocked still after hearing that, but you are not, mister.¡±


    Kais: ¡°What? I don¡¯t look surprised enough to you.¡±


    Girl: ¡°You did look surprised at first, but for only a second.¡±


    She isn¡¯t wrong actually. For some reason, I am able to accept it really easily. To be honest, I¡¯m surprised at why I¡¯m not surprised.


    Girl: ¡°So then, is there anything else you want to know?¡±


    Kais: ¡°Well, do you have a name?¡±


    Girl: ¡°My name ¡­ let¡¯s see, what was it?¡±


    She says as she puts a finger on her lips and looks up as if trying to remember it.


    Kais: ¡°You didn¡¯t actually forget your name, did you?¡±


    Girl: ¡°I did.¡±


    She says as she smiles again. It doesn¡¯t make sense. If she really lives here, she should be a psychic. In that case, there can be other psychics who live here too. They could be the descendants of the past civilization. In which case, they should have names to call each other by.


    Girl: ¡°Everyone asks my name. And then when I say I don¡¯t remember what it was, they give me a new name. By the time the next person comes, I always forget the previous name. But it¡¯s not my fault. Those names are so hard to remember.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Comes?¡±


    Till now, I had thought she was talking about others who live here whenever she said ¡®everyone¡¯, but looks like I was wrong.


    Kais: ¡°Are you meaning to tell me ¡­ that people like me have come here before?¡±


    Girl: ¡°Huh! Of course they have. Did you think you were the first?¡±


    Kais: ¡°How do they come here?¡±


    I always thought coming here was next to impossible and nobody would want anything to do with it but from what this girl is saying, it ¡­


    Girl: ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Huh?¡±


    Girl: ¡°They all come here and try to enter the forest. Then Jack and Jill stop them and I learn someone¡¯s come. And then I come to greet them.¡±


    I don¡¯t remember ever being greeted by you and what¡¯s up with Jack and Jill, is someone a big fan of that rhyme? No, that all comes later.


    Kais: ¡°So you don¡¯t know how they end up here?¡±


    Girl: ¡°Yes.¡±


    She is proudly smiling. Why the heck would someone be so proud of being ignorant? I am getting kinda crept out by how innocent she is acting.


    Kais: ¡°Is that really true?¡±


    Girl: ¡°Of course it is. Why would you doubt me?¡±


    Kais: ¡°I do want to believe you.¡±


    Girl: ¡°Oh really?¡±


    Her eyes lit up for some reason. Is she faking these expressions?


    Kais: ¡°Well, that¡¯s more or less because you look innocent. But as I said before, I¡¯m not going to believe you just because of your appearance.¡±


    Girl: ¡°I see.¡±


    Seeing how happy she was after hearing I ¡®want¡¯ to believe her, I thought she would get down after hearing I ¡®won¡¯t¡¯, but she is still smiling. I don¡¯t get her. She¡¯s like someone who only knows how to smile and how to make an inquisitive look. But it doesn¡¯t look like she is making fake expressions, even though she has shown very few expressions, they look natural.


    I have the ability of clairaudience. It allows me to hear things I can¡¯t normally hear. If I focus, I can listen to her heartbeat while she talks and tell when she¡¯s lying. But I need to be ready for any attack that might come my way. So I can¡¯t divert my attention to some other ability. I don¡¯t know why, but I just can¡¯t trust her. I have to be ready for teleportation at any point.


    Kais: ¡°So then, what did these people do after you met them and all this talk we just had was over?¡±


    Girl: ¡°Let¡¯s see ¡­¡±


    Again, she puts her finger on her lips and looks up.


    Girl: ¡°They ask me to take them to the tomb.¡±


    If she really lives here, then it would be really convenient if she could take me to the tomb. That¡¯s the line of thinking that most people would follow and so it makes sense they ask her to take them to the tomb. But it¡¯s kind of hard to believe no one would try any different approach.


    Kais: ¡°Did everyone asked you to take them to the tomb?¡±


    Girl: ¡°Yep! No exceptions.¡±


    Kais: ¡°The heck!¡±


    That¡¯s suspicious. I myself definitely thought that as well and I do think it¡¯s the best course to take, but that¡¯s not the only option. Someone should have taken a different route.


    Kais: ¡°So do you know, about how many people have come here before me?¡±


    Girl: ¡°Hmm ¡­ I didn¡¯t count.¡±


    Not helpful.


    Girl: ¡°But there have been a lot of them, at least fifty.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Fifty!¡±


    That¡¯s too large a number for there to be no exceptions. If I take into account that they all should have been psychics, it¡¯s just next to impossible.


    Kais: ¡°Didn¡¯t you ever feel curious how they got here or where they¡¯re from?¡±


    Girl: ¡°I did. But when I ask about it, everyone says the same thing ¨C that they are unable to tell me.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Unable to tell, huh.¡±


    Now that¡¯s a clue. If they are unable to say it, then what could that mean? Does that ¡­


    Girl: ¡°Something wrong?¡±


    A realization suddenly hit me. I was brought here by the people Ro, Mohammed and whoever that woman was, worked for. In other words, I was brought here by Vermillion, but I never agreed to join them.


    When they kidnapped me, they left me here. I was brought here against my will. But what if others like me who actually agreed to join them were also brought here. But unlike me, they came here willingly and so Vermillion could have given them some instructions. It would make sense that they would then follow those instructions and not pointlessly take risks.


    In short, people who agree to join them are brought to this island, told to get to the tomb and to do something there. They may also have been told about this girl. Now that I think about it, if you tell someone there¡¯s someone like a guide here and then they find her and think that this little girl is the guide, people would surely drop their guard. I think it is a little loose logic, but for now, I don¡¯t see any major holes in it.


    Girl: ¡°Hey, hey, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Kais: ¡°Nothing, why?¡±


    Girl: ¡°Then why did you just go silent all of a sudden?¡±


    It¡¯s the tilting-head-curious-expression right now. Ignoring that though, I need to know how these predecessors of mine proceed from here.


    Kais: ¡°Anyway, when they ask you to take them to the tomb, what¡¯s your answer to them?


    The answer to this question will determine whether the guide part of the theory is right or not.


    Girl: ¡°I tell them they shouldn¡¯t travel through the forest in the night and that I will take them at morning.¡±


    I see. So maybe she is a guide after all.


    Kais: ¡°And does everybody listen to you?¡±


    Girl: ¡°No. Not everybody does. Some do, some don¡¯t.¡±


    Kais: ¡°What happens to the ones who don¡¯t?¡±


    Girl: ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I never see them again.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Uh ¡­¡±


    Girl: ¡°And when I walk through the forest after that in the morning, I see blood on a lot of places many times.¡±


    Damn! That¡¯s one way to scare people. No, looking at her expression right now I feel like she might actually not know why she doesn¡¯t see anyone again.


    Kais: ¡°So, if I happen to wander off into the forest in night too, you might see blood in the forest in the morning.¡±


    Girl: ¡°Yeah, and also I sometimes hear Hans chomping on something.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Who¡¯s Hans?¡±


    Girl: ¡°Hans is Hans. He is as big as you and has golden fur like Jack and Jill. He has a snout and really sharp teeth and is really powerful.¡±


    Sounds like a bear; yeah, I¡¯m not even gonna think about going in at night. There¡¯s no reason to take risks right now.


    Kais: ¡°So then, what about those who actually stay till morning? Do you take them to the tomb like you promise them?¡±


    Girl: ¡°I do.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Do they reach the tomb safely?¡±


    Girl: ¡°Yeah!¡±


    She nods along with answering. Well, it¡¯s going to be night in a while. From what she has told me, I would become food if I go in at night. So should I ask her to take me to the tomb in the morning as well? Before that though ¡­


    Kais: ¡°I think I should have asked this sooner, but are you the guardian of the tomb?¡±


    Girl: ¡°Huh?¡±


    She tilts her head in curiosity as if to say that was the stupidest question ever.


    Girl: ¡°Of course I¡¯m not. The dragon is the guardian.¡±


    I see. So the dragon really has been alive for that long. Well, it could be some different dragon but I really doubt it.


    Kais: ¡°Then can you tell me more about this dragon?¡±


    Girl: ¡°I¡¯ve never seen him.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Wait! What!¡±


    Girl: ¡°I never go inside the tomb and he never comes out. But the dragon definitely is in there. I see his silhouette on the roof of the tomb sometimes.¡±


    Kais: ¡°I ¡­ see.¡±


    Well, that¡¯s that I guess. There has been a lot of talking between us. Well, it was actually just me asking and her answering.


    Kais: ¡°So, will you take me to the tomb tomorrow morning?¡±


    Girl: ¡°Yeah, sure.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Okay then, I¡¯ll rest on the beach for now.¡±


    Girl: ¡°So all your questions are over?¡±


    Kais: ¡°For now.¡±


    She nods and smiles.


    Girl: ¡°Then I¡¯ll go back.¡±


    She quickly runs past me into the forest. Jack and Jill look at her as she disappears into the forest and then turn their heads around to look at me. They are no longer on edge but still look like they won¡¯t let me take a single step forward.


    Kais: ¡°Don¡¯t be that cautious now.¡±


    Doesn¡¯t look like that changes anything, not like I expected it to anyway. Well, I¡¯ll go back to the beach for now. Thanks to all the questions I asked, I have a general idea of what¡¯s going on here. Until a few moments ago, it was just a theory that I tried to put my faith in, but now I know for sure that this place really is the island in the stories.


    *******************************


    That dragon was given the power to take a human form. But even in that form, he would never show his face to anyone. At the end of the story, when the god dies due to reasons unknown, he would take the initiative to guard his grave. He would never allow anyone to come near it unless he deems them worthy of it. But since he doesn¡¯t like showing his face, he materialized a huge mass of energy and made it look like a human. Then he scripted human intelligence with the function of judging others in it. Even to that mass of energy who thinks they¡¯re a human, he would never show his face after he had made them. And obviously, that ¡®mass of energy¡¯ never got a name because even if the dragon gave them one, he would never actually meet them and so they would never really know it.


    If I¡¯m going to meet that dragon in the tomb, then I also understand why psychics will be send here. After all, Ozyllus, a psychic so powerful people started calling him a god, is the one resting in the tomb. Obviously, having befriended that psychic, the dragon¡¯s feelings toward psychics would at least not be of hate. And so there¡¯s a chance the dragon may consider one of those psychics sent here to be worthy.


    Kais: ¡°Damn you all! You people think everything will go your way, don¡¯t you? I bet you¡¯re thinking I¡¯ll have no choice but to join you all after this. Well, too bad. Bringing me here was your biggest mistake.¡±


    As I prepare myself to go to ¡®The Cage¡¯, I almost burst out laughing.


    I can¡¯t take anymore of this. If I keep thinking about what¡¯s about to happen, I¡¯ll lose my sanity. Whatever happens; happens tomorrow.


    I think that to calm myself while my face contorts into a smile ¨C no, a grin.


    *******************************


    Ro: ¡°We have managed to safely take him to the island and leave him there.¡±


    Ro says to the person he had called. The man he¡¯s talking to is Garfield Jacob. He is leader of the small division of Vermillion Ro works for.


    Garfield: ¡°I see. Then everything on his end should be fine now.¡±


    Ro: ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    Garfield: ¡°I assume you¡¯re still with Mohammed. What about her?¡±


    Ro: ¡°Actually, Mohammed had to carry out different orders from the northern branch, so he has already left. And as for her, she left Kais to us after knocking him unconscious and disappeared. She has refused to pick up any phone calls since then.¡±


    Garfield: ¡°I see. Well, like Mohammed, you too can¡¯t rest. Your next orders are already here.¡±


    Ro: ¡°And they are?¡±


    Garfield: ¡°Look for the man I¡¯m sending you a picture of.¡±


    Ro: ¡°Should I report back when I find him?¡±


    Garfield: ¡°No. Eliminate him as soon as you find him. You can call for as much back-up as you want for this.¡±


    Ro: ¡°So this man is that dangerous of a psychic?¡±


    Garfield: ¡°No, he¡¯s just a human.¡±


    Ro: ¡°Just ¡­ a human!?¡±


    Garfield: ¡°Yes. Even though he is just a human, he dares to meddle in our affairs. And he has proven himself quite a hassle too. Just don¡¯t take any chances and finish him for good.¡±


    Ro¡¯s surprise at what he is hearing is justified. No human can ever win against a psychic. It is a saying Ro has complete faith in. In fact, for him, it is a fact. So hearing how some human is trying to interfere with their business, he¡¯s shocked at the man¡¯s foolishness.


    Ro: ¡°I understand, sir.¡±


    Garfield: ¡°Well then, I¡¯ll send you the picture and other minor details.¡±


    The phone call ends there and shortly after, Ro¡¯s phone rings. He checks the picture. It¡¯s a man with brown hair, average built and a normal face. His age is 20. His name is ¡­


    Ro: ¡°Ethan Kales¡±


    He puts his phone away as he walks through the side-walk at night. There aren¡¯t many people on the road at this time. Ro finds this peace to be perfect to think of a strategy. Even if his target is just a human, he would never go unprepared. This probably is why this case was given to him, because there¡¯s no way he will end up underestimating his opponent, no matter who they are.


    Ro: ¡°Well, let¡¯s see what this man¡¯s made of.¡±


    In some distance to Ro, there is a black Safari. It is a pretty old model and looks like something a person living in this developing neighborhood might have. This is why people don¡¯t give any mind to it. If someone not living here were to be inside it, no one would notice it. And so the 20-year-old, brown-haired man sitting inside will not be noticed by the man walking on the side-walk.


    Ethan: ¡°Well, looks like I¡¯m getting really popular with these people.¡±


    Seeing Ro thinking of how to kill him unaware of how close to his target he was, he smiles.


    Ethan: ¡°Let¡¯s see then, how capable of a person is out to kill me?¡±


    *******************************

 Chapter 3: Spirit-User

    In the abyss I¡¯ve seen countless times, there is nothing but peace. This place is the epitome of silence. Being here should, generally speaking, make me eerie. After all, there¡¯s literally no one here. I can¡¯t see anything, I can¡¯t hear anything. It¡¯s like being held prisoner in a dark ¡®cage¡¯ and being unable to escape or to even think of escaping.


    But this is how it should go based on appearances. This is far from the truth. There has never been a single time when I felt unease for being in the abyss neither have I ever wanted to leave here.


    The silence is calming, inability to see and/or hear feels like freedom. This place brings solace to the soul. I have always thought of this place in a positive light. Even before Barry told me what it is, when I noticed it for the first time, I thought of it as somewhere I would definitely want to come again and again.


    These thoughts, as they race through my head, feel forced for some reason. I don¡¯t know why but it looks like these thoughts are not my own. But I¡¯m confident I have these thoughts. In fact, they occur to me every other day. Every time I think of ¡®The Cage¡¯, I think how it betrays the vibe its appearance gives off. So how can thinking the exact same thing now make me feel unease?


    It doesn¡¯t make any sense. Since I¡¯m in ¡®The Cage¡¯, it¡¯s pretty obvious that my thoughts are calm and I don¡¯t feel any agitation. But even so, this small feeling of unease is disturbing me. If not mine, whose thoughts could these be? I can¡¯t think of anyone. If they were Barry¡¯s thoughts, I would have felt much more than just unease by that. The only reason I can consider this possibility calmly is because I¡¯m in ¡®The Cage¡¯. But because of that, I can assess it definitely isn¡¯t Barry whose thoughts could be in my head.


    So, the other candidates could be ¡­ anyone I¡¯ve ever met. For the most part of my childhood, I never had any close friends, just a few people I knew and talked to at school. After that incident 12 years ago, I kept myself isolated from others. So, everyone except Barry that I¡¯ve met in my life is pretty much on equal footing for me. None of them particularly look like suspects at this point, but I have to consider the possibility.


    Let¡¯s see then. Out of all the people I talked to in my school, could it be anyone of them? It helps that I¡¯m a psychic. An ability called eidetic memory is ingrained in the psyche of a psychic. Unless the person completely gives up on psychic, this ability surely surfaces in their mind. With this, I can never forget things from the point where it first surfaced to today, unless I specifically use psychic to forget them like I did 12 years ago. But aside from the memories of that particular incident, everything else is still in my brain. These memories, like any other person¡¯s brain, are stored in subconscious. So the ability is not to have photographic memory, but the ability to use the vast storage of subconscious mind whenever I need to.


    Because of this ability, I can clearly make out the names of those I could call friends at my school. There were five people.


    There was a boy who was good at literature but sucked at science. He had goggles on even as a little kid. Many used to tease him as a ¡®nerd¡¯. I had checked his thoughts countless times and he never had any idea about supernatural things like psychic abilities. Since I myself can¡¯t have thoughts about something I don¡¯t even know, I think it¡¯s safe to say he is not a candidate here.


    Second, there was a boy who was the son of the owner of a major firm in the city. He was a usual rich boy. And by that, I mean he was just a usual boy whose family was rich. He never acted like a delusional brat and never tried to show off his father¡¯s wealth. Whenever someone reads a comic and asks me, ¡®do rich kids really act like the world revolves around them¡¯, he will be the best example for me to say ¡®no¡¯. I checked his thoughts quiet often too. He can¡¯t be the one either.


    Third, there was a girl who lived in the neighborhood. Our fathers were friends ¨C or so Barry had told me. I never really cared that much about my father and so I didn¡¯t care about that connection. But that fact remains that we still met because of it and ended up becoming friends. Come to think of it, I think we only became friends after we started going to the same school. Even though we knew each other beforehand, we never really got around to talking that much. But she can¡¯t be the one either. My thoughts simply don¡¯t feel like they are of a female. Thinking of me as a male while having those thoughts feels natural.


    Fourth, there was a boy a little taller than his peers ¨C that is, us. He was the kind of person who would take the leadership of the class. Even though he wasn¡¯t always the head, his presence in the classroom was always undeniable. In fact, everyone in the class liked him; at least I think they did. He never had any such thoughts and never could have either.


    Finally, there was another girl. I have a hard time remembering her but she can¡¯t be the one either because I know those weren¡¯t a female¡¯s thoughts. It¡¯s kind of bugging me how I can¡¯t clearly remember her even though I¡¯m using the one tool whose specialty is to help me remember ¡®everything¡¯. But I can put that aside for now.


    If I move on with the possibilities, there¡¯s my father. He knew about both me and Barry. So he knew that psychics existed. But according to what I know, he was just a normal human. He had never known what ¡®The Cage¡¯ is. It¡¯s impossible to become a psychic if you are not born with the talent, so they can¡¯t be his thoughts either.


    So what possibilities remain? After that, I pretty much knew everyone I knew in my life to a very small extent. I isolated myself and so they never got to talk to me much and never knew much about them. Even if one of them was a psychic, they would not know because I was always hiding my abilities from anyone who can sense it. Even as a kid, my ability to mask my psychic energy was absolute. So no matter how powerful of a psychic we are talking about, they just couldn¡¯t have known I¡¯m like them.


    I went over several other possibilities, but none of them would have any way of coming true. So what now? Am I going to waste all the time I have in here thinking about some thoughts that don¡¯t feel like my own. I should have better use of this time. That¡¯s what I¡¯d like to say to brush it off, but when a question like this arises, it becomes a really serious issue for a psychic. Having to peek in other¡¯s minds is no big deal for us but if someone if able to peek into our minds and transfer their thoughts over, that¡¯s really dangerous.


    So after all this investigation into my memories, if I have to bet on a possibility, I would say these thoughts are really my own but there¡¯s a ¡®gap¡¯ somewhere in between which needs to be fulfilled so I can fully comprehend them. This ¡®gap¡¯ could be something I don¡¯t remember. They can also be something I just don¡¯t know yet and these thoughts in that case will be a premonition.


    I should try to ¨C


    As I was about to move forward with my thoughts, I am suddenly forced awake by something. I immediately stand up to counteract any danger that might be on me, but to my surprise, everything seems to be normal.


    I see the beach glowing a little by how reflection of the morning sun is pouring into it. I would judge the time right now to be around 4 or 5. In which case, that girl will come here after at least an hour or so. There¡¯s no one else here either. Everything seems absolutely fine.


    But my body won¡¯t use a defense mechanism like that for nothing. It¡¯s precisely this ability of my body to immediately pull myself out of sleep that I can go to sleep without much to worry about. It¡¯s nothing special though, most psychics have it. But regardless, I can¡¯t be sure there¡¯s nothing wrong. There¡¯s definitely something here of concern to me.


    An ability called Aura Reading allows me to read the structure, nature of and intention of everyone and everything in the radius of the ability. Should I decide to use it, I can detect the entire Aura of this island. Anyone on this island will be under my radius. The only problem in using that ability is that it takes a lot of focus and will give anyone the perfect chance to attack me should they desire to.


    So, the question remains; what should I do now? Best bet is to keep to teleport-as-soon-as-danger-approaches strategy, but that means I¡¯ll just have to wait and see if something happens. Seeing how anxious I am, it¡¯s not going to be easy. Isn¡¯t there any other way to deal with this situation? There should be. Come on, think.


    I move towards the forest. Since I can teleport in an instant, I am not taking that big of a risk by moving towards a potentially dangerous area. As I come closer to the forest, my anxiety keeps growing. I can hear someone¡¯s footsteps echoing through the forest. It doesn¡¯t sound like that of that girl. It definitely is a human though, at least someone with a human body.


    ???: ¡°You are too suspicious, you know.¡±


    A familiar voice comes from behind me. I almost end up teleporting myself before realizing who it is.


    Girl: ¡°I thought you¡¯ll be less suspicious of me after we talked yesterday.¡±


    Kais: ¡°It¡¯s not you I was so suspicious of right now; at least I don¡¯t think so.¡±


    She tilts her head. This girl managed to appear behind me like she did yesterday. If she really is a mass of energy, then I guess it kind of makes sense there won¡¯t be any noise when she moves. It¡¯s plausible for her to become a top assassin if she tries to use that skill of her to earn money in a normal world.


    Girl: ¡°Then did you meet someone else while I was gone?¡±


    Kais: ¡°No, but I thought I heard footsteps coming from the forest and I don¡¯t think they were yours.¡±


    Girl: ¡°That so. But then who¡¯s would it be?¡±


    Kais: ¡°I have no idea, but I know there¡¯s at least one other person than the both of us on this island.¡±


    Girl: ¡°A ¡­ Ah ¡­ he ¡­ he would never come out of the tomb though.¡±


    For the first time, I saw an expression of genuine shock on her face. If a person who remained a shut-in for as long as you know and then you hear they could be walking outdoors, then I guess a person would be shocked. But for some reason, the expression I saw on her face contained a hint of terror.


    Girl: ¡°Hmm ¡­ definitely, there¡¯s no way he would come out of the tomb.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Can I ask why?¡±


    Girl: ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    That was a quick answer. She didn¡¯t hesitate for even a moment to allow me to doubt her for it. Could it be she was expecting the question and was ready to answer it? It does seem possible and anyone could have guessed that question was going to be asked.


    Girl: ¡°Well, anyway, do you want me to take you to the tomb now?¡±


    Kais: ¡°First tell me, what¡¯s the most dangerous creature in this forest?¡±


    Girl: ¡°Hans.¡±


    Kais: ¡°I see - the bear, huh?¡±


    Girl: ¡°I have heard others call him that. I don¡¯t know what it means, but I would prefer if you call him Hans.¡±The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Kais: ¡°And why¡¯s that?¡±


    Girl: ¡°Because I named him Hans?¡±


    Kais: ¡°You did?¡±


    She nods cheerfully. The smile is back on her face. But still, I thought she didn¡¯t understand the value of names because she never bothers to remember her own. But if she names others, then she must understand it, in some incomplete way that is.


    Girl: ¡°So now?¡±


    Kais: ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m ready.¡±


    I straightened my back and looked at her.  This was to show that I¡¯m sincere though I doubt she would get that. I will leave aside thinking about other issues, the tomb is the most pressing matter right now. It is the key to answering what exactly happens when a psychic meets that dragon and what¡¯s the exact reason for psychics being brought here. At this point, I¡¯m almost certain in that theory of mine. The final confirmation should come from the tomb itself.


    Girl: ¡°Okay then, follow me.¡±


    She starts walking into the forest. I notice that Jack and Jill are back, but they aren¡¯t stopping me anymore. I guess I can finally go in.


    I put a foot into the forest territory and see that neither Jack, Jill nor any other creature here is trying to stop me. This means I should stop hesitating and go in.


    And finally, I take another step into the forest.


    Girl: ¡°If you¡¯re that slow, I¡¯m going to leave you behind, mister.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Well, you won¡¯t be able to. But come to think of it, I never told you my name, did I?


    Girl: ¡°Nope.¡±


    The same smile, the same tone and the same out-of-place feeling repeats itself.


    Kais: ¡°I¡¯m Kais.¡±


    Girl: ¡°Okay. I¡¯m ¡­ I¡¯m ¡­ nope, I forgot.¡±


    She looked like she was pondering on what to answer. It almost seemed like she was going to name herself on a whim.


    Kais: ¡°Yeah, we went over that part.¡±


    If she does find significance in naming others but not herself then she is probably the one who named Jack and Jill too. If that¡¯s the case, then there is also the fact that the names ¡®Jack¡¯ and ¡®Jill¡¯ are too much of a coincidence. I should ask her why she named these creatures the way she did after I am done with the tomb.


    Girl: ¡°I already warned you once but I¡¯m going to leave you behind if you¡¯re that slow.¡±


    While I have been thinking, my pace has been quite slow. She, on the other hand, looks really energetic, though that¡¯s kinda obvious if she is made of energy herself. But anyway, I should catch up to her.


    Kais: ¡°Fine, I¡¯m coming.¡±


    I sprinted a few steps to catch up to her when suddenly,


    Girl: ¡°ACKH!!!¡±


    Kais: ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Girl: ¡°It¡¯s ¡­ it¡¯s ¡­ the ¡­ no way ¡­ I ¡­¡±


    I find an expression of shock alongside fear I had seen only once before. What¡¯s she freaking out about? I look at what her face seems to be looking at and ¡­ it¡¯s a rabbit.


    Kais: ¡°You afraid of rabbits or something?¡±


    Girl: ¡°That ¡­ that thing is ¡­¡±


    I hear footsteps again. Someone is coming this way. There definitely is someone coming this way. But who is it?


    Girl: ¡°That¡¯s a ¡­ monster.¡±


    That¡¯s quite a word to use. All I can see is an ordinary red-eyed rabbit. The only thing odd about him is golden fur but that seems to be a characteristic for every animal on the island. Considering all that, it looks pretty ordinary. I do have my guard up though. Who knows? Maybe even rabbits here are dangerous.


    Girl: ¡°Why ¡­ why ¡­ why is it ¡­ here?¡±


    She keeps moving backwards as her shoulders start to tremble in fear. From her question, it looks like it shouldn¡¯t be here.


    Kais: ¡°If it lives on this island, it should be able to go anywhere, right?¡±


    She didn¡¯t respond. I am keeping my eyes on the rabbit, so I don¡¯t know if she nodded or something.


    Kais: ¡°Or you perhaps telling me ¡­ it shouldn¡¯t be on this island?¡±


    I take a peek at her and see her nodding. And with that, another mystery opens up. And this time, I can¡¯t think of any theories for it.


    Girl: ¡°That monster ¡­ was ¡­ cast off ¡­ this island. He ¡­ did it.¡±


    I assume she¡¯s taking about The Dragon. This rabbit, or rabbit-like creature, is considered a monster and cast off the island. Yet, it manages to come back.


    Kais: ¡°So what exactly did it do to earn the title of ¡®monster¡¯?¡±


    Girl: ¡°It ¡­ it ¡­¡±


    ???: ¡°Don¡¯t be so quick in judging it?¡±


    A voice comes from other side of the forest. The footsteps are coming from the same direction. It sounds like a female¡¯s voice.


    Girl: ¡°She ¡­ she¡¯s here.¡±


    Kais: ¡°So you know whose voice that was?¡±


    Girl: ¡°It¡¯s ¡­ whoever ¡­ controls this ¡­ monster.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Controls?¡±


    Girl: ¡°Yes, controlling him ¡­ is the only way ¡­ to bring him back.¡±


    A silhouette of a woman emerges from the forest trees. She is about 10 meters away from us.


    Woman: ¡°Allow me to introduce myself. I¡¯m Sona Pectus.¡±


    This woman, Sona Pectus, looks to be around my age and her height is barely less than mine. She has blonde hair and looks like a normal, pretty woman.


    Girl: ¡°You are ¡­ why ¡­ are ¡­ here?¡±


    Sona: ¡°Well, I came to take what¡¯s mine.¡±


    As she says that, Sona points at the girl and in a flash, the right hand of the girl is detached from her shoulder. It takes me a while to realize that in this flash second, the rabbit had jumped on it, grabbed it with its mouth and tore it off before jumping away.


    Girl: ¡°Ah ¡­ you ¡­ monster.¡±


    The blood flows out. It was enough to make me take a step back. But the girl doesn¡¯t cry. She is just terrified of the rabbit and the woman. Pain isn¡¯t present on her face. For some reason, this sight does not shock me enough to panic and get terrified of the rabbit or this woman, Sona.


    Sona: ¡°So then, do you know why you¡¯re here?¡±


    She looks at me as she asks this question. Her face tells me how serious she is and that it would be best to not try to dodge the question.


    Kais: ¡°I have a few theories, but I can¡¯t say for certain.¡±


    Sona: ¡°I see.¡±


    She exasperatedly sighs. My alertness is at its peak right now. Even with that fast of a speed, the rabbit would be able to do nothing if I try to teleport away now. But that won¡¯t solve anything.


    Kais: ¡°Is she going to be okay?¡±


    Sona: ¡°Why even ask? Judging from how you are not that shocked or worried about her, you must already have stumbled upon the realization that she is made of energy.¡±


    Kais: ¡°I wouldn¡¯t call it realization, but yeah, I did think of that.¡±


    Sona: ¡°Then you should know that she will be fine. Energy can¡¯t be destroyed or created, so I can¡¯t kill her even if I try to.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Well, in that case, would you tell me why you made the rabbit attack her.¡±


    Sona: ¡°Well, for starters, it¡¯s not a rabbit. It may look like one, but it¡¯s not.¡±


    Kais: ¡°I kinda know that but don¡¯t know any other name to call it by.¡±


    Sona smirks. That expression is her looking down on me. Well, I can¡¯t help it. I don¡¯t know what these creatures are. Even if she looks down on me, I won¡¯t suddenly know their species¡¯ name.


    Sona: ¡°Well, let¡¯s just say ¨C it¡¯s a spirit.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Ah ¡­¡±


    Did she say ¡®spirit¡¯? She did, didn¡¯t she? She definitely said ¡®spirit¡¯. But what¡¯s that supposed to mean?


    Sona: ¡°What? Have you never heard of ¡®spirits¡¯? ¡±


    Kais: ¡°I have.¡±


    From what I know about them, they are sentient life-forms who exist as energy and can¡¯t interfere with anything in the world unless someone provides a medium for them too. This medium is generally a ¡®contract¡¯ of sorts with humans.


    Sona: ¡°Then why are you so surprised about it?¡±


    Kais: ¡°Well, from what I know about the spirits, they need a contract with someone to interfere with anything in the world.¡±


    Sona: ¡°And?¡±


    She looks at me like I¡¯m an idiot. That¡¯s somewhat getting on my nerves but I have to control my emotions for now.


    Kais: ¡°If you¡¯re trying to act like it has a contract with you, then don¡¯t bother. The ruse is not going to work on me.¡±


    Her eyes widen at my words.


    Sona: ¡°I see. So you could tell?¡±


    Kais: ¡°Contracts form a very thin thread of energy tying the spirit to the one they are contracted too. This doesn¡¯t exist between you two.¡±


    When the rabbit first appeared, it was in front of my previous position. Sona was perpendicular to it. So when the rabbit when past me to tore that girl¡¯s arm off and landed further away from me, that thread would have passed my body and I would have felt its presence. But, that didn¡¯t happen.


    Sona: ¡°Well, I guess you do know some things. Glad you are not a moron.¡±


    Kais: ¡°I have a hard time taking that as a compliment.¡±


    Sona: ¡°Who said anything about it being a compliment?¡±


    We look at each other with dumbfounded expressions. While we were talking, the girl passed out and her body was leaning against a tree trunk. Her arm is starting to grow back. Though the better way to describe it would be ¨C her arm¡¯s portion of energy is coming back to its initial state.


    Sona: ¡°See? Didn¡¯t I say she¡¯ll we fine?¡±


    Kais: ¡°Yeah, more or less.¡±


    Both our gazes had turned to her for a moment. This is an awkward situation. I was just walking with this girl while casually talking to her. Then she got attacked. And now I am casually talking with the attacker. My mind just doesn¡¯t seem to act like it normally would.


    Sona: ¡°You are really weird for being so indifferent about this whole situation, you know?¡±


    Kais: ¡°Well, glad to know that we¡¯re thinking the same thing.¡±


    I can¡¯t justify not being shocked by what happened to her. True enough, it might have helped me hold a conversation with Sona, but that doesn¡¯t change the fact that I saw someone so human-like get their arm chopped off and I didn¡¯t panic even a little. There¡¯s something not right with my emotions.


    Sona: ¡°Well, if you are self-aware of it, it shouldn¡¯t present that big of a problem.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Okay then. Can you now tell me what it is that you¡¯re here for?¡±


    I looked at her while asking this. This way, it won¡¯t be easy for her to avoid the question if she wants to.


    Sona: ¡°Well, there¡¯s only one reason to be completely honest.¡±


    Kais: ¡°And that is?¡±


    Sona: ¡°To kill the dragon.¡±


    *******************************


    Ro stops at a public telephone booth. He had to wait a little while because someone was already in there. He has decided to call for back-up since he was given the permission to take as many as he wants with him. Calling from a public booth insures that no one will be able to tell the reason why this call was made. Even if, by some chance, someone is watching him, they won¡¯t know who he is calling unless they eavesdrop on him. If they try to do that, they will be falling right in Ro¡¯s trap.


    Ro was born as a normal human, but with a single exceptional ability. It was the ability to detect anyone and everyone who would use any kind of psychic in a radius of 10 kilometers. It was somewhat similar to the ability of reading aura that psychics have. People like him were called half-psychics. They can¡¯t learn any new ability, and they are born with just one. Mohammed, who was also born with just the one ability of Invisible Water, met him when Ro joined the group. They quickly became friends and also teamed up for many missions. There were many people like these two; in fact, there might be more half-psychics than there are psychics. No one knows what the logic is behind the birth of half-psychics. Among the limited number of people in the world who do know about supernatural, there are not many who care about it though.


    Ro, having finished his call, steps out of the booth. He quickly glances in all directions, but he can¡¯t find anybody acting suspiciously and can¡¯t sense anyone using psychic either. Assuring himself that everything will be fine as long as he keeps his ability active, he starts walking again. He is travelling in the same path he had followed before stopping at the booth. He has just called for back-up. They will be arriving at a shed house further down the path he is on.


    Ro: ¡°But it sure is a surprise. This Ethan Kales, if nothing, he has guts.¡±


    Ro keeps walking down the side-walk as a black safari stops near the same telephone booth he had stopped at before. Ethan steps out and takes a glance at Ro. His facial expression hides the inner excitement he feels right now. The aspect of fighting head-to-head with a psychic, even a half-psychic, is exciting for him. A human like him fighting with psychics and half-psychics head-to-head ¨C who could have believed such a thing, would happen? He himself never could.


    Ethan: ¡°Guess I should check now.¡±


    Ethan steps in the booth. The moment he enters he sees the phone. He smiles as if he can no longer hold in his excitement.


    Ethan: ¡°Man, I need to calm down. I can¡¯t make a stupid move now because I was too excited to think it through.¡±


    He moves his hands under the pay phone and put his finger in a keyhole. After making sure where it is, he takes a small shiny ball much like the object Kais had mysteriously found in his wallet, and inserts it in the keyhole. The ball disappears and the box opens. He then moves his hands over the bottom surface until he feels something rectangular touching his fingers. It was a rectangular disc-like object which he tears off from the bottom. Making sure he doesn¡¯t look strange to anyone if they pass by, he puts the disc in his jacket¡¯s pocket and steps out of the booth.


    Ethan: ¡°Well, now that we have that taken care of, let¡¯s move to the next stage.¡±


    He gets back-in inside the Safari and relaxes his shoulders. The disc he has just removed from the booth was to rig the telephone. Any call made using the telephone would be redirected to Ethan¡¯s mobile. The person monopolizing the booth before Ro had put it in and he had taken it out. In this interval, only Ro had made the call. No one else was inconvenienced by it so no glitch would occur in the plan.


    Ethan: ¡°Poor guy though, didn¡¯t even realize who he was talking to was me. He was asking me for back-up in killing me. Ha! ¡­ Ha! ¡­ HA! HA! HA!!!¡±


    As the man laughs at the irony of the situation, Ro keeps walking towards his destination. He would go and meet the people he called for and then tell them how they would ambush Ethan. His plan is simple, but it would work. There would be no problem. He has this confidence in his mind. There¡¯s no way he would be tricked in some way.


    And yet, he holds onto his phone messaging an ¡®SOS!¡¯ to a friend. There¡¯s no need for alarm. There¡¯s no reason for him to send such a message. But he does. On the off-chance something goes wrong, he sends a message asking his friend for help. If everything goes according to his plan, then he will have caused problems for this friend without any reason. Even so, he can¡¯t take the risk. That¡¯s just the curse of an ordinary man living alongside extraordinary people, and that¡¯s exactly what a half-psychic like him is in front of people like Kais or Garfield. No matter how much he trusts himself, he will remain vigilant.


    Ro looks up at the sky. It¡¯s night. It¡¯s a night without any stars in the sky but there is a half-moon. Even though he is more powerful than a human like Ethan Kales, even though he is a weakling in front of someone like Kais, he sees the sky they see when they look up. Seeing this,


    Ro: ¡°I wonder - when will I be free?¡±


    *******************************

 Chapter 4: Objective To Kill

    Kais: ¡°Kill ¡­ the dragon?¡±


    She didn¡¯t reply, but from her silence I can tell that I didn¡¯t hear it wrong.


    Kais: ¡°Are you ¡­ serious?¡±


    Sona: ¡°Why? Of course I am.¡±


    Her response comes instantly. She is acting like it¡¯s the most natural thing in the world to do. Does she even understand what she is saying right now?


    Kais: ¡°Why would you want to do that?¡±


    Sona: ¡°Well, I have my own reasons.¡±


    Kais: ¡°And you are not going to say what they are?¡±


    Sona: ¡°I have no obligation to tell you. I told you why I¡¯m here only out of courtesy. Don¡¯t expect any more answers.¡±


    She folds her arms as she says that. True enough, I shouldn¡¯t expect to be getting answer to every single one of my questions, but this is just ridiculous. Why would she try to kill the dragon?


    It¡¯s not that I can¡¯t think of any reason why she would want to do it, in fact I know there would be a lot who would have heard this story and wanted to kill him. But that¡¯s like a pipe dream. Nobody would have enough guts to actually try to go through with it. No, this isn¡¯t about guts. Nobody would actually want to die doing something so stupid.


    Sona: ¡°Is it really that surprising?¡±


    Kais: ¡°Of course it is. You basically dropped a bombshell on me.¡±


    She sighs hearing me say that. I take a look at the little girl, or the big mass of energy acting like a little girl, lying near the tree trunk. The dragon is the one controlling her and so he would know anything she would know. That means he knows Sona attacked her, but I can¡¯t say if he¡¯s able to hear anything now that the girl has fallen unconscious. Though, by this point, her arms have returned to normal.


    Kais: ¡°How exactly, do you intend to fight him?¡±


    Sona: ¡°Well, I can¡¯t really risk letting my secrets get known.¡±


    Kais: ¡°So you say.¡±


    Even though you are willing to openly say you¡¯re here to kill him.


    Sona: ¡°Well, that¡¯s about me. What¡¯s your predicament?¡±


    As she asks that question, I realize the fact that I have only been asking questions and answering none by this point. I guess its fare I should tell her what I am here for, except I don¡¯t know it myself.


    Kais: ¡°I can¡¯t say.¡±


    Sona: ¡°¡®Can¡¯t say¡¯?¡±


    She picked that up fast.


    Kais: ¡°I don¡¯t know exactly what I¡¯m here for. I know people have come to this island before and I think their reasons could be kind of similar to why I am here, but I have no idea what they could have been.¡±


    Sona: ¡°Is that so?¡±


    She makes a face of dismay at hearing those words. However, her expressions don¡¯t show a tinge of surprise.


    Kais: ¡°You don¡¯t look much surprised by it.¡±


    Sona: ¡°Oh?¡±


    If anything, I would say she already expected the answer, but was still disappointed when she got it.


    Sona: ¡°Well, I guess you want to go to the tomb now?¡±


    Kais: ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what I was trying to do before you showed up.¡±


    Sona: ¡°I¡¯d say this once ¨C forget it.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Huh?¡±


    What¡¯s that supposed to mean? I have no idea what¡¯s going on and going to the tomb is the only thing I can think of that might give me some clues. So how am I supposed to just forget about it?


    Sona: ¡°There¡¯s no point in you going there.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡±


    Sona: ¡°I assume you are a psychic.¡±


    I nod. I¡¯m not surprised she managed to figure that out, but if she did, she should know it¡¯s not an easy situation I¡¯m in ¨C near a legend yet not knowing why I am here. I have anxiety building up inside of me every moment. This is going to do nothing but hinder my abilities.


    Sona: ¡°Even if you go there, all it will do is shorten your lifespan.¡±


    What? That statement doesn¡¯t sound like a joke. No, from what her expressions say, it¡¯s anything but a joke.


    Kais: ¡°Are you telling me the dragon ¡­¡±


    Sona: ¡°I¡¯m telling you your life will end sooner than it should, nothing more nothing less.¡±


    What the hell? Why is she dragging the conversation like this? You can¡¯t just tell someone they¡¯ll die if they do something and then shut up.


    Kais: ¡°Damn! At least explain why?¡±


    Sona: ¡°You are a psychic, aren¡¯t you? Why don¡¯t you just read my mind and find out?¡±


    I click my tongue. Reading minds - that will take up too much of my focus. It¡¯s very risky. But from how the conversation seems to be going, there might not be any other choice if I want answers.


    Sona: ¡°I see. You are one of those cautious types.¡±


    Kais: ¡°What?¡±


    Sona: ¡°Don¡¯t try to hide it. It¡¯s clear from your face how worried you are about anything going wrong.¡±


    My face, you say? My expression right now is that of an idiot. Some might even call me coward for always thinking of what¡¯s about to come whenever it comes to taking the initiative. But that¡¯s fine with me. Being a coward is far better than being dead.


    Kais: ¡°I suppose I can¡¯t deny it.¡±


    Sona: ¡°Well anyway, we got that out of the way, so I don¡¯t think I have any more questions that you could answer.¡±


    That sounds like she is going to declare our conversation is over. That could turn out to be a problem. While I have no qualms with us parting even though most of my questions haven¡¯t been answered, the main reason is that she is someone who intends to defeat the dragon.


    Sona: ¡°What? There¡¯s something you wanna say?¡±


    It looks like she noticed the anxiety of my face.


    I sigh and collect my thoughts. I don¡¯t know if she understands the situation I¡¯m in, but it looks like she doesn¡¯t.


    Kais: ¡°Let¡¯s say you defeat the dragon, what then? Do you know how that could affect the island?¡±


    Sona: ¡°I do. The tomb might break apart. The island, in response, will divide into pieces and each piece will get separated.¡±


    This was something of a premonition in the story. From how she said it, it looks like it will actually happen.


    Kais: ¡°And you¡¯re telling me you are going to try to kill him in-spite of that?¡±


    Sona: ¡°I am.¡±


    She doesn¡¯t even flinch in giving that answer; just how important is killing the dragon for her?


    Kais: ¡°Well, that would mean I¡¯ll have no way of finding out the answers to any of my questions or to get back. So, I can¡¯t really let you do whatever the hell you want.¡±


    Her eyes widen a bit at hearing my proclamation.


    Sona: ¡°So you are telling me you don¡¯t know how to get back?¡±


    Kais: ¡°I did already say I didn¡¯t exactly know the reasons why I¡¯m here, didn¡¯t I? It¡¯s because I was brought were against my will and without giving any knowledge of the place.¡±


    Sona: ¡°I ¡­ I see.¡±


    She looks down, shocked after hearing what I just said. It¡¯s hard to understand why she is so shocked. Unless, does it mean ¡­


    Kais: ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you know how to get out of here?¡±


    She doesn¡¯t reply but keeps looking down. One second passes. Two seconds pass. Five seconds pass. She doesn¡¯t answer.


    Kais: ¡°¡­ What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    She closes her eyes. I¡¯m guessing she is trying to compose herself. On hearing that I can¡¯t get out of here, she lost her composure like that¡¯s a very big problem for her. But why would that be? There¡¯s no reason for her to be this concerned about me since we basically just met. Then, what else could she be worried about that needs me to get out of here?


    Sona: ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing. And I don¡¯t know how you can get out of here.¡±


    I realize the choice of words in her sentence indicate something.


    Kais: ¡°Does that mean you know how you can get out?¡±


    Sona: ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter to you. You can¡¯t use the method I do.¡±


    Kais: ¡°That¡¯s fine as long as it gives me some hints.¡±


    Sona: ¡°Just ¡­ forget it.¡±


    How am I supposed to do that? Forget I am stuck on an island with no way out. How am I supposed to forget that?


    Kais: ¡°I don¡¯t know what your problem is, but I think it should be obvious I can¡¯t just forget about it.¡±


    Sona: ¡°I suppose so.¡±


    Kais: ¡°So, are you going to help or not?¡±


    Sona: ¡°Can¡¯t say.¡±


    Damn! This is irritating. I understand she might have her reasons, but it¡¯s still irritating to be treated like this, especially after it started to look like she would be willing to give me some hints.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Sona: ¡°Well, that changes nothing.¡±


    Kais: ¡°What?¡±


    Sona: ¡°I¡¯m going to kill the dragon. Try to stop me and you¡¯ll become a target too.¡±


    Threatening me is one way to keep a potential problem in check. But it won¡¯t work here. While I won¡¯t try to act foolishly and put myself in danger, I am not going to sit around and do nothing either.


    Sona: ¡°If that¡¯s clear, I¡¯ll be going now.¡±


    With that declaration, she starts walking. I stand there doing nothing, nothing but thinking. Yes, I can¡¯t act foolishly here. If I have to do something, it should be trying to figure out what I can do to stop her without putting myself in much danger. While I¡¯m fairly certain I can take on that rabbit and defeat it, I am not certain how much damage I will take before I finally defeat it.


    She suddenly stops about 20 meters away from me and looks back, her eyes showing a glint of dismay, but says nothing, turns around, and continues walking again.


    Kais: ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I can¡¯t let you do as you please.¡±


    I mutter those words quietly enough so no one can hear them and then turn to look at the little girl resting with her back to a tree¡¯s trunk.


    Kais: ¡°Well, she¡¯s just energy, so she should be fine but ¡­¡±


    Her arm getting ripped off was a pretty brutal sight to see. While she has regenerated, or maybe I should say all the dispersed energy has returned to its initial state, it doesn¡¯t change the fact that I saw her get hurt and couldn¡¯t do anything. I do feel bad about it. There¡¯s no way I can¡¯t feel bad about a little girl getting hurt like this. If anything, I¡¯m surprised why I was able to ignore this feeling for this much time.


    Kais: ¡°Well, I can¡¯t waste my time like this though. There¡¯s something far more import to think about.¡±


    How to get that stubborn woman to talk? If that¡¯s not possible, I¡¯ll have to find a way to read her mind. In either case, I¡¯ll need a solid defense. There are two situations where I¡¯d be completely open to be attacked. In first case, if she makes that rabbit attack me then due to its ridiculous speed, I¡¯d not be able to defend in time. In the second case, someone else might attack me while I¡¯m not ready. So, I need to be ready to teleport at any moment.


    Kais: ¡°I do feel like I¡¯m relying too much on teleportation. Maybe I should try to take a little risk once in a while.¡±


    The thought is refreshing. I think it¡¯s a good thing my mind can have such thoughts. But, there¡¯s no way I can risk it in such a serious situation. If I screw up, I¡¯ll never get a second chance. So while I¡¯m glad the thought came to mind, I can¡¯t follow up on it.


    Kais: ¡°Okay, so how am I going to deal with this?¡±


    Pushing these thoughts out of my mind, I try to focus on the question of ¡®how to deal with the situation¡¯. First of all, why does that rabbit-like spirit follow her commands? It¡¯s because it has made a contract with her. Or at least that¡¯s how it should be, but in reality there¡¯s no contract between the two. This won¡¯t do. I am not getting anywhere like this. Okay, let¡¯s say they actually do have a contract that I was not able to detect, then how does the situation play out?


    This means that she is capable of making contracts with spirits, so there might be other cards up her sleeve I haven¡¯t seen yet. There¡¯s a distinguishing feature of Spirit-Users. It is the fact that the affects of psychic energy, whether harmful or beneficial, are very weak on them. When I fought Ro and Mohammed, I used energy manipulation. It allows me to concentrate the psychic energy in my body into a particular point and release it with a high velocity to do a considerable amount of damage. Of course there are other uses of it. I just used it to attack, but it can be used in many other ways. But to do so, I would need to be safe from any danger. Last time, while we were talking, I readied myself for photokinesis. By the time the fight started, I was ready to turn myself invisible. That gave me the edge I needed to use energy manipulation, but this time won¡¯t be that easy.


    Though I do have an arsenal of really powerful psychic abilities, I don¡¯t have enough psychic energy to devote a little to all of them. At best, I can use two abilities together at their full potential. And even for that, I need to prepare myself.


    Just from numbers of abilities I can use, I may look to be really powerful, but I am not in the least. At least, I¡¯m nothing compared to Barry.


    *******************************


    Sona walks through the forest to reach the tomb. Her spirit-friend is leading the way for her. The rabbit-like spirit exudes an aura that makes every animal back down. Even the bear called Hans, who she has just passed by didn¡¯t move a muscle.


    It may look like a rabbit, and seeing beasts be afraid by a rabbit might sound weird, but that¡¯s what it will look to anyone who can¡¯t sense the aura. It is well-known that spirits can take multiple forms, but whenever Sona has called for it, it had only shown itself as a rabbit. Sona herself doesn¡¯t know why this spirit takes the shape of a rabbit. If she had an actual contract with it, maybe she would have found out the answer. But she doesn¡¯t worry much about it. After all, what does it matter if it takes one or seven forms? It can still do what every other spirit can do.


    The spirit stops and looks up. Sona realizes the meaning of that glare. It is said that the dragon hates spirits and keeps a barrier around the tomb to stop them from entering. Whether hating spirits part is true or not, the barrier part definitely is. This spirit is telling her that this is as far as it can go. The path straight ahead should soon lead to the tomb. The spirit has does its job well. Now she can go the rest of the way by herself.


    Sona: ¡°Okay then, come back.¡±


    She holds out her hand with her palm facing downwards on the spirit. A light emerges on the spirit¡¯s body and it fades away.


    Sona: ¡°Well then, I¡¯m finally here.¡±


    She looks ahead as she confirms her resolve to go through with her objective. She can see a clearing after a few trees. That clearing must be the place where the tomb is situated. She has come close to her destination and it fills her with a sense of anxiety over what¡¯s to come.


    Sona: ¡°Alright then¡±


    She shakes her head, looks ahead and starts walking again.


    Sona: ¡°I can¡¯t back down now. So prepare yourself, dragon.¡±


    With each step she takes, she is closing in on the beast that is known to have befriended ¡®god¡¯. This dragon was capable of decimating mountains. It was feared throughout the world and even the strongest of psychics couldn¡¯t take him on alone. So what could this young, blonde woman do to stand up against this monster?


    Sona: ¡°I bet you are thinking that, aren¡¯t you? I bet you are underestimating the heck out of me. That will be your downfall.¡±


    She keeps walking, never trying to run away, always moving forward, and taking risks on her life. Even though she knows full well that she wouldn¡¯t get a second chance if she screws up, she doesn¡¯t back down or try to play it safe. More accurately, she doesn¡¯t have the luxury of doing so.


    Sona: ¡°I WILL defeat you. I WILL take my revenge¡±


    In truth, she is not fully confident that she will be succesful. But she can¡¯t let it show on her face. The dragon may be able to see her, even if she doesn¡¯t know how. If she shows that she isn¡¯t confident enough in her plan, the one concern that could be building up in the dragon will subside and she won¡¯t get the chance to do what she came to do.


    Sona: ¡°Okay then, here we go.¡±


    She stretched out her hand so that her palm is facing the clearing. With this, and a grin on her face, the battle begins.


    *******************************


    At the shed house Ro had planned to meet his back-up, there was someone already waiting for him to show up. This person had also just arrived at the place, but they still had to wait a considerable amount of time before Ro shows up.


    This person had received a phone call a while back. The caller told them to insert a particular disc in a particular phone booth and monopolize it until Ro shows up. They had hidden their face with a jacket, so Ro never noticed who they were. Once that was done, they walked away from the place and waited for a call. The caller called next time asking them to go to this shed and wait there for Ro to show up.


    And so, this person had come to this point. The man who they were speaking with on the phone, Ethan Kales, is not their superior or anything like that. But the simple thing is that their goals align for the moment. He comes up with plans, and they help bring it to fruition. They don¡¯t wholeheartedly trust Ethan; neither does Ethan have complete faith in them. But because of mutual benefit coming from their combined actions, they are willing to keep working with each other.


    Having waited a little while, they finally hear footsteps. It was faint and unclear at first, but it slowly becomes clear that they are indeed footsteps. This means that Ro, their target, has arrived there. Realizing this, they decide to hide themselves in the darkness formed by the shadows of boxes of goods kept in the shed.


    Ro: ¡°Well, it looks like they aren¡¯t here yet. That¡¯s good in a way.¡±


    Ro looks somewhat relieved that he reached the shed before his back-up. Of course, his back-up was never coming, so it was bound to be this way, but he doesn¡¯t know that. He closes his eyes and tried to move around as if trying to sense his surroundings. They don¡¯t know what Ro is doing, but they have heard of him having the ability to detect any psychic energy in a large radius around him. It was probably that. If only Ro could detect Aural energy too, then their plan would have failed as he would have noticed the disc that bends waves and found that he was not talking to who he thought he was.


    Ro: ¡°Okay then, no one nearby is using any kind of psychic. That¡¯s reassuring. Now I just have to wait for them to arrive.¡±


    Of course that¡¯s the answer Ro arrives at. No one nearby is using psychic. As long as the abilities being used aren¡¯t psychic, his half-psychic ability is of no value.


    Ro: ¡°Now then¡±


    The sound of a car parking nearby comes. Ro might think the person he talked to on the phone may have arrived, and in a way, he wasn¡¯t wrong.


    Ro: ¡°A black safari?¡±


    It¡¯s Ethan, the man who Ro was supposed to find and kill. But, in contrast, Ethan is the one whose plan is succeeding. At least, at this point, Ethan has played Ro for a fool.


    Ro: ¡°Is that ¡­¡±


    Seeing the face of the man who came out of the safari, Ro is left stunned. It is not at all a coincidence and Ro understands that well.


    Ethan: ¡°Well, I see you are surprised. That¡¯s such a delight to see.¡±


    At this moment, Ro understands. The voice he had heard on the phone, the voice this man has, he makes the connection.


    Ethan: ¡°Now you are even more shocked. I can¡¯t tell you how happy that makes me.¡±


    Ethan¡¯s smiling. It is a smile that shows innocent joy, even if the smile is far from it. Even if a half-psychic, Ro is still superior to Ethan, who is just a human. Seeing someone superior to him in shock and disbelieve is rather elating to him. It is something he has dreamt of for a long time, and now is the time that dream is coming to fruition.


    At that moment, there is no longer any reason for the person in the shed beside the two men to keep hidden. And so, that person comes out. In the silence that engulfed the place as a result of Ethan¡¯s quiet celebrations and Ro¡¯s shock.


    Ro¡¯s eyes move towards them, and now even more shock is visible on his face.


    Ro: ¡°You ¡­ you are ¡­ Sneha Stone.¡±


    That person, Sneha Stone, steps out of the shed. She looks at Ro with a look of pity in her eyes. It is pity born out of hatred; something she feels for everyone working for Vermillion. But Ro¡¯s shock is far more extreme than her pity. It isn¡¯t just the shock of seeing someone he knew and thought he could trust turn against them, it was far deeper.


    Ro: ¡°You ¡­ are working with ¡­ Ethan Kales?¡±


    Sneha: ¡°And what if I am?¡±


    The image of seeing Sneha just that day surfaces in Ro¡¯s mind. It is the day he and Mohammed took Kais to the island. But they wouldn¡¯t have been able to do so without the help of the woman in front of him.


    Ro: ¡°Why ¡­ then why were you ¡­?¡±


    Sneha: ¡°Your questions are understandable. Someone who would take the risk to make an enemy out of a psychic like Kais for the sake of orders ¨C I wouldn¡¯t believe someone like that could betray the people in power either.¡±


    She, Sneha Stone, had used her powers to knock Kais out. While he may not have been able to know it was her, the fact remains that she is the one who did it. If he finds out and intends to take revenge, it won¡¯t be easy for her to get out of the mess either. The difference between psychics and other supernaturals is just that big.


    Ro: ¡°So ¡­ how come you are here?¡±


    A sudden change occurs in Ro¡¯s expressions. Suddenly, the shock is gone from his face, his speech returns to being fluent and a darkness surfaces in his eyes. Sneha gets surprised by this sudden change, but decides to ignore it and answers the question.


    Sneha: ¡°Well, the simple truth of the matter is that this has been my goal since the beginning. I am pretty sure our ¡®boss¡¯ won¡¯t be as surprised as you are if he finds out about me.¡±


    Ro: ¡°You are telling me Garfield knows?¡±


    There is something off about Ro¡¯s speech. He had always used some sort of honorific when talking about someone superior. This thought bugs Sneha but she tries to keep her attention to the conversation.


    Sneha: ¡°I did say ¡®if¡¯ he finds out. Shouldn¡¯t that mean he doesn¡¯t?¡±


    Ro looks down. His expression is no longer visible to her.


    Ro: ¡°Yeah, I suppose so.¡±


    Sneha: ¡°You know Ro, I have always hated those who suck up to people more powerful than them. Their actions are against the very concept of equality, and I hate it. But that¡¯s why, I also pity you.¡±


    Sneha tightens her hands into a fist as they start glowing. It¡¯s a faint glow but it indicates she is focusing her powers into her fists. It is somewhat similar to energy manipulation that Kais had done, but its output is far more than anything Kais could manage.


    Ethan: ¡°Well, is your conversation over?¡±


    Seeing Ro¡¯s back-to-back questions halting, Ethan asks one of his own. Ro¡¯s eyes turn to look at Ethan. His head is still facing down, but the expression that has taken over his mind isn¡¯t an emotion one would generally associate with that posture.


    Ro: ¡°Yeah, sure. I¡¯m out of questions.¡±


    He starts walking towards Ethan. Sneha gets ready to attack but Ethan puts up a hand to tell her to stop.


    Ro: ¡°At least, there aren¡¯t any questions that I want to ask a scum like you.¡±


    Ro¡¯s body, as he moves, is shaking a little. It¡¯s unclear to both Ethan and Sneha if the shaking was due to fear or something else.


    Ethan: ¡°Well, there¡¯s just one thing I need to say to you.¡±


    Ro¡¯s face moves a little upwards, his eyes staring at Ethan. Sneha¡¯s gaze is locked on Ro, but her attention is also caught by Ethan¡¯s words.


    Ro: ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°You made a mistake when you tried to pick a fight with Kais.¡±


    Ro: ¡°I already know that.¡±


    The look on Ro¡¯s face becomes that of disappointment. He had expected something more important to come out of Ethan¡¯s mouth, but it was something obvious. As a half-psychic who could lose to even the weakest of psychics, he knew full well picking a fight with a psychic who is definitely not amongst the weakest is an idiotic thing to do. No one needs to tell him something so obvious. But the look on Ethan¡¯s face, in contrast, was of bliss.


    Ethan: ¡°I don¡¯t think you understand what I mean by that.¡±


    Ro: ¡°Huh?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°While Ethan is a fairly competent psychic, there¡¯s someone else you have made an enemy out of who is much worse.¡±


    Ro: ¡°What?¡±


    Not just Ro, but Sneha is also surprised to hear that. She thinks that maybe Ethan is trying to psyche him out, but from the look on his face, it¡¯s clear how happy he is. At this moment, Ethan Kales is truly happy. This happiness being a sadistic one as it came from imagining the shock Ro would have on his face. And there has to be someone who would be the cause of this shock. While Sneha doesn¡¯t understand all of the twisted logic in his smile, she does understand that Ethan isn¡¯t bluffing.


    Sneha: ¡°Who ¡­ are you talking about?¡±


    Ethan gaze shifts from Ro to Sneha and back to Ro. He closes his eyes and prepares himself for the shock he is going to witness on their faces and finally, opening his eyes, he continues,


    Ethan: ¡°Barry¡±


    *******************************

 Chapter 5: A Story Of Death

    Near the clearing in the forest, there¡¯s an eerie silence. As Sona stands there with her palm outstretched, for a single moment, nothing happens. But just then, a flock of birds fly out of the tree trunks and branches. It happens so suddenly that anyone there would be distracted for at least a second. And in that one second,


    Sona: ¡°Vessel of Abyss, sink the world into your darkness!¡±


    The ground in front of her, tears open as if it¡¯s made of paper. A beast emerges from it. It is a black, shadowy creature. No, it¡¯s more like it is covered in black shadow. This beast has four legs, is as tall as a human and resembles a tiger in many ways.


    Sona: ¡°Wreak Havoc!¡±


    And with those words, Sona unleashes this beast on the tomb. The beast looks at the clearing and roars. Its roar silences what little noise any creature around it had been making. From the largest of the creatures to the smallest ones present in the forest, not a single sound came out of any of them.


    A human, a psychic, an animal ¨C no matter who it was, it would be clear to them how terrifying of a creature they are faced with. This tiger-like shadowy creature is a spirit known to people as,


    Sona: ¡°Death!¡±


    That¡¯s the name of the spirit. It isn¡¯t that those who named him have a bad sense of naming, but nothing else would come to anyone¡¯s mind when they look at this beast and look at what it can do.


    Sona: ¡°Go on. What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Yet, at this moment, this killing machine that has come to be known as ¡®Death¡¯ itself is not moving. It¡¯s just looking intently at the clearing it has been ordered to rush to. Sona can¡¯t tell what kind of emotion is on its face, but she can tell that whatever it is, it¡¯s not happiness or anger.


    She sighs. This situation isn¡¯t completely unexpected, but she did wish it didn¡¯t happen. She had wished Death would attack no matter who the opponent is, even the dragon.


    Sona: ¡°But I guess that was being too optimistic.¡±


    She again stretches her hand in front of her. But this time, it is the other hand, the left hand. She points her fingers towards Death and,


    Sona: ¡°Your enemy is the dragon. Go, and kill him.¡±


    With those simple words that aren¡¯t nearly as flashy as her first two incantations, she orders Death again. This time, Death cannot do anything but listen. This is a technique to force a spirit to obey the person it¡¯s contracted to. While it may look like just stretching your hand and ordering the spirit around, there is more to it than that and most people with contracts don¡¯t have a clue how to do it.


    Death: ¡°GRR ¡­ GRRRRR!!!¡±


    Death¡¯s rage is clear at being forced to do something against its will, but it still moves forward. It doesn¡¯t run forward, and it can¡¯t run backwards, so it just walks forward. With a few steps, it reaches the clearing with Sona some steps behind.


    Suddenly, a light shined in a distance. Stepping in the clearing just a moment later, Sona sees that it¡¯s a building glowing golden. The shine is so bright that it¡¯s hard to tell what its shape is, but Sona understands that must be the tomb.


    Sona: ¡°Be ready!¡±


    Death: ¡°GRRRRR!!!¡±


    Death is not happy at being bossed around like that. The irritation is clear. This is one of the few spirits that could manage to be in this aura which is deadly to the spirits; of course it regards itself with much self-esteem. But it won¡¯t do anything foolish like run away or attack Sona. It knows full well how dire of a situation they are in. If they try to back down now, they¡¯ll instantly be killed and if they start fighting among themselves, there will be no chance of survival. Considering these possibilities, it holds itself back. Death didn¡¯t have any loyalty towards Sona, and she is well aware of it.


    Sona: ¡°Why don¡¯t you come out in front of us already?¡±


    She shouts as to provoke the dragon. For a moment, there¡¯s silence. Gazing at each other, they both confirm that they are ready for battle. Then,


    ???: ¡°Very well then.¡±


    A figure emerges from the tomb. The golden glow suddenly starts to dampen.


    Sona: ¡°Did I ¡­ just hear him talk?¡±


    She knows instinctively that is the dragon even if it has a human appearance. That said, the fact that the dragon can talk, while not out of bounds of her imagination, it is certainly an unexpected discovery.


    Dragon: ¡°Don¡¯t be so worried about it. I can talk because it was one of the things my friend blessed me with.¡±


    Sona: ¡°What ¡­¡±


    She is still a little shocked at hearing his voice, but her mind immediately starts to work. She understands the dragon is referring to Ozyllus when he says ¡®my friend¡¯.


    Dragon: ¡°Oh well, I wonder if you even actually care about that though.¡±


    Sona takes a short glance at Death. It is ready to attack. It is smart enough to realize that there¡¯s no way out now, so it is ready to give it all it has got. That brought some relief to her knowing that her most powerful weapon is in top form.


    Dragon: ¡°Now, why did you call me here?¡±


    During all this, the glow had continued to dampen little by little. Now finally the tomb has stopped shining. Now it looked like just stone, the color golden is just painted over it. But with this, they can finally take a look at the Dragon.


    Sona: ¡°Huh?¡±


    He looks completely like a human. Built of a slightly muscular, good-looking man with green eyes, slightly dark skin and brown hair length of which almost touched the shoulders, the dragon stands there. If she didn¡¯t already know he is the dragon, she would have mistaken him for another human.


    Dragon: ¡°If you are worried about this form, don¡¯t be. It is just convenient for me to be like this when I have to interact with humans.¡±


    And this human that she may mistake him for is not someone whose lookalike can be ignored.


    Sona: ¡°What the hell? Why do ¡­ why do you ¡­ look so much like Ozyllus?¡±


    Death turns to look at Sona. Beneath the shadowy figure, there is surprise on the spirit¡¯s face. The dragon¡¯s surprised too.


    Very few people know what Ozyllus actually looks like, so few that every single psychic that had come to this island and met the dragon had not known, those who sent them here had not known, those who ordered them to do so had not known either.


    But Sona knows. She knows what Ozyllus really looked like. And it was perfectly clear from the story that the dragon was much different than Ozyllus. So it doesn¡¯t make any sense for the dragon to look like him.


    Dragon: ¡°Well, I¡¯m surprised you know what he looked like. Could you tell me how you learned that?¡±


    The look on the dragon¡¯s face is not the eerie smile that Ethan has when he asks questions or the cautious demeanor Kais has when he asks questions; it is a completely serious expression devoid of any smiles. It looked as if he is giving a message that they can¡¯t not answer.


    Sona: ¡°None of your business.¡±


    But even in front of that, Sona doesn¡¯t say anything to him. It¡¯s not like the expression hasn¡¯t terrified her, but that she could not let that factor control her.


    Dragon: ¡°I see. What will I have to do to make you answer me?¡±


    Sona: ¡°Nothing, because you are dying today.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°That¡¯s what you would like, wouldn¡¯t you?¡±


    While his attention was grabbed by the fact that the woman in front of him knows what Ozyllus looked like, he has failed to notice the movements of the spirit beside her. Death has been building up energy in its body. However, it¡¯s a spirit so it itself is made from energy. So the correct way to say it would be that it is condensing the energy around him into his body to become more powerful than it already is.


    The dragon has failed to notice this until now. However,Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Dragon: ¡°I see you are planning to attack me once you¡¯re ready. Well, feel free to come at any time.¡±


    With one glance, he notices it. That said, whether it affects him or not is a different matter altogether.


    The confidence in his voice irritates Sona, but she knows full well that the dragon is capable of defeating both of them and so the confidence is not really a problem for him.


    Sona: ¡°Death?¡±


    Death: ¡°GRRR!!!¡±


    Death grits its teeth and looks intently at the dragon, the intent being murderous. Even if the dragon is more powerful, Death has suffered enough humiliation to lose control and go berserk. Sona knew from the start this could happen, in fact, she wanted it to happen.


    Dragon: ¡°Are you sure letting your spirit succumb to anger and attack in blind rage is good for you?¡±


    She looks at the Dragon; the expression of seriousness on his face is accompanied by hostility now. There is a hint of madness in his expressions as well but for now, she judges that it would be fine to ignore it and focus on the muscles twitching in the dragon¡¯s arms out of his hostility.


    Sona: ¡°Are you sure letting yourself succumb to anger and attack in blind rage is good for you?¡±


    Even if it is a pointless troll, it still satisfies her. If even that small victory brings joy to her, she wonders what will happen when she gains a real victory over him. But will she able to do it? Now, at the worst time for it to happen, doubts have come back to her mind. She has decided to completely believe in her plan, yet now she is having doubts once again.


    Sona: ¡°Damn!¡±


    Her irritation is at herself the most. But the dragon doesn¡¯t understand that. To him, it is an odd change of expressions from trying to joke at him to some kind of irritation.


    Dragon: ¡°What¡¯s going on in your head? I can never tell with you humans.¡±


    Sona hears the dragon but doesn¡¯t pay much attention to what he is saying, and just then, she notices.


    Sona: ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t matter now, it¡¯s time.¡±


    As soon as Sona says that, the ground beneath her feet cracked. Just in time, Sona manages to jump back, but the cause of it all stood there. Beneath the feet of the tiger-like shadowy spirit, the ground had been torn apart like paper.


    Dragon: ¡°What are you ¡­?¡±


    Before the dragon could finish its question, Death disappears. It takes just a second for the dragon to realize the spirit is behind him, but it is already too late. Claws have peeled the skin of the dragon¡¯s back. The impact moves the dragon a little as he tries to gain back some momentum, but a kick comes from Death. He was hit in the same spot he had been cut and the pain worsens because of it. The kick, by itself is powerful enough to send the dragon flying towards the trees.


    The clearing they were in is just a circular area devoid of trees which held the tomb in it. Trees aren¡¯t very far from there, and the kick is powerful enough that the dragon crashes at one of them. His body had first been cut at the back, making huge amounts of blood flowing out, then it had gotten a kick at the same spot as the wound powerful enough to shatter his bones and then he had been hit a tree right where his rib cage was.


    Sona: ¡°Finally feeling like you underestimated us?¡±


    The dragon tries to stand up, but is not able to. It¡¯s not that his bones are broken so much that he couldn¡¯t get up. The problem is that Death, within a second, had reached the spot where his body had fallen.


    Sona: ¡°Get him.¡±


    Death¡¯s paws stomp at the dragon¡¯s body. The dragon¡¯s priority is to try to protect itself, not to run away. He has clearly underestimated the sheer speed of his opponent. It is impossible to run away now, impossible to run from Death.


    Dragon: ¡°That hurt ¡­ quite a lot.¡±


    Sona: ¡°It¡¯s just the beginning.¡±


    Death moves back so the dragon can get up. The dragon understands that if he refuses to get up, he would get stomped over again. He also knows some sort of pain will come after he gets up, but maybe that time he would be able to defend himself.


    Dragon: ¡°But this spirit is something else I have to say.¡±


    The fact that it has moved backwards and has started to wait for him to get up is a testament to the fact that it has not lost all of it mind yet.


    Dragon: ¡°I guess it makes sense for you to let the rage fuel inside it if it can control itself to this extent.¡±


    The dragon had earlier asked if letting the spirit lose itself to rage is a good thing for Sona but if even after that humiliation, it doesn¡¯t lose itself to rage, then that would rather be beneficial to her. The dragon now understands this, but


    Sona: ¡°Maybe. Or maybe you just can¡¯t see the other possibility.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Other ¡­ possibility?¡±


    Dragon looks at Sona. His face is still serious, hostility has now become clear, but there is also an inquisitive emotion coming out on his face.


    But as the dragon wonders what it means while he got up half-way through, his arms feel a certain sense of pain. That pain is not of getting hit or of bleeding, it is the pain of having something sharp piercing inside. With one glance, it is clear ¨C Death has opened its jaw and bitten into the dragon¡¯s arms. Just as soon as the dragon is about to react to it, the arm comes off. Death moves its jaw sideways and the arm gets detached from where it used to be.


    The dragon fell a little away from the impact of the reactive force. But the beast is still near, holding his broken arm in its jaws. It throws the arm away and looks back at the dragon. The dragon says nothing but only looks back.


    Sona: ¡°I¡¯m surprised you are not screaming in pain right now?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Tch!¡±


    Neither terror nor pain has shown up on his face. The expressions of seriousness and hostility and are still present, with some inquisition clear on his face. He looks like a helpless victim who can¡¯t even cry in agony over what is happening to him.


    But that won¡¯t stop Death. Having fallen a little distance away from where he previously was, the dragon is near to a tree. Within a second, his head starts cracking by the impact on the tree¡¯s trunk. The cause of this is the paw that has pushed the dragon¡¯s head on the tree with a force that defies logic.


    Dragon: ¡°AH!!! AAH!!!¡±


    Pain finally starts showing on his face. Little by little, the expression that clearly shows the results of the fight till now is surfacing on his face.


    Sona: ¡°Finally feeling pain?¡±


    Sona has started to enjoy seeing the dragon get beat up. This sadistic joy was hindered till now by just one aspect ¨C the dragon didn¡¯t show any pain. There was no reaction from him that could assure her that he really is getting beaten up badly and is not trying to bluff it. Now that assurance has finally come.


    Sona: ¡°Death, what are you waiting for?¡±


    Death pounces on the dragon at the same time she shouts at him. Neither Death nor Sona feel any sympathy for the dragon. No matter how miserable he looks, both have enough rage in them to ignore every other feeling that may come up.


    But while Death¡¯s rage is a result of superiority complex among high-class spirits like him, Sona¡¯s rage is much more than that. She has suffered a lot because of this dragon, so she wouldn¡¯t allow herself to pity him. To pity him would mean betraying everything she has worked hard for all her life.


    Dragon: ¡°That¡¯s a sadistic smile if I have ever seen one.¡±


    Sona realizes that she is smiling. She realizes that this isn¡¯t something she should be smiling about, no matter how much she hates the dragon. But there is no way around it. It is happiness born out of her lifelong opponent¡¯s defeat. If it is sadistic, so be it.


    Sona: ¡°I couldn¡¯t care less right now.¡±


    Her face has twisted into a smile that dampens her otherwise beautiful features. But she would not let something so simple stop her.


    Sona: ¡°Kill that bastard, Death.¡±


    Death responds without a delay as it runs its claws on the dragon¡¯s stomach. Blood rushes out of the wound much faster than it did when he got cut in the back.


    Dragon: ¡°AGH!!!¡±


    The dragon is clearly losing the battle. In fact, calling what is happening there a battle is absurd. It is just a one-sided slaughter. But can this really be true? Can a dragon who befriended god lose to some mere spirit? Is this not an insult to other dragons that he is considered the greatest of them? If his peers were to see this, they would disown him. These thoughts run through his mind. While the expressions may not be visible on his face, every single one of them is felt by the dragon. He feels the pain, the anger, the irritation, the regret ¨C he feels all the emotion one would feel at this point and more.


    Dragon: ¡°I did underestimate you.¡±


    Death climbs over the dragon¡¯s fallen body. It looks at the dragon, in his pitiful state, with a look of disdain in its eyes. What could it be thinking? Did it consider itself so superior that even now when it has already shown the dragon which one of them is stronger; it still feels rage for being belittled earlier? What an arrogant spirit? The dragon never knew spirits could be capable of being so prideful.


    Dragon: ¡°Ha! What are you ¨C the incarnation of arrogance or something?¡±


    Death raises its paws to finish the dragon once in for all. With the next strike, it will cut-off the head and everything will be over.


    Sona: ¡°Go on! Behead him!¡±


    Sona cheering the beast up is out of her character, but seeing the dragon pummeled down like that, she can¡¯t help herself.


    With the next strike, the dragon will lose his life. He closes his eyes, accepting what¡¯s about to come. And with the next strike, blood splatters everywhere. Or it should have. However, spirits don¡¯t have blood.


    Sona: ¡°Death!!!¡±


    The spirit named Death has died.


    Sona: ¡°What!? What¡¯s going on?¡±


    The dragon opens his eyes. He looks at the lifeless corpse of the spirit above his body with his lower body bathing in the dragon¡¯s blood. The dragon had accepted his fate, the fate of becoming a murderer yet again.


    Dragon: ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t bother me anymore.¡±


    He moves his gaze at the woman who has fallen to her knees with shock on her face. This woman had been so glad his enemy was going to die. Obviously, when the opposite happens, she will be shocked beyond what she can handle.


    Dragon: ¡°I truly underestimated you two.¡±


    The dragon is not being sarcastic. He is not trying to make her feel bad. He is just saying the truth. He had truly underestimated Death. And that is why, another murder fell upon his hands.


    Sona: ¡°Why? What ¡­ does ¡­ this ¡­ mean?¡±


    ???: ¡°I think I get what it means.¡±


    The dragon does not feel surprised. He had sensed the presence nearby, but Sona and Death had been so focused on the fighting they had failed to notice it.


    Sona: ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡±


    She looks back and gets her answer automatically. Who else would it be but the only other human on the island?


    Sona: ¡°Kais?¡±


    Kais: ¡°Yeah, me. I saw the whole thing go down, and I think I know why your spirit lost in the end.¡±


    The look on Kais¡¯ face is that of despair. He walks out of the forest into the clearing but keeps his distance from the two of them.


    Dragon: ¡°I see. I figured a psychic should be able to figure it out.¡±


    Death¡¯s corpse has started to vanish, a fate that awaits all spirits after death. Getting out from the remains of the spirit, the dragon stands up.


    Sona: ¡°What do you mean you know why it lost? Death was winning just a moment ago.¡±


    Sona¡¯s eyes are filled with shock and despair and elude an aura Kais doesn¡¯t want to witness, but he has to come to the dragon eventually, so there is no point in backing out now.


    Kais: ¡°Hey, dragon. Your power ¡­¡±


    The dragon, soaked in blood turns his attention to Kais. Kais doesn¡¯t flinch, but as always, he is ready for anything suspicious.


    Kais: ¡°It¡¯s pretty twisted, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°In what context?¡±


    Kais: ¡°In the context that you hate it yourself.¡±


    The dragon smiles, a mild smile, and then nods. It is not a grin or a frown that covers his face right now but a relieved smile on seeing someone who could understand him.


    Kais: ¡°Your power is conditional. Only when certain conditions are met, it will perform itself.¡±


    Sona takes a look at the dragon and sees him nodding. She too understands what that could mean, but doesn¡¯t want to believe it. So she still needs to ask about it.


    Sona: ¡°What¡¯s that condition supposed to be?¡±


    Kais: ¡°The condition is ¨C ¡®Whenever anyone comes close to killing him, that individual will die¡¯.¡±


    Sona: ¡°What!!!¡±


    Of course she knew the answer, but she just couldn¡¯t accept it. So she forces herself to be shocked.


    Kais: ¡°If I combine that with a dragon¡¯s regenerative abilities. It might not be that much of a stretch to say ¨C he is immortal.¡±


    *******************************

 Chapter 6: Witnessing

    I hear a roar. It¡¯s so loud and intimidating that even though I can¡¯t see who is making the sound, I can tell it is someone very powerful. I try to collect my thoughts over who it could be and then realize.


    It¡¯s a really powerful beast? No, actually, I¡¯m thinking its some animal that¡¯s really powerful because of the roar. In reality, it might not be that big of a threat. This effect of causing fear in people is exactly what the ¡®roar¡¯ is for. Creatures made of energy can¡¯t roar naturally. They need to understand what this act means. Then, they learn it. Finally, when they become capable of doing so, they use some of their reserved energy to do so. But unknowingly to them, this energy causes effects like fear and such.


    Then all that considered, it should be a spirit Sona summoned and it is probably a feline-like creature. Obviously, that¡¯s one of the many guesses I have come up with, but it sounds the most plausible. But on the off-chance that it is some other creature who is roaring like that, then it should be a real big feline. Only that little girl would know if there are any animals like that in this forest.


    I turn my head to see if she¡¯s awake.


    Kais: ¡°What ¡­¡±


    But she isn¡¯t even here. I look in all directions, but I can¡¯t see her anywhere. Where would she have gone? I know she¡¯s energy and all that so it isn¡¯t like disappearing is a big thing for her, but why would she disappear right now?


    Kais: ¡°If she¡¯s not here, then ¡­¡±


    She should be around the tomb. She is, at the end, a mass of energy made by the dragon. If the dragon made her, then he should be able to control her, which means that now everyone except me might be at the tomb. Well, I was going there myself, so it¡¯s not like I have any reason not to now.


    Kais: ¡°But, should I ¡­?¡±


    Sona is definitely going to fight the dragon there. If my guess is right, the spirit she has summoned should be in the form of a big feline and would be powerful enough to at least be a challenge to the dragon. Then, a really destructive fight would erupt there. Would going near such a dangerous place really be okay? It is definitely something I should consider. The risk is really high.


    But then there¡¯s also the fact that it is the only thing for me to do. At least as far as I know, there¡¯s no progress to be made by not going to the tomb. So the question is ¨C should I wait for the fight to be over or should I go right now?


    I could just wait somewhere and keep a check on the fight with clairvoyance. After it¡¯s over, I can take care of my business. Though I can only do that if the dragon wins. I am assuming he will. No matter what spirit Sona bring in the battlefield, the dragon should win. After all, it is not just some dragon, but the one who befriended a god. Obviously, he should win.


    But, just speaking hypothetically, Sona and her spirit actually manage to be beat the dragon; the only way for me to get out will be to rely on her. Now, the dragon hates spirits and keeps a barrier around the tomb to stop spirits from entering. If that is true, then the spirit that is able to break through it should be a powerhouse. If I were to fight it, I don¡¯t think I have any chance of winning. If I were to ask her for help, I am not sure she would give any. Plus, she already said there¡¯s a way for her to get out of here that I can¡¯t use. It probably has something to do with the spirits. Considering all that, the chances of success like that is very slim.


    And if I just think about what might happen if the dragon dies and Sona leaves, I would be stuck here and there probably won¡¯t be anything I could do.


    So yeah, while I am 99% sure the dragon would win, I can¡¯t risk it. I should keep a look at the battle from the distance. And what will that change? Well, if I were to see the dragon losing, I¡¯ll have to take a risk and help the dragon. There¡¯s no avoiding this much risk anymore.


    Kais: ¡°Ah, damn it!¡±


    I clench my fists to take out some frustration. I can¡¯t make any mistakes and I definitely would if I lose my cool. So I need to keep my irritation under control. After I revise my course in my mind and feel ready to go, I start walking towards the direction the tomb is in.


    *******************************


    After walking a while, I see Sona standing near what looks like a clearing in the forest. There is a shadowy, large tiger-like creature besides her. I suppose that should be her spirit. My guess about it being a big feline was right on the money. But what¡¯s it doing. It doesn¡¯t look like it is going to attack just yet.


    Sona: ¡°Your enemy is the dragon. Go and kill him.¡±


    Sona says to the spirit as she keeps her left arm raised. I don¡¯t get why she is doing that, but I guess this is something only Spirits and Spirits-Users would know. As soon as she says those words, I see the spirit straighten up. It doesn¡¯t look natural, but like it is forced to obey her. Don¡¯t tell me even that spirit is afraid of the dragon. It does make sense though. How would a spirit that¡¯s made purely of energy not know how powerful of an opponent the dragon would be?


    Death: ¡°GRR ¡­ GRRRRR!!!¡±


    The spirit looks somewhat angry. I guess it really doesn¡¯t want to fight the dragon. With the situation as it stands, does Sona even have a chance of winning? The spirit moves forward. It isn¡¯t running and it isn¡¯t standing in place, but simply walking down the path.


    I decide to use aura reading to see how powerful that spirit is. The aura around it is simply dangerous. It is the sign of someone really violent and powerful at the same time. I can see red lines on its paws. Those paws are meant to kill. I can also see red lines around its hind legs. So this means even its hind legs are powerful enough to kill a person. There¡¯s no doubt that this spirit exists for missions like these. But even so, the dragon should have an aura even more dangerous than that.


    When the spirit reaches the clearing, Sona is some steps behind. But suddenly, a bright light comes from somewhere. I can¡¯t see from here where the origins of that light was, but it definitely is coming from somewhere in the clearing. If that is where the tomb is, then it means the dragon is going to come out now.


    Sona: ¡°Be ready!¡±


    Death: ¡°GRRRRR!!!¡±


    The spirit looks unhappy but doesn¡¯t disobey Sona. I got the feeling that this spirit is really prideful when I checked its aura. Now that it has come so far, I doubt it will run away. No, running away now would be pointless. If the dragon has been disturbed enough that he had to come out of the tomb, retreating would be equivalent to saying, ¡°there was no reason to disturb you, but we did it anyway.¡± I doubt the dragon will take that very kindly. This is why, now that they have fallen in this situation, there¡¯s no way out of here other than fighting the dragon. Now that I think about it, if Sona really does want to fight it, then this wouldn¡¯t be a bad strategy. Bring a really powerful spirit so close to the dragon that it can¡¯t run away, so it will have to fight the dragon no matter what.


    Sona: ¡°Why don¡¯t you come out in front of us already?¡±


    Sona shouts as if to provoke the dragon. She is showing a lot of guts right now I must say. To think she would fight a dragon is more than enough to tell she is on the verge of crossing the line of bravery, into foolishness. But then she is also provoking it, does she have some really good plan in place. Actually, a really good plan right now would be to use as much firepower as possible. Coming up with a really brainy strategy is not what¡¯s required here. The silence continues for a moment while my thoughts keep running. Both Sona and her spirit look at each other as if to affirm their resolve to fight. And then a voice comes.


    ???: ¡°Very well then.¡±


    A figure emerges from the tomb. The golden glow suddenly starts to dampen. It looks like a grand entrance, but to say honestly, I don¡¯t see the dragon to be someone who would want to do things like theatrics. But who knows, maybe he came to like this sort of stuff in the years he has spent in this tomb.


    Sona: ¡°Did I ¡­ just hear him talk?¡±


    Wait! You didn¡¯t know he could talk? Shouldn¡¯t you have researched about him more? I ask her these questions only in my mind. The dragon gained a lot of things after befriending Ozyllus. One of them was the ability to speak like a human.


    Dragon: ¡°Don¡¯t be so worried about it. I can talk because it was one of the things my friend blessed me with.¡±


    By friend, he definitely means Ozyllus.


    Sona: ¡°What ¡­¡±


    She is probably thinking the same thing too but is unable to come to terms with it on the spot because she didn¡¯t know about it beforehand.


    Dragon: ¡°Oh well, I wonder if you even actually care about that though.¡±


    Sona looks at her spirit and gets a little relieved. From what I can tell, she is glad the spirit is ready to fight. It does make sense. If the spirit was still trying to run away, it would have been a major problem for her. But knowing that¡¯s not the case, she can focus on fighting. Maybe this is the reason she brought such a prideful spirit, it won¡¯t try to run away even if it can sense a really powerful enemy. Even before, it was only standing there unwilling to move rather than running away. I am confident this spirit would now give this fight all it can.


    Dragon: ¡°Now, why did you call me here?¡±


    I notice the golden shine has started to dampen a little. I should try to move towards a place that¡¯s not directly behind the place the fighting will start. From the distance between me and them, no place is totally safe. But I knew this much risk was going to be there. I just need to make sure I am ready for any attacks at any time. As I move towards a bush, the golden shine completely disappears. Now I can get a good look at the face of the dragon.


    Sona: ¡°Huh?¡±


    He has a human-like appearance. That¡¯s expected. He did gain the ability to transform into a human on will. He is a slightly muscular, good-looking man with green eyes, slightly dark skin and brown hair length of which almost touched the shoulders. This is the dragon. He has an appearance that can very well be mistaken as a human. But when we know he is a dragon, then that is all that matters. It doesn¡¯t matter what he looks like, we know what he is beneath that appearance.


    Dragon: ¡°If you are worried about this form, don¡¯t be. It is just convenient for me to be like this when I have to interact with humans.¡±


    That makes sense. People wouldn¡¯t be that afraid of this form even if they know he is a dragon. But many might lose their mind if they see the terrifyingly huge creature that can eat them in a single gulp. At that moment, I see Sona looking shocked. I don¡¯t understand what¡¯s so shocking about it. Sure, it is surprising to see the dragon take a human form for the first time, but it didn¡¯t affect me all that much even when I heard about it for the first time.


    Sona: ¡°What the hell? Why do ¡­ why do you ¡­ look so much like Ozyllus?¡±


    Kais: ¡°What?¡±


    I almost shouted. I couldn¡¯t help myself. What Sona just said is beyond a doubt terrifying. He looks like Ozyllus. How¡¯s that possible? I never saw a real image of what Ozyllus looks like. How could I when there are no records of his painting anywhere in Barry¡¯s collections? But that¡¯s not the point. He shouldn¡¯t look like Ozyllus. There is no reason for him to look like Ozyllus.


    My attention has diverted from the topic after hearing that. I look back. The spirit is looking at Sona. The dragon too is looking at her. All three of us are surprised after hearing that.


    If Sona knows what Ozyllus really looks like and this dragon looks like him, then there definitely is a possibility that this woman knows more about this island than she lets on. Only those who know the history of this island are considered capable of entering here. If someone else who has no idea about it tries to enter, they won¡¯t last long enough to reach the shore. The various ¡®natural¡¯ disasters will consume them. So this woman knows the history of this island. But not just that, she also knows what Ozyllus looks like. There is a high chance she knows the various stories other than the one about this dragon and Ozyllus. All this combined; I think she would be knowledgeable enough to know how to exit this island through other means than whatever is present in the tomb. That is to say, she can come and go as she pleases. She can use various methods to defeat the dragon. She can take her time making contracts with a large number of spirits and bring them all to fight the dragon. Yet she has come here just with one powerful spirit. Is it hatred for the dragon? Is it rage? Or is it just suicidal tendency? Who in the world is this woman?You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    Dragon: ¡°Well, I¡¯m surprised you know what he looked like. Could you tell me how you learned that?¡±


    I¡¯m interested in learning about that too. But I highly doubt she would just tell you where she learned that. I think that as I take a glance at the dragon. He has a serious expression. No other words can be used to define this expression. When he first appeared, I couldn¡¯t see his expression clearly but I¡¯m sure it was similar. With this face, he has made it clear that he is sincerely asking the question and wants a sincere answer. However, the look on Sona¡¯s face is that of denial. She does look a little afraid and also still shocked about before, but she doesn¡¯t look like she would do whatever the dragon tells her to.


    Sona: ¡°None of your business.¡±


    Like her expression stated, she wouldn¡¯t answer. I doubt she didn¡¯t think of answering the dragon. In fact, if anything, it would have been the first thing on her mind. But she is trying to deny what her mind probably thinks is right to do.


    Dragon: ¡°I see. What will I have to do to make you answer me?¡±


    The fact that his expression does not change is ominous, to say the least.


    Sona: ¡°Nothing, because you are dying today.¡±


    Sona¡¯s voice does not waver as she says that. The tension in this place in growing intense and the fight will soon begin.


    Dragon: ¡°That¡¯s what you would like, wouldn¡¯t you?¡±


    The expression on his face is still seriousness, so intimidation is not the right word to explain his words back there. But the very fact that he says it is intimidating by itself.


    All this time I had failed to notice what the spirit was doing. It suddenly growls.


    Dragon: ¡°I see you are planning to attack me once you¡¯re ready. Well, feel free to come at any time.¡±


    The dragon¡¯s voice shows confidence and I can clearly see Sona getting irritated by that. But the confidence is justified when the dragon is powerful enough to wipe the floor with both of them here. I haven¡¯t checked the dragon¡¯s aura yet, but I¡¯m sure he can annihilate both of them if he really tries.


    Sona: ¡°Death?¡±


    Sona calls to the spirit. I guess its name is Death. It might sound edgy, but it kinda suits the vibe the spirit gives off.


    Death: ¡°GRRR!!!¡±


    The dragon is focused on the two of them. I should use this opportunity to check his aura.


    Death grits its teeth and looks intently at the dragon, the intent being murderous. Death is looking at the dragon because of the disrespect the dragon has showed Death by neglecting it and talking to Sona as if it isn¡¯t even a threat.


    Dragon: ¡°Are you sure letting your spirit succumb to anger and attack in blind rage is good for you?¡±


    Sona looks at the Dragon. At that moment, I activate aura reading and I become able to see the dragon emanating coldness and hostility. But beneath those expressions, I sense dragon trying to suppress his inner desires. These inner desires reek of madness. From my point of view, it is clear, the dragon is so angry right now he is barely keeping himself sane. The fact that this fight is not already over is a big surprise.


    Sona: ¡°Are you sure letting yourself succumb to anger and attack in blind rage is good for you?¡±


    Suddenly, Sona strikes at the bottom of the dragon¡¯s feeling. The anger inside him only increases in response. It sure is gutsy of her to taunt the dragon like this. She looks a little happy that she could say that to the dragon. And just in the next moment, I see her getting nervous and doubting her chances of winning. Until this point, she has at least been able to hide these feelings. Now, at the most crucial moments, she is failing to do the same though.


    Sona: ¡°Damn!¡±


    This irritation is directed at herself. The dragon seems to be unable to grasp that though.


    Dragon: ¡°What¡¯s going on in your head? I can never tell with you humans.¡±


    Then the dragon says something that sounded like he would be sighing but his expression has barely changed. On the other hand, I see that Sona does not pay the dragon much attention.


    Sona: ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t matter now, it¡¯s time.¡±


    Sona says those words. I don¡¯t get the meaning at first but as soon as I look at Death, I understand. The ground beneath Sona and Death cracked. Just in time, Sona manages to jump back, but Death stands there. The ground has broken apart like it was made of paper.


    Dragon: ¡°So are you ¡­¡±


    Before the dragon could finish his sentence, Death disappears. I haven¡¯t stopped using aura reading, so I could tell what the spirit did. It had attached a string to the dragon¡¯s leg. This happened while I and the dragon both had neglected to pay attention to the spirit. Since the string is made of energy, it was child¡¯s play for the spirit to transfer itself to that point and it didn¡¯t even take a second to do so. It then jumped back up to be behind the dragon and ran its claw across his back. The dragon realizes this and tries to dodge but is too late.


    The dragon moves from the impact of having claws run through its back. But just as the dragon is about to balance himself, Death kicks the dragon while still being in air after having jumped off the dragon¡¯s back. The kick lands in the same spot the dragon was cut and it definitely would have hurt a lot. But more force than I expected was put into the kick ¨C enough to send him flying.


    His body hits a tree and finally comes to a halt. I couldn¡¯t have guessed the kick was this powerful but apparently it was. If that had happened to a normal person, I¡¯m sure the rib cage would have been broken. That might not be the case here. But this definitely is no laughing matter either. The dragon, in his human form, would probably be stronger than humans but also weaker than the dragons. It doesn¡¯t have the same mass it does as a dragon and his skin isn¡¯t that tough either. Even if the internal strength remains the same, the damage caused outwardly would most definitely affect him.


    Sona: ¡°Finally feeling like you underestimated us?¡±


    I don¡¯t know about him but I sure as hell underestimated these two. The dragon tries to stand up. I can¡¯t believe it. The dragon¡¯s feeling pain. I can clearly see from aura reading that he is feeling a lot of pain, almost as much as a human would. He is trying to not let it show on his face though. Within the next second, Death transfers itself back to his leg and stops the dragon from getting up.


    Sona: ¡°Get him.¡±


    Sona shouts as if to cheer Death on. I can see some sort of smile on her face. Death¡¯s paws stomp at the dragon¡¯s body. The dragon prioritizes protecting itself and tries to move the paws away from his chest, but Death doesn¡¯t budge. I don¡¯t know if the dragon realizes how Death is doing what it¡¯s doing. Maybe to him it looks like super-speed or something. But it definitely isn¡¯t super-speed. If the dragon realizes the trick and severs the string, he might turn the whole play around, but for some reason, the dragon isn¡¯t even trying to fight back right now.


    He is a dragon - one of the most powerful creatures in the world. But if he doesn¡¯t even try to fight back, even he will be nothing more than prey. So why isn¡¯t he trying to fight Death right now?


    Dragon: ¡°That hurt ¡­ quite a lot.¡±


    Sona: ¡°It¡¯s just the beginning.¡±


    Death moves back so as to tell the dragon to get up. It is clear Death would attack him once he gets up, but using that as an excuse to stay down would be too pathetic and illogical since he¡¯s getting beaten up anyway.


    Dragon: ¡°But this spirit is something else I have to say.¡±


    The dragon seems to be acknowledging Death as a worthy adversary. Does that mean he was just playing around till now and will finally start to fight back now? His expressions don¡¯t give me an answer.


    Dragon: ¡°I guess it makes sense for you to let the rage fuel inside it if it can control it to this extent.¡±


    If he¡¯s talking about how Death is controlling its anger at having its pride hurt, then I guess that is something praiseworthy about this spirit.


    Sona: ¡°Maybe. Or maybe you just can¡¯t see the other possibility.¡±


    That¡¯s ¡­ an interesting thing to say. What¡¯s she planning right now?


    Dragon: ¡°Other ¡­ possibility?¡±


    Dragon looks at Sona. His face is still serious, hostility has now become clear, but there is also an inquisitive emotion coming out on his face. Beneath his facade though, I could sense many more emotions. There is anger, there is pain, there is acknowledgement and ¡­ there is also fear.


    As I was wondering what she meant when she said ¡®other possibility¡¯, Death attacks the dragon, this time biting into his right hand and tearing it off. That is the most brutal attacks yet without a doubt. I couldn¡¯t even process that in time to be surprised by it.


    The dragon falls on the ground. Death stands where he was with the arm in its jaws. It then throws the arm away and looks back at the dragon. The dragon says nothing but only looks at the spirit.


    Sona: ¡°I¡¯m surprised you are not screaming in pain right now?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Tch!¡±


    He has been suppressing his pain for a while now but can¡¯t seem to do it any longer.


    Looking at this fight from an outsider¡¯s perspective, the dragon looks like a victim in all this. With how he is just trying to defend himself and not fight back, Sona and Death look like bullies at this point.


    The second I think that, Death¡¯s next attack comes in the form of a tackle. He forces the dragon¡¯s head to get crushed between its paws and the tree trunk. This is a really painful sight to watch, even if knowing what the real power scaling is, or should be.


    Dragon: ¡°AH!!! AAH!!!¡±


    He has finally been unable to suppress it any longer and his face twists in pain. Seeing that, I theory comes to mind, a terrifying theory.


    Sona: ¡°Finally feeling pain?¡±


    She is showing happiness at seeing the dragon get pummeled. This sadistic expression is a little hard to believe, if my theory is right, this expression will very soon go away.


    Sona: ¡°Death, what are you waiting for?¡±


    She cheers on Death to continue. Death is ready to oblige. It pounces on the dragon again and again. If what I think is true, then Death is just heading towards its own end.


    Dragon: ¡°That¡¯s a sadistic smile if I have ever seen one.¡±


    Indeed her face has a sadistic smile. I can¡¯t tell if she has realized it herself or not.


    Sona: ¡°I couldn¡¯t care less right now.¡±


    From how things have gone till now, I can¡¯t help but believe those are her honest feelings about this.


    Sona: ¡°Kill that bastard, Death.¡±


    Death responds without a delay as it runs its claws on the dragon¡¯s stomach. The blood rushes out of the wound much faster than it did when he got cut in the back.


    Dragon: ¡°AGH!!!¡±


    This could be the trigger. Of course I know I am only worrying about a theory of mine. But I know that I have thought of it, I just can¡¯t think of any other way this could play out. I can¡¯t expect the dragon to actually lose the battle this easily, which means there should be some reason for the dragon to not attack. My theory would explain it and if it true, this dragon would be one of the most powerful creatures in existence.


    Dragon: ¡°I did underestimate you.¡±


    Oh? Was I wrong? Is the dragon truly losing? Or does this mean ¡­


    Dragon: ¡°Ha! What are you ¨C the incarnation of arrogance or something?¡±


    Death raises its paws to finish the dragon once in for all. With the next strike, it will remove the head and it will all be over.


    Sona: ¡°Go on! Behead him!¡±


    Sona cheers the beast on. If my theory is true, then this will be the moment where the game changes.


    In the next moment, Death¡¯s upper body blasts off. If it had been a living creature, the whole place could have become covered in blood. It is a sight one wouldn¡¯t have expected to see a second ago, but it is a sight that¡¯s testament to my theory being right.


    Sona: ¡°Death!!!¡±


    She looks bewildered at that scene. I don¡¯t blame her. I would have been the same had I not thought of this.


    Sona: ¡°What? What¡¯s going on?¡±


    The dragon opens his eyes and sees the sight in front of him.


    Dragon: ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t bother me anymore.¡±


    The dragon looks at Sona who has fallen to her knees in shock. She is devastated by the fact that Death has died and her victory has suddenly turned into defeat.


    Dragon: ¡°I truly underestimated you two.¡±


    The dragon says that as he gets away from the corpse of the beast that had attacked him. I understand what he means.


    Sona: ¡°Why? What ¡­ does ¡­ this ¡­ mean?¡±


    There¡¯s no point in staying hidden any longer now. The dragon probably already knows I am here.


    Kais: ¡°I think I get what it means.¡±


    Both look in my direction but only Sona is surprised.


    Sona: ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡±


    As she sees me walking out of the bush I had hidden in, she shows no change in her emotions. Maybe the shock is already so overwhelming for her that she can¡¯t feel any more surprised right now.


    Sona: ¡°Kais?¡±


    Kais: ¡°Yeah, me. I saw the whole thing go down, and I think I know why your spirit lost in the end.¡±


    I don¡¯t go close to either of them but I do come out in the clearing.


    Dragon: ¡°I see. I figured a psychic should be able to figure it out.¡±


    As I expected, he knew I was here. He steps away from the place he was attacked in and looks at me. Death, like any other spirit at the time of their demise, is vanishing now.


    Sona: ¡°What do you mean you know why it lost? Death was winning just a moment ago.¡±


    Sona¡¯s eyes are filled with shock and despair and elude an aura I would like to stay away from if I can. But now that I have come this far there¡¯s no point in backing out now.


    Kais: ¡°Hey, dragon. Your power ¡­¡±


    I had readied myself for teleportation from the beginning. So, I continue,


    Kais: ¡°It¡¯s pretty twisted, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°In what context?¡±


    Kais: ¡°In the context that you hate it yourself.¡±


    The dragon nods. This power is truly something that I would never want to have no matter how powerful it made me.


    Kais: ¡°Your power is conditional. Only when certain conditions are met, it will perform itself.¡±


    Sona looks at the dragon and then looks back at me. Conditions are just what they sound like. They are set to activate at a particular event or events, they are fulfilled according to what happens from there, and when they are activated, something happens. This ¡®something¡¯ is what happened to Death.


    Sona: ¡°What¡¯s that condition supposed to be?¡±


    His tries to suppress his emotions a lot so losing to something like anger is probably the condition¡¯s activation. When this condition activates, the trigger for the condition to be fulfilled should be coming close to death. So, in short,


    Kais: ¡°The condition is ¨C ¡®Whenever anyone comes close to killing him, that individual will die¡¯.¡±


    That is the theory I came up with. I don¡¯t know how much of that is true. But I think it more or less is what his condition is.


    Sona: ¡°What!!!¡±


    She looks shocked. But I doubt she didn¡¯t even think of this theory herself. After all, she has made contracts with several spirits, so theories related to contracts should have come to her mind by now.


    Well, in either case, I¡¯ll summarize this for her,


    Kais: ¡°If I combine that with a dragon¡¯s regenerative abilities. It might not be that much of a stretch to say ¨C he is immortal.¡±


    Sona: ¡°He is ¡­ immortal?¡±


    I turn to look at the dragon to see if my assumptions are right or not. His wounds healing and the smile on his face widening, he says,


    Dragon: ¡°Well, congratulations. Now you know you can never kill me.¡±


    *******************************

 Chapter 7: The End Of The Night

    The name of a psychic, Barry, echoes through the night. It is a name no one could have expected to hear, no one except the one who said it.


    Ro: ¡°What ¡­ do you mean?¡±


    The darkness has not left Ro¡¯s face, but the shock is apparent. On the other hand, Sneha is standing still as if petrified.


    Sneha: ¡°But he ¡­ he¡¯s dead, isn¡¯t he?¡±


    Sneha Stone too hadn¡¯t expected to hear that name. Even if she had been working with Ethan, she knew not much about him. There was just no way she could have predicted what he would say, but still, there was a level of unpredictability which she thought even he would never be able to cross. Alas, she has been proven wrong.


    Ro: ¡°Explain yourself! What do you mean by that? He¡¯s dead, isn¡¯t he?¡±


    Ro shouts. Anger clear on his face, he threatens Ethan.


    Sneha: ¡°Answer him, Ethan. Was that supposed to be a joke?¡±


    Seeing the two react in this way, Ethan Kales is overjoyed. Bringing pain to those stronger than him brings joy to him. He is a true sadist.


    Ro: ¡°Say something, damn it! He¡¯s dead, right?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°If so, why are you so agitated?¡±


    Ro suddenly realizes how much he overreacted on hearing that name. Ethan¡¯s point is on the mark. If Ro knows he is dead, why would he be this bothered when hearing his name?  It doesn¡¯t make sense unless ¡­ unless he had doubts of his own.


    Ethan: ¡°Finally starting to face your doubts?¡±


    Ro: ¡°S-Shut up! There¡¯s just no way it can happen. That bastard can¡¯t be alive.¡±


    Sneha: ¡°Ethan, this isn¡¯t funny. Don¡¯t joke around like that.¡±


    Ethan looks at Sneha whose eyes opened up wide as she says those words. This shock is the testament to the fact that she too had doubts of her own about this, and she too had tried to run away from them.


    Ethan: ¡°Don¡¯t bother. I¡¯m completely serious.¡±


    Ethan says that with a smile on his face, but it is clear that he is telling the truth. Neither Ro nor Sneha want to believe what they just heard, but there is no choice other than believing him. If not,


    Ro: ¡°I don¡¯t believe you. You are making this up. That¡¯s it. You are trying to psych me out. That¡¯s all there is to it.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Even if that were the case, I would say it was working well.¡±


    Ro: ¡°You bastard!¡±


    Ethan: ¡°But unfortunately for you, no matter how much you deny it, the facts don¡¯t change. He¡¯s coming for you.¡±


    Ro: ¡°P-proof? Show me the proof he¡¯s not dead.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Well, he¡¯s dead alright.¡±


    Ro: ¡°What!?¡±


    Sneha: ¡°What!?¡±


    Both hang their heads in bafflement. This show of surprise is justified. Only a moment ago, Ethan seriously said Barry is coming for him and now he¡¯s contradicting that.


    Ro: ¡°What the hell?¡±


    Sneha: ¡°That¡¯s it, right?¡±


    Ro and Ethan turn towards Sneha. She has a smile on her face along with the expression of shock.


    Sneha: ¡°You were trying to psych him after all, right?¡±


    Ethan doesn¡¯t answer but his eyes clearly say he is serious. So how could both be possible?


    Ethan: ¡°Ever heard of ghosts?¡±


    Ethan says something shocking again. The two of them are shocked to hear it again. And Ethan loves seeing their expression again.


    Ethan: ¡°I¡¯m sure you already know this, but they are souls of the dead. That¡¯s the form Barry has right now.¡±


    Ro: ¡°Just hold on a moment. What you are saying is complete bullshit?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°How so? You don¡¯t believe in them?¡±


    Ro: ¡°Of course I don¡¯t believe in them.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°And I thought psychics were capable of communicating with them. Shouldn¡¯t their existence be common knowledge among you people by now?¡±


    Seeing Ethan refer to Spirit Mediums and such as a part of the psychic community, Ro grits his teeth. In fiction, they might be considered the same. But in reality, there¡¯s no such thing as ghost or spirit medium. That is, at least, as far as Ro knows.


    Ro: ¡°No psychic has ever talked to a ghost. There are no records of it happening sometime in distant past either.¡±


    Ethan puts his hand to his chin and ponders on what he has just heard.


    Ro: ¡°So that¡¯s it? You were lying about it the whole time.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Nope.¡±


    Ethan¡¯s straight denial is hurtful to say the least. He would smash their hopes whenever he¡¯d get the chance to.


    Sneha: ¡°Then how can ¡­ it be? Ghosts shouldn¡¯t exist.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Well, sorry but they do. I¡¯ve met quite a few in fact.¡±


    Ethan is the sort of person who would casually say something like he had met ghosts. But knowing that didn¡¯t make it any easier for the other two. They just couldn¡¯t believe that something like this could be true.


    Ethan: ¡°Is it really that hard to believe? You people yourselves are in the realm of supernatural.¡±


    Indeed, Sneha and Ro are both capable of things that one would call supernatural. And so they shouldn¡¯t have this much problem believing some other supernatural phenomenon like the existence of ghosts.


    Sneha: ¡°But that¡¯s ¡­ not the issue.¡±


    Just as Sneha says, it isn¡¯t the idea of ghosts¡¯ existence that really bothers the two, it is the idea of ghosts¡¯ themselves that bothers them.


    Ethan: ¡°I see. So that¡¯s how it is.¡±


    Hearing Sneha¡¯s words, Ethan comes to understand what is so unbelievable to the both of them. It isn¡¯t that ¡®ghosts could be real¡¯ that is bothering them. That they would accept as just another supernatural phenomenon in the world. The thing that bothers them is who those ghosts would be. Will they be those who have died? Will it be every dead person?


    Ethan: ¡°You people are afraid of meeting those who you have seen dying.¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    Ro: ¡°That¡¯s ¡­¡±


    Ro couldn¡¯t finish his sentence. Ethan understands now why they are so in denial of ghosts. They would obviously love to see those dear to them who have passed away but,


    Ethan: ¡°You are afraid of meeting those you have killed.¡±


    He strikes the heart of the matter. He isn¡¯t in the mood to play around or taunt. He has lost the smile on his face. His face is serious, not happy, not sad, but just serious.


    Ethan: ¡°Well, that wouldn¡¯t change the fact that ghosts exist. I don¡¯t know about those people you are afraid of meeting as ghosts, but I do know Barry is a ghost.¡±


    That is another big concern for the both of them. Barry was one of the most powerful psychics in the world. But 12 years ago, he died. The events surrounding his death are said to be an accident, but the truth was clear to anyone who wants to find out. He had committed a crime, the likes of which shook the world, and had been killed.


    Ethan: ¡°From that day 12 years ago, he had been a ghost. By now he would have gained a lot of power as a ghost too.¡±


    Ro: ¡°So you are telling me he is now even more powerful than before?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°I am. He might be the most powerful existence in the world right now.¡±


    Sneha: ¡°But then ¡­¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Yeah, now that the war is drawing near, he would be coming for his brother. I wonder what his reaction will be ¡­ when he finds out the truth.¡±


    Ethan Kales is fairly more interested in seeing Kais in shock than the two people present there. He really wants to be there when Kais finds out about it for the first time.


    Ethan: ¡°Yeah, I really wanna know.¡±


    Ro: ¡°What the hell are you on about?¡±


    Ethan looks at Ro.


    Ethan: ¡°You know I have noticed something.¡±


    Ro: ¡°What?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°You have had quite a foul mouth for a while now. But I am sure you didn¡¯t talk like this before.¡±


    Ro: ¡°That¡¯s it?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Well, that¡¯s just an observation.¡±


    Ro: ¡°Who gives a damn about that?¡±


    Ethan narrows his eyes to look at the half-psychic in front of him.


    Ethan: ¡°Maybe this is how you truly are.¡±


    Ro looks at Ethan with hostile intent. He doesn¡¯t plan on saying anything to that comment by his target.


    Ethan: ¡°Have you been putting up a fa?ade so you could act like a well-mannered person in front of your superiors?¡±


    Ro: ¡°Who cares? Maybe I was.¡±


    Ro doesn¡¯t deny it. There is no reason to put up such a fa?ade in this situation in front of the man he has started to despise.


    Ro: ¡°I can see now why people want you dead.¡±


    Ro puts a hand in his pocket to take out a knife.


    Ethan: ¡°Are you telling me these ¡®people¡¯ are afraid of me?¡±


    Ethan asks with a smile on his face. This is the same smile that he had till some moments ago and the smile that would annoy anyone who didn¡¯t like him; which basically means pretty much everybody he has ever met.


    Ro: ¡°I don¡¯t think so. They are probably just disgusted by you.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Now that really hurts.¡±


    He still has the smile. It is hard to tell whether he is truly hurt by that comment or just making fun of Ro.


    Ro: ¡°I¡¯m taking you down, right now.¡±


    Ro puts up his hand holding his knife and threatens Ethan. Ethan takes a glance at Sneha.


    Ethan: ¡°Would I get bailed out of this?¡±


    Sneha doesn¡¯t answer. Her face is covered by her hair and it is hard to tell what her response would be. Ethan isn¡¯t sure he would get her help at that point.


    Ethan: ¡°Well, I guess I¡¯ll try taking care of this one myself.¡±


    Ro: ¡°You think a mere human like you ¡­¡±


    Ethan: ¡°See, that¡¯s the problem.¡±


    Ro: ¡°What?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°You guys like your clich¨¦s too much.¡±


    Ro gets annoyed by hearing that as Ethan says it with the same smile.


    Ro: ¡°Enough is enough.¡±


    Ro charges at Ethan, knife in his hand.


    Ethan: ¡°Good grief.¡±


    Ethan puts his hand in the safari and takes out a gun.


    Ro: ¡°You think that would work?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Probably not on you.¡±


    As a half-psychic whose ability didn¡¯t have any offensive applications, Ro has been given special devices that he could activate and de-activate on will to protect himself against things like guns. One of them was a barrier that could reflect the bullet. In short, even if he is technically only as strong as a normal human, he wouldn¡¯t lose to one. But Ethan had never planned to use it on him anyway.


    Ethan: ¡°Here we go.¡±


    He puts the gun to his head. This stops Ro in his tracks and brings Sneha¡¯s attention back to what was going on.


    Sneha: ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°There¡¯s someone who wants something they can¡¯t get by themselves. They need my help to get it. So if I try to kill myself, they would definitely try to stop me. That¡¯s what I am assuming anyway.¡±


    It is unclear who he is talking about. But it is clear he isn¡¯t just joking around. He really would shoot himself. Provided his assumptions are right, he would get what he wants. If he is wrong, he¡¯ll die and that¡¯ll be the end of it. It is such a simple way to deal with the situation. Ro frowns at the twisted logic that makes Ethan do something like that.


    Sneha: ¡°Stop!¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Well, I don¡¯t see how stopping will help me.¡±


    Ro: ¡°You ¡­ don¡¯t do this.¡±


    Ro tries to get near him, this time without the intent to kill.


    Ethan: ¡°Why?¡±


    Ro: ¡°Who the hell are you talking about?¡±


    Ro needs to know. He has no problem with Ethan dying there. But he needs to know who may need his help and would try to stop him. There is a chance that person could become their next enemy.


    In the next instant, a gunshot rings out. Blood splatters everywhere. It is no miracle where the bullet is stopped midair. It is no uncanny spectacle where the bullet hits but the person doesn¡¯t get hurt. The bullet hits a completely normal human, so how could it not pierce through the body and fatally wound the person? And that¡¯s exactly what happens.


    Sneha: ¡°W-what?¡±


    And then the answer to Ro¡¯s question came.


    Ethan: ¡°No one.¡±


    Ro has a hole in his stomach. He looks at Ethan ¨C at his other hand where a second gun is held. The only difference is that this gun points at Ro and not himself.


    Ethan: ¡°You dropped the barrier thinking no attack is coming at you.¡±


    Ro: ¡°You ¡­ bastard!¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Don¡¯t blame me.¡±


    Ro falls on the ground as the blood flows from the hole in his chest.


    Ethan: ¡°It¡¯s okay. You are not going to die. Not yet, anyway.¡±


    Ro: ¡°What ¡­ you ¡­ mean?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°I mean you are going to die after you give me all those devices that you use to protect yourself.¡±


    Ro: ¡°Asshole!¡±


    Ethan: ¡°You are not getting any prizes for abusing me, you know. Anyway, I am going to take on a horde of monsters with this completely human body of mine. I can¡¯t afford to not take any help I can get.¡±


    Ro: ¡°You ¡­ won¡¯t make it.¡±


    Ethan¡¯s smile vanishes upon hearing that.


    Ro: ¡°You don¡¯t ¡­ have ¡­ what ¡­ it takes to ¡­ beat ¡­ the psychics.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Whether, I win or not,¡±


    He bends over to look Ro in his eyes.


    Ethan: ¡°I¡¯ll decide that.¡±


    *******************************


    Sneha looks at Ro¡¯s dead body with a complicated emotion.


    Ethan: ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you actually cared about him.¡±


    Sneha: ¡°Compassion is a thing you know?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Well, I have heard of it, never knew what it meant though.¡±


    Sneha doesn¡¯t take that as a joke. After all, she knows it isn¡¯t.


    Sneha: ¡°That¡¯s truly pitiful.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°No thanks, I don¡¯t need your pity.¡±


    Ethan gets into the safari while Sneha still stands near Ro¡¯s body. Ethan shows no reaction to it and just focuses on starting the vehicle.


    Ethan: ¡°Well, do whatever you want for now. You know when and where to meet next?¡±


    Sneha: ¡°Yeah, I do.¡±


    She turns to look at Ethan sitting inside the vehicle.


    Sneha: ¡°Its tomorrow night at the airport.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad you remember.¡±


    He waves to Sneha and starts driving to leave the place.


    While in the car, reminiscing how everything more or less went according to his plan, he thought about their reason for meeting at the airport the next day.


    Ethan: ¡°Well, I hope you are having much fun there, Kais. We are coming to join you in a day.¡±


    He laughs, unable to control his excitement.


    Ethan: ¡°Well I guess, for you, more than a day would have passed by now. So it will be approximately two more days for you there ¨C two more days to prepare before the real game begins.¡±


    *******************************


    Ro, in his last moments, sees the man who shot him and thinks to himself if this man could really manage to defeat the people on top.


    Ro himself had once thought of doing so but couldn¡¯t. But this man has played Ro for a fool. So maybe he could be able to.


    That is, if he could also manage to get out of the upcoming storm. Before coming here, Ro had messaged his friend that he needs help. When his friend comes there and finds Ro dead, will Ethan be able to take care of that too? This ¡®friend¡¯ is not a half-psychic like Ro or Mohammed. He was a real psychic. He is someone capable of overpowering Kais and Sneha. Will Ethan be able to defeat him? Ro is sure he wouldn¡¯t be. That man could even rival Barry. There¡¯s no way Ethan would win against him.


    ¡®There¡¯s someone else you have made an enemy out of¡¯


    And just then, the true meaning of Ethan¡¯s words became apparent to him.


    Ro: ¡°You ¡­ bastard.¡±


    He understands now. The realization finally hits him. He is dying right now and he thinks that would be his end. But he just came to know that ghosts exist. He has come to know that souls of the dead continue their existence. Then that means,


    Ro: ¡°You ¡­ telling me ¡­ I¡¯m going to ¡­ meet ¡­ that bastard ¡­ now.¡±


    Until now, Ro had not realized how big of a thing it was for ghosts to exist. If souls of the dead continue to exist as ghosts, then that means whenever anyone dies as a human or a psychic, they could come back later as a ghost.


    Ro: ¡°This ¡­ is ¡­ a ¡­¡±


    What word could best describe this truly saddening fact?


    Ro: ¡°Purgatory¡±


    At that moment, all of Ro¡¯s emotions come out in those words - the words that might become his last as a living being ¡­ would be an accursed description of life.


    At that moment, Ro understood why Ethan is such a dangerous force. Everybody has goals, everybody makes plans and everybody works on them. But they all include the restrictions of life. Ethan Kales does not. His goals, his plans and his approach to anything constituted the knowledge that life continues after death.


    Ro¡¯s consciousness is almost out, so he doesn¡¯t know if he hears someone else say it or it was his own thought, but a description very true to the nature of the world comes to him.


    ¡®This is a hell that you can¡¯t escape, not even by dying.¡¯


    *******************************

 Chapter 8: Premonition

    Dragon: ¡°Well, congratulations. Now you know you can never kill me.¡±


    The dragon says with a smile. To be honest, it really annoys me to know that if we ever fight each other, he¡¯ll have this big of an advantage on me. But as long as I can sort things out without any need for violence, there¡¯s not all that much I need to worry about.


    Dragon: ¡°You look awfully at ease right now.¡±


    Kais: ¡°I¡¯m hardly at ease. It¡¯s just that I¡¯m just not losing my mind.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Is that so?¡±


    He asks as if he¡¯s really curious. He¡¯s hard to read sometimes, and sometimes I can understand exactly what he must be thinking. That is what I expect of someone who isn¡¯t human, but it¡¯s still troublesome to deal with.


    Kais: ¡°Tell me; you are really the dragon who befriended Ozyllus?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°I thought that was obvious.¡±


    Kais: ¡°I suppose.¡±


    There¡¯s a reason I¡¯m asking the question even though I already know the answer.


    Kais: ¡°Then did you gain this ability to transform into human form from him?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Well, something like that.¡±


    Meaning ¨C not exactly true.


    Kais: ¡°So, why are you looking like Ozyllus?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°That¡¯s the big mystery for you, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    He looks at me with a similar gaze as before but his aura tells me he is actually troubled by this question and is trying to think of how to answer.


    Kais: ¡°Well, I guess.¡±


    There¡¯s one theory that comes to mind for this. That¡¯s that he is trying to hide something. He is trying to choose his words carefully so he could not divulge any information on what he doesn¡¯t want me to find out.


    Dragon: ¡°You know ¡­¡±


    Kais: ¡°What is it? Finally prepared an answer in your mind?¡±


    The dragon clicks his tongue as I say so.


    Dragon: ¡°Well, even if you know that, it won¡¯t make a difference if I don¡¯t tell you anything.¡±


    Kais: ¡°That might be true.¡±


    That might be true ¡­ for the time being.


    Dragon: ¡°So what about her?¡±


    So instead of answering, the dragon throws a question back at me turning his attention to Sona. I turn to look at Sona who has suffered from the shock of defeat and loss of her probably most powerful spirit.


    Kais: ¡°I¡¯m not so sure what she would do now.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to help her or something?¡±


    Kais: ¡°Do you think I¡¯m some kind of noble knight or something?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Well then, what are you?¡±


    Kais: ¡°Well, considering I didn¡¯t even flinch in holding a normal conversation with someone who almost killed a little girl, I must be a demon.¡±


    The dragon¡¯s eyes widen upon hearing my little joke. The expression of surprise was obvious on his face.


    Dragon: ¡°You know Kais; you shouldn¡¯t be throwing the word ¡®demon¡¯ around like that. It has more significance than you think.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Oh yeah ¨C how? Why don¡¯t you start answering some questions for me already?¡±


    The dragon sighs ¨C closing his eyes, then opens them and looks at me firmly.


    Dragon: ¡°Well, even if I tell you, it won¡¯t be of much use now.¡±


    Kais: ¡°I should be the one to decide that.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°I guess that¡¯s right.¡±


    In the conversation so far, I have managed to not waver and hold my ground against this monstrous creature. But I can¡¯t guarantee I¡¯ll be able to do the same if the conversation keeps going like this. I¡¯m already getting nervous by him constantly stalling instead of answering my questions.


    Dragon: ¡°Well, for starters, why don¡¯t you go inside the tomb?¡±


    Kais: ¡°Ah-¡±


    I didn¡¯t think he¡¯d say that. Sure I want to and probably would need to go in at some point. But shouldn¡¯t I try to gather some answers before I do that.


    Dragon: ¡°You nervous about what would happen there?¡±


    Kais: ¡°Isn¡¯t that the normal way to react in this situation?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°So you say.¡±


    He looks as if what I said just now was joke. But in all honesty, I don¡¯t think anyone with a normally working mind would just go in there when he asks them to without questioning it first.


    Dragon: ¡°Let me think ¨C ¡®most people would act the same way so why does he act like it¡¯s something strange?¡¯¡±


    Kais: ¡°What- You!¡±


    He guessed my thoughts from my face. In return, he is keeping his thoughts concealed under that fa?ade on his face.


    Kais: ¡°Tch! don¡¯t act so smug.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Well, that wasn¡¯t my intention.¡±


    A hint of smile begins to surface on his face. I wonder since when in this conversation would he have started smiling he wasn¡¯t doing his all to suppress his emotions.


    Dragon: ¡°Anyway though, you should definitely go in the tomb if you want to find out any answers. I guess being cautious or nervous is a valid reaction to my words, but it won¡¯t be necessary here.¡±


    He puts up a hand to draw my attention to it and then points at the tomb entrance.


    Kais: ¡°You expect me to believe whatever you say just like that?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Of course I don¡¯t. I have a few things to back me up.¡±


    Kais: ¡°And they are?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Well, the first ¨C this woman.¡±


    He points at Sona.


    Sona: ¡°What!?¡±


    I¡¯m surprised too. How is she supposed to know about this? She does seem to know a few things more than me, but it didn¡¯t seem to me that she knew things about the tomb and it¡¯s interior. I hope he¡¯s not trying to confuse me with some random bullshit here.


    Sona: ¡°What do you ¡­?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Don¡¯t be so surprised.¡±


    Sona: ¡°But how am I supposed to ¡­¡±


    Dragon: ¡°It¡¯s obvious, isn¡¯t it? You came here to fight me knowing I would come out of the tomb whence you reach close to the tomb.¡±


    Sona: ¡°I did know that.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Didn¡¯t you know the reason why I¡¯d do that.¡±Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    The dragon looks at Sona fully expecting the answer. So what did she know?


    Sona: ¡°You would do that to see who has come near the tomb.¡±


    That¡¯s strange.


    Kais: ¡°Shouldn¡¯t he be able to know by other means?¡±


    He¡¯s quite capable after all.


    Sona: ¡°Generally he should. And that means would be the little girl.¡±


    I see. So that is why Sona ¡­


    Dragon: ¡°And hence you attacked and destroyed her.¡±


    Sona: ¡°It¡¯s not like she¡¯s dead or anything.¡±


    Sona shows irritation at the dragon accusing her of ¡®destroying her¡¯, but it is a fact that she did attack her really brutally.


    Dragon: ¡°She¡¯s made of energy so that just isn¡¯t possible.¡±


    Sona: ¡°So? Get to the point.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Please accept that request.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Well, the point is ¨C what¡¯s the reason for me coming to see you?¡±


    Sona: ¡°Isn¡¯t it to protect the tomb?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°You think I need to?¡±


    He looks back and forth between the two of us. I can see that Sona is surprised; I am probably the same.


    Dragon: ¡°The tomb belongs to Ozyllus. No one can dare step foot in if his soul does not allow them to.¡±


    I can now sense admiration for Ozyllus among his hidden emotions.


    Kais: ¡°So you mean there¡¯s a different reason?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Well, duh.¡±


    I click my tongue.


    Kais: ¡°Okay, that was annoying.¡±


    Sona: ¡°Just spill it already.¡±


    She gets on her feet. She has regained some composure ever since the dragon brought her in this conversation. It may be because she has been distracted for now ¡­ or it may be because she also wants to find some answers.


    Dragon: ¡°Well, the reason is to see if that person meets my standards. If they do, I welcome them into the tomb.¡±


    Kais: ¡°And I suppose this means that I meet those standards, even though I don¡¯t know what they are?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°It¡¯s simple ¨C they have to be a competent enough psychic.¡±


    I did think of that possibility. The fact that psychics get dropped off on the island only makes sense if the standard are something like that.


    Dragon: ¡°Not surprised?¡±


    Kais: ¡°Being a fairly competent psychic is all I am, so if it had to be anything, that¡¯s it.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°You seem to think too low of yourself.¡±


    Sona: ¡°His self-esteem is not the issue here.¡±


    I turn my attention to Sona. Does she have something else she wants to ask? I don¡¯t know all that much about this tomb and can¡¯t think of any appropriate questions to ask this dragon.


    Sona: ¡°Can you tell me what you¡¯re standards for deciding who¡¯s a competent psychic and who¡¯s not are?¡±


    Fair question I guess. Psychic abilities are not all offensive so it¡¯s not like one can just put an estimate on how much damage a psychic deals and judge how competent they are. They are not all defensive either. I myself rarely use an offensive or defensive ability. So I am getting curious to hear his answer.


    Dragon: ¡°Well, there¡¯s a simple way to judge a psychic¡¯s competency.¡±


    Kais: ¡°And that is?¡±


    He raises his right hand and puts up his index finger pointing at me.


    Dragon: ¡°Fear.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Huh!?¡±


    Sona: ¡°What?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°If they fear me and constantly try to appeal to me thinking they¡¯ll gain some kind of benefit from it, then they are completely incompetent.¡±


    That¡¯s harsh. But I do get the point.


    Dragon: ¡°If they fear me and try to run away from me, then they are incompetent as well.¡±


    That makes sense too.


    Dragon: ¡°If they fear me and try to attack me in blind rage, they are incompetent too.¡±


    For a moment, he looks at Sona as if telling her ¨C ¡®Even if you were a psychic, you would have failed¡¯. Her reaction to it is nothing. It is as if she had already expected that remark.


    Dragon: ¡°But if they fear me and try to sort out their thoughts because of it and hold a conversation with me, then I¡¯ll deem them competent enough to enter.¡±


    Finally his gaze and finger both point at me.


    Sona: ¡°So you are telling me his cautious behavior is what got him through.


    Dragon: ¡°Not exactly.¡±


    The dragon denies the statement.


    Kais: ¡°Can I ask you something?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Sure.¡±


    Kais: ¡°What would you do ¡­ if a psychic came here who wasn¡¯t afraid of you?¡±


    Sona and the dragon are surprised by my statement.


    Sona: ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡±


    Kais: ¡°Know what?¡±


    Sona: ¡°There¡¯s a special effect that activates on anyone who sees him. It makes them afraid of him. Doesn¡¯t matter how powerful you are and doesn¡¯t matter if you can even defeat him, you¡¯ll be afraid of him.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Oh?¡±


    That¡¯s interesting information. So the fear caused to everyone is because of a special effect. That changes some things.


    Sona: ¡°You alright?¡±


    Why would he need something like that? He can just make anyone genuinely afraid of him. But he has a special charm of sorts for it. I doubt he was born with it though.


    Sona: ¡°Hey!¡±


    My thoughts suddenly break off and I realize I was spacing out.


    Kais: ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    The dragon tilts his head. This remark reminds me of someone who tilts their head a lot.


    Kais: ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll want me to go in alone.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Well, I just can¡¯t risk it.¡±


    Kais: ¡°But you are not coming either.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Huh? Why won¡¯t I?¡±


    Kais: ¡°Because I sense no intention of going in from you.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°I see.¡±


    I just state a fact but the dragon nods many times before continuing.


    Dragon: ¡°Indeed, you are right.¡±


    The smile is still present on his face and it somehow looks appropriate for his tone right now.


    Kais: ¡°So the one who would come with me will be ¡®her¡¯.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Yes.¡±


    The dragon nods while answering and then puts up his right hand, with his palm open to face the ground.


    Dragon: ¡°Come forth!¡±


    Brightness strikes my eyes for a second but then it clears up. And there I see the little girl I first met on the island again.


    Dragon: ¡°Well, here she is.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Now that I think about it, isn¡¯t she similar to spirits like that rabbit and Death?¡±


    Sona: ¡°Do I have to remind it wasn¡¯t a rabbit?¡±


    Kais: ¡°I know. It¡¯s just convenient to call it one. And besides, that¡¯s not the point.¡±


    Sona sighs, which annoys me a little.


    Sona: ¡°I suppose you are not wrong. She is similar, to say the least.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Well, time to wake up.¡±


    As soon as the dragon says that, the girl opens her eyes and looks robotic for a moment. Then she turns to how she usually looks ¨C curious and tilting her head.


    Girl: ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Not much.¡±


    She shifts her gaze back and looks at the dragon. Her expression is of surprise, at the very least.


    Girl: ¡°But this ¡­ is outside of the tomb.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Did you think I never step outside of the tomb?¡±


    The girl nods. The dragon stands there dumbfounded by that reply.


    Girl: ¡°I always saw you inside or on the roof of the tomb.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°It¡¯s true I didn¡¯t really come out at any specific time you were around, but that doesn¡¯t mean I would never come out.¡±


    That¡¯s a fair logic but I can understand why a child may not understand that.


    Girl: ¡°But then, wouldn¡¯t he ¡­ be wrong?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°He?¡±


    That catches my attention too. Who¡¯s she talking about?


    Girl: ¡°He said you¡¯d never come out. That something bad will happen if you come out.¡±


    The girl looks down, holding herself and trembling while she says these words.


    Girl: ¡°That a war would be about to break out; that the last days of this island would have come.¡±


    Sona: ¡°Who¡¯s she talking about?¡±


    Kais: ¡°I¡¯m as clueless as you are.¡±


    Neither of us knows who she is talking about but this still gives me a bad feeling. The dragon, however, waves his hands as if to dispel my worries.


    Dragon: ¡°Don¡¯t think too much of it. Probably a psychic I deemed unworthy of entering the tomb spouted that rubbish to her.¡±


    Girl: ¡°No!¡±


    The girl denies the dragon¡¯s statement as soon as he says it. But then, who said these things to her?


    Girl: ¡°He was a man ¡­ who didn¡¯t come here to go to the tomb, but to tell me this.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Wait, what?¡±


    Girl: ¡°He said you won¡¯t be able to sense him because he¡¯s not a special person.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Not a special person.¡±


    Girl: ¡°He said he¡¯s not a psychic, not a spirit-user, not any other sort of supernatural, but just a simple human.¡±


    Sona: ¡°How the hell did he come here then?¡±


    The girl looks down, not answering the question.


    Dragon: ¡°Hey, come on, answer her. Did you see how he came here?¡±


    Girl: ¡°I did. That was the only time I saw someone coming here.¡±


    Kais: ¡°So how did he come here?¡±


    Girl: ¡°By a wooden something he called ¡®boat¡¯.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Boat!?¡±


    This just got a whole another level of crazy. He came here by a boat? Is that even possible?


    Girl: ¡°He told me he came to warn me. When I see you out of the tomb ¡­¡±


    She looks at the dragon,


    Girl: ¡°There will only be a few days left for this place.¡±


    The dragon¡¯s angry. I can feel it. It isn¡¯t on the face, but it is inside him. In fact, the aura he is emanating has gotten so intense the other two can also feel it, so there¡¯s no point trying to hide it.


    Girl: ¡°HCK!!!¡±


    The girl¡¯s shoulders jump in fear and she tries to get back. The dragon looks straight at her and says,


    Dragon: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not going to hurt you, but do tell me ¨C this human who dares to foretell the fate of this island. Do you remember anything else about him?¡±


    The girl is still afraid, and it¡¯s pretty understandable. You just have to be afraid after being in this aura. I can¡¯t even feel my own legs right now, but they are probably shaking.


    Still, the question he asked is one I want the answer to too.


    Kais: ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡±


    The girl turns to look at me, the fear still in her eyes.


    Kais: ¡°He really won¡¯t do anything to you. So think calmly and answer him.¡±


    I can sense the killing intent coming from him, but it¡¯s directed at none of us, but the man who claimed that this island would end in a few days.


    Girl: ¡°He had ¡­ brown hair, tall as Kais and ¡­¡±


    The girl looks down, trying to avoid eye contact with the dragon.


    Girl: ¡°he said his name was ¡­ was ¡­ Ethan ¡­ Kales.¡±


    *******************************


    In a place that can be defined only as darkness, someone opens their eyes.


    What¡¯s this place? He wondered.


    Am I in hell? He wondered.


    He doesn¡¯t remember everything that happened, but does remember that he died. He got shot in the stomach by deception and ended up dying.


    Why am I here? If I am dead, then ¡­ that should be it. He wasn¡¯t sure of what to think when faced with such a bizarre darkness.


    Wait! There ¡­ there was ¡­ yeah! And suddenly it becomes clear to him. Suddenly, he remembers the talk he had with the person who killed him. And then he remembered the realization that had hit him before dying.


    That means ¡­ it means ¡­ I¡¯m a ¡­


    ???: ¡°Ghost.¡±


    Finishing his sentence for him, there is a voice that echoes through the darkness.


    Who? Who¡¯s there? Then he realizes he can¡¯t speak. No matter how much he tries, he can¡¯t feel his mouth moving.


    ???: ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You¡¯ll be able to speak after a while.¡±


    The voice comes again. It sounds like the voice of a man, but he weren¡¯t too sure.


    ???: ¡°Just be patient for now, Ro.¡±


    Ro is surprised to say the least. This voice doesn¡¯t sound very familiar but there is a distinct feeling inside him that told him who it belongs to. Yet Ro denies the possibility knowing full well it¡¯s the truth.


    Who are you? Tell me ¡­ who are you? He asks in his mind.


    ???: ¡°You already know it, don¡¯t you? Don¡¯t deny it, you do know it.¡±


    No, don¡¯t be absurd. I don¡¯t know who you are. He says in his mind.


    ???: ¡°Really?¡±


    Yes, I don¡¯t know who you are. I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t know I don¡¯t know I don¡¯t know I ¡­ he keeps repeating in his mind, until the voice decides to give in.


    ???: ¡°Have it your way then.¡±


    A figure emerges in the silhouette of a young man.


    ???: ¡°My name is Barry.¡±


    *******************************

 Chapter 9: Reversal

    I stand at the entrance to the tomb alongside the little girl who has no name. She is still scared and shaken by the shock of what she saw before.


    Kais: ¡°You okay?¡±


    The girl nods. Both of us keep our eyes at the tomb.


    Girl: ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m just ¡­ a little ¡­¡±


    It¡¯s understandable. I am bit bewildered myself.


    Kais: ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I am not in a hurry.¡±


    After all, there are some really important moments of my life coming up, I need to be prepared. If you are giving me extra time to do so, I¡¯ll gladly accept it.


    *******************************


    Girl: ¡°He said his name was ¡­ was ¡­ Ethan ¡­ Kales.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Ethan Kales?¡±


    I have heard that name before, I think. But where was it? He¡¯s a brown-haired youth as tall as me with the name Ethan Kales.


    The scene from the store flashes through my mind. That round object; the man who picked it up ¨C had brown hair, was as tall as me and his name was Ethan Kales. Yeah, it had totally slipped my mind.


    Dragon: ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of anyone with that name. Do you two know anything?¡±


    Sona: ¡°No!¡±


    After her short ¡®no¡¯, all three of them turn towards me.


    Kais: ¡°I may have heard it. But ¡­ he doesn¡¯t seem to someone with any special abilities or so.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°He was a normal human?¡±


    I nod. Ethan Kales is definitely a normal human. I know it from his aura. But the fact remains that the description matches him perfectly. And now that I think about it, I got chills from shaking hands with him. I tried to ignore it back then, but what if there was a reason for that, something even my psychic senses couldn¡¯t pick up.


    Girl: ¡°I already told you. He said he was no one special himself.¡±


    That¡¯s true. She did say that. If that man was really the Ethan Kales I met, could he be also involved with Ro and Mohammed.


    Kais: ¡°It is possible.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Huh? What is possible?¡±


    I said that in a soft voice but it seems like he heard me. Well, I don¡¯t think I need to answer him though.


    Dragon: ¡°Don¡¯t even think of ignoring my question.¡±


    Damn! Fine, I don¡¯t think telling him makes too much of a difference right now. It might affect the situation later on, but nothing would change now.


    Kais: ¡°I met this guy named Ethan Kales sometime before coming here. He is a pretty good match for what she is saying.¡±


    Sona: ¡°Before coming here? Is that so?¡±


    Well, it¡¯s more like before being brought here, but I¡¯ll feel like junk that got dumped at an island if I say it like that.


    Kais: ¡°Yeah, more or less.¡±


    Girl: ¡°But didn¡¯t you say you didn¡¯t come here, but were brought here.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Did I say that? Well, I may have.¡±


    Sona: ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡±


    Kais: ¡°It was something like ¨C a few powerful people ganged up on me, kidnapped me and left me here.¡±


    Sona: ¡°You sure don¡¯t sound like anyone who¡¯s been kidnapped.¡±


    It¡¯s hard to think of my situation that way. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m being kept tied up or anything. Also the kidnappers are not even here.


    Dragon: ¡°Well, we can discuss your predicament later. For now, tell me all you know about this man ¨C Ethan Kales?¡±


    Kais: ¡°There¡¯s not much else to tell you. We just met once and that¡¯s all. Other than his facial features which she already told you about, there¡¯s nothing much I know about him.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Nothing?¡±


    Well, there¡¯s something else actually. I sigh before saying,


    Kais: ¡°If it helps, there was a woman there with him.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°How did she look?¡±


    Kais: ¡°Well, she was tall, pale-faced and quite pretty.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°I don¡¯t know how to distinguish you human based on the last part, but I can work with the other two parts.¡±


    Sona: ¡°Isn¡¯t that still pretty vague though?¡±


    Kais: ¡°Well, I only saw her once too.¡±


    I can do a few things to help in finding her, but I¡¯ll keep that to myself for now ¨C


    Dragon: ¡°I¡¯d expect a psychic to have a way of remembering more about her.¡±


    Or so I thought.


    Damn! This guy knows quite a lot about psychic abilities, doesn¡¯t he? Of course he does, he befriended one of the most powerful, if not the most powerful, psychic in history.


    Sona: ¡°Well, what about it?¡±


    Kais: ¡°I don¡¯t have complete faith in the two of you or anything, so I won¡¯t use any ability that may make me vulnerable.¡±


    Sona looks disappointed after hearing the answer and the dragon shows no change. He might have expected me to say this.


    Dragon: ¡°I guess I¡¯ll have to wait because winning your trust will probably be impossible.¡±


    Kais: ¡°I wouldn¡¯t call it impossible but not very easy for sure.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°And I don¡¯t have the patience to do something so tiresome.¡±


    That¡¯s a roundabout way of insulting me.


    Dragon: ¡°Well, if that¡¯s how the situation stands, let¡¯s get back to the original topic.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Me going into the tomb, right?¡±


    The girl looks at me, surprised by what she just heard, and tilts her head.


    Dragon: ¡°That¡¯s right, you are to accompany him and keep an eye on him.¡±


    The dragon says while looking at the girl. Somehow, she immediately knows he¡¯s talking to her and nods without even looking back. These two don¡¯t have any names as far as I know, yet they are able to perfectly communicate with each other. Is that because he made her? Well, it¡¯s possible.


    Girl: ¡°I understand.¡±


    She looks at me with her tilting-head-expression.


    Dragon: ¡°If you find him doing anything suspicious, you just need to call for me in your mind.¡±


    He says that as he looks at me.


    Kais: ¡°Basically you are telling me there is no way I can get away with anything suspicious. (While sighing) Don¡¯t worry about it; I¡¯m not going to do anything to upset your friend.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°If you understand, then that¡¯s good.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Obviously, I am not going into the tomb to sneak away and screw around.¡±


    The first thing I need to do in the tomb is to find a way to sneak away.


    Kais: ¡°But wait, the last I heard, she had never been in the tomb. How would she know it even if I do anything suspicious?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°I just transferred all the information about the tomb into her head. So don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    Well, that settles that.


    *******************************


    And so we are here, standing in front of the tomb of Ozyllus, ready to go in while the dragon and the spirit-user stand a little distance away, looking at us.


    Girl: ¡°Okay, I am ready to go.¡±


    With her saying so, my time to prepare is also over. In these moments, I thought over all the things that happened from going to store, to the deal with Ro and Mohammed, to this island, to the fight between Death and the dragon and to now. I need to keep all the relevant information in my head to understand how to proceed from here.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Kais: ¡°Okay then, let¡¯s get moving.¡±


    While I have no reason to betray anyone here, I am not fully confident they are the same. So I will have to tread my steps carefully. After all, everything can change and even this girl who looks so innocent and pure could be an enemy in the future.


    Dragon: ¡°Don¡¯t forget ¡­¡±


    Kais: ¡°Not gonna do anything to Ozyllus¡¯ body, now shut up!¡±


    That¡¯s right, I am going to act the way he wants me to and try to keep being on good terms with him. But, if the current situation changes, my stance might have to change too. If that happens, I need to be prepared.


    *******************************


    After Kais and the girl went in the tomb, an atmosphere of awkwardness is left between the two people left. Neither of them tries to ease this atmosphere. After quite some time goes by in silence, one of them finally breaks the ice.


    Dragon: ¡°Do you still plan to kill me?¡±


    Sona: ¡°If I can.¡±


    She doesn¡¯t even hesitate in giving that answer. It is as if she isn¡¯t even afraid of the dragon at all. No, that¡¯s impossible. The effect of fear is active and hence she is indeed afraid of him, but her hatred is far too much to be engulfed by fear.


    Dragon: ¡°That¡¯s disheartening to hear.¡±


    Sona: ¡°As if a monster like you even has a heart.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°I do have a heart. If not, how in the world would I have become a psychic¡¯s friend?¡±


    Sona gets irritated upon hearing the dragon say ¡®friend¡¯. To her, the dragon is someone abhorrent who would lie about a god.


    Sona: ¡°Get out of your delusions, dragon. That whole thing about you befriending Ozyllus is a farce.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°You are saying the story is false.¡±


    Sona: ¡°The story is true to most extent. But the interpretation of it is nothing more than you trying to deceive the world.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°How so?¡±


    Sona: ¡°You didn¡¯t become his friend. He merely pitied you and let you live. Going around saying you became his friend when in reality all you had been was a defeated creature who only survived because of pity ¨C that¡¯s truly pathetic.¡±


    The dragon doesn¡¯t answer right away, but keeps looking at her. Since she is no psychic, she cannot tell what emotions he¡¯s trying to suppress at the moment, but she knows they are not pleasant.


    Sona: ¡°Don¡¯t you feel ashamed of yourself looking like the man who kicked your ass?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Sona, was it? I see that you know some things I¡¯d really want no one to know.¡±


    The dragon looks at her with the same eyes he had when the killing intent towards Ethan Kales had taken over his aura.


    Sona: ¡°Well, too bad I already know it.¡±


    But she does not flinch on seeing that. It is almost like she had expected it, even though that isn¡¯t the case.


    Dragon: ¡°But what if an ¡®accident¡¯ happens to you and you become unable to tell anyone?¡±


    The dragon uses a very well-known roundabout way to threaten her. But being well-known doesn¡¯t make it any less meaningful.


    Sona: ¡°Do you honestly believe I came here that unprepared?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°You are telling me you expected something like this?¡±


    Sona looks at the dragon with hostile intent clear in her eyes and the dragon asks the expected question.


    Sona: ¡°I always considered Death to be weaker than you. It¡¯s not that surprising to me that it lost. I was shocked at first because I thought it was winning but then it suddenly exploded. The end result ¨C I¡¯d say I had more or less expected that.¡±


    The dragon knew this is the truth. From the beginning he had known the only reason for her shock was the situation suddenly turning from her victory to defeat. But what comes next?


    Dragon: ¡°Are you telling me you came here knowing you¡¯d lose? Or are you telling me there¡¯s still some card up your sleeve?¡±


    She smirks.


    Sona: ¡°Which do you think?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Huh!¡±


    Her attitude surprises the dragon. It is as if the dragon has fallen in her trap and she is barely holding back on her laughter because of it.


    Dragon: ¡°What ¡­ did you do?¡±


    Sona: ¡°Nothing.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Huh?¡±


    Sona looks up at the sky ignoring the anxious dragon.


    Sona: ¡°I just remembered something.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°And what¡¯s that?¡±


    Sona: ¡°Why should I tell you?¡±


    The dragon is irritated but trying to suppress it. Not being able to see that irritation on his face, she is a little disappointed, but still feels joy in the fact that he has became anxious and irritated.


    Dragon: ¡°Why you ¡­¡±


    But even though he tries to intimidate her, the dragon doesn¡¯t do anything to force the truth out of her either.  He understands that something like that won¡¯t work on her. The fear caused by his special effect is barely present in her. The dragon has no idea why she is behaving in such a way.


    Sona: ¡°So you are just going to stop at intimidation?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°I might have to.¡±


    Sona: ¡°Ha! Ha! HA! HA! HA!¡±


    She laughs as if she has never laughed in ages.


    Dragon: ¡°Are you even sane anymore?¡±


    Sona: ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    This woman has lost her mind. This is all the dragon can understand from her behavior. He thinks of just ignoring her. After all, there¡¯s no way to understand what¡¯s going on in her head. If only there was ¨C


    Sona: ¡°What¡¯s wrong, dragon? Wishing to be a psychic now?¡±


    The dragon clicks his tongue in annoyance.


    Dragon: ¡°Will you just shut up?¡±


    Sona: ¡°Ha! Ha! As if I¡¯ll ever do something because you asked me to.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you, woman? I can¡¯t remember ever doing something so horrible to anyone that they would hate me this much.¡±


    Sona¡¯s laughs came to a halt. Her eyes as they stare at the dragon are bloodshot. A silence follows. This silence is so unsettling that even the dragon is petrified in his place.


    After a short while, that seemed like an eternity to the dragon, passed, Sona looks down.


    Sona: ¡°So you say you don¡¯t remember, huh? Well, that¡¯s not surprising. Why would a dragon like you bother to remember the people whose lives you destroyed?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°What ¡­ what the hell are you talking about?¡±


    In this moment, the dragon, the most powerful creature on the island is trembling in front of Sona, the spirit-user without any spirits left to combat him and the weakest on the island.


    Dragon: ¡°When did I ever destroy anyone¡¯s lives?¡±


    Sona: ¡°When did you destroy our lives? Are you trying to make me remember those painful memories now?¡±


    She looks at the dragon with bloodshot eyes again as the dragon takes a step back.


    Sona: ¡°I see. So it wasn¡¯t enough to take everything I had from me. You still want to bring me more pain by reminding me of those days.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°W-wait a second! That¡¯s not what I meant and you know it.¡±


    Sona: ¡°Stop making excuses!¡±


    Dragon: ¡°E-exactly, stop making excuses to lash out at me.¡±


    Sweat has formed on the dragon¡¯s forehead. His breathing has become heavy and the pressure in his brain is making him unable to think.


    Sona: ¡°You truly are and always will be ¨C pathetic.¡±


    *******************************


    When I first entered the tomb, I felt something off. It was like something had changed. But I couldn¡¯t hear or see anything happening. So I kept that thought at the back of my mind and started walking.


    Slowly as I walked, the darkness lessened by increasing number of lights, I realize what was going on.


    Girl: ¡°I feel ¡­ so dizzy ¡­ right now.¡±


    She complained of dizziness earlier but I didn¡¯t realize the reason for that. I thought it would be because of the shock and fear she would have sensed when the dragon heard about Ethan. But that was not it.


    Kais: ¡°Are you going to be okay?¡±


    Girl: ¡°I¡¯m ¡­ sorry to say but ¡­ I don¡¯t think ¡­ I would be ¡­ okay.¡±


    She trips over a pebble. I try to catch her falling figure but I am too far away and she ends up falling head-first. When I try to pick her up, I feel her weight is almost negligible, like she isn¡¯t even here.


    Kais: ¡°I know she is made of energy but ¡­ isn¡¯t she too light?¡±


    And then I notice. She has started to fade away. The energy is dispersing and flowing back to the direction of the exit/entrance. As soon as I see that, my brain comes up with a theory for what¡¯s going on.


    Kais: ¡°That feeling I had when I entered ¨C could it be related to this?¡±


    What if this tomb is cut off from the rest of the island? What if this place is in a space of its own?


    Kais: ¡°Also ¡­¡±


    There¡¯s the fact that I have been walking for a while, going deeper and deeper, but I have not reached anywhere. From outside, the tomb never looked this big. What if the moment I entered the tomb, I was transported to a different place? No, if we go by that assumption, then this might just be the real tomb.¡±


    While I had been thinking, the girl continued to disappear and now she is gone. I am left alone in the tomb. I have a theory on how this situation has come to be, but something is still unclear.


    Kais: ¡°But he would have probably known about this, so why did he send her here?¡±


    My theory about her disappearance is that because she is energy, she needs an actual host and she can only stay within a certain range of that host, which would probably be the dragon. Since she came into a different space, she could not stay here for long because the distance between them automatically grew exponentially large. But he should have already known this would happen. So why did he send her in the first place?


    Kais: ¡°I¡¯m burdened with enough questions already and more keep piling up. What¡¯s wrong with my life?¡±


    Of course I only say that as a joke to relax myself. I don¡¯t say it expecting an answer would come. And yet,


    ???: ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with your life, Kais.¡±


    A voice rings out answering my questions.


    Kais: ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡±


    I hear footsteps coming towards me. The lights are dim but enough to allow me to see someone walking towards me with a torch in his hand. The place I am is narrow like a lobby but wide enough for two people to walk side-by-side. So it shouldn¡¯t be a problem for me to run away if I can¡¯t use teleportation in this space.


    ???: ¡°¡®who¡¯s there?¡¯ Are you serious? Can¡¯t you think of a less clich¨¦ way to ask?¡±


    Kais: ¡°What?¡±


    ???: ¡°And why are you asking anyway, you already forgot?¡±


    The voice is of a male. I can distinctly recognize it and I have no reason to not suspect him after what that girl said in front of the other two.


    Kais: ¡°Ethan ¡­ Kales?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°So you do remember. Good to know.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Would you believe me if I said I am the ghost of Ozyllus?¡±


    Kais: ¡°Even if you were the world¡¯s best actor, I wouldn¡¯t believe it. I have seen how he truly looked, you are different from that.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°I see. I guess a psychic would have trust in his eyes, even if he can¡¯t have trust in anything else.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Tch!¡±


    During our conversation, he kept walking with the torch in his hand and I keep slowly moving forward.


    Kais: ¡°Who or what I trust in and not is none of your business.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Well, I guess it¡¯s not.¡±


    Kais: ¡°So tell me, why are you here? This time say the real reason.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Nah, sometimes reality is too boring to speak of, and I like to indulge myself in whatever¡¯s the most interesting thing to do.¡±


    Kais: ¡°So basically you are a troll?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°A troll in a dark, cave-like place makes me look like an ugly monster from dark fantasy books.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like I have a much better opinion of you than that.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Yeah, I figured that might be the case.¡±


    We stop as we have reached a point where we could clearly see each other with the torchlight.


    Ethan: ¡°I am curious though. With all that has been happening with you, did you get a chance to think about that object?¡±


    I didn¡¯t. Back then I decided I¡¯d hold on to it but now it¡¯s gone, and I have no idea where. At least, that¡¯s the truth.


    Kais: ¡°I sure did. And I have a few suspects in mind that it may actually belong to.¡±


    But no way am I not taking my chances here.


    Ethan: ¡°Well, I hope I¡¯m not one of them.¡±


    Kais: ¡°You are.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°I figured.¡±


    Ethan grins. I have no idea what¡¯s going on in his head.


    Ethan: ¡°I suppose I can tell you this much. It was mine. I took some help from an Aural friend of mine to place it in your wallet.¡±


    Kais: ¡°And that all was just a setup to meet me, I presume?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Well now,¡±


    He grin grows wider.


    Ethan: ¡°Why would you think I would have wanted to meet you so badly I would set all that up?¡±


    That kinda makes me seem arrogant but anyway,


    Kais: ¡°You wanted to confirm I¡¯m a psychic.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Oh?¡±


    Kais: ¡°I don¡¯t know why but I got a chill when I shook your hand. That was because you were somehow checking my aura, wasn¡¯t it?¡±


    I don¡¯t know this for certain but it¡¯s my main guess.


    Ethan: ¡°Yeah, well done. Your guess was on the mark.¡±


    The fact that he knew it was just a guess is kinda annoying but I¡¯ll have to roll with it for now.


    Kais: ¡°So anyway, since you don¡¯t seem to be willing to say why you¡¯re here, is there something else you can help me with?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Are you sure you worded that correctly and it wasn¡¯t like ¡®is there something I can help you with¡¯?¡±


    Kais: ¡°Like hell I¡¯d help you.¡±


    I fake a disgusted face to see if it annoys him. But it seems like he¡¯s faking a smile as an answer.


    Ethan: ¡°Oh boy! This is only the second time we are meeting and you already hate my guts.¡±


    Kais: ¡°I get the feeling that happens a lot with you.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Ah! That¡¯s a psychic¡¯s intuition for you.¡±


    He says as if he¡¯s proudly displaying something he has rather than something I have.


    Kais: ¡°So, anything you¡¯ll tell me or are you just wasting my time?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°That¡¯s harsh. Anyway, if you want me to tell you something, then ¡­¡±


    He starts wondering for a while before finally saying,


    Ethan: ¡°Well, there is something that I actually wanted to ask you but,¡±


    He pauses, probably intentionally, making me anxious.


    Kais: ¡°Ask me what?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Do you know ghosts are real and Barry is one of them?¡±


    *******************************

 Chapter 10: Hidden Pasts

    Ethan: ¡°Do you know ghosts are real and Barry is one of them?¡±


    Wait! My brain didn¡¯t even process that.


    Ethan: ¡°So, did you know this?¡±


    Kais: ¡°You ¨C¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Yeah, what?¡±


    I see him smiling as usual, only this time I can¡¯t keep my calm completely. This might only backfire but I gotta ask.


    Kais: ¡°How do you know Barry?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Well, that¡¯s simple.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Simple ¨C how?¡±


    The burst of emotions inside me isn¡¯t coming out. Instead, I think my face right now has become emotionless.


    Ethan: ¡°Hmm ¡­¡±


    Is this some kind of defense mechanism my body seems to be using? It might help me use psychic if needs be but, the anxiety deep within me continues to grow because of it.


    Kais: ¡°Answer already.¡±


    If he takes any more time answering, I might not be able to stop my emotions from running wild.


    Ethan: ¡°You really shouldn¡¯t try to hold back those emotions.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Who are you ¡­ to give my any advice?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°I guess that¡¯s true too. I am not a psychic like you, I can¡¯t completely understand your pain, but I sure as hell know that it¡¯s not good for you.¡±


    Ethan¡¯s tone during these lines has suddenly become serious. I look at him to find that his smile has completely disappeared.


    Ethan: ¡°Anyway, the decision is up to you in the end.¡±


    Kais: ¡°You ¡­ haven¡¯t answered my question yet.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°How did I know Barry, right?¡±


    Kais: ¡°Right.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Are you sure you want to know?¡±


    I understand what he¡¯s trying to say. Knowing the truth might hurt me even more. But regardless, I have to find out what he means.


    Kais: ¡°Yeah, spill it.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Well, as you wish then.¡±


    He walks towards me not saying anything. I have my guard up for anything suspicious he might try to do, but


    Ethan: ¡°The Eyes of Truth¡±


    Kais: ¡°What?¡±


    Ethan looks at me but I can¡¯t look back.


    Ethan: ¡°This is the reason that I know you ¡­ and that I know Barry.¡±


    His eyes - there¡¯s some kind of shine coming from them. They are glowing enough to make me avert my gaze from them.


    Kais: ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    But no eyes should be able to shine like this. And, this light coming from it is ¡­ blue. There¡¯s no blue light I can see that his eyes would be reflecting. But then, what¡¯s up with him?


    Ethan: ¡°I said it before. These are the ¡®Eyes of Truth¡¯.¡±


    Kais: ¡°And what¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡±


    What are these ¡®Eyes of Truth¡¯ anyway? That just sounds like a name you¡¯d come up with to sound cool.


    Ethan: ¡°Do I really need to say?¡±


    Kais: ¡°Of course you ¡­¡±


    And then it dawns on me. I have heard about something like this before. I think I know what it means.


    Kais: ¡°They are ¡­ from the legend?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Well, I guess you remember now.¡±


    A man whose eyes could not be deceived.


    This was one of the stories Barry told me. If it¡¯s true, then ¡®Eyes of Truth¡¯ would be a pretty accurate name for them.


    Kais: ¡°But that means ¡­ you are ¡­¡±


    Ethan: ¡°If you are thinking I am the man from that legend, I am not. At least, I don¡¯t think I am. I am just a 20-year-old normal human with special eyes.¡±


    Kais: ¡°But then why do you have them?¡±


    This isn¡¯t something hereditary. So that possibility does not exist. Then how can he gain something from a legend of about 1000 years ago.


    Ethan: ¡°No idea.¡±


    The ¡®Eyes of Truth¡¯ keep glowing and the shine is always blinding. It is as if the eyes don¡¯t want anyone to look into them while they look into others.


    Kais: ¡°You are ¡­ no normal human.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Or so you say.¡±


    Kais: ¡°You ¨C¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Against completely inhuman people like you and her, do my eyes really make that much of a difference.¡±


    *******************************


    Sona: ¡°You truly are and always will be ¨C pathetic.¡±


    The sight of a human insulting a dragon is rare to say the least. What is even rarer is the sight of the dragon not retorting.


    Dragon: ¡°Damn!¡±


    To think a being like him would actually be terrified of a human who could do nothing but talk was beyond imagination. Yet, this moment has come to pass.


    Sona: ¡°Don¡¯t bother, dragon. You will never be free from the terror you are feeling now.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°What!?¡±


    Sona: ¡°I did say I have done my fair bit of research, didn¡¯t I?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°You did, but ¡­ what¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡±


    The dragon¡¯s anxiousness is finally coming to his face. Sona is delighted to see this. She doesn¡¯t want his expression to relax. She wants him to keep suffering for all eternity. That¡¯s the severity of the hatred she has for him.


    Sona: ¡°Figure it out for yourself.¡±


    So she decides to not tell the dragon anything. Keep him in the dark while bullying him ¨C the perfect way to cause suffering. That¡¯s the thought in Sona¡¯s mind.


    Dragon: ¡°You ¡­ answer me this instant.¡±


    The words that sound like a threat are far from it. Said in a shaking voice, these words are the dragon¡¯s cries for truth ¨CThis narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Sona: ¡°You want answers?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Of course I do.¡±


    Sona looks at the dragon with the same bloodshot eyes. She is utterly disgusted by this creature. She wants him to keep suffering. Yet she still has some sanity inside her. She won¡¯t let an opportunity slip away.


    Sona: ¡°Then, answer me first.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Huh?¡±


    Sona: ¡°Don¡¯t be so surprised. There are a lot of things I have no idea about. But you know about them.¡±


    The dragon understands the point too, but whether he can answer or not depends on the questions. If he doesn¡¯t answer though, he won¡¯t get any answers in return.


    Sona: ¡°So? What do you say?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°I can¡¯t guarantee I will answer.¡±


    Sona: ¡°Then I can¡¯t guarantee you¡¯ll get any answers either.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Tch!¡±


    He clicks his tongue. He wants the answers to his questions. It is not something he needs, but something he desperately desires after seeing Sona¡¯s animosity. But is that desire strong enough for him to ignore the reason for which he tries to hide ¡®those answers¡¯?


    Dragon: ¡°Well, what is it you want to ask?¡±


    He decides to ask. After all, there¡¯s a chance her questions would be ones he can answer after all.


    Sona: ¡°Well, now that you¡¯re ready ¡­¡±


    The dragon has calmed down a little because of the sudden change in Sona¡¯s behavior from complete killing intent to a mix of killing intent and curiosity.


    Sona: ¡°How long do you have to live?¡±


    And then a question comes that agitates him again.


    Dragon: ¡°What-¡±


    This is a question he never expected anyone to ask him, because no one should even be able to think of it.


    Sona: ¡°I know you are going to die shortly. I am just asking how much time is left for it to happen.¡±


    Sona¡¯s eyes are still bloodshot but there is also a tiny glimpse of certainty in them. She knows for a fact that the dragon would die. How she came to know about it? Only she can answer that.


    Dragon: ¡°How do you know about that?¡±


    The dragon does not understand how anyone could know about something that ¨C he has done his utmost to hide from the rest of the world.


    Sona: ¡°I¡¯m the one asking questions right now.¡±


    He clicks his tongue. Sona is not going to answer and there is no point in trying to force her to, because it won¡¯t work. This much is clear just from her last sentence.


    Sona: ¡°Now answer. Or is that something you can¡¯t tell me?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°No, it¡¯s-¡±


    She demands an answer and the dragon can comply, so there should be no reason he shouldn¡¯t answer. That¡¯s the line of reasoning that drives the woman whose mind is almost at the brink of insanity.


    Dragon: ¡°I won¡¯t say.¡±


    The dragon, however, still refuses to answer. This isn¡¯t something he has an obligation to keep secret, but something he wants to keep secret. And to him, both secrets have the same value.


    Sona: ¡°So that¡¯s how it is?¡±


    The dragon knows what is coming. She would lash out at him. She would insult him and try to intimidate him. The dragon is more powerful but for some reason he will still be afraid. That¡¯s what is going to happen. At least, he thinks that is what¡¯s going to happen.


    Sona: ¡°So, the time left is so short you¡¯re afraid to tell me?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Huh!?¡±


    The dragon looks at the woman in disbelieve. How could she understand that so quickly? The dragon has thought of her as someone on the brink of insanity. So how could she think and figure things out like a completely sane person.


    Sona: ¡°That reaction tells me I am right.¡±


    But, on the other end, it isn¡¯t sound logic that the woman used to figure it out. It is indeed a barely sane mind that came up with that logic.


    There was the possibility that there was so much time left that it could somehow inconvenience the dragon if others knew about it. There was also the possibility that he would die at a particular date or time that others should not know about. But the one that appealed to Sona the most was the one where his enemy dies very soon. And so she wanted that one to be right. Thus, she convinced her ¨C that is the real reason.


    This is the logic behind her thoughts. Now that she knows it¡¯s true, she doesn¡¯t even bother to worry how irrationally her mind is working.


    Dragon: ¡°Damn you!¡±


    To the dragon who has had his secret figured out without an explanation as to how she did it, it may look like she has been thinking like a sane person and using deductive reasoning, but the truth couldn¡¯t be further from it. It is insanity that allowed her to figure it out after all.


    Sona: ¡°So, how much time is left?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Don¡¯t think I will ¡­¡±


    Sona: ¡°Less than a year?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°What!?¡±


    Sona: ¡°Right again, huh?


    The dragon¡¯s reaction is easy to read. At least, it is easy to read for Sona. He has been anxious for a while now. Combine that expression with his words, and every time it would look like Sona has hit the mark. And she won¡¯t even bother to think of other possibilities.


    Sona: ¡°Then, if I narrow it down again ¨C less than a month?¡±


    The expression doesn¡¯t change and Sona ignores everything else and takes it as a ¡®yes¡¯. She just wouldn¡¯t accept anything that would seem less pleasant. Just like how she will never bother thinking about the loopholes in every single one of her theory.


    Sona: ¡°What about ¨C less than a week?¡±


    The same reaction, the same interpretation ¨C Sona decides this will be as less as it can go. If it was less than a day, the dragon would be much more anxious. So she decides she wouldn¡¯t ask if it¡¯s less than a day or not because the answer is very likely to be a ¡®no¡¯, something she doesn¡¯t want to hear.


    Dragon: ¡°Tch!¡±


    The dragon looks at her with the same anxiety as before, but for the first time, she notices his eyes, unlike his face showing his true emotions.


    Dragon: ¡°It¡¯s ¡­¡±


    Those emotions are disbelieve and ¡­ resignation.


    Dragon: ¡°Four days.¡±


    Sona: ¡°Four ¡­ days?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°That¡¯s all I have left.¡±


    Sona: ¡°Just four days. I see, just four days, huh?¡±


    The dragon nods. His secret has been almost completely exposed. He thinks there is no point in hiding it anymore and spills the last part himself.


    Sona: ¡°I see.¡±


    She looks at the ground as her hair covers her face.  Her expression at the moment ¨C the dragon has no idea what it is.


    Sona: ¡°So it¡¯s ¡­ just four days.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Yes.¡±


    The dragon interprets her sentence as a question to confirm what she hears and answers once more. But it was not a question; it is far from any question, it is ¡­ the crossing of the line.


    Sona: ¡°Ha! Ha! Ha! HA! HA! HA!¡±


    She bursts out laughing. Her laughs echo through the forest. They are a show of pure delight, or so one would expect.


    In reality, they are laughs of despair.


    *******************************


    Kais: ¡°Inhuman people like me and ¡­ her?¡±


    Who does he mean by that?


    Ethan: ¡°Don¡¯t you remember there was a woman with me when we first met?¡±


    Kais: ¡°She¡¯s a psychic too?¡±


    I didn¡¯t sense any psychic energy from her. But if she is powerful enough, she should be able to hide her aura. So the possibility exists. However,


    Ethan: ¡°No, but she is a pretty dangerous supernatural nonetheless.¡±


    Ethan answering my questions without the smile makes me uncomfortable. Till now, I had thought of Ethan as a sadist. Seeing him without a smile when I am pained by my inner-emotions trying to burst out, that preconception seems to be shattering.


    Kais: ¡°Guess you¡¯re not that big of an asshole.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°I don¡¯t know what I ever did to give you that impression. At least, I don¡¯t think I have done anything yet.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Yet?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Yeah well, who knows what the future may hold?¡±


    It is as clear as it could be that Ethan is willing to go up against anyone if given a reason to. I have picked up on this and have taken care to maintain a safe distance between us.


    Kais: ¡°You did say it¡¯s because of your ¡®Eyes of Truth¡¯, but ¡­¡±


    Ethan: ¡°But I didn¡¯t exactly tell you how it all ties up, right?¡±


    Yeah, basically, he hasn¡¯t answered the question yet.


    Ethan: ¡°Well, the easiest way to explain would be to say ¨C¡±


    He pauses again. That annoys me but from the looks of things, it doesn¡¯t seem to be his goal to annoy me. It looks like he is collecting his thoughts.


    Ethan: ¡°I was a witness.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Witness ¡­ of what?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Of the disaster 12 years ago.¡±


    Kais: ¡°___¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Hey, you okay?¡±


    My mind can¡¯t process that. What he just said is totally absurd, isn¡¯t it? There¡¯s no way it¡¯s true. He must be trying to mess with my head.


    Ethan: ¡°I¡¯m not lying, you know.¡±


    There he goes again trying to act like a mind-reader even though he is just a human. That¡¯s right. He¡¯s just a normal human. He thinks he can outmatch a psychic by using a few deceiving words. He must think too lightly of us psychics.


    Ethan: ¡°I don¡¯t undervalue any of you people.¡±


    This bastard! Who does he think he is? Trying to act all high and mighty like that, are we a joke to him?


    Ethan: ¡°In contrast, I think you are all terrifyingly powerful people.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Why you ¡­¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Trying to lash out at me won¡¯t help.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Tch!¡±


    Ethan: ¡°You know what would help though - letting your emotions through.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Do you think I am a child that I¡¯d start crying now?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°The thinking that only children cry is a very conceited thing to say in reality.¡±


    What¡¯s wrong with this guy? Just shut up!


    Kais: ¡°You sure you don¡¯t think that way because you¡¯re still a crybaby yourself.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Well, you are free to call me whatever you want. I am not the most self-esteemed man so I don¡¯t really care all that much.¡±


    And that just irritates me even more, you bastard.


    Ethan: ¡°But anyway, all I did was answer. But that was enough to make you this despaired. This is why I warned you before.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Alright fine, will you shut up for a second?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°If you stop trying to put a lid on your emotions, I will.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Shut the hell up!¡±


    If he doesn¡¯t shut his mouth by himself, there¡¯s only one way to make him.


    Kais: ¡°If this hurts, don¡¯t blame me.¡±


    I am not a big fan of using my psychic abilities to attack, but this guy needs a good beat-down to keep his mouth shut.


    Ethan: ¡°It won¡¯t work.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Like hell it won¡¯t.¡±


    I focus my energy in my hands and give him a solid punch in his stomach ¨C only to see my hand going through his body.


    Ethan: ¡°I told you it won¡¯t work. Only my soul is here, so anything you do with the intention of hurting my body will be ineffective.¡±


    Kais: ¡°But how is that ¡­¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Kais: ¡°What?¡±


    Is he messing with me again?


    Ethan: ¡°Something happened and I fell unconscious. Then I found myself here, but only in spirit form. I don¡¯t know what happened though and I had never seen this place before. So I have no idea what¡¯s going on.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Damn! Things I don¡¯t understand ¨C just keep piling up.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Well, that aside, I think you have pretty much started to hate me now, so I¡¯ll be going.¡±


    Kais: ¡°The way you say it makes it sound like you came here just so I could start completely hating you.¡±


    I say that when Ethan is turning away. Even though I am not sure, I think I saw a glimpse of smile on that face of his.


    Ethan: ¡°Well, I¡¯ll see you in two days, and this time in flesh.¡±


    Kais: ¡°So I¡¯ll get a chance to punch you after all.¡±


    A smirking sound comes from him.


    Ethan: ¡°I¡¯m not sure you¡¯d be benefited much from that though.¡±


    While saying that, Ethan leaves the range of my sight. He leaves his torch behind so there¡¯s no way I can see him. But he says we would meet in two days, right? Will we now?


    *******************************

 Chapter 11: Infinite Possibilities

    I stand in the darkness alone. Ethan Kales left a few moments ago. The way he arrived, the way our conversation went and then the smile on his face when he was leaving (I only saw a hint of it but I know it was there) all makes me vary of everything that¡¯s happening here.


    I have no idea where I am and what I am here for. For all I know, this could be a trap the dragon sent me to. I am inclining towards believing that¡¯s not actually the case, but there¡¯s no guarantee.


    Kais: ¡°Well, I¡¯ll have to get a move on.¡±


    Even if my head is full of questions, and even if I am anxious as hell because of them, I have to keep moving. Thinking about them might give a theory or two about what their answer might be, but a theory I come up wouldn¡¯t necessarily be true. I¡¯ll never find any answers unless I look for people who know them.


    Kais: ¡°Well, I¡¯ll also have to make them talk.¡±


    That won¡¯t be the easiest thing to do, but it sure wouldn¡¯t be as hard as finding them. So, the crux of the situation is, I¡¯m surrounded by various supernatural events, I don¡¯t know everything about any of them, and I¡¯ll have to try to know as much as I can to proceed.


    Kais: ¡°Not a very ideal island adventure, but I guess I have no choice but to do it.¡±


    With that decided, I take a step forward. But just as my feet touch the ground again, I feel a chill run down my spine.


    Kais: ¡°What ¡­ was that?¡±


    There¡¯s darkness all around me. The torch Ethan had brought and had (for some reason) left before leaving is still here and the only source of light so far. My eyes have adjusted to the darkness and so I can see some things clearly but not everything. In which case, it won¡¯t be very hard to sneak attack me.


    Kais: ¡°So if anyone tries to attack me, I¡¯m screwed ¨C¡±


    Or at least an onlooker might think that. I am constantly using Aura-Reading so I can detect any hostile movements and it is impossible to do me any harm without me noticing it. Which is why ¨C there¡¯s no reason for me to get afraid or have chills run down my spine.


    Kais: ¡°So why did that happen?¡±


    I don¡¯t think it was just some random happening that I should ignore. More than I trust anyone or anything else, I have to trust in my senses. After all, my entire psychic arsenal is more or less dependent on them and they have not failed me once in my lifetime. If I felt a chill run down my spine, there has to be a reason for it.


    Kais: ¡°So what just happened?¡±


    I turn to look back but nothing appears, I turn some more and the same result repeats itself. As I keep looking, I keep coming to the same conclusion ¨C that everything is fine. But I just refuse to believe that.


    Kais: ¡°Can someone slip through without me noticing?¡±


    It¡¯s a terrifying thought, but one that I need to consider. One of the psychic abilities is to hide your presence. While Aura-Reading should be the counter to the ability, it¡¯s not omnipotent. I know I am not the most powerful psychic in the world. What if someone much more powerful than me tries to use that ability and sneak past me, at least my mind should notice it. In which case, a shiver running down my spine should be a warning of sorts.


    Kais: ¡°But can¡¯t they just teleport out of here instead?¡±


    If the person was trying to attack me, then it makes sense for them to slip past me, but if all they wanted was to pass me without me noticing them, then they could just teleport away from my range.


    Kais: ¡°Unless there was some ulterior motive ¡­¡±


    An ulterior motive ¨C that would make them try to get past me without me noticing. I check my own aura and I am the same as before. No changes have been done to me internally or externally.


    Kais: ¡°There is nothing dangerous on me either.¡±


    Then, what other reason could there be?


    Kais: ¡°Actually, that¡¯s a waste of time, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Coming up with a reason I don¡¯t even know who had for sneaking past me is absurd. There can be so many reasons and there¡¯s no way I can think of and verify all of them. If I am to think of things that might have happened, I need to make sure I am safe for now (which I already have) and to tighten up my defenses.


    Kais: ¡°This will take some effort though.¡±


    The ability I am about to use is Psychic Barrier and the name is pretty self-explanatory. It will cover me in all fronts and no one can pass unless I allow them to. Though once inside, a person can do anything to me without worrying about the barrier.


    Kais: ¡°Okay then.¡±


    I close my eyes as I focus my energy into my heart. I have to cover my heart with my psychic energy to activate the barrier. One crucial thing about this ability is that it relies solely on my psychic energy. I can¡¯t use any atmospheric energy to power it up. So as my energy runs out, the layer of energy covering my heart will get thinner and my barrier will get weaker. When that happens, there will be no instant way to replenish it.


    Kais: ¡°Finally.¡±


    The process of activating this barrier doesn¡¯t take too much time, only about 15-20 seconds for me, but it takes a lot of effort in just that much time. But while the barrier has all these negatives, it gives me huge positives too. In Aura Reading, someone can teleport from a point from one point to another, both outside of my range, and can avoid detection. This happens because in teleportation, psychic energy of the person mixes with the atmospheric energy and travels to the other point. Since atmospheric energy is used to do aura-reading, it feels like nothing is out of order. On the other hand, if someone tries to teleport in a way that their energy would even touch the barrier, I would know because it would differ from the energy of the barrier which will be purely mine.


    Kais: ¡°So I can say I am as safe as I can manage to be right now.¡±


    And now that I have confirmed that much, I should get back to the task at hand. I came here to go to do something the dragon says should become clear to me somehow. It is not clear yet, but for now I want to get to the place where Ozyllus¡¯ body is.


    Kais: ¡°Sorry about it but,¡±


    I know the dragon doesn¡¯t want me to go near it and all that, but I can¡¯t ignore this once in a lifetime chance now that I am alone.


    Thinking that, I start walking in the direction Ethan came from. I might find something there, after all I have been walking straight up to here without any chance to diverge so it¡¯s not like there are any other routes I can take. Even if there was, it can be checked later when I return.


    Kais: ¡°Being by myself helps quite a bit actually.¡±


    I don¡¯t have anything against the dragon or the girl, but since I am alone here, I have a lot of freedom I wouldn¡¯t have had otherwise and I am glad for it. I have to make decisions for myself and no one would stop me. I am not saying I want everyone to keep agreeing with me, but I hate it when people disagree without giving any explanation as to why.


    Kais: ¡°And those two probably won¡¯t explain why.¡±


    I can be sure of that with the dragon, and the girl probably doesn¡¯t know anything the dragon doesn¡¯t want others to find out.


    Kais: ¡°That being said though ¡­¡±


    And this is a question that has bugged me for a while now, why did the dragon send her here with me? It¡¯s hard to believe the dragon didn¡¯t know she would just disperse and get drawn back. That can mean that this is not the place the dragon intended me to be. The place should be inside the tomb but we got teleported to a different space when we stepped in. Maybe my assumption that this was as he wanted was wrong.


    Kais: ¡°And that would mean ¨C I am in someone¡¯s trap right now.¡±


    So what should I do? Should I try to get back to the tomb? But even if this all is true and I get back to the tomb somehow, there¡¯s no guarantee it would be less dangerous there. Either way, I am in a very dangerous position. I can trust no one here ¨C not the dragon, the girl, Sona, Ethan or anyone else.


    The worst part of this problem all is that I have no idea how big of a problem it is and the mysteries just keep piling one over the other.


    Kais: ¡°I can¡¯t even decide what to do now.¡±


    I say that as I realize that I have stopped moving. That¡¯s only natural though. I thought I needed to find Ozyllus¡¯ coffin and that I might if I go in the direction Ethan came from but now I have doubts about this place even being the real tomb.


    Kais: ¡°This is risky. There¡¯s no doubt about that.¡±


    Do I have any clues that could help me here? There must be something. There must be some sort of information I can use to at least take a step forward in the right path. Think! Damn it! Think!


    Kais: ¡°Wait!¡±


    I suddenly remember something the dragon said back then.


    Dragon: ¡°The tomb belongs to Ozyllus. No one can dare step foot in if his soul does not allow them to.¡±


    So is this what he meant? Does Ozyllus¡¯ soul send me here? As unlikely as that sounds, it is not impossible. Ozyllus¡¯ soul should be powerful enough to send me to a different space. Ozyllus would have done much more, but his soul can¡¯t be as strong as he was. Still, sending me here should still be child¡¯s play for him.


    Kais: ¡°Come to think of it, Ethan ¨C¡±


    He said ghosts exist. That could also mean Ozyllus exists as a ghost and not a soul, as terrifying as that may sound. If that¡¯s true though, would the tomb really be the place he would be lurking around. Unlike souls that are bound to the place the body rests, ghosts are free to do whatever they want or go wherever they want. At least, that¡¯s what I have heard. Since I didn¡¯t even know they actually exist until a few moments ago, I had never dug much deeper into their topic.


    Coming back to the point though, even if he exists only as a soul, if he¡¯s capable of teleporting me here, then he should be capable of contacting the dragon somehow too. So, is he a soul or a ghost?


    Kais: ¡°Damn! Either scenario is very plausible, so I think I should just keep this in the back of my mind for now.¡±


    Ghosts exist and are free to move as they desire. But in that case, Ozyllus would probably keep interfering with the world. It¡¯s a terrifying thought that a being so powerful would keep interfering with the world. It almost sounds as if he¡¯s a ¡®demon¡¯ ¡­ or a ¡®god¡¯. The world did call him a god but that was just metaphorically. If anyone believed him to be a real god, they would be some fools.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    There¡¯s a possibility that ghosts aren¡¯t capable of interfering with the physical world because they don¡¯t belong to it anymore. In that case, he shouldn¡¯t be capable of teleporting me here either ¡­ unless he is so powerful he can break the rules, which makes this theory non-valuable, at least for now. Besides, that¡¯s far-fetched too. No matter how powerful he is, and no matter who calls him a god, he can¡¯t go around breaking metaphysical laws and controlling space-time on the tip of his fingers. All us psychics can do is bend these laws a little and get a convenient solution to problems not possible normally. The possibility of him solely being able to interfere with the physical world ¨C I would say it¡¯s unrealistic without a doubt.


    Then another possibility is contracts and conditions. What if forming contracts allows these ghosts to interfere with the physical world? It certainly becomes possible in the case of lower and middle-class spirits like that rabbit-like spirit and even a high-class one like Death. But Ozyllus would be a spirit definitely among the most supreme ones. I doubt any human on earth will be powerful enough to make a contract with such a spirit. I don¡¯t know the details of spirits and contracts but the individual ability of the spirit-user does matter when making a contract and as far as I know, in present, there exists no human being who can make a contract with that high-level of a spirit.


    Kais: ¡°Though what if ¨C¡±


    The dragon did it. The dragon might be able to do so and would probably be glad to make a contract with his friend. That could also be a clue for why the dragon would be here if he says Ozyllus¡¯ soul can protect the tomb by itself.


    The only problem in this theory I can think of right now is that the dragon is essentially not a being that would be capable of forming contracts since that¡¯s restricted to human beings. One way around it could be that when he gained his human form, he became able to make contracts with spirits among other human-like attributes he got, but I have no confirmation on that front and there¡¯s no indication of anything like that being possible.


    I have been standing here thinking over these things looking like an idiot for a while now. If the barrier wasn¡¯t up, I could have been the most vulnerable person in the world right now. But the barrier is up and I am safe. So I wonder now what exactly the reason for that chill I felt was.


    If someone else was indeed here and had snuck past me, did they just go do whatever they came to do? Because if they didn¡¯t, and are instead waiting somewhere around here, it won¡¯t matter much what they do unless I take my barrier down. If they did run away, then who were they and why were they here?


    Kais: ¡°Huh!¡±


    A dry smile comes on my mouth. I guess I now understand why those students who couldn¡¯t write a thing on the test papers were so irritated about it even knowing full well nothing about it will change from the irritation. Truly, having questions and questions and questions and no answers ¨C is a truly irritating thing.


    Kais: ¡°Well, but I would say I am in a worse situation.¡±


    At least there¡¯s a time-limit for them after which they would have to hand the test papers, return home and relax. In my situation, I wouldn¡¯t be free of this mess unless I find some answers.


    Kais: ¡°Damn! This sucks.¡±


    Well, complaining won¡¯t do much to help but there¡¯s nothing else I can think of right now. Even coming up with theories is only confusing me more because of the lack of information there is. I am not some super genius detective-of-the-century for crying out loud. Can¡¯t I get more hints here? Isn¡¯t there any other clue?


    Dragon: ¡°If they fear me and constantly try to appeal to me thinking they¡¯ll gain some kind of benefit from it, then they are completely incompetent.¡±


    I suddenly remember the dragon said that. He said that¡¯s his criteria for judging if someone¡¯s a competent psychic or not. But what¡¯s up with that. We psychics are not some chivalrous knights. Many strong ones, knowing they are weaker than the dragon, might try that approach. He shouldn¡¯t judge them based on that. I guess personal opinion is what drives him to this method.


    Kais: ¡°But isn¡¯t that childish?¡±


    A dragon that has lived so many centuries and had befriended a psychic like Ozyllus would really be so childish? It¡¯s really hard to believe and I am inclining on the possibility that there¡¯s something more to the story than that. There should be a reason as to why he uses this method. Obviously, the possibility always exists that the dragon really is that childish and I am wasting my time over-thinking things but I can¡¯t go on betting that¡¯s the case.


    Kais: ¡°But then what¡¯s the reason?¡±


    There¡¯s also the fact that this wasn¡¯t the only thing he mentioned about his criteria back then. He also mentioned,


    Dragon: ¡°If they fear me and try to run away from me, then they are incompetent as well.¡±


    Trying to run away is deeply ingrained in my head. I doubt I am the only psychic who thinks that way though. Barry once told me that psychics have different personalities, and while that may seem obvious, that¡¯s an important piece of information. It is not that only people with certain kind of personalities could be psychic; their personalities can differ as much as possible. That does mean that psychics who would not run away would be exist but the exact opposite is obviously also true.


    Dragon: ¡°If they fear me and try to attack me in blind rage, they are incompetent too.¡±


    Though I kind of agree that a psychic who would not be able to keep his emotions in check and attack someone in blind rage can be considered incompetent, when I combine this to how the dragon has seen the previous two kinds, he doesn¡¯t mean that they should try to stay calm and think rationally at all times. What the dragon wants in psychics is ¨C


    Dragon: ¡°But if they fear me and try to sort out their thoughts because of it and hold a conversation with me, then I¡¯ll deem them competent enough to enter.¡±


    It does sound like he wants psychics to think calmly and rationally, but that¡¯s not the case. A psychic who sees the dragon and if afraid of him is not one the dragon opposes. In fact, he welcomes the fear. But in fear, running away by teleporting or some other method would be a good decision a lot of times, but that¡¯s not what the dragon wants us to do.


    He wants us to put up a fa?ade and talk to him. There¡¯s definitely something twisted about a man who would walk into the face of the dragon and talk to him even after being afraid. I guess that would mean I have a screw loose in my head too.


    Kais: ¡°Not that I can really deny that with how calm I have been.¡±


    My emotions have not overwhelmed me once on this island. I feel like they should have, but they haven¡¯t. Is this some kind of effect that the island is causing on me? If so, then wouldn¡¯t it be the same for every other psychic too? Wouldn¡¯t they all be able to think in the same calm way like I have? In which case, many more would have come to the same conclusion too.


    Kais: ¡°However ¡­¡±


    Not everyone will voice those thoughts. Some people will keep it in their head trying to be cautious. What would happen to them? The dragon didn¡¯t say anything about being against caution, yet if he fails to recognize such a person, he would be against caution. Then, if a psychic does not remain cautious and just talks to the dragon even after being afraid of him, he would basically be a fool. After all, even I was cautious too and I am sure he knew about it, but he had no problem with it.


    Now if there¡¯s some degree of caution that the dragon is fine with, then how does that play into the infinite number of situations possible? How will he judge the individual every time keeping ¡®how cautious they should be¡¯ in mind? That¡¯s it. That¡¯s just not going to work. You can¡¯t measure someone¡¯s caution. There¡¯s no way you can be accurately judging in that regard. Then, there¡¯s something more to his words? Is there? Even that aspect is not fully clear to me.


    Kais: ¡°What about that other theory?¡±


    If the theory that Ozyllus¡¯ ghosts had formed a contract with the dragon is true, then was Ozyllus doing the real judgment and the dragon was just making excuses to cover it up? That¡¯s seems possible. It¡¯s very likely that he had not expected Ozyllus to consider me capable of entering the tomb so he got startled and randomly came up with this nonsense from the top of his head.


    But that¡¯s only possible in case the theory about Ozyllus¡¯ ghosts being in the spirit-form and forming a contract with the dragon is true. Is it true? Well, it certainly is possible, but it¡¯s not something I would place my hopes on.


    It is just not in the nature of any being other than humans to make contracts with spirits. The thought that transforming into a human gave him the ability is not the most believable thing in the world. After all, he only changes his physical form. He can¡¯t change what¡¯s deeply ingrained in his very species.


    Kais: ¡°Could Ozyllus be so powerful he could do even that?¡±


    Ever since Barry first told me stories of that god-like psychic, I had always wondered exactly how powerful he is. Is he so powerful that we are not even capable of estimating his strength? From how no one ever speaks about his strength in comparison to anyone but god; that might be the case. But is becoming so powerful even possible?


    Many say that we have lost the supernatural because of technology but it is just foolish rambling of people who know nothing about supernatural. Things like pollution, global warming and such have no effect on how powerful a psychic can be. Yet it is a fact that no one in the world is even close to some of the legends.  They were powerful enough that every psychic on the whole planet would feel their aura when they don¡¯t keep it under-control. And it¡¯s not possible someone could keep their aura under-control 24x7. But I have never felt anything of that magnitude and from what I know from Barry¡¯s stories about the guys working for Vermillion, there hasn¡¯t been anyone that powerful in at least the previous two centuries.


    Kais: ¡°Damn! This isn¡¯t working.¡±


    Whenever I start to think about one question, it leads to another and another and another till I get distracted from the topic. All I can come up with is theories.


    Kais: ¡°Okay.¡±


    I need to make a decision now. Thinking like this isn¡¯t going to do me any good. Sure it is good to have some theories prepared so I can make links to them when I get some answers, but to keep thinking them will only be a headache for my brain. First of all, I can¡¯t think of a theory for every single question without there being some holes in them. If I am not able to spot those inconsistencies then with some false evidence, I can easily start thinking of a fake possibility as reality.


    Kais: ¡°Which is why ¨C I need to start walking again.¡±


    I was about to go in the direction Ethan came from and went in when I felt that chill. I have worried about it enough and my barrier is in its place so I am safe from whoever the reason for that chill was. Now I need to get back to it.


    Kais: ¡°Okay, no time to waste.¡±


    I decide I will start walking immediately. If I don¡¯t do this, some other doubt will arise in my mind. That¡¯s just the kind of person I am.


    ¡®You are the type of guy who is so skeptical of everything that you would carefully analyze every possibility and find flaws in it, ending up doing nothing.¡¯


    This is something someone once said to me. As much as I hate it, that person¡¯s right. I am that kind of person. So, I have to force myself to do ¡®something¡¯ so as to not end up doing ¡®nothing¡¯. That¡¯s the only ¡®positive¡¯ way for me to look at it.


    *******************************


    I have been walking for about half an hour now. This sure is a long road. I am pretty sure I have not strayed from my path. I am also sure some kind of stupid trick where ¡®I think I am going straight but I am actually revolving in circles¡¯ is not being played on me. This is, in all honesty, a path so long it would take me this much time and I would still not see the exit, or any other room for that matter.


    Kais: ¡°What¡±


    As if just on cue, I see a bright light in the distance. It looks like just a dot from here, but I can tell it¡¯s the exit.


    Kais: ¡°What the hell!¡±


    If I am nearing an exit, does that mean I am going to exit to a different place than I was at before? This definitely is a different space than the island was on so it would make perfect sense for that to happen.


    Kais: ¡°And just where would that be now?¡±


    Ethan did come from this direction and go back the same way. But did he come this far? I can¡¯t tell because I spent so much time thinking I lost all the chance I had for catching up to the guy.


    Kais: ¡°Uh, whatever, who cares about him?¡±


    To say the truth, the only feeling I have for that man is that of wariness. I just can¡¯t trust him no matter what. And if I remember correctly, I did feel a chill run down my spine back when we shook hands in the store.


    Kais: ¡°He is someone to be cautious of. There¡¯s no way I can bring myself to trust him, especially with him having those ¡®Eyes of Truth¡¯.¡±


    If he really has those eyes, then he can be considered a threat to psychics. And well, that is what the legend says about the possessor of those eyes.


    Kais: ¡°The legend, right.¡±


    How many of those legends have I found to be true already?


    An island where only psychics lived ¨C well, I was there before entering this place.


    A man whose eyes could not be deceived ¨C if Ethan didn¡¯t lie about his eyes, then that¡¯s who he has become, even though the legend was about a completely different person.


    A dragon who befriended a god ¨C well I met him alright.


    A man who slaughtered thousands ¨C I don¡¯t even want to think about that but that came true 12 years ago already.


    A demon that destroys the world ¨C I don¡¯t think I have any confirmation about this one, but I hope it¡¯s not true.


    Well, that¡¯s that. While thinking about these things, I have reached the exit of the place. The bright light is a mere 10 meters away from me now.


    Kais: ¡°It¡¯s time to see what¡¯s beyond this point.¡±


    I think that as I step into the brightness and feel my body getting transported to another space.


    Kais: ¡°Well then?¡±


    I walk through the light. There¡¯s nothing visible beyond the whiteness of the light, so I don¡¯t know where exactly I might end up at, but I have come this far, I have to take the risk now ¡­ with teleportation ready for any moment.


    My eyes get covered with pure white for a second and then the scenery appears ¨C the scenery that¡¯s familiar in a way.


    Kais: ¡°I¡¯m ¡­ back ¡­ at the island.¡±


    I guess this possibility did occur to me but since nothing had really happened in there, I thought I will end of somewhere else instead of returning to the starting point. What was the point of going in? Was it to meet Ethan? That¡¯s can¡¯t be. Well, I¡¯m back on the island now so I should focus on that. Well, I can see everything I could see before I went in. It seems like everything¡¯s the same. If there¡¯s a difference, then that¡¯s ¡­


    Kais: ¡°No one¡¯s here.¡±


    Sona, the dragon and the little girl ¨C there should be three or at least two people here. But they are nowhere to be found.


    Kais: ¡°Did they go somewhere?¡±


    I hope the situation didn¡¯t get any worse while I was not around. If those two started fighting again, Sona would probably die, but she should be aware of that. So something stupid like that shouldn¡¯t have happened.


    Kais: ¡°But then, what did happen?¡±


    I start walking towards the place they were sitting at when I left. Maybe I¡¯ll find some clue. That¡¯s the thought at least.


    Kais: ¡°Wait! What!!!¡±


    But what I see there is ¡­ blood.


    *******************************

 Chapter 12: Insanity

    ???: ¡°The line between insanity and sanity ¨C how thick is it exactly? If one tries to break a person little by little, how much time will it take to drive them insane? If one tries to break them at once, how big should the impact be? I have always wondered these things.¡±


    Floating in nothingness, a voice whispers this to Ro. He knows whose voice it is, but he cannot understand what the voice wants from him.


    Ro: ¡°Barry!¡±


    He calls out the name of the person that voice belongs to.


    Barry: ¡°Yes¡±


    And the person responds.


    Ro: ¡°Why haven¡¯t you done anything yet?¡±


    He asks a question that had been bugging him for a while.


    Barry: ¡°Well, done what?¡±


    The person answers that with a question.


    Ro: ¡°Why haven¡¯t you attacked me yet?¡±


    He clarifies his question a bit.


    Barry: ¡°And why exactly would I attack you?¡±


    And the person answers with a question again.


    Ro: ¡°Because you ¡­ would want revenge, right?¡±


    His questions go on.


    Barry: ¡°Revenge?¡±


    Answering with questions also goes on.


    This exchange is almost poetic in a sense. It¡¯s as if Ro is asking to be attacked. It¡¯s as if he wants Barry to attack him. Why would Ro want that? It was like ¡­ he is asking for a punishment.


    Ro: ¡°Why are you acting like ¡­?¡±


    He himself does not even understand why his own heart desires these punishments. Yet, he asks someone else their reasoning. This is all he could do not to lose himself completely.


    Barry: ¡°Revenge for what exactly?¡±


    Yet the other person keeps answering with questions. It¡¯s as if none of Ro¡¯s questions made any sense to him.


    Ro: ¡°For your brother.¡±


    Ro says it out loud. He acknowledges what he has done is wrong. After all, he has died. He might as well start confessing his sins now.


    Barry: ¡°You are talking like you killed him or something.¡±


    Barry¡¯s answer this time is not a question though. This time, it¡¯s a smirking reply as if to say Ro is wrong about something.


    Ro: ¡°We didn¡¯t, but ¡­¡±


    Ro could do nothing but ask.


    Barry: ¡°You kidnapped him, right?¡±


    Barry would again answer with a question; even if it¡¯s a question he already knows the answer to.


    Ro: ¡°Yes, wouldn¡¯t you ¡­¡±


    Before Ro could finish his question,


    Barry: ¡°Do you honestly think he¡¯s that weak?¡±


    Barry¡¯s next answer in the form of another question would come.


    Ro: ¡°What?¡±


    This one surprises Ro.


    Barry: ¡°Do you honestly think you could have kidnapped him just like that?¡±


    Yet, Barry¡¯s answers remaining as questions keep slicing up a hole in Ro¡¯s perception of the event.


    Ro: ¡°What do you ¡­?¡±


    The hole is being widened and widened until,


    Barry: ¡°Remember he felt a pain in his stomach after he took care of you two?¡±


    Barry would finally open it up completely.


    Ro: ¡°I do.¡±


    Ro could already guess what the next line would be, but he could just not believe it.


    Barry: ¡°Why was that?¡±


    Barry decides to probe in the doubts that he has brought to Ro¡¯s mind.


    Ro: ¡°Because ¡­ because ¡­ it was because invisible water ¡­¡±


    Ro tries to explain the cause for it, at least the one lie he had told the victim before.


    Barry: ¡°Don¡¯t bother lying to me.¡±


    Barry knows it¡¯s a lie. He would not be affected by it ¨C not in the slightest.


    Ro: ¡°What!¡±


    Ro knows it¡¯s a lie too. But he would still try to act as if it¡¯s not.


    Barry: ¡°I know that was not the case.¡±


    Barry would not allow him to continue the fa?ade. He would keep widening the hole.


    Ro: ¡°But it ¡­¡±


    Ro would try to cling to the lie as long as he can.


    Barry: ¡°It is your tactics to say things that mess with your opponent¡¯s brains.¡±


    Barry would expose his secrets.


    Barry: ¡°You just saw he was feeling pain and tried to make it look like it was because of you two.¡±


    He would just not stop widening the hole in Ro¡¯s assumptions.


    Ro: ¡°How ¡­ do you ¡­¡±


    Ro would finally give up and ask.


    Barry: ¡°Know this?¡±


    Barry would try to be sly.


    Ro: ¡°Tch!¡±


    Ro would get irritated by the fact that he does not know the answer.


    Barry: ¡°Well, it¡¯s quite simple. I was the real reason he was feeling pain.¡±


    Barry would finally deal the finishing blow.


    Ro: ¡°What?¡±


    Ro had already understood this before Barry said it. But it was his good mind that could understand this, not his fragile heart.


    Barry: ¡°It was a punch from this hand.¡±


    Barry would say so bringing up his right hand.


    Ro: ¡°W-why?¡±


    Ro would ask the reason for it. There must have been one, right?


    Barry: ¡°That¡¯s simple. I wanted him to be taken to that island.¡±


    Barry has no reason to try to hide it, so he would gladly spill the beans.


    Ro: ¡°Huh?¡±


    Ro would be hit with another unbelievable remark.


    Barry: ¡°And I guess that would make me your accomplice.¡±


    Barry would continue widening the hole, even after it had already done its job.


    Barry: ¡°Now why would I want to take revenge on my accomplices?¡±


    Ro: ¡°But ¡­ that¡¯s absurd.¡±


    Ro would say what he truly thinks and he would feel a little relief over it, maybe he has spoken what¡¯s on his mind after a long time.


    Barry: ¡°There¡¯s nothing so unbelievable about it.¡±


    Barry would not allow for the relief to be there though.


    Ro: ¡°Tch!¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    Ro would not even try to ask with words. He would not have the willpower to ask the question that could shatter all his believes.


    Barry: ¡°You Embers have no idea how the real world operates. So it may look absurd to you, but it¡¯s just natural.¡±


    Barry would say something so important so casually.


    Ro: ¡°What does that ¡­?¡±


    Ro would try to muster his willpower to keep asking the questions.


    Barry: ¡°It means you are a bunch of idiots.¡±


    Barry has stopped answering with questions for a while. But the effect of his answers is still the same.


    Ro: ¡°What do you ¡­?¡±


    Simple questions like ¡®what¡¯ and ¡®why¡¯ are all that Ro could say at this point.


    Barry: ¡°Well, you¡¯ll learn that in a short while. You¡¯ll learn what actually happens in the shadows.¡±


    Ro: ¡°Shadows?¡±


    Barry: ¡°Yeah, shadows. You ready? You are going to find out things are far more complicated than any of you ever thought it would be.¡±


    Ro: ¡°Just ¡­ explain already.¡±


    Ro is anxious.


    Barry: ¡°I don¡¯t know where to start and where to end, so just wait like I told you to.¡±


    Barry truly does not know how he could explain things to anyone even if he tried to.


    Barry: ¡°Yeah. That¡¯s it. Just wait!¡±


    Ro looks at Barry, eyes full of surprise.


    Barry: ¡°And maybe ¡­ I¡¯ll get my answer ¡­¡±


    There¡¯s a wide grin on his face.


    Ro: ¡°Your answer ¡­ to what?¡±


    Barry: ¡°I said it earlier, right? How thick is the line between sanity and insanity?¡±


    *******************************


    She has crossed that line. However thick it was ¨C Sona has crossed the line to insanity.


    Dragon: ¡°You really are that happy over my death?¡±


    The dragon had already understood that she hated him for some reason, but to think she is this happy over his death is beyond his imagination.


    Sona: ¡°No! Not in the least!¡±


    But she denies that.


    Dragon: ¡°What?¡±


    The dragon doesn¡¯t understand why she would deny it. It¡¯s clear she is happy. She is laughing like crazy ¡­ to the point she might have become crazy.


    Sona: ¡°It¡¯s not your death that I am laughing because of.¡±


    Sona explains what she means. But the explanation only further confuses the dragon.


    Dragon: ¡°Then what ¡­ is it?¡±


    The dragon asks his question ¨C the only question that has filled the depths of his minds.


    Sona: ¡°It¡¯s my foolishness.¡±


    Sona answers - still bloodshot-eyes, death glare coming from her, hostile intent very clear, but not in the slightest trying to deceive.


    Dragon: ¡°Your ¡­ what now?¡±


    The dragon just could not comprehend what he just heard.


    Sona: ¡°My foolishness. How ill-prepared was I?¡±


    Sona repeats her answer. She says the words as if to mock herself.


    Dragon: ¡°What do you ¡­?¡±


    The dragon can do nothing but ask.


    Sona: ¡°There¡¯s just four days left. After that, you¡¯ll die.¡±


    Sona affirms the facts.


    Dragon: ¡°Yes, that¡¯s ¡­¡±


    The dragon supports the affirmation.


    Sona: ¡°While that maybe a good thing for everyone, but then I will never be able to take my revenge.¡±


    Then Sona finally voices her innermost feelings. These feeling ¨C can only be called ¡®hatred¡¯. It may get twisted in many other forms, but at the end of the day, it would remain one feeling ¨C pure hatred.


    Dragon: ¡°What?¡±


    The dragon is left bereft of words. Yet he could mutter that one word that describes all his thoughts at the moment.


    Sona: ¡°I can¡¯t let you die like that.¡±


    Sona elaborates.


    Dragon: ¡°You ¡­¡±


    The dragon can barely speak anything after the shock of finding out the level of hatred Sona has for him.


    Sona: ¡°You deserve to die by my hands.¡±


    Sona does not stop elaborating her hatred. She continues, paying no mind to the dragon.


    Dragon: ¡°W-why you ¡­¡±


    The dragon tries to stop her words. He tries to get some answers. He tries to ask a question that could explain that intense hatred of hers.


    Sona: ¡°That¡¯s the only way. There¡¯s no other way around it.¡±


    She does not give any answers. She only shows how true her hatred.


    Sona: ¡°Within four days, I¡¯ll have to somehow find a way to kill you.¡±


    She goes on and on as if talking to herself, motivating herself to kill. If this is not insanity, then what is it?


    Dragon: ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡±


    The dragon just asks a question he knows there can never be a good enough answer to.


    Sona: ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with me.¡±


    And yet Sona defies his expectations by her answer. Insane to the point where she is the only sane person in her eyes ¨C that is what she has become.


    Dragon: ¡°How greedy can you be?¡±


    The dragon asks her what he truly wanted to ask her at that moment.


    Sona: ¡°Greedy?¡±


    But he used a word he doesn¡¯t even understand the true meaning of. That¡¯s a trigger ¨C one the dragon has accidently pulled.


    Dragon: ¡°Isn¡¯t it enough I¡¯m going to die?¡±


    He doesn¡¯t even realize it, so he continues on.


    Sona: ¡°Of course it¡¯s not.¡±


    Her voice grows colder than it ever was. The dragon had thought he had seen her hostile intent, but all he had seen was the tip of the iceberg.


    Dragon: ¡°Tch!¡±


    He clicks his tongue in how out of control the situation is. He had no idea there would exist someone who would hate him this much.


    Sona: ¡°Dying naturally as if you have lived a long happy life and are finally passing away ¨C that¡¯s not the death you deserve.¡±


    She voices all her feelings in those words.


    Dragon: ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡±


    The dragon continues to ask. He foolishly asks the question he never should have. And then without even realizing the severity of his words, he continues on. When the person he is talking to has already lost sanity, what effect can this bring ¨C it¡¯s not the easiest thing to figure this out.


    Sona: ¡°Because you are the greatest sinner in the world. You deserve to die by the hands of those whose lives you destroyed.¡±


    Sona claims what she thinks is right. And what she thinks is right is all that matters to her.


    Dragon: ¡°Destroyed?¡±


    The dragon can understand why someone like that would be hated so much, but he can¡¯t understand how he can be that someone.


    Sona: ¡°Never ¨C you will never ¡­ ever ¡­ be allowed a peaceful death. You just don¡¯t deserve it.¡±


    Her anger bursts out as she shouts those words at the dragon.


    Dragon: ¡°Why would you ¡­ hate me that much?¡±


    The dragon can never think of himself as such a grave sinner. Just what did he do?


    Sona: ¡°Ha! Ha! Why would I hate you that much?¡±


    Sona laughs as if it¡¯s the most foolish question she has ever heard.


    Dragon: ¡°Tell me. At least tell me the answer to that.¡±


    The dragon demands an answer. Just what sins has he committed? He is dying to know.


    Sona: ¡°You took everything from me.¡±


    And the answer he gets is a vague one, yet the one that best summarizes everything that had happened.


    Dragon: ¡°What?¡±


    Sona: ¡°You took everything from me. Bit-by-bit you destroyed my life.¡±


    Sona adds the words that further explain his sins.


    Dragon: ¡°I ¡­¡±


    Sona: ¡°Taking everything from me and expecting to not be hated ¨C just how greedy can you be?¡±


    And with that, she clears up the severity of the word ¡®greed¡¯ that the dragon had uttered before without knowing its value.


    *******************************


    Ethan Kales is someone who has forgotten what sanity even means. With one massive blow, his sanity had run out of life and insanity had taken over his being.


    Ethan: ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to be this early.¡±


    He arrives at the airport from where he and Sneha have to take a flight. But Sneha had arrived before him.


    Sneha: ¡°I just didn¡¯t have anything else to do.¡±


    She is being honest. She had received no orders from Vermillion for a while now. It did bug her if the reason for that is that they had found out about her being a double agent, but after a while, it won¡¯t matter.


    Ethan: ¡°I see. Well, I guess I didn¡¯t either.¡±


    Ethan, on the other hand, didn¡¯t have anyone to take orders from, so it was a natural response for him.


    Sneha: ¡°Not like you do anything anyway.¡±


    Sneha says that in a mocking tone.


    Ethan: ¡°That¡¯s harsh.¡±


    Ethan responds with a smile that¡¯s makes it hard to judge whether he took it as a joke or was hurt by it.


    Sneha: ¡°It¡¯s the truth.¡±


    But Sneha doesn¡¯t even bother with those details. She has come to understand that understanding this man is beyond her.


    Ethan: ¡°Not quite. I do have things to do.¡±


    Ethan keeps up the smile and denies her statement.


    Sneha: ¡°And what exactly are these ¡®things¡¯?¡±


    Sneha asks a question she truly wants to know the answer to after hearing his words.


    Ethan: ¡°Well, for starters, visiting a psychic.¡±


    Ethan casually states that.


    Sneha: ¡°What! Who are you talking about?¡±


    But Sneha can¡¯t contain her surprise. Her voice pitches higher and her questions describe her feelings.


    Ethan: ¡°Well, Kais.¡±


    And Ethan continues to casually answer her questions.


    Sneha: ¡°You ¡­ visited him. What the hell does that mean?¡±


    He was on the island and Ethan was here. How could he have visited him? This very logical question comes to her mind.


    Ethan: ¡°Come now, it isn¡¯t all that surprising.¡±


    But Ethan acts as if it¡¯s normal for things like that to happen.


    Sneha: ¡°Not surprising. How¡¯s something that¡¯s not even possible not surprising when it actually happens.¡±


    Sneha can¡¯t understand him ¨C she knows that full well, but it is in moments like these when this fact starts to annoy her.


    Ethan: ¡°Well, shouldn¡¯t anything be possible? These supernatural things do tend to make everything that looks impossible on the surface possible after all.¡±


    Ethan says that as if he knows nothing about the limitations of various supernatural powers. But knowing those limitations is the entire reason he has become such a threat to Vermillion. So how could he say something like that?


    Sneha: ¡°These powers are not omnipotent. Now explain what you meant?¡±


    Sneha demands an answer one could very well say she deserves.


    Ethan: ¡°Calm down, will you?¡±


    Ethan casually asks her to calm down, not affected by the surprise that has taken over Sneha.


    Sneha: ¡°Tch!¡±


    Sneha gets irritated by that. This is a feeling she has felt pretty much every time she had met this man.


    Ethan: ¡°All that happened was my soul got transferred to a dark place where I met him. I don¡¯t know how it happened, but it happened when I was sleeping last night.¡±


    He casually explains what happened.


    Sneha: ¡°What! Are you joking?¡±


    Sneha just can¡¯t understand what he is saying.


    Ethan: ¡°I¡¯m not. It really did happen.¡±


    But Ethan confirms that it¡¯s true.


    Sneha: ¡°Then how can you be not concerned about it. This is something I have never heard of. What if someone really powerful was pulling the strings behind this?¡±


    Sneha voices her concerns - the concerns very genuine in respect to her own safety that could be harmed if this ¡®someone¡¯ knows about her being an accomplice.


    Ethan: ¡°Well, doesn¡¯t that make things more interesting though?¡±


    Yet Ethan Kales talks about it like it doesn¡¯t bother him at all. The terrifying part ¨C it might really not bother him at all.


    Sneha: ¡°What the hell!¡±


    Sneha can¡¯t keep her irritation in check.


    Ethan: ¡°Calm down, Sneha. All it would mean is that another person is trying to get in my way. I¡¯ll just have to defeat them. It¡¯s not that big of a deal.¡±


    That¡¯s the genuine stance Ethan Kales has taken.


    Ethan: ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter how powerful that guy is.¡±


    No matter if it¡¯s a half-psychic, a psychic, someone like Sneha, spirit-user, a dragon, or even a god; all of them are beings more powerful than Ethan Kales.


    Ethan: ¡°If even a half-psychic can overpower me, then what benefit would there be in being more powerful?¡±


    So it doesn¡¯t matter which one of them it is, all he has to do ¨C is outsmart them.


    Ethan: ¡°No matter how powerful they are, they¡¯ll lose anyway.¡±


    It was not a sound logic, but that¡¯s the logic Ethan Kales has for going against pretty much everyone in the world. This logic was born when he first realized how powerful some people are in this unfair world. It was born when he met the demon he hates more than anyone else in the world.


    Ethan: ¡°It really doesn¡¯t matter at all.¡±


    That one blow to his sanity was all it took to make him cross the line. This ¨C was the insanity of Ethan Kales.


    *******************************


    Barry: ¡°Those are the questions I have asked myself several times ever since I died. I just could not get them out of my head.¡±


    Ro: ¡°That¡¯s ¡­¡±


    Ro tries to voice his thoughts but stops midway. He understands nothing will change even by him saying those things.


    Barry: ¡°So pitiful, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Barry says as if to mock himself.


    Barry: ¡°But these are my queries ¨C If one tries to break a person little by little, how much time will it take to drive them insane?¡±


    How much time - as much as it took to drive Sona insane?


    Barry: ¡°How distorted will their view be?¡±


    How distorted ¨C as much as to scare a dragon?


    Barry: ¡°If one tries to break them at once, how big should the impact be?¡±


    How big ¨C as big as the sight of the disaster Ethan witnessed?


    Barry: ¡°And how distorted will their view be?¡±


    How distorted ¨C as much as to put half-psychics on the same level as a god?


    Barry: ¡°And what will happen ¨C if such broken people confront each other?¡±


    Ro: ¡°Ha! Ha! Well, they¡¯ll meet alright. They sure will. You¡¯ll find out your answer.¡±


    Barry: ¡°I guess that¡¯s true.¡±


    Ro: ¡°Yeah, they¡¯ll meet.¡±


    Ro does not know who he¡¯s talking about but he knows he is talking about someone real. And that¡¯s all he needs to know to understand ¨C they are going to meet. And that meeting will change everything.


    Barry: ¡°Yeah, they¡¯ll meet. And I ¡­¡±


    Barry¡¯s emotion at this moment is that of excitement, just pure excitement.


    Barry: ¡°I ¡­ eagerly wait for the time that happens.¡±


    *******************************

 Chapter 13: The Third Power

    Psychics and ghosts have always had a very peculiar relationship. Even when the existence of ghosts used to be common knowledge among supernaturals, i.e., about 1000 years ago, the two groups rarely saw eye-to-eye. Ghosts referred to psychics as ¡®natural disasters¡¯, while psychics referred to ghosts as ¡®dead calamities¡¯. It was a bizarre relationship where both sides helped each other out on numerous occasions, but never really got along very well. The reasons for them helping each other were purely political. What were these political reasons though? Mainly, they were trying to suppress a third power. This power was fairly weaker to the both of them but was led by people cunning enough to give both of them a run for their money.


    Or so Barry says. Ro has no idea what these lines mean. What third power is he talking about? The question haunts him quite a lot. But,


    Ro: ¡°So who is this third power anyway?¡±


    Barry: ¡°You¡¯ll find out soon enough.¡±


    That¡¯s all Barry would always say whenever Ro tries to ask him directly.


    Ro: ¡°Would you answer already? What¡¯s the point of telling me all of that when you would keep the most important bit to yourself?¡±


    Barry: ¡°It¡¯s not that I¡¯m trying to hide it from you or anything. It¡¯s just the simple fact that it will be incredibly hard to believe unless you see it with your own eyes.¡±


    Ro: ¡°See what with my own eyes?¡±


    Barry: ¡°Be patient a little while longer. We will reach there soon enough.¡±


    Ro and Barry are floating in the darkness. Barry has told Ro that they are heading for a particular place. Barry never said what this ¡®particular place¡¯ is though. Floating around in the darkness not feeling any change when he moves, it¡¯s only natural that Ro is getting anxious. Are they really even moving? He has no way to tell.


    Barry: ¡°Getting nervous?¡±


    Ro: ¡°I guess. All I can see is darkness and it feels like we aren¡¯t getting anywhere at all. How do you expect me to stay calm at a time like this?¡±


    Barry: ¡°Well, I don¡¯t.¡±


    Barry is facing forward so Ro has no idea what his expression is but from the tone of his answer, he is pretty serious about this.


    Barry: ¡°I¡¯m glad my sincerity is reaching you.¡±


    For a moment, Ro thinks he muttered his thoughts out loud, but then realizes the truth.


    Ro: ¡°Damn, you mind-reader!¡±


    It¡¯s irritating for him to have his thoughts read without his permission, but he can¡¯t do anything about it except complain.


    Barry: ¡°Hey, I was just making sure you aren¡¯t going mad because of anxiety.¡±


    Barry¡¯s words still contain sincerity. Ro could relax a little after hearing that answer, but who can say Barry is not faking his sincerity? After all, a psychic like him should be able to do something like that pretty easily.


    Ro: ¡°You think I¡¯m that weak.¡±


    Ro retorts with what should be a normal response. He knows his thoughts would have already been read, but he still tries to act differently.


    Barry: ¡°I wouldn¡¯t call you weak, but its normal human behavior to start over-thinking things in these types of situations.


    Barry ignores Ro¡¯s actual thoughts too and tries to act as if he¡¯s actually just conversing with the man.


    Ro: ¡°Anyway, even though you are a ghost now, you are still able to use your psychic abilities, what is up with that?¡±


    Barry: ¡°Well, I did lose my abilities after becoming a ghost, just like you have now, but there¡¯s a way to gain them back. You will learn about it soon enough.¡±


    He answers calmly, but before Ro is allowed to process that,


    Barry: ¡°Anyway, we are almost there.¡±


    Ro: ¡°How close is ¡®almost¡¯?¡±


    Ro asks to dispel his anxiety. Abstract words like ¡®almost¡¯ won¡¯t help him do so. He needs more numerical of a value so he can calm down.


    Barry: ¡°Well, at this rate, we¡¯ll be there in a minute.¡±


    Barry¡¯s sudden revelation surprises Ro. He thought there would at least be five minutes left, but they are a lot closer than that.


    Ro: ¡°We are that close?¡±


    Barry: ¡°We are.¡±


    Hearing so should prove to be good for calming down, but it doesn¡¯t. Ro is now anxious for a different reason.


    Ro: ¡°So what is this ¡®third¡¯ power?¡±


    He¡¯s now getting anxious for he is near a power that could rival psychics and ghosts and he doesn¡¯t even know what it is.


    Barry: ¡°I said we are almost there, right? You¡¯ll find out.¡±


    Yet Barry refuses to tell him. Ro is displeased with Barry to say the least. When he first came here, he was afraid Barry might attack him and then that didn¡¯t happen, which filled him with a sense of security. Now that short-lived sense of security is washing away.


    Ro: ¡°I am starting to have doubts over my safety now.¡±


    Ro admits his concerns. When Barry can read minds, there¡¯s no point in trying to hide them anyway.


    Barry: ¡°Don¡¯t worry; they won¡¯t do anything to harm you. I am sure they¡¯ll have enough rations to not go berserk, so no one would attack you.¡±


    Those words were pretty suspicious. Ro is at least sharp enough to see underlying meaning of those words.


    Ro: ¡°And if their rations were low, they would attack me?¡±


    This question starts bugging Ro after Barry¡¯s previous lines. It just sounds really ominous to him.


    Barry: ¡°You do still look like a normal human so, yes.¡±


    Barry straight up says so. He is casually saying something so important. This reminds Ro of Ethan and irritation swirls up inside him.


    Ro: ¡°What are they, wild animals?¡±


    He tries to ignore the urge to abuse Ethan and asks that question.


    Barry: ¡°Nah, but you may think of them that way from a different perspective standpoint.¡±


    Now Barry¡¯s words are almost too ominous. What exactly does he mean? Ro would love to know but he just won¡¯t tell him.


    Barry: ¡°Okay, we¡¯re here.¡±


    Those words make Ro straighten up his back; that is to say, he would have straightened up his back if he had a physical body.


    Ro: ¡°O-oh, I see.¡±


    Ro¡¯s concerns about his safety are very genuine. In fact, if someone didn¡¯t get anxious in this situation, there would be something wrong with that guy. At least, that¡¯s what Ro tells himself to calm down.


    Ro: ¡°Damn!¡±


    But no matter how he looks at the situation, the fact remains that there are people all around him who would not be anxious at this point.


    Sneha Stone would be vigilant but not anxious; after all she had trained herself enough that she could keep her calm in any dangerous situation.


    Ethan Kales would happily accept an invitation like this from Barry. That¡¯s at least the impression Ro has of him.


    His superior, Garfield, would probably march right into the place without a second thought, partially because he is brave, partially because he is an idiot.


    Kais would definitely be really cautious about it and be ready to run away (teleport) at any point in time, but with that preparation done, he wouldn¡¯t try to back down before going in either.


    Mohammed would probably share his sentiment though, probably.


    Ro: ¡°No matter where I look, I have always been surrounded by weirdoes.¡±


    Barry: ¡°Am I one of them too?¡±


    Barry asks as if joking.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Ro: ¡°You are the top of the list, or maybe second to Ethan.¡±


    That evaluation of his character surprises Barry. It doesn¡¯t bring him any joy or sadness to be thought of like that, but just surprise.


    Barry: ¡°Okay then.¡±


    Barry says as if getting back to work. He stretches out his right hand and makes his palm face forward.


    Ro: ¡°What the hell ¡­¡±


    Ro can¡¯t see anything in front of them so he has no clue what Barry is doing, but he is definitely up to something.


    Barry: ¡°Long ¡­ live ¡­ the death.¡±


    Ro: ¡°What!?¡±


    Barry utters what sounds like patriarchal solute but in a tone that indicates that he is saying a password.


    ???: ¡°You may enter.¡±


    A robotic voice comes telling them they can enter. But where would they enter? That¡¯s what bothers Ro at this point. He can see no door or any other form of matter anywhere.


    Ro: ¡°Where ¡­ are we ¡­ supposed to ¡®enter¡¯?¡±


    He asks in an anxious voice knowing the answer might not come.


    Barry: ¡°Well, it¡¯s right in front of you.¡±


    However, an answer does come ¨C only it ends up confusing him more.


    Ro: ¡°I don¡¯t see anything in front of me.¡±


    Barry: ¡°That¡¯s fine. Just trust me on this one.¡±


    Barry asks Ro to blindly trust him. Trust him? What did he ever do to earn any trust from Ro? How can he just ask Ro to start trusting the guy? It¡¯s absurd. Ro could not think of anything else but how absurd his words just now were.


    Ro: ¡°Not a chance.¡±


    He straight up denies it. He would not even try to be considerate about it.


    Barry: ¡°That¡¯s harsh.¡±


    Barry says so as if joking around. In this darkness, somehow Ro can sense what Barry¡¯s expression is at the moment.


    Ro: ¡°I can¡¯t just start trusting you.¡±


    He tells Barry his honest opinion. There¡¯s no way Ro can trust Barry. That is the situation right now.


    Barry: ¡°Well, fair point.¡±


    Barry, on the other hand, doesn¡¯t protest against the statement and readily accepts it, surprising Ro once again.


    Ro: ¡°So? Explain to ¡­¡±


    Ro starts asking for an explanation as if giving Barry a chance to gain his trust. Though before he even finishes,


    Barry: ¡°Sorry, but I would rather not.¡±


    Barry says so as he raises his arms and points at Ro. A sigil appears behind Ro and pushes him forward.


    Ro: ¡°What! You ¡­¡±


    As soon as Ro enters the darkness ahead, everything becomes bright.


    Ro: ¡°Damn! What¡¯s this light?¡±


    He is unable to look at the brightness of the light after being in the dark for so long. But as his eyes adjust to it, he finds himself in a large room filled with royal decorations and surrounded by many people.


    Ro: ¡°Uh ¡­¡±


    They are all very pale and are looking at him curiously. But other than the pale skin, they look completely normal.


    Ro: ¡°Who are ¡­ no, where am I?¡±


    As Ro asks the question, a man comes out of the small crowd as if to answer.


    Man: ¡°You don¡¯t know where you are, I see, did Barry bring you here?¡±


    Ro: ¡°He did.¡±


    Ro had expected the crowd to know about Barry, so it doesn¡¯t surprise him to hear his name from their mouths. But what came next is a different matter altogether.


    Man: ¡°Well, you do look pretty delicious.¡±


    The man says so with a smile on his face. A chill would run down his spin if he were still alive. Ro remembers the words Barry told him ¨C ¡®I am sure they¡¯ll have enough rations to not go berserk, so no one would attack you¡¯.


    Ro: ¡°Don¡¯t tell me he meant people when he said ¡®rations¡¯.¡±


    It would make perfect sense if that is the case, but it is just too horrifying to think about.


    Man: ¡°Well, isn¡¯t that peculiar? It looks like you don¡¯t want to die.¡±


    Ro: ¡°O-of course I don¡¯t ¡­ wait, but I am already dead, am I not?¡±


    Ro realizes the obvious truth of having already died. As terrible as it may sound, it should help in this situation.


    Man: ¡°Already dead?¡±


    The man looks confused after hearing that statement.


    Ro: ¡°Of course I¡¯m dead. I should be safe then.¡±


    Ro thinks of how he has become a ghost. He should be safe from these man-eaters.


    Man: ¡°Are ¡­ are you telling me you are a ghost?¡±


    Ro: ¡°I ¡­ I think so.¡±


    Suddenly, the rest of the crowd which had been quiet till now starts talking. Noises come from every direction and Ro is unable to figure out what they are saying.


    Man: ¡°Silence!¡±


    As soon as the man who had came forward says so, everybody stops. He then looks at Ro.


    Man: ¡°Find Barry.¡±


    Even though he is looking at Ro, his words are obviously not directed at him.


    Ro: ¡°He was ¡­ just behind me. He should be ¡­¡±


    Man: ¡°He won¡¯t come from the entrance he sent you in. That¡¯s just how he does it. He¡¯ll probably enter from the entrance from near the court.¡±


    Ro¡¯s words were cut without any regard by this man. But that¡¯s not the concern here, what he said just now is far more important.


    Ro: ¡°The court?¡±


    Seeing Ro look ignorant, the man sighs.


    Man: ¡°You don¡¯t seem to know anything about this place.¡±


    Ro: ¡°That¡¯s because Barry kept refusing to tell me no matter how much I asked.¡±


    Ro¡¯s irritation at that fact has not gone away. In fact, having being thrown in a place full of cannibals, his irritation has only intensified. This shows in his words.


    Man: ¡°Well, that¡¯s Barry for you. My name is Reid Jason. What¡¯s yours?¡±


    Ro: ¡°Uh, it¡¯s Ro Garland.¡±


    Reid turns and starts walking.


    Reid: ¡°I see. Bring this guy to the court. We¡¯ll ask the culprit himself why he brought a ghost here?¡±


    Everyone in the crowd bows to Reid as he declares that. Ro tries to get up by himself, but two men pin him down immediately.


    Ro: ¡°Hey, I can walk on my own.¡±


    They don¡¯t answer, but start tying Ro up.


    Ro: ¡°Damn! Why can I still be tied like this when I am a ghost?¡±


    Ghosts are supposed to be the soul of a person that can¡¯t interfere with the physical world unless they acquire a physical medium to control. So it doesn¡¯t make sense for a ghost to be tied up with physical objects.


    Ro: ¡°What the hell is going on? The heck did you do, Barry?¡±


    *******************************


    In the so-called court, there is a chair left open for the ruler of the place. This chair, made of gold, is accompanied by two chairs on either side facing perpendicularly to it. These four chairs are filled with the men who are designated the respective positions while the golden chair remains vacant.


    Before this royal arrangement, there is a large hall, enough for at least 500 people to stand in. In this large hall, only one man is standing.


    Barry: ¡°Hey there, nice to see you all, generals.¡±


    Generals: ¡°Welcome back, sire.¡±


    Barry is addressed with enough respect to make anyone think he is to take the golden chair. But that¡¯s not the case. Yet he commands respect among these four men.


    The door then opens. Reid comes in with the rest of the crew following behind him holding Ro down.


    Barry: ¡°That¡¯s one pathetic way to make an entrance.¡±


    Ro notices Barry after hearing his voice. He wants to retort to his words, but he knows how dire the situation is.


    Ro: ¡°Barry? Help me out here, will you?¡±


    Barry: ¡°Sure. Will you let him go, Reid?¡±


    Barry asks Reid with a smile. Reid looks at Barry as if looking at someone he despises.


    Reid: ¡°You don¡¯t get to order me around. Where¡¯s the queen? I seek an audience with her.¡±


    General: ¡°That¡¯s bold of you.¡±


    Reid: ¡°Don¡¯t misunderstand the situation General Ignis. This ghost was brought here by Barry, I don¡¯t consider myself qualified to judge what should be done with him, but neither are any of you. This is why I seek an audience with the queen.¡±


    Reid gets down on one leg and bows his head as he says so.


    Ignis: ¡°You sure have a lot of guts deciding what my qualifications are, don¡¯t you ¨C you little punk?¡±


    Reid: ¡°General Ignis - are you saying you are capable of deciding the fate of this ghost by yourself?¡±


    Ignis: ¡°Uh, well, no.¡±


    Ignis backs downs after hearing Reid¡¯s words.


    Barry: ¡°Calm down, General Ignis. General Aquarius, if you would please call her.¡±


    The man sitting across Ignis, General Aquarius nods and gets up.


    Aquarius: ¡°Reid! The problem was not if Ignis was qualified to judge him or not, it was your tone in speaking to a superior officer.¡±


    Reid clicks his tongue. Irritation is clearly coming from his face but there is also a tinge of anger and hatred.


    Reid: ¡°I apologize. But if you would, please hurry. Who knows what this ghost may be capable of?¡±


    Ro looks at Reid as he says almost threatening words to Aquarius. It is clear that this man doesn¡¯t get along too well with Aquarius or Ignis.


    Ignis: ¡°Tch! Damn brat!¡±


    Aquarius sighs and Ignis looks at Reid furiously.


    ???: ¡°What¡¯s all this commotion about?¡±


    A feminine voice comes in the hall and everyone¡¯s attention turns to the source of the voice - a woman with pale-skin but remarkably beautiful features.


    Barry: ¡°Good to see you, sister.¡±


    Ro can¡¯t believe what he just heard. Sister - what does that mean? This woman, who is probably the queen, how can she be the sister of Barry?


    Barry: ¡°Don¡¯t be confused my friend.¡±


    Ro hears those words but can only interpret them as sarcasm after having been left in the dark about so many things.


    Ro: ¡°Are you ¡­ the queen of the ghosts?¡±


    As soon as Ro says that, the people pinning him to the ground intensify their grip as Reid turns to him with nails big enough to tear off his heart, and ready to attack.


    Barry: ¡°Wait just now! It isn¡¯t his fault. He doesn¡¯t know what you guys are.¡±


    Reid: ¡°And that¡¯s the problem. Why didn¡¯t you tell him anything?¡±


    Reid doesn¡¯t look at Barry but the hostility in his voice is quite clear.


    Barry: ¡°I thought letting him see everything by himself would be a better idea.¡±


    But regardless of the hostility, Barry answers with a smile.


    Reid: ¡°Screw you!¡±


    Reid looks at Barry with killing intent in his eyes. Barry does not even flinch but looks back at him with a smile. This stare-down goes on until ¡­


    Queen: ¡°Are you done now?¡±


    During this time, the queen had reached the golden chair. As she sits on it, everyone faces her and bows to her ¨C including the four generals, Barry and Reid.


    Queen: ¡°Raise your heads. Now what is the dispute? You said that man is a ghost?¡±


    Reid: ¡°Yes, your highness. And Barry is the one who brought him here without explaining anything to him.¡±


    Queen: ¡°What do you have to say?¡±


    The queen looks at Barry asking for an explanation.


    Barry: ¡°Well sister, I think this man will be detrimental to the ghosts if he joins up with us.¡±


    Queen: ¡°So you are saying he can be useful in the upcoming war?¡±


    Ro: ¡°War?¡±


    Reid: ¡°Silence, fool.¡±


    Reid raises his voice to chide Ro for speaking when the queen¡¯s speaking. The queen sighs and looks at Barry as if asking to further explain his statement.


    Barry: ¡°Sister, this man ¨C he was killed by ¡­¡±


    Pausing for a moment to let everyone process the words he is saying, Barry continues,


    Barry: ¡°Ethan Kales.¡±


    Suddenly, the queen¡¯s eyes shoot wide open; the generals stand up in shock and Reid¡¯s eyes gets fixed on Barry while his mouth hung open.


    Barry: ¡°That¡¯s right. He has begun his life¡¯s mission, as some might call it, and is now heading towards his next target ¨C Kais.¡±


    Queen: ¡°So, you are saying it has started?¡±


    What has started? Ro wonders about the question as he barely keeps himself from muttering it out loud.


    Barry: ¡°Yes, the end has started. This is the beginning of it.¡±


    Ro: ¡°The end?¡±


    Ro mutters under his breath in a volume that nobody could hear him. At least that¡¯s what he would have wanted to, but Reid looks back at him with hostile intent as if he has done the same mistake twice.


    Ro: ¡°Uh ¡­¡±


    Reid: ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to be silent?¡±


    The hostility in Reid¡¯s eyes is sickening. Ro can¡¯t help but get terrified of it.


    Queen: ¡°Stop it, Reid. From what Barry has told us, this man is of magnificent value.¡±


    Reid: ¡°Forgive me, your highness.¡±


    Reid turns to look at the queen and bows before saying those words.


    Barry: ¡°Well, anyway, ghosts would have a lot of issues if he is working with us. What do you say?¡±


    Queen: ¡°I see your point. I shall consider it.¡±


    Ro: ¡°Tch!¡±


    Ro clicks his tongue and the echo rings out through the hall.


    Ro: ¡°Where the hell am I? Who the hell are you people? What¡¯s up with this war and the beginning of end bullshit? Can someone ANSWER ME ALREADY?¡±


    Ro shouts in his irritation knowing it would only do him harm. He just could not take it anymore when his fate was to be decided by someone¡¯s hands he didn¡¯t have any idea of.


    Queen: ¡°Reid, I told you ¨C stop it.¡±


    Reid had readied his nails when the queen stops him. She looks at the crowd pinning him down and motions them to leave him. They immediately obey.


    Ro: ¡°Ah ¡­¡±


    Having been freed of the tight clutches he was in, Ro senses relief.


    Queen: ¡°I am sorry for how my little brother has kept you in the dark. But the first thing you should know here is that we are not ghosts. In fact, we are almost at war with ghosts, so I would advise you to not speak that word so freely. It might get you in serious trouble.¡±


    Ro: ¡°Okay, I get it. I¡¯m sorry for earlier. But then, what are you people?¡±


    Queen: ¡°We are ¡­¡±


    The next word describes the species. Ro unknowingly holds his breath in the anxiety of what this word would be.


    Queen: ¡°Vampires.¡±


    *******************************

 Chapter 14: Lords Of The Night

    ¡®The lords of the night¡¯, as they are called, are some of the deadliest species to have ever existed in history. The very source of their survival is blood and the human blood soothes to their tastes the most. The one word which is the name of the specie is also a word that commands fear among every human who knows of them. It¡¯s ¨C


    Queen: ¡°Vampires¡±


    Ro: ¡°Huh? W-wait, t-that¡¯s ¡­¡±


    Ro has heard something he never thought he would. Not even in his wildest imaginings could he have thought of there being ¡®living¡¯ vampires.


    Ro: ¡°T-that should be ¡­¡±


    Barry: ¡°Impossible?¡±


    Seeing Ro unable to finish his words, Barry did so for him, though he says so knowing what would come next.


    Reid: ¡°Barry!¡±


    Reid almost shouts out his name barely able to hold himself back from attacking him. Seeing that,


    Barry: ¡°Yeah, what?¡±


    Barry smiles like he doesn¡¯t have a care in the world.


    Reid: ¡°Tch!¡±


    Queen: ¡°Constantly raging on every single thing will earn you nothing, Reid. Stop it.¡±


    As soon as Reid hears the queen saying that, he comes back to the bowing position and his tone gets humbled,


    Reid: ¡°Forgive me! It¡¯s just ¡­ I ¡­¡±


    Ignis: ¡°How many times are you going to say ¡®forgive me¡¯ in one day, huh? Don¡¯t you feel ashamed at all for troubling the queen so much?¡±


    Ignis says the words as if to mock Reid, but Reid does not reply. Though from Barry¡¯s field of view, he could clearly see him gritting his teeth.


    Queen: ¡°Stop Ignis! Reid getting angry over those things is nothing more than proof of how much he cares about this kingdom. Reid, you may raise your head.¡±


    As the queen commands, Reid raises his head but says nothing. Seeing as this exchange has given him some time to, Ro calms down a little. Nothing will come of getting anxious. He has to calmly think in order to understand the situation. Following that train of thought, Ro looks at Barry.


    Barry: ¡°Something wrong?¡±


    The sudden question by Barry without even looking his way does not surprise Ro. He knew full well Barry would notice him so there¡¯s no point in acting like it¡¯s a big surprise.


    Ro: ¡°I have a lot of questions regarding ¡­ well, vampires.¡±


    Ro decides to use the truth at first. He does have questions regarding vampires and also regarding Barry and his own involvement with them.


    Barry: ¡°Can¡¯t say I didn¡¯t expect that.¡±


    Barry says so with a pretty normal expression. He¡¯s neither mocking nor reprimanding him, just stating a fact.


    Ro: ¡°I know you did.¡±


    Barry: ¡°So, I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any need for you to ask them here, is there?¡±


    Barry suggests that he should ask his questions someplace else when he gets the chance to, but this is also something Ro expected.


    Ro: ¡°I believe there is a need for me to ask these questions here, or more accurately, ask them to the queen.¡±


    Reid, the four generals and the queen turn towards him in surprise. They expected him to trust Barry the most out of all of them, so there¡¯s no sense in him choosing to ask the queen instead of Barry.


    Ignis: ¡°F-fool! You think you have the right to disturb the queen with such petty talk?¡±


    Ro: ¡°I do.¡±


    Two words ¨C and each person in the court become silent, their eyes getting fixed at Ro. In this silence, a smile emerges on a single man¡¯s face.


    Barry: ¡°That¡¯s certainly something.¡±


    Noticing that smile on his face, Ro gets irritated but tries to bring himself back to the topic.


    Ro: ¡°I am someone who can be really useful to you all ¨C vampires. That also means I am someone that can be very useful to your opponents ¨C the ghosts, right?¡±


    Ro could figure out these basic details from the exchanges between those present there with Barry.


    Ignis: ¡°Your point?¡±


    Ignis shows clear irritation on having been asked such an obvious question.


    Ro: ¡°I¡¯m already dead, you can¡¯t kill me and the ghosts will surely find me eventually. If you don¡¯t want me joining their side, then you need to gain my trust.¡±


    This part¡¯s less certain and it¡¯s a gamble Ro has taken to see if it works out.


    Ignis: ¡°Tch!¡±


    But Ignis¡¯ reaction hints that it may work out.


    Barry: ¡°Seeing from the flow of conversation up to this point, are you planning on threatening the queen?¡±


    Barry asks so with a smile. One similarity between Ethan and Barry is this smile they carry around while asking incredibly serious questions. It¡¯s this similarity that makes each of them easily disliked.


    Ro: ¡°Not exactly. That is to say, if she just agrees to it, there won¡¯t be any need to threaten her.¡±


    Ignis: ¡°You imbecile!¡±


    Reid: ¡°How dare you!¡±


    Reid again loses his calm but this time Ignis readies himself to attack too.


    Ignis: ¡°Just because you are already dead doesn¡¯t mean you can¡¯t feel pain, you ¡­¡±


    Queen: ¡°I accept.¡±


    The queen¡¯s sudden words surprise everyone putting them in a standstill, everyone except Barry and Ro.


    Barry: ¡°Well, that¡¯s how it would go I guess.¡±


    Barry knows her well and Ro understands at least that she is a rational and calm individual. While Ro was still betting on his assumptions of the queen being right, Barry knew full well this answer would come.


    Ro: ¡°I see. Thanks for accepting this request.¡±


    Ignis: ¡°Huh? So now it¡¯s became a ¡®request¡¯?¡±


    Just a few moments ago, Ro referred to his words as a ¡®threat¡¯. Seeing him now call it ¡®request¡¯ infuriates Ignis to say the least.


    Aquarius: ¡°There¡¯s no point in yelling at him, Ignis. Sit down.¡±


    Ignis: ¡°Don¡¯t you dare order me.¡±


    Aquarius: ¡°(sighs) that¡¯s not what I was doing.¡±


    Ignis has proven himself to be hot-headed, to say the least. When it comes down to it, if there hasn¡¯t been Aquarius who has been holding him back from attacking, Ro may be in a much worse condition.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Queen: ¡°Anyway, I assume you want to speak where there aren¡¯t so many people.¡±


    Ro turns his attention back to the queen as she asks this question.


    Ro: ¡°Yes, if at all possible, I would like there to only be Barry and you.¡±


    Queen: ¡°Hmm ¡­ that might be a little difficult. I don¡¯t think my generals would leave us be no matter how much I try to convince them.¡±


    Their attention turns to Ignis, Aquarius and the other two generals who have been listening to the conversation with no interest.


    Queen: ¡°I am sure they¡¯ll find a way to not let that happen. So, just to be safe, I propose we have Reid with us there as well.¡±


    This time, everyone except Barry is surprised by her words.


    Reid: ¡°M-me?¡±


    Queen: ¡°Yes, Reid is a loyal servant who has no personal interests other than serving the Vampire Kingdom. Therefore, I think everyone would feel at ease if he is there with us.¡±


    Ro thinks to himself about the points the queen mentioned. Indeed, it doesn¡¯t seem like Reid serves any personal interest. He is very emotional about the queen and the kingdom. Whenever Ro spoke anything that may be disrespect to either of the two things, he immediately reacted to it.


    Ro: ¡°I see your point, your majesty.¡±


    He says while bowing.


    Barry: ¡°Well, is that okay with all of you then?¡±


    Barry asks this while looking at the four generals.


    Aquarius: ¡°Yes, I think Reid is a very trustworthy person.¡±


    Ignis: ¡°Tch! Well, I guess I would trust the queen¡¯s judgment.¡±


    Aquarius and Ignis agree to it. The other two generals don¡¯t speak anything. Ro starts feeling anxious about it but,


    Barry: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, they are like that. They don¡¯t have any problems either.¡±


    Barry says so and nobody objects.


    Ro: ¡°I-I see.¡±


    The queen then stands before declaring,


    Queen: ¡°Well then, I ask everyone except Reid, Barry and Ro to immediately leave this place.¡±


    All: ¡°Yes, your highness.¡±


    *******************************


    The four people left in the court stand in diagonals to each other. The queen, Barry, Reid and Ro are standing on the same level floor and it would not be possible to tell by looks alone that they have such difference in power.


    Queen: ¡°Well then, first let me formally introduce myself. My name is Valdis.¡±


    Ro stays quiet. He knows full well he can¡¯t just start calling her Valdis and that the only reason she is telling him this is for him to not accidently ask the question in a way that may anger others.


    Valdis: ¡°I am the queen of Vampires and one of the strongest people in the world.¡±


    She says so in a formal manner but Ro understands that she is not trying to brag. He understands that it is the truth.


    Valdis: ¡°Do you doubt the last part?¡±


    She asks with a smile. It isn¡¯t a threatening smile, just a genuine smile. Though seeing as how the vampire queen is the one smiling like that, even a genuine smile can be a sign of danger.


    Ro: ¡°I don¡¯t.¡±


    Ro gives his answer without a second thought. Even though it is not because she is the queen but because he really believes her that he answers so, it is only logical that she would think it¡¯s the former case because of how people tend to be in front of their superiors.


    Valdis: ¡°Oh, you don¡¯t? I thought for sure you would doubt me.¡±


    Thus, Valdis says so expressing her surprise.


    Ro: ¡°I have heard in stories about a particular tradition of sorts.¡±


    Ro¡¯s reason for believing her is just as he states. It is the same thing with the different stories Barry had told Kais, it is knowledge passed down through legends.


    Valdis: ¡°Tradition?¡±


    Valdis asks curiously.


    Ro: ¡°I have heard that the rulers in the community of vampires always tend to be among the strongest. Whenever a ruler is weak, someone takes their place and their heritage ends there.¡±


    It is a rather cruel tradition but it is one which is true for vampires. That¡¯s the impression Ro gets from the stories but he decides not to mention that.


    Valdis: ¡°I see. That¡¯s rather curious. I can¡¯t think of any way these legends could be circulating around so freely.¡±


    Barry: ¡°Actually there is a way.¡±


    The attention suddenly turns towards Barry.


    Valdis: ¡°And what¡¯s that?¡±


    Barry: ¡°Well, put simply ¨C there¡¯s someone who may be spreading it around.¡±


    Barry¡¯s answer isn¡¯t anything surprising; in fact it is an obvious answer. The problem is that this answer misses the point of the question.


    Reid: ¡°That¡¯s pretty obvious. But who is the one? Do you know that?¡±


    Reid tries to bring the most important point to attention more bluntly. But before Barry answers, he turns towards Ro,


    Barry: ¡°Are you aware of why this matter is a cause of concern?¡±


    Ro: ¡°It¡¯s because the existence of vampires is thought of as extinct for many centuries. So if someone is spreading the stories, they are either a vampire you guys have no control over or someone else entirely.¡±


    Barry: ¡°(smirks) Well ¡­ doesn¡¯t looking at it from that standpoint ¡­ I don¡¯t know, make it seem not that big of a deal?¡±


    Barry asks a question that sounds strange to all three of them.


    Reid: ¡°How so? Someone is spreading stories about us while we are trying to remain out of sight. How¡¯s that not a big deal?¡±


    Reid points out his concern over the matter.


    Barry: ¡°It¡¯s not like they are saying vampires are alive or anything. Shouldn¡¯t stuff like this go down as the legend of vampires or something?¡±


    Barry asks so with a resigned attitude. This sudden change in attitude is as mysterious as it is unsettling.


    Valdis: ¡°It could become a problem if someone tries to find out more about our ¡®legend¡¯ and ends up finding out we are still living.¡±


    Even though the queen is speaking, the attention remains on Barry. He seems to be looking down for some reason.


    Barry: ¡°I suppose so.¡±


    Reid: ¡°So, who could this guy be?¡±


    Reid presses the question seeing as Barry is not answering. Barry glances at Reid and sighs. It¡¯s almost as if he doesn¡¯t want to recall the person who he thinks could be the culprit.


    Barry: ¡°How long has it been since you first heard these stories?¡±


    He asks looking at Ro.


    Ro: ¡°Four years.¡±


    Ro answers honestly as he tries to figure out who Barry is talking about.


    Barry: ¡°Then it¡¯s certainly possible, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Ro: ¡°Are you ¡­¡±


    Ro understands who he is talking about. He understands but does not want to believe that possibility.


    Barry: ¡°No, it¡¯s not Ethan Kales.¡±


    And fortunately for him, his expectations are not met.


    Barry: ¡°However, there is another really deadly human being who could be doing this.¡±


    Valdis: ¡°Huh!¡±


    The words ¡®human being¡¯ is a dead giveaway for who he would be talking about. At least, that is the case for everyone except Ro.


    Human population outnumbers that of vampires, ghosts and psychics by leaps and bounds and yet there are only few humans who someone like Barry would talk about like that.


    Reid: ¡°He?¡±


    Barry: ¡°I think so.¡±


    The person they are talking about is someone very important to the Vampire Kingdom. He¡¯s their strategist, so to speak. And as this realization hits on those in the court, a silence falls upon them. Ro too understands from all that they are talking about someone who is, or at least should be, an ally to them. This silence tells him this much. But that said, this wasn¡¯t what they had to talk about.


    Valdis: ¡°I think we should get back to topic now.¡±


    And so the queen intervenes.


    Barry: ¡°Topic, you say?¡±


    Valdis: ¡°Yes, mulling over our own queries isn¡¯t the point of this conversation. It is to clear whatever doubts Ro may have.¡±


    Valdis says so looking directly at Ro. Barry and Reid also turns their gazes towards him.


    Ro: ¡°Well, the most important thing I want to ask is ¨C what is your food source?¡±


    Ro asks with a serious face but Valdis starts chuckling upon hearing the question.


    Valdis: ¡°My, my. What a bizarre question to ask someone!¡±


    Barry: ¡°Well, it makes sense in this case though.¡±


    Barry says so as a little smile comes back on his face.


    Valdis: ¡°I suppose that¡¯s true. Well, it is as you may already have heard, we drink blood.¡±


    Valdis says so with a smile but cold sweat forms on Ro¡¯s head.


    Valdis: ¡°Don¡¯t worry though. We have no intention of drinking your blood.¡±


    Ro: ¡°That¡¯s quite hard to believe after so many vampires seem to already hate me.¡±


    Barry: ¡°To be honest, they hate me and because I brought you here, they hate you as well. That however wouldn¡¯t be the case if I had brought you in as food for them.¡±


    Hearing that, Ro recalls the first line Reid said when he came out of the crowd the first time.


    Reid: ¡°Well, anything except food that you bring is suspicious as far as I am concerned. That being the case, it seems the queen has decided that we are to not harm this man. Then I shall obey her wishes.¡±


    He says so. Whether a ghost actually has blood a vampire can drink or not is not the point, the point is that Ro looks just like a normal human. Unless someone actually knows he is a ghost, they may try to attack him and seeing from how the rope was able to tie him up, it is possible that vampires may have other ways that can hurt ghosts. Bu now that the queen has given the order for him to not be harmed, he can rest assured. So,


    Ro: ¡°Glad to know I won¡¯t be made into food any time soon. Anyway, the other thing I really want to ask is ¨C What¡¯s up with this war between you and the ghosts?¡±


    Knowing that he is touching the heart of the matter, Ro has prepared himself for a cold stare from Reid.


    Valdis: ¡°Well, that really is the most important query you have, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Valdis looks him in the eye as she says so.


    *******************************


    After getting an explanation of the ¡®war¡¯ that¡¯s brewing between Vampires and Ghosts, Ro has decided what he would do. He is running alongside Barry to get to a particular place.


    Barry: ¡°You certainly are pretty co-operative now that you know what¡¯s going on.¡±


    Ro: ¡°You can say you are lucky it¡¯s me who died. I can¡¯t think of anyone else agreeing to help you.¡±


    During their conversation, they had come to a realization ¨C one that led them to truly grasp the severity of their situation and that made them realize that they needed to hurry.


    Barry: ¡°Really now?¡±


    Ro: ¡°Mohammed is too focused on his personal goals and Sneha works with Ethan so yeah, none of them would help you.¡±


    Barry: ¡°What about your boss, Garfield?¡±


    Ro: ¡°He and everyone at his rank is a full-fledged psychic, not half asses like me and Mohammed. He would rather try to throw you out of power rather than help.¡±


    Barry does know this answer to be true, yet he asks the questions as if he doesn¡¯t. Ro doesn¡¯t feel much bothered by it though.


    Barry: ¡°I see. Then I guess I should really be glad that Ethan killed you. Or ¡­¡±


    Barry comes to a certain realization. Another level of desperation gets added to their situation.


    Ro: ¡°Or maybe this was part of his plan too? Honestly, I can¡¯t deny the possibility. In fact, it¡¯s probably true.¡±


    Barry: ¡°I see. Well, we know we are dealing with a rather troublesome human being now.¡±


    Barry, the cause of that man finding out and getting so attached to the supernatural, is now scared of him.


    Ro: ¡°Yeah, I guess. But it is essential to stop him regardless.¡±


    Barry: ¡°I suppose so.¡±


    They reach the gate they were heading for and stop.


    Barry: ¡°Well, it¡¯s time. You ready?¡±


    Ro: ¡°I am.¡±


    They need to stop someone ¨C a mere human as many would call that man. And yet, beings more powerful than a hundred humans combined were becoming afraid of him. That¡¯s the man who they need to stop.


    Ro: ¡°Well, I really wonder if even this is part of his plan.¡±


    *******************************

 Chapter 15: Dissipating Fear

    Sona: ¡°Just how greedy can you be?¡±


    As Sona says those words, the dragon comes to understand two things. One ¨C she is beyond saving and will try to kill him no matter what. Two - the word ¡®greed¡¯ he had uttered before was a trigger he accidently pulled and now all he can do is try to defend against the onslaught.


    Dragon: ¡°I can¡¯t possibly understand what happened to you if you don¡¯t say it.¡±


    The dragon pauses and looks at the woman with blood-shot eyes staring at him as if staring at his soul.


    Dragon: ¡°But if that is how things stand then ¡­ I will defend myself.¡±


    The dragon declares so. It¡¯s not that he has regained composure, the blood-shot eyes are still terrifying to him, but now he is able to at least make decisions instead of purely being petrified. Though this change may have occurred only due to desperation, it is still better than being unable to do anything.


    Sona: ¡°You¡¯ll ¡­ defend yourself?¡±


    Sona¡¯s tone of voice almost seems as if she doesn¡¯t even understand what those words mean. It is a creepy, scary and truly dark state she has fallen in.


    Dragon: ¡°I will. If you want to attack me, do it, but I won¡¯t be standing here and taking it.¡±


    The dragon says so firmly. He knows he is someone she can¡¯t really beat, so when it comes down to it this is all about willpower. If he does not lose to her in willpower, she would not win in anything.


    Sona: ¡°You think I care what you do.¡±


    Sona takes a step forward as she says so and the terror comes back to the dragon¡¯s heart for a moment. But this time, he is immediately able to calm himself and think.


    Dragon: ¡°Don¡¯t be so conceited.¡±


    The dragon says so as if reprimanding her. This is a tone the dragon should have been using from the start but the terror that had taken control over him didn¡¯t allow him to do so.


    Sona: ¡°Conceited?¡±


    Sona tilts her head to ask what he would mean. Seeing her tilt her head makes it look like it would almost break off. The dragon suppresses the urge to scream and continues,


    Dragon: ¡°When it comes down to it, you can¡¯t defeat me; all you are doing is trying to scare me.¡±


    Hearing those words, the corners of her lips twist into a smile.


    Sona: ¡°That so? Well it sure as hell is working then, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Tch!¡±


    He clicks his tongue to show his irritation. He knows full-well that is it the truth, but he can¡¯t let this fact keep affecting him.


    Sona: ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You went silent all of a sudden.¡±


    Sona says so with the same creepy smile on her face, but before the dragon could answer, something else happens.


    Dragon: ¡°What!?¡±


    Sona: ¡°Hmm ¡­ this isn¡¯t how it was supposed to go, was it?¡±


    Both look at the mass of energy floating out of the tomb. It gathers near the dragon and combines to form the shape of a little girl, one they were both familiar with.


    Dragon: ¡°Why ¡­ are you here?¡±


    The girl opens her eyes after the dragon¡¯s question. She didn¡¯t hear it but the fact that she is here is enough for her to wonder that herself.


    Girl: ¡°Why ¡­ am I ¡­ here?¡±


    The girl looks at the dragon and then at Sona and moves a step back.


    Girl: ¡°U-uh, R-R-Sona ¡­¡±


    Sona: ¡°Terrified, are we?¡±


    Sona asks with blood-shot eyes and a smile. This expression seems to almost take her life out of her, but that doesn¡¯t happen, it can only happen to people made of real mass and emotions.


    Girl: ¡°W-why are y-you l-like ¡­¡±


    The girl trembles as she asks Sona the question that has taken over all her worries. She doesn¡¯t expect an answer but she just has to ask.


    Sona: ¡°First, why not tell me why you are here. This isn¡¯t how it was supposed to go, right?¡±


    Sona points out what is a bigger concern according to her.


    Girl: ¡°I-I ¡­ don¡¯t know.¡±


    The girl looks down as she answers. The dragon is standing behind her looking at her and Sona simultaneously. He has decided to stay quiet while this conversation happens.


    Sona: ¡°You don¡¯t know, you say? Well, how about we ask the one who sent you in then?¡±


    But Sona won¡¯t allow that. She would not let him get a moment to calmly think things. The fear she is projecting onto the dragon must not fade, because ¡­ she isn¡¯t satisfied yet.


    Dragon: ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know either.¡±


    The dragon answers as he looks at Sona.


    Sona: ¡°So this wasn¡¯t a part of your plan?¡±


    Sona says so as if it is the most obvious conclusion. The dragon too understands why one would think this way. He nods in denial.


    Dragon: ¡°There was no reason for something like this to happen. She should be with him right now. If something like this happened, then that means the place they both were at isn¡¯t exactly the tomb.¡±


    Sona: ¡°Ha! Ha! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA!¡±


    She bursts out laughing even though the dragon¡¯s response was in a grave tone. Neither the dragon nor the girl can understand the reason. At this point, it is doubtful even Sona herself understands.


    Dragon: ¡°Why ¡­ the heck ¡­ are you ¡­ no, is there even a reason to it?¡±


    The dragon says so as if to say that she is insane and would laugh without a reason for it.


    Sona: ¡°I can¡¯t say why ¡­ but I just want to laugh ¡­ maybe it¡¯s because of how ¡­ pathetic you people are. I ¡­ just can¡¯t help myself.¡±


    Her laughing makes her sentences break off at many points but neither of them tries to speak before she finishes.


    Girl: ¡°But then, does ¡­ this mean ¡­ Kais is alone there?¡±


    The girl asks in a trembling voice but Sona immediately answers her,


    Sona: ¡°Hell yeah it means that.¡±


    The girl looks at Sona with bewildered eyes. She has never seen someone say words like that with a smile on their face.


    Sona: ¡°And you are the reason for it.¡±


    Sona blames the girl for the current situation. The girl can¡¯t do anything but try to object.


    Girl: ¡°But I ¡­ I didn¡¯t ¡­¡±


    Sona: ¡°Didn¡¯t leave on purpose, or by choice, or didn¡¯t mean to do so ¨C no matter what excuse you come up with, it is your fault.¡±


    Sona doesn¡¯t allow her to escape the blame. She wants to guilt trip her and she would do so.


    Girl: ¡°B-but I ¡­¡±


    The girl, while trembling, tries to make out words, but Sona doesn¡¯t allow her to.


    Sona: ¡°Are those excuses what you are going to say to him if something happens to him?¡±


    Girl: ¡°S-something happens?¡±


    The girl looks at Sona with teary eyes almost begging her to stop talking, but a woman who has lost sanity would have lost kindness too.Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Sona: ¡°Like what if he gets brutally injured or even dies. Will that be your excuse?¡±


    She continues to attack at her sense of guilt and bully her. Her shoulders tremble and tears start flowing from her eyes.


    Dragon: ¡°Tch! I see the human emotions he put in you are backfiring now.¡±


    The girl doesn¡¯t move an inch but Sona¡¯s attention turns towards the dragon.


    Sona: ¡°Human emotions, huh? Yeah, you put human emotions in it, that¡¯s why it is so fun to bully that mass of energy.¡±


    In her maddening mind, she could not register the fact that the dragon said someone else put human emotions into her.


    Dragon: ¡°Fun, you say?¡±


    The word ¡®fun¡¯ disgusts the dragon. There is no negative emotion Sona doesn¡¯t have for the dragon, but slowly this is becoming mutual.


    Dragon: ¡°You are having fun bullying a little girl ¡­¡±


    Sona: ¡°The one that you created.¡±


    Emphasizing on ¡®you¡¯, Sona makes the point clear. It isn¡¯t that she would want to bully anyone and everyone; it is the fact that she is a little girl he created that she is so happy about her feeling pain.


    Girl: ¡°K-Kais may ¡­ die?¡±


    The girl says so with trembling shoulders and tears flowing from her eyes having covered her whole face in them. Guilt has, in every way, overwhelmed her.


    Dragon: ¡°No, don¡¯t worry about it. This was probably caused by someone. I doubt their intention was to kill him though.¡±


    His words almost sound like false consolation. Sona gets amused after hearing so.


    Sona: ¡°Oh yeah, why¡¯s that?¡±


    She wants to tear apart any consolation he may give the girl. He is trying to give some hope to the girl, she would destroy that hope. That should put the girl in even bigger despair - the same thing that happened to Sona, now she intends do that to this little girl.


    Dragon: ¡°Why¡¯s that, huh? The thing is ¨C not just anybody can cause such a rift to happen, but I know a few people who can do so.¡±


    To Sona, these words sound like an attempt at trying to escape from the point of the question by going to at it in a roundabout fashion.


    Sona: ¡°Don¡¯t bother explaining stuff everyone knows. Why do you think they would not intend to kill him?¡±


    But she would not let him get his way. She would not let him get away with it.


    Dragon: ¡°Tch!¡±


    A click of tongue by the dragon ¨C could be a sign that he has been caught in his tracks. This almost brings Sona to the point of bursting out laughing again, but ¡­


    Dragon: ¡°Because the ones who would probably do this kind of thing right now would be the ones fighting a war.¡±


    The girl and Sona both turn their attention towards the dragon. The girl stops crying and Sona stops smiling.


    Dragon: ¡°Allow me to clarify myself. When I said there are people I know who can do something like that, I didn¡¯t mention that only one of them is alive.¡±


    If those who are not alive are ghosts, they may still have the power to do that ¨C is something the dragon cunningly drives their attention away from.


    Dragon: ¡°Those bastards have tried a lot to bring me to their side, haven¡¯t they?¡±


    The dragon says so with an irritated expression as both Sona and the girl widen their eyes at him. It wasn¡¯t just Sona who thought he was just trying to console the girl with a lie, the girl herself also thought so. But that¡¯s not the case.


    Sona: ¡°Hold on, what war?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°You must know it yourself, there¡¯s a war about to begin between two opposing supernatural factions, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    The dragon asks her as if testing her insight on the situation. Sona stays silent and keeps staring at him ¨C trying to find any hints that he is bluffing, but none come out.


    Dragon: ¡°I suppose you don¡¯t know it then. Well, one of the two factions is the Vampire Kingdom.¡±


    The dragon says so as if reminiscing the moment he had come in contact with them.


    Sona: ¡°Even if that¡¯s true, there¡¯s no way a vampire will have this kind of power.¡±


    It isn¡¯t a question of ¡®how much¡¯ but the question of ¡®what type¡¯ that contradicts his statement.


    Dragon: ¡°When did I ever say it needs to be a vampire?¡±


    Sona: ¡°Huh? W-what the hell do you mean?¡±


    His lines don¡¯t match up. If he is talking about the Vampires faction, then obviously it means a vampire is the one he should have been talking about.


    Dragon: ¡°The vampires do have some non-vampire allies, you know. One of them is a ghost as well as a psychic.¡±


    Sona: ¡°Wait! What!¡±


    Girl: ¡°T-that¡¯s impossible!¡±


    Both of them find themselves shocked by that revelation. It is something that, by definition, shouldn¡¯t even be possible.


    Dragon: ¡°Why so?¡±


    But on the other hand, the dragon asks that as if it is a completely natural occurrence and the ones calling it impossible are the fools here.


    Girl: ¡°Because even if he was a psychic when alive, he should lose those powers after dying.¡±


    Just like the girl says, the vampires, ghosts and psychics are three different types of supernaturals. None of them can merge with the other.


    Dragon: ¡°Well, let¡¯s just say there are a lot of factors at play here. This story is more complicated than you¡¯d expect, or rather want it to be.¡±


    Sona: ¡°T-that¡¯s complete bullshit! You¡¯re lying, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Sona immediately denies his words. She just can¡¯t believe an entity like that can exist. If someone really is like that, then that person should be here. They should be here helping her get rid of this dragon. But they are not. So there is no point to their existence. Sona¡¯s minds form those reasons.


    Dragon: ¡°Believe of it what you will. It¡¯s not like I gain anything by convincing you anyway.¡±


    The dragon doesn¡¯t bother trying to convince either of them, but he makes his point very clear. By not trying to convince them, he has convinced them that it is not a desperate lie.


    Girl: ¡°B-but then, t-that person w-would be ¡­¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Right, he is powerful enough to defeat me.¡±


    Hearing the dragon say those words only fills Sona with deeper despair. Why isn¡¯t that person here? Why are they not helping her?


    Dragon: ¡°I bet he wanted to bring Kais to his side and so brought him to a place where they could meet. Then he waited till she was out of the way and met him.¡±


    The dragon¡¯s conclusion, needless to say, is wrong. But none of them really know what¡¯s going on inside, so it doesn¡¯t matter, that conclusion is all they have to go on.


    Sona: ¡°Then ¡­ he wants to ¡­ bring Kais to his side. But why, what is he capable of? Kais doesn¡¯t even seem like the type that would like to fight.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°That¡¯s what I don¡¯t understand, but there is something that points me towards a possible answer.¡±


    The dragon remembers what that person had said to him.


    ¡°Wait for the time Kais comes here, I¡¯ll be sure to come back too.¡±


    Back then, the dragon didn¡¯t even know who Kais was and he didn¡¯t immediately remember that line when he first met Kais. By the time he remembered, Kais was already in the tomb.


    Dragon: ¡°Damn! This could end badly.¡±


    The dragon says so with worry in his voice. His expressions don¡¯t show his real emotions so Sona had stopped paying any mind to them but then she notices something.


    Sona: ¡°Huh!?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°What?¡±


    The dragon looks at her asking why she made that expression. Sona, on the other hand, does not answer his question.


    Sona: ¡°Nothing.¡±


    Obviously, it isn¡¯t ¡®nothing¡¯. She sees his eyebrows twitch and worry being expressed on his face. Even this dragon, whose skills maybe on par with a master con-artist, can¡¯t control his worry.


    Dragon: ¡°Anyway, things are about to get out of hand here. Since you want to kill me within four days, I don¡¯t expect you to want to die right now.¡±


    If that person who is a psychic and a ghost is intending to bring Kais to their side, the dragon is coming in their way. The dragon is trying to say that she might get caught in the cross-fire.


    Sona: ¡°A-ah!¡±


    Sona understands what he is trying to say. The fact that the fear that had formed on his face during their conversation has completely disappeared now annoys her to no end but she knows that¡¯s not what¡¯s important here.


    Sona: ¡°Fine! I¡¯ll go.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Thanks for the co-operation.¡±


    The dragon says so and turns towards the tomb.


    Dragon: ¡°You go as well.¡±


    His words are directed at the little girl who had fallen to her knees. She gets up and nods before running towards the forest.


    Dragon: ¡°Well then,¡±


    Now left alone near the exit to the tomb, he stares at it for a while. Then, underneath his breath, he silently mutters,


    Dragon: ¡°If I let my emotions show on my face, I would probably be smiling while telling them to go. Well, I guess these acting skills can be quite helpful sometimes.¡±


    He says so while smiling. The smile caused by the incidents that took place few moments earlier is clear as day on his face, but no one is around to notice it.


    Dragon: ¡°Well, time to get to work.¡±


    He says just before he tears open a wound on his right arm.


    Dragon: ¡°I need to make sure the blood is fresh. What better way than this?¡±


    He says as he moves back while dropping blood on the floor.


    Dragon: ¡°It should be about time he comes back. Well, I hope you met Ozyllus in there.¡±


    The dragon says so as he continues to widen the blood trail. What he said was no lie. Barry had indeed met him and said the words - ¡°Wait for the time Kais comes here, I¡¯ll be sure to come back too.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Well, Kais came here alright, time for you to show up too, Barry.¡±


    There was a rare wide grin on his face.


    Dragon: ¡°I¡¯m waiting.¡±


    At this point in time, Barry is in the court with three other people discussing the topic of Ethan Kales.


    *******************************


    Kais: ¡°I¡¯m ¡­ back ¡­ at the island.¡±


    I guess this possibility did occur to me but since nothing had really happened in there, I thought it won¡¯t happen. Yet, I am indeed back on the island. If there¡¯s a difference, then that¡¯s ¡­


    Kais: ¡°No one¡¯s here.¡±


    Sona, the dragon and the little girl ¨C there should be three or at least two people here. But they are nowhere to be found.


    Kais: ¡°Did they go somewhere?¡±


    I hope the situation didn¡¯t get any worse while I was not around. If those two started fighting again, Sona would probably die, but she should be aware of that. So something stupid like that shouldn¡¯t have happened.


    Kais: ¡°But then, what did happen?¡±


    I start walking towards the place they were sitting at when I left. Maybe I¡¯ll find some clue. That¡¯s the thought at least.


    Kais: ¡°Wait! What!!!¡±


    But what I see there is ¡­ blood.


    Kais: ¡°W-what the hell is going on?¡±


    I say so as I turn my head in all directions. The blood trail ¡­ it is in a straight line.


    Kais: ¡°This seems like ¡­ like something ¡­¡±


    ¡­ That¡¯s deliberately left for me. This looks like someone wants me to follow this trail.


    Kais: ¡°But ¡­ even knowing that, can I really ignore it?¡±


    I don¡¯t think I can. Of course I will be cautious, but I have to know whose blood this is. Moreover, Ethan said we will meet in two days. Before he arrives here, I need to have familiarized myself with this island. Whatever happens after he comes here, I need to be ready for it.


    Having made enough excuses to start following the trail, I suddenly notice something.


    Kais: ¡°Wait now, there¡¯s ¡­ a message.¡±


    I thought this was a message to tell me to follow the trail, but there is actually something written on the floor with the blood.


    Kais: ¡°Let¡¯s see.¡±


    I think it is written in English, meaning whoever wrote this probably intended for someone else to read it, in which case, there¡¯s a high chance that could be me.


    Kais: ¡°I think it¡¯s W ¡­ A ¡­¡±


    Wait! What the heck! What¡¯s the meaning of this? Why would someone write such a thing? And with blood no less.


    WAR


    Written in blood, large enough for anyone to see from the top of a tree even, this can be taken as a declaration of war. But I doubt that¡¯s what it is.


    The blood after ¡®R¡¯ trails in a straight line towards the forest. So whoever¡¯s blood this is either went there or was dragged there.


    Kais: ¡°Either way, the situation seems to have taken a turn for the worse.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Indeed.¡±


    I look in the direction of the blood trail, the same direction the dragon¡¯s voice comes from. He enters my field of view.


    Dragon: ¡°Glad to see you are unhurt.¡±


    I notice that the dragon is completely fine. There¡¯re no traces of blood on his body that I can detect, not even with Aura Reading.


    Kais: ¡°So this blood is not yours then?¡±


    I thought for sure he would be the one who was bleeding. The possibility that it is Sona¡¯s did cross my mind but with ¡®WAR¡¯ written with it, I can¡¯t picture a scenario where it belongs to her.


    Dragon: ¡°No, it isn¡¯t. But can you guess whose it is?¡±


    The dragon says so as to give fuel to my curiosity.


    Kais: ¡°I can¡¯t.¡±


    I answer honestly. There¡¯s no point in pretending to know.


    Dragon: ¡°Well, this is Barry¡¯s blood.¡±


    *******************************

 Chapter 16: Chase

    Sneha: ¡°Is this the one?¡±


    Sneha asks while pointing at a private jet.


    Ethan: ¡°Probably.¡±


    Sneha: ¡°What the hell do you mean ¡®probably¡¯?¡±


    Seeing Ethan¡¯s carefree attitude makes her irritated, though her reaction only ends up amusing Ethan.


    Sneha: ¡°(sighing) whatever!¡±


    The two have this conversation while walking towards a private jet. They had planned to meet at the airport, which they did. But that is where the hoax begins. After they met, they left the airport through back entrances without letting anyone spot them.


    Sneha: ¡°Still, was all that really necessary?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Can¡¯t really say it was ¡®necessary¡¯, but it¡¯s more like ¨C what¡¯s it called ¨C yeah, better safe than sorry.¡±


    Ro was killed and suspicion could easily fall upon people like Sneha and Mohammed who were with him a little while before his death, as well as Ethan who was his target. There was a chance they would be followed, so they devised this fake out.


    Ethan: ¡°Well, anyway, once we get on the plane, there would be nothing to worry about. It doesn¡¯t matter if they find out about our real plan or even try to catch up with us.¡±


    Sneha: ¡°I understand why it doesn¡¯t matter if they find out that we were trying deceive them and that our real plan was to take a private jet, but how will it not be a problem if they try to catch up with us?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Well, let¡¯s just say ¨C¡±


    Ethan turns towards Sneha as he smiles and closes his eyes,


    Ethan: ¡°They won¡¯t get a chance to actually catch us. Someone else would do it before them.¡±


    Sneha: ¡°What!?¡±


    Ethan has a troublesome habit of dropping bombshells on people. He doesn¡¯t think about anyone¡¯s feelings when he reveals shocking information. The worst part of it all was that he was aware of this habit of his and actually enjoys doing so.


    Sneha: ¡°W-who are you talking about?¡±


    Someone will catch them before Vermillion can. That¡¯s what Ethan says, but what exactly does he mean? Sneha keeps repeating that question in her mind.


    Ethan: ¡°Well, a particular group of people should be out hunting for us. Our friend will probably be there as well.¡±


    Sneha: ¡°What friend?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°The one we killed last night.¡±


    This man really loves torturing people with the truth. The man he is talking about has to be Ro Garland. Sneha understands that but the problem is ¨C for what reason would he, or his ghost, come after them so soon?


    Sneha: ¡°Are you telling me he would want revenge after having been turned into a ghost?¡±


    The fact that he is a ghost now and hasn¡¯t completely gone away from their lives is disturbing enough for her. The guilt of seeing someone she had a part in killing is too big. Add to that the possibility that he might want revenge.


    Ethan: ¡°Nope.¡±


    However, even though Sneha thought it would be the best reason for it, Ethan denies it.


    Sneha: ¡°Are you going to explain?¡±


    Sneha looks at him suspiciously making it clear that she doesn¡¯t completely trust him and is ready to use force against him if necessary.


    Ethan: ¡°That¡¯s a scary expression. Anyway, the reason is simply that he would have met Barry and others Barry is affiliated with. In that case, they would have probably figured out that the situation is playing out as I want it to. I bet they are coming to stop me.¡±


    Ethan says so with his usual carefree expression that has not changed once since the start of the conversation.


    Sneha: ¡°Isn¡¯t that something we need to worry about?¡±


    Anxiety starts creeping up her face as she asks that but Ethan¡¯s attitude (much to her irritation) remains the same.


    Ethan: ¡°Why? It¡¯s not that big a deal.¡±


    He gives an answer that would make him seem like a fool, but Sneha understands there must be a reason he says so.


    Sneha: ¡°Are you even sane right now?¡±


    Yet the first thing she does is reprimand him, or at least try to.


    Ethan: ¡°What do you think?¡±


    Sneha: ¡°You aren¡¯t.¡±


    Sneha gives her honest judgment of his sanity, i.e., he doesn¡¯t have any.


    Ethan: ¡°Damn! That¡¯s harsh.¡±


    Ethan acts as though that hurt him by pulling out his tongue but Sneha has known him enough to know it¡¯s all just an act.


    Sneha: ¡°It¡¯s the truth.¡±


    So she spends no time bothering to comfort him.


    Ethan: ¡°Anyway, we¡¯re here. So now sir pilot,¡±


    Ethan says to the man standing beside the jet as they had reached the jet while talking.


    Ethan: ¡°Are we ready to go?¡±


    Pilot: ¡°We are.¡±


    The pilot nods, to which Ethan smiles and looks at Sneha, who sighs. The three are to head to a place that¡¯s said to be one of the most dangerous and mysterious places in the world, ¡®the island where only psychics lived¡¯.


    *******************************


    Ro: ¡°That bastard should be around the airport right now.¡±


    Barry: ¡°No, he wouldn¡¯t be.¡±


    While discussing where they first need to go, Ro voices his thoughts on were Ethan would be, but to his surprise, Barry denies his guess.


    Ro: ¡°Huh, why? That¡¯s where he was going, right?¡±


    Ro asks as if to confirm. He did hear Ethan saying something like ¡®airport¡¯ when Ro was dying and he also heard this from the Intel that ghosts had gathered on him, so he should have been right about it.


    Barry: ¡°Think about it. Would he really be able to get to that island through some airline?¡±


    Barry voices a fair point. Only those who already know about the legend of the island can enter the place. This is the very reason Kais immediately assumed that the psychics who were sent to the island would all have known about it back when he was coming up with theories on Vermillion¡¯s involvement in all of this. But there is an easy way around this problem, and Ro doesn¡¯t think Barry would have just missed it.


    Ro: ¡°No, but he could be planning to get close to the place, maybe meet someone who knows about it enough to enter it and then go in with them.¡±Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    Ro states a very simple solution to the problem, but ¡­


    Barry: ¡°No, I¡¯m pretty sure he wouldn¡¯t need to do that.¡±


    Ro: ¡°?¡±


    With an expression of questioning, he looks at Barry.


    Barry: ¡°I am not fully sure of this but I think Ethan himself knows about the island enough to enter it. In fact, there¡¯s a strong possibility he had gone there himself.¡±


    Ro: ¡°Wait, seriously!?¡±


    As Barry says that, Ro becomes more confused.


    Ro: ¡°But then why do you think he can¡¯t there with a plane?¡±


    Barry: ¡°It¡¯s a thing about height.¡±


    Ro: ¡°Huh?¡±


    Barry: ¡°The barrier makes the place the island is at seem like there¡¯s nothing but water from outside. In which case, if someone doesn¡¯t know where exactly that barrier is then,¡±


    Ro: ¡°Then they¡¯d end up flying over the barrier.¡±


    Barry nods.


    Ro: ¡°So, even if he does know about it enough that he¡¯ll be able to pass through the barrier and enter, if he doesn¡¯t realize where it is then he¡¯d have no way of entering it.


    Something like convincing the pilot to lower the plane on a place that looks like just water is already something one would have some problems with. If the person himself is not even sure that there¡¯s the island beneath then there¡¯d be no way he¡¯ll be able to pull it off.


    In either case, going to a place near the island and then getting to the island from there somehow seems like the only thing Ethan can do. The first part can be done by a private jet, but what about the second?


    Ro: ¡°Just how is he planning to find the island? I mean that barrier has, like a million safety devices on it.¡±


    The said safety devices make the barrier and everything inside it invisible; stop any sound as well as odor from escaping from within; and also creates the illusion of the place being a simple part of the ocean.


    Ro: ¡°That barrier is something not even the Eyes of Truth can detect unless they are used at their full potential.¡±


    And so, the fact that the two don¡¯t know about Ethan¡¯s eyes comes about to not make any difference in this situation. Or so it would seem.


    Barry: ¡°Regardless of how Ethan is planning to get to the island, we will need to catch up before he does.¡±


    Barry points out that what Ro is worrying about isn¡¯t actually their concern.


    Barry: ¡°If we get to him before he can go into the island, that¡¯s that. It won¡¯t matter anymore what he was planning.¡±


    Understanding the point made, Ro nods.


    Ro: ¡°But will we really be able to catch up?¡±


    Barry: ¡°We will. This jet we are in ¡­¡±


    He points at the controller of the jet as if pointing at the black jet itself,


    Barry: ¡°Is the fastest vehicle of the entire Vampire Kingdom.¡±


    *******************************


    Ethan: ¡°They should be arriving soon enough.¡±


    Ethan says so while staring out the window. He and Sneha are sitting in the opposite corners of the passengers lobby.


    Sneha: ¡°Talking about Ro and ¡­ Barry?¡±


    Sneha asks the question as she wishes for the answer to be ¡®no¡¯. She doesn¡¯t want to hear a ¡®yes¡¯ to that but she already knows that¡¯s the answer.


    Ethan: ¡°Yeah.¡±


    And the answer doesn¡¯t surprise her at all.


    Sneha: ¡°No matter how devious you are, I really doubt you can outsmart someone like Barry, especially when he also has Ro¡¯s support.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Well, that¡¯s the interesting part, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Ethan accepts that evaluation of his abilities without a struggle. So what does he intend to do? What exactly is he thinking?


    Ethan: ¡°I¡¯d like it if more people were sent to stop us since that will make it easier to create some chaos, but I think those two will be the only ones who would come.¡±


    Sneha: ¡°And why¡¯s that?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Simply put, the fact that Barry didn¡¯t do anything while we were ambushing Ro means he hadn¡¯t figured out my plan back then.¡±


    She nods in affirmation.


    Ethan: ¡°So whenever he figured it out, he probably rushed here along with Ro who obviously would have wanted to come as well. I doubt they would have waited long enough to let others get ready to come here.¡±


    Sneha: ¡°You are saying because he was already late in noticing it, he would rush here so he could at least minimize the damage.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Something like that.¡±


    Ethan nods while smiling as he answers her question. His logic makes sense, surprisingly enough seeing how his mind isn¡¯t the most sensible thing on the planet.


    Sneha: ¡°I see.¡±


    Sneha thinks of what may happen when they come here as she looks at Ethan. He doesn¡¯t seem bothered by it at all. It is almost as if he¡¯s inviting them here.


    Sneha: ¡°So is this part of your plan?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Well, it sure is convenient to think that way, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    An unexpected answer comes from Ethan, forcing her to look at his expressions, which she finds to be ¨C


    Sneha: ¡°What¡¯s up with that face?¡±


    The smile has vanished from his face and what has replaced it is a dark expression showcasing almost despair.


    Ethan: ¡°It just happens to be that¡¯s what people like to believe. They think every problem that arises in their lives is because of a scheme of other, all the while they live as if they are saints.¡±


    Sneha doesn¡¯t say anything. The sudden change in his expression is so overwhelming that she can¡¯t bring herself to respond.


    Ethan: ¡°That¡¯s what causes genocide, doesn¡¯t it? I bet that¡¯s what caused that incident 12 years ago.¡±


    Ethan¡¯s words make sense, but Sneha has no idea why he would certainly start saying these things. It¡¯s true that he may think these things deep underneath but did something she say trigger them to come out? After all, just a little while ago, he was smirking. No, to say the truth, she had always known ¨C that smile of his was a fake one.


    Sneha: ¡°So ¡­ you mean to tell me this is not a part of your plan? Shouldn¡¯t that mean we are in trouble?¡±


    Ethan stays silent for a moment while the darkness slowly goes away from his face. He then sighs and answers,


    Ethan: ¡°Well, they think it is all part of my plan, so it doesn¡¯t matter what¡¯s the truth. After all, history isn¡¯t shaped on facts; it is shaped on people¡¯s perception of those facts.¡±


    *******************************


    Having flown in the jet for hours now, Barry and Ro are getting more and more anxious about finding and intercepting Ethan. They knew the journey will take a while, but they had no idea it would take this long.


    Ro: ¡°Hey, you sure we are going in the right direction, right?¡±


    Barry: ¡°Here¡¯s a friendly advice for you, whenever someone says that, they only end up increasing their own stress level no matter what the answer is.¡±


    Ro clicks his tongue in annoyance at both his partner and the situation they are in. Barry tries to keep a poker face while answering Ro, but in truth he too is desperately asking this question to himself.


    Barry: ¡°Well, can you check where we are right now?¡±


    Ro: ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that increase stress?¡±


    Ro says as if get back on him, but then goes on to check their location anyway.


    Ro: ¡°We are ¡­¡±


    He stops mid-sentence on noticing where they are.


    Barry: ¡°Something wrong?¡±


    Ro: ¡°We are ¡­ about a minute away from the island.¡±


    Barry: ¡°What!¡±


    Both ghosts look at each other in astonishment. Neither of them expected they¡¯d reach the island so soon, and before they ever come across Ethan¡¯s jet as well.


    Ro: ¡°Doesn¡¯t this pose problems on our front though?¡±


    Ro asks the obvious question that starts bugging the both of them.


    Barry: ¡°This might not be that bad of a situation actually.¡±


    Ro: ¡°Huh?¡±


    Barry: ¡°We were to come here eventually anyway, so why not now? And if things are going right, then we can just stop Ethan when he comes here.¡±


    Ro understands Barry¡¯s logic but he thinks this ghost is being too optimistic about the situation.


    Ro: ¡°I get what you are saying. The thing is ¨C what if Ethan¡¯s already here?¡±


    Barry: ¡°That¡¯s fine as well. As long as Kais hasn¡¯t agreed to his deal, it should be fine, right? After all, we did take into account the possibility that he may come here before we ever get a chance to intercept him.¡±


    Ro: ¡°Well, that¡¯s true as well.¡±


    They did indeed think of that situation as a possibility and came up with counter-measures for it. So they can manage the situation as long as Ethan¡¯s schemes haven¡¯t succeeded.


    Barry: ¡°Well then,¡±


    He looks at Ro, and both nod. Following that, the black jet whose pilot isn¡¯t even in the jet is brought down to the island and they get off on the shore.


    Ro: ¡°No matter what you may say about technology, travelling in a jet whose pilot controls it from a station back from the Vampire Kingdom is still creepy.¡±


    Barry: ¡°Well, it isn¡¯t our technology, you know. The Vampire Kingdom stole this thing from the Ghost Nation. They are the ones you should blame for it.¡±


    As the two continue to do some off-topic chatter, the doors are opened up for them to get out.


    Ro: ¡°Okay then, we should first find out if he is here or not?¡±


    Bringing his attention back to the matter at hand, Ro says so.


    Barry: ¡°True.¡±


    ???: ¡°Do you really plan to do so?¡±


    But just as the two are about to head out, the barrier is crossed by another jet and a voice comes from it. This jet is much more ordinary looking than the black jet that the two ghosts have travelled in but regardless it is a high speed jet.


    Ro: ¡°What the hell?¡±


    The jet lands on the ground right beside the black jet and the door opens up. Two people come out from the jet and they are two people both the ghosts can recognize pretty easily.


    Ro: ¡°Ethan!? Sneha!? What¡¯s ¡­?¡±


    The timing has been too good to be a coincidence. This definitely isn¡¯t a coincidence is what the two ghosts think.


    Ethan: ¡°Are you perhaps considering the possibility that this might not be coincidence?¡±


    Barry: ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡±


    Sneha sighs on hearing Barry¡¯s question as she looks at Ethan,


    Sneha: ¡°I can¡¯t believe such a plan worked.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Hey now, even something like my eyes can be useful sometimes.¡±


    Ro: ¡°Your eyes?¡±


    Ethan looks at Ro and Barry as he continues,


    Ethan: ¡°We had no way to tell where this island was so we got undercover and let your jet pass by. Once you entered the barrier, all we had to do was following your lead and lower yourselves accordingly.¡±


    Ro: ¡°But you shouldn¡¯t have been able to see our jet.¡±


    Sneha sighs as she hears that. Ethan gleefully responds to Ro.


    Ethan: ¡°You tried to use a lower-level version of the invisibility spell surrounding this place on your own jet, right?


    He pauses to observe the reaction of the two ghosts. Their gazes stay fixed on Ethan as he says these words. This brings a certain sense of joy to him, but he continues without trying to celebrate.


    Ethan: ¡°Unfortunately, my eyes can¡¯t be deceived by that level of spell. That¡¯s the one thing I have that separates me from completely normal humans.


    Barry: ¡°Wait now, are you telling me ¡­¡±


    Barry stops mid-sentence. He can¡¯t grasp the situation. No, in truth, he can grasp the situation but that is what makes it so hard to accept.


    Ethan: ¡°Well, I guess I¡¯ll finish it for you ¡­¡±


    He says as he closes his eyes and pauses. Then, opening his eyes, and staring right at the two ghosts, this ¡®normal¡¯ human says,


    Ethan: ¡°I have ¡®The Eyes of Truth¡¯.¡±


    *******************************

 Chapter 17: Lie And Truth

    Dragon: ¡°Well, this is Barry¡¯s blood.¡±


    Huh? What the ¡­ what does he mean? Barry¡¯s ¡­ blood, that¡¯s impossible.


    Dragon: ¡°I guess I never really told you, did I? I know your brother.¡±


    Oh ¡­ you do. So what? It doesn¡¯t matter. He¡¯s ¡­ well, he¡¯s ¡­ dead, right?


    Dragon: ¡°Hey, you okay?¡±


    No, he¡¯s not ¡­ he¡¯s dead, but he¡¯s not ¡­ gone. He¡¯s a ¡­


    Kais: ¡°Ghost.¡±


    My thoughts come to a sudden halt as a question comes to mind.


    Dragon: ¡°Huh?¡±


    The dragon looks at me in confusion.


    Kais: ¡°How can a ghost ¡­ bleed?¡±


    Ghosts should not be able to bleed. It just doesn¡¯t make any sense for them to bleed when they don¡¯t even have a physical body where blood is present.


    Dragon: ¡°You think ghosts don¡¯t bleed?¡±


    Yet the dragon asks me as if I am having some grave misunderstanding. There¡¯s no mistaking it though, ghosts can¡¯t bleed. I am sure of it.


    Kais: ¡°It just doesn¡¯t make any sense for them to bleed. They are spiritual energy, damn it!¡±


    Right, this isn¡¯t Barry¡¯s blood. He¡¯s lying ¡­ he¡¯s lying ¡­ he¡¯s lying ¡­ but why¡¯s he lying?


    Dragon: ¡°Allow me to correct that misunderstanding you are carrying around.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Misunderstanding? Don¡¯t screw with me. There¡¯s no misunderstanding here. Ghosts can¡¯t bleed. I don¡¯t know why you would try to deceive me like this but you should know that I have always been suspicious of everyone here. I have placed no trust in any of you that you¡¯ll ever be able to take advantage of.¡±


    The dragon stands in his place calmly listening to me express my anxiety out loud without even realizing I am doing so.


    Dragon: ¡°Are you done?¡±


    The dragon sighs and looks at me as he says that. Keeping his eyes focused on me, he points his finger at the blood trail.


    Dragon: ¡°Ghosts have the ability to possess others. However, when they possess someone, they almost become human again.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Almost?¡±


    That¡¯s the key word ¨C is what my instincts tell me.


    Dragon: ¡°If the body they have possessed gets destroyed, it won¡¯t mean any actual harm to them. That said, as long as they have that body, the pain felt by the body or the blood spilled by it or even the simple feeling of hot or cold will be felt by then in full.¡±


    So, he is trying to say that Barry possessed someone, that someone is the one this blood really belongs to.


    Kais: ¡°You are telling me Barry is here. That¡¯s absurd even if you are talking about his ghost.¡±


    In truth, I just don¡¯t want to accept a situation like that.


    Kais: ¡°And then you add to that he possessed someone on this island; well, who?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°A corpse of a psychic who came here before you.¡±


    Wait! Seriously!? That doesn¡¯t not make sense but still,


    Dragon: ¡°Anyway, I followed this blood trail and I saw Barry, or the corpse he had possessed, out there bleeding. If you still don¡¯t want to believe me, that¡¯s fine. Go check for yourself.¡±


    Barry ¡­ is here? He is on this island? Why? I still think the dragon is lying to me for some reason. Is that just because I don¡¯t want to face Barry? Am I just trying to run away from reality and there¡¯s nothing to be suspicious of?


    No. That¡¯s not it.


    Kais: ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear me when I said I have placed no trust in you.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Yeah, so what?¡±


    Kais: ¡°How can I be sure I¡¯ll be safe if I go in the direction you are pointing?¡±


    I remind him how less I trust him. If I were to measure the amount of trust he has earned from me on a scale, it would undoubtedly be at 0.


    Dragon: ¡°I see. You are even suspicious of that, huh?¡±


    The dragon looks down acting like that depressed him. I can read your aura so there¡¯s no point in acting. I thought I would say that but no point.


    Kais: ¡°No way am I letting my guard down.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Yes, I see that. Well, I guess that¡¯s a good trait in this situation. There is no guarantee who might be an enemy and who might be an ally at this point.¡±


    The dragon nods telling me that. I can tell from his aura he is at least genuine about that. He really does think being suspicious is the right way to go about things, in which case, something pretty important must be happening.


    Kais: ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°You know full-well what I am talking about.¡±


    I do? What do I know about ¡­ that can make this dragon take up a suspicious attitude? Wait, is it the ¡­


    Kais: ¡°War.¡±


    The war that Vermillion is waging, the one that they want me to join from their side so badly they needed to kidnap me and throw me at this island ¨C that¡¯s the only thing that comes to mind. I recently also found out that ghosts exist. They could be involved in this too.


    Dragon: ¡°So my expectations weren¡¯t misplaced. You really do know the mess we are in.¡±


    The dragon is relieved to hear that for some reason, though something about his words just now bothers me.


    Kais: ¡°We? How are you in involved in this war?¡±


    I suppose I could take into account how Vermillion is constantly sending psychics here to this guy, so I know for a fact he isn¡¯t completely uninvolved in the war. But I can¡¯t really see how he has anything to do with it past that point.


    Dragon: ¡°Well, there¡¯s that troublesome group of psychics who keep sending people like you here. And then there¡¯s your late brother.¡±


    Damn it! Him again! I am surprised I don¡¯t lose my mind every time I hear his name. Well, I am also glad about it because his name keeps coming up again and again.


    Dragon: ¡°To put it simply, he is a ghost.¡±


    Regrettably I have to be glad to Ethan right now. This isn¡¯t the first time I am hearing about him being a ghost so I can think much clearly.


    Kais: ¡°I see. But I pretty much already figured that out.¡±


    I won¡¯t bother mentioning that I met Ethan and he told me that. It¡¯s better not to get off topic as much as possible.


    Kais: ¡°And that is where my question lies ¨C how can I know he is really here?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Hmm ¡­ I don¡¯t know. In order for me to prove it¡¯s your brother who is bleeding, I need you to go take a look for yourself, but you don¡¯t trust me enough to enter the woods, isn¡¯t that right?¡±


    Kais: ¡°That¡¯s the basic summary, yes.¡±


    My feelings at this point are in a whirlpool of sorts. My emotions keep changing from one point to another and I am not much affected my any single one of them, but I am suffocated by the combined brunt of these emotions. I can¡¯t even comprehend what my feelings are at this point in time.


    Dragon: ¡°So then, what will it take for you to start trusting me?¡±


    What kind of ridiculous question is that? Well, at least it allows me to distract myself from the incomprehensibility within me.


    Kais: ¡°No idea. Don¡¯t ask such childish questions.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Childish?¡±


    The dragon asks sincerely. Don¡¯t tell me he actually thought I will be able to give him an answer.


    Kais: ¡°There is no manual that you can follow to gain my trust and it¡¯s not like there¡¯s a condition which one needs to fulfill to gain it either.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Is that so?¡±


    Kais: ¡°Yes, that is so. Those who say trust can be gained by doing such things are either idiots or idealists.¡±Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    There¡¯s no room for discussion there. I am neither an idiot nor an idealist and I have no intention of foolishly placing my trust in someone after they fulfill some preset condition or anything of sorts.


    Dragon: ¡°Now that puts us in a bind, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    The dragon says so with his hand on his chin. I see his point but I am not willing to drop my guard here of all places.


    Dragon: ¡°Well, I guess we only have one choice then.¡±


    If you are the one coming up with it, I¡¯ll have to take it with a grain of salt, though it¡¯s better to not say that out loud even if it¡¯s true.


    Kais: ¡°What is this choice?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Simply put, I¡¯ll go to the place where I want you to go and you can put an eye on me with your abilities. This way it will be like I am guiding you there but I wouldn¡¯t be able to harm you in any way.¡±


    So basically, you are telling me to use clairvoyance, huh? That¡¯s actually a pretty good way to go about things. Unfortunately, I still can¡¯t completely agree with you.


    Kais: ¡°Before I say yes or no to that, tell me something.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Ask away.¡±


    The dragon had turned towards the forest while speaking but gazes back at me when I ask this.


    Kais: ¡°Where are Sona and that girl?¡±


    The question has been bugging me for a while now. That whole affair with blood and then talk of Barry led me astray from the point, but this is what I really want to ask right now.


    Dragon: ¡°Don¡¯t worry about them. They¡¯re safe. That said though, I have no clue where they are right now.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Then how the hell can you assure me that they¡¯re fine.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°I know that girl is fine because I will get a warning if something happens to her. As for Sona, as long as she¡¯s co-operating and not trying to do something stupid, she should be fine. If she does try to do something stupid, I don¡¯t care what happens to her.¡±


    Harsh as that may sound, I am sure it¡¯s the truth. Well, from what he said just now, I can assume ¨C


    Kais: ¡°So when something happened, you all ran into the forest. Then you departed with them and came back here, saw the blood trail and followed it. You found the corpse Barry was possessing ¨C he was bleeding ¨C and then came back here.¡±


    Obviously there are a lot of blanks in between, but that¡¯s the overview of the situation. At least, the overview of the situation he is trying to give.


    Dragon: ¡°More or less¡±


    The dragon says so folding his arms as if to look serious.


    Kais: ¡°Go to hell!¡±


    Dragon: ¡°What!?¡±


    Kais: ¡°I am not buying it, not for a second.¡±


    That¡¯s too inconsistent of a situation. No matter what happened here, I doubt the dragon would go in the forest along with the girl and Sona. He¡¯ll probably just send the girl and stay here.


    Dragon: ¡°Damn! You are one tough customer, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    That almost sounds like he is admitting to lying about something.


    Kais: ¡°At least I would like to think so.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Fine, then all I can do here is ¡­¡±


    He stops and looks at me.


    Dragon: ¡°¡­ tell you the truth about your brother.¡±


    Kais: ¡°What?¡±


    A smile would be creeping up his face right about now if he wasn¡¯t so good at suppressing his emotions.


    Dragon: ¡°Let me tell you the story of when your brother and I first met ¨C story of a psychic-ghost working for vampires.¡±


    *******************************


    Girl: ¡°Will Kais ¡­ be okay?¡±


    Sona: ¡°No idea.¡±


    The two people walking on the forest floor keep a certain distance and don¡¯t talk much. Sona has given up on guilt tripping the girl. She realized that because she is an artificial human, there¡¯s a limit on how much she can blame herself and how anxious she can get. That limit is below what her breaking point would be so there¡¯s no point in trying to bully her.


    Sona: ¡°I am more worried about what that bastard might be doing anyway.¡±


    So she has shifted her thoughts to figuring out the dragon¡¯s next move. Predicting people¡¯s thoughts is not an area she specializes in and she is not a psychic with the ability to read them either. And so, predicting the thoughts of someone whose emotions are mostly hidden from their face is all the more difficult.


    Sona: ¡°Damn! And what¡¯s up with that psychic he was talking about? Barry, was it? If there¡¯s such a psychic that can defeat this dragon, where the hell is he?¡±


    Girl: ¡°Um ¡­¡±


    Sona: ¡°What?¡±


    Sona looks at the girl with irritation written all over her face.


    Girl: ¡°W-well, can we ¡­ really be sure that ¡­ the man who is a psychic and a ghost both ¡­ will attack the d-dragon?¡±


    Sona: ¡°No, we can¡¯t. And that¡¯s what¡¯s annoying me so much. It feels like the dragon is just fooling me about this. Is there really any danger that we needed to get away from there?¡±


    Girl: ¡°W-well,¡±


    While Sona is irritated, the girl fidgets her fingers as if wanting to say something.


    Sona: ¡°Tch!¡±


    She sighs and looks at the girl, apparently less irritated than before.


    Sona: ¡°Say it. I won¡¯t attack you or anything.¡±


    Girl: ¡°I ¡­ well ¡­ the thing is E-Ethan mentioned something like this ¡­ happening as well.¡±


    Surprise rises on Sona¡¯s face. Ethan Kales is someone she has never met but he sounds like an intriguing personality, to say the least.


    Sona: ¡°This Ethan, how many times did he come here?¡±


    Girl: ¡°O-only once.¡±


    Sona: ¡°And he told you all these things in only that one time?¡±


    The girl nods. The more Sona hears about him, the more intriguing he becomes. Just who is this Ethan Kales?


    Sona: ¡°He said this island¡¯s time is over, right?¡±


    Girl: ¡°To be exact, not yet but will be over soon.¡±


    Sona nods while thinking. She has completely forgotten about the irritation she was feeling a little while back. Something that can make her ignore her irritation would be ¡­ a chance for victory against the dragon.


    Sona: ¡°Yes, it could work.¡±


    If she is able to get this Ethan Kales on her side and use his resources to her advantage, she might be able to take out the dragon. She knows full-well that he is not powerful enough to do anything, but what would it matter even if he was when the dragon can just not be killed? The thing that matters is ¡­ the ability to find loopholes in his defense. And Sona gets the feeling that this man can do so.


    Girl: ¡°A-are you okay?¡±


    The girl has a worried expression her face while looking at Sona, much to Sona¡¯s surprise. She sighs seeing this.


    Sona: ¡°I do pity you, you know. If you weren¡¯t bound to this island by that dragon, you may have become a really good person.¡±


    Girl: ¡°D-does that m-mean I am a b-bad person?¡±


    Sona: ¡°Of course you are.¡±


    Sona looks at the girl as if she has asked the most foolish question in the world.


    Sona: ¡°You are associated with him and provide help to him by gathering information from various parts of the island so he doesn¡¯t need to; of course that makes you a bad person.¡±


    Simply put, if you help the dragon, you are a bad person ¨C is what Sona tells the girl.


    Sona: ¡°You are the absolute worst person in the world right after that dragon.¡±


    She looks at the girl with same blood-shot eyes as before and the girl shrinks back in fear and alarm.


    Girl: ¡°But I-I ¡­¡±


    Sona: ¡°Don¡¯t make excuses. That will only make you even more of a bad person. Though I guess you can do whatever you want seeing how you can only be the second worst no matter what.¡±


    She declares so as if it is a matter of fact. The thing is ¨C for her ¨C it really is a matter of fact.


    Girl: ¡°Uh ¡­ um ¡­¡±


    Looking like she wants to say something, the girl fidgets her fingers, but suddenly,


    Girl: ¡°AGHH!!!¡±


    She starts disappearing and re-appearing while crying out in pain. This reaction is something that has only happened to her once before.


    Sona: ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    Sona asks seeing the situation suddenly developing in a way completely out of her understanding.


    Girl: ¡°AGH!!! He ¡­ he might ¡­ be here.¡±


    The girl immediately thinks the same thing that happened last time might be happening again and so she says so.


    Sona: ¡°Who exactly?¡±


    Girl: ¡°E-E-Ethan ¡­¡±


    This happened to the girl only once before ¨C that was when Ethan first came to the island. This might be the second time. The girl comes with this understanding immediately.


    Sona: ¡°I-is that so? Then we need to get there.¡±


    Girl: ¡°B-but ¡­¡±


    Sona: ¡°No point in trying to stop me.¡±


    Sona starts running towards the beach just as she says so. The girl falls to the ground. Having been left alone in the forest, she says the words she must have spoken earlier because now nobody is there to hear them.


    Sona: ¡°He ¡­ is not ¡­ alone. Really, really ¡­ dangerous ¡­ people are there with him.¡±


    *******************************


    Kais: ¡°The story of Barry and you meeting.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Yes, I believe it is very essential you hear that story. Only then will you truly understand the situation here.¡±


    But just as the dragon said so, he suddenly cries out in pain holding his left eye.


    Kais: ¡°Now what?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Something¡¯s ¡­ happened to her?¡±


    The dragon answers me holding his eyes and gritting his teeth.


    Kais: ¡°To the girl?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Yes.¡±


    I had no idea he would suffer if something happens to the girl.


    Kais: ¡°Did Sona attack her again?¡±


    I doubt there¡¯d be much point in it but it is not like I know everything about her and how her mind works.


    Dragon: ¡°It¡¯s not an attack.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Huh? Then what is it?¡±


    I thought for sure it would be an attack. But if it not, then what the hell is it?


    Dragon: ¡°No idea, but I get a different kind of signal whenever someone attacks her or injures her. This type of thing ¡­ it has only happened once before.¡±


    That makes sense, if he were to feel pain every single time; he probably wouldn¡¯t give the girl a job where she may get hurt so many times. But he says this has happened once before, right?


    Kais: ¡°And ¡­ what was the reason for this that one time?¡±


    He seems to be calming down little-by-little overtime.


    Dragon: ¡°No idea.¡±


    Kais: ¡°What?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°The pain subsided very easily and I later saw her squirming around unharmed so I thought nothing major would have happened.¡±


    He closes his eyes still gritting his teeth. But it looks like the reason for that is annoyance rather the pain, which supposedly has subsided. To confirm that suspicion, he brings his hand down from his face.


    Dragon: ¡°But now that I think about it, it may have been the time when Ethan Kales came here.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Huh!¡±


    But ¡­ that doesn¡¯t make any sense, because if he is here again, wouldn¡¯t that be too soon.


    Kais: ¡°It¡¯s not two days yet, is it?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    I am pretty sure there hasn¡¯t even been a day since the time I went in. So why is he here already?


    Kais: ¡°Hey, how much time has passed since I went in the tomb?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°I don¡¯t know, about 5-6 hours.¡±


    Yeah, that¡¯s it. That¡¯s the right amount of time that should have passed. For a moment I thought time would work differently in that dimension I got transported into but it looks like that isn¡¯t the case.


    Dragon: ¡°What are you thinking?¡±


    Kais: ¡°He said ¡­ it will take him two days to get here.¡±


    Was he trying to make me lower my guard by saying that? If so, he damn well succeeded. But, I really doubt that. For some reason, I just don¡¯t think that was one of his lies.


    Dragon: ¡°Who exactly are you talking about?¡±


    No, there¡¯s no proof. I have to consider the possibility that he was lying after all. In which case,


    Kais: ¡°Listen, I met Ethan in that tomb.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°What, you met Ethan ¡­ not ¡­?¡±


    Kais: ¡°Not?¡±


    That¡¯s a peculiar thing to say. Did he expect me to meet someone else?


    Dragon: ¡°You didn¡¯t ¡­ meet Ozyllus?¡±


    Is that what you wanted to happen when you send me in there ¨C meeting Ozyllus?


    Kais: ¡°¡­ I didn¡¯t.¡±


    Damn it all! I really can¡¯t trust a single person here, can I?


    Dragon: ¡°I see. Anyway, we can discuss that later. First, I need to check what exactly is going on? For some reason, I am feeling more powerful auras coming from the beach.¡±


    I have been feeling that too. And I really doubt any of them belong to Ethan.


    Dragon: ¡°It may be ¡­ that not only Ethan, but some other peculiar figures are here as well.¡±


    The dragon says so and turns towards the forest. He is half trying-to-hide-something and half concerned-about-what¡¯s-going-on-at-the-beach.


    Dragon: ¡°Well?¡±


    And he¡¯s not a bad actor per se if he can think enough to know he should force me to come by my choice rather than him telling me to go.


    Kais: ¡°Well, why don¡¯t you lead the way? I am not very familiar with the forest, so I¡¯ll follow.¡±


    To be honest, if I use my abilities, I would be able to navigate my way back to the beach easily, and I am pretty sure he knows that as well. But if he tries to refuse my approach, he would have to explain why he doesn¡¯t want me to follow him. What I think is the real reason is that he doesn¡¯t want me keeping an eye on him because he knows I am suspicious of him, but regardless he¡¯ll have to accept.


    Dragon: ¡°Fine, you can follow me, if you can keep up that is.¡±


    That last statement is probably thrown in as an act to divert my attention to it, so I¡¯d ignore it.


    Kais: ¡°Anyway, get going already.¡±


    The case with the dragon aside, I too am rather curious about what is going on at the beach. And there is also the fact that Sona may come across that scene sometime and she might try to take advantage of it by trying to get those people with strong auras on her side in order to defeat the dragon.


    Kais: ¡°Damn! This may become really dangerous really soon.¡±


    Are you actually already here, Ethan? If you are, did you come here knowing this would happen? Or did you come here wanting this to happen?


    *******************************

 Chapter 18: The Weakest

    Ro: ¡°The Eyes of Truth, huh? So, is us coming here part of your plan too?¡±


    Ro asks while looking at Ethan furiously. Ethan sighs in response.


    Ethan: ¡°Isn¡¯t it strange how you all have started to treat me like some kind of mastermind? It¡¯s almost as if anything that happens to you that you don¡¯t like happens because I planned it.¡±


    Ethan says so with a completely, uncharacteristically, serious look on his face. His response doesn¡¯t sound like a joke, which means it could either be truth or ¡­ a deception.


    Barry: ¡°Are you saying you are uninvolved?¡±


    Barry asks with a serious expression while trying to figure out his next move.


    Ethan: ¡°No, I¡¯m not. I never said that.¡±


    He doesn¡¯t say anything further than that. Seeing so, Sneha sighs.


    The exchange between them has been bizarre to say the least. Two of them, the more powerful ones, are on guard against the other who is speaking without any regard for his safety.


    Barry: ¡°You sure are an interesting person, Ethan. Can I ask you a question?¡±


    Barry says so while straightening his back which has been on guard until now. He looks Ethan in the eye as he says so.


    Ethan: ¡°Wasn¡¯t that a question?¡±


    Sneha: ¡°Stop screwing around, will you?¡±


    Sneha sighs in irritation on Ethan trying to act like a comedian. At the end of the day, it¡¯s not like she wants to answer any of Barry¡¯s questions, though she definitely wants to know what questions he wants to ask.


    Barry: ¡°I¡¯ll take that as a ¡®yes¡¯.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°How was that a ¡®yes¡¯?¡±


    Ethan still tries to distract Barry from the topic but he would not be distracted so easily, and so Ethan sighs and gives up.


    Barry: ¡°What are you trying to gain from all this?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°All this?¡±


    Barry: ¡°Getting involved with people who can kill you in an instant.¡±


    As Barry elaborates what he meant, he gives Sneha a glance. Ethan sighs and says.


    Ethan: ¡°You want to know what I am trying to gain from ¡®all this¡¯, do you?¡±


    Barry asks a question that both Ro and Sneha want to ask as well.


    Ro: ¡°Yeah, I want to know as well.¡±


    Sneha: ¡°Yes, you should answer.¡±


    This isn¡¯t a question anyone except Ethan could answer. This man has never told anyone what his goal is in all this, so only he knows what he wants. The choice to answer and to not answer falls upon Ethan.


    He sighs. Seeing that, Sneha looks at him sharply as if to say he won¡¯t be spared from this situation. But he already knows well what he has to do. This choice will affect the actions of at least these three people in the future. Seeing that they are all more powerful than him, he wouldn¡¯t want to stay on their bad side. And hence, Ethan Kales decided he would answer with the truth.


    Ethan: ¡°Nothing.¡±


    But what if the truth is something very hard to swallow?


    Barry: ¡°Don¡¯t mess around.¡±


    Not doing that. Ethan says to Barry but only in his mind.


    Ro: ¡°Tell us already.


    Already did so. Ethan says to Ro but only in his mind.


    Sneha: ¡°Come clean.¡±


    I have nothing more to say. Ethan says to Sneha but only in his mind.


    Barry: ¡°Tch!¡±


    Irritation is clear on his Barry¡¯s face. Ethan right now is standing among monsters, all capable of tearing him apart. Even Ro who was not so powerful when he was a living has become capable of a lot of things as a ghost. There is no one here who he can defeat if it ever comes to that.


    Ethan: ¡°I have already answered your question ¨C I plan to gain nothing here.¡±


    He doesn¡¯t plan to gain anything. It¡¯s the truth. It¡¯s the truth because he doesn¡¯t believe he¡¯ll gain anything by doing what he is trying to do.


    Any one of them can tear him apart at any moment. He is completely defenseless. And even now, more monstrous entities would be coming his way. He is the weakest person on this island and there is no one coming to save him from here ¨C but, he himself decided to come to this place, and he already knew this is how it would be. There¡¯s no room for excuses, no room for mistakes, and no room for shaking in fear.


    Ethan: ¡°I know why it is hard to believe. It is human psychology to think one would want something in return for doing anything dangerous, and I guess this psychology works for ghosts as well.¡±


    He pauses, tries to calm his own nerves, and then looks straight at Barry.


    Ethan: ¡°But I don¡¯t gain anything here. That¡¯s the truth. Whether you believe me or not, that fact that it is the truth does not change.¡±


    Hearing him say that with a serious face, the three monsters there would really believe him, that is, if he wasn¡¯t Ethan Kales, they would have probably believed him.


    Barry: ¡°We all know how good you are at deceiving people. This is the first time we have met but I already know I should never trust you. You will have no luck with such a petty excuse, come up with a better one.¡±


    Ethan expected this reaction, so seeing it happen doesn¡¯t faze him. But the fact that someone capable of turning the whole island upside-down would say this to him in almost a threatening tone ¨C there¡¯s no human being who would not be terrified by that.


    Ethan: ¡°Tch!¡±


    He hides his fear, he hides his anxiety. There¡¯s a mask on his face ¨C the mask of the devil ¨C so he needs to keep playing the part.


    Ethan: ¡°I guess it is fair for you all to think I am lying, but as far as I remember, we didn¡¯t come here to chat, did we?¡±


    He has to say these lines to someone more powerful than him. He has to say this to someone who can crush him in an instant.


    Sneha: ¡°I¡¯m sorry but you just have to answer that question properly.¡±


    Ethan looks at Sneha with a fake grin on his face.


    Ethan: ¡°And who the hell said that you can force me to do anything?¡±


    He¡¯s terrified alright. But he knows how to deal with it. He won¡¯t just break down in front of them; he¡¯ll keep up the act. He¡¯ll put this precious life he has on the line and gamble. If even a single time his gamble fails to pay off, it¡¯s over for him.


    Sneha: ¡°Are you saying you have something to use against me?¡±


    She looks at Ethan with scorn and suspicion. She thinks he¡¯s a mastermind who can come up with something to defeat a monster like her.


    Ethan: ¡°Of course I do. Do you think I¡¯ll come here that unprepared even after knowing I¡¯ll be among you monsters?¡±


    Ethan says so with confidence; fake confidence.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Barry: ¡°So you are implying you have something that can help you keep someone like me and her at bay?¡±


    Barry asks while reading to attack him. Ethan doesn¡¯t want to answer. He wants to drop to his knees and beg for mercy, but ¡­


    Ethan: ¡°Keep you at bay? Don¡¯t take me so lightly, I can wipe your existence of the face of the planet. Sure I may suffer somewhat in exchange, but I¡¯ll stay alive while you¡¯ll be gone forever.¡±


    The last statement he made is to keep them from thinking he¡¯s bluffing. By adding a condition at the end, he made it sound like he had some sort of contract that will help him defeat Barry in exchange for going through some suffering. Now Barry just has to consider the possibility of him telling the truth so there¡¯s no way he would do something that may only end up in him being defeated.


    Ro: ¡°I see. You have become quite a force to deal with, haven¡¯t you?¡±


    Ethan smiles and looks at Ro with eyes filled with malice.


    Ethan: ¡°Tell me something, you do know you only became a ghost instead of having your existence erased because I wanted you to? Or do you think that this situation is out of my control?¡±


    Ethan keeps the bluff going. Sure he knew that Ro would turn into a ghost and sure he knew he¡¯d come here. But he also knew that he can¡¯t just beat him. He knows there¡¯s no way to actually defeat him or anyone else here for that matter. He hasn¡¯t taken this course or made anyone else take it. It¡¯s a fact that this was just an inevitable thing to happen.


    Why? Because the real mastermind had to make it happen anyhow.


    Ethan: ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why are you all silent all of sudden?¡±


    He asks with a smug face, needless to say ¨C a mask showing a smug face.


    He knew full-well Ro would have died that day because someone else was out to kill him. After that, he was bound to meet Barry, realize that they need to get to Kais before their opponents do and henceforth, come to the island. Furthermore, there was no way to protect himself against Sneha if she decided to attack him.


    So, he got to Ro before the other person could. He killed him and put a sense of wariness inside both Sneha and Ro. Looking at the fact that he is Ro¡¯s killer and his actions led Ro to team up with Barry against him, Barry would be bound to be wary of him as well. With just that much, this ordinary human being would become an object of concern and wariness for three monstrously powerful beings.


    He would become the scapegoat of the real mastermind, just like that mastermind wanted.


    Ethan: ¡°That¡¯s right, that¡¯s exactly right.¡±


    He starts laughing as if he has lost his mind.


    Barry: ¡°You ¡­¡±


    His laughs grow louder.


    Ro: ¡°What the hell are you doing?¡±


    They grow louder and louder filling every creature on the island with a sense of wariness against this maniac.


    Sneha: ¡°Stop laughing already!¡±


    He doesn¡¯t stop but does calm down a little as he looks at the three monsters surrounding him. But he also sees their eyes. The expression in their eyes ¨C is one that he loves to see. If his reason for doing this, the reason for knowingly putting himself in the line of fire to let the actual culprit get away, is to be asked, this answer is closest to the truth ¨C seeing those expressions on the faces of monsters.


    Ethan: ¡°HA! HA! Ha! Ha! Ha! God ¡­ damn right! You should be scared of me.¡±


    That is to say, the monsters priding themselves as being capable of killing hundreds of humans with a flick ¨C should be scared of this human. This notion is the only source of true happiness for Ethan.


    *******************************


    While speeding through the forest, it is pretty easy to miss a few things here and there. I can¡¯t really keep track of every single detail I come across after all. So, it was pretty easy for us to miss this spot, but somehow we didn¡¯t.


    Dragon: ¡°What do you think?¡±


    As we were running, we came across the corpse of a dead beast. It¡¯s a bear-like large beast that had golden fur and looked like a decoration. That is, it would have looked like that if the scarlet liquid wasn¡¯t coming out of its stomach.


    Kais: ¡°If I remember correctly, his name was Hans.¡±


    I think he matches the description that girl gave me for ¡®Hans¡¯ pretty well.


    Dragon: ¡°Yeah, I believe that¡¯s the name she gave this creature, not that it needed any names.¡±


    I wonder if the dragon feels any remorse over this creature. His reaction doesn¡¯t suggest anything like that but he is kneeling in front of the corpse trying to see if he can do anything to help.


    Kais: ¡°Does this affect the forest or you in some way?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°He was the biggest predator in the forest so the ecosystem will surely lose its balance for a while but why the hell would it affect me?


    The dragon says so in a mater-of-fact tone. I guess that stands to reason. I myself wouldn¡¯t really care about a dead animal all that much, especially one I never even seen before. Sure I feel bad for it and all but in the situation we are in, one of us might end up in this situation and that would be far worse.


    Dragon: ¡°You are worrying one of us will be found dead like this one of these days, right?¡±


    I hate it when someone else reads my mind. I mean, I don¡¯t read people¡¯s minds even though I literally can so stay out of mine. But I guess he¡¯s right.


    Dragon: ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I am pretty sure I know who did this to him. And that person is probably not targeting any humans right now.¡±


    I agree with that. The bear died because of a hole in its stomach that opens up to the back. It is almost as if a bullet, the size of big rock, went past there. This has to be the work of that rabbit-like spirit used by the woman who would have reached this place sometime ago.


    Dragon: ¡°She¡¯s only targeting me.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Well, I doubt it will be good for either of us if we let her get to the beach before we do. We can catch up too, so why are we wasting time here?


    I urge him to start running again. I don¡¯t think he is actually feeling remorse about anything. If I am to be honest, I would say he is waiting for me to start running by saying ¡®I¡¯m going ahead¡¯ so he could get a valid excuse to be behind me.


    Dragon: ¡°Ah! (Sighs)¡±


    That won¡¯t happen, dragon. Now get moving. I almost want to scream this at him but I know there¡¯s no point to it.


    Dragon: ¡°Well sure, let¡¯s get going.¡±


    Saying that, the dragon starts running towards the beach again with me following behind him.


    At this point, I¡¯d say I¡¯m the weakest person on the island. Though if Ethan is also here, then maybe that honor would belong to him, making me the second weakest. But in either case, I can¡¯t win against any of them except Ethan.


    The auras I am sensing from the beach are all much larger than mine. The dragon is obviously stronger than me as well and I really doubt I stand a chance against the rabbit-like spirit Sona controls. In this situation, I guess I should be scared, but somehow I am not. I should be thinking about how to get out of here but I can keep my cool and focus on doing what I can while I am here.


    Kais: ¡°Damn!¡±


    My own mind is incomprehensible to me. I can¡¯t understand how and why I am acting the way I am acting. This just feels off. My mindset and emotions are perfect for this situation, almost too perfect. I really doubt a normal person would act like me in this situation.


    Dragon: ¡°You seem worried.¡±


    The dragon says so while looking at me with one of his eyes. It is kinda impressive how he can run so well with one eye facing backwards.


    Kais: ¡°Well,¡±


    Though I am surprised he bothered to look back to see my facial expressions at a time like this, maybe the reason he turned back was different.


    Kais: ¡°Guess I am.¡±


    I shouldn¡¯t try to act when he has already caught on. But what I should do is mislead him.


    Kais: ¡°I am worried someone I don¡¯t want to meet ever in my life might be on the beach.¡±


    By saying that, I shift his attention back to the beach. If I tell him a reason for worrying besides anything related to the beach, he would lose focus.


    Dragon: ¡°I see. Then I guess the only way to find out is to get there, huh?¡±


    Thinking that I was also worried about something related to beach would help him concentrate on the road. That in turn, allows me to concentrate on my thoughts.


    Dragon: ¡°Or do you want to stop?¡±


    The dragon says almost as if to tease me.


    Kais: ¡°No, that won¡¯t be necessary, but be sure to tell me if you want to stop.¡±


    I decide to backfire on him.


    Dragon: ¡°Don¡¯t try to be cheeky.¡±


    A smile comes to my face seeing the dragon acting salty. But regardless, now he would not get distracted by my worries and would not stop without telling me, so it should present no more problems for me.


    Kais: ¡°Ah!¡±


    And there it is. This whole calculating approach to the situation, trying to manipulate the dragon the way I want to. This is exactly what I am worried about. My mind is working like a machine¡¯s. It¡¯s as if something like this is only normal for me.


    Kais: ¡°Well, I guess we¡¯ll see what happens.¡±


    The dragon looks back curiously to try to understand what I mean. But there¡¯s no need for me to tell him. I decide to act like I didn¡¯t notice his gaze and soon enough, he turns away.


    I can¡¯t really say if I would even get any of my answers, but I hope I do. In this situation, I am pretty sure the dragon is incapable of understanding whatever¡¯s wrong with me. Even if he does understand, it¡¯s dangerous to rely on him because he may try to twist the facts to benefit him. So I guess the only way to find out the cause of all this is to meet Ozyllus. But that would have to wait. For now, I need to focus on whatever is going on at the beach ¡­ which we should reach in five minutes.


    *******************************


    Ethan: ¡°That said ¨C it hasn¡¯t been two days here, has it?¡±


    Ethan says while looking at the forest.


    Barry: ¡°What?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°You know time passes differently here and than in outside, right?¡±


    Barry: ¡°I do.¡±


    During this conversation, the other two are staying silent, not because of any mannerisms, but because they just didn¡¯t wanted to talk to Ethan.


    Ethan: ¡°According to what I know, two days should have passed on the island between us coming here and the night we killed Ro.¡±


    Ro: ¡°Tch!¡±


    Ro clicks his tongue hearing that. It¡¯s natural for him to get annoyed on hearing something about his own death in such a matter-of-fact manner.


    Barry: ¡°That¡¯s what you are worried about?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°I guess I am. Do you know anything about it?¡±


    Barry looks at Ethan suspiciously and then turns his eyes away from him to the forest.


    Barry: ¡°Hmm ¡­ how about I not tell you?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°(Sighing) Well, I guess that¡¯s how it will be.¡±


    They all turn to look towards the forest as they sense someone coming.


    Barry: ¡°Well, I know that aura. I guess he is here to greet us, huh?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°From your tone, it almost sounds like there is only one person coming.¡±


    Barry: ¡°From yours, it almost sounds like more than one is coming. I wonder why you may think so.¡±


    Barry says so as if to mock Ethan¡¯s eyes.


    Dragon: ¡°I see you¡¯re back.¡±


    The voice echoes from the forest as the figure of the slightly muscular, tan-skinned man emerges.


    Ethan: ¡°Guess we¡¯ll hold that off for now.¡±


    Hearing the dragon¡¯s voice, Ethan mutters so under his breath as he sees Barry focusing on the dragon.


    Barry: ¡°Didn¡¯t I say I will?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°You did. And you see ¨C¡±


    ???: ¡°So it was a lie after all.¡±


    Another voice comes from the forest. This time, this voice comes from someone the five people present on the beach very well know.


    Ethan: ¡°Well, I guess all the main players are here.¡±


    Ethan says so at the same time Kais walks out of the forest.


    Facing his long-dead brother, the man who came to kidnap him, the woman who helped in kidnapping him, the dragon who tricked him into going in the tomb and the man who is an ordinary human but somehow is the most dangerous and mysterious of them all, for some reason, at this point in time, there forms a smile on Kais¡¯ face.


    *******************************

 Chapter 19: That Village, Centuries Ago

    Before the weaponry of today came into existence, was there a way to oppose powerful creatures? Before guns, tanks and nuclear missiles were a thing, could any normal human stand up to a supernatural. The answer was more or less no. So what did they do when they got into trouble with a supernatural? Well, they called for help. Whom did they call for help? The answer to that is how it all started. That¡¯s where the root of the problem lies. The problem is ¨C no one at present, not even people like Barry or Valdis know about this. But that was the time, Vermillion started to flourish.


    They offered their assistance without any charges. They were free help and everybody loves that. So if a psychic threatens someone by showing off their power, call Vermillion for help. If a ghost tries to haunt people, call Vermillion for help. If a Vampire is running rampant and attacking people, call Vermillion for help. And also,


    ¡°Dragon, you say?¡±


    Village Chief: ¡°Yes, that dragon has become really aggressive and has blocked our trade route. If nothing is done, we will never be able to sell our harvest.¡±


    This happened in one of the farming-based villages in the eastern region of England. A dragon started to act aggressively and caused problems for the villagers. Obviously, there was only one choice for them. They had to call for help, call Vermillion. But after they contacted Vermillion, they found out the real brunt of the situation.


    Dragons have never been creatures of low prowess. But the dragon blocking their path was counted among the strongest even among the dragons. This wasn¡¯t a mission where they could just send some capable supernatural to help and get it over with. In fact, they were told that at least 200 well-accomplished soldiers working for Vermillion may be needed to bring that monstrosity down. And even then, 98% of them will surely die.


    Why would these soldiers go straight to their death when they don¡¯t even get any reward for doing their duty? In fact, even if the villagers promise compensation to them individually, can a mediocre-enough village manage a huge enough sum for 200 people? Obviously, the answer was no. So it seemed like all hope was lost. But then,


    Village Chief: ¡°We heard you are special.¡±


    ???: ¡°You did.¡±


    The village chief nodded. Indeed he did hear that there was someone special who could defeat that dragon. The problem, however, was if they would be able to make him agree to taking this job. There was no guarantee he would comply. So this man ¨C a blonde-haired, young and charming individual with fair skin and blue eyes ¨C standing here, the villagers somehow had to make him willing to take this mission.


    Man: ¡°So, why should I defeat the dragon for you? What would I gain?¡±


    Village Chief: ¡°We don¡¯t have a lot to offer, but we can offer you all the crops you need.¡±


    Hearing the village chief¡¯s words as he bowed his head and offered his crops, he started laughing. Knowing the reason for his laughing, the rest of the villagers who were gathered around these two looked down.


    Man: ¡°Ha! Ha! HA! You ¡­ you think some crops ¡­ will make anyone willing to fight a dragon. Are you insane?¡±


    He said while trying to keep his laughter under-control. The villagers had no answer. They knew something like crops would never satisfy him.


    Village Chief: ¡°If that¡¯s not enough, then ¡­ then we can give you ¡­¡±


    The chief stopped mid-sentence, making the blonde-haired man curious.


    Man: ¡°Go on. Tell me what else you are willing to offer.¡±


    Village Chief: ¡°¡­ servants. You can take some of our men with you who will help you in any way they can.¡±


    He chuckled on hearing that and then looked the chief in his eyes.


    Man: ¡°If I am powerful enough to kill that dragon, do you really think I would need help from weaklings like you people?¡±


    The chief fell silent. There¡¯s nothing else he could offer. He had made a vow that he would not offer women or children, so this is all this poor village chief could do for him. If he did not accept then, then there¡¯s no hope.


    Man: ¡°What? Cat got your tongue? Isn¡¯t there anything else you can give me?¡±


    Village Chief: ¡°There isn¡¯t. I ¡­ am very sorry, but ¡­¡±


    He sighed after seeing the pathetic state of the village chief. He did felt a little guilty that he is making a leader bow like that in front of his people, but that won¡¯t stop him from using this situation to his advantage.


    Man: ¡°Well then, let me tell you what I want?¡±


    Hearing those words, the whole populous of the village turned their heads towards him. The village chief too, while still bowing, looked at him. After running his eyes through the crowd to make sure everyone is focused on him, he said,


    Man: ¡°I want the whole village.¡±


    Silence befalls the village. No one could speak a thing, no one except the man who had caused that silence.


    Man: ¡°Basically, what I am saying is that I will be in a position higher than that of the village chief. You can say I will be the king in whose territory your village will lie. That¡¯s all.¡±


    He puts his demand forward. It¡¯s a demand that¡¯s not very easy to accept, but ¡­


    Village Chief: ¡°If we don¡¯t agree to it, you will leave us here to die?¡±


    Man: ¡°Precisely.¡±


    Death because of starvation or submission under a man who would let them starve to death if they don¡¯t submit to him? Which would be better? Sure, at first glance, one might think living is most important. But is there any guarantee to how life might be under him? Can they really trust him? He might bring even more pain to them than starvation would.


    Man: ¡°And hey, I forgot to tell you all something. The dragon will attack the village today.¡±


    Fear suddenly doubled on the faces of the villagers. There¡¯s a good chance he was just trying to rush the chief into a decision but they couldn¡¯t just dismiss his words like that. At that point, what choice did they have?


    Village Chief: ¡°Well ¡­ if that¡¯s the case, then we will ¡­¡±


    The chief took glances at every direction. The villagers understood what he meant to say and got to their knees and bowed.


    Village Chief: ¡°We will submit to you. We will become your loyal subjects.¡±


    As he saw the sight of the village already treating him like a king, he smirked.


    Village Chief: ¡°But ¡­¡±


    By saying that word, the chief turned everyone¡¯s attention to himself. The chief looked at the eyes of the man he had been bowing to and said,


    Village Chief: ¡°That happens after you defeat the dragon.¡±


    He nodded to the chief¡¯s words.


    Man: ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll defeat him. Just one more thing though ¡­¡±


    All eyes turned to him, all showing worry and anxiety in them.


    Man: ¡°Now, now, don¡¯t look so worried. I just need to properly introduce myself.¡±


    He paused to make sure they were all listening and then continued,


    Man: ¡°I am a psychic who will one day take over this country. And this village will be my first domain. You all ¨C will be my first subjects. My name, the name of your king and this country¡¯s future ruler is-¡±If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    He proudly raised his head to look at the mountain, his destination, and continued,


    Man: ¡°Ozyllus¡±


    <div>


    *******************************


    The village had a valley to its south. Going through this valley was the only way for this village to be able to trade, which is why, the dragon blocking this path caused them to panic so much. But why exactly did he block this path? Only he himself knows. This dragon ¨C with large black scales on his back, a white belly not fully visible because of him being a four-legged creature ¨C was a 6m tall monstrosity that, even in Vermillion, no one would ever want to face. No one would stand a chance after all, no one except a particular blonde-haired man.


    Aside from the different skin color and eye color, this man looked what the dragon looks like 1000 years from this day.


    Ozyllus: ¡°Yo!¡±


    -is the first thing he said when he saw the dragon. The dragon looked at him for a second but then turned away, not even considering him a threat.


    Ozyllus: ¡°Hey, don¡¯t ignore me like that.¡±


    Ozyllus said with a smiling face looking like an idiot. The dragon couldn¡¯t help but wonder what¡¯s wrong with him. Even though he looks like a mindless creature, he is sentient and very good at understanding human speech. This is why he first thought the man was a clown and ignored him, but ¡­


    Ozyllus: ¡°So, I was wondering,¡±


    He would just not stop smiling while talking. It was as if he was making fun of the dragon.


    Dragon: (This damned human!)


    Ozyllus: ¡°Huh? I don¡¯t think I am damned yet.¡±


    He replied with a poker face leaving the dragon baffled on how he understood his speech. The dragon may be able to understand the human language but he couldn¡¯t speak it. Obviously, whatever he said was in his language and to humans, it would just sound like vague roars. But this man understood those words.


    Ozyllus: ¡°Why are you so worried about something like that? It¡¯s not that big of a deal after all. Understanding your speech is only one of the many things I can do after all. Don¡¯t be that surprised already.¡±


    He said with a smile as the dragon turned to look straight at the man. He saw the tiny figure of the man he could crush under his toes at any moment. He wondered why this man is so daring ¡­ or is he actually the kind of fool who doesn¡¯t even understand how big of a threat the dragon is?


    Dragon: (Tell me, who are you?)


    Ozyllus smiled at that question.


    Ozyllus: ¡°Well, there are many introductions I can give for myself.¡±


    The dragon narrowed his eyes to look straight at Ozyllus¡¯ face.


    Ozyllus: ¡°I guess I am Ozyllus, the most powerful man on the planet. I am the lord of the village that¡¯s north to here. I am also the future king of this country.¡±


    He looked at the dragon, his smile was wide-enough for his teeth to show themselves.


    Ozyllus: ¡°For you, I guess all I am is the man who will defeat you.¡±


    The dragon smirked at his confident statement.


    Dragon: (Cocky, aren¡¯t you?)


    Ozyllus tilted his head as if he disagreed with that assessment.


    Ozyllus: ¡°Well, I guess I have heard people refer to me that way before.¡±


    Dragon: (You have got guts, I will give you that.)


    Even if he was bluffing, saying these things to the dragon unfazed is something that can earn a little respect from him.


    Ozyllus: ¡°Well then, I already know I can¡¯t persuade you to leave the place and I already made the statement that I would defeat you, so can we start?¡±


    The dragon smirked again.


    Dragon: (Not even trying to surprise attack, huh? Damn! Aren¡¯t you a little too cocky?)


    Ozyllus didn¡¯t respond but just kept looking at the dragon with a smile on his face and eyes closed.


    Dragon: (Ha! Fine then)


    The dragon raised his front legs and brought it down on Ozyllus almost as if it¡¯s a guillotine. Beneath this weight, anyone will be crushed to bits. That is, if it actually hit. Unfortunately for the dragon, his attack got blocked.


    Dragon: (Huh!?)


    Ozyllus: ¡°It¡¯s just psycho-barrier but it can stop a hit of that caliber easily. You need to ¡­ let¡¯s see ¡­ you need to put 70 times that force to break this level of psycho-barrier.¡±


    The dragon didn¡¯t speak anything for a while, neither did Ozyllus. One of them was busy being surprised for having his attack blocked for the first time and the other was enjoying seeing his opponent that way. But then,


    Dragon: (So you are telling me 70 times that last one will destroy you. Huh? And here I thought you would be tougher than that.)


    The dragon again raised his leg and this time, while in the air, focused all of his energy in his leg. He made sure the force this time is well over just 70 times the last one and then brought it down on Ozyllus, as the man who was being attacked smiled.


    The dragon¡¯s attack stopped again. Again, the barrier caused it to stop. But the impact caused the ground underneath to be turned into paste. Both the dragon and Ozyllus lost their footing, but neither of them fell down. While the dragon used his wings, Ozyllus used levitation ¨C a psychic ability used to levitate one¡¯s body.


    Ozyllus: ¡°Oooh! Why do you think that didn¡¯t work?¡±


    The dragon sighed.


    Dragon: (Well, there are two possibilities. One is that you were lying about the number 70 so I don¡¯t use more force than that and were betting that it somehow is enough to exhaust me.)


    Knowing full-well that he used all the force he could muster, the dragon still acted like he had more to offer.


    Dragon: (That one may have worked if I had low stamina. Unfortunately for you, that¡¯s not the case.)


    Ozyllus nodded not to say it¡¯s correct but to say it makes sense.


    Ozyllus: ¡°I see. A fair assessment, but what¡¯s the other possibility?¡±


    Dragon: (Other possibility is that you were just trying to act cool and don¡¯t know the number yourself. In which case you were lucky it was higher than what I used.)


    He again nodded, again only to say it makes sense.


    Ozyllus: ¡°Hmm ¡­ not bad. I have to say. You can think well.¡±


    Dragon: (I don¡¯t care what your opinion of me is; now tell me which one it was.)


    Ozyllus smirked.


    Ozyllus: ¡°Neither.¡±


    Dragon: (Huh?)


    Ozyllus: ¡°If you try to remember, there was something I said other than ¡¯70 times¡¯ that you needed to really focus at.¡±


    The dragon tried to think of what he was referring to. And then he remembered, and only then does it truly dawn on him ¨C


    ¡¯70 times the last one (is needed) to break this level of psycho-barrier.¡¯


    Exactly what his opponent is capable of.


    Ozyllus: ¡°I am guessing you have already figured out. That¡¯s right. I just made the barrier a little stronger by enhancing it to its next level.¡±


    The dragon fell silent.


    Ozyllus: ¡°You can try again if you want to ¨C I still have five more levels of the barrier to go.¡±


    The dragon did not speak. He could not speak.


    Ozyllus: ¡°Oh, do you want me to tell you the number? Let¡¯s see, it¡¯s 20 times of what you used last time.¡±


    The dragon stood baffled. He had used all of his power and he was 20 times weaker than that barrier. Not only that, but this isn¡¯t even his barrier¡¯s strongest stage.


    Dragon: (I see now why you are so cocky. I can certainly imagine someone like you one day taking over the country or whatever you said you would be the king of ¨C but coming here was your biggest mistake.)


    Ozyllus furrowed his brows on hearing something he didn¡¯t expected to hear.


    Ozyllus: ¡°How so?¡±


    The dragon lowers his altitude so he could look Ozyllus in the eyes. He then spoke,


    Dragon: (You are only safe until you are in the barrier. With that high defense, sure I may not be able to hurt you; in fact, no one in the world will be able to hurt you. But if you want to accomplish anything, you should have brought someone who can attack.)


    Ozyllus: ¡°Wait a minute; are you assuming I am weak at attacking?¡±


    Ozyllus scratched his cheek as if he was embarrassed by that assessment.


    Dragon: (Are you telling me you¡¯re good at it? If yes, then why not show it to me?)


    The dragon provoked him. He, by no means, was foolish enough to think Ozyllus was weak at attacking just because his defense is strong. But he has an advantage over him in that regard. No matter what happens, if the dragon is brought close to dying, the person who is the cause for that will die. In this case, that would be Ozyllus.


    Ozyllus: ¡°I see. So that¡¯s your ability.¡±


    Dragon: (Huh?)


    Ozyllus: ¡°Oh! You didn¡¯t notice? I just read your mind to understand why you were provoking me. I get it. That ability sure is something.¡±


    The dragon felt a tinge of irritation on hearing that his mind was being read. But it won¡¯t matter. Knowing about his ability doesn¡¯t help anyone. Or so he thought ¨C


    Ozyllus: ¡°Well then,¡±


    He smirked as he raised his hand to make his palm face the dragon¡¯s face, and then he twisted his hand. The dragon¡¯s neck, within a second, got detached from his body and started to fall off. He was dead. Just like that. He died before even realizing just how and what happened. It was so fast that he didn¡¯t completely lost his consciousness as he saw his head falling off his body.


    Dragon: ¡°AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!¡±


    <div>


    *******************************


    A roar came from the dragon in terror and shock. He panicked, tried to run away and roared mindlessly ¨C before finally realizing that he didn¡¯t die.


    Dragon: (W-w-what?)


    Ozyllus: ¡°Calmed down yet?¡±


    He saw Ozyllus sitting comfortably on a nearby cliff.


    Ozyllus: ¡°That was a premonition I showed you of what would happen if I were to use ¡®that¡¯ ability. So, what did you think of that? Still think I can¡¯t defeat you?¡±


    There¡¯s no way the dragon could say ¡®yes¡¯. Of course the dragon had become painfully aware of the power difference.


    Dragon: (W-what are you?)


    Ozyllus: ¡°I think I told you before, didn¡¯t I? I am the most powerful person on the planet.¡±


    What seemed like arrogance at first started to look like a fact to the dragon. The proof of his power was very clear to him and also was clear the fact that this man hadn¡¯t even used half of his abilities. It won¡¯t be that far-fetched to consider him a god. That¡¯s what the dragon thought.


    Ozyllus: ¡°No! I am no god.¡±


    Dragon: (Huh?)


    Ozyllus: ¡°I am not a god. I am a human-being. Don¡¯t turn my achievements as a human to a boring clich¨¦ of a god.¡±


    A serious expression had taken over his face. This was the first time the dragon saw that expression.


    Dragon: (W-well, fine ¡­ but ¡­)


    Ozyllus closed his eyes and sighed. Then opened his eyes and spoke ¨C no, ordered,


    Ozyllus: ¡°I will find a way for you to take a human-like form and learn to speak our language. Until then, go find some other deserted area to stay in and leave the people of this village ¨C my subjects ¨C alone.¡±


    Dragon: (A-a-as you wish!)


    The dragon bowed to him and turned around to leave. He was terrified out of his mind and didn¡¯t want to stay near that man a second more.


    <div>


    *******************************


    Following that, Ozyllus stayed there for some time, then went back to the village and told the people he had dealt with the dragon. When the villagers confirmed it for themselves, they fully acknowledged Ozyllus as their lord. Then he left the place ordering them to keep on living just like they used to and that he would return one day to that place when his plans would have moved much further.


    A lot more things happened in this village. A bloodbath happened here. The dragon¡¯s legend of befriending the god was forged here. And the devil first step foot in this country here. There is so much history to this village. One of them, may or may not be out of pure coincidence, is that after many centuries had passed and concrete buildings had been built on this place, Ethan Kales was born here.


    <div>


    *******************************

 Chapter 20: The Demon Within

    Dragon: ¡°That is Barry¡¯s blood.¡±


    Ha! Ha! HA! HA! HA! I don¡¯t even know if I¡¯m laughing out loud or not but I just can¡¯t stop.


    What a pathetic lie that was. He never even fooled me for a second. And now he has lead me straight to the point where it is proven it wasn¡¯t his blood.


    Dragon: ¡°This might mean that Ethan Kales is here.¡±


    Might mean, huh? What a joke! He understood Ethan really is here and tried to act like he didn¡¯t understand anything. What a sickening display of treachery! Should I kill him? I should, right? He has only been trying to deceive me after all. Liars like him ¨C there¡¯s no need for them in this world, is there? No, I don¡¯t need them. So obviously, the world can¡¯t need them either.


    Barry: ¡°You okay?¡±


    A voice comes from somewhere. Whose voice is that? I think I have heard it somewhere before. But ¡­ who ¡­ oh yeah, I remember. This is that guy who I placed so much trust in, isn¡¯t it? And then the bastard broke that trust. I thought he was a good person who wouldn¡¯t harm anyone. But the bastard went and killed hundreds of people. So I killed him. Yeah, it¡¯s that guy. But why is he here? I did kill him, right? How is he here?


    Barry: ¡°Hey, you dunce. Are you day-dreaming or something?¡±


    That bastard¡¯s calling me a dunce? I remember he used to call me that when I was a kid. That bastard! He thought he was so special, didn¡¯t he? He thought nobody in the world could defeat him. I bet he never saw me coming. But because of all that, he should be dead. So, what¡¯s going on here?


    Kais: ¡°Why are you still alive, you traitor?¡±


    There¡¯s no point dawdling on that question. Since the bastard is here, might as well just ask him straight.


    Barry: ¡°T-that voice? I see, so that¡¯s what¡¯s going on.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Mind explaining?¡±


    This is that dragon¡¯s voice, right? Yeah, I think this is his voice. Yeah, it definitely is. So that bastard doesn¡¯t know what¡¯s going on either?


    Barry: ¡°Well, to put it bluntly, Kais is not here at the moment. The psycho who murdered me is.¡±


    The psycho¡¯s calling me a psycho? How ironic! But what does he mean by that? I¡¯m Kais and I¡¯m here. Why¡¯s he saying I¡¯m not here?


    Ethan: ¡°Hey, mind telling us your name?¡±


    Now whose voice is that? I think ¨C yes, it¡¯s another familiar voice. Oh yeah, this is that man who can never betray my trust. Because I never put any, not a single grain of trust, in him. Why is he asking me my name?. He should already know that.


    Kais: ¡°I¡¯m Kais.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Oh, really?¡±


    He says in a very doubtful tone. Why? I¡¯m Kais. Why are those two acting like that?


    Barry: ¡°Actually, it¡¯s not like he¡¯s lying.¡±


    Huh? It¡¯s good to hear that but isn¡¯t this bastard contradicting himself. Ah, damn it! Is this bastard trying to confuse me? I see. He¡¯s trying to create a chance to attack by confusing me with his words. That sly bastard! No wonder he was so respected. He was always so good with using words and weaknesses of others after all. He¡¯s exactly the kind of person the society loves to have, isn¡¯t he?


    Ro: ¡°Will you elaborate?¡±


    This voice ¨C now who is it? I am getting agitated by there being so many voices around me. Oh wait, I have heard this one before too. Isn¡¯t he ¡­ isn¡¯t he the one who kidnapped me? Yes, yes, he is. This is that guy who came from Vermillion and kidnapped me and left me on this island. I could have been living a peaceful life if not for him and other Embers like him.


    So ¨C I gotta kill this guy. I gotta make an example of this guy.


    Barry: ¡°To make it simple, there¡¯s a demonic personality living inside him.¡±


    I don¡¯t even care what that bastard is saying anymore. I gotta kill that Ro guy.


    Barry: ¡°But he doesn¡¯t actively come out nor does he converse in any way with the Kais we know. So both personalities keep thinking of themselves as Kais despite being different.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Hey Barry!¡±


    I am not looking at them but I can sense everyone present here looking at me. So then ¨C


    Kais: ¡°Just shut up! Or I¡¯ll kill you first.¡±


    No one gives any comebacks. Everyone is silent. They are all afraid of me. Now I can do what I want without disturbance. Only if that were the case ¨C


    Ethan: ¡°First? So there¡¯s someone other than Barry you are planning on killing now?¡±


    Does this guy have any idea who he is talking to? How the hell is he so casually talking to me like that? I know he has ¡®Eyes of Truth¡¯ or whatever. So he should know how powerful I am by just looking at me. Then why the hell is he talking like he doesn¡¯t fear anything.


    Ethan: ¡°Let me guess then. It¡¯s the dragon.¡±


    Don¡¯t be so cocky, you moron. You think you¡¯ll know whatever I am thinking as if you¡¯re a psychic.


    Dragon: ¡°Huh? Why?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°No, that¡¯s the wrong answer.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°What!¡±


    Huh? So was he just messing with the dragon ¡­ or maybe he was messing with me? This guy is a sadist after all. Whatever! I¡¯ll deal with him later.


    Ethan: ¡°Then is it me?¡±


    Is he just taking random guesses or something?


    Ethan: ¡°So, it¡¯s not me either. Then I guess Sneha.¡±


    Who the heck is Sneha? I think I have heard that name before. Uh, I¡¯ll ignore that. I can try to remember who she is later. I need to go and kill that Vermillion¡¯s dog.


    Ethan: ¡°I see. Not her either. Well, then it can only be Ro, right?¡±


    I don¡¯t understand. How was he able to know that his guesses were wrong? I am pretty sure I didn¡¯t give him any clues. My expressions shouldn¡¯t have changed all that much. Don¡¯t tell me ¨C his eyes of truth can ¡­


    Ethan: ¡°¡­ can see your bloodlust.¡±


    Tch! So that¡¯s it.


    Ethan: ¡°And to elaborate, your bloodlust stayed still when I named us three but it increased when I said Ro. That¡¯s how I knew.¡±


    Kais: ¡°So what? If you thought you¡¯ll get a prize or something, Tough luck there.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Nah, why would I want some petty prize without even doing anything?¡±


    Huh? I hear the voice of footsteps from his direction. From how it sounds, it looks like he is walking towards me.


    Ethan: ¡°I would much rather take my prize after doing what I have to do.¡±


    Now what does he mean exactly? This guy always manages to steal my attention whenever he talks. Ignoring him isn¡¯t a good idea. Maybe I should kill him too. Yeah! Why not? Let¡¯s do it.


    Barry: ¡°You are going to die if you are reckless, though I guess that would benefit me.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about me.¡±


    He probably said that to that bastard. His steps haven¡¯t stopped. He is coming closer to me with every step. Is he that eager to die? Okay, I will do him justice then.


    Ethan:  ¡°Hey, I don¡¯t know what you are thinking right now but, didn¡¯t the question ¡®how is Barry here¡¯ cross your mind?¡±


    Huh? What? I stop readying my attack as I hear that.


    Kais: ¡°Yeah, it did. Do you know the answer to that?¡±


    Without even noticing when I did it, I started to look Ethan, who is only a meter away from me, in the eyes.


    Ethan: ¡°I do.¡±


    I see. He does. Huh? Yeah, I guess. He has the Eyes of Truth, right? Of course, he would be able to know a lot of things by just looking.


    Kais: ¡°Then, tell me.¡±


    A smile surfaces on his lips.


    Ethan: ¡°On one condition?¡±


    Kais: ¡°Tch! You think you are in any ¡­¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Position to ask for a favor, huh? Man, it looks like even this personality is fond of clich¨¦ lines.¡±


    What the hell! Does he wanna die?


    Ethan: ¡°So here¡¯s the deal? You protect me from all these other guys who probably want to torture some information out of me right now.¡±This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    He says while pointing at the four people behind him. They all have a look of shock on their face.


    Ethan: ¡°It¡¯s easy for you, right? Or are you telling me you can¡¯t even do something so simple?¡±


    Tch!


    Kais: ¡°Fine, fine!¡±


    He gets surprised for some reason.


    Ethan: ¡°Oh, it worked.¡±


    Then he starts smiling.


    Ethan: ¡°I guess that¡¯s why people use clich¨¦s so much, they work some times. Still though ¡­¡±


    Kais: ¡°Enough with your nonsense. Answer me already!¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Oh yeah, it¡¯s because he is a ghost now.¡±


    A ghost he says? I see. So he did die after all.


    Ethan: ¡°Not only that, but he has retained his psychic powers too. He is much stronger than before.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Oh, that¡¯s it? He¡¯s still weaker than me.¡±


    I get a feeling that chills ran down someone¡¯s spine right now. Good to know they can see how much difference in power there is between us.


    Ethan: ¡°Also, he is working for the Vampires.¡±


    Huh? Working for Vampires? From where in the world did they enter the equation?


    Ethan: ¡°Isn¡¯t it ironic?¡±


    He closes his eyes as he says so.


    Ethan: ¡°A psychic-ghost working for vampires. All three factions in one, right?¡±


    He says while chuckling.


    Kais: ¡°Anyway, now that I know that. I want to get back to what I was doing. Get out of my way.¡±


    He does get out of my way immediately but then says,


    Ethan: ¡°Killing Ro, was it? He¡¯s a ghost too.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Huh?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°I killed him already. And then he became a ghost.¡±


    Oh, that¡¯s how it is. Well, just because he already died ¡­


    Kais: ¡°¡­ Doesn¡¯t mean he can¡¯t feel pain, right?¡±


    No response comes. Why? Cat got your tongue now?


    I walk towards him triumphantly when Ethan says,


    Ethan: ¡°And you were calling me a sadist.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Huh? What¡¯s that supposed to mean? You are a sadist. What¡¯s wrong with calling you one?¡±


    A laughing sound comes from him. Why is he laughing though? I don¡¯t think there is any reason to laugh here? Then again, it¡¯s not like I ever understood his reasons for doing anything anyway. I doubt he even has any.


    Ethan: ¡°¡®He probably does this for kicks or something, right?¡¯¡±


    Tch! Again, this guy loves to act like a mind-reader, doesn¡¯t he? The thing is ¨C he¡¯s good at it too.


    Ethan: ¡°¡®It¡¯s almost as if he¡¯s a psychic but is hiding it from me?¡¯¡±


    Kais: ¡°You are gonna die by my hands someday.¡±


    His grin changes into a wry smile as,


    Ethan: ¡°I would like to avoid that. And no, I really don¡¯t have any psychic powers. Don¡¯t worry about that.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Why would I take your word for it?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Oh, you won¡¯t. Well then,¡±


    He turns towards the bushes for some reason and then continues,


    Ethan: ¡°Why don¡¯t you ask her about all this then?¡±


    Who¡¯s he talking about? Ms. Spirit-User? Come to think of it, there is someone like that on the island, isn¡¯t there?


    Dragon: ¡°Ah! I see. So she is here as well.¡±


    Moving sounds come from the bushes and a woman with blond-hair and fair skin comes out.


    Sona: ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m here too. Did you think I wouldn¡¯t come?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Of course not.¡±


    As the two of them exchange words, I start remembering her as well. Yeah, she came to kill the dragon. She said she knows a way to get out of this island, right? I can kill the dragon for her and then she should at least take me out of here to return my favor. Uh ¡­ but I think she said only spirit-users can use it. Damn! She¡¯s useless. No point thinking about her.


    Ethan: ¡°Well now, if you can answer my question, that would be a big help.¡±


    Sona: ¡°And exactly what is it that you are asking me?¡±


    Ethan¡¯s question was pretty vague and even I don¡¯t understand what it meant. So I suppose it¡¯s only natural for a low-level spirit-user like her to not understand it either.


    Ethan: ¡°What do you think about ¨C Kais killing Ro?¡±


    Sona folds her arms as if she is not at all interested in the situation.


    Sona: ¡°And why would I worry about any of that?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Come now, think about it. If Ro¡¯s conscience is snatched away, he could become a very powerful spirit, right?¡±


    Ro: ¡°The hell!?¡±


    I can sense him getting goosebumps on hearing that. Others aren¡¯t much different though.


    In the stories that bastard had told me, there was a method to take human conscience away from a ghost and to turn them into a spirit. It is an inhumane concept the brutality of which is equivalent to slavery ¨C at its extreme.


    Sona: ¡°T-that¡¯s insane!¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Sure, sure. I know how horrible it sounds but didn¡¯t you decide you¡¯ll sacrifice anything to defeat the dragon.¡±


    Sona falls into silence. All gazes are fixed on her. I don¡¯t know what Ro¡¯s expression is right now, being talked about like he doesn¡¯t even exist here. I also don¡¯t know what the dragon¡¯s expression is right now. Well, I can guess neither of them is happy.


    Sona: ¡°It-it¡¯s just not possible. H-his ability ¡­¡±


    The smile on Ethan¡¯s face widens into a smirk.


    Ethan: ¡°Oh? His ability won¡¯t let him die. So if there wasn¡¯t a case like that, you would have done something so inhumane to that ghost?¡±


    Sona: ¡°Ah! Well, I-I ¡­¡±


    I sighed at the sight unfolding before my eyes. I am pretty sure she was only using that as an excuse to say no because she didn¡¯t wanted to say that she would deny an opportunity to kill the dragon, and I bet Ethan knows that as well.


    Ethan: ¡°Ha! Whatever! You have a misunderstanding, so let me clear it for you. This dragon¡¯s ability is not omnipotent.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Oh? Are you saying there is a way to kill me?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Sure there is, and within four days as well.¡±


    Four days? Is there some reason he said it like that? I look at the dragon and Sona¡¯s faces. While the dragon has clear feelings of anxiety within himself, Sona is shocked.


    Sona: ¡°You ¡­ even know about that? Oh, that¡¯s right.¡±


    She added the last few words as if remembering something.


    Ethan: ¡°Of course I do. Didn¡¯t that girl tell you what I told her?¡±


    I guess he is talking about that mass of energy the dragon created. According to what she said, Ethan told her that the island will be destroyed in a few days after she sees the dragon outside the tomb, or something like that.


    Ethan: ¡°The reason for this island to get destroyed is precisely that. The dragon is dying in four days and when he does die, he will take the island with him.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°What the hell are ¡­?¡±


    Kais: ¡°All to protect Ozyllus¡¯ secrets, right?¡±


    A smile emerges on Ethan¡¯s face indicating I am right.


    Barry: ¡°Hold on a second! This conversation has been going in random directions for while now. And I don¡¯t feel safe leaving the reins to someone like you.¡±


    He says while looking at Ethan.


    Barry: ¡°So let me bring us back to the topic.¡±


    All eyes turn towards him. But why the hell did you feel this urge to ¡®bring us back to topic¡¯ now?


    Barry: ¡°The reason I came here is ¨C well, there¡¯s a war going on between The Dragon Alliance and The Vampires.¡±


    What¡¯s the dragon alliance?


    Barry: ¡°For those of you who don¡¯t know, The Dragon Alliance is an alliance formed between Vermillion, an organized group of psychics; the dragons, the few brethren of this thing standing here (pointing at the tan-skinned human-like-looking dragon); and The Ghost Nation, which hosts almost all the ghosts on the planet. And they are fighting against all the vampires in the world.¡±


    Well, that¡¯s how it is I guess. I only knew Vermillion was waging some kind of war. I didn¡¯t know who they were fighting and that they were in alliance with others.


    Barry: ¡°Well, that¡¯s the outline basically. I and Ro are ghosts who fight from the side of Vampires, Sneha used to work for Vermillion so I guess she was our enemy but now she has turned traitor so I have no idea where she stands right now.¡±


    He and everyone else turn towards Sneha simultaneously.


    Sneha: ¡°I can¡¯t say.¡±


    Barry sighs.


    Barry: ¡°Well, so it seems. Anyway, I¡¯m pretty sure Ethan is on no side right now.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m neutral.¡±


    He says with a smile as if to mock Barry.


    Ro: ¡°Neutral? That¡¯s what we call someone who stays completely out of it. You are trying to sabotage anyone you can. How¡¯s that neutral?¡±


    With that, Ethan has started to look like a complete idiot who is only marching towards his own death with every single step.


    Barry: ¡°Moving on. I am pretty sure the dragon wants to stay neutral but can¡¯t. Especially after hearing that he will die in four days, he probably will go down after doing some damage to at least one side, whether he does it directly or indirectly.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°I won¡¯t act like I know everything. Maybe my actions will end up doing something like that. Regardless, my duties are limited to this island.¡±


    Barry sighs again.


    Barry: ¡°Fair enough. Ms. ¡­ Sona, was it? If you are a spirit-user, you¡¯ll probably end up joining the ghosts in the case you refuse to join us. In which case, we will kill you.¡±


    He says with a straight face. He isn¡¯t joking about this. He really will kill her. The intent is clear in his aura.


    Barry: ¡°Lastly.¡±


    And then the bastard turns towards me.


    Barry: ¡°You are the biggest anomaly here. Whichever side you join; that side will gain a heavy advantage over the other.¡±


    They all look at me curiously.


    Kais: ¡°Huh! I¡¯m not ¡­¡±


    Barry: ¡°And let me make it clear for you, there¡¯s no way you can stay neutral. If it isn¡¯t persuasion, then it will be deception; if not deception, then it will blackmail; if not blackmail, then some political agenda, but one of the sides will get you on their side.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Is that so? Well then, how about I destroy both the sides.¡±


    All of them look at me with wide-eyed shocked expressions, all except one ¨C Ethan Kales. He started laughing as I said that.


    Ethan: ¡°Hahahahaha! That¡¯s right. That¡¯s what I am talking about. Why would you possibly bend to their whims when you have enough power to defy them?¡±


    I don¡¯t know what he is thinking and frankly, I don¡¯t have the free-time to start figuring out how his brain works, so I would ignore his comments for now.


    Barry: ¡°Well, you right now can probably do that. But ¡­¡±


    He stops mid-sentence for some reason. Go on, you bastard.


    Barry: ¡°¡­ but will Kais really agree to that?¡±


    Huh? Again with that nonsense? I already said I am Kais.


    Barry: ¡°Well, I guess we¡¯ll just have to ask him.¡±


    What? I¡¯m right here. Who else is this bastard going to ask?


    As I wonder that, he puts his right hand in front of me and then snaps his fingers. Wait, what? That was too fast. I didn¡¯t even have time to react. I find myself falling on the ground and my vision getting blurry. I see. This is why that bastard used all that time talking. He was trying to distract us from noticing his hands. It was all to buy enough time for him to prepare himself to hypnotize me into going to sleep. But why did he do so? Damn! What¡¯s wrong with him?


    <div>


    *******************************


    A demon wanting to kill Ro who is already dead and has become a ghost, Ethan saying there is a way to kill the dragon, Sneha saying she can¡¯t say where she stands in this war, Barry saying I am some kind of anomaly in the war ¨C was that all a dream? I think this to myself as I float in The Cage.


    I wonder when I will wake up. When will it be? Huh? Wait, isn¡¯t that strange?


    I wish I could stay in this abyss forever ¨C is what I used to think. Just when did that all change? And why did it all change? Why do I not want to stay in the abyss? Why do I have to think about waking up?


    ¡°It¡¯s because there is something you want to do, right?¡±


    Something I want to do? Is there?


    Without even thinking about the disturbing fact that I can hear someone¡¯s voice in my head, I start trying to answer his questions.


    I don¡¯t know what I would want to do so badly that I would give up this peace I can find nowhere else.


    ¡°It¡¯s a strong desire you see. It¡¯s what drives that blonde woman and it¡¯s what will be driving you know.¡±


    Blonde woman ¨C oh, you mean Sona? What drives her? What? Oh, I-I see. That¡¯s what this desire is.


    ¡°Yes, you want to kill someone, don¡¯t you?¡±


    I don¡¯t know why but I think I am smiling right now. But of course, it feels so good after all. This desire to kill ¨C is really something, isn¡¯t it? But who do I want to kill?


    ¡°There are so many people for you to kill.¡±


    Yeah, you¡¯re right. Ethan is pretty annoying with how he acts. I wouldn¡¯t want him getting in my way too much. Maybe he is the one I should kill.


    Or maybe the dragon ¨C he did try to deceive me about the blood belonging to Barry.


    Obviously, I wanna kill Barry, even though he is already dead. I also want to kill Ro, even though he is also dead.


    I don¡¯t know why but I also want to kill Sneha as well. I just feel like she has done something to deserve it.


    And I also want to kill Sona ¨C she gets on my nerves some times.


    ¡°You see, there¡¯re so many people to kill. Don¡¯t you feel the urge to kill them?¡±


    I do. I so much do.


    ¡°Then let me out. I can kill them.¡±


    Yeah, you probably can.


    ¡°Well?¡±


    But the answer is no. You were in control just a little while ago. Why did you waste your chance? Now wait for the next chance.


    The voice sighs.


    ¡°Ah! Fine! That¡¯s how it will be. I will wait for you to give me the next chance. Till then, I will rest myself.¡±


    Sure.


    I feel something as big as a building descending behind me. I can¡¯t turn to look so I won¡¯t know what that was. But I get a feeling there was a really large head with monstrous scales and two horns behind me, like the devil had been taking to me.


    For some reason, I didn¡¯t feel even a bit of fear or shock though.


    What was that? Who was that? Oh well, it¡¯s not like I can figure out the answer to every mystery in front of me just by thinking about it. I should probably focus on the mysteries I will be faced with after waking up. Yes, after all, the next time I allow him to take charge ¨C he¡¯ll kill all of them. But the thing is ¨C as soon as I wake up, I¡¯ll forget about this deal. I¡¯ll forget about this demon. And I¡¯ll also forget the feeling that this devil wasn¡¯t the one in control just now, that it was a just my own demon.


    And just as I think that, I feel strong light shining on me even though it isn¡¯t. I feel like I¡¯m being pulled towards that light. Well, I guess my time in The Cage is already up.


    <div>


    *******************************

 Chapter 21: Villains

    There are 7 people on the island at present. Seven individuals who are all linked to each other far closer than they realize.


    Barry, who is a ghost, a psychic and is working for vampires, somehow also is the brother of Valdis, the queen of vampires.


    Ro, who was a half-psychic, now is a ghost and is also working for vampires, somehow is really important to the vampires.


    These two of them are standing near someone who is fallen on the ground. This man who is on the ground with his eyes closed is one of the strongest, if not the strongest psychic in the world but he doesn¡¯t even know it and has caused a major disruption inside himself.


    The three psychics being next to each other causes all the psychic energy in the surrounding to be attracted towards them. Seeing this, a certain someone is left to wonder why Ro¡¯s psychic energy is still present around him even though he can no longer use his ability. This man, Ethan, is a completely normal human being, or so he says.


    He has the Eyes of Truth and has fooled many psychics with his schemes.


    Noticing the expression on Ethan¡¯s face, a woman powerful enough to decimate mountains looks sharply at the ghost of her former ¡°colleague¡±. From the fact that Ethan is looking at him, she understands that he is not someone to be taken lightly under any circumstances. The cold smile on Ethan¡¯s face ¨C the expression that says he is interested in this man ¨C is a clear message for her, Sneha.


    Ethan and Sneha stand a little distance away from Kais and are facing the two ghosts.


    The person who is trying to keep an eye on everyone also more or less gets this impression of Ro from the atmosphere. This person, no, this dragon that is feared throughout the ranks of Vermillion as well as The Vampire Kingdom is calm. At least, that is his facial expression. His real feelings at the moment are that of turmoil. This dragon ¨C someone who doesn¡¯t even have a name ¨C is also one of them.


    He is standing diagonally away from both parties. His positioning is something like that of a referee before the match begins.


    Finally, the woman whose only desire is to kill this dragon and has vowed to sacrifice everything for that purpose but still could not completely give up on her humanity for the sake of this purpose ¨C Sona ¨C is the last one of the seven.


    She is standing a little distance away from the dragon diagonally behind him.


    These seven people are in complicated relationships with each other. Ro and Barry do not completely trust each other but work together because that seems to be the best for them. Ethan and Sneha don¡¯t completely trust each other but work together because their goals align. Neither of two parties is at good terms with the other. Then there is the dragon that is a source of concern for everyone because no one knows what he is thinking. He himself is cautious of everyone because no one here has earned his trust. Finally there¡¯s the woman who doesn¡¯t seem to be a part in the grand scheme of things but is still connected to this scenario somehow because of her wanting revenge against the dragon.


    Finally, there¡¯s him, someone who all the parties want on their side. And so all of them are trying to either deceive him or coerce him into joining them. But the problem in front of all of them is ¨C


    Barry: ¡°He is too cautious, isn¡¯t he?¡±


    He says while looking at the person he is talking about.


    Ethan: ¡°Isn¡¯t that your fault though?¡±


    Ethan says also looking at the person they are talking about.


    Barry: ¡°I suppose.¡±


    If Barry had never done the atrocious things he did 12 years ago, Kais probably wouldn¡¯t be this cautious about things.


    Barry: ¡°But there was nothing I could do about that. That was something I had to do.¡±


    He doesn¡¯t show any tinge of regret.


    Ethan: ¡°That so? And what was the reason? Why was it something you ¡®had¡¯ to do?¡±


    Barry: ¡°Do you really expect me to answer that?¡±


    Barry turns towards Ethan as he answers. Annoyance, just for a moment, had come to his face but Ethan regained his mask and said,


    Ethan: ¡°I don¡¯t.¡±


    He closes his eyes as he continues,


    Ethan: ¡°But I can take a guess.¡±


    Barry furrowed his eyebrows urging his to continue.


    Ethan: ¡°Let¡¯s see, you wanted him to kill you.¡±


    Barry: ¡°And why would I want to be killed?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°That¡¯s easy.¡±The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    Ethan lifts his finger and points at Barry.


    Ethan: ¡°To get like that.¡±


    He is pointing towards a man with light blue cape with stripes on it, the dress hidden within the cape being crimson-brownish. He has fair skin and a rather good-looking face that somehow matches with this weird mix of colors.


    Ethan: ¡°Or to be more exact, to become a ghost who is working under vampires.¡±


    This clothing he has was made especially for him by the vampires. It was made with the same material they use to restrain ghosts. Something like this can only be worn by a ghost who is working for vampires.


    Barry: ¡°And why exactly would I want to be something like that?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Simply because, you were not always his brother. But you were always her brother.¡±


    All eyes look at Ethan, all except Barry¡¯s. He looks down for a moment and then closes his eyes.


    Barry: ¡°I see. That¡¯s what you say, huh?¡±


    His voice is calm, his face has a gentle smile on it and it paints him in a light completely different from what he usually looks like. Right now, the solitude of his life is showing itself on his face. Noticing that expression from the corner of his eyes, Ro becomes baffled.


    Barry: ¡°Well, you are not completely wrong.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°I see.¡±


    Ethan can¡¯t show this ghost sympathy but he can say this,


    Ethan: ¡°You¡¯ll someday be free of all this.¡±


    He can say this because it is a fact he knows.


    They are two people who have played villains extremely well. So, while looking at each other, there has to be some iota of sympathy welling up inside them.


    For both of their companions, seeing this is bizarre but for once it doesn¡¯t look like either them is trying to fake their smiles.


    Barry: ¡°I guess we should be glad he is not conscious yet.¡±


    To someone who has come to hate one and be wary of the other, this does not bode well. So he is glad that someone who is unconscious, or is he?


    Barry: ¡°The hell!¡±


    He exclaims with a look of horror on his face. Ethan looks at Kais and understands why Barry reacted that way.


    Ethan: ¡°I see.¡±


    However, unlike Barry, Ethan doesn¡¯t show surprise or shock. His expression remains calm. Because what is going on is not a problem for him, but it¡¯s a problem for his opposing party. Just because the two men came to understand each other to an extent doesn¡¯t mean their enmity suddenly disappears.


    Sneha: ¡°Just what is going on here?¡±


    Sneha asks being unable to understand what has gotten Barry so freaked out.


    Ethan: ¡°Well, Nietzsche once said,¡±


    A quote that is a little too terrifying in this context.


    Ethan: ¡°When you gaze into the abyss for long,¡±


    Darkness starts enveloping the island as everyone but Ethan panics.


    Ethan: ¡°the abyss gazes back into you.¡±


    ???: ¡°Well done!¡±


    A demonic voice rings out. Ethan looks at the source of the voice, and the source of the darkness.


    ???: ¡°Now, I need to kill someone here.¡±


    Ethan closes his eyes and smiles before adding,


    Ethan: ¡°So that ¡®someone¡¯ is here after all.¡±


    *******************************


    Nietzsche also said, ¡°There are no facts, only interpretations.¡± And so one is free to interpret anything and everything whatever way they want to.


    Valdis: ¡°That¡¯s a terrifying thing to think about.¡±


    Reid: ¡°Yes, your highness.¡±


    In the palace corridor of the Vampire Kingdom, the two people are walking.


    Valdis: ¡°Ha! To think that all our history could have been made on lies and the truth might be hidden somewhere under the rubble that we may never be able to dig out. Truly, that¡¯s a truth I¡¯d wanted to avoid knowing if I could.¡±


    Reid doesn¡¯t say anything but he understands the queen¡¯s feelings. After all, he is thinking the same thing.


    It hurts to find out that all you think you knew about the history was a lie. What if someone who was praised as a hero in the history books was actually a villain?


    It is a terrifying concept.


    Reid: ¡°Your highness?¡±


    Valdis: ¡°Yes, is something bothering you?¡±


    Reid: ¡°Actually, there is.¡±


    The two of them are just walking down the corridor. They aren¡¯t particularly doing anything other than walking and talking. And yet there was much gloom in the air.


    Reid: ¡°I never thought of Ozyllus as a hero.¡±


    He is praised as someone who united psychics, ghosts and vampires. All records of him only praise him. Yet, Reid never really thought that highly of him.


    Reid: ¡°But ¡­ but I never thought ¡­ he would be ¡­¡±


    Reid had always known why this interpretation of history exists. It was because Ozyllus won. So those who wrote about history wrote about him as if he was a hero. If he had lost, that would not be the case.


    Reid: ¡°I never thought he would be such a demon.¡±


    But even if he had lost, he would have probably been considered a fallen warrior. He would probably be seen as someone who had a dream and failed to accomplish it. That¡¯s how Reid had imagined it. But unfortunately, the untold story of Ozyllus ¨C is too dark and brutal.


    Valdis: ¡°I see. I understand. I never thought he would be someone like this either.¡±


    But now they know the truth. Now they know ¨C that Ozyllus was no savior or hero, he was quite opposite to that.


    Valdis: ¡°The question is - does Barry know all this?¡±


    Reid: ¡°He probably does.¡±


    By the fact that he is the one to ask them to contact their strategist and ask him about this before leaving the Vampire Kingdom makes it highly likely he knows this. And if that is the case, why did he still go to the island? Why did he go there knowing he may not return.


    At this stage; if they lose Barry, they lose the war.


    Valdis: ¡°I guess everything went according to Ozyllus¡¯ plan, didn¡¯t it?¡±


    She says with a bitter expression on her face as she barely stops herself from shedding a tear.


    I saw a strong light shining on me and sensed a pull from it. I see. So I thought, ¡°my time in The Cage is already up.¡±


    But then I realized that it isn¡¯t the light that I would face after waking up. It is the light that would not allow me to wake up.


    ???: ¡°Well, hello there.¡±


    What? Who are you?


    ???: ¡°Aw, you don¡¯t recognize me?¡±


    I don¡¯t. But I do ¡­ I do recognize this pull. It is the same one that ¡­ that I felt when I stepped in the tomb.


    ???: ¡°Starting to piece it all together? Good. Now, who do you think I could be?¡±


    The voice keeps coming from all directions. Where is the source of the voice exactly and who is its owner? The voice itself keeps echoing not making it easy for me to understand anything from it.


    ???: ¡°So you can¡¯t figure it out?¡±


    Damn!


    ???: ¡°Well, then I guess I should just tell you.¡±


    Okay then, who exactly are you?


    ???: ¡°I am Ozyllus.¡±


    Just as I heard that, the faces of the people on the island come to mind. And then it dawns on me ¨C the truth, the lie; the reality, the forgery; the god, the human; it all became clear to me. And for just this moment, I know everything.


    I know everything.


    I know who Sona is. I know why the dragon was trying to deceive me. I know why Barry caused that tragedy. I know who Sneha is. I know how much Ro has suffered. And I know why Ethan Kales is doing what he is.


    And I ¡­ can do nothing. This is a war we are meant to lose. Our life¡¯s story is ¡­ a goddamn tragedy.


    *******************************

 Chapter 22: Questions

    Ethan: ¡°So that ¡®somebody¡¯ is here after all.¡±


    Ethan says so while the darkness looming over them threatens to destroy everything.


    ???: ¡°He is. And Kais isn¡¯t ready yet.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°You sure about that?¡±


    ???: ¡°Huh?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°I think he just needs a jolt of the truth.¡±


    No response comes back, just like Ethan predicted. Darkness has covered the whole island. This darkness comes from the devil inside Kais. And in front of that devil,


    Ethan: ¡°Lead him to the truth of what happened 12 years ago. That should be enough for him to get ¡®ready¡¯.¡±


    Abyss: ¡°Tell me, why aren¡¯t you even a little afraid of this darkness?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°I have supernatural eyes which is why I can¡¯t escape from the illusion of darkness having taken over the place. But that¡¯s it. You can deceive my eyes because they are supernatural but there is nothing else you can do to me.¡±


    The energy composition with which this illusion is made is so complex and incomplete that unless it can combine with the energy of others, it doesn¡¯t even work. And that¡¯s the catch. Everyone who has supernatural energy flowing around them can provide the energy required for the illusion to work, but someone like Ethan or any other normal human being will be completely safe.


    Ethan sighs and starts walking towards the centre of this illusionary darkness.


    Ethan: ¡°I don¡¯t want to blame you for trying to protect him from learning the truth but do remember, that bastard will kill billions just because you got a little attached to a kid and decided to play house.¡±


    Abyss: ¡°Ugh!¡±


    He keeps walking without worrying about himself. After all, only an illusion is blocking his path. There is no need to feel afraid.


    Ethan: ¡°So then, what were you really planning when you did this?¡±


    Ethan moves right into the darkness and comes out of it on the other side ¨C unharmed, as one would expect.


    Ethan: ¡°Oh, that¡¯s it. I am little disappointed. But I guess I should have seen this coming.¡±


    He sees that Kais is nowhere to be found but footsteps have appeared from the point his body was at.


    Ethan: ¡°Those footsteps are probably a diversion, but whatever.¡±


    He looks back at the darkness to see the presence of the entity he had been talking to.


    Ethan: ¡°He ran away while you kept me distracted. Well, so be it. Not like he can run away forever.¡±


    Abyss: ¡°Just out of curiosity, what if I decide to keep protecting him?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Then I¡¯ll destroy you.¡±


    A quick answer given with eyes widened enough to show the sickening conviction. Hearing it, the devil sighs.


    Abyss: ¡°I see.¡±


    Saying so, he disappears along with the illusion he had created. Ethan tries to go into the forest when two dogs ¨C Jack and Jill ¨C come in his path.


    Ethan: ¡°Ha-ha! You are still around!?¡±


    He sees the dogs being hostile to him and backs off as he looks back only to find everyone else lying unconscious on the beach. Among those 5 individuals, his eyes fell on Barry. Just a while ago, the two men had come to understand something about each other. They had come to understand the fact that there is something good within them. They had been able to relate to each other.


    But that is as far as it will go. Nothing can erase the fact that they are two opposing factions. Neither of them can drop their guard against the other and so they will never be friends or anything of the sort. All they can be are enemies who sympathize with each other.


    Ethan: ¡°Well, that¡¯s how it will be, I guess.¡±


    Turning to look at the forest again, he spotted little remnants of the illusionary darkness still lingering. Seeing them, he tightened his fists.


    Ethan: ¡°There¡¯s too much at stake for you to be worrying about him.¡±


    *******************************


    Panting, I lay myself on the ground near the tomb. Well, now that I have left false footprints and teleported out of there back to the tomb, I can finally catch my breath.


    Kais: ¡°Still, what was that all about?¡±


    What was up with Barry and Ethan?


    Kais: ¡°Also Ethan saw right through that illusion and I had to rush out of there. If he had taken some more time in figuring things out, I could have taken a peak in their minds to try to figure out more about all of them and make all this little less confusing.¡±


    Come to think of it, just whose voice was it that told me that he had seen through it and to run away. In the spur of the moment, I didn¡¯t question it at all but, was he ¡­ that demon?


    If he was, why did it seem like he and Ethan knew each other well-enough. Damn it! That guy is actually really terrifying.


    Kais: ¡°Ha!¡±


    Didn¡¯t I used to think no normal human could ever match up to a psychic? That is why I was so unafraid of Ro and Mohammed when they tried to force me to join Vermillion. And now, I am afraid of someone who isn¡¯t even a half-psychic like them. Man, am I a hypocrite?


    Kais: ¡°I guess I am.¡±


    Of course I am. I am a hypocrite by all means. That¡¯s why I am such a failure of a psychic. I try to be cautious and measure every move I make. So what happened when I walked into those slew of monsters back there? I was smiling, goddamn it! I wasn¡¯t trying to figure out my way out of the situation, I was just anticipating whatever was about to come, and I was SMILING!


    Kais: ¡°And now that I think about it,¡±


    Back in the tomb (or wherever I went to when I stepped in the tomb), I tried to attack Ethan because he was saying things I didn¡¯t wanted to hear. Isn¡¯t that hypocritical? Just because I thought he was weaker than me (which is true, I guess), I tried to attack him to shut him up. It¡¯s not like he was spouting any lies back there. He was saying the truth. And I didn¡¯t want to face the truth.


    Kais: ¡°Damn! That¡¯s even worse than being a hypocrite.¡±


    At that time, I was just trying to run away from reality. Just like all those years that I had tried to look away from the fact that I killed Barry. But ever since this whole mess started, it¡¯s like I am being made to face all those truths again and again. It¡¯s like someone is deliberately trying to make me face everything I don¡¯t want to face.


    Kais: ¡°Um ¡­¡±


    I look at the sky and think about it. And then I remember something really important.


    Kais: ¡°No way!¡±


    Ozyllus.


    I had completely forgotten about him. He appeared in The Cage. I felt a pull from him, and it was just like the one I felt when I stepped in the tomb. Does that mean ¡­


    Kais: ¡°It was Ozyllus who brought me to the place I ended up in? Then did he also bring Ethan there? Did he want us to meet?¡±


    No, that might be jumping to conclusions. But he definitely pulled me in that place. I even thought of it back in The Cage. Seeing how The Cage is basically in my subconscious, my thoughts should have been heard by him. And he never denied it. Well, it¡¯s not concrete proof, but I have to assume for now that was the case.


    Kais: ¡°And that could or could not mean the dragon is working with him.¡±


    If the dragon sent me there knowing Ozyllus would pull me to a different place, then at the end of the day, he could be willing to help me since Ozyllus seems to be very happy to have me on his side. But if that is the case, why did he send the girl with me? She couldn¡¯t have stayed there with me. Maybe causing me to fall in this confusion was the goal? ¡­ Or maybe I should stop going down this spiral of thought.Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more.


    The other possibility is that he did not know about it which opens a whole different slew of mysteries. Did Ozyllus not want me to do as the dragon says? Or did he just pulled me in then because that was the only time he could and he has nothing against me doing as the dragon says? Damn! The questions just keep multiplying.


    Kais: ¡°This is the worst predicament I could have fallen into.¡±


    I take a sigh. I will get nowhere like this. Ignoring these questions is no longer a possibility. I have to find the answers to them. So, what¡¯s the crux of the problems for me here?


    Kais: ¡°Maybe the fact that I don¡¯t know the situation this ¡®war¡¯ is in at the present. What are the factions fighting this war? I know Vermillion is one of them.¡±


    Wait; didn¡¯t Barry also say something about that?¡±


    Yeah, I think he did. He said the alliance is formed between Vermillion, the dragons and The Ghost Nation. But he also said he and Ro, despite being ghosts, are working with/for vampires.


    Kais: ¡°Damn! This is a complicated situation.¡±


    If this war is going to occur between these two factions, then I highly doubt The Vampires¡¯ chances of winning.


    Another thing that is concerning me though is something Ethan said about Barry when I was faking unconsciousness. He said Barry had not always been my brother, but he had always been her brother. This ¡®her¡¯ ¨C who is she? And what does it all mean? I¡¯d be glad to find out that bastard was not really my brother in reality. But Ethan¡¯s phrasing was ¡®not always my brother¡¯. It sounds like there should be something more to it than that.


    Kais: ¡°Well, I¡¯m not getting anywhere.¡±


    I feel like the clues are right in front of me but I am unable to grasp them. But what should I do at this point? The best bet seems to be reading their minds. But if I go back to do so, I don¡¯t think getting away from them will be possible after that. I should do everything I can while they are not here and leave the mind-reading to when being hidden from them is no longer an option.


    Kais: ¡°At least that is what I¡¯d like to do.¡±


    But I can¡¯t figure anything out. I need to make good use of the time I have right now so I don¡¯t regret it later. But how exactly am I supposed to use it?


    I turn my head to look in various directions to see if anything strikes my mind and then it occurs to me ¨C


    Ozyllus came into The Cage and he told me his name. But I don¡¯t remember anything after that. What exactly did he do? I have no memory of whatever happened after that. And I am pretty sure it¡¯s not that I have just forgotten but he doesn¡¯t allow me to remember. And I also feel there is something else I don¡¯t remember, something that happened before Ozyllus came.


    Kais: ¡°But what exactly could have happened inside The Cage?¡±


    It¡¯s my subconscious after all. Unless someone like Ozyllus tries to invade it, nothing should happen. And then,


    Kais: ¡°I am ¡­ not the only one that place belongs to, am I?¡±


    No, I¡¯m not.


    Kais: ¡°Yeah, there¡¯s someone else in there.¡±


    Come to think of it, whenever I try to remember anything about the conversation that was going on when I and the dragon reached the beach, I feel a strange sense of alienation to those memories. I think they are mine, but at the same time, they are not. And that could mean ¨C


    Kais: ¡°That demon?¡±


    If what I think is correct, then the situation is much less pleasant than it first appeared ¨C not that it ever appeared pleasant anyway.


    Kais: ¡°Barry did say once in that conversation, that I¡¯m not who I am or something like that.¡±


    That part is a little hazy. And I think it has been made hazy so it is not very easy for me to remember it. I am being made to not remember the things that are going on with the demon within me.


    Kais: ¡°I see.¡±


    If that¡¯s case, then is my subconscious doing it? IS Ozyllus doing it? Is that demon doing it? Which seems the most likely?


    Kais: ¡°Obviously, the answer is ¨C¡±


    None of them ¨C they are not responsible for this. The one who is responsible for this is ¡­ well, Barry.


    Kais: ¡°He did put me to sleep after all.¡±


    At the time, it¡¯s not very easy to remember but I think he wanted to ask me, not the demon, what I think of the situation. In order for him to do that, he probably thought it¡¯s best if I do not remember everything that happened or my opinions would get mixed up with that demon¡¯s.


    Kais: ¡°But I¡¯m not that weak.¡±


    Sure, his power is on a different level. But he is not so far above me that I will completely forget something if he wanted me to.


    Kais: ¡°So now that the situation has spiraled out of his control, I can take advantage of this.¡±


    There is, after all, something about this place that doesn¡¯t match up with the legends. If I can take advantage of that, I may finally understand things better. So, with that decided, I stand up.


    Kais: ¡°I have wasted enough time doing nothing.¡±


    It¡¯s time I stop being dictated my how others want to play this game, and start playing it for myself.


    *******************************


    In the court of the Vampire Kingdom, the four generals gathered together share a sense of anxiety.


    Ignis: ¡°Well, why do you think the queen called us here?¡±


    Aquarius: ¡°I would guess it has something to do with the discussion they had while we were not here.¡±


    Ignis: ¡°Oh yeah, we still haven¡¯t been filled in on what exactly they discussed that led Barry and that other ghost to rush out of here?¡±


    As both talk, the other two generals sit in their usual seats silently like they always do. Ignis and Aquarius start feeling uneasy in that atmosphere and so turn towards them.


    Ignis: ¡°Hey, you two, don¡¯t you have anything to say? Aren¡¯t you worried or anything?¡±


    Aquarius: ¡°Actually Gaiz, Achlyz, I¡¯m really worried about that too. What do you two think of this?¡±


    As the two are questioned, they look at each other without saying anything as they both close their eyes.


    Ignis: ¡°Barry told us to contact him and after the queen did, she immediately told us to gather here to tell us something important. Come on, Gaiz, isn¡¯t there anything in all of this you find suspicious?¡±


    Ignis asks the man sitting beside him in the arrangement of royal chairs, Gaiz.


    Gaiz: ¡°There actually is something that¡¯s been bothering me for a while now.¡±


    Ignis: ¡°Oh? Of course there would be. What is it?¡±


    Gaiz: ¡°The fact that the queen and Reid looked extremely distressed when they were walking down the corridor.¡±


    Ignis: ¡°Huh?¡±


    Ignis becomes more anxious than before.


    Achlyz: ¡°I and Gaiz saw them walking down the corridor talking so we thought we would leave them be, but then we noticed that they looked like they had seen a ghost.¡±


    Achlyz, who sits in front of Gaiz and beside Aquarius, speaks next.


    Aquarius: ¡°Is that so?¡±


    They wonder what that could mean. There can be countless reasons for it, but just as they were about to throw in their guesses, the door to the court opens,


    Valdis: ¡°I see you have all assembled like I told you to.¡±


    The four generals immediately stand up and bow to the queen. They notice Reid a little distance behind her not saying anything.


    Valdis: ¡°Well, you can raise your heads now.¡±


    Hearing that, the four stand straight and look at the queen.


    Valdis: ¡°First of all, I have something to tell you ¨C something very important.¡±


    As soon as she says that, Reid moves to the front and hands them identical books of brown covering.


    Reid: ¡°This is one of the artifacts of The Psychic Library.¡±


    All generals: ¡°What!¡±


    The Psychic Library is a place impossible to get to. Yet Reid has brought artifacts from there? They don¡¯t understand how.


    Valdis: ¡°To be more precise, these are copies of a particular artifact from the library. It is the book on Vermillion¡¯s long-history.¡±


    Vermillion has existed from a long time. They were formed when Ozyllus was just a kid. And this book has their whole history. It is, by every means, an invaluable artifact.


    Valdis: ¡°I would like you all to read it and see for yourself what we saw.¡±


    Hearing that, the four generals bow to her in acceptance. But then,


    Aquarius: ¡°If I may, your highness?¡±


    Valdis: ¡°Yes, go on.¡±


    Valdis gets surprised to hear Aquarius asking her a question, but she allows him to ask nonetheless.


    Aquarius: ¡°Has he read it?¡±


    Valdis: ¡°Specify.¡±


    Aquarius: ¡°Yes, I¡¯m sorry. Has our strategist read it?¡±


    Aquarius specifies his question just like Valdis asked him to. But that made the question much harder to answer than it was before.


    Valdis: ¡°Well ¡­¡±


    Valdis pauses in-between her sentence. The silence continues, but just when Ignis is about to reprimand Aquarius for asking a difficult question like that, Reid looks at the queen.


    Reid: ¡°Your highness, I don¡¯t mean to overstep my authority here, but I think that¡¯s a question they need to know the answer of.¡±


    It¡¯s true. Every single person in the court should know the answer to that. They are the highest authority after Valdis in the kingdom after all.


    Valdis: ¡°Yes, he has read it.¡±


    And the queen understands and respects that sentiment.


    Valdis: ¡°In fact, he is the one who told me to read it after sending me eight copies of the book.¡±


    Eight copies? All the generals as well as Reid wonder as this is the first time any of them have heard of it.


    Valdis: ¡°It was one each for me, Barry, Reid, the four of you and ¡­ Ro.¡±


    Aquarius: ¡°Ro?¡±


    Ignis: ¡°But he didn¡¯t know Ro was going to be here, did he?¡±


    Valdis: ¡°I think he did. After all, he labeled the books with our names on them.¡±


    The four take a look at their books and find that there is indeed their name slips attached to the books.


    Ignis: ¡°But ¡­ that would mean that he saw all of this coming?¡±


    Valdis: ¡°Well, looks that way. Seems our strategist is not lacking in information on any part. Well, that¡¯s somewhat good to know.¡±


    The key word in her sentence is ¡®somewhat¡¯. Even though he is the man her kingdom¡¯s plans are dependent on, no one in the whole kingdom trusts him. It¡¯s not something like Barry¡¯s case where some trust him and some don¡¯t or something like Reid¡¯s case where his group likes and trusts him but a lot of others don¡¯t. In the strategist¡¯s case, no one, not even Valdis, trusts him. Why is he still their strategist? Only they can tell.


    *******************************


    In the darkness of The Cage, the ghost of once-godly powerful psychic Ozyllus keeps floating. He knows he doesn¡¯t have enough time. He knows, with the way things are going, Kais is soon going to figure things out. So he needs to hurry and finish what he came to do.


    Ozyllus: ¡°But man, that bastard is nowhere to be found!¡±


    He is not floating without any direction. He is constantly pushing himself to go deeper and deeper in The Cage. He does so to find the devil living there.


    Ozyllus: ¡°Well, not that I want to see his face though.¡±


    But he needs to. That¡¯s the situation this godly-power has fallen into. Or maybe that¡¯s just how out-of-control this situation is.


    When he entered the place, he made Kais¡¯ consciousness return so that he himself could get as much free-time as he can to get to this demon. If his consciousness had been in The Cage then, being that this place is part of his mind, it wouldn¡¯t be easy for Ozyllus to get to his target.


    And so to bring about the current situation, Ozyllus introduced himself to make Kais picture all the stories related to Ozyllus. Then he just connected his own knowledge to Kais¡¯ so he could fill all the gaps in those stories. This allowed him to connect with his mind, after which it was child¡¯s play for him to eject him out of The Cage. It was a done through a perfect mix of mind-control and energy manipulation.


    Ozyllus: ¡°That said, now he will start figuring things out a lot quicker.¡±


    Even if just for a moment, Kais did come in contact with all the knowledge Ozyllus has, so all of it is stored in his subconscious. And now, while he wouldn¡¯t suddenly know everything, he would definitely make progress lot faster than he did before. Hence, Ozyllus only has the amount of time it will take for Kais to figure out everything and push Ozyllus out of his mind.


    Ozyllus: ¡°Oh damn it! Where are you?¡±


    Abyss: ¡°Stop shouting!¡±


    Ozyllus recognizes the voice as soon as he hears it and a smile forms on his face.


    Ozyllus: ¡°Guess I don¡¯t need to worry about all that now.¡±


    Ozyllus¡¯ body keeps going deeper and deeper in the darkness till he finally sees another body floating there. That is when he finds his target.


    Ozyllus: ¡°Been a while, hasn¡¯t it Abyss?¡±


    Ozyllus asks the question to the figure that was once king of all demons and had brought upon Ozyllus¡¯ demise.


    Abyss: ¡°Yes, indeed. It has been a while.¡±


    In the legends that people use to refer to Ozyllus as ¡®god¡¯, they refer to Abyss as ¡®the devil¡¯. So, once could say this is the meeting of the incarnation of good and the incarnation of evil.


    Fortunately or unfortunately, things aren¡¯t that simple.


    *******************************

 Chapter 23: A Precious Past

    In a city that had never seen a disaster, there was still uneasiness in its peace. The cause for this uneasiness was ¨C


    Barry: ¡°We ready to go?¡±


    The 20-year-old psychic asked his 8-year-old brother.


    Kais: ¡°Yeah.¡±


    He nodded with a smile. The two were not at their home but at the home of their parents. Their parents were afraid of their powers and so had decided to not live in the same house as them. Kais, however, was not aware of that.


    Mother: ¡°Okay dear, I see you two are ready to go. Please be careful on your way back.¡±


    Both brothers nodded to their mother¡¯s words. These words were nothing more than a forgery put up by her to look like a genuinely caring mother to Kais.


    Father: ¡°Yeah, if you want, I can drop you at the station.¡±


    Another sentence came full of falsehood. But Kais, not knowing the truth, started to smile wanting to ask him to do so. And so,


    Barry: ¡°No need. We¡¯ll manage on our own.¡±


    Barry denied him immediately.


    *******************************


    After they left and were in a taxi that was driving towards the train station, Barry looked at Kais and said,


    Barry: ¡°I know you wanted them to come drop us, but just think about it. It would be really troublesome for them to leave their work just for us, wouldn¡¯t it?¡±


    Kais: ¡°Oh yeah, then why did they offer in the place?¡±


    Kais asked while pouting as Barry sighed.


    Barry: ¡°Because they are our parents. Of course they would try to look out for us even if it meant ¡­¡±


    He stopped mid-way, irritated. But then continued,


    Barry: ¡°Hurting their schedule.¡±


    Kais looked down not sure how to retort to that. On the other hand, Barry tried to stop the frustration from showing on his face. He was utterly disgusted by his parents and himself trying to lie to Kais as if those two really cared about him at all. If they did, they wouldn¡¯t run away leaving their kids like that.


    When they first left the house, Barry was in high-school first year. From that day, they used to send money to two boys monthly for them to take care of the finances. And so, there was no shortage of money for their daily needs. And for Barry who had come to the age where he would want some freedom and privacy, it wasn¡¯t a bad thing. But Kais was just a small child. And they left him in his care just because they were afraid of them. Barry would never forgive them for that.


    Kais: ¡°You okay, big brother?¡±


    He realized that the anger on his face is causing Kais worry. He calmed himself down and patted Kais¡¯ head.


    Barry: ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine. Don¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    Just at that moment, the taxi took a sudden break.


    Barry: ¡°Wh-What happened, driver?¡±


    Driver: ¡°T-there¡¯s some kind of animal outside. It c-came out of nowhere and suddenly blocked the road.¡±


    Barry peaked outside the car screen and saw a black, riveting jackal blocking the path.


    Kais: ¡°I-is that a wild animal?¡±


    For a moment, there was silence.


    Barry didn¡¯t say anything as he looked at the jackal.


    The driver didn¡¯t say anything as he looked at the jackal.


    Kais didn¡¯t say anything as he looked at the jackal.


    The jackal didn¡¯t make any noise as he looked at them. And then,


    Barry: ¡°Sorry about this.¡±


    He said as he put his hand to the driver¡¯s head and hypnotized him to sleep.


    Kais: ¡°W-what¡¯s going on?¡±


    Barry: ¡°Kais, stay in the car. That thing is a supernatural creature, most likely a spirit.¡±


    Barry stepped out of the car seeing Kais nod.


    Kais: ¡°Um ¡­ be careful, okay?¡±


    Barry: ¡°Yeah.¡±


    He said while facing the jackal as he walked towards it. The jackal just stared at Barry with an aggressive expression.


    Barry: ¡°You don¡¯t look like a very powerful spirit. But I will give it you, you seem cunning.¡±


    As he said that, he raised his hand till it was pointing at the spirit. Then, he raised his hands more, but this time the spirit also started levitating in the air.


    Kais: ¡°Is he using Psychokinesis? That looks like it, but ¡­¡±


    Barry: ¡°I see. So it is as I thought, you have no will to fight.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Huh?¡±


    Barry brought the jackal-like spirit down to the ground and leaned against the car. They were in a deserted area. But in the daytime, some people would pass by there. So, a little crowd has started to gather near them. Barry put a hand up to his forehead and said,


    Barry: ¡°Sleep.¡±


    With that, he hypnotized everyone in the radius of 100m into sleep. Suddenly, he heard some ruffling noise in the bushes beside the road.


    Barry: ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡±


    He asked as he saw a person¡¯s silhouette sneak through in the bushes. They must have been hiding there silently but Barry¡¯s hypnotization caused them to break the silence. Still, someone skilled enough to hide themselves from Barry can be pretty troublesome. This was Barry¡¯s thought process as he walked towards the bushes and spotted a girl.


    Barry: ¡°Ah, wait!¡±


    She had blonde-hair and from the looks of it, she was of Kais¡¯ age. But she wasn¡¯t a psychic. He could tell this from the fact that psychic energy in nowhere to be found in her aura.


    Barry: ¡°I get it.¡±


    The girl looked up at Barry in disdain.


    Barry: ¡°You are a spirit-user, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    She clicked her tongue as she barely kept herself from falling asleep. The fact that she was able to fend off Barry¡¯s hypnotization for so long even though she was just a child was a testament to how greatly talented she was. In fact, Barry surmised that she might have the potential to be at the level among spirit-users as Barry is among the psychics.


    Barry: ¡°Well, might as well stop that.¡±


    He dismissed the hypnotization on her. Realizing that she was no longer feeling drowsy, she moved back swiftly to get away from Barry.


    Barry: ¡°Not so fast.¡±


    He said as he stopped her in her tracks by controlling her legs with Psychokinesis.


    Barry: ¡°Well then, this might be rude but ¡­¡±


    Barry, on the judgment that she wouldn¡¯t tell him her name if he asks; he pried into her mind to find it.


    Barry: ¡°I see. Well, Ms. Sona, might I ask you what you are doing here?¡±


    Sona: ¡°H-How do you know my name?¡±Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    Barry: ¡°My question came first.¡±


    Sona: ¡°Tch!¡±


    She tried to break free from his Psychokinesis ¨C to no avail. Kais stepped out of the car and walked towards where they were.


    Barry: ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you not to come out of the car?¡±


    He said in a rather mild tone as he didn¡¯t sense any real threat around them.


    Kais: ¡°Yeah, but that girl-¡±


    Barry: ¡°You know her?¡±


    Kais turned towards Sona as he answered.


    Kais: ¡°I have seen this girl before. She ¡­ goes to the same school I do and ¡­ she is also the daughter of the principal of our school. So ¡­¡±


    Barry: ¡°I-I get it.¡±


    Barry immediately released her from his control. As she fell to the ground, she looked at Kais with hostile intent.


    Sona: ¡°Tch! So it¡¯s my family name that saved me here too.¡±


    She muttered under her breath. Unfortunately for her, the two psychics were capable of hearing that. Fortunately for her, they acted like they didn¡¯t.


    Barry: ¡°So you mind telling us what¡¯s going?¡±


    Barry asked. Sona looked at him while calming down and said,


    Sona: ¡°Nothing much. My spirit just started to not follow my commands is all.¡±


    Barry looked back at the jackal-like spirit and the girl and then sighed,


    Barry: ¡°Well now, we can¡¯t have a spirit-user like that running around, can we?¡±


    *******************************


    Twelve and a half years later, on an island detached from the rest of the world, the spirit-user comes back to consciousness.


    As soon as she wakes up, she sees Ethan Kales and Sneha Stone look at her while Barry, Ro and the dragon lay unconscious.


    Sona: ¡°W-what¡¯s going on?¡±


    Sneha: ¡°Illusion and hypnotization was used to put us to sleep so he could get away. Or so this man says.¡±


    As soon as Sona hears that, she remembers the darkness that had engulfed them whole. So, it was just an illusion and a little bit of hypnotization, huh? She thinks so feeling relieved.


    Ethan: ¡°While it¡¯s good to see you are relieved and all, could you answer some of my questions?¡±


    Sona: ¡°Huh?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°I didn¡¯t really think a spirit-user would be here. My plans are kinda disturbed because of that.¡±


    It¡¯s true. He never accounted for a spirit-user to be on the island. In fact, she is the only one he doesn¡¯t know anything about except the clear bloodlust she feels towards the dragon.


    Sona: ¡°Hmm ¡­ so you are telling me everything else is happening according to your plan?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°More or less.¡±


    Sneha looked at Ethan with a look of ¡®are you sure telling her that is a good idea?¡¯ Ethan looked back at her with a smile indicating ¡®it¡¯s fine.¡¯


    Sona: ¡°Well, so Kais coming here is obviously also part of your plan, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Um ¡­ yeah, I guess.¡±


    Sona: ¡°Well now, that means my own plans got disturbed because of your plans. I would say that evens us out.¡±


    Ethan smiles after hearing the answer.


    Sona: ¡°What? Did I say something funny?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°You didn¡¯t. I just realized that I underestimated you. I thought since your goal, from what it seems to me, is to kill the dragon; you will try to bring us to your side to help you with that.¡±


    Sona: ¡°And so things didn¡¯t go as you thought they would. Why¡¯s that a reason for you to smile?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Don¡¯t you see? I took you for a boring person but you are not. I am just thrilled anticipating what twists you, an unseen factor for me, will bring to the table.¡±


    She gets irritated by him as she says,


    Sona: ¡°What is all that supposed to mean? Is this all a game to you?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Yes, precisely.¡±


    He doesn¡¯t waste a second in giving that answer. For Sona, who had devoted all her life to finding a way to kill the dragon and escaping, this sounded like a mockery at her.


    Sona: ¡°You ¡­¡±


    But just as she tries to reprimand him, Ethan¡¯s next words come in,


    Ethan: ¡°You are monstrously powerful people who can wipe someone like me out within seconds. A hundred of me wouldn¡¯t stand a chance against one of you.¡±


    Sona stays silent as she sees a despaired smile on his face.


    Ethan: ¡°So how the hell else can I be sane unless I treat it like a game?¡±


    Sona has nothing to say to that. She understands very well that people suffer in life in different ways because of different circumstances and unless two people share a similarity in their circumstances, they can¡¯t understand each other¡¯s pain. She now realized that Ethan wasn¡¯t mocking her by treating this ordeal as a game, so she would not say anything to mock him either. And so,


    Sneha: ¡°Anyway, would you two mind getting to the topic?¡±


    They turn towards Sneha who stood a little distance away from both of them, leaning on a tree.


    Ethan: ¡°And what, exactly, was the topic?¡±


    Ethan asks with a smile. Sneha sighs.


    Sneha: ¡°How are we proceeding from this situation?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Oh yeah, so Ms. Sona, was it? Us two are working together but we have different goals. And we are willing to join up with you as well. So, before we talk about our goals, I just wanted to ask, are you willing to work together if everything favors you?¡±


    Sona has realized by this point that Ethan Kales is the same person that little girl was talking about. She had also once considered working with him to defeat the dragon. The problem, however is ¨C


    Sona: ¡°I can¡¯t really say.¡±


    Her goal to kill the dragon is something that could put her in danger even by mentioning it. But without mentioning each other¡¯s goals, they obviously wouldn¡¯t want to form an alliance. So she is in a difficult situation.


    Ethan: ¡°Well, I guess we should move on if that¡¯s the case.¡±


    Sona: ¡°Huh?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°So my goal here is to drag Kais into this war that¡¯s going on right now.¡±


    A silence follows to which,


    Ethan: ¡°No comments?¡±


    Sneha: ¡°I don¡¯t even know what to say to you anymore. By just what incredible logic did you figure that outright telling her your goal was the best thing to do?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Well, not much of a logical choice, was it?¡±


    Ethan starts giggling as if to say he didn¡¯t think about it much. But Sona realizes what he was aiming for when he said that. By saying his goal like that, he put pressure on her who is to say what her goal is next.


    Sona: ¡°Ah ¡­¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Well then, do you have a goal other than killing the dragon?¡±


    Here is where the problem begins. Her other goal that only became important after coming to the island, it¡¯s something that interferes with his goal. But if she says she won¡¯t tell them what it is, it won¡¯t be that hard for him to start guessing it. If he hadn¡¯t said his goal outright like he did, there¡¯d be no reason for her to look suspicious when she decides to keep a little privacy. But now that has changed.


    Sona: ¡°Well?¡±


    She turns to her last resort out of the situation as she turns towards Sneha. If Sneha decided to not say what her goal is, there¡¯d be no point in Sona worrying over the things she was worrying about. Understanding the meaning of the gaze, Sneha sighs.


    Sneha: ¡°My goal is to go inside the tomb for ¡­ personal reasons. I think taking out the dragon would probably help in that so I am willing to join forces as well.¡±


    Now she is in a pinch. She could just say that her only goal is to kill the dragon. But if she does say that, she would have to act like she is completely okay with everything they are doing until the dragon is killed. By that point, it might be too late for her to accomplish her other task.


    Sneha: ¡°So then, what¡¯s your other goal?¡±


    The both of them look at her as she tries to come up with the best possible answer she can give.


    Sona: ¡°Well, I ¡­¡±


    At this point, the only thing she can use is her reply to Ethan¡¯s first question.


    Sona: ¡°Can¡¯t join you.¡±


    And so she does.


    Ethan: ¡°That¡¯s something.¡±


    He smiles. When he asked if she would join them provided nothing came in her way, her answer was ¡®I can¡¯t say¡¯. There was no reason to not say ¡®yes¡¯ but if she had done that, denying the alliance now would mean that something in what the two of them said comes in between her and her goal. Because she didn¡¯t say yes, it¡¯s not that easy to start guessing what her other goal might be.


    Ethan: ¡°I guess that call¡¯s off the negotiations. Well then, neither of us is in the mood for pointless violence and I don¡¯t think you would want that either. So let¡¯s just get back to our situations for now.¡±


    Sona stands up after nodding. The three of them look at the other three lying unconscious. They look vulnerable even though all three of them are probably on par if not stronger than Sneha.


    Sona: ¡°Well, that¡¯s that.¡±


    Sona decided she would leave and starts walking towards the forest. Before going in, she takes a glance backwards as she spots Barry. She remembers both Barry and Kais very well but she doesn¡¯t know if either of them remembers her. With that, she disappears in the forest. After which,


    Sneha: ¡°I thought you had nothing to gain from all of this.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Yeah, dragging Kais in all this doesn¡¯t benefit me in the slightest after all. But I still have to do it.¡±


    He said with a fading smile.


    *******************************


    A dozen years earlier, there was an innocent, easily-trusting, honest boy who could use psychic abilities. And he had a friend who could control spirits.


    Kais: ¡°So how did it go?¡±


    Sona: ¡°Like it always goes. I am gonna get a 100 out of 100 on this one.¡±


    Kais: ¡°That¡¯s not like it always goes.¡±


    Sona: ¡°Eh! Scoring in range of 90s is pretty much like getting a 100, you know.¡±


    To energetic voice of the girl, the boy replied with a bored expression,


    Kais: ¡°If you say so.¡±


    They had the last of their final exams on that day. One was capable of peeking into everyone¡¯s minds and finding out the answer to every question without being caught. The other was capable of using small spirits to take a look at other¡¯s answer sheets. Both could easily score a 100 if they wanted to, but neither of them relied on this power of theirs when it came to studying. This was partly because both were good at it by themselves and partly because ¡®some 20-year-old¡¯ always tells them to not cheat using their abilities.


    Sona: ¡°So do you have any plans?¡±


    That was the last day of that academic year for them. So from that day, they had a little vacation to enjoy.


    Kais: ¡°Not particularly. Barry said he wanted to take me to some place, but the name of the place is being kept a secret from me.¡±


    Sona: ¡°Oh really?¡±


    Kais: ¡°Well, he said it¡¯s an island. I don¡¯t know anything other than that.¡±


    Sona: ¡°Hmm, that sounds interesting. Looks like you¡¯ll be having fun.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Maybe, but what about you? Didn¡¯t you say you were going to go somewhere?¡±


    Sona: ¡°Oh yeah, now that I think about it, we are kinda in a similar situation.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Huh, how?¡±


    Sona: ¡°My parents want to take me to some place too. And the name of the place is also being kept a secret from me.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Oh, I see.¡±


    Sona: ¡°The only problem here is ... I am not so confident any place they¡¯d be taking me will be any fun at all.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Well, I¡¯m not sure an island would be very fun for me either.¡±


    Sona: ¡°Oh come on, an island is a great place for a vacation.¡±


    Kais: ¡°I don¡¯t really agree.¡±


    The two continued their bickering as they kept walking towards their homes. Kais continued with his unmotivated tone and Sona continued with her cheerful one. Even though the two had only truly come to know each other about six months before that day, they looked like childhood friends.


    Sona: ¡°Well, I guess it¡¯s bye-bye for now.¡±


    She says as they reach an interjection from which both had to take different routes.


    Kais: ¡°Yeah, bye.¡±


    They lived in a very well-kept half-urban city. Surprisingly enough, there were a lot of greenery and the atmosphere was clean. That said though, there was no place for either of the two children to want to spend their vacation there. Seeing that, guardians of the both of them had decided to take them on vacations.


    Both of them, regardless of how they tried to make their vacation plans seem uninteresting, were eagerly awaiting that vacation. Both wondered where they would be taken. Both wondered what they would do there. Neither of them had any idea that the next day would be the worst day of their lives.


    Kais had no idea that the next day, he would see his brother massacring thousands in front of his eyes and then kill Barry himself.


    Sona had no idea that she would see everything she had taken from her; destroyed by the likes of that dragon and find herself unable to do anything.


    Neither of them knew that would be the last day they would meet each other before coming to the island 12 years later.


    *******************************

 Chapter 24: Archive

    It¡¯s been two hours since I escaped from the beach. By this point, at least some of them would have regained consciousness. And whoever would wake up would be left alone with Ethan until another wakes up. As dangerous as a situation that can be for their minds, I think everyone on the island knows enough to not trust Ethan. So it should be fine. At least that¡¯s what I have to tell myself or I¡¯ll never be able to concentrate on what I am doing.


    Ever since I remembered that my demonic side had taken control back then, I have tried to probe into my own memories. Without a doubt, there are gaps in my memory. I feel like I came to know a lot of things for a moment and then forgot them. Which is, needless to say, only possible when ridiculous amount of power is used to make me forget.


    Kais: ¡°Well, it¡¯s not all that surprising though.¡±


    Something like this is a pretty normal tactics for psychics, in fact. Since most psychics try to hide their identities from others, erasing people¡¯s memories in case they get found out is a common practice among psychics. Pretty much every psychic on the planet would know how to erase someone else¡¯s memories.


    Kais: ¡°That said,¡±


    It¡¯s not like this comes without a price. In fact, there¡¯s a pretty hefty price. The amount of energy used to go into specific parts of another person¡¯s brain to erase a part of their memory is really significant. And if you try to replace those memories with false ones then the price almost doubles up. No half-psychic has this ability because the amount of energy it requires is more than any half-psychic can muster.


    Kais: ¡°But I wonder, for someone like him, will it really be that big a deal?¡±


    Surely it¡¯s not like Barry wouldn¡¯t be even a little exhausted after that, but still, the amount of psychic energy he possesses is much larger than normal. If he had used it in time, he would even have been able to easily see through my illusion. Maybe his mind was more exhausted because of other things that he didn¡¯t think of it all being an illusion. Or maybe because he is a ghost, there has been a change in a few of his capabilities.


    Kais: ¡°Well, looks like time is up for that.¡±


    While I was thinking all this, I had been walking towards ¡®a particular place¡¯ on the island. Now that I have reached there, I need to put other thoughts on hold.


    Kais: ¡°Okay then,¡±


    This ¡®particular place¡¯ happens to be the other side of the island. From what I could gauge from my abilities, this side is as far from the tomb as the side where I first opened my eyes on. SO the tomb is exactly in the middle on this axis.


    Well, finding that wasn¡¯t really the main goal for coming here though. The goal was to find an inconsistency within the legend.


    Kais: ¡°And it looks like I found one.¡±


    The legend has mention of a pond near the tomb, but there isn¡¯t one. That¡¯s something that can¡¯t just be glossed over. So I tried to see whether I find it if I followed this direction. And I did.


    There¡¯s a pond near the point where the island ends. This side is not a beach and is in fact covered with grass everywhere. The point the grassy lands end, the sea starts. And this is a major reason why I specifically chose this direction to come to rather than any other direction I hadn¡¯t been in.


    With my aura reading, I could sense sand in all other directions other than this one. In this direction, all I could sense was grassy lands. And the highest chances for a pond existing is where sand isn¡¯t.


    ???: ¡°Well would you look at that. The first person to come here is you.¡±


    A sighing voice came. I turn in all direction to find who is talking but there¡¯s no one. I use aura reading but can¡¯t pick up any aura other than mine and ¡­ a fish¡¯s.


    Kais: ¡°No way. I can¡¯t possibly be talking to a fish right now?¡±


    I am probably frowning right about now.


    Fish: ¡°You have a problem with talking to fishes?¡±


    An angry sounding voice came from the pond.


    Kais: ¡°¡­¡±


    Fish: ¡°What?¡±


    This is just another level of weird and I have no response to give to this.


    Fish: ¡°Uh, whatever! You better listen since you are not talking.¡±


    The fish comes to the surface of the pond. It¡¯s golden (like every other creature on the island). But there is something different about this creature. And I mean other than the fact that it can talk, its aura feels like that of a psychic.


    Fish: ¡°I am what you would call an ¡®archive¡¯.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Archive?¡±


    I believe that¡¯s a term used for non-living things.


    Fish: ¡°Archive of the psychics.¡±


    Even if you say that, I won¡¯t know what it means. From what I know about the pond from the legend of the island, it¡¯s just supposed to exist. There is no real significance to it. It¡¯s just something that is mentioned in the background. This is probably why both I and Sona subconsciously or consciously ignored the fact it¡¯s not there. But the legend might be incomplete. Or there could be legends related to that pond I haven¡¯t heard. That was my reasoning in deciding to find it, but I would have never expected something like this.


    Fish: ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Is there seriously nothing you have to say to that?¡±


    Kais: ¡°That¡¯s not the case, it¡¯s just ¡­¡±


    Fish: ¡°Just?¡±


    Kais: ¡°Just ¡­ your aura is that of a psychic and it¡¯s really bugging me how?


    Fish: ¡°It¡¯s because I am a psychic.¡±


    That¡¯s not the point. From what I know, only humans should be capable of being psychics.


    Kais: ¡°Yeah, I figured that. And I also understand that the reason you can speak is also because you¡¯re a psychic. But how can a fish be a psychic?¡±


    Fish: ¡°I am little offended by that, but anyway, the man who ruled over this island decided that he would perform an experiment to see if a creature other than humans can harness psychic abilities and I was his answer.¡±


    It replies in a matter-of-fact tone. And well, her answer sounds logical but,


    Kais: ¡°The man who ruled over this island, huh. How many years ago did this happen?¡±


    Fish: ¡°I haven¡¯t been counting years so I don¡¯t know exactly but it was probably about a thousand years ago.¡±


    Wait! Thousand years! That means ¨C


    Kais: ¡°I ¡­ see. So when you said the man who ruled over this island, you meant ¨C¡±


    She probably is talking about ¨C


    Fish: ¡°Yeah, I meant Ozyllus.¡±


    *******************************


    Abyss: ¡°How¡¯s it going, god?¡±


    -came the voice of devil in a sarcastic manner while the owner of it looked Ozyllus in the eye as both of them keep floating in Kais¡¯ consciousness.


    Ozyllus: ¡°Well, since you don¡¯t really seem like in a very friendly mood, let¡¯s get to the point.¡±


    Abyss: ¡°I agree. So why did you come here?¡±


    Ozyllus: ¡°Well, the first reason is to ask you why you are in this boy¡¯s mind.¡±If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Abyss: ¡°It¡¯s because he has the most potential as a psychic out of all the living creatures. And so I would be able to absorb more energy from him than anyone else.¡±


    Ozyllus: ¡°True. The second reason is to ask you to leave this boy¡¯s body.¡±


    Abyss: ¡°Denied. That¡¯s not happening.¡±


    Ozyllus sighs. The two have said all they have said with straight faces looking like they are completely indifferent to what their conversation is all about.


    Ozyllus: ¡°The third reason is to ask you to not show yourself in front of others too much if leaving his body is not possible.¡±


    Abyss: ¡°It¡¯s not like I have been parading myself. I have only taken over his body three times by now.¡±


    Ozyllus: ¡°Three times, you say?¡±


    Abyss: ¡°Yeah, what about it?¡±


    Ozyllus: ¡°I know you took over his body once to kill Barry and that you did it recently when he was about to face everyone else on the island.¡±


    Abyss: ¡°And you want to know when the other time was?¡±


    Ozyllus: ¡°I do.¡±


    Abyss: ¡°Well, let¡¯s see. Two half-psychic morons and a stupid Aural woman were trying to kidnap him and bring him to this island. I took over his body to send him to sleep when he got hit by that woman so he can¡¯t resist. I did act as if I was sleeping so they wouldn¡¯t have known something like that happened.¡±


    Ozyllus: ¡°I see. He too has no idea that happened, which is why I wasn¡¯t able to find this in his memories.¡±


    Abyss: ¡°Yeah, yeah, that¡¯s all fine and all. Now leave if there¡¯s nothing else.¡±


    Ozyllus: ¡°Man, you sure seem hostile today.¡±


    Abyss: ¡°When have I not been hostile to you?¡±


    Ozyllus: ¡°When we first met.¡±


    Abyss: ¡°That was only because I didn¡¯t know who you were.¡±


    Ozyllus: ¡°That¡¯s fair. I guess we did become sworn enemies later on.¡±


    Abyss: ¡°Yes, we did. Now get out of here.¡±


    With the hostility not dropping and irritation rising, Abyss gives Ozyllus a threatening glare. Seemingly unaffected though,


    Ozyllus: ¡°You know; I am curious about why you even answered my questions.¡±


    Abyss: ¡°Because I didn¡¯t think someone like you could do me any harm even if I were to answer them.¡±


    Ozyllus: ¡°Really? That¡¯s all.¡±


    Abyss: ¡°That¡¯s all.¡±


    Ozyllus: ¡°A little hard to believe.¡±


    Abyss: ¡°I don¡¯t care if you believe it or not.¡±


    Ozyllus: ¡°Fine, fine, I am leaving. Besides, it¡¯s not our era to fight anymore. It¡¯s theirs.¡±


    Abyss: ¡°Theirs, huh?¡±


    Abyss¡¯s eyebrows twitch on hearing the word.


    Ozyllus: ¡°Yeah, I have sent the man with Eyes of Truth to destroy the boy you are inheriting. At least try to challenge him, okay?¡±


    Abyss: ¡°Cheap provocation.¡±


    Ozyllus: ¡°Obviously it is. I am not nearly as good as you in the art of provocation after all, devil.¡±


    Having returned the sarcasm, Ozyllus decided to leave Kais¡¯ consciousness. Unfortunately for him, something unexpected has happened and he would no longer be able to do so. Unknowingly of that, he floats while pushing his body to reach out of The Cage ¨C the cage that binds the devil.


    *******************************


    Ethan: ¡°You are pretty defenseless right now, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    -Is the first thing Barry hears when he opens his eyes.


    Barry: ¡°Defenseless, you say?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Yeah, could¡¯ve tortured the heck out of you.¡±


    Barry gets up to come to a sitting position as he sees Ethan and Sneha sitting on different rocks both staring at him with different expressions. Sneha seemed like she was fed up with something while Ethan was smiling.


    Barry: ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you use the opportunity?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Well, fortunately or unfortunately, I don¡¯t derive any pleasure from physically torturing someone.¡±


    The key word ¨C physically.


    Barry: That¡¯s something I probably didn¡¯t need to know.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Really, isn¡¯t any information about your enemy helpful?¡±


    Barry: ¡°Not really, at least not in my opinion.¡±


    Ethan sighs as Barry gets up on his feet. He notices that the dragon and Ro are still unconscious. He sighs as well.


    Ethan: ¡°I am guessing you have already figured out what happened back there.¡±


    Barry: ¡°Yeah, I have. The kid sure has grown up ¡­ a little.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Is that the face of a big brother I am seeing?¡±


    Barry gives no answer but instead turns to look at the sky and the sun which is going to set in a couple of hours.


    Ghosts have a tendency to appear blurry. This is not their natural appearance but an appearance they intentionally create whenever they meet anyone to give the false impression of it being their natural appearance. But now that someone with Eyes of Truth is seeing him, his real appearance becomes clear.


    Ethan: ¡°Hmm ¡­ not bad.¡±


    He has black hair, fair skin, blue eyes ¨C in other words, his facial features are a lot like Kais¡¯.


    Ethan: ¡°You two do look similar after all.¡±


    Barry: ¡°Somehow we do, even though we aren¡¯t really related.¡±


    Ethan stands up while also looking at the sky. Seeing this,


    Sneha: ¡°Well, Barry ¨C you have heard of Aurals, haven¡¯t you?¡±


    Barry: ¡°Yeah, I know who you are.¡±


    Barry skips to answering the question that Sneha would have asked after he had answered with yes.


    Barry: ¡°People who use Aura as a power source instead of psychic energy are called Aurals. You are one of them. Obviously I know at least that much.¡±


    Sneha: ¡°Well, that¡¯s good to hear because my next question is ¨C do you know who I am?¡±


    This question is more specific than the previous one and Barry understands that.


    Barry: ¡°Hm.¡±


    He smirks.


    Barry: ¡°You were trained in Aural Arts ever since you were a kid. You were a genius and had surpassed many of your teachers even though as a little kid, and were about to reach the final stage of your training when one day a disaster struck 12 years ago. ¡®Someone¡¯ committed a massacre, and among those killed were your teachers and peers. After that, you were left all alone in the world.¡±


    -Needless to say who that ¡®someone¡¯ was.


    Sneha: ¡°So you have the guts to say all that right in front of me.¡±


    Barry: ¡°It¡¯s not about guts. It¡¯s about the fact that I know that, for whatever reason, you have no hostile intent towards me.¡±


    Sneha sighs.


    Sneha: ¡°Well, I guess I can accept that answer.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Well then, if you are done, you might want to take a look at this.¡±


    He says as he points at the dragon. The two look at the direction he is pointing but don¡¯t see anything out of ordinary.


    Barry: ¡°What? Is there something wrong with him?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Try touching him.¡±


    Barry moves closer cautiously and does as Ethan said to, only to find that ¨C


    Barry: ¡°What the hell! This is sand.¡±


    He finds that the thing that looked like the dragon¡¯s body lying unconscious was actually a lump of sand colored into looking like his body by some unknown means and the real body was nowhere to be found.


    Sneha: ¡°Wait, sand? That means ¡­¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Yeah, he is not here. But he¡¯s trying to deceive us into thinking he is.¡±


    Sneha: ¡°Then where is he?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°This is a guess but probably somewhere inside the forest. And he is doing something for which he needs to deceive us.¡±


    He says as his grin grows wider.


    *******************************


    I find myself in the middle of the forest as I keep following the aura of the person I need to find right now.


    Kais: ¡°I am close.¡±


    I can sense the distance is much less than what it initially was. Meeting the golden fish helped me understand a few things. One of them is that I need the help of this person.


    ???: ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡±


    I hear the voice I have heard enough times to recognize it by sound. It belongs to the person I am after.


    Kais: ¡°It¡¯s me.¡±


    I come out of the thick forest into a little gap where she could see me. Seeing my face, she doesn¡¯t drop her guard though.


    Sona: ¡°You sure like to spy on people from bushes.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Very funny. Might I ask for you to stop trying to summon a spirit right now?¡±


    She looks me in the eye with clear suspicion and her one hand is already in a pose as if she¡¯s summoning something.


    Sona: ¡°There¡¯s not much reason for me to trust you, you know. And my energy is completely restored now so I can summon any of my spirits. Right now, you better don¡¯t make any suspicious moves.¡±


    I can tell that¡¯s a genuine threat.


    Kais: ¡°Well, as you say.¡±


    And so I raise my hands as if I am surrendering.


    Sona: ¡°Huh? What are you doing?¡±


    Kais: ¡°This way, you can see that I am not doing anything suspicious here.¡±


    I need her to trust me on this.


    Sona: ¡°What¡¯s your game here?¡±


    It looks like she¡¯s ready to listen to me now, but she is still probably suspicious and would double check every word I say.


    Kais: ¡°I just want your help with something.¡±


    Sona: ¡°Go on.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Well, have you heard the legend of this island?¡±


    Sona: ¡°I have.¡±


    Kais: ¡°If you remember, there was a pond near the tomb in the legend, but it¡¯s not present in reality.¡±


    Sona: ¡°Yeah, I noticed that too.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Well, I have found where that pond is.¡±


    Sona: ¡°You have, huh?¡±


    Kais: ¡°And that¡¯s what I need you to look at. I think only a spirit-user like you would be able to understand what¡¯s really going on there?¡±


    Sona looks at me silently for a while as I await the answer that is about to come. Regardless of what the nervousness of my face may look like, I already know the answer that¡¯s about to come.


    Sona: ¡°I deny. I can¡¯t trust you enough to follow you like that.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Why not just summon a spirit to keep me in check?¡±


    It¡¯s a valid suggestion in my opinion, but I know she won¡¯t accept.


    Sona: ¡°No, that won¡¯t work either.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Can¡¯t trust your spirits enough either?¡±


    Sona: ¡°That¡¯s ¡­ not the problem.¡±


    Yeah, I know. The problem is that you think I¡¯ll be stronger than your spirits. I am sure you trust no one at this point, not even yourself.


    Kais: ¡°Well, too bad then.¡±


    Sona: ¡°Huh!¡±


    She gasps as the branch of a tree suddenly grabs her right arm by circling around it.


    Sona: ¡°What the ¡­?¡±


    Kais: ¡°Sorry about this, but it¡¯s not me wanting your help right now, but needing it. So I can¡¯t accept a ¡®no¡¯.¡±


    She tries to use her other hand to summon the spirit but another branch comes and grabs that.


    Sona: ¡°Damn! What the hell kind of psychic ability is this?¡±


    Kais: ¡°It¡¯s just basic Psychokinesis with the target of kinesis being the branches.¡±


    It¡¯s a simple but extremely useful ability that is one of the most basic ones any psychic possesses.


    Kais: ¡°Ha ¡­ it¡¯s just like our past selves.¡±


    Sona stops struggling and looks at me as she hears that.


    Kais: ¡°It¡¯s an ability that controls others while itself being controlled by its users. It¡¯s just like we used to control our lives with our abilities while unknowingly being controlled by someone else instead.¡±


    She glances sideways.


    Sona: ¡°I see. So you remember, huh?¡±


    Kais: ¡°Not completely. My memories have been locked many layers inside my own mind. Someone is trying to make me forget things that may inconvenience them. But I need to remember those things.¡±


    She doesn¡¯t say anything while I keep talking.


    Kais: ¡°And because I need to remember, I need your help. You are the only one capable of helping me in this situation. So please,¡±


    I bow.


    Kais: ¡°help me.¡±


    For a moment, no answer comes back. I wonder if she would still say ¡®no¡¯. I really can¡¯t accept that answer and will have to force her if that happens.


    Sona: ¡°Don¡¯t act like it¡¯s a request after saying you can¡¯t accept ¡®no¡¯ for an answer.¡±


    Well, I guess she is making a good point, but I needed to tell her honestly how things are for me to really make her consider helping me.


    She sighs. I look up and find a surprising smile on her face as she says,


    Sona: ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll help you.¡±


    *******************************

 Chapter 25: The Continuing Deceptions

    Sneha: ¡°If the dragon is trying to do something like that, we need to stop wasting time.¡±


    She says as she looks at Ethan with a face of panic, but sees him only smiling like usual.


    Ethan: ¡°Well, don¡¯t worry. I knew he wasn¡¯t really here since the start. If there was a need to go after him, I would have told you as soon as you woke up.¡±


    He says in a casual manner. Barry looks at him with narrowed, suspicious eyes.


    Ethan: ¡°What?¡±


    Barry: ¡°I don¡¯t understand how this is not a cause of concern for you.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Well, do I have any need to tell you? I don¡¯t think I do.¡±


    Barry sighs.


    Barry: ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s fair.¡±


    Sneha: ¡°But what exactly do you mean?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Hey now, don¡¯t get violent, I¡¯ll tell you, okay?¡±


    He says as he sees Sneha glaring at him with hostile intent while clenching her fists. A punch from an Aural could potentially knock him unconscious and that¡¯s a thing he can¡¯t be okay with at this moment.


    Ethan: ¡°The dragon is trying to deceive us and also has sent that little girl watch us so he could safely get a head start in catching up to Kais.¡±


    Sneha: ¡°Do you have some proof of this exactly being his reason?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Yeah, I do.¡±


    Sneha: ¡°And what is it?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°The fact that the girl is spying on us right now.¡±


    Sneha: ¡°Huh!?¡±


    Barry: ¡°Huh!?¡±


    Sneha and Barry remain speechless for a moment before the both of them sigh.


    Barry: ¡°So she is hearing all of this, right?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Sneha: ¡°So now he knows his bluff is up. What will he do next?¡±


    She says turning her attention to Ethan as he tries to think for a moment.


    Ethan: ¡°Well, for whatever reason, he wants to get to Kais before any of us do so I assume he¡¯d be doing just that, maybe with a little faster pace.¡±


    He looks at Barry asking for confirmation on his reasoning.


    Barry: ¡°I can¡¯t really think of any reason why he¡¯d need to get to Kais. In fact, he¡¯d probably need to send you to him.¡±


    There is a job he is bound to that Barry knows about. And in order to do that job, he¡¯d need to break Kais¡¯ mind. He¡¯d need to stay true to Ozyllus¡¯ orders and let the man with Eyes of Truth clash with him. But for some reason, he¡¯s not doing that.


    Ethan: ¡°Whatever the case maybe be,¡±


    He sighs.


    Ethan: ¡°he only has four days left to live. Actually, since it¡¯s almost night-time; three and a half days left to live.¡±


    Barry: ¡°Yeah, about that ¨C there was a prophecy or something you did that the island would be destroyed when he dies. What is that?¡±


    Barry asks with his hands folded. Ethan has no reason to not answer the question ¨C other than that he would be giving valuable information to an enemy.


    Ethan: ¡°Well, let¡¯s see. I wouldn¡¯t really call it a prophecy, but a cold calculation.¡±


    Ethan says in a serious tone which is rare for him, to say the least.


    Sneha: ¡°Oh?¡±


    Sneha asks as she narrows his eyes.


    Ethan: ¡°Something wrong?¡±


    Sneha: ¡°You say it is a cold calculation, but is that all it is?¡±


    Both men look at her curiously.


    Sneha: ¡°If it is a cold calculation, then just how did you ¡®calculate¡¯ it?¡±


    Ethan smiles as he sees the suspicious look on her face.


    Ethan: ¡°Well, I would say gathering the information needed to ¡®calculate¡¯ it was very hard. But I guess ¡®calculating¡¯ it wasn¡¯t.¡±


    Sneha: ¡°And that¡¯s your answer?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Yeah, it is.¡±


    Barry: ¡°Okay, I¡¯m lost.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Aren¡¯t you someone I shouldn¡¯t give any detrimental information to?¡±


    Ethan says as his eyes turn towards Barry. Barry smiles as he asks,


    Barry: ¡°So you are telling me this information is detrimental to you? Well, that¡¯s something.¡±


    Ethan bursts out laughing as he hears that.


    Barry: ¡°What¡¯s wrong now?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Nothing, nothing at all. I was just ¡­ thinking ¡­ you guys are really fun to talk to.¡±


    Sneha and Barry glance at each other both asking the same question, ¡°what twisted sort of fun is that?¡±


    *******************************


    Dragon: ¡°Well, he called my bluff, huh? But I would expect at least that much from that Ethan Kales. ¡±


    The dragon says as he leans by a tree to rest his body. He had sent out the little girl controlling her to spy on them as soon as he got a little away from the beach. Now he is almost at the half-way-point between the tomb and the beach.


    Dragon: ¡°Since Sona left that place a while ago and didn¡¯t pass through here till now, that probably means she turned to a different direction for whatever reason.¡±


    And due to her taking a different direction, the dragon has no idea that she met Kais and that the both of them had actually known each other from their childhood.


    Dragon: ¡°Either way, I think she should be able to summon any spirit she wants right now. But I doubt she would have made another contract with anything as powerful as Death.¡±


    Having two of those ridiculously powerful spirits would be to her detriment. They would only try to compete with each other rather than trying to fulfill the role she gives them.


    Dragon: ¡°Yeah, two spirits on that level is not something ordinary humans can control.¡±


    By ordinary humans, he means all humans. There is no one in the world that is so powerful that the dragon would consider them special. Maybe this is because he ends up comparing all of them to Ozyllus and they all end up lacking in one way or another in that comparison. But regardless, there is no one who would be able to handle two high-class spirits like Death at the same time.


    Dragon: ¡°So now the only thing that¡¯s left for me to do is to see that she is not able to escape.¡±


    If she escapes from the island, she will be able to form a contract with another spirit. And seeing how she wants to kill him within the short time he has left to live, she might end up doing the same thing she did last time. It¡¯s not that any spirit would be capable of killing the dragon but it will be an annoyance if she keeps bringing spirits to attack him.


    Dragon: ¡°Well, if I am correct, because she is a spirit-user, she should be capable of leaving the island by a means no other type of person would be able to use.¡±


    In which case, since the dragon also knows what that means is,


    Dragon: ¡°What I need to do is to first of all; block that path before she gets a chance to use it.¡±


    And so, deciding on how he would proceed, this dragon whose actions don¡¯t make sense to anyone else on the island takes his next step.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    Dragon: ¡°And I also need to let that kid come to know about everything I¡¯ve been hiding so far.¡±


    *******************************


    Kais: ¡°I ¡­ see. So when you said the man who ruled over this island, you meant ¨C¡±


    Fish: ¡°Yeah, I meant Ozyllus¡±


    She says with an annoyed voice asking as is asking, ¡®wasn¡¯t that obvious?¡¯


    Kais: ¡°I-I see. If that¡¯s case, then this pond in itself wouldn¡¯t just be a mere pond either.¡±


    Supernatural energies work much like air. They need to be constantly recycled by a process similar to respiration. So, in order for the fish to keep harnessing psychic energy, the pond needed to keep recycling that energy. This is necessary because while there¡¯s a lot of psychic energy on the island, this fish won¡¯t be able to consume it from air. She will need it to be present within water.


    Fish: ¡°Well, duh.¡±


    I sigh. She is being a little irritating to be honest but I need to put up with it.


    Kais: ¡°So, exactly how does this pond keep recycling the psychic energy?¡±


    The golden fish stays silent for a while making me anxious over what she may say next. And then, as if to mock all my worries,


    Fish: ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Huh?¡±


    Fish: ¡°I said I don¡¯t know. I can¡¯t know every single thing you know.¡±


    Kais: ¡°You are telling me you have been here for a thousand years and you still don¡¯t know how your pond works.¡±


    Fish: ¡°Yeah, so what? I am not some genius in how these things work.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Right, sorry, forgive me.¡±


    I forgot you are just a fish after all.


    Fish: ¡°Hey, I don¡¯t like the expression you are making right now. Stop pitying me.¡±


    It says in a violent tone.


    Kais: ¡°Yeah well, all that aside,¡±


    Fish: ¡°What do you mean ¡®aside¡¯? Do you know how much older I am to you? You need to start respecting me, kid.¡±


    I try to act like I didn¡¯t hear any of that, partly to annoy her back for earlier and partly because there is a more important question in my mind right now.


    Kais: ¡°You said you are an archive, right?¡±


    The fish didn¡¯t respond immediately. She really is pissed that I didn¡¯t pay her words any mind, isn¡¯t she? But finally,


    Fish: ¡°Listen ¨C just because I am an archive doesn¡¯t mean I know everything that is stored in my brain.¡±


    She seems to have understood what I was getting at, but


    Kais: ¡°That kinda sounds illogical.¡±


    Fish: ¡°What? There¡¯s nothing illogical about that. Does a librarian have all the books in the library in his mind?¡±


    Kais: ¡°Some really good ones do actually.¡±


    Fish: ¡°Tch!¡±


    Actually, I have no idea if that¡¯s the case or not, but I just wanted to annoy her a little more.


    Kais: ¡°Anyway, so you are telling me that the knowledge stored in your brain can be accessed to find things out but you yourself don¡¯t know all of it.¡±


    Fish: ¡°Exactly!¡±


    She is sounding really annoyed. I shouldn¡¯t tread any further on this path or ¡®negotiations¡¯ may break down.


    Kais: ¡°Well, so can you tell me how I can access that information.¡±


    -Because that is exactly why I came here in the first place.


    I figured that if Barry wants me to not remember about my demonic side coming out on the island and Ozyllus also tried to not let me remember that he invaded my consciousness, then there is surely something in my own memory that can cause them harm.


    That being the case, why exactly would they be so worried about me learning/remembering something about the demonic side, it should be beneficial to them. Anybody should be able to understand that I would want to keep that side at bay myself and so it would only benefit them if I were to learn about it. After all, none of them want my demonic side to take over so why would they try to not push me in the direction where they have better chances of their wishes being granted.


    The only explanation I can think of is that after learning something about that demon, I may become inclined to let it out. And regardless of whether I do so or not, I need to know what that piece of information is.


    Since going in the tomb once again would be leaving things to chance as there¡¯s no guarantee if I¡¯ll learn anything or not, the only other place I could try to check was this inconsistency in the story ¨C the pond. And that brought me here.


    Fish: ¡°Well, if you want to access that information, you will need to access it using spiritual energy.¡±


    Kais: ¡°I see. Wait! Spiritual energy? Not psychic?¡±


    Fish: ¡°Yes, you heard me right.¡±


    But what does it have anything to do with spiritual energy. Do those two types of energy have a relation to each other I am unaware of? Because as far as I know, they are two completely different vectors with the only similarity being that they both concentrate on a person that has affinity to them (psychics for psychic energy and spirit-users for spiritual energy).


    Fish: ¡°What¡¯s the problem?¡±


    Kais: ¡°Huh?¡±


    Fish: ¡°You went silent all of a sudden, is this really that big of an issue?¡±


    Kais: ¡°Well,¡±


    It¡¯s hard to say if it¡¯s a big issue or not.


    Fish: ¡°From what I can tell, there is a spirit-user on the island, so it shouldn¡¯t be that hard.¡±


    I sigh. There¡¯s no point in trying to explain things to this fish.


    Kais: ¡°Well, I¡¯ll try to convince her.¡±


    We just aren¡¯t on the best footing but it¡¯s not like we have any reason to be against each other either. At least I don¡¯t think there is any reason for that.


    Fish: ¡°Wait!¡±


    Kais: ¡°Huh, what?¡±


    Fish: ¡°There¡¯s a distortion ¡­ in the energy around you.¡±


    Distortion? If there¡¯s a distortion in the psychic energy around me, does that mean there¡¯s something that energy is directed towards?


    Fish: ¡°Is there a reason for this energy to concentrate so heavily on you suddenly?¡±


    Kais: ¡°Well, when exactly did this change occur?¡±


    Fish: ¡°When I mentioned there¡¯s a spirit-user on the island.¡±


    I see. At that moment, my mind immediately thought of Sona. So did that cause a distortion to occur?


    Fish: ¡°And why the heck are you smiling now?¡±


    I didn¡¯t even notice until she said it but I really I am smiling.


    Kais: ¡°Well, it¡¯s just that now I have a theory that may help me progress a lot faster than I initially would have.¡±


    If I am right, then this distortion is happening because the abilities used to lock up my memories in the depths of my own conscious or subconscious were all psychic abilities. Maybe when I accidently think something that may trigger those memories, this distortion occurs.


    Let¡¯s say I see a unique bird I had seen many years ago. I don¡¯t remember I had seen it because that memory has been locked along with others. But now that I am seeing it again and thinking like ¡®I have never seen something like this before¡¯, maybe that triggers my memories because that is a point where those memories would get connected to my thoughts and remind me that I had seen it. But now that they are sealed, all they can do is try to break the psychic barrier that is placed upon them. Since the barrier will slowly lose some of its energy, the energy balance with its surrounding will get distorted. The barrier would slowly regain the energy as my thoughts would shift to something else and the memories will stop being triggered.


    Obviously this is just a theory but I¡¯d buy it. And if it¡¯s true, there is something about Sona that I have forgotten. In that case, I need to take a chance here and act like I remember. If this bluff works and (fingers crossed) we had a friendly relationship in the past, she might be willing to help me for the past¡¯s sake.


    I don¡¯t even realize how this theory so easily fell in my lap. It is as if I had known all this too at some point, even if only for a moment. I am automatically walking towards it. But I didn¡¯t realize, because I had no memory of coming to know everything when Ozyllus invaded The Cage.  Just like I didn¡¯t realize how I so conveniently started thinking that Sona and me were similar in that we were being controlled by others. I didn¡¯t realize ¡­ just how much someone inside me is helping me.


    *******************************


    Ro wakes up and sees an odd scene ¨C Ethan, Sneha and Barry calmly talking to each other.


    Ro: ¡°What the-¡±


    Barry: ¡°Oh, so you are up.¡±


    The trio spots him and makes different expressions on seeing him. Barry¡¯s expression remains simple and unchanging while Ethan smiles and Sneha looks uncomfortable as if the guilt in being a part of his murder is creeping up on her.


    Ethan: ¡°Well then, I guess you guys would want to clear up all the misunderstandings we have with each other and set things straight, right?¡±


    Ethan is referring to the fact that they all had a very confusing conversation the last time with an abrupt end to it when the dragon and Kais came there. Now that it¡¯s back to the four of them, they should continue the conversation ¨C is what he is saying.


    Barry: ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound very bad, would do you say?¡±


    He looks at Ro who has grasped the situation with the little time he got after waking up. The few habits he had as a Vermillion agent helped him in doing so.


    Ro: ¡°I am fine with the idea.¡±


    Ethan glances at Sneha to see her showing no objections either. So,


    Ethan: ¡°Well then, what were we talking about again?¡±


    Barry: ¡°I think you had told us that you have ¡®Eyes of Truth¡¯ and that¡¯s how you were able to see through the invisibility we were trying to create around our jet.¡±


    Ro: ¡°Yeah, I am pretty sure that conversation was over.¡±


    Sneha sighs.


    Sneha: ¡°It doesn¡¯t really matter what we were talking about, because we weren¡¯t really talking. All three of us were just asking and you were being snarky.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Uh ¡­ that¡¯s a little too true.¡±


    Ethan frowns on hearing her words.


    Barry: ¡°Yeah, that does sound like what was going on.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°I guess. But anyway, isn¡¯t there anything you people want to ask me or something? I mean a lot of things, okay not a lot, but a few things have happened since then.¡±


    Ro: ¡°Huh?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Yeah, I mean ¨C we now know there¡¯s a normal human, a spirit-user, a psychic, a dragon, a spiritual mass of energy, an Aural, a ghost and a half-psychic-half-ghost on this island.¡±


    An awkward silence falls upon them as Ethan finishes.


    Ethan: ¡°Huh! It¡¯s almost as if there¡¯s a rule against two of the same kind being here.¡±


    Barry: ¡°Yeah, that is somewhat unsettling.¡±


    Barry says as he looks at the ground while thinking about it.


    Ethan: ¡°Well furthermore, I think we have top products of every type, don¡¯t we?¡±


    Ro: ¡°Could you do me a favor and not refer to living beings as products?¡±


    He says as the scene of vampires looking at him hungrily as if he is a food product flashes through his mind.


    Ethan: ¡°But not all of us are living being either, right?¡±


    He says sarcastically.


    Barry: ¡°Yeah, yeah, that aside, what exactly did you mean by top products?¡±


    -To which one of the two not-living-beings replies with a question.


    Ethan: ¡°Well, in case you didn¡¯t know, Sneha here is one of the most talented Aurals and I would consider myself a very talented human being, I mean, who else has gone up against you guys without any special offensive and defensive abilities.¡±


    Barry: ¡°True enough, I guess.¡±


    The last part is said by Barry intentionally to make Ethan¡¯s boasting sound unimpressive.


    Ethan: ¡°Anyway, that woman Sona came to kill the dragon, so she definitely has a few cards up her spirit-summoning sleeve.¡±


    No one objects.


    Ethan: ¡°Everyone here knows Kais is ridiculously talented. The dragon is someone who befriended Ozyllus so obviously he is special even among other dragons. Well, Barry¡¯s probably the strongest ghost out there because of his psychic and all. Ro¡¯s someone who knows a lot about psychic and can definitely really use that info as a ghost.¡±


    Barry sighs.


    Barry: ¡°I agree with most of the points, but there¡¯s one thing you said that might not be correct.¡±


    Sneha: ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    The other three look at Barry who had folded his hands as he looked like he is pondering something.


    Barry: ¡°Well, let¡¯s just say there¡¯s a ghost out of there who might be stronger than me. The last time we fought, neither ended up on top.¡±


    None of them say anything.


    Barry: ¡°He is a Spectre.¡±


    Ro takes a glance at Ethan and Sneha. From their expressions, he could tell they knew what a ¡®Spectre¡¯ is? So he would need to ask Barry later to find out.


    Barry: ¡°And ¡­ his name, if you wanna know, is Dyne.¡±


    As soon as Sneha hears that, her eyes widen in surprise.


    Ethan: ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You know who this Dyne guy is?¡±


    She doesn¡¯t say anything for a while as she looks troubled while remembering something. But after a brief moment of silence,


    Sneha: ¡°Yeah, I do.¡±


    Ethan narrows his eyes as he doesn¡¯t understand why she took this much time in saying that.


    Barry: ¡°I suppose it¡¯s only natural for an Aural to know. After all, he is ¡­¡±


    All eyes focus on Barry.


    Barry: ¡°The commander of the army of ghosts.¡±


    *******************************

 Chapter 26: Betrayal

    An hour has passed since the dragon had passed by the tomb. Night has fallen by now and he has needed to travel through the forest in the dark. But that is of no concern to him. What is of concern to him is that he needs to reach the place he is trying to reach ¨C the only place which a spirit-user could use to get out of the island. That place is the uncanny, unstable and a deceivingly deep pond where a golden fish resides.


    Dragon: ¡°If I knew it would turn out like this, I would have sent the girl to tell the fish to not let Sona leave the island.¡±


    But he didn¡¯t predict this situation he is in right now, so now he is nervous of what may happen. And then she would come back with some other way to kill him and will be a nuisance.


    If he had predicted that so many powerful beings would assemble on the island that the girl and him alone wouldn¡¯t even be enough to spy on all of them, then he would have definitely made contact with the fish before. But he couldn¡¯t predict it; how could he have when the situation involves Ethan Kales?


    Dragon: ¡°That guy!!¡±


    Now things have gotten out of hand. The situation is no longer in his control. And he is also not very excited to see those bloodshot eyes of the spirit-user who hates him. Even though the dragon is easily superior to her in every way, those eyes can still cause him to freeze in his place. It¡¯s almost as if an unexplained power comes from her hatred.


    ¡°GRR!!! KAW-KAW-KAW!!! FU-FU!¡±


    As he hears numerous animal-noises, he almost finds himself to relax a little. Having lived on this island for so many years, it¡¯s only natural that listening to other residents of the island would make him feel at ease.


    Dragon: ¡°But,¡±


    Now¡¯s not the time. He can¡¯t afford to relax now. He doesn¡¯t have enough time. Three-and-a-half days are left before he dies. He has to do what he needs to do before his time runs out.


    And what is it he needs to do? For now at least, only he knows.


    *******************************


    They have been travelling for a while now. Ever since Sona decided to help Kais, they have kept walking towards the direction Kais said the pond is. She wonders if he is actually lying to her.  She has to consider the possibility. After all, it is true that he indeed is the boy she knew when she was an 8-year-old child but that doesn¡¯t mean anything at the present. Can he really be trusted? Can she really let him lead the way without any care? No, of course she can¡¯t. This is why she has summoned the rabbit-like spirit to keep an eye on him.


    It is a nimble-spirit that can (probably) stop any surprise attacks that Kais may try to use. It is also capable enough to hurt Kais severely. That said though, there is a limit to what it can do. As someone who saw Kais as a child, she knows full-well the true extent of his power is far beyond any spirit she can possibly summon. She also knows that, for whatever reason, he is not able to use his abilities to that extent and also doesn¡¯t think he is capable of doing so.


    Kais: ¡°Well, was I making a suspicious expression?¡±


    Sona: ¡°Hmm?¡±


    As she heard that, she started wondering the same thing to herself. Did her expression show her thoughts on her face or something?


    Kais: ¡°I was wondering why there is so much hostility emanating from you? It¡¯s a little uncomfortable using Aura Reading when the first thing I feel is your suspicious gaze.¡±


    ¡®Aura Reading¡¯ ¨C she remembers what that ability does. Sure she can¡¯t know everything about it since she doesn¡¯t have the ability herself but she does remember both Kais and Barry¡¯s explanations of the ability and its uses. That is why she can¡¯t drop her guard against him. He can sense her internal feelings with the pretext of looking out for enemies but she has no way to do the same.


    Sona: ¡°I see. So you noticed my suspicion on you.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Yeah, I did. What? Do you think I am some kind of imposter?¡±


    He asks while looking a little nervous. For some reason, he is acting as if he might be an imposter. But Sona knows that is not the case, then why is he acting so nervous?


    Sona: ¡°No, I know you are the real Kais. There is no deception there.¡±


    Deception would mean that he is not the Kais she used to know as a kid. But that deception is only possible if he had been the one to convince her of that. That¡¯s not how it went though. She is the one who recognized him as soon as she took a good look at him when she saw him walking with the girl in the forest.


    Sona: ¡°But, just because we had been friends in the past ¡­ doesn¡¯t mean I can fully trust you now.¡±


    Looking at Kais, she is left surprised to see him look relieved.


    Kais: ¡°I see. That¡¯s fair.¡±


    He is getting more and more confusing. He is acting like an imposter who is relieved that his bluff didn¡¯t get called out. What¡¯s wrong with him?


    Kais: ¡°By the way, hypothetically speaking, we end up needing to fight each other, who you think will win?¡±


    Sona: ¡°Ha!?¡±


    Surprised by the question but she tries to keep her cool.


    She knows full-well how terrifying of an opponent a psychic can be and doesn¡¯t intend to get into any situation where she would need to fight him. Unfortunately for her, things don¡¯t always go as she intends them to and the ¡®hypothetical¡¯ situation he is talking about can very well become reality.


    So she has to prepare herself for anything that might come her way.


    Sona: ¡°I would win of course.¡±


    And the first thing she needs to do to prepare for it is to have confidence in her abilities.


    Kais: ¡°I see. Well, that¡¯s reassuring.¡±


    He says as a glint of smile comes on his lips.


    Sona: ¡°What?¡±


    Kais: ¡°No, nothing.¡±


    He doesn¡¯t repeat the confusing statement he made just now, which only ends up putting her in more confusion. She is unable to understand the man in front of her and is unable to see the image of the boy she knew in him. Even though she knows they are one and the same person, it¡¯s almost as if this Kais has developed the complete opposite personality of the one she used to know. And that is not a very pleasant development in her eyes.


    Kais: ¡°Well, we are here.¡±


    As he says that, he fastens up a bit. Sona turns her head and sees small fragments of a clearing from the leaves that covered most of her vision.


    Kais: ¡°Oh yeah, in all of this time, I can¡¯t believe I forgot to mention this.¡±


    He says as he stops just before entering the clearing.


    Sona: ¡°Mention what?¡±


    She says as she narrows her eyes.


    Kais: ¡°There is ¡­ a fish living in the pond.¡±


    Sona: ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t know fishes lived in the pond.¡±


    She says in an incredibly sarcastic tone but,


    Kais: ¡°Uh-I meant, there is a psychic fish living in the pond.¡±


    *******************************


    It has now been one-and-a-half hours since he passed by the tomb but the dragon has still not reached the pond. He doesn¡¯t usually walk this much through the island so this is fairly mentally taxing on him, but that doesn¡¯t bother him at present. He does have the whole map of the island in his head so the direction in which he needs to go is not a problem, only the distance is. From his calculations, it should be another fifteen minutes before he reaches the pond.


    Dragon: ¡°Man, maybe I should try to do more physical work from now on after all this is ¡­ over.¡±


    He speaks in a casual manner before coming to realize that there is no time for that anymore. After all, he is already at the end of his life.


    Dragon: ¡°Well, I guess I don¡¯t need to worry about that, huh?¡±


    At the thought of him dying in a few days, the dragon doesn¡¯t feel sadness, he doesn¡¯t feel regret, he doesn¡¯t even feel fear, all he feels is an emptiness. He feels as though there is something he still has not done in his life, as if he wants something more from his life.


    Dragon: ¡°It¡¯s strange, isn¡¯t it Ozyllus?¡±


    He asks a question he can¡¯t get an answer to.


    Dragon: ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s right.¡±


    But he pretends to have gotten one. And that answer, which he thinks Ozyllus would have given him, is ¡®It¡¯s not strange at all. I know exactly why you feel that way.¡¯If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    The answer he imagines he has been given is along the lines of how Ozyllus usually acted whenever a question like that was asked to him.


    Dragon: ¡°You sure liked to show off like that, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    But for some reason, no one thought badly of him for showing off like that. Maybe they just got used to it after a while and stopped caring. Or maybe they never cared from the start. Either way, any of his negative qualities ¨C no matter what they were ¨C got overlooked by everyone around him. Whenever he would do anything unpleasant to anyone, they would just blow if off, but when someone else did the same thing or even caused a smaller problem, they would not blow it off.


    Dragon: ¡°I never really understood why that was though.¡±


    The dragon had once mentioned that he doesn¡¯t understand humans. But just how could he understand humans when they are so unpredictable.


    Stealing a penny in order to get food would put a human in prison. That is, if it wasn¡¯t Ozyllus who did it.


    Hurting livestock would make their owner ask for compensation. That is, if it wasn¡¯t Ozyllus who did it.


    Dragon: ¡°Ha!¡±


    Blowing up a city and killing thousands of innocents would make a man a monster. That is, if it wasn¡¯t Ozyllus who did it.


    Dragon: ¡°Ha! Ha!¡±


    Torturing people and animals to death for no other reason than experimentation would make a man a demon. That is, if it wasn¡¯t Ozyllus who did it.


    Dragon: ¡°Ha! Ha! Ha!¡±


    Destroying the beliefs of every religion and claiming their god as false along with claiming himself as the only true god would make the whole world run after that man in order to kill him. That is, if it wasn¡¯t Ozyllus who did it.


    Dragon: ¡°Ha! Ha! ¡­ Ha! ¡­ Ha!¡±


    The dragon noticed a tear fall of his eyes. He touches his eyes only to find out that they have become a little wet.


    Dragon: ¡°Why? Why ¡­ would I cry ¡­ on remembering ¡­ something like that?¡±


    It¡¯s not like the dragon was forced to fight the wars from his side. It¡¯s not like the blame for those atrocities that Ozyllus created was all thrown on him. It¡¯s not like Ozyllus turned him into a symbol of hatred to gain power for himself. No, none of that was true.


    Why is it not true? It¡¯s because the legend says otherwise; because the one who wrote these stories didn¡¯t mention any of that.


    Why didn¡¯t they mention it though? It¡¯s because Ozyllus didn¡¯t tell them. And why would he anyway?


    Dragon: ¡°What would you think of it, Sona?¡±


    She had once said that the dragon is a coward, someone who had twisted the pity shown to him by Ozyllus into a friendship when he spread the legends of the past.


    Dragon: ¡°So how exactly would you describe Ozyllus I wonder?¡±


    Ironically enough, the dragon is unable to let the truth slip away, because in return for being shown mercy on their first encounter, he was asked to sign a contract ¨C the contract that forced him to spread the falsehood. It was the contract that if he didn¡¯t sign, he would be killed and if he did sign, he would be an unwilling tool in Ozyllus¡¯ conquest of the world.


    His thoughts come to a sudden halt when he realizes that he is only a couple of minutes away from the pond.


    Dragon: ¡°Well, I guess I should put my focus back on this.¡±


    He says as he clenches his fists while continuing to move forward.


    Dragon: ¡°I wonder why I even started thinking about him anyway.¡±


    And then he realizes.


    Dragon: ¡°Oh yeah, it was because I was worried about running into him ¨C the person you said will be the next you.¡±


    Before he wondered what Ozyllus would think of him feeling the emptiness of death, before he thought of how taxing walking so much was, he was thinking of the man Ozyllus¡¯ prophecies foretold to be his successor, the one who will bring ¨C the end of the world.


    *******************************


    Sona: ¡°So this golden fish is a psychic?¡±


    She looks at the golden fish while asking me.


    Kais: ¡°Yeah, it is.¡±


    Fish: ¡°Yes, I am.¡±


    With a startled expression, she asks,


    Sona: ¡°Wait, did I just hear two voices!?¡±


    Kais: ¡°Yeah, well, one advantage it has for being a psychic is that it can communicate its thoughts telepathically.¡±


    I try to explain it to her but I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if she remains confused about it. I still have a hard time believing it myself. It completely makes sense in theory, but seeing something like this in reality is just weird.


    Sona: ¡°I see. Well, that explains things.¡±


    However, after listening to my explanation, she seems to have no problem taking it as it is. She nods and turns to look at the fish. Seriously, you can accept this that easily? Is it just me who thinks this is weird?


    Sona: ¡°Anyway, I need the help of the pond for myself but first tell me what you want with it?¡±


    Kais: ¡°Well, would you mind explaining what you are to this lady?¡±


    I try to talk as politely as I can to the fish. It will really help if it doesn¡¯t go on a fit because of some word I say not being to its liking.


    Fish: ¡°Are you trying to mock me with that tone?¡±


    Well, would you look at that?


    Kais: ¡°I was just trying to be polite.¡±


    Fish: ¡°Which is why I think you are mocking me.¡±


    Kais: ¡°So you don¡¯t want me to be polite to you.¡±


    Fish: ¡°Tch!¡±


    It was damaging my earlobes earlier because I wasn¡¯t showing respect to it even though it¡¯s an old hag and I am just 20. So now what¡¯s the problem?


    Fish: ¡°Huh! Anyway, let¡¯s get back to business.¡±


    Yeah, thanks!


    Fish: ¡°Huh? What the hell are you sighing for?¡±


    Kais: ¡°Now I can¡¯t even sigh?¡±


    I apparently sighed without noticing and that also somehow hurt its feelings. Is this why old-age is called second childhood?


    I notice Sona getting annoyed and sighing.


    Sona: ¡°Hey, can we start talking about the important stuff here?¡±


    Fish: ¡°What do you mean, woman? Are you trying to say this conversation we are having right now is not ¡­¡±


    Sona: ¡°Not important, not in the slightest!¡±


    She says while glaring at the fish with murderous intent in her eyes. The fish shuts up immediately.


    Sona: ¡°So, the question was ¨C ¡®who are you?¡¯ answer it.¡±


    Sona says as if giving a command and the fish immediately starts talking.


    Fish: ¡°R-right. I am an archive created by Ozyllus to store all the records of his time.¡±


    Its behavior sure changed with that one glare, not that I can¡¯t understand why.


    Sona: ¡°That¡¯s a lot of information to store then.¡±


    Fish: ¡°Yes, since I was made into a psychic, my brain capacity was unlocked further than any fish generally has and so I was unable to store all the information without any problems.¡±


    Sona: ¡°I see.¡±


    The sudden change in its attitude is understandable and I am thankful to Sona for it. But seeing that glare is something I can¡¯t be too comfortable about. Sona may again become an enemy due to circumstances. If there does come a time where we have to fight, I doubt I will be able to think straight after seeing that murderous intent of her. This is why; I asked her back then who would win if we fight. Her answer was that she would win. If she thinks that, then she wouldn¡¯t be that suspicious of me. If she thinks I am somehow more likely to defeat her, she would try to examine my every step carefully. But since that¡¯s not the case, I would be able to deceive her if needs be.


    Sona: ¡°You have been uncomfortably quiet for a while.¡±


    I realize she is talking to me.


    Kais: ¡°Well, there¡¯s nothing I want to say between the explanations. My problem comes after that.¡±


    Sona narrows her eyes as I continue,


    Kais: ¡°I really need to find out more about a lot of things, but spiritual energy is needed to access the archive in its brain.¡±


    Fish: ¡°Would you mind calling me ¡®she¡¯ instead of ¡®it¡¯?¡±


    It ¡­ she told me in a threatening tone. From what I can tell, she didn¡¯t say this to Sona. Since she is talking telepathically, she can decide to just talk to one person and if the other is not a psychic, they would have no way to listen in. I guess she is genuinely scared of Sona, isn¡¯t she?


    Sona: ¡°Well, I don¡¯t get it.¡±


    She says in a sighing voice.


    Kais: ¡°Oh, which part?¡±


    Sona: ¡°No, I understood all the things you guys told me. But I don¡¯t understand why spiritual energy would be needed to access an archive that is completely psychic in every way.¡±


    Oh, that. Our feelings are mutual there.


    Kais: ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t understand it either but that¡¯s what it ¡­ she says.¡±


    Without paying any mind to that pronoun correction, Sona looks at the fish and sighs.


    Sona: ¡°Well, I guess I can help you access the archive. After all, now that I have a chance, I too want to find out about some things.¡±


    Okay, that helps. I didn¡¯t want to try to force her to do this, I am pretty sure I won¡¯t be able to. And if I act in a suspicious way, maybe she¡¯d end up seeing through my bluff of having remembered her.


    Sona: ¡°Okay then. What am I to do with spiritual energy?¡±


    Fish: ¡°You¡¯ll just have to start filling this pond with it so that it can counter-balance the psychic energy already present in the pond.¡±


    Sona: ¡°That means half of the pond, right? That would be a lot of spiritual energy.¡±


    Fish: ¡°No, it¡¯s not half. I don¡¯t know the exact composition needed to counter-balance the energy but it has something to do with spiritual energy being denser than psychic energy or something like that. I would know when we reach the desirable composition, but I can guarantee it¡¯s much less than half.¡±


    Sona: ¡°Hmm ¡­ well, let¡¯s hope what I have is enough.¡±


    Sona agrees to it and puts her hand in the pond. I guess she would need to do that to transfer the spiritual energy. I try to leave her be for now as I don¡¯t want to accidentally say anything that may arouse her suspicion.


    Since I am trying to deceive her into thinking that I remember her, every time anything happens that may mean she has seen through my bluff, it makes me really nervous. Back when we were coming here, she was suspicious of me the whole time which had made me nervous, but when I couldn¡¯t sense a lie in her saying ¡®she can¡¯t believe me just because we used to be friends¡¯, I became relieved. Now that I think about it, I could sense confusion in her aura too. Maybe it was because I wasn¡¯t completely able to stop my expressions from being shown on my face and she didn¡¯t understand why I was relieved on hearing something like she can¡¯t trust me. Yeah, that¡¯s pretty logical. Now that I think about it, what the hell was I doing? How can I just let those emotions show on my face like that?


    ???: ¡°I see someone is trying to find the secrets of his predecessor, huh?¡±


    As soon as we hear that voice, both of us recognize it. Damn it all! Since Sona agreed to help so easily, I dropped my guard a little too much. I should have kept using Aura Reading. Now, it¡¯s already too late.


    Sona: ¡°Bastard! You are here too!?¡±


    The one person who may end up making her loose all rationale steps out of the forest into the clearing.


    Dragon: ¡°Yeah, I am here alright.¡±


    With arms widened, he says while smirking.


    Fish: ¡°Well, that reaction is certainly something. What¡¯s the deal here?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Nothing really.¡±


    He sighs and,


    Dragon: ¡°I just came here to tell you two, something about the archives.¡±


    Our glares ask the question, ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°The archives don¡¯t really hold every single truth. The words of the archive are mixed with lies.¡±


    Fish: ¡°What? Are you trying to ¡­?¡±


    That ¡­ is ¡­ true.


    Dragon: ¡°Before you say anything to me, why don¡¯t you ask him?¡±


    Their eyes turn towards me. I can sense Sona being confused and worried right now.


    Sona: ¡°What¡¯s with you?¡±


    I think she is saying that to me. Maybe I have a stupid expression on my face, but I can¡¯t even think about it. Because at this moment, I, who had activated Aura Reading in order to grasp the dragon¡¯s emotions while he talks, felt no lie in his words.


    *******************************


    His lies are exposed. For the first time ever, his faithful dragon servant has betrayed him. He is no longer the noble godly figure in the eyes of the psychic whose mind he is in. And so,


    Ozyllus: ¡°No! No! You bastard!!¡±


    He abuses the dragon.


    Ozyllus: ¡°You¡¯ll die the most pathetic death there has ever been.¡±


    He curses him.


    Ozyllus: ¡°And I¡¯ll make you pay for this before that happens.¡±


    He threatens him.


    But nothing he can do will stop his exit from The Cage from closing.


    Ozyllus: ¡°No, Kais, don¡¯t listen to him. Don¡¯t believe that bastard¡¯s words.¡±


    Abyss: ¡°Shut up, will you?¡±


    Ozyllus: ¡°Huh?¡±


    Abyss: ¡°You do know Kais is a psychic, don¡¯t you? Even if your voice somehow reaches him, he would still know whether you are lying or not.¡±


    The demon says as a smile starts appearing on his face.


    Ozyllus: ¡°Damn!¡±


    Ozyllus clicks his tongue, which he is unable to do because of not having a physical body. He looks at the exit, the faint light coming from outside of The Cage closing faster than he could reach there. He sees this scene which is the proof of his life¡¯s work being crumbled before his eyes, all because of one betrayal.


    Abyss: ¡°Well Ozyllus,¡±


    Ozyllus looks at the demon Abyss with rage clear on his face.


    Abyss: ¡°It¡¯s time for the ¡®god¡¯ to learn what humanity is capable of.¡±


    Ironically enough, the humanity Abyss speaks off is coming from a dragon that caused humanity only harm before he met Ozyllus.


    Thinking about that, Abyss¡¯ smile only widens.


    Abyss: ¡°Well Kais,¡±


    He says to someone who wouldn¡¯t even hear him, but that doesn¡¯t bother him.


    Abyss: ¡°time to become the hero of this story,¡±


    He continues on as the last glint of light fades away,


    Abyss: ¡°the story of which the villain is god himself.¡±


    *******************************

 Chapter 27: Secrets Of The Ghosts

    Ethan: ¡°So let me get this straight.¡±


    He says as he stares at Barry.


    Ethan: ¡°You are telling me this Spectre called Dyne, who is in command of the army of the ghosts, might be stronger than you.¡±


    Barry: ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°And you are saying you know him too?¡±


    He asks while turning towards Sneha. She nods and says,


    Sneha: ¡°Yes, and I have seen his powers to a certain extent. From what I have seen of him, it wouldn¡¯t have been enough to defeat me or Barry, but I know he was holding back a lot.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Hmm.¡±


    Ro: ¡°What¡¯s wrong? You seem quite bothered by it. Does your plan collapse because of this?¡±


    Hearing Ro ask the question with a smile, Ethan answers with a smile.


    Ethan: ¡°No ¡­ no, my plan can never collapse.¡±


    Ro: ¡°Aren¡¯t you being a little overconfident?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°No, I¡¯m not. It¡¯s literally impossible for my plan to fail.¡±


    Barry: ¡°Oh? And why is that?¡±


    It¡¯s because there is no plan. Ethan answers honestly in his mind, only in his mind.


    Ethan: ¡°Well, why would I tell you?¡±


    He never had any plans. All he had was a goal ¨C to involve Kais in the war that¡¯s about to begin between The Dragon Alliance and The Vampire Kingdom. He never spent his time thinking how he would do it, because at the end of the day, it¡¯s not realistically possible for him to come up with a foolproof plan, especially when the information he has is so limited.


    It¡¯s also impossible to come up with a plan for every situation because there can be thousands upon thousands of things that can happen that he wouldn¡¯t have been able to predict. Which is why, he wouldn¡¯t even bother with making plans beforehand.


    After a brief stare down, Barry sighs signaling he is not planning to try to probe any further at the moment.


    Ethan: ¡°Well, I didn¡¯t expect a tactical retreat.¡±


    Deciding to not keep asking the same question again and again when you know the answer would not come ¨C is the only logical way to go about this ¨C is what Barry thinks as he dismisses Ethan¡¯s lines with,


    Barry: ¡°What tactical retreat? It¡¯s only tactical if I gain something by not retreating too.¡±


    Sneha: ¡°Can¡¯t deny that.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Yeah, yeah.¡±


    He says while getting up from the rock he was sitting on,


    Ethan: ¡°Well, I think we were talking about how some of the best of every field are here. One of the best psychics is here, one of the best Aurals is, one of the best spirit-users is, etc. What do you think?¡±


    Barry: ¡°I think it¡¯s too much of a coincidence.¡±


    Sneha: ¡°Well, duh.¡±


    She says in an exhausted tone. This exhaustion is probably due to the complexity of the situation rather than physical exhaustion, thinks Ethan.


    Barry: ¡°No need to start mocking me, you know.¡±


    He sighs while saying so, and then continues,


    Barry: ¡°Well first of all, I didn¡¯t bring up Dyne without a reason you know.¡±


    Ethan becomes curious on hearing that. Dyne is someone Ethan knows nothing about. So, he needs to.


    Ethan: ¡°And what is that reason you speak of?¡±


    Barry: ¡°Well, since we are from opposing factions, we have fought each other before. And when I fought him was when I first found out, the secrets of the ghosts.¡±


    Ro: ¡°Secrets?¡±


    Barry: ¡°Just to be clear, I am referring to the faction of Ghost Nation, not all ghosts in general. And I am talking about the reason why they have been able to hold their own against the vampires for so long.¡±


    Sneha: ¡°You are talking about their army?¡±


    Barry nods. Ethan raises his hands and says,


    Ethan: ¡°A little clarification, please?¡±


    With a short sigh, Sneha says,


    Sneha: ¡°Well, due to political problems, the Ghost Nation has become the weakest faction of all when it comes to numbers. Yet they are capable of warding off any threats. You know why that is?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°From what you guys have been saying, it¡¯s because of their army.¡±


    Sneha: ¡°Yeah, they are low on numbers; and not just by a hundred or so, the number of soldiers in their army amounts to only a quarter of Vermillion¡¯s.¡±


    Ro: ¡°It¡¯s that low?¡±


    Barry nods.


    Ethan: ¡°I am so glad I am not the only ignorant one here.¡±


    Ro feels discomfort on being in the same position as Ethan but he doesn¡¯t say anything.


    Barry: ¡°Anyway, the leader of that army is Dyne. He is someone I may lose to when it comes to sheer power and he is no slob in the strategy department either.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°So basically, they have got a very strong army with a very impressive leader for them to follow.¡±


    Sneha: ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s the short version of it.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Hmm ¡­¡±


    Ethan sighs and looks up at the sky, which had turned dark with no stars being visible. He looks at it while he thinks about the things he has just heard. Apparently, Barry does the same and then Sneha and Ro as well.


    Ethan: ¡°Have you ever heard the saying ¡®all humans are equal¡¯.¡±


    The other three look at Ethan in surprise. Something they didn¡¯t expect him to say had come out of his mouth. Barry tries to ask why¡¯s he is mentioning that when,


    Ethan: ¡°What a cheesy bunch of nonsense, right?¡±


    Barry: ¡°Uh!?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°What?¡±


    He turns to Barry as he continues,


    Ethan: ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you think this saying makes any sense?¡±


    Barry: ¡°No, that¡¯s not the case.¡±


    Ethan narrows his eyes as he notices a hint of a smile on Barry¡¯s lips.


    Ethan: ¡°Well, anyway,¡±


    He turns his gaze towards the forest,


    Ethan: ¡°That girl isn¡¯t watching us anymore. That dragon probably called her back when he came to know I had noticed him.¡±


    Sneha: ¡°You mean when you basically announced that to everyone, right?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Right.¡±


    Sneha had asked in a sarcastic tone but Ethan didn¡¯t seem to care.


    Ethan: ¡°That aside, I think I have an idea of what Barry was trying to say earlier.¡±


    Barry: ¡°You do, huh?¡±


    Barry looks at Ethan with a calm and calculating gaze while Ethan continues to look at the forest.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Ethan: ¡°Yeah, when you said that you didn¡¯t bring up Dyne without a reason, the reason you were talking about is this ¨C since he is so powerful, the ghosts would want to utilize his prowess in the most dangerous of situations.¡±


    Barry nods, so Ethan continues,


    Ethan: ¡°Being that this island is such an important piece of history and all, when an event as big as this island getting destroyed happens, the Ghost Nation would want to make sure the disturbance in the power balance this event causes does not affect them too much.¡±


    Ro: ¡°So are you telling me they would send someone here from their side to make sure of that?¡±


    Barry: ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what I think.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°And since they may need to fight you when they come here, the person who will be sent here will probably be Dyne.¡±


    Barry nods.


    Sneha: ¡°Assuming they know that this island is going to be destroyed, that can happen. But does that answer the question this whole conversation started with?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t.¡±


    The question still remains ¨C why is every person on the island of a different origin of power?


    Ro: ¡°If I am remembering correctly, Barry didn¡¯t say what the secrets of the ghosts that he found out were.¡±


    Barry: ¡°Yeah, that.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Well, there¡¯s just so many things that keep distracting us, aren¡¯t there? Well, what were those secrets?¡±


    Barry stays silent for a while as he ponders on how to answer while the other three eagerly await his next words. After having thought it over in his mind once, he finally speaks,


    Barry: ¡°Well, let¡¯s put it like this ¨C the same type of energy composition that makes up a ghost¡¯s body makes up a demon¡¯s body.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Now demons are involved?¡±


    Sneha: ¡°Believe it or not, demons are always involved.¡±


    She says half-sarcastically while looking at Ethan.


    Barry: ¡°Yeah, but I am talking about a real demon here.¡±


    Sneha: ¡°Yeah, I know. And I know that they have the same structure as well. There are lots of theories floating around over how demons and ghosts can be the same.¡±


    Barry: ¡°Yeah, well, it seems like that¡¯s actually not untrue.¡±


    A grim look starts surfacing on his face as he says so.


    Ro: ¡°I am little lost here.¡±


    Barry: ¡°To put it simply, do you know what the highest form of a ghost is called?¡±


    Ro: ¡°Highest form?¡±


    Barry nods and continues,


    Barry: ¡°On reaching the highest stage of power, if the ghost is, for the lack of a better term, good, then they become an angel. If the ghost is evil, they become a demon.¡±


    Ro looks at Barry in surprise for a moment but immediately regains composure.


    Ro: ¡°I see.¡±


    He gulps while he thinks of the theories in his head. He then says,


    Ro: ¡°I was planning on asking you later, but what is a Spectre?¡±


    Barry: ¡°Uh? Oh yeah, you wouldn¡¯t know. You only recently found out about ghosts in the first place.¡±


    Barry stands up as he says,


    Barry: ¡°Spectres are artificially created ghosts made to kill vampires. They are weapons designed specifically for the current war.¡±


    Ro: ¡°I ¡­ see. If that¡¯s case, then they are creating ghosts who can ¡­¡±


    He goes silent. So,


    Ethan: ¡°become demons while still being under their control.¡±


    Ethan finishes his sentence for him.


    Sneha: ¡°The Spectres can turn into demons and become ridiculously powerful, but because they were created artificially, the ghosts would have probably used some methods to make sure they follow the commands given to them even after they have become demons. Is that what you are saying?¡±


    Barry nods with a matter-of-fact look on his face as he already knows what she would say next.


    Sneha: ¡°Isn¡¯t this just a speculation then? Unless you know for sure that they are planning to control them after they turn into Demons, there is no way to confirm this, is there?¡±


    Barry: ¡°And what if I tell you I already have proof that they are trying to control the Spectres in that way.¡±


    Other three look at Barry with different looks of surprise. Ro is surprised on seeing how much information he actually has.


    Sneha is surprised on hearing that there is proof that ghosts may possess something that can control demons.


    Ethan is surprised that he is revealing everything to them.


    Ethan: ¡°Well, what¡¯s the proof?¡±


    Barry: ¡°Take a guess.¡±


    He says while folding his arms and sighing as if to tease the others.


    Sneha: ¡°What the heck?¡±


    Ro: ¡°Just say it already, man.¡±


    It works in aggravating them.


    Barry: ¡°Come on, try to think for ¡­¡±


    But,


    Ethan: ¡°Angels.¡±


    Ethan cuts in with his guess.


    Sneha: ¡°Huh?¡±


    Ro: ¡°Huh?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°That¡¯s my guess. You did mention they could also become Angels, right? What if they are trying to use the army to do all the dirty work, so the citizens can actually remain in better mental states? By strengthening themselves, a lot of the citizens who have never committed any crimes and truly believe they have never done anything wrong, they may end up becoming Angels.¡±


    Ro: ¡°Are you serious!?¡±


    Ro stands from the shock of hearing that.


    Barry: ¡°Yeah, he is right on the money.¡±


    Barry says while nodding.


    Sneha: ¡°S ¡­ so, by pitting everyone who is targeting the ghosts against their army, they are trying to distract us from what they are really trying to do behind the scenes. And what they are trying to do is ¨C create Angels.¡±


    Barry: ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s how it is. Those angels will be able to cancel out the power of the demons and internal conflict can be avoided to a certain extent.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°But it won¡¯t completely stop the conflict, which maybe the reason for the political problems you mentioned earlier.¡±


    Barry: ¡°Yeah, that could be one of the reasons of the conflict. I am sure that won¡¯t be the only reason for it though.¡±


    As Barry says that, the full-picture starts to become clearer to Ethan.


    Ethan: ¡°Barry, if Dyne does come here, do you have some way to know it the moment he enters the island or something like that.¡±


    Barry: ¡°If you are trying to measure how powerful I am, I refuse to disclose that information. You aren¡¯t a very trustworthy person after all.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°I¡¯ll take that as a yes.¡±


    Barry: ¡°U-uh? Why?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°That agitation confirms it¡¯s a yes.¡±


    Barry: ¡°Huh!¡±


    Barry sighs with his shoulders dropping a little.


    Barry: ¡°You pulled a fast one, huh?¡±


    One of the few things Ethan has going for him is the ability to see the psychic energy surrounding Barry. If Barry was only acting, Ethan would be seeing a slightly agitated movement in the energy, but that¡¯s not the case. ¡®Okay, that¡¯s the actual proof it¡¯s a yes,¡¯ Ethan says in his mind as up until then, everything was a bluff.


    Ethan: ¡°Yeah, I actually did.¡±


    Deciding to let him think that Barry made some kind of expression that gave him away will let Ethan use this trick again because he won¡¯t bother trying to keep the energy around him in his control when he lies as he would be too busy keeping his expressions under control.


    Having done all that, he comes back to the topic.


    Ethan: ¡°So you would know it whenever he comes here, huh? If what I am thinking is right, he might not be alone.¡±


    Barry: ¡°Yeah, there¡¯s a fair chance he would bring another person along with him.¡±


    Ethan smiles and says,


    Ethan: ¡°Yeah, I guess.¡±


    *******************************


    As the two dogs, Jack and Jill, had not been willing to let the four of them in the forest, they decided they would call it a ceasefire and take rest at the beach. Barry and Sneha, probably even Ro could easily handle those dogs and anything else the forest may throw at them, but they decided to not let the chance to rest slip by.


    And so, they talked with each other. They discussed things even though they were not allies. They decided to share some information with each other regardless. Was this because Ethan and Barry had come to some sort of understanding earlier? Was it because they found some hidden profit by having this conversation? Or did they just didn¡¯t consider each other true enemies?


    No matter what it was, many hours have passed now and the morning sun is rising. This is the time they have to start to do what they need to do. The dogs won¡¯t come in their way as soon as the sun rises is something both Barry and Ethan knew of. So they would now be free to enter the forest and start to work towards their goals.


    And so, on the beach right now, only Ethan and Sneha are remaining.


    Sneha: ¡°Do you really think it was a good idea letting them go in the forest first?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°I do.¡±


    Sneha: ¡°Any specific reason for you thinking that?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Actually, there is.¡±


    Sneha: ¡°And what¡¯s that?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°I noticed something last night while we were talking to them. The fact that every person on this island has a different arsenal of abilities is pretty confusing, right?¡±


    Sneha: ¡°It is, though I don¡¯t know if saying ¡®different arsenal¡¯ is right. I mean, Barry¡¯s abilities are basically like a mix of Ro¡¯s and Kais¡¯.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°I suppose, but you know what I mean. Anyway, my point is ¨C maybe we should shift our perspective a little.¡±


    Sneha: ¡°Okay?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Let¡¯s say ¨C you and I are like the Aural faction here.¡±


    Sneha: ¡°Are we?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°You are an Aural and I do have good relations to other Aurals. Besides, what other group is on better terms with them than us.¡±


    Sneha sighs and nods.


    Sneha: ¡°That¡¯s fair. What about it?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Well, Barry and Ro are definitely the Vampire faction. I am pretty sure Kais and Sona can be put in the same faction for being the ones who are the most unstable elements of us all.¡±


    Sneha: ¡°That would be a weird faction.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Yeah, I know. But anyway, the dragon and the girl can be considered a different faction too, couldn¡¯t they?¡±


    Sneha: ¡°Okay, so you are basically trying to look at it from the perspective of where our interests align in this upcoming war, right? And it somehow seems to be that every side has two members.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Yeah, and I don¡¯t understand why, but I think ¡®god¡¯ wanted it to end this way. He is a big reason why we are in this position after all.¡±


    Sneha nods in understanding. The two of them know very well that Ozyllus was not as noble of a soul as the records claim him to be. They also know his soul is still trying to mess with the real world. So they are able to come up with such a theory.


    Sneha: ¡°So how exactly does it all tie up?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Not sure about that, but if this is indeed not-a-coincidence, then two representatives of Ghost Nation will be sent here.¡±


    Sneha: ¡°And ¡­ what about it? You are wondering who the second one will be?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s exactly what I am wondering.¡±


    Sneha: ¡°Well, that is an interesting question. And you let them go in first so we could wait for those two to arrive here, is that it?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Yeah, precisely. The dragon and consequently, the whole island is gonna die in three days. I doubt the Ghost Nation can afford to wait any longer before sending them.¡±


    Sneha turns to look at the sky. No indication of anyone coming can be seen so far.


    Sneha: ¡°I don¡¯t know if you are right about that or not, I mean for all we know, they may actually not even know that the island is going to get destroyed.¡±


    There comes no reply. So, she continues,


    Sneha: ¡°There is something I wanted to ask you, Ethan.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    Sneha: ¡°The first time that girl sees the dragon out of the tomb, the island will be in its final days, what¡¯s up with that prophecy? How¡¯d you do it?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Well, I would like to tell you, but I can¡¯t risk anyone finding out about that. Sorry about this.¡±


    She sighs as she keeps looking at the sky and smiles.


    Sneha: ¡°Well, it¡¯s fine. Not like I actually expected any answers in the first place.¡±


    Hearing that, Ethan also sighs and also turns to the sky. In his thoughts, he gives Sneha the answer. He tells her that there is no reason for the island to get destroyed. So why would it be destroyed? Even the dragon doesn¡¯t know why it would happen. All that Ozyllus told him is that it will happen. But Ethan knows the reason for it. In his mind, he tells Sneha that the only reason the island would be destroyed will be because of the girl. It will be because she thinks the island would end that it would end. That¡¯s how powerful she truly is.


    The dragon may have created her, but someone else has done some modifications on her, and now because of that, she can vaguely understand the value of names, she can vaguely remember pointless things that the dragon programmed her brain to forget after a while. Those modifications are why she is now so powerful that if she thinks about something strongly, it would happen. In other words, Ethan Kales never did any prophesying about any destruction, he is the one who set up the said destruction.


    After all, he is not someone who warns people of tragedies. He is the one who causes them.


    *******************************

 Chapter 28: The Reason

    I ran. I was still running. I would continue to run. I could never stop running. If I did, I would have been swallowed. I would have died. I would have kept dying. I would have continued to die every day until I was completely dead.


    No, I couldn¡¯t take that. I would have had an instant death than lived a life that would become death itself. So, I had to run. In order to protect myself, I had to run. There¡¯s no other way then.


    Kais: ¡°I ¡­ I have ¡­ already lost everything ¡­ everything except myself. This might be ¡­ selfish ¡­ but I don¡¯t care ¡­ because I don¡¯t want to die.¡±


    Barry: ¡°And you think wanting to not die is enough?¡±


    I didn¡¯t want to hear it. I didn¡¯t want to think about anything he said. And yet, his voices rang in my head so loud I couldn¡¯t ignore it. Why was that torture happening to me?


    Barry: ¡°Look around you, look at the corpses, Kais.¡±


    He said as he spread his arms; his arms that were covered in the blood; the blood that was all around us.


    Barry: ¡°Do you think any of these people wanted to die?¡±


    I was running, running so fast I couldn¡¯t even see the road. So why ¨C why couldn¡¯t I shake him off?


    Barry: ¡°Do you think all of them came to me telling me to kill them or something?¡±


    It was a nightmare, right? It would be over as soon as I woke up, wouldn¡¯t it? Yeah, the moment I woke up, I would see Barry¡¯s smiling face. The smiling face ¨C his smiling face ¨C


    Barry: ¡°Hey!¡±


    I remembered seeing his smile every day. The expression of happiness rarely left his face. He was so ¡­ so amazing. That smile ¨C I used to envy that. Not anymore though, I didn¡¯t want to see that face anymore. I didn¡¯t want to see that face anymore. Because the only smile of his I remembered then ¨C is the one covered in blood.


    Kais: ¡°Go away!¡±


    I don¡¯t know how loud my voice was. But it didn¡¯t matter. It didn¡¯t matter. Nothing mattered anymore.


    Barry: ¡°Well, if that¡¯s what you want,¡±


    I fell. My feet came to a halt automatically. No, I had to have kept running.


    Barry: ¡°then make me go away.¡±


    Kais: ¡°H-huh?¡±


    Barry: ¡°You have everything you need for it, don¡¯t you?¡±


    I looked up. I looked up from the ground I had fallen to. No, was it really ground I had fallen to? Looked nothing like that. All it looked like was a sea of blood.


    Barry: ¡°Do it for yourself.¡±


    As I stared at the sky, my vision was blocked by the face of the brother I had known for so long. His face covered in blood, his voice cold, and with a smile on his face, he looked at me.


    Kais: ¡°S-s-stay away!¡±


    Barry: ¡°Make me stay away. If you want something, take it for yourself.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t even move. I didn¡¯t know why but no matter how much I wanted to, I just couldn¡¯t move my limbs. Why ¡­ why was this happening?


    Barry: ¡°Come on. Do it.¡±


    Kais: ¡°No!¡±


    I couldn¡¯t do it. I wanted to ¡­ so badly, but I just couldn¡¯t do it.


    Barry: ¡°You were always given everything you ever needed.¡±


    Kais: ¡°No!¡±


    I wasn¡¯t. There were so many things I needed that I wasn¡¯t given.


    Barry: ¡°Our parents left us before you even knew what family means. You didn¡¯t lose anything by that, did you?¡±


    Kais: ¡°Shut up!¡±


    You were wrong. I could see with my own eyes how parents cared for their children. I could clearly see how all the kids around me got the love I never did. You got it too, even if not forever. But I didn¡¯t.


    Barry: ¡°You were also given psychic abilities. That made your life a breeze, didn¡¯t it?¡±


    Kais: ¡°I-It didn¡¯t.¡±


    Barry: ¡°It did. You could accomplish anything with your abilities. Everyone else had to work hard for it. But you could do anything because of your abilities.¡±


    Kais: ¡°You are wrong!¡±


    You were wrong. You were wrong. I didn¡¯t use my abilities for things that you told me not to. I always stuck to the rules you laid out for me.


    Barry: ¡°I am wrong, huh?¡±


    Kais: ¡°You are. I also worked hard. I worked hard knowing I didn¡¯t have to.¡±


    It¡¯s not easy to suppress the urge to use those abilities every single time. But I did. I did suppress it every time. I never used it to cheat it in any way.


    Barry: ¡°You worked hard, you say? Oh yeah, you worked hard, didn¡¯t you? It would have been so easy knowing you could make up for anything you ended up lacking in by your abilities.¡±


    What the heck did that mean? You were just spouting non-sense.


    Barry: ¡°It would have been so easy for you, wouldn¡¯t it? While everyone in the world tries to do their best trying to achieve their goals without knowing the end result, you knew you could make up for anything with your abilities. The only reason you worked hard was to satisfy yourself. It was so you can say those lines you are saying right now.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Shut up! You are wrong! You are ¡­ just wrong about EVERYTHING.¡±


    Barry: ¡°Is that so?¡±


    Kais: ¡°Yeah, it is. And who are you to talk anyway. You were far superior to me in every way. You didn¡¯t even have a big brother to tell you to not use your abilities. You would have exploited your abilities all you wanted.¡±


    Barry: ¡°Ha! Ha! Ha! HA! HA! HA! HA! HA!¡±


    Kais: ¡°Stop ¡­ laughing.¡±


    He didn¡¯t stop laughing. I sat there looking at him as he laughed like a maniac. He laughed so loud that it echoed throughout the place, that everyone around could hear it. But, they didn¡¯t hear it, because they couldn¡¯t hear it, because the only things around me and Barry were corpses.


    Barry: ¡°HA! HA! Ha! Ha!¡±


    As I barely kept myself up, as I barely stopped my legs from completely going numb, the sound of Barry¡¯s loud laughs kept piercing me. They weren¡¯t piercing my ears as much as they were piercing my soul.


    Kais: ¡°S-SHUT UP!!!¡±


    I shouted at the top of my lungs. I couldn¡¯t help it. I just couldn¡¯t take it anymore. The brother I had known for so long was dying. This man ¨C whoever he was, he wasn¡¯t my brother. And I felt like every laugh from him was killing my brother.


    Barry: ¡°Tell me, why are you crying like that?¡±


    And only then I realized ¨C I had been crying. I had been crying for some reason. But why was that?


    Barry: ¡°Why are you crying, Kais?¡±


    Kais: ¡°I ¡­ don¡¯t know.¡±


    *******************************


    12 years in the future, in the Vampire Kingdom¡¯s courtroom, four people are gathered.


    Reid: ¡°What¡¯s up with this war between you and the ghosts?¡±


    Knowing that he was touching the heart of the matter, Ro had prepared himself for a cold stare from Reid.


    Valdis: ¡°Well, that really is the most important query you have, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Valdis looked him in the eyes as she said so.


    Barry: ¡°Well, in simple words, it is a political conflict between the two for the balance of power.¡±


    Ro: ¡°What balance of power?¡±


    Barry: ¡°Vermillion, the Vampire Kingdom, the Ghost Nation, Aurals, Spirit-users and Dragons. These are the six supernatural factions the world seems to be divided in.¡±


    Ro: ¡°Okay, and?¡±


    Barry: ¡°Well, let¡¯s see, it was about a thousand years ago that a different factions had risen. It was the faction led by Ozyllus.¡±


    Ro fell silent as Barry continued to explain.


    Barry: ¡°He didn¡¯t per se oppose any factions but he did demand to be left as an uninvolved faction in their struggles for power. And well, apart from the minor conflicts that happened throughout the history, he was left alone. The biggest reason for that was that he was just so powerful. But there was another reason why no one attacked him.¡±


    Ro¡¯s curiosity kept on rising and he questioned further.


    Ro: ¡°And what was that?¡±


    Barry: ¡°Well, it was the Ghost Nation. They were a faction waging a war against everyone else. Every other faction except that of Ozyllus¡¯ formed an alliance to take them down.¡±


    It surprised Ro to know they were that big of a threat but the real shocking news was yet to come.


    Barry: ¡°They all lost.¡±


    Ro: ¡°What!¡±


    Barry: ¡°The Ghost Nation defeated all of them.¡±


    Ro glanced at Valdis and Reid. While Valdis had a discomforted expression on her face, Reid was barely holding in his anger. It was clear that this was indeed the truth and neither of them is very proud of this piece of history.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Ro: ¡°But ¡­¡±


    So, he decided to ask the question that he couldn¡¯t have predicted the answer to.


    Ro: ¡°How could they be that strong?¡±


    Barry: ¡°It was because of their king.¡±


    Who was their king? ¨C Ro wondered. And the answer soon came.


    Barry: ¡°Their king, someone you may have heard about in all the legends of that era, was the demon Abyss.¡±


    Ro¡¯s eyes widen in shock. Reid clicked his tongue making it clear just how much that name annoyed him. Valdis kept a calm expression but disdain was slightly visible on her face as well.


    Barry: ¡°The only reason we hear about the legendary battle between Ozyllus and Abyss is because no one could stop Abyss and finally Ozyllus had to step in himself.¡±


    Ro: ¡°Okay, wait! I get what you are saying, but how does it all tie up to now?¡±


    Unable to hold his excitement, Ro looks at Barry with a questioning gaze.


    Ro: ¡°Abyss has long been defeated, hasn¡¯t he?¡±


    Barry: ¡°Yeah, but the thing is ¨C a demon as powerful as Abyss should have had no reason to become the ruler of ghosts. This is what led to a large amount of theories on how ghosts and demons can be connected.¡±


    Ghosts and demons can be connected. It is a terrifying thought in every way. Ro and a lot of other people involved with supernaturals didn¡¯t know about the existence of ghosts but all of them know about the existence of demons. And no one wants to mess with them.


    Barry: ¡°Back when I got into a fight with a ghost, I found out how they are connected.¡±


    Ro: ¡°Huh?¡±


    And suddenly Barry cuts down all the hope of ¡®this is just a theory¡¯ excuse.


    Barry: ¡°And not only that, but they are also connected to Angels. And they are trying to raise both to empower themselves. That¡¯s when we decided we would put a stop to them.¡±


    It makes sense. They need to be stopped at once or a repeat of thousand years ago may happen.


    Barry: ¡°But they are capable of fending our whole army off. And since Vampires are not very friendly creatures for those that have blood in them, Vermillion and the dragons have formed an alliance with the Ghost Nation ¨C what we call The Dragon Alliance.¡±


    The pieces of puzzle fell into place as Barry¡¯s explanation ended.


    Barry: ¡°That is what brings us here. We need to stop the ghosts, no, the entire Dragon Alliance at all costs or a tragedy like the past may strike again. And this time there would be no Ozyllus to stop them.¡±


    After remaining silent for a while, Ro finally sighed and then said,


    Ro: ¡°I understand now why Vermillion¡¯s upper echelon kept sending us after Kais even when he kept refusing again and again. They wanted him on their side and you want him to join the Vampire Kingdom. He is the one you want taking the place of Ozyllus, isn¡¯t he?¡±


    Barry: ¡°Precisely, he is the only one who can do it. His potential as a psychic far surpassed anyone else in the world. But because of incidents like the one 12 years ago, it might be very difficult for me to convince him of joining the war alone.¡±


    Ro got an urge to ask about the ¡®incident 12 years ago¡¯ but decided to save it for later so they could focus on the topic at hand.


    Ro: ¡°That¡¯s why you brought me here.¡±


    Barry: ¡°Yeah, you are not on the best terms with him either but your position is much better than mine.¡±


    Ro: ¡°I see. But it¡¯s not just about convincing him, is it? He is capable of taking Ozyllus¡¯ place but he is not yet strong enough to do it, right?¡±


    Barry: ¡°Right. We also need him to get stronger. This is why; we need to give him a lot of time.¡±


    Reid: ¡°And to buy that time, we¡¯ll fight them.¡±


    Their attention turns towards Reid.


    Reid: ¡°Aurals have scattered throughout the world and spirit-users have decided to not take part in any wars. So they are left with the three factions that form The Dragon Alliance. And we¡¯ll have to fight those three factions. It obviously is not going to be a walk in the park but don¡¯t have a choice.¡±


    He turns to Ro with a resolved gaze and asked,


    Reid: ¡°We won¡¯t be able to completely defeat them. The most we can do is delaying them.¡±


    Ro: ¡°And you need Kais to become stronger, start wanting to defeat the Dragon Alliance and then join the war.¡±


    As Ro came to understand everything, he felt a heavy burden on his shoulders all of a sudden. His job ¨C to convince Kais to join the war from their side ¨C was tantamount to saving the world at this point. If he failed, everything may fall apart.


    Barry: ¡°But that isn¡¯t all.¡±


    Ro: ¡°What? What more is there ¡­?¡±


    He realized mid-sentence the answer to his question.


    Ro: ¡°Ethan Kales. How does he fit into all of this?¡±


    The one loose end came to his mind.


    Barry: ¡°Well, to be honest, no idea.¡±


    Ro: ¡°Huh?¡±


    Barry: ¡°During the battle between Ozyllus and Abyss, there was a person in Ozyllus¡¯ faction, someone by the name of Sagax.¡±


    Ro: ¡°Yeah, he was the man whose eyes could never be deceived.¡±


    Barry: ¡°Right, it seems Ethan somehow plays a similar role in this war, whatever that may be.¡±


    Ro: ¡°You are telling me ¡­¡±


    Reid: ¡°Wait now, what is all this?¡±


    Ro turned to Reid and saw a shocked look on his face.


    Valdis: ¡°You never told us about any of this.¡±


    Valdis says with a concerned expression.


    Barry: ¡°Because I never got the chance to.¡±


    The three look at Barry wanting to know the explanation to what he just said.


    Barry: ¡°Before I brought Ro here, I was following Ethan. I saw him trap Ro and kill him.¡±


    Ro: ¡°You were there?¡±


    Barry nods and continues,


    Barry: ¡°I also noticed how he used my name to scare you and all that.¡±


    Ro: ¡°Uh, that ¡­¡±


    Ro tried to come up with words to retort, but Barry cuts in.


    Barry: ¡°But anyway, what immediately caught my attention was him saying that he had seen ghosts.¡±


    Ro: ¡°Huh?¡±


    Barry: ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be that surprised that someone working with an Aural would know that ghosts exist. I was a little surprised that the Aural herself didn¡¯t know though. That said though, the fact that a normal human like him could see ghosts was the most concerning matter.¡±


    All three of them nod in understanding.


    Barry: ¡°That is why; I followed him. I had already known Ethan Kales is someone who is causing problems for Vermillion so I also wanted to find out just what card does he have up his sleeve. But I couldn¡¯t find anything out of the ordinary even after following him for four hours, his aura was completely normal and it looked like all he had got on his side was a cunning mind. That is when I had decided that I would stop following him, but ¡­¡±


    Valdis: ¡°But?¡±


    Barry: ¡°I then suddenly saw his soul being pulled into a void ¡­ and I followed suit. The place that void led to looked like the interior of a cave or a tomb. When he woke up in the there, he took one look at his palm and knew only his soul is present there.¡±


    Reid: ¡°And how¡¯d he do that?¡±


    Barry: ¡°Don¡¯t know but it looked like his eyes were glowing.¡±


    Ro: ¡°Does he have some kind of special eyes?¡±


    Barry: ¡°Probably something like Sagax has. But I didn¡¯t know it back then so I kept following him. I became more and more curious about his secret. And then he came across ¡­ Kais.¡±


    Valdis, Reid and Ro simultaneously raised their eyebrows and widen their eyes in surprise.


    Barry: ¡°There, in the conversation they had, I found out three things.¡±


    Valdis: ¡°And what were they?¡±


    Barry: ¡°The first, they had met once before that point. Second, Ethan had those eyes or at least similar ones to what Sagax had. Third, he was present there on that day 12 years ago.¡±


    Valdis, Reid and Ro remained silent. The shock of these revelations was already too heavy on their minds for them to speak anything anymore.


    Barry: ¡°After Ethan¡¯s conversation with Kais, he decided he would turn back and leave. I followed him back as well. I think Kais noticed my presence when I tried to get away because he was being really cautious and putting up a barrier and whatnot. Either way, after he reached the point he had entered from, his soul returned to his body. I came back from there the same way.¡±


    He continued seeing how no one else was trying to say anything.


    Barry: ¡°Then, I went to bring Ro here and that brings us to the current situation.¡±


    After a moment of silence,


    Valdis: ¡°I ¡­ see. This Ethan Kales ¨C till now I had only thought of him as a small nuisance and so I was glad that he is causing problems for Vermillion, but now I understand that was my mistake. He might be a detrimental factor to our plans as well.¡±


    Barry and Reid nod.


    Reid: ¡°He could be the biggest obstacle in our path. We need to take care of him as quickly as we can.¡±


    Barry: ¡°I would agree.¡±


    As they said so, a sudden realization hit Ro¡¯s mind.


    Ro: ¡°If his eyes are similar to Sagax¡¯s, then could it be he knew you were following him?¡±


    Ro asks nervously


    Barry: ¡°It¡¯s possible, but I don¡¯t think it would be that much of a bother.¡±


    Ro: ¡°No, you are misunderstanding.¡±


    Barry got curious as he urges him to continue.


    Ro: ¡°Could he have known that you were following him before the whole incident with me happened?¡±


    Barry: ¡°Uh,¡±


    Ro: ¡°If so, it could mean that the reason he mentioned that ghosts exist was for you to hear and not for us. So he could make you keep trailing him till later.¡±


    Barry: ¡°Well, it¡¯s possible but I doubt he knew that he would be pulled in a place like that. And other than that, nothing really happened with him so I don¡¯t know what he may have wanted from making me trail him.¡±


    Ro: ¡°I-I see. But even so, this current situation where he killed me and you brought me here and we are discussing all of this, it could all be part of his plan, couldn¡¯t it?¡±


    Barry was left speechless. Ro¡¯s assumptions, if they are true, could very well mean that everything that¡¯s happening is part of his plan.


    Valdis: ¡°If that¡¯s the case, you two need to hurry and get to Kais before he can. We can¡¯t allow his plans to keep succeeding.¡±


    Reid: ¡°Yeah, I doubt his end goal, whatever it is, would work in our favor. We can¡¯t take the risk.¡±


    Valdis nods as she looks at Barry¡¯s horrified expression. Feeling a little concerned but trying to put her duty as the vampire queen before that of the elder sister, she said,


    Valdis: ¡°Barry, I want you to go there along with Ro and bring Kais to our side.¡±


    Barry listened to her. He knew that he needs to do just as she said. He knew they need to hurry, but ¡­


    Barry: ¡°12 years ago,¡±


    They turned to look at him in surprise,


    Barry: ¡°The reason I did all that ¨C¡±


    His hands were shaking, his voice was weaker than usual and the impression it gave of him was far different from the impression he would usually give.


    Reid: ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    The most astonished of the three on seeing that sight of Barry was Reid. He had asked this question out of genuine concern.


    Barry: ¡°Call him; call our strategist and ask him about the truth of the legends.¡±


    Reid: ¡°Huh?¡±


    Valdis: ¡°Huh?¡±


    The two are left in surprise by Barry¡¯s sudden words.


    Barry: ¡°He and I had kept these things secret from all of you for a reason but you need to know. Tell him I want him to answer; I am sure he would catch on.¡±


    Just as he told them to, they asked their strategist about the legends, he sent some books that would explain to them the truth that they had been ignorant of. He sent enough books for there to be one for the four people in that room and the four generals.


    What would they have thought after reading those books? What would they have thought of Barry who had kept those things a secret from them?


    Barry had made himself suspicious in the eyes of Reid and Valdis. But that was nothing new for him. Barry is someone whose actions have always raised questions. He has always been mysterious. Why did he use the invisibility technique on his jet to try to follow Ethan when he knew about his eyes? Anyone who is around him often ends up thinking questions like these.


    The answer is a really simple one though ¨C It¡¯s because he wanted to test out if Ethan¡¯s eyes really are the same as that of Sagax.   Even though his actions may sometimes look stupid or suspicious, there always is a genuine reason for them.


    This is why, when a truly suspicious question comes up, it becomes really hard to want an answer to it. This is why the question of ¡®Why did he cause that tragedy 12 years ago?¡¯ was something no one really wanted an answer to.


    *******************************


    Barry: ¡°You don¡¯t know why you are crying, huh?¡±


    Yeah, it¡¯s true. The eight-year-old Kais was crying. But why was he crying?


    Barry: ¡°Let me tell you why you are crying then. You are crying because you can see yourself in me.¡±


    His eyes widen in shock as he looked at Barry.


    Barry: ¡°That entire time playing house you could only admire that kind, good-natured fa?ade of the man you called your big brother. But now that you have seen this horrible side of him, you can actually see yourself in him, isn¡¯t that true?¡±


    Kais was left speechless. That¡¯s how true the answer was.


    Barry: ¡°Ah!¡±


    Seeing that, Barry turned around and started walking. He ignored Kais and anything he may have said from that point on and started walking.


    Barry: ¡°There, you happy now?¡±


    He said in a soft voice. And a reply came back from within,


    ¡°I am. I am very happy.  By doing this, you have set him on the path to become my successor.¡±


    Barry: ¡°Is that so?¡±


    ¡°Yes, yes. You should be proud of yourself, Barry. Even though you are incapable of saving the world from the Ghost Nation, you have managed to push your brother on the path of doing so.¡±


    Barry: ¡°I should be proud, you say? What the hell should I be proud of? Should I be proud that I showed an eight-year-old this horrible scenery? Should I be proud that I killed so many people? Are you kidding me?¡±


    ¡°Well, I guess this was a pretty horrible act and you would be hated for the entirety of your life for this. But I am sure at the end of the day, you can find solace in the fact that all of these things are for the greater good.¡±


    Barry: ¡°Greater good my ass! You only want him to fulfill your own goals. You don¡¯t care if the world gets destroyed. And I am helping you. There¡¯s nothing in all of this that is for the greater good.¡±


    ¡°Now, now, don¡¯t be so pessimistic. It¡¯s not like you are helping me out of you own violation after all.¡±


    Barry: ¡°Of course I am not.¡±


    ¡°Right, the only reason you are doing this is because you knew this was inevitable. You knew I would make this happen by the hands of someone else if not you, so you decided that you will take the burden of doing this on yourself in order to keep anyone else from getting involved.¡±


    Barry kept walking.


    ¡°You are such a kind soul, Barry. I do feel bad for making you do this. But you know, at the end of the day, it really is for the greater good.¡±


    Barry kept walking as the voice continued to talk in an elated tone.


    ¡°After all, what good can be greater than trying to bring your god¡¯s ambitions to fruition?¡±


    Barry: ¡°Shut the hell up! You are no god, Ozyllus. You are just an arrogant ghost of a psychic who was more powerful than others.¡±


    Ozyllus: ¡°Oh?¡±


    Barry: ¡°Yeah, because you were powerful and defeated a demon or two, you are put on a pedestal and praised as a god.¡±


    Ozyllus: ¡°And that doesn¡¯t make me a god?¡±


    Barry: ¡°Huh!?¡±


    Ozyllus: ¡°Face the truth, Barry. If people think I am a god, then I am a god. Their perception is all that matters.¡±


    Barry: ¡°You-¡±


    Barry stopped walking. He was forced to stop walking.


    Ozyllus: ¡°Oops! It looks like our conversation here is over.¡±


    Ozyllus said as he cut his link off Barry. Barry, at the place he was, kept standing unable to a move as a red liquid flowed out of his chest.


    Kais: ¡°Die, Barry! Die!¡±


    Barry fell as the sharp object piercing through his chest was pulled back. In his last moments as a living being, he took a look at Kais ¨C but he didn¡¯t find him. The only one he could see was the demon who had taken his place.


    Barry: ¡°A-Abyss!?¡±


    *******************************

 Chapter 29: Those Who Know The Truth

    Kais: ¡°What exactly do you mean?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Exactly what I said.¡±


    Kais: ¡°And that¡¯s what I don¡¯t get.¡±


    I grit my teeth in frustration. This is just so messed up, how am I supposed to go from here?


    Dragon: ¡°Is it that surprising that the archives are not completely accurate?¡±


    Kais: ¡°It is.¡±


    It is. Of course it is. It has to be.


    Kais: ¡°These archives are records Ozyllus left so they can be accessed by appropriate parties, right?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Right.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Then why would Ozyllus try to falsify that information?¡±


    Sona: ¡°Wait, falsify? He just said not everything in the archives is correct. That could also mean that the information is incomplete.¡±


    It could. Incomplete knowledge about the past can cause misconceptions and so can be called ¡®not correct¡¯. So it definitely could mean that. But, it doesn¡¯t.


    Dragon: ¡°I don¡¯t think that choice of words was accidental, was it?¡±


    The dragon asks while looking at me as if he¡¯s evaluating me.


    Kais: ¡°No, they weren¡¯t. From your aura, I can sense a repulsive hatred towards the name Ozyllus,¡±


    -which is something I never thought I¡¯d sense from you.


    Kais: ¡°I could sense your blood boiling with anger when you mentioned that the information is incorrect. You weren¡¯t trying to say it¡¯s incomplete, or that reaction would make no sense.¡±


    To be honest, there are situations where my last statement would fail, but I have a feeling that this is the correct answer, and I am not gonna try to explain that my instinct is telling me this.


    Dragon: ¡°So you say.¡±


    Sona: ¡°Tch!¡±


    With an expression of anger and hatred, she clicks her tongue. I think it¡¯s probably because she has no idea what the dragon means and she doesn¡¯t like him keeping secrets. If that is the case, I can relate.


    Sona: ¡°Tell me, is he right?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Yes, he is.¡±


    He says while looking at neither of us, but the golden fish.


    Dragon: ¡°This might sound revolting to you but all you have been is a pawn in his game whose purpose was to mislead people who came to you for help.¡±


    From what he¡¯s saying, it looks like the fish didn¡¯t know about any of this.


    Fish: ¡°Explain yourself.¡±


    A chilling voice rings out in our brains directing itself towards the dragon.


    Dragon: ¡°Huh, explain myself. Where do I even start?¡±


    Fish: ¡°Start from where my role in all this comes in.¡±


    I find myself surprised on hearing that but it actually makes sense that she would want to know that. After all, the dragon is trying to say that the purpose of her life was not what she thought it would be. Of course she would want clarification on that.


    Sona: ¡°Well, why are you not answering?¡±


    Sona looks at him with an angry expression, but the dragon doesn¡¯t say anything. I can sense no change in his emotions as well. It¡¯s like he predicted this situation.


    Dragon: ¡°Well,¡±


    And then almost suddenly, he starts.


    Dragon: ¡°then to start off,¡±


    Looking at us in our eyes, he says,


    Dragon: ¡°Ozyllus was no noble soul like the legend claims him to be. He was a dirty schemer.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Tch!¡±


    I clicking my tongue made their attention turn towards me. There is nothing I have to say though. All I can do is try to control my emotions.


    Sona: ¡°What is it?¡±


    She asks in a half-calm half-angry tone. While looking at the dragon, I say,


    Kais: ¡°Nothing, please keep going.¡±


    That dirty schemer is inside me. That¡¯s all there is to me giving that annoyed reaction.


    Dragon: ¡°Well then, it all started with his plan of causing a war between the ghosts ¡­ and everyone else.¡±


    *******************************


    Ozyllus: ¡°That damned dragon, he thinks he can betray me and get away with this.¡±


    Abyss: ¡°I doubt it.¡±


    Ozyllus looks at Abyss with an angry expression asking him ¡®why?¡¯


    Abyss: ¡°His time is already up, isn¡¯t it? If I remember correctly, dragon souls don¡¯t turn into ghosts when they die.¡±


    Ozyllus: ¡°I see. So he is not really aiming to get away with it.¡±


    Abyss: ¡°Yeah, precisely.¡±


    Ozyllus: ¡°And he thinks just because he is about to die, he can do whatever the hell he wants.¡±


    Abyss: ¡°Why can¡¯t he?¡±


    To an angry Ozyllus, Abyss replies in an almost mocking tone.


    Abyss: ¡°It¡¯s not like you can do anything to him now that you are trapped here.¡±


    Ozyllus: ¡°Tch!¡±


    Frustration at seeing his plans being torn apart because of a simple betrayal keeps building inside Ozyllus, but Abyss feels nothing except joy.This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Abyss: ¡°You have lorded yourself over them enough already. It was only about time they would have figured it out anyway.¡±


    ¡®It would have been too late for them by that point¡¯ is what Ozyllus wanted to say but he stops himself. It wouldn¡¯t be wise to keep saying everything that came to mind, he thinks.


    Abyss: ¡°Anyway, looks like your time as a so-called ¡®god¡¯ is at its end.¡±


    Ozyllus grits his teeth as he hears Abyss say that. The voice of the dragon spilling his secrets keeps coming to them. Abyss smiles and Ozyllus grits his teeth. The opposite of each other - that¡¯s how it had always been for them ¨C for the two archenemies.


    Ozyllus: ¡°Well Abyss, aren¡¯t you happier that your time as a so-called ¡®devil¡¯ is coming to an end?¡±


    Abyss: ¡°Huh?¡±


    Abyss asks in a curious tone as Ozyllus regains a bit of smile on his face.


    Ozyllus: ¡°Don¡¯t think this is already over. The ¡®end¡¯ is just beginning.¡±


    Abyss narrows his eyes while staring at Ozyllus.


    Ozyllus: ¡°They say when you stare into the ¡®abyss¡¯, the ¡®abyss¡¯ stares back into you.¡±


    Abyss doesn¡¯t respond. While turning to look at him, Ozyllus says with a smile,


    Ozyllus: ¡°Well, looks like someone is just about to find the meaning of those words.¡±


    Abyss does not know who he is talking about, but uncomfortably enough, he does understand that he is not bluffing.


    Abyss: ¡°So there¡¯s still more to it.¡±


    Ozyllus: ¡°Of course there is. As I said, the ¡®end¡¯ is just beginning.¡±


    *******************************


    In the middle of the forest,


    Ro: ¡°Why do you think Ethan let us go in the forest first?¡±


    Barry: ¡°You think that¡¯s suspicious?¡±


    Ro: ¡°Yeah, I think it is.¡±


    The two converse while walking.


    Ro: ¡°He said his goal is to bring Kais into the war, right?¡±


    Barry: ¡°He did say that, yes.¡±


    Ro: ¡°I guess us trying to bring him to our side technically does end up fulfilling his purpose, but ¡­¡±


    Barry: ¡°But you think there¡¯s more to it than that, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Ro nods. Barry understands his concerns very well. He knows there is some genuinely threatening reason why Ethan let them go first.


    Ro: ¡°Could it mean he was lying to us about his intentions?¡±


    Barry: ¡°No, I was using aura-reading on him. I would have known if he would have ever lied to me.¡±


    Seeing that both of them came here in a sort of a race with Ethan to reach Kais first, it just doesn¡¯t seem logical for him to allow his competitors have a head start.


    Barry: ¡°Were we the only ones who thought getting to Kais first is important?¡±


    Ro: ¡°Well, I hate to say it, but it could be that we are walking into his trap.¡±


    Barry: ¡°But it could also be that there was never any reason to be on each other¡¯s throats.¡±


    He says in an uncharacteristically serious and calm expression.


    Ro: ¡°Huh?¡±


    Barry: ¡°Think about it, he was a suspicious individual so we automatically assumed whatever he is doing is going to harm us, but what if that¡¯s not the case?¡±


    Ro: ¡°Are you serious?¡±


    Twitching his eyebrows, he asks with in a disgruntled tone


    Barry: ¡°Yeah, it does make sense, doesn¡¯t it? If this is true, then everything he is doing makes sense. He came here so we follow him here and is now trying to achieve his goal through us. He also shared information with us yesterday because we would only end up benefitting him in the end. Yeah, maybe we are suspecting him too much.¡±


    Barry looks at Ro for his response but Ro just stares at Barry with a cold expression.


    Barry: ¡°Ah!¡±


    Only then does Barry realize that he is telling Ro that the person who killed him has no reason to be suspected.


    Ro: ¡°There¡¯s something wrong with you if you think that¡¯s it.¡±


    Barry: ¡°Hey listen, try to think of this rationally.¡±


    Knowing he might be stepping on a land mine, Barry still has to go down this spiral of thought.


    Ro: ¡°Back on the beach too, what was going on? It¡¯s almost as if you had lost all hostility towards Ethan.¡±


    Ro points out the moment of Ethan coming to completely understand Barry.


    Barry: ¡°Believe me when I say that has nothing to do with this.¡±


    Ro¡¯s frustration was growing, but he did still try to think of things rationally. That is why, he wouldn¡¯t outright deny the possibility that Barry just mentioned but,


    Ro: ¡°I can¡¯t, believe that.¡±


    There is no way he can accept it either.


    Barry: ¡°Tch!¡±


    Barry lowers his gaze.


    Ro: ¡°Why are you suddenly trying to defend him anyway?¡±


    Barry sighs.


    Barry:  ¡°All I am saying is that this is a possibility.¡±


    Ro: ¡°¡­ that I have no faith in.¡±


    Barry: ¡°Why?¡±


    Ro: ¡°I think he said something about him having another goal last night. And he said he can¡¯t tell us what that goal is. That¡¯s plenty of reason to be suspicious.¡±


    Barry finally remembers it when Ro reminds him.


    Barry: ¡°I-I see. That was indeed suspicious.¡±


    Barry puts a hand at his chin as he remembers that detail.


    Ro: ¡°Which is why, your argument just now is pointless.¡±


    Barry: ¡°Uh,¡±


    Ro: ¡°What?¡±


    Barry narrows his gaze as he stares at Ro for a while, but then sighs and says,


    Barry: ¡°Nothing.¡±


    He wants to say that his argument doesn¡¯t fall off with just that, but he decides not to. After all, the biggest reason he thinks this possibility makes sense is because he knows the truth. He knows the truth he directed Valdis and Reid towards. They would have already found out about it, but Ro didn¡¯t get a chance to.


    Barry: ¡°If he just,¡±


    If he just knew about Ozyllus¡¯ true nature and intentions, then maybe Ethan would want to go against those intentions and salvage his plans, which would happen if they end up succeeding in bringing Kais in the war and causing the Dragon Alliance a cataclysmic defeat. While thinking thoughts like these, Barry continues to walk.


    Ro: ¡°What did you say?¡±


    Barry: ¡°Nothing, don¡¯t mind it.¡±


    Even while still curious about what Barry said, Ro decides to focus on their current task. Unlike Ethan who often gets distracted from the topic whenever talking about something, Ro knows how to keep his focus on one thing.


    This is the reason Barry thinks he is someone capable of dealing with Ethan. Someone like him could be capable of outsmarting Ethan given a little help. This is why he brought him on their side. But now,


    Barry: ¡°What if ¡­¡±


    In a voice so soft Ro couldn¡¯t hear, Barry asks himself, ¡°what if he finds out the truth about who Ozyllus really was. Will his approach to things change? If so, then how?¡±


    But more important than that is the question ¨C ¡®who would do that?¡¯ Who would reveal those secrets to him? Barry could have easily told him before but now it may sound to him like a made-up lie to help his argument about Ethan, which also stops Barry from revealing this secret to anyone else. So, who would spill the beans?


    *******************************


    Dragon: ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any point in me saying any further.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Why?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°I don¡¯t have enough time or credibility to tell you everything, do I?¡±


    I turn to take a look at Sona and realize what he is saying is true. His revealing whatever secrets he has is not going to convince her that they are the truth.


    Dragon: ¡°This is why; if you want to know the truth about everything, then try to find the Library. That¡¯s the only place that Ozyllus had no control over.¡±


    The library, huh? Is it some special library he is talking about?


    Sona: ¡°Wait a minute! Are you talking about the Psychic Library that¡¯s considered to be impossible to find.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Yeah, I am talking about that library.¡±


    So it¡¯s a library that no one has ever been able to find. And Sona called it ¡®psychic¡¯ library for some reason too. This is getting really confusing. Maybe I should stop pretending like I know what they are talking about and try to ask them directly.


    Dragon: ¡°Who knows, you might even realize I am not that big of a monster as you think I am.¡±


    Sona: ¡°What?¡±


    The atmosphere just got chilly all of a sudden and my words get stuck in my throat.


    Dragon: ¡°You might also find a new target for your revenge.¡±


    The dragon however continues on without flinching. At least, that¡¯s how it looks like. Because of Aura Reading, I know that he is also getting pressured from the coldness of her stare.


    Sona: ¡°Are you trying to say there is someone else who is responsible for what happened to me?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°I don¡¯t even know what happened to you, but since whatever it was couldn¡¯t have been about a thousand years ago, then that is what it means.¡±


    That seems like a roundabout way of saying you are not to blame for anything that has happened in the last thousand years.


    Sona narrows her eyes as she stares at him, while I keep my silence. The golden fish on the other end has not spoken a word and since I can¡¯t read the expressions of a fish, I am at a loss for what she is thinking right now.


    Dragon: ¡°Well, Barry once told me that he would come here when you would come here. And now he is here.¡±


    He suddenly said something that seemed unrelated to the topic but grabbed my attention nonetheless.


    Dragon: ¡°Ethan said that the island will be in its last days when I am seen outside of the tomb, and I certainly am in my last days. Ethan predicted that after I am gone, something will probably happen to the island that would take it down.¡±


    So, what is he trying to get at?


    Dragon: ¡°From those predictions of theirs, I think those two also know about these things. If you can¡¯t find the library, then just ask them.¡±


    The dragon says as a ray of the sun shines right at my face. I move aside a little. It¡¯s morning now. It was last evening when I first reached this pond. It was night when I reached Sona, and by the time we came back here, it was already past mid-night. Now, it¡¯s morning. Time sure flies by.


    Dragon: ¡°Well, I guess the sun¡¯s up, huh? That means new guests will be coming to the island.¡±


    Sona: ¡°Huh?¡±


    That startled both of us but I regain my composure as I had no reason to suspect it¡¯s a lie when I can read his aura. Sona probably thinks he is trying to deceive us.


    Kais: ¡°New guests, you say? Who are you talking about?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Well, just ¡­¡±


    From the corners of my eyes, I can see a small dot in the sky far away.


    Dragon: ¡°some ghosts.¡±


    *******************************

 Chapter 30: Calm Before The Storm

    Sneha: ¡°Well, looks like you were right after all.¡±


    She says while looking at the small dot in the sky which was slowly growing bigger.


    Ethan: ¡°You know, it¡¯s kinda awkward to see a technology like that when we are stuck on an island with none of it.¡±


    Sneha: ¡°None of it? What happened to our jets?¡±


    Sneha looks around to try to find the jet they came in and finds nothing.


    Ethan: ¡°You mean you didn¡¯t notice until now?¡±


    Sneha: ¡°There were here just a moment ago, weren¡¯t they?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°No, it just looked like that. Barry was casting an illusion to fool us into thinking what you had been thinking.¡±


    Sneha: ¡°Wait, why didn¡¯t you say anything before?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Because I thought I don¡¯t need to with you being an Aural and stuff. I thought you would have already sensed it in the aura.¡±


    Sneha sighs. Just how many tricks are they gonna try to pull at each other, she wonders.


    Sneha: ¡°So, what did he do with our jets?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Pretty much drowned them underwater. And he did the same to his own jet as well.¡±


    Sneha: ¡°But why did he do that? He should already have known there is no way to go back using those jets.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Hmm ¡­ the barriers, right?¡±


    Sneha nods as she looks back at the dot in the air which has grown considerably larger. She tries to analyze its aura.


    Ethan: ¡°What is it?¡±


    Sneha: ¡°It¡¯s a jet too.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°I see. That makes sense.¡±


    Ethan says as he ponders on the previous topic while putting a finger on his cheeks.  Sneha keeps looking at the jet so she doesn¡¯t miss anything. Unlike those in the island who can clearly see it in the sky, the people in the jet would not be able to see the island. To them, it would look like just ocean water. It will only be after they enter the barriers surrounding the island that they¡¯ll see what is truly here.


    However, if they keep flying at the normal altitude for a jet, they would just fly over the barrier, so in order to get in the island, they need to know that it¡¯s here and lower their jets accordingly.


    Ethan: ¡°Did you see anything?¡±


    Sneha: ¡°It looks like they are lowering themselves a little. Doesn¡¯t look like they did anything to figure out that this is where they needed to lower it.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Is that so?¡±


    When Barry and Ro came here, Barry already knew that the island was here because he had been here before. Kais and Sneha just followed their lead. Not knowing where they needed to start lowering the altitude was a major reason Ethan tricked Barry and Ro into reaching the island first. But since the people in this jet would need to somehow figure it out, they had thought to spy on them to see how they do it.


    Ethan: ¡°Well, they may have already figured it out by the point we started spying on them, they may have figured it out by some means that we couldn¡¯t spot from outside or they may have someone who already knew it was here.¡±


    Sneha: ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s how it seems.¡±


    They come to the conclusion that they have failed at finding out what they intended to find, so they try to forget about it and focus on what¡¯s about to come since it is more important anyway.


    Ethan: ¡°I have been thinking about that for a while now actually.¡±


    Not understanding what he is referring to, Sneha turns to look at him only to find a rarely seen troubled expression.


    Sneha: ¡°What exactly are you talking about?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Well you know; why Barry drowned our jets when we couldn¡¯t use it anyway?¡±


    Sneha: ¡°Hmm ¡­¡±


    Neither of them understands his reasoning for it. The reason this question holds so much importance in their eyes is because it can solve a mystery they would not be able to solve by themselves.


    Ethan: ¡°I know for a fact that we weren¡¯t just sharing information last night but trying to trick the other as well. While I was trying to get him to think my goal aligns with his, he was trying to do something too. But, how exactly was he tricking me?¡±


    Sneha: ¡°Kinda hard to figure out when you know the other person wasn¡¯t lying about anything, huh?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°I suppose.¡±


    The word ¡®deceit¡¯ is often associated with the word ¡®lie¡¯. But, lying is just one way of deceiving.


    Because of Ethan¡¯s Eyes of Truth and Barry¡¯s ability to read aura, neither of the two tried to deceive the other by lies as the other would have known instantly. While that may have helped in getting information out of the other at that moment, it becomes very hard to figure out exactly what the other party was doing to deceive them.


    Sneha: ¡°Hey, it¡¯s about to cross the barriers.¡±


    Ethan looks up at the jet when Sneha says so.


    Ethan: ¡°It is really close.¡±


    The moment it enters the barrier, people inside would be able to see the island along with the two standing on the beach.


    Sneha: ¡°Should we try to hide now?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Well, because the ones coming here are ghosts, I doubt it would do us any good to try to hide.¡±


    Because they are energy, they can sense energy, speculates Ethan. It would indeed be hard to hide from ghosts, especially if its someone as powerful as Spectre Dyne.


    Ethan: ¡°So, tell me, what kind of image would that Dyne guy have of you?¡±


    Sneha: ¡°Well, we weren¡¯t exactly enemies the last time we met and didn¡¯t leave a bad impression on each other. I can guarantee that. But now the situation has heated up and he might be hostile towards me after learning that I am not working with Vermillion anymore.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°That makes sense.¡±


    He looks at the jet as it pierces through the barrier making a portion of the barrier visible for a while. Ethan could use his eyes to see the position of the barrier anytime but it was invisible to the naked eye.


    Ethan: ¡°¡­¡±


    Sneha: ¡°¡­¡±


    As the two remain silent, they look at the jet slowly coming lower and lower till it finally lands. After a brief moment of silence, the sound of the shuttle opening comes and two men could be seen standing at the entrance.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    Ethan: ¡°And I was so hoping it was not true.¡±


    He says as a bittersweet smile envelope his lips. Sneha glances at him not knowing the meaning of what he just said. But, what she sees is the sight of a man looking afraid and nervous but trying to control it ¨C someone who is trying to hide the fact that his hands are shaking.


    Ethan Kales is not a psychopath. He is not some idiot who dives into his death with a smile. He is not someone who puts his life on line to take on monstrously powerful people for the fun of it. Beneath his fa?ade of all that there is a human being; scared of the consequences of his actions and not wanting to repeat the mistakes of his past.


    That fa?ade is not there without a reason either. That fa?ade is their because of the fear he felt when a monster first tried to kill him. The reason he would put up that fa?ade, the reason he would do things that can get him killed ¨C is now standing before him.


    With fear and anxiety in his eyes, with the fa?ade breaking down a little, he looks at Spectre Dyne, the leader of the army of ghosts.


    *******************************


    Kais: ¡°Ghosts?¡±


    Sona: ¡°Who are those ghosts?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°The representatives of the Ghost Nation. The two most powerful weapons they have are here on the island now.¡±


    Sona: ¡°Why?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Because they don¡¯t want all of you to join their opposing side.¡±


    No response comes back. The two look at each other in silence.


    Dragon: ¡°Now all the players are finally here.¡±


    Sona: ¡°For what?¡±


    She asks with a suspicious gaze.


    Dragon: ¡°For what Ozyllus wanted to happen.¡±


    Sona: ¡°And ¡­ what did he want to happen?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Well,¡±


    He looks at us with a resolved glare as he says,


    Dragon: ¡°It won¡¯t matter.¡±


    The resolve in his eyes is sickening me,


    Dragon: ¡°Because it won¡¯t happen.¡±


    I can¡¯t look at that firm determination in his eyes.


    Dragon: ¡°I am no longer afraid of him.¡±


    Stop ¡­ it!


    Dragon: ¡°I will no longer do as he wants me to.¡±


    Please, stop talking! Stop looking like you are ready to die. Stop looking like you are ready to never give up.


    Dragon: ¡°That ¡®god¡¯ would now know what pain of losing something is.¡±


    Fish: ¡°So, you are planning to betray him after all.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Yeah, as should you.¡±


    Fish: ¡°Never, I don¡¯t care if he was really evil or if my whole purpose was something other than what I knew; all I know is that he is the one who made it possible for me to converse like this. I will repay his favor.¡±


    Dragon¡¯s resolve doesn¡¯t waver as he hears this. He is ready to do whatever it takes to ruin Ozyllus¡¯ plans.


    Dragon: ¡°I see. Be that as it may, I know what I have to do. Since I am to die anyway, I will at least make it so that bastard doesn¡¯t succeed.¡±


    Sona: ¡°Could you try to be less vague about all this?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡±


    He says as his gaze shifts back and forth from the two of us for a moment and then he closes his eyes,


    Dragon: ¡°By the time I die, I¡¯d make sure you all know the truth that the whole world has been kept in dark about.¡±


    As he gives his proclamation, something inside my head hurts. There¡¯s nothing but pain in my head as of now. The doors that I had closed long ago are being torn apart and all I can feel is the pain of the memories beyond those doors flowing in.


    Sona: ¡°Are you ¡­ okay?¡±


    I look at her and see a worried expression on her face. I can sense the fish¡¯s eyes are fixed on me too, but the same is not true for the dragon. He looks like something like this is an expected occurrence for him.


    Dragon: ¡°Those barriers that were stopping you from remembering were put in place probably for your own good. But, time is up.¡±


    It feels like a sharp needle is poking into my brain. The only difference is that the magnitude of pain is far superior to what that would be like. And the more the dragon says, the sharper the pain gets.


    Dragon: ¡°I know it must be painful. But, at the end of the day, you will never be able to get out of this mess if you don¡¯t endure that pain.¡±


    I don¡¯t know my posture right now. Am I standing? Am I on my knees? Am I holding my head in my hands? Am I shouting in pain? I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t even care. Because right now, the only thing I can think about is ¨C


    Kais: ¡°He saved my life, didn¡¯t he?¡±


    Sona: ¡°Huh?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Huh?¡±


    Fish: ¡°Huh?¡±


    I can¡¯t think of anything else but how wrong this sounds, and the fact that it¡¯s not wrong.


    Kais: ¡°The demon Abyss ¨C saved my life.¡±


    And I didn¡¯t even realize his existence for so long.


    *******************************


    Abyss: ¡°The dragon seems like he isn¡¯t even afraid of you anymore.¡±


    Ozyllus: ¡°That so?¡±


    What Ozyllus said a while ago is bugging Abyss. He doesn¡¯t know what this man meant by those words but they can¡¯t be anything good.


    When you stare into the Abyss, the Abyss stares back into you. It looks like someone is going to find the meaning of those words.


    Abyss has been paying attention to every person he can sense there but nothing alarming seems to be happening.


    Kais: ¡°Ghosts?¡±


    Sona: ¡°Who are those ghosts?¡±


    Abyss hears Kais and Sona questioning the dragon. The dragon proceeds to explain that they belong to the Ghost Nation.


    Ozyllus: ¡°That bringing back any memories?¡±


    Ozyllus asks in a mocking tone. Abyss doesn¡¯t respond but it does remind him of the past ¨C the time when he was the ruler of the Ghost Nation.


    Ozyllus: ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Don¡¯t tell me you forgot what the Ghost Nation is?¡±


    Abyss: ¡°Of course not. The Ghost Nation was my domain. What idiot would forget about their domain?¡±


    Ozyllus: ¡°Oh, isn¡¯t that true?¡±


    Unable to understand what Ozyllus want to say,


    Abyss: ¡°Are you implying something?¡±


    He asks him. However,


    Ozyllus: ¡°If it was just a domain you ruled, you could have forgotten about it after 1000 years. After all, it¡¯s not like that was the only place you ever ruled. But; it was the domain that you ruled and destroyed, now that truly is something you would never be able to forget.¡±


    Abyss: ¡°I destroyed the Ghost Nation? How?¡±


    Ozyllus: ¡°Well, if you had never become their ruler, they would never have had the guts to deny my request to join my army. It¡¯s only because of you that they denied that offer, and hence ended up losing the war.¡±


    A look of disdain comes on Abyss¡¯ face but he keeps his calm. The dark, mellow face of the demon slowly turns back to being composed as he says,


    Abyss: ¡°You haven¡¯t changed one bit in the past 1000 years.¡±


    Ozyllus: ¡°Oh, did you want me to change?¡±


    Abyss: ¡°No, of course not. If you had changed, became a better person somehow, I would not feel right hating you.¡±


    Ozyllus: ¡°You are troubled by my existence but you don¡¯t want me to change. You want me to remain someone you can hate rather than someone you may be able to forgive, just because of your selfishness.¡±


    He laughs as he continues,


    Ozyllus: ¡°That¡¯s a demon for you.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Now all the players are finally here.¡±


    Sona: ¡°For what?¡±


    The voices from the outside again grab their attention.


    Dragon: ¡°For what Ozyllus wanted to happen.¡±


    Ozyllus: ¡°That bastard is trying to be clever, huh?¡±


    Abyss understands what Ozyllus means by that. The dragon is sealed by a contract in which he has to obey Ozyllus. And one of the orders Ozyllus gave him that he has to obey is that he can¡¯t tell anyone about his real intentions. That said, because of the contract not covering every little aspect of his conversation, he does have room to give hints or vague answers, which is exactly what he is doing right now.


    Ozyllus: ¡°That¡¯s amusing.¡±


    They hear Sona asking about Ozyllus¡¯ intentions and the dragon denying her the answer. It is as expected because this is something his contract forbids him to answer.


    Ozyllus: ¡°How far can he get like that though?¡±


    Abyss: ¡°¡­¡±


    Ozyllus: ¡°I¡¯ll tell you ¨C nowhere. All his attempts will only end in failure. He will never be able to accomplish what he is trying to accomplish and will die with only regrets.¡±


    As Abyss listened to him, he realized that his words may not be false. But, he also could sense the resolve coming from the dragon that Kais was reading through his Aura Reading.


    By using Aura Reading during that time, Kais has unknowingly allowed Abyss to sense other¡¯s auras too. This is why he could pay attention to them. While Ozyllus couldn¡¯t do so as he was not used to doing something like that, Abyss had been living in that body for years now. He was completely capable of gaining and returning help to Kais.


    And so, he could also feel the one thing that made Ozyllus so sure he would win.


    Ozyllus: ¡°Tell me, how much is Kais suffering right now seeing that resolve of the dragon?¡±


    Abyss: ¡°¡­ very¡±


    He is suffering a lot.


    Ozyllus: ¡°Isn¡¯t that right?¡±


    Ozyllus laughs. He knows why Kais would suffer after seeing something like that.


    Ozyllus: ¡°Somewhere deep in his mind, he also knows how the dragon has no chances of succeeding. It is sickening him to see that dragon strengthen his resolve even though he would gain nothing in the end. Isn¡¯t that how it is?¡±


    He asks knowing that the answer can only be ¡®yes¡¯. Abyss also knows this. Abyss knows that this is something Kais would really not want to see right now. As much as the demon appreciates the resolve shown by the dragon, it just might be the worst time or place to show it.


    Abyss: ¡°Still, that¡¯s how it is now, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Ozyllus: ¡°Huh?¡±


    Abyss: ¡°You are laughing because of how things are right now. But, what if things change?¡±


    Ozyllus looks at Abyss with narrowed eyes as he says,


    Ozyllus: ¡°And how exactly, would it change?¡±


    Abyss: ¡°Do you think I had not been preparing for this kind of situation during the last 12 years I have been in this body?¡±


    Ozyllus grows cautious as he sees Abyss spread his arms and smile.


    Abyss: ¡°Breakout!¡±


    As the demon shouts, rays of light penetrate the darkness of The Cage. Ozyllus stares at this change with a mouth gaping wide and horrified eyes.


    Dragon: ¡°That ¡®god¡¯ would now know what pain of losing something is.¡±


    It¡¯s almost as if his lines were meant for this situation as they ring in Ozyllus¡¯ ears.


    Ozyllus: ¡°No ¡­ way!¡±


    For the first time in the entire conversation, Abyss laughs like the devil would and,


    Abyss: ¡°You can¡¯t even begin to imagine how happy I am to see that expression on your face.¡±


    The rays of light piercing the dark are the fragments of memories that are coming back to Kais. At that moment, he is remembering things that are bound to cause him even more pain. But this pain will not bring Ozyllus success.


    Ozyllus: ¡°You ¡­¡±


    Abyss: ¡°What name did you say back then?¡±


    Ozyllus grows silent upon hearing the confident and oppressive tone of the demon known as Abyss.


    Abyss: ¡°Oh yeah, Ethan Kales.¡±


    A smile creeps up on his face.


    Abyss: ¡°Let¡¯s see what he can do about any of this.¡±


    *******************************

 Chapter 31: Kindness

    Barry: ¡°Why are you crying, Kais?¡±


    I was in a sea of blood with corpses all around. Only one living human stood there; the one who had become a monster.


    Kais: ¡°I ¡­ don¡¯t know.¡±


    And in this gruesome event that would haunt the whole world for many coming years, I was sitting on the ground, unable to move, and crying ¡­ without even knowing the reason for it.


    Barry: ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡±


    Kais: ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    As tears continued to flow down my cheeks, I continue to wonder who they were for.


    Barry: ¡°Tell me, do you actually feel sadness that someone has died. Do you actually want to cry over someone present here?¡±


    I didn¡¯t. As much as I hate to admit it, I felt no remorse over the death of those people whose corpses had covered my vision. I knew none of them. I didn¡¯t want to cry over any of them.


    Barry: ¡°Do you feel sadness that I killed them. Are you feeling sad because I did this?¡±


    No, that¡¯s not it either. I didn¡¯t feel any remorse over Barry having done this. But, I should have. And yet, I didn¡¯t.


    Barry: ¡°You don¡¯t, do you?¡±


    As inhumane as that makes me, it¡¯s true. I didn¡¯t feel sadness over these things. All I could feel was ¡­


    Barry: ¡°You are shocked right now, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    I was.


    Barry: ¡°Shock is all you feel. You can¡¯t even feel fear.¡±


    No, I couldn¡¯t. I couldn¡¯t even fear you back then.


    Barry: ¡°Isn¡¯t that ironic?¡±


    Kais: ¡°W-what are you saying?¡±


    I just couldn¡¯t process anything anymore.


    Barry: ¡°You don¡¯t know why you are crying, huh?¡±


    I didn¡¯t. I just ¡­ didn¡¯t. Why was I crying? Why was I not crying over things that Barry mentioned? And, if not them, what was I crying for?


    Barry: ¡°Let me tell you why you crying then.¡±


    Without even thinking for a second, I looked up at him. I wanted to know the answer. I wanted to know why tears would come out of my eyes. I felt like my existence will disappear if I don¡¯t find out.


    Barry: ¡°You are crying because you can see yourself in me.¡±


    He said.


    I can see myself in him ¨C is what he said.


    What does he mean? I wondered.


    He is joking, right? I thought.


    He was standing there smiling after having murdered hundreds, thousands of people and I could see myself in him?


    What a joke!


    I had to be a joke.


    It just couldn¡¯t be true.


    There¡¯s no way I can see myself in that monster.


    And, somewhere along the lines, I realized how true his words were.


    Barry: ¡°That entire time playing house you could only admire that kind, good-natured fa?ade of the man you called your big brother.¡±


    Fa?ade, he called it. The image of Barry that was etched in my mind for the first 8-years of my life was being called a fa?ade. I admired that fa?ade.


    Barry: ¡°But now that you have seen this horrible side of him, you can relate to him, isn¡¯t that true?¡±


    I could admire that fa?ade. But, when that was gone, all that was left now was ¨C the real Barry. But, was that really true? Could someone really be a monster like this?


    Barry: ¡°Ah!¡±


    He said as if he was in pain. But how could he feel pain? He was a monster. He was a demon. So, he shouldn¡¯t feel any pain, right?


    That¡¯s right. Monsters like him ¨C they don¡¯t feel pain, they just give others pain.


    Kais: ¡°You are a monster, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    He had turned around and was walking. So,


    Kais: ¡°Hey, you are a monster, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    I repeated. I shouted out. But, he didn¡¯t stop. He was not even flinching. He didn¡¯t give a damn about what I was saying.


    Kais: ¡°Tell me, this is your true face, isn¡¯t it? The fa?ade that you had kept for so long is finally gone now, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    My voice ¨C the voice of an eight-year-old rang out. There¡¯s no way he couldn¡¯t have heard it. But, he ignored it.


    He kept walking. He ignored me. He ignored the mass of bodies that he had produced all around us.


    Kais: ¡°I ¡­ I ¡­ am NOT like you.¡±


    I shouted at the top of my lungs.


    Kais: ¡°I would have never done something like this. You are WRONG.¡±


    I knew he wasn¡¯t listening. I was well aware he wouldn¡¯t listen. But, I had to deny it. I had to deny it for myself. If I didn¡¯t, I just couldn¡¯t look at myself without remembering him. So, I had to deny it ¨C I had to deny the truth.


    Kais: ¡°Ha ¡­ ha ¡­¡±


    I held onto my thighs as I panted.


    Kais: ¡°Listen to me, damn it!¡±


    More than shouting at Barry to make him listen to me, I was shouting at myself. I was shouting at myself, telling to look away from the truth.


    Kais: ¡°I am NOTHING like YOU.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t trying to convince him, I was trying to convince myself.


    And, the more I said it, the more I denied it; the more apparent the reality became. I didn¡¯t have what I needed to accept reality and I was not even capable of running away. I was weak beyond any comparison. And then,


    Abyss: ¡°Don¡¯t run away.¡±


    I heard a voice. It was a voice that sounded pained, much more pained than mine.


    Kais: ¡°W-who ¡­¡±


    I wanted to ask who he is, but


    Abyss: ¡°I am ¡­ no one you should concern yourself with.¡±


    I was hearing a voice in my head out of nowhere. I couldn¡¯t comprehend the absurdity of it and kept talking.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Abyss: ¡°Listen, don¡¯t run away.¡±


    He told me not to run away.


    Kais: ¡°W-why?¡±


    But what else could I do but run away.


    Abyss: ¡°You feel pain, don¡¯t you?¡±


    He asked me a question ¨C a question that was so easy for me to answer I didn¡¯t need to think about it.


    Kais: ¡°I do. Of course I do.¡±


    Pain had taken over my mind. I couldn¡¯t think straight because of it. So of course, the answer was yes.


    Abyss: ¡°And you want this pain to go away, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Kais: ¡°Y-yeah.¡±


    Why won¡¯t I? What idiot would not want to say yes to a question like that?


    Abyss: ¡°Then do it.¡±


    He said in a voice so shaky it seemed as if he was barely holding himself back from shouting.


    Kais: ¡°Huh!¡±


    But all I did think of was what he said.


    Abyss: ¡°If you don¡¯t want to feel pain, then you should make the pain go away.¡±


    Kais: ¡°If ¡­ it were that simple, then don¡¯t you think ¡­¡±


    I would have already done it ¨C is what I wanted to say. But before I could,


    Abyss: ¡°It is simple.¡±


    He said.


    Abyss: ¡°You can do it.¡±


    He said.


    Abyss: ¡°You are strong enough.¡±


    He told me.


    Abyss: ¡°You just haven¡¯t reached your full potential yet.¡±


    He said to me, giving me hope and despair at the same time. I needed that power and I had that power but only inside me, not in my hands. How can I be happy by hearing something like that?


    Abyss: ¡°If you want that power,¡±


    And then he said,


    Abyss: ¡°I can help you reach it.¡±


    I finally understood what he was saying.


    Abyss: ¡°So, what do you want?¡±


    He asked in a pained voice that I just couldn¡¯t understand the reason for, but I had stopped caring a while back. At that moment, all I cared about was ¨C


    Kais: ¡°If I let him go, he¡¯ll kill more people.¡±


    Abyss: ¡°He definitely would.¡±


    Kais: ¡°If I don¡¯t stop him, then no one will.¡±


    Abyss: ¡°Yes, that is true.¡±


    Kais: ¡°He may even kill all my friends at school.¡±


    Abyss: ¡°Very likely.¡±


    Kais: ¡°He may even kill our parents.¡±


    Abyss: ¡°That should be obvious.¡±


    Kais: ¡°He may go and kill Sona too.¡±


    Abyss: ¡°I bet he will.¡±


    Kais: ¡°So,¡±


    Abyss: ¡°So?¡±


    Kais: ¡°I have to stop him, right?¡±


    Abyss: ¡°That¡¯d be for the best, yes.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Then,¡±


    Abyss: ¡°Then?¡±


    Kais: ¡°I need ¡­ that power.¡±


    Abyss: ¡°Yes, you do.¡±


    Kais: ¡°You said you can give it to me.¡±


    Abyss: ¡°That¡¯s more or less what I said.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Then, give it to me.¡±


    After a constant string of words, a moment¡¯s gap occurred. Abyss didn¡¯t respond instantly, but after a moment,


    Abyss: ¡°As you wish.¡±


    He said to me. I was in pan, yes. But I could feel something inside me hurting even more than what that pain ever brought to me. I could feel an ugly presence all around me.


    And then when I looked at my hand, I couldn¡¯t find it.


    Kais: ¡°Where¡¯s my arm?¡±


    He didn¡¯t reply.


    Kais: ¡°Hey, tell me, where¡¯s my leg?¡±


    I looked back and forth at the places where my limbs should be but all I could see was some black figure.


    Where was my arm? Where was my body? I wondered as I glanced at a corpse. That person had died with a mirror in hand. I took that mirror and looked at it, but all I could see was ¨C


    Kais: ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡±


    There was a black figure with a familiar haircut and two round glowing similar looking shapes above the center.


    Kais: ¡°Who¡¯s that?¡±


    Who¡¯s that?


    Kais: ¡°Who is he?¡±


    Who is he?


    Kais: ¡°Who is ¡­ I?¡±


    Who am I?


    Kais: ¡°Why am I asking that?¡±


    That¡¯s such a foolish question.


    Kais: ¡°I am Kais of course.¡±


    More important than that, what was I doing here? I turned around to try to figure out why I was there.


    These thoughts were going in my brain. I didn¡¯t understand what had happened but I did understand that I was there for a reason.


    Kais: ¡°Barry.¡±


    And then I saw him, and I instantly knew why I was there.


    Kais: ¡°I see. I remember now.¡±


    I remembered why I was there.


    Kais: ¡°Die, Barry! Die!¡±


    My words rang out and I used telekinesis to move a rod into Barry¡¯s chest. It was one of the many rods lying because of Barry¡¯s carnage, it was no special weapon. Barry should have been able to easily deflect it. But he couldn¡¯t. That¡¯s because it all took place in a fraction of a second.


    That was the power that Abyss mentioned. That was the potential that he talked about. My speed, at that moment, was equivalent of light.


    Barry: ¡°A-Abyss!¡±


    He said something that I didn¡¯t bother hearing. Why would I have bothered to hear it when the ¡®me¡¯ at that moment wasn¡¯t even the ¡®me¡¯ that I am?


    Kais: ¡°Well, wasn¡¯t that easy?¡±


    Having accomplished my task of becoming a murderer, I laughed. My laugh echoed. My echoes rang through my ears. My ears felt numb.


    There was ¡­ a certain sense of loss in me. I knew that I would no longer be who I used to be.


    *******************************


    I was in my house. I had run away from the place that disaster had happened in. I had teleported back to my house and locked myself in. It was the house that nobody but me lived in now. The only other resident of this house was dead ¡­ killed by my hands.


    Kais: ¡°What have I done?¡±


    It felt like someone other than ¡®I¡¯ was in control.


    Kais: ¡°This ¡­ this is wrong.¡±


    Abyss: ¡°What¡¯s wrong about it?¡±


    His voice came suddenly. Hearing that, I was relieved ¡­ that I wasn¡¯t alone. I was relieved beyond comprehension.


    Abyss: ¡°You did want to stop him. And now you have stopped him. What¡¯s wrong about it?¡±


    Kais: ¡°No, I ¡­ I just ¡­¡±


    It was so easy to say I wanted to kill him. It was so easy to say I wanted him dead. But I am sure I couldn¡¯t have killed him in the end. In the end, a version of me I am not took control of my body and killed him. And then I was left with the consequences.


    Abyss: ¡°I see. I should have understood.¡±


    That voice I had been hearing in my head ¡­ was so ¡­ so sad.


    Abyss: ¡°If you are not ready to hold this burden, then I¡¯ll let you forget about it.¡±


    Kais: ¡°W-what ¡­¡±


    Abyss: ¡°I am at fault here. I should have understood an eight-year-old won¡¯t be able to handle killing a person.¡±


    Kais: ¡°I ¡­ I am ¡­¡±


    I was overwhelmed with guilt. Whether the guilt was for killing Barry or it was for wanting Abyss to go through with making me forget, I didn¡¯t know.


    Abyss: ¡°Don¡¯t blame yourself, Kais. This is not your fault.¡±


    He said those words to me as if to comfort me.


    Abyss: ¡°This is not Barry¡¯s fault either.¡±


    He said things to me I desperately wanted to hear.


    Abyss: ¡°The one who is at fault ¡­ is him ¡­ the one they consider god.¡±


    He said so.


    Abyss: ¡°Tell me, are you okay with forgetting these things.¡±


    Kais: ¡°I ¡­ I ¡­ I ¡­¡±


    Extreme guilt and shame caused my eyes to tear up. I just couldn¡¯t hold it in anymore. So I cried. And I sat there crying. That was all I could do.


    Kais: ¡°Please, please Abyss; please make me forget all this. Please let me forget all of this.¡±


    I begged him for it. I knew there was no need to beg, I knew I only needed to simply ask him, but I just couldn¡¯t bare it if I didn¡¯t beg him.


    Abyss: ¡°You will also forget everything about any other person with supernatural abilities you and Barry had ties with.¡±


    He told me that.


    Abyss: ¡°That means people like Sona will no longer be in your memories either.¡±


    He told me the only thing that could have stopped me from saying yes.


    Abyss: ¡°Do you still want to forget it all?¡±


    I was told I would forget about Sona and every other supernatural I had ever met.


    Kais: ¡°I-I can¡¯t live like this. Please, please ¡­¡±


    But, that didn¡¯t stop me from begging for it. My guilt was just too much.


    Abyss: ¡°Very well. Just know that you will one day have to remember everything.¡±


    He was always very clear with me. He was always trying to not hurt my feelings. He was always trying to help me in one way or another.


    Abyss: ¡°I wish I could change things, but I can¡¯t. There is just no way for you to not get involved in this war.¡±


    I know that the words he said that day were all true. He genuinely wished for my well-being and the pained voice he had was because he was seeing us suffer. Me and Barry both; his pain was because of both of our suffering. The world calls him ¡®devil¡¯ and hates him. They preach Ozyllus, tell tales of how Abyss was defeated by Ozyllus.


    And yet, this ¡®devil¡¯ felt so much pain over seeing another¡¯s suffering. I had realized by that point that the history was wrong. I had realized that he was being accused of false crimes. There was just no way anything he did could be that bad. And yet, I chose myself. I chose to run away from everything.


    Knowing all of that, I chose to forget it all so I didn¡¯t have to suffer.


    Abyss: ¡°Until then,¡±


    That was it. I would forget about anyone supernatural that Barry and I had ties to as well. I had prepared myself for it, but only then did I realize.


    Kais: ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±


    I would forget him too. I would not be able to remember who he was.


    Abyss: ¡°Ha! My name, you¡¯ll forget it anyway.¡±


    He said in a light, gentle voice.


    Kais: ¡°Still, please tell me.¡±


    Abyss: ¡°Okay then,¡±


    My memories started to erode. Gaps were made in my brain. I was being granted my wish. And I was being dragged back from the darkness to the light by having the light of knowledge taken from me. And on that journey, the voice came to me,


    Abyss: ¡°I am Abyss, the demon of chaos.¡±


    And I forgot everything.


    *******************************


    But that is all gone now.


    Sona: ¡°What do you mean ¡®he saved your life¡¯?¡±


    I remember it all now. I remember everything now.


    Dragon: ¡°He saved your life, did he?¡±


    I look up at the dragon. His expression, his internal emotions all showing reminiscence as he said,


    Dragon: ¡°Yes, that does sound like him.¡±


    Saving my life ¨C that sounds like the ¡®devil¡¯, huh?


    Kais: ¡°If I ¡­¡±


    Their eyes turn towards me.


    Kais: ¡°If I were to ever repay you Abyss, what should I do?¡±


    The answer won¡¯t come. I now have enough knowledge to understand that he is at a place inside my consciousness that I have locked away. And I now also understand that Ozyllus is there as well.


    Dragon: ¡°What should you do to repay him?¡±


    The dragon repeats my question in a tone as if to say that the answer is obvious.


    Dragon: ¡°Expose the lies that blacken his name.¡±


    Sona: ¡°What lies?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°The very fabrication of history I told you about.¡±


    Is that what I should do? Should I get to the bottom of this? Should I remove the dirt from your name?


    Kais: ¡°No,¡±


    I stand up as I feel their eyes turning towards me.


    Kais: ¡°that is not nearly enough to repay the kindness he showed me.¡±


    After having been blamed for every little thing for about 1000 years now, merely exposing those lies that cloud his reputation is not nearly enough compensation for him.


    Kais: ¡°I will¡±


    To repay the person who saved me that day,


    Kais: ¡°fight in this war.¡±


    I said what in my book qualified as repaying him.


    Kais: ¡°I¡¯ll destroy everything Ozyllus, his sworn enemy, created. I will give him the justice he deserves. And for that,¡±


    My hands are shaking ¨C with anger.


    Kais: ¡°I don¡¯t give a damn about The Dragon Alliance or The Vampire Kingdom. They can all go burn for all I care.¡±


    I said in a voice that is shaking ¨C from anger.


    Kais: ¡°I don¡¯t care which of them wins the war.¡±


    Which side I end up on? That depends on them.


    Kais: ¡°But I will CRUSH every single dream Ozyllus has ever seen in HIS ENTIRE LIFE.¡±


    *******************************

 Chapter 32: Legends And Falsehood

    Ro: ¡°Barry, is this ¡­?¡±


    Barry: ¡°Yes.¡±


    The two stand still, in front of the tomb, in shock.


    Ro: ¡°If this is the tomb, then where¡¯s the pond?¡±


    Barry: ¡°That¡¯s the big question, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Ro: ¡°You said you had been to the island before, right?¡±


    He asks with a narrowed expression.


    Barry: ¡°That¡¯s true, but I didn¡¯t come here.¡±


    Barry remembers clearly how his previous visit went.


    Barry: ¡°I was stopped by the two dogs, and then the girl appeared. I used telepathy on her to convey my thoughts to the dragon. And then the dragon came to meet me on the beach alone. That¡¯s where we had our conversation.¡±


    Ro: ¡°So you never went past that point before today?¡±


    Barry: ¡°Yeah, basically.¡±


    Barry answers while turning his attention to Ro, who seems to be pondering while keeping his hands on his chin.


    Ro: ¡°But that creates new mysteries, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    Barry: ¡°It does, but which ones are you talking about in particular?¡±


    Ro: ¡°Like, why does he stop people from coming in like that?¡±


    Barry: ¡°Hmm ¡­¡±


    Barry tries to remember the whole conversation he had with the girl as well as the dragon the last time he came there.


    Barry: ¡°According to what the girl said, the forest is full of creatures that can end up killing those who enter there, so stopping them at the beach is a safety measure.¡±


    Ro: ¡°Do you believe that?¡±


    Barry: ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s completely a lie, but there¡¯s definitely more going on than that.¡±


    Ro nods to his answer and then says,


    Ro: ¡°Well, if I would have to take a guess at what¡¯s going on behind the scenes, I would say that the dragon is trying to fill our minds with false legends.¡±


    Surprised by the sudden, bold claim made by Ro, Barry asks,


    Barry: ¡°I don¡¯t disagree, but how exactly did you reach that assumption?¡±


    Ro: ¡°Well, just think about it,¡±


    Ro says as he starts remembering all the examples that led him to this deduction,


    Ro: ¡°The man with the-eyes-that-can¡¯t-be-deceived should be long gone, but somehow Ethan has those eyes.¡±


    Barry nods urging him to continue.


    Ro: ¡°The Island where only psychics lived is supposed to be holy grounds of sorts for psychics. It should be filled with psychic energy but there¡¯s nothing like that here. It¡¯s just a historically important place from the look of things.¡±


    He continues seeing Barry nodding again and again,


    Ro: ¡°And then the pond, which is supposed to be such an important part of the island, is not where it is supposed to be. We don¡¯t even know if it actually exists or not.¡±


    Barry: ¡°I see that the legends don¡¯t match up with the facts but why is the dragon the culprit according to you?¡±


    Ro: ¡°Well, who else could it be but the only living person from the time these legends tell of?¡±


    Barry narrows his eyes in doubt and then comes to realize why Ro thinks so. Ro doesn¡¯t know that Ozyllus and Abyss exist as ghosts and have continued to interfere with the world on different occasions. So, of course according to him, the only possible culprit can be the dragon.


    Ro: ¡°Something wrong with my reasoning?¡±


    Ro asks in a slightly annoyed tone as he sees Barry frowning.


    Barry: ¡°Well, there¡¯s something I haven¡¯t told you about, so ¡­¡±


    Ro: ¡°I am pretty sure there are a lot of things you haven¡¯t told me about.¡±


    That¡¯s not false, Barry says in his mind.


    Barry: ¡°Well, you know how long a ghost can last?¡±


    He asks as a question that is truly difficult for anyone who doesn¡¯t know the answer to figure it out.


    Ro: ¡°Uh, I don¡¯t, but I think there¡¯d be no fixed number of years or a fixed range.¡±


    Barry: ¡°That¡¯s right. Ghosts are not eternal, but they can stretch their life span really long if they need to.¡±


    Ro: ¡°Need to, huh?¡±


    Barry nods seeing that Ro picked up on the crucial part.


    Barry: ¡°For ghosts, just wanting to exist very long doesn¡¯t really do much, but needing to exist for long can stretch their life spans beyond anything one can expect.¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Ro furrows his brows as he listens to the last part of his sentence.


    Ro: ¡°It sounds like you are talking about a really long time there.¡±


    Barry: ¡°I am.¡±


    Ro: ¡°Any numbers?¡±


    Barry: ¡°As you thought earlier, there are no fixed numbers or fixed ranges. The stretch can be as short as a minute or as long as five centuries.¡±


    Ro: ¡°Wait a minute! Isn¡¯t that really, really large?¡±


    Ro couldn¡¯t help but look at Barry in surprise thinking that he had added an extra zero and waiting for him to correct himself. However, he had done no mistake in speaking whatsoever.


    Barry: ¡°Yes, it is. That¡¯s the highest number we know of right now. The current king of the ghost is said to be a ghost for more than 500 years now.¡±


    Ro: ¡°I-I see.¡±


    Ro is left speechless for a moment by the sudden revelation, but he soon regains composure as he asks.


    Ro: ¡°Well then, you are saying it can stretch even longer than that, right?¡±


    Barry said that the highest number they know of is five centuries, which could very well mean there can be an even larger number possible that they have no idea about. Ro thinks so and he isn¡¯t wrong.


    Barry: ¡°Indeed. And that brings me to the counter argument against your earlier assumption.¡±


    Ro: ¡°Counter argument?¡±


    Ro doesn¡¯t understand what he is talking about, so Barry puts it in words for him,


    Barry: ¡°Imagine if Ozyllus and Abyss have been out there for all those years causing things like this fabrication in the legends to happen.¡±


    Barry knows full-well that both of them are indeed still existent but he acts like it¡¯s only a theory to not himself seem suspicious in front of Ro.


    Ro: ¡°That ¡­ I would like to say it¡¯s absurd but, that isn¡¯t completely impossible.¡±


    Now that Ro knows so much, he can¡¯t call it absurd and be done with it. He can clearly see the logical explanation for it and hence will need a logical reason to call it false as well. The time for running away from reality is not something he has.


    Ro: ¡°So, the dragon is not the only suspect ¡­ is what you are trying to say?¡±


    Barry nods.


    Ro: ¡°I see.¡±


    Ro looks down as he thinks of the various things that he has come to know over the past few hours.


    Barry: ¡°I understand if it¡¯s a lot to take in at first.¡±


    Barry says so with a smile to show that he genuinely means that. However,


    Ro: ¡°No, I need to process everything and think about things fast.¡±


    Ro can¡¯t afford to use that excuse in such a dire situation.


    Ro: ¡°We will never be able to understand someone like Ethan if I let something like this slow me down.¡±


    Barry: ¡°I ¡­ see.¡±


    Barry smiles seeing that expression while wondering if he should tell him more about Ozyllus and Abyss¡¯ connection with the incident 12 years ago.


    Ro: ¡°Hey, you can scan the whole island from here, right?¡±


    Barry: ¡°Yeah, I guess.¡±


    Ro: ¡°Be easier to understand than ¡®I guess¡¯.¡±


    Ro asks in annoyance and Barry sighs before responding,


    Barry: ¡°Well, what I mean is that the things I can pick up on will be vaguer the more distance I cover.¡±


    Ro: ¡°So, the distance you can cover and the details you can pick up on are inversely proportional, huh?¡±


    Barry: ¡°Yes, basically.¡±


    Barry answers while looking at Ro with a curious expression. Barry knows why he is asking these questions. He wants Barry to use Aura Reading to see if the pond that is said to be near the tomb in the legend is actually in some other place.


    Ro: ¡°Well then, will you scan the area?¡±


    Barry: ¡°In order to do that, I need to either sacrifice the distance or precision.¡±


    Ro: ¡°Sacrifice distance.¡±


    Barry: ¡°Oh, you sure?¡±


    Barry tilts his head as he doesn¡¯t understand Ro¡¯s confident sounding tone.


    Ro: ¡°You need to cover enough distance that you are able to reach towards the end of the island.¡±


    Barry: ¡°Then doesn¡¯t that mean I should sacrifice precision?¡±


    Ro: ¡°No, what I am saying is to not use aura reading in all directions, only one.¡±


    Barry: ¡°Hmm ¡­ I guess that could work.¡±


    By not using the ability to cover 360-degrees, Barry will end up lowering the total area he uses it on. That would allow him to increase precision. It is what Kais did as well.


    Ro: ¡°So?¡±


    Barry remains silent for a moment as he calculates the amount of psychic energy he would need for the task. After having finished those calculations, he says,


    Barry: ¡°Alright then, I think I should be able to do it.¡±


    Ro points straight ahead as if to tell him to start from there.


    Ro: ¡°We just came from the other side so this side will be the furthest away from the beach. Why not start from there?¡±


    Barry: ¡°Is that a gut feeling?¡±


    Ro: ¡°More or less.¡±


    Barry decides to take him up on his advice and start from the direction opposite to the one they came from.


    *******************************


    Sneha: ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Huh?¡±


    Sneha: ¡°You just said ¡®I was hoping it wasn¡¯t true.¡¯ What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Well,¡±


    Having difficulty in explaining things on the spot, Ethan scratches his cheeks.


    Ethan: ¡°Let¡¯s just say,¡±


    He says with an uncomfortable smile,


    Ethan: ¡°I once had an encounter with death in my life. And this guy was the reason for it.¡±


    Sneha widens her eyes in surprise as she listens to him.


    Sneha: ¡°That ¡­ isn¡¯t something I¡¯d expect you to say with a smile on your face.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°I suppose it isn¡¯t.¡±


    Their conversation comes to a halt as the two people in the jet come to the ground.


    One of the two has a dark brown robe and a black cape with his face hidden beneath a golden helm. The other has black, completely black garments from a tight jacket to trousers with his seemingly handsome face visible.


    Sneha: ¡°Well, so which one were you talking about?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Well, the one with the helm.¡±


    Sneha: ¡°I see. That¡¯s Spectre Dyne.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°And who¡¯s the other one?¡±


    Sneha: ¡°No idea.¡±


    As the two silently exchange words, they keep their eyes focused on the two who had set foot on the island recently.


    Dyne: ¡°Well, I think I recognize you.¡±


    Dyne speaks in a surprisingly soft tone as he looks at Sneha.


    Sneha: ¡°Yeah, we met before during an expedition.¡±


    Dyne: ¡°Hmm ¡­ yeah, I remember. You are an Aural working for Vermillion, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Even as he remembers something that the two had expected would put him on guard against them, he doesn¡¯t seem all that alarmed by it.


    Sneha: ¡°Well, not anymore.¡±


    Sneha says as she carefully observes the two¡¯s movements.


    Dyne: ¡°Not anymore, huh? You quit.¡±


    Sneha: ¡°You think one can just quit it like that.¡±


    Dyne chuckles and says,


    Dyne: ¡°No, of course not. But anyway, I guess you are not an ally to me then, huh?¡±


    Sneha: ¡°Well, from what I understand of the situation, sure we aren¡¯t on Vermillion¡¯s side. If that means we are not your allies, then that¡¯s that.¡±


    Dyne: ¡°We, huh? So you two are working together?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m Ethan Kales, nice to meet you.¡±


    Ethan says with a smile ¨C one that can easily be recognized as a fake by anybody.


    Dyne: ¡°I see. I expect you to have already heard who I am.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Uh, yeah.¡±


    That¡¯s an arrogant answer, or so thinks Ethan anyway.


    Dyne: ¡°Well then, if you would, please tell us if you have seen a man named Barry on this island?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Barry, huh?¡±


    Ethan narrows his eyes as he looks at Dyne while smirking.


    Sneha: ¡°Well, if you want to know, he went in the forest.¡±


    Dyne doesn¡¯t respond instantly but curiously looks at Sneha. Then, as if to say being so cautious was a waste of time, sighs and stretches his arms.


    Dyne: ¡°You know Sneha, if you have broken off from Vermillion, I would like to offer you a chance to join us.¡±


    Sneha: ¡°You don¡¯t say?¡±


    Dyne: ¡°I¡¯m serious here. But anyway, I¡¯ll give you some time to think about it.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°And what are you guys going to do while you give her the time to think about it?¡±


    Dyne: ¡°Well,¡±


    Looking at Ethan while his expression is covered because of his helm, Dyne says,


    Dyne: ¡°Eyes of Truth, right?¡±


    Ethan¡¯s eyes widen in surprise but he immediately regains his composure.


    Dyne: ¡°Don¡¯t think I don¡¯t remember you, boy. I would give you the chance to join too. And about your question,¡±


    He says as he glances once at his black clothed partner,


    Dyne: ¡°We will do what we are here to do.¡±


    Before they could ask to specify, Dyne answers himself.


    Dyne: ¡°Kill Barry.¡±


    *******************************

 Chapter 33: Negotiations

    Ro: ¡°Do you know how much time has passed since we left the tomb?¡±


    Barry: ¡°Not exactly, but roughly around two hours.¡±


    Ro: ¡°That much, huh? This place sure is big, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    The two converse while walking towards the pond.


    Ro: ¡°Still, it was pretty surprising that the first direction you looked in, you found the pond.¡±


    Barry: ¡°Yeah, but not just the pond.¡±


    He says while reminding himself of the faces they would see when they reach the pond.


    Barry: ¡°Kais, Sona and the dragon were present there along with someone else with the aura of a psychic.¡±


    Ro: ¡°And you didn¡¯t try to read their auras, right?¡±


    It would have been very problematic if they could notice that he was using Aura Reading at them.


    Barry: ¡°Yeah¡±


    So he nods.


    Barry: ¡°From what you have told me, Kais has become really cautious and I certainly have seen a few glimpses of it myself. So I didn¡¯t want to risk doing something that would cause him to go on alert.¡±


    Ro: ¡°True, if it ends up turning into a chase, catching him won¡¯t be easy at all.¡±


    When it comes to running away, psychics are experts. Abilities like teleportation to instantly teleport large distance away as well as photokinesis to make one invisible are extremely troublesome abilities to deal with.


    The two continue walking as they exchange their thoughts.


    Ro: ¡°But are you really sure we shouldn¡¯t be trying to run right now? Aren¡¯t we just giving them more time to slip us by?¡±


    Barry: ¡°Well, I can¡¯t deny we are lowering our chances of catching them, but if we run, there¡¯s a high risk our bodies, which are made of energy, will cause minor disturbances in the energy surrounding us. If one of them is able to pick up on that, it will be much more difficult to catch them then.¡±


    Ro: ¡°Hmm ¡­ not to mention the animals around here would probably pick up on that and seeing how much time the dragon has spent on this island, he should have some understanding of their behaviors.¡±


    So, in order to be safe, the two are walking fast and steadily through the forest, so they don¡¯t give the three (or four) near the pond the chance to slip by.


    Barry: ¡°So, I have been curious, but how much do you know about the flow of supernatural energies and auras?¡±


    Ro: ¡°Only as much as I could from reading about it from Vermillion¡¯s database.¡±


    Barry: ¡°You mean as much as is made available to you Embers, right?¡±


    Ro: ¡°Right.¡±


    Ro didn¡¯t feel any belittling in Barry¡¯s voice but still felt that phrasing was unpleasant.


    Barry: ¡°If I remember this right, you call your leader the Phoenix and the ten most powerful guys right under him are called Hellfires.¡±


    Ro: ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s the upper echelon of Vermillion.¡±


    Barry: ¡°And then under them are leaders of various divisions of the group, called Volcanoes.¡±


    Ro nods to affirm it as Barry continues,


    Barry: ¡°That¡¯s kinda stupid name by the way. But anyway, in each division there were people who are assigned the tasks by Volcanoes, called Embers. That¡¯s what you were.¡±


    Ro: ¡°And then, there are members of the organization who we Embers could use in order to fulfill our missions, called Flares. What about it?¡±


    Ro says as he looks at Barry with a bored yet curious expression.


    Barry: ¡°Vermillion could have easily overpowered Kais if they sent in about ten Embers or a Volcano came in. Why didn¡¯t they?¡±


    Ro: ¡°Well, we didn¡¯t have that much time. Pretty much everyone was busy with something.¡±


    Barry: ¡°Shouldn¡¯t this mission be given priority over the others?¡±


    Ro: ¡°It was, or they would have never sent in three Embers at the same time.¡±


    Barry: ¡°Three?¡±


    Barry asks ¡®who¡¯s the third¡¯ with his eyes.


    Ro: ¡°Technically, she wasn¡¯t an Ember but that¡¯s more or less what her status was in Vermillion.¡±


    Barry: ¡°You are talking about Sneha, huh?¡±


    Ro nods. Barry ponders about it for a while before saying,


    Barry: ¡°Why were you guys so busy?¡±


    Ro: ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know how to answer that because I think I already did.¡±


    Barry: ¡°Oh I get that you were all getting jobs one after the other but is that how it has always been?¡±


    Ro narrows his gaze in suspicion over the questions Barry raised, but then sighs and says,


    Ro: ¡°There had been a sudden increase in the jobs we had to carry out ever since the chances of a war became more apparent.¡±


    Barry: ¡°About that, there are two things I am curious about.¡±


    Ro: ¡°Let me guess, you want to know what I mean by the chances of it becoming more apparent when it has been apparent for centuries already.¡±


    Barry: ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s the question I am less curious about, but what is this answer. Were they trying to hide this war from you all?¡±


    Ro: ¡°Well, every new member is immediately told that ¡®a war may happen in the near future¡¯, so I guess that¡¯s not exactly true. But, they never elaborated on what this means.¡±


    Shifting his gaze to see if Barry is listening, Ro continues after confirming that he is.


    Ro: ¡°But about four years ago, right when I first heard about rumors of vampires existing, an announcement was made that the war will begin shortly.¡±


    Barry: ¡°And since then, your schedules got tighter.¡±


    Ro: ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Barry: ¡°Still though, there is different question that¡¯s been bugging me more.¡±


    Ro: ¡°You want to know who we thought we were going with war at when we didn¡¯t even know about vampire¡¯s existence.¡±


    Barry nods.


    Ro: ¡°That¡¯s kind of hard to answer.¡±


    Barry: ¡°Try me.¡±


    Ro sighs.


    Ro: ¡°Fine, so we were never told who the war is with. What we were told is that we will not fight.¡±


    Barry: ¡°Oh?¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    Stretching his words, Barry displays his curiosity at what he just heard.


    Ro: ¡°The information given to us was that we have allies in this war who are going to be the major force that is going to fight.  We were just support.¡±


    Barry: ¡°Does that mean that Kais was supposed to be sent to that ¡®major force¡¯?¡±


    Ro: ¡°Precisely, we were told that once he understands everything, he will willingly become a member of that force, not that we were ever told what that ¡®force¡¯ is.¡±


    Barry: ¡°Seems like you guys had a lot of reasons to distrust your superiors.¡±


    Ro: ¡°Yes, and we did.¡±


    Barry widens his eyes in surprise when he hears so.


    Ro: ¡°However, there was just no way to go up against a member of upper echelon or a Volcano and stay alive.¡±


    Barry: ¡°And leaving the organization was not an option?¡±


    Ro moves his head from side-to-side to say ¡®no¡¯.


    Ro: ¡°So, most of us convinced ourselves that there¡¯s no need to be so alarmed about it because we weren¡¯t going to fight in the war.¡±


    Barry: ¡°That¡¯s how it went, huh.¡±


    Ro: ¡°Of course, the overview of it might make it seem like no Embers or Flares even tried to do anything, but whoever did try anything, their efforts were in vain.¡±


    Barry closes his eyes as he sighs and turns to look at the road ahead of them. On opening his eyes, he says,


    Barry: ¡°Yeah, I guess I wouldn¡¯t expect you guys to be able to do anything against the likes of them. No offence.¡±


    Ro: ¡°None taken. It¡¯s the truth after all.¡±


    The two keep walking towards the pond, only about 200 meters away from it. But, something they didn¡¯t expect happens.


    *******************************


    Dyne states his objective. Hearing that, Ethan and Sneha stand half-surprised and also half-surprised.


    Ethan: ¡°Well now, that¡¯s something.¡±


    Firstly, surprised that he actually wants to kill Barry, and then surprised that he would just say it out loud.


    Sneha: ¡°You sure you want us to know about it.¡±


    Dyne: ¡°Well, it depends.¡±


    He says as he looks at the two with a tone indicating he is smiling beneath his mask.


    Dyne: ¡°Now that you do know about it, what do you plan to do? Will you get in our way?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°If we do?¡±


    He asks with a smirk, needless to say, a fake smirk.


    Dyne: ¡°Well, that would be quite a bit of problem and I don¡¯t want any nuisances in my way, so ¡­¡±


    He purposefully trails off as his intentions become clear by the formation of a huge mass of energy on his hands.


    Dyne: ¡°Of course, if you have no intentions of getting in our way, then we don¡¯t have any reasons to hide the truth from you when you ask for it. We aren¡¯t like those vampires after all.¡±


    He says while keeping his hands still with the mass of energy in his hands turning into a ball of energy with black shades.


    Dyne: ¡°So then, which one is it?¡±


    Ethan, as someone whose eyes could look clearly at the aura surrounding people, knows that Dyne is serious about his threat, which is why ¡­


    Ethan: ¡°Well, neither.¡±


    Dyne: ¡°Huh?¡±


    Dyne makes a stupid expression as he doesn¡¯t understand what Ethan meant by his denial of both options. Fortunately for him, that stupid expression won¡¯t be visible to anyone from underneath that helm.


    Ethan: ¡°Barry is doing something that may end up fulfilling my goal. I need you to wait till he¡¯s done. Kill him after that.¡±


    Staying silent as he looks at Ethan with suspicious eyes, Dyne feels a presence at his shoulder.


    Dyne: ¡°Um ¡­ something wrong, Walter?¡±


    Dyne asks while glancing at the man in black garments standing beside him.


    Walter: ¡°First of all, I guess I should introduce myself to you two.¡±


    He says as he steps forward while looking Ethan and Sneha in the eyes with a calm and serious expression. He says in a soft but audibly loud and pleasant voice,


    Walter: ¡°My name is Walter Schmidt. I am an ally of the Ghost Nation and have come here to assist Spectre Dyne on his mission.¡±


    Taken aback by the formal introduction, the two glance at each other.


    Ethan: ¡°Right, nice to meet you.¡±


    He says while trying to compose himself.


    Sneha: ¡°Yeah, same thing here.¡±


    She says as she notices the uncomfortable smile on Ethan¡¯s face.


    Walter: ¡°Right, so about what you were previously saying,¡±


    He dismisses all the uneasiness by bringing them back to the topic.


    Walter: ¡°Can I ask how much time it would take for Barry to do whatever he is doing that you will be benefitted by?¡±


    As he says that, Ethan sees a hint of smile on his face. This is no surprise to him. Because he had been seeing his aura, he knows Walter is only acting formal, but it still makes him uneasy.


    Ethan: ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know how long it will take him.¡±


    Dyne: ¡°That will be a problem.¡±


    Dyne says while staring at Ethan. However,


    Walter: ¡°Yes, it might inconvenience us but there¡¯s a way to avoid conflict between our groups despite of that,¡±


    Ethan senses malicious intent in Walter¡¯s aura, which he had been sensing ever since he started speaking, grow heavier.


    Sneha: ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    Walter: ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell us what your goal is?¡±


    He says while spreading his arms wide as if to say doing so would not harm them in any way.


    Dyne: ¡°Wait, what?¡±


    Dyne looks at him in surprise. Walter turns his head to look back while smiling a little as if to say ¡®it¡¯s okay, leave this to me¡¯. The Spectre sighs.


    Dyne: ¡°¡­ I guess we can listen to what it is. It may not be something that inconveniences us.¡±


    A smile comes on Ethan¡¯s face as he hears that.


    So if I say I won¡¯t tell you; that would mean it is something that inconveniences you, huh? That wasn¡¯t half bad, he thinks as he prepares his answer.


    Ethan: ¡°My goal here is to bring Kais into this war.¡±


    Dyne and Walter flinch in surprise.


    Dyne: ¡°And what would that gain you?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°That¡¯s not something you need to know, do you?¡±


    Dyne looks at Ethan suspiciously while Ethan looks back at him with a smirk. Walter stays calm and composed and Sneha keeps her guard up for anything that might happen. But, after a brief stare-down, Dyne says,


    Dyne: ¡°I suppose it¡¯s not. Anyway, what was your proposal?¡±


    He asks while turning towards Walter.


    Walter: ¡°Well, I thought it will be a good idea to help him reach his goal in exchange for not interfering with us.¡±


    Dyne: ¡°Huh. That ¡­ isn¡¯t a bad idea, but I don¡¯t know if it will work. I don¡¯t personally know Kais. All I have is other people¡¯s impressions of him.¡±


    As Ethan thinks that he needs to remember what Dyne just said, Sneha suddenly says,


    Sneha: ¡°I¡¯m against letting you guys do the job.¡±


    Dyne and Spectre turn to her in surprise while Ethan clears his throat.


    Ethan: ¡°You guys may have misunderstood something here. We are working together but it is because our goals can be achieved with each other¡¯s help and not because we have the same goal.¡±


    Hearing that, Walter regains composure and asks,


    Walter: ¡°I see. So then, Ms. Sneha Stone, what¡¯s your goal?¡±


    Sneha: ¡°I am afraid I can¡¯t tell you. That said, it¡¯s not something that¡¯s against yours but just something that you guys will be no help in because of being ghosts. Only someone who¡¯s is at least half-psychic like Barry can help me reach it.¡±


    Widening their eyes in surprise, the three men on the beach look at Sneha.


    However, the reason for their surprise is completely different from the other.


    Ethan is surprised because he didn¡¯t know her goal would have that kind of condition.


    Dyne is surprised because he had started to get the impression that she might turn into an enemy but she doesn¡¯t seem to be doing so.


    Walter is surprised because her remark didn¡¯t make sense.


    Walter: ¡°Well, in case you don¡¯t know, I am not a ghost.¡±


    While being surprised at what she just heard, she immediately regains composure and asks him,


    Sneha: ¡°Oh, then who are you?¡±


    She says as she looks at him with a suspicious expression as if to evaluate him. Ethan had known that he isn¡¯t a ghost from the start because of the aura Walter had around him, but apparently Sneha didn¡¯t.


    Walter: ¡°I am a psychic.¡±


    He says.


    Dyne: ¡°Or to be more precise, he is Walter Schmidt, the psychic hailed as the strongest man in the world.¡±


    Ethan and Sneha widen their eyes in surprise by the contents of the addition Dyne made in Walter¡¯s introduction.


    Walter: ¡°Oh, don¡¯t be so surprised by that. I might not be the strongest anymore. After all, it¡¯s been a long time since I was given that title. Someone we don¡¯t know about may have already surpassed me.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°No, your title¡¯s not all that surprising.¡±


    Walter: ¡°Huh?¡±


    He asks as he looks at Ethan with a smile,


    Walter: ¡°Then why are you surprised?¡±


    It¡¯s because of your disturbingly evil aura. He answers in his head.


    Ethan: ¡°Well ¡­¡±


    Walter: ¡°My aura, huh?¡±


    Eyes widen in shock, and fear, for once, goes out of hand in Ethan¡¯s mind as he listens to Walter¡¯s menacingly calm tone.


    Walter: ¡°Now now, you don¡¯t need to be that shocked. All I did was read your mind. I already told you I am a psychic so it should have been obvious I could do that.¡±


    Yeah, of course ¡­ except I should have known when you did that; my eyes should have picked up on something. Ethan says in his head.


    Walter: ¡°Come now, surely you know your eyes aren¡¯t omnipotent.¡±


    He continues in his calm tone as he answers Ethan¡¯s thoughts.


    Walter: ¡°All I did was put more power in hiding the ability than your eyes can see through.¡±


    Sneha: ¡°Wait! Is what this looks like really happened just now?¡±


    Ethan gulped.


    Ethan: ¡°Yeah, he read my mind ¡­ without me noticing anything.¡±


    Sneha understands how much of a bad news that could be. Spectre Dyne is already supposed to be on par with, if not better than Barry. And this man is supposedly even more powerful than him. Even the Eyes of Truth can be deceived by him.


    Sneha: ¡°But that doesn¡¯t make any sense. Aren¡¯t those eyes something that can never be deceived?¡±


    Dyne: ¡°He isn¡¯t considered the strongest for no reason you know. The fact that he has that title means that he has left any rivals far behind. Simple rules like that can be easily bent by this man.¡±


    Dyne makes it very clear what the title of ¡®strongest man in the world¡¯ means with that sentence and Ethan and Sneha both fall silent.


    Dyne: ¡°Well, it¡¯s unfortunate but we need to go now. We have already lost a lot of time.¡±


    Dyne says as he starts walking.


    Sneha: ¡°Wait-¡±


    Dyne: ¡°I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll have to look for another way to fulfill whatever objective you have since the negotiations seem to have broken down.¡±


    As he says this, Jack and Jill come to stop him from entering the forest.


    Dyne: ¡°What a bothersome mission this is going to be!¡±


    He says while lifting his finger. He points his finger at Jack and moves it around, which causes Jack to be flung around in the same way.


    Ethan: ¡°Ah!¡±


    Sneha: ¡°What was that?¡±


    Walter: ¡°Come on, you didn¡¯t need to do that.¡±


    Walter says as he follows Dyne with a little smile on his face. He turns to glance at the dog that had been flung around only to land on the tree and have his back broken.


    Dyne: ¡°Well, we don¡¯t have time to handle this peacefully.¡±


    Dyne points his finger at Jill but the dog runs away before he does anything.


    Dyne: ¡°That certainly saves some trouble.¡±


    He says as resumes walking and heads into the forest. Before going in himself, Walter stops and looks at the other two with a smile.


    Walter: ¡°Well, we couldn¡¯t start off on a very good footing, but I hope it doesn¡¯t get any worse.¡±


    He says the word that sound to Ethan like a threat - ¡®Don¡¯t make this any worse.''


    *******************************

 Chapter 34: Trust

    There¡¯s silence in The Cage. The two entities, the so-called god and the so-called devil stare at each other. But, neither of them speaks a word. Until,


    Sona: ¡°Are you sure about this?¡±


    The voices from outside penetrate their ears. But all they can do is listen to the question being asked.


    Kais: ¡°I am.¡±


    And the answer that is given. Their muscles would be twitching from excitement and nervousness, if they were still alive.


    Dragon: ¡°You should really have more faith in him.¡±


    Sona: ¡°Yeah, I am not taking any advice from you.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Thought so.¡±


    The two keep listening to the conversation. The only difference the two have at this moment is that one of them can also sense the auras of those talking. Abyss could tell that all three of them were serious about what they were going to do. Ozyllus had no way of knowing that. Abyss feels a bit happy knowing this.


    Ozyllus: ¡°They are serious, aren¡¯t they?¡±


    And yet, the first word he speaks in a while completely dismisses that happiness.


    Abyss: ¡°Why do you think so?¡±


    Ozyllus: ¡°Well, it¡¯s simple actually.¡±


    Abyss: ¡°Mind explaining?¡±


    Ozyllus: ¡°It¡¯s because of you.¡±


    Abyss narrows his eyes. The demonic glare in his eyes grows sharper.


    Ozyllus: ¡°I may not be able to sense their auras, but I can sense yours. And I can also read you like a book.¡±


    Ozyllus says with a mild smile. Even if his words are that of trying to mock Abyss, even he can¡¯t bring himself to laugh at that moment.


    Abyss: ¡°Well, I guess that¡¯s fair.¡±


    Ozyllus: ¡°It is?¡±


    Abyss: ¡°Yes, it is. After all, the fact that you can read me means ¡­¡±


    He says with a smile,


    Abyss: ¡°You¡¯ll have to endure seeing my happiness when all your dreams are crushed.¡±


    *******************************


    Barry and Ro continue on towards the pond. The distance between them and their destination now is less than 100 meters. But,


    Ro: ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡±


    He says immediately upon hearing a slight ruffling noise coming from the trees ahead of them.


    ???: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s just me.¡±


    Having not heard that voice a lot of times before, Ro doesn¡¯t immediately recognize it and tries to prepare to attack but Barry stops him.


    Barry: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s the dragon. And he doesn¡¯t seem to have any ill intentions towards us.¡±


    He says while signaling Ro to relax. Ro, while still keeping a sense of caution in him, says,


    Ro: ¡°Well, come out.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°I don¡¯t think I can.¡±


    Barry and Ro look at each other unaware of what he may mean. Barry looks at him with a questioning gaze. Ro then nods to Barry and so Barry uses aura reading to see what¡¯s going on.


    Barry: ¡°Hmm ¡­¡±


    Barry senses the aura of the dragon next to the tree on the opposite side. From that, he incurs that he is standing next to a tree but is not moving even a little for some reason.


    Barry: ¡°There¡¯s something wrong with him. It¡¯s like he doesn¡¯t have any intentions of moving from the place he is standing on.¡±


    Ro: ¡°That so?¡±


    Ro says as he moves closer to the place dragon¡¯s voice came from. Barry, on the other hand, inspects the surroundings with aura reading to see if there¡¯s any trap lying in wait for them.


    Barry: ¡°Doesn¡¯t look like any traps have been set here.¡±


    Barry gives Ro a heads-up as Ro continues to go around to see what the dragon is doing. Barry slowly follows from the other side.


    Dragon: ¡°You two seem very alarmed. There¡¯s really no need to be, you know.¡±


    Ro: ¡°I am afraid you haven¡¯t done much to gain my trust.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Fair, I guess.¡±


    As Ro continues to move from the side, the dragon finally comes in his sight. He sees the dragon standing next to a tree just like Barry said.


    Ro: ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°You¡¯ll know if you look at my foot.¡±


    Ro slowly and cautiously turns his gaze to the dragon¡¯s foot. There seemed to be some sort of white marking underneath his foot. As if to relax himself, the dragon leans his head back at the tree only to end up hitting the tree because of the distance between him and it being larger than he thought it will be.


    Ro: ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    Barry: ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that ¡­¡±


    As the markings enter Barry¡¯s line of sight, he looks at them in disbelief.


    Dragon: ¡°It is.¡±


    Ro: ¡°Don¡¯t leave me out of the loop here.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°This is a form of conditions that spirit-users can put on people.¡±


    Ro: ¡°Okay, so what does it do?¡±


    Having stopped in his tracks, Ro looks at the Dragon with suspicious eyes scanning all his surrounding to find any sign of a trap while also paying attention to the dragon¡¯s words.


    Dragon: ¡°If the person who the condition is put on moves away from their place, it will explode on the spot.¡±


    Ro gets taken aback by the dragon¡¯s answer and looks at the markings in shock.


    Barry: ¡°And in this case, that person seems to be you.¡±


    Barry has a rare look of worry on his face. That alone is enough to tell Ro how dangerous of a condition it truly is.


    Dragon: ¡°Yeah, I am the one she put the condition on.¡±


    They understand very well who ¡®she¡¯ is.


    Barry: ¡°But why would Sona do that? She should already know she can¡¯t kill you like this.¡±


    For a fraction of a second, the dragon¡¯s lips start curling up into a smile. This movement neither Ro nor Barry spot.


    Dragon: ¡°That¡¯s the point though.¡±


    Barry: ¡°Huh?¡±


    Ro: ¡°Huh?¡±


    *******************************


    Ozyllus: ¡°My dreams will be crushed, you say?¡±


    Ozyllus continues staring at Abyss with a seemingly serious expression.


    Ozyllus: ¡°Yeah, I guess that is something that would bring you happiness.¡±


    Abyss: ¡°You ¡­¡±


    Abyss doesn¡¯t really want to say anything. But he just couldn¡¯t understand why Ozyllus is being calmer than him in this situation.


    Ozyllus: ¡°Oh boy!¡±


    He turns to look at the few gaps that bring light in the darkness of The Cage.


    Ozyllus: ¡°It¡¯s a risky game they are playing, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Abyss: ¡°That it is.¡±


    The three in question are definitely using a risky strategy. It¡¯s not risky because there¡¯s a chance their targets will see through it.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Ozyllus: ¡°Ha!¡±


    A laugh escapes his laughs causing Abyss to be irritated.


    Abyss: ¡°Tch!¡±


    It¡¯s risky because it depends on none of them betraying the other two.


    Ozyllus: ¡°Should they really be pulling off a strategy that depends so much on trust?¡±


    Abyss: ¡°Is it really trust this strategy is based on?¡±


    Abyss says while continuing to stare at Ozyllus. Ozyllus, who was also keeping a sharp eye on Abyss, notices that Abyss¡¯ expression has grown softer.


    Ozyllus: ¡°Huh,¡±


    He asks as he gets curious about this change in his expression and the things he just said.


    Ozyllus: ¡°And just what does that mean?¡±


    Abyss: ¡°¡­ nothing.¡±


    Abyss doesn¡¯t answer the question. But the answer still dwells on his face.


    Ozyllus: ¡°There¡¯s no use trying to act like that. I already told you I can read you like a book.¡±


    He says as he wonders, ¡°Abyss thinks their strategy is not based on trust. That much is clear from his expression. But then, what else is there to this strategy other than trust?¡±


    Abyss: ¡°Even if you can read me, you won¡¯t be getting the answer.¡±


    He says with a slight smile as he thinks, ¡°And that¡¯s because I don¡¯t know the answer either. All I have is an instinctive feeling that¡¯s it¡¯s not trust that he has based this strategy on.¡± Abyss doesn¡¯t word out these thoughts.


    The two continue staring at each other as they hear the voices coming from outside and keep questioning every action being taken by Kais, Sona and the dragon.


    *******************************


    Ro: ¡°What do you mean ¡®that¡¯s the point¡¯?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Well, that¡¯s what¡¯s going on here. She has put this condition on me so if I move now, I will be blasted away but won¡¯t die.¡±


    Barry: ¡°Yes, but in return for bringing you close to death, she¡¯ll die.¡±


    Dragon nods as he says,


    Dragon: ¡°Precisely.¡±


    Ro: ¡°Wait, wait! I don¡¯t get it. Why would she put a condition like that on you?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°To prove that she won¡¯t try to betray.¡±


    His answer continues to confuse the two more than clarifying anything.


    Barry: ¡°Betray who exactly?¡±


    The dragon doesn¡¯t answer but only smiles.


    Ro: ¡°Hey bastard, I have been meaning to ask you about this for a while now but why do you look like Ozyllus?¡±


    The dragon turns to Ro on hearing that question.


    Ro: ¡°I know there¡¯s some reason behind it. What is it?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Well, I don¡¯t really have a human form, so the only way I can appear in a human form is if I imitate someone I have seen. And the one I have seen most in my life is him.¡±


    Ro: ¡°That¡¯s it?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°That¡¯s it.¡±


    Ro: ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me.¡±


    Ro¡¯s face twists in anger.


    Ro: ¡°If that was all there was to it, then you could have taken so many other forms.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°I just told you I had seen him the most ¡­¡±


    Ro: ¡°Like that matters. You know that people will freak out if they see you like that. And I doubt someone who cut off connection from the outside world would want that to happen.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°So?¡±


    Ro: ¡°So the best thing for you to do is to use the mask of a lesser known person.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Hmm ¡­ that so?¡±


    He says with a smile.


    Barry: ¡°Hey, the heck you smiling for?¡±


    Barry says with a little bit of nervousness on his face.


    Barry: ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Well, if you have gotten that far, might as well tell you-¡±


    He says as he glances back-and-forth from Barry and Ro.


    Dragon: ¡°The fact that I am in the form of Ozyllus means that anyone who knows how he looked would, as you said, wonder what¡¯s going on.¡±


    The two ghosts stay silent as they listen to him speak.


    Dragon: ¡°Since most of the people who come here are psychics sent by Vermillion, this emotion will cause minor fluctuations in the psychic energy around them.¡±


    Barry: ¡°No ¡­ way!¡±


    Dragon looks at Barry with the same smile as before.


    Dragon: ¡°The mechanisms on the island use that fluctuation as an opening to suck out the psychic energy.¡±


    Ro: ¡°You ¡­¡±


    Dragon: ¡°There are little traps like this spread throughout the island. How else do you think this island maintains the heavy supply of psychic energy required to keep the tomb in working condition?¡±


    *******************************


    Ozyllus: ¡°He did say that¡¯s how the tomb keeps going, didn¡¯t he?¡±


    Abyss: ¡°Yeah, he did. What about it?¡±


    Abyss wonders why Ozyllus suddenly brought up that topic.


    Ozyllus: ¡°I wonder why he did that.¡±


    Abyss: ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t he?¡±


    Ozyllus: ¡°There was no reason to actually tell Kais and Sona how the island keeps its supply of psychic energy ongoing.¡±


    Ozyllus seriously wonders about that question because he really doesn¡¯t know why the dragon did that.


    Ozyllus: ¡°Now that Sona knows that, she can use her spirits to turn it around and suck the energy out of the tomb. If that happens ¡­¡±


    He suddenly stops talking.


    Abyss: ¡°If that happens?¡±


    Abyss asks with curiosity as Ozyllus wonders about it for a while and then looks him in the eye as he answers.


    Ozyllus: ¡°There¡¯s just no way around it. If that happens, he¡¯ll die.¡±


    Abyss: ¡°The dragon would die if that happens?¡±


    Abyss asks in shock.


    Ozyllus: ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what I just said.¡±


    Abyss comes to understand why Ozyllus had become curious about that question all of a sudden.


    Ozyllus: ¡°Kais immediately started explaining the strategy to them so I didn¡¯t get the chance to question it because I didn¡¯t want to get distracted. But now that I truly think about it, there¡¯s just no way this wasn¡¯t a foolish decision on his part.¡±


    Abyss: ¡°Foolish, maybe. Not pointless though.¡±


    Ozyllus narrows his eyes not understanding what Abyss means. On the other hand, Abyss comes to understand what was truly going on.


    So the fact that both of them can do something that will end up killing the other is supposed to be the way they trust the other. Abyss smiles while coming to understand that.


    Abyss: ¡°Sona has probably sent out spirits to reverse things.¡±


    Ozyllus: ¡°That¡¯s the point ¡­¡±


    Abyss: ¡°But also told them to not do anything.¡±


    Ozyllus: ¡°Huh? What does that mean?¡±


    Abyss: ¡°If the spirits are to feel that their connection to their owner, Sona, has broken, they are to pull it off.¡±


    Ozyllus: ¡°What?¡±


    Abyss: ¡°If the dragon uses his chance to kill her, she has prepared a plan to kill him in return.¡±


    Ozyllus is left speechless.


    Abyss: ¡°You are thinking how foolish they are, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Ozyllus: ¡°Of course I am. What kind of idiotic way of trusting each other is that?¡±


    Abyss: ¡°The dragon is going to die in a few days and so doesn¡¯t necessarily fear death because of how inevitable it is. But he also doesn¡¯t want to die right now because he wants to bring you down before he dies.¡±


    Ozyllus doesn¡¯t interrupt.


    Abyss: ¡°On the other hand, Sona has been ready to die in taking her revenge so if this surefire way of killing him presents itself to her, she will gladly agree to die herself.¡±


    Ozyllus: ¡°What mockery of survival instinct is that?¡±


    Abyss: ¡°It is precisely the survival instinct that matters here, Ozyllus. The fact that the two of them would go so far as to completely mock survival instinct is the proof of how strong their resolve is. Even if what they have done is foolish, it is admirable in a sense.¡±


    Abyss¡¯ voice becomes louder as he goes on. Ozyllus, on the other hand, asks in a softer voice,


    Ozyllus: ¡°Admirable, you say?¡±


    Abyss: ¡°Yes, it¡¯s admirable; because neither you nor I will ever have that strong a resolve.¡±


    Ozyllus: ¡°Tch!¡±


    Ozyllus turns to the light. He is frustrated because everything Abyss has said is true. He is frustrated that they are indeed more resolute than him. And he¡¯s frustrated because ¡­


    Abyss: ¡°How does it feel to know the tragedy you caused that should have broken the two of them ended up bringing about this result?¡±


    Abyss asks with a smile already knowing the answer.


    Abyss: ¡°I wonder how things will go from here.¡±


    *******************************


    Barry: ¡°What¡¯s going on here? Why are you telling us all this like it¡¯s no big deal? I am sure you have never told this to anyone before.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Well, I have told this to two people before.¡±


    Irritated by the dragon¡¯s mocking smile, Barry glances at Ro and,


    Barry: ¡°I am asking this using telepathy so he can¡¯t hear, but why did you bring this topic up? Is there a connection between this and what he previously mentioned? Just think up your answer and I will know.¡±


    Barry asks him with telepathy.


    Ro: ¡°I thought from the way he said those words that he is working with someone. And the thought crossed my mind that his appearance could give us a hint as to whom.¡±


    Barry: ¡°So you thought the reason for this appearance could give us a hint on who he is working with. And what you meant by that is to think of who will think up a strategy like that?¡±


    Ro: ¡°Yeah, that was my thought process. Does anyone come to mind?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Why go silent all of sudden?¡±


    He asks with a mockingly innocent smile.


    Ro: ¡°Will you shut up for a second?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Oh? Don¡¯t want me disturbing your telepathy?¡±


    The two shrink back as they hear those words.


    Ro: ¡°You ¡­¡±


    Barry: ¡°One man does come to mind.¡±


    Barry says, not telepathically, but from his mouth cutting off their conversation. The dragon and Ro look at him in surprise.


    Barry: ¡°Damn you!¡±


    He says with a low voice before gripping his hand in sheer anger.


    Barry: ¡°Damn you, Ozyllus!¡±


    Hearing Barry utter the name of the man who came to his mind when thinking of a strategy like ¡®stealing psychic energy from other psychics¡¯, Ro is left speechless as the dragon smiles ¨C this time, a genuinely happy smile.


    Silence befalls the three. What breaks that silence is the voice of the woman whose aura full of spiritual energy would give her away.


    Sona: ¡°You may or may not have realized this already,¡±


    She says as she steps out of the trees and comes into their sight.


    Sona: ¡°But you have been surrounded.¡±


    Ro and Barry look at her with different expressions. Ro is the first to react.


    Ro: ¡°What are you ¡­?¡±


    But he doesn¡¯t get the time to do anything. And that¡¯s because vines of the numerous trees around him bind him and constrict his movements while a vine is also put at his neck as if it¡¯s a knife to threaten him.


    Ro: ¡°Do you ¡­¡±


    Sona: ¡°Don¡¯t bother thinking you¡¯ll be fine since you are ghost and any of that nonsense.¡±


    Ro falls silent after having his thoughts read.


    Sona: ¡°Those vines are imbued with spiritual energy and they have what it takes to disperse energy. If they cut you, the link from your head and body will be cut. Permanently¡±


    Ro: ¡°Don¡¯t joke around ¡­¡±


    Sona: ¡°It¡¯s not a joke. You do remember Ethan Kales mentioning of a way to turn ghosts into spirits, right? This is it.¡±


    Ro tries to retort but falls silent when he sees the resigned expression on Barry¡¯s face telling him that she is telling the truth.


    Barry: ¡°How did you avoid my aura reading?¡±


    Sona turns to Barry to answer his question with a mild smile on her face. Barry, on the other hand, only has cautiousness written all over his face.


    Sona: ¡°I didn¡¯t avoid it.¡±


    Barry: ¡°What?¡±


    Barry looks at her in surprise and suspicion while the dragon chuckles.


    Dragon: ¡°When you both saw me, I told you to look at my foot. For that one moment, both of your eyes were off me. I hit the tree with my head at that point. Even if, by chance, you had seen me though, I could have made that look natural.¡±


    Ro: ¡°Don¡¯t ¡­ screw with us.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°I am not. That was the signal for a bird of this forest to go to her.¡±


    Sona: ¡°And when that bird came to me, I was teleported here. After which I had to guide the spirit constricting you right now to you and use the right opportunity to bind you.¡±


    Ro: ¡°Tch!¡±


    Barry: ¡°So you are telling me the spirit was already in the ground?¡±


    Sona: ¡°Yes. It is in the form of a mole so it can go underground. Since your aura reading doesn¡¯t cover that area, it was the perfect place for it to be.¡±


    Ro: ¡°You are telling me a mole is doing this.¡±


    He says as he looks at the vines constricting him.


    Sona: ¡°Different spirits can have different abilities, you know.¡±


    Sona answers while looking at him with a little bit of sympathy.


    Barry: ¡°Don¡¯t you think your plan was a little too flawed?¡±


    Sona and the dragon both turn to Barry with a questioning gaze.


    Barry: ¡°If I had used aura reading once again, I could have easily detected you.¡±


    Sona: ¡°Well, we needed to trust each other for this. I trusted that the dragon would be capable of distracting you and he trusted that I will be able to guide the spirit perfectly.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°And it worked.¡±


    The dragon added to emphasize.


    Barry: ¡°It was still a foolish plan, you know.¡±


    ???: ¡°That it was.¡±


    A voice comes right from the middle of the four.


    ???: ¡°But someone once told me that you can never be too smart, so turn your opponent into a fool to win the battle.¡±


    The voice of the mastermind rings clearly as a knife appears on Barry¡¯s throat out of nowhere. And just in progression, a hand begins to appear and then the rest of the body.


    Kais: ¡°Remember those words, and the day you said them to me.¡±


    He says while having a knife at Barry¡¯s throat.


    Kais: ¡°It was that day 12 years ago.¡±


    It was no surprise to Barry that he is also working together with Sona and the dragon. The moment Sona mentioned ¡®teleport¡¯, it had become clear. So he didn¡¯t look at Kais with surprise or shock. He only looked at Kais with pity.


    Kais: ¡°What¡¯s that expression for?¡±


    Barry: ¡°What¡¯s this knife for?¡±


    Kais: ¡°It¡¯s to make sure you answer ¡­¡±


    Barry narrows his eyes.


    Kais: ¡°When I ask you to tell me ¨C everything about this war.¡±


    *******************************

 Chapter 35: Mask

    On a train to an unknown place, Sona was sitting while looking bored. A middle-aged woman sitting next to her looked at her as she sighed.


    Sona: ¡°What?¡±


    She gets annoyed by the sighing and asks.


    Woman: ¡°Nothing, you just look like you are bored.¡±


    Sona: ¡°That¡¯s cuz I am.¡±


    The woman sighed again.


    Woman: ¡°Look, I know you don¡¯t want to go but this is important.¡±


    Sona: ¡°If you say so.¡±


    Sona¡¯s expression doesn¡¯t change at all. Seeing that, the woman sighed again.


    Woman: ¡°I give up.¡±


    She said as she turned her attention from Sona to a magazine. Sona, seeing that, had no reaction. Why would she? After all, this kind of conversation was normal for her. That¡¯s how she and her mother had always been.


    She stares out the window as she thinks of the days about to come.


    ¡°It¡¯s going to be a pain,¡± she thinks.


    Until the day before, the place her family would go for the vacations had not been told to her, so she was fairly excited for it. But after hearing where it is, all her excitement died down.


    ¡°Of all the places in the world, it had to her hometown,¡± she complained to herself in her mind knowing that saying anything out loud will only lead to arguments with her mother that she will need to concede in at the end.


    The eight-year-old girl looked out the window of the train with a bored expression. She could see the rocky landscapes of her mother¡¯s hometown coming into sight.


    ¡°Great, now I have to deal with all the idiotic rambling,¡± she thought only to end up depressing herself more.


    *******************************


    Sona¡¯s grandmother: ¡°Wow, look at how big you have gotten.¡±


    Sona looked at her grandmother with a bored expression and sighed. Her grandmother though, much to her annoyance, didn¡¯t mind at all and continued cuddling the girl.


    Sona¡¯s mother: ¡°Will you cheer up, girl?¡±


    Sona: ¡°Why should I cheer up?¡±


    She immediately replied. Both of them had gotten used to those exchanges and knew nothing good would ever come out of them. And then,


    Villager: ¡°Hey, have you heard? They found the body of a man on the mountains.¡±


    A villager passing by said so to her grandmother.


    Sona¡¯s grandmother: ¡°Hey, don¡¯t say stuff like that in front of the child.¡±


    Villager: ¡°Oh, uh, s-sorry! Didn¡¯t see you there, Sona.¡±


    ¡°Then go get your eyes checked,¡± she said in her mind.


    Villager: ¡°But anyway, come with me for a second.¡±


    Her grandmother nodded and left after giving Sona some more unappreciated cuddling.


    *******************************


    After about an hour of arriving, Sona had gone to a room that she always used whenever they would visit their grandparent¡¯s house and unpacked her bags.


    As she looked outside the window, she saw the town with muddy roads and old houses where the breeze kept blowing from time-to-time.


    Sona: ¡°The place isn¡¯t half-bad to be honest. If only the people were not so dumb, this would actually be a welcome vacation.¡±


    She said as she stared at the setting sun. She raised her right hand in a way that her palm was facing upwards.


    Sona: ¡°Vessel of mercy, bless the world with your light.¡±


    She said as a bright flash of light occurred in her hand. Following that, a spirit in the form of a sparrow appeared.


    Sona: ¡°So a sparrow again, huh?¡±


    She says while looking at the spirit.


    Sona: ¡°Guess there¡¯s a connection there I don¡¯t know about.¡±


    Every time Sona had summoned a spirit when in this village, it had always appeared in the form of a bird. There could be a geographical or climatic factor that causes it, but she didn¡¯t know what it was.


    The spirit looked at her with a curious gaze. Seeing that, the girl smiled.


    Sona: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, just talking to myself.¡±


    She said to the spirit with that smile. Sona had never been the type to try to get things done by lying. She hated putting up masks and she hated acting like she cared when she didn¡¯t. So when she smiled seeing the spirit, it knew that she genuinely means everything she said. This is why, the next moment caused the spirit to panic.


    CRASH!


    A loud noise came and the spirit started panicking.


    Sona: ¡°What was that noise? And what¡¯s up with you?¡±


    She knew the answer to both questions would most likely be the same.


    Sona: ¡°Do you know what that noise meant?¡±


    The spirit nodded while continuing to panic.


    Sona: ¡°What is it?¡±


    Instead of an answer, what Sona got was a message to run. She felt it in her head as if that¡¯s what the spirit was trying to tell her.


    Sona: ¡°Why ¡­ do I need to run?¡±


    She asked not knowing the urgency of the situation. The spirit however continued to ask her to run without giving a proper answer.


    ???: ¡°It¡¯s fortunate that you didn¡¯t listen to it right away.¡±


    A voice came from behind. But just as Sona turned around to see where the voice came from, she saw a mask hanging in the air moving as if it¡¯s worn by someone.


    Sona: ¡°W-what!?¡±


    Mask: ¡°Don¡¯t be so surprised. All I want is to help you.¡±


    She tried to step back only to find she was already on the farthest part of the room.


    Mask: ¡°Be careful now, we don¡¯t want you falling down from the window, do we?¡±


    Sona: ¡°W-who are you!?¡±


    Mask: ¡°Getting to business already? Well, I guess time is of essence here.¡±


    She could see the spirit she had summoned being afraid of the mask and backing away.


    Sona: ¡°W-wait!¡±


    As Sona extended a hand to stop the spirit from falling off the window, it disappeared. The spirit went back to where it was summoned from.


    Sona turned to the mask in shock and horror. The mask, however, continued as if nothing had happened.


    Mask: ¡°Okay then, let me explain what¡¯s going on here.¡±


    Sona, left with no choice, listened to the mask.


    Mask: ¡°Your village, right now, is under attack by a dragon.¡±


    *******************************


    Dragon: ¡°What is it that makes you people so feisty?¡±


    The dragon said as he looked at the tiny creatures known as humans.


    Dragon: ¡°I really can¡¯t understand you.¡±


    He said as he looked at those humans trying to kill him; trying their utmost and using whatever means they have to try to hurt him.


    Dragon: ¡°Do you really think you can defeat me?¡±Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    Shouts of ¡®MONSTER¡¯ could be heard as they threw objects of all kinds at him. Mindless shouting could be heard as they tried to cut his skin with any sharp object they could get their hands on.


    Dragon: ¡°It¡¯s pathetic.¡±


    He said.


    Dragon: ¡°And I don¡¯t mean to disrespect you.¡±


    He said as the cries of the tiny creatures at his foot continued on without listening to him.


    Dragon: ¡°Neither do I mean to praise you.¡±


    He said as the village burned and its residents panicked.


    Dragon: ¡°I just think that you are-¡±


    He said as the chaos continued to spread and the creatures that were the reason for it ignored it completely.


    Dragon: ¡°Utterly pathetic.¡±


    He said as his voice got drowned by the cries of the villagers.


    *******************************


    Sona: ¡°D-dragon?¡±


    There were a million questions in her head at that moment. Who is this mask? Who is the dragon?


    Mask: ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    What made that noise? Why was her spirit panicking? What¡¯s going on outside?


    Mask: ¡°But don¡¯t worry about it too much.¡±


    Where is her mother? Where is her grandmother? Where are the rest of the villagers?


    Mask: ¡°All you need to get out of this situation safely is to do as I say.¡±


    How did the mask suddenly appear there? Is someone controlling it?


    Mask: ¡°Are you listening?¡±


    Is this a dream? Is it reality? Or a mix of both?


    Mask: ¡°Haaaa! I guess you aren¡¯t.¡±


    A sighing voice comes at her. His words kept flowing in and out of her ears as the questions in her mind blared at her with full force.


    Mask: ¡°No matter.¡±


    Regardless, neither was there any anxiety nor fear in the mask¡¯s voice.


    Mask: ¡°You will do as I say soon enough anyway.¡±


    All there was in his voice was calmness.


    Mask: ¡°After all,¡±


    He said.


    Mask: ¡°It¡¯s not like you have any choice in the matter.¡±


    He said as the girl covered her ears.


    Mask: ¡°Your destiny was decided since the day you were born.¡±


    He said as she put her head in her lap.


    Mask: ¡°And no one can ever escape their destiny.¡±


    He said as she tried to call her spirits.


    Mask: ¡°Your life never really belonged to you after all.¡±


    He said as she failed at calling her spirits.


    *******************************


    Villager: ¡°KILL HIM!!!¡±


    The voices rang out as the arrows were shot and fire was lit but nothing seemed to work at all.


    Dragon: ¡°Don¡¯t bother. Some measly fire can¡¯t burn my skin.¡±


    Sona¡¯s Grandmother: ¡°That monster needs to be killed. Bring all the oil you have.¡±


    She shouted at the villager nearby as he immediately started running to do as she said to.


    Sona¡¯s Grandmother: ¡°If we don¡¯t defeat this thing, it will repeat.¡±


    Sona¡¯s Mother: ¡°What are you talking about, mother?¡±


    Sona¡¯s Grandmother: ¡°Huh? No, it¡¯s nothing.¡±


    Even if it meant getting a suspicious stare from her daughter, she didn¡¯t have the time to explain anything.


    Dragon: ¡°Oh, I finally found you.¡±


    The dragon said as his gaze turned to the eldest of the village.


    Sona¡¯s Grandmother: ¡°So you have some business with me?¡±


    She shouted so her voice can reach the dragon¡¯s ears.


    Dragon: ¡°You don¡¯t need to shout that much you know. But regardless, yes, I have some business with you.¡±


    As she looked at the dragon with narrowed eyes, the old woman took a glance at the villagers bringing over the oil.


    Sona¡¯s Grandmother: ¡°What do you want?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Your granddaughter is here, isn¡¯t she?¡±


    Sona¡¯s Mother: ¡°What does that mean? He has some business with Sona?¡±


    To the middle-aged woman, it might have been a surprise but her mother already knew that¡¯s where the conversation would go.


    Dragon: ¡°I see. So her mother is here as well. Then things should work out just fine.¡±


    Ignoring the large no. of villagers still trying to attack him, the dragon looked right at the old woman.


    Sona¡¯s Grandmother: ¡°What do you want with my granddaughter?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Well, I want to take her to the tomb and let her meet Ozyllus.¡±


    Sona¡¯s Mother: ¡°W-who¡¯s Ozyllus?¡±


    Seeing her daughter panicking not understanding anything, the old woman sighed.


    Sona¡¯s Grandmother: ¡°And why do you want her to meet Ozyllus?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°You don¡¯t know, woman? Your granddaughter has recently made acquaintances with a particular really powerful and troublesome psychic.¡±


    Sona¡¯s Grandmother: ¡°What?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°If she is not told the truth soon, she may end up going down a wrong path.¡±


    Sona¡¯s Grandmother: ¡°Tch!¡±


    He clicked her tongue as she looked at her daughter with a questioning gaze only to remember that she doesn¡¯t know anything about the supernatural.


    Sona¡¯s Grandmother: ¡°What ¡­¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Huh?¡±


    She turned towards the dragon as she said,


    Sona¡¯s Grandmother: ¡°What guarantee do I have that you are not trying to deceive me in any way?¡±


    The dragon sighs.


    Dragon: ¡°I¡¯ll allow you to come along if that will make you trust me.¡±


    Sona¡¯s Grandmother: ¡°Don¡¯t bullshit me!¡±


    Irritation had started to build up inside the dragon. Fortunately or unfortunately, he was not at all capable of hiding his emotions when he was in his original form.


    Sona¡¯s Grandmother: ¡°Don¡¯t you show me that glare!¡±


    She said while clearly seeing how his irritation had caused the villagers to start shaking in their boots.


    Sona¡¯s Grandmother: ¡°What guarantee of safety can an old woman like me be?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Don¡¯t you bullshit me!¡±


    He said with a voice that sounded like a low roar.


    Dragon: ¡°You are capable of rivaling me if you really try so don¡¯t even try to act like that.¡±


    Hearing that, the whole village went silent. Until,


    Sona¡¯s Mother: ¡°Mother, just what the hell is going on here?¡±


    As soon as she said that, one-by-one every villager started shouting at the old woman the same question.


    *******************************


    Mask: ¡°Right now, the villagers are panicking because they have just seen a dragon. It seems like no one in the village knew of the fact that dragons exist.¡±


    He said while trying to focus on the noises from outside.


    Mask:  ¡°Well, no one except one.¡±


    Sona: ¡°Just ¡­ just what is going on? I don¡¯t understand. Nothing makes sense.¡±


    Mask: ¡°It would be overwhelming for me too if I were in your shoes, so I do understand what you are going through.¡±


    The mask said while Sona kept holding her head as the noises from the outside kept driving her mad.


    Mask: ¡°That said though, I can¡¯t give you any time to rest. You must go ¡­ and see him.¡±


    Sona: ¡°JUST WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?¡±


    Mask: ¡°Shouting will get you nowhere.¡±


    She realized that very well, which is why it was all the more excruciating when it was spelled out for her.


    Mask: ¡°And to answer your question, I am talking about Ozyllus.¡±


    Sona: ¡°What!?¡±


    But even when overwhelmed by the things going on around her, she could not ignore that one name.


    Mask: ¡°You need to go meet Ozyllus. That¡¯s the only way you will ever understand anything.¡±


    Sona: ¡°W-what ¡­ h-h-how ¡­¡±


    Mask: ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. Just do as I say.¡±


    Sona looked at the mask with a mix of terror, shock and anger. But regardless of all her emotions, she could not ignore what was being said to her.


    Six months before this incident, she had met a man of about 20 who had told her about Ozyllus, the psychic who was so powerful that people started calling him a god. She was being told that she needed to go see that psychic. This wasn¡¯t something she could ignore at all.


    Sona: ¡°Ah ¡­¡±


    Mask: ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Sona: ¡°Is that all really true?¡±


    She asked in a timid tone.


    Mask: ¡°It is.¡±


    Sona knew no matter how many times she would think about it, she would come up with the same answer. So,


    Sona: ¡°O-Okay!¡±


    *******************************


    As the villagers kept asking the same question again and again, the old woman kept standing without giving an answer and the dragon kept glaring at her to give her approval, Sona was led out of the room. She saw the dragon standing in the village and the fires at various parts of the village as well as the damage caused by the earlier chaos.


    Sona: ¡°Are ¡­ t-they going to ¡­?¡±


    Mask: ¡°Don¡¯t worry; they are going to be just fine. As soon as you leave, the dragon will also leave.¡±


    Sona: ¡°I ¡­ see.¡±


    She said with a weak voice.


    Sona: ¡°I still don¡¯t know who you are.¡±


    Mask: ¡°I am ¡­ no one you should concern yourself with.¡±


    Sona: ¡°Huh?¡±


    Mask: ¡°But anyway, you should try to walk a little faster. We don¡¯t have a whole lot of time you know.¡±


    She meekly nodded and fastened her steps. He glanced at the village from the corner of her eyes. This was also the first time she had seen a dragon but for some reason it didn¡¯t surprise her all that much.


    *******************************


    Dragon: ¡°Are you going to agree or not?¡±


    Sona¡¯s Grandmother: ¡°Tell me, does that mean that you¡¯ll silently leave if I tell you I won¡¯t agree to it.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°No, it means I¡¯ll have to force you to agree to it.¡±


    Sona¡¯s Grandmother: ¡°Tch!¡±


    Sona¡¯s Mother: ¡°Hey, answer us already, mother.¡±


    Her voice was the voice of the whole village.


    Sona¡¯s Grandmother: ¡°Will you shut up for a second?¡±


    So the reply was also given to the whole village.


    Dragon: ¡°Hey, are ¡­¡±


    The dragon stopped mid-sentence when he saw the mask flying around.


    Dragon: ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    Mask: ¡°She¡¯s already on her way.¡±


    The mask said causing all the villagers to simultaneously start noticing it hanging from the air.


    Sona¡¯s Mother: ¡°J-just ¡­ what ¡­ is going on?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°I see.¡±


    Sona¡¯s Grandmother: ¡°What the HELL does that mean?¡±


    Mask: ¡°It means exactly what you think it means.¡±


    The dragon closed his eyes and sighed, which caused a small rush of wind to come on the ground.


    Dragon: ¡°Guess I¡¯ll be leaving then.¡±


    Sona¡¯s Grandmother: ¡°What the hell is that mask?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°This ¡®mask¡¯ is Ozyllus. Are you happy now?¡±


    He said while readying himself to fly away. The old woman went silent after hearing that. That is, until she saw the dragon starting to flap his wings.


    Sona¡¯s Grandmother: ¡°Hey, this isn¡¯t how it was supposed to be.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Oh yeah?¡±


    The dragon said while starting to flap his wings.


    Dragon: ¡°If you hadn¡¯t wasted so much time, then maybe it would have been how it was ¡®supposed¡¯ to be.¡±


    The dragon then flew away paying no mind to whatever anyone at the ground would say or do.


    *******************************


    Two days later, after having met Ozyllus and gained knowledge of things she couldn¡¯t even imagine she¡¯d come to know of, Sona returned to the village. More accurately, she was brought to the village ¨C by golden-haired birds, the same ones who took her from the village.


    Mask: ¡°Well, now you have been to the island once and if you ever need to go there again, you know how, right?¡±


    Sona: ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Mask: ¡°And did you learn about the special exit that only spirit-users can use?¡±


    She nodded.


    Mask: ¡°I see. That concludes our business for now.¡±


    Sona nodded again. She was in no mood to want to see that mask and welcomed the opportunity to finally get rid of him.


    Mask: ¡°Okay then, we¡¯ll have to meet again someday.¡±


    The mask left with the birds and Sona was finally left alone. She thought she would rather not meet that mask again unknowing of the fact that it was actually Ozyllus.


    She hurried back to where others should be. She had left at such a time that she was worried about them the entire time. Now that she had finally come back, she could not stop herself from running to them.


    But no matter how much she ran, she would not find anyone; not alive anyway. She kept running regardless unknowing of the fact that she would only see a huge pile of dead bodies. She kept running right for that site where marks of a dragon¡¯s rampage are the only thing that is left.


    *******************************


    Two days earlier,


    Seeing the dragon disappear in the sky, Sona¡¯s grandmother ran to see if Sona is really gone. However, she is not able to reach it.


    Sona¡¯s Grandmother: ¡°W-what!?¡±


    She fell on the ground and found herself in a lot of pain for some reason.


    Sona¡¯s Grandmother: ¡°W-what happened ¡­¡±


    She was left in shock when she saw her leg ¨C detached from her body.


    Sona¡¯s Mother: ¡°Mother, are you okay?¡±


    Ozyllus (Mask): ¡°I am afraid she isn¡¯t.¡±


    Just as her daughter was about to approach her, the woman¡¯s body started burning. She cried in pain as the ones around her got away from her in panic.


    Ozyllus (Mask): ¡°Too bad for you all. But you are citizens of this place, where she was born in.¡±


    He said as fire rained down on the village.


    Ozyllus (Mask): ¡°I have to do this, to set her up on the right path.¡±


    He said as it continued to rain down on the village.


    In her dying breath, the old woman saw what looked like a figure of a man wearing the mask on his face and releasing fireballs from what seemed like his hand.


    Sona¡¯s Grandmother: ¡°Invisibility ¡­ by ¡­ manipulation of ¡­ light; as ¡­ I¡¯d ¡­ expect ... of O ¡­ zyllus.¡±


    The fire continued to rain as the corpses piled up.


    Ozyllus (Mask): ¡°Well now, I can¡¯t just keep killing them without any strategy.¡±


    He said with a smile.


    Ozyllus (Mask): ¡°I need to make it look like his work.¡±


    He said as he decided to create false markings that would suggest that a dragon did the destruction.


    Ozyllus (Mask): ¡°Now then, let¡¯s get started.¡±


    *******************************

 Chapter 36: Fear

    Sneha: ¡°What are you going to do?¡±


    She says as she looks at the silent figure standing to her right.


    Sneha: ¡°Those two combined can easily defeat me if it comes to fighting so taking them head-on isn¡¯t an option.¡±


    She says so with a hint of caution in her voice.


    Ethan: ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t worry.¡±


    He says while staring down at the ground,


    Ethan: ¡°I wasn¡¯t planning to do something as foolish as fight them, much less fight them head-on.¡±


    Sneha: ¡°That¡¯s good to hear.¡±


    She sighs, expressing her relief. Ethan could understand why she would feel especially relieved over his words.


    Sneha: ¡°For a moment, it looked like you would lose all rationale and charge them head-on.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Well thankfully, I¡¯m not a total moron.¡±


    He says with a mild smile on his face.


    Sneha: ¡°Yeah, you aren¡¯t. But still, what are we going to do?¡±


    With a serious expression, she brings the conversation to the topic.


    Ethan: ¡°I guess we are in a bit of a problem right now, aren¡¯t we?¡±


    Sneha nods. They both understand that their tasks could become far more problematic if Dyne and Walter end up causing too much damage to some people on the island, especially Kais.


    Ethan¡¯s goal involves Kais. Sneha had originally planned to use his help to get in the tomb and seeing how Barry may not survive for much long, she may have to get back to that approach. So they can¡¯t let those two bring him to their sides.


    Sneha: ¡°Well, any ideas?¡±


    She asks as Ethan ponders while keeping his hand on his chin.


    Sneha: ¡°That expression doesn¡¯t really suit you, you know?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°It doesn¡¯t. I thought it would look cool.¡±


    He says smiling as he looks at Sneha.


    Ethan: ¡°You know there¡¯s something I have been wondering about for a while now.¡±


    Sneha: ¡°And what¡¯s that?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°It¡¯s about your position in Vermillion.¡±


    Sneha: ¡°You do remember I have quit the organization, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°I do. But before you did, you had quite a hard-to-understand position there.¡±


    Sneha: ¡°Hard-to-understand? ¡­ yes, I suppose that may be true.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Might be? Does that mean you never felt that way yourself?¡±


    Sneha: ¡°Well, I never really cared all that much about my position. I just kept on carrying out my orders. Before I knew it, I had become someone whose job criterion was so unique that I easily stood out from the rest of the organization.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°I see.¡±


    He says while lowering his gaze for a second. Noticing that, Sneha narrows her eyes.


    Sneha: ¡°So what were you curious about?¡±


    She asked with narrowed eyes as she looked at him with a sharp gaze. This woman is an Aural but was working for a psychic organization. That alone was something that would bring suspicion to what her role in the organization was, but it is also the fact that the reason for that would make her even more suspicious. And she would not want to bring suspicion to herself.


    Ethan: ¡°I was curious about why exactly you were sent to bring in Kais?¡±


    However, those aren¡¯t the questions Ethan asks her. The ones he asks are more relevant to the current situation. Hearing that, she sighs as if to say she was worrying pointlessly.


    Ethan: ¡°I know Vermillion kept sending someone to him again and again to offer him the chance to join.¡±


    Sneha: ¡°Then why are you curious about that?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Well, ¡®why you¡¯ is what I am curious?¡±


    Her eyes relax and she step back a little.


    Sneha: ¡°I was a special kind of agent whose authorities were mainly on the same level as that of an Ember. But when it came to power, I was equivalent to some of the Hellfires. Because of these things, you are wondering why I would be sent on that mission?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Yeah, that is what I am wondering.¡±


    Sneha: ¡°You should know that mission included a special order the previous ones didn¡¯t.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°The order to force him if things don¡¯t go right?¡±


    Sneha nods.


    Sneha: ¡°Before that, all every agent had ever tried to do was trying to convince him to join, which needless to say, ended up in failure every single time. Some agents who tried to force him before despite not having given orders to do so were all defeated by Kais pretty easily.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Yeah, that isn¡¯t too hard to imagine. Now that we are getting so close to the war, it makes sense for Vermillion to issue the order to force his hand. So it makes sense that someone powerful will be needed to sent on the mission so the same result as all those times doesn¡¯t repeat itself.¡±


    He nods while speaking as if to affirm his words to himself.


    Ethan: ¡°But there could have been so many other ways to force him. Larger teams, sending a Volcano or something like that could have worked. Why expose an asset as powerful as you?¡±


    Sneha: ¡°I don¡¯t really like being called an ¡®asset¡¯ but I suppose I¡¯ll let it slide.¡±


    Ethan mildly smiles as he remembers Ro saying something like that too when they had gathered on the beach the previous day.


    Sneha: ¡°You are right in your concern I would say. I am someone they use for their most difficult missions, so sending me in was quite a questionable decision.¡±


    Ethan nods as he says,


    Ethan: ¡°If they considered how big of a threat Kais truly is, they would surely have sent even more people than you three. The fact that they didn¡¯t shows that they only thought of him as someone who might become very powerful rather than someone who already is.¡±


    Sneha nods.


    Ethan: ¡°In that case, it doesn¡¯t make sense to send in someone like you.¡±


    Sneha: ¡°Well, pretty much every Ember as well as Volcano was busy in some mission. Sending in a volcano or more than three Embers would inconvenience other missions.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°That so?¡±


    Sneha moved her head sideways in denial.


    Sneha: ¡°That¡¯s the front they came up with to send me in. Obviously, there should be more to it than that.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°And do you have any idea as to what more there is to it?¡±


    Sneha: ¡°I did think about it quite a lot in the amount of time I got to freely think about things.¡±


    She says as she looks up at the sky.


    Sneha: ¡°And I have come up with some clues that might lead us to that answer.¡±Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    Ethan: ¡°Well, what are they?¡±


    Sneha: ¡°Before that, let me ask you.¡±


    She looks straight at Ethan causing Ethan to straighten up a bit.


    Sneha: ¡°Should we really spend our time thinking about these things? Shouldn¡¯t we focus on some other things that are actually more relevant to the current situation?¡±


    Ethan closes his eyes as he takes a moment to think about the question she has raised. He asks himself the same question that she just asked him. He does so in spite of having done it thousand times before already.


    Ethan: ¡°Yes, we need to be thinking about it right now.¡±


    But at the end, he comes up with the same answer that he has ended up on every single time he questioned this to himself.


    Sneha: ¡°Well, okay then.¡±


    Sneha sighs as she agrees to tell him what those clues are.


    *******************************


    In the forest, a ghost and a psychic are walking. The psychic is considered the strongest man in the world and is wearing black garments from top to bottom and only has his face and his hand uncovered. He¡¯s Walter Schmidt.


    Walter: ¡°There¡¯s something I was a little curious about after meeting those two.¡±


    The ghost, on the other hand, is the leader of the army of ghosts wearing a brown robe and black cape with golden helm. He¡¯s Dyne, a Spectre.


    Dyne: ¡°And what is that?¡±


    Walter smiles as he asks,


    Walter: ¡°That woman back there seemed to know that you are a ghost, furthermore a Spectre. I thought you made sure no one in Vermillion you ever had to work with on any mission found out that you are a ghost.¡±


    Dyne: ¡°That¡¯s true. They, in fact, didn¡¯t even know that ghosts exist. For all they knew, I was a man who led an army of really powerful people. We kept anything further than that hidden from them. But for some reason, she has come to know the truth now.¡±


    Walter: ¡°My guess is that it¡¯s because of the owner of the Eyes of Truth.¡±


    Dyne: ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what my guess is as well.¡±


    Walter: ¡°Though still, it doesn¡¯t make sense for them to not come to know anything about you guys when they worked for you.¡±


    Dyne: ¡°They could have easily found out that we are ghosts, and Spectres, at that. But Vermillion itself wants to keep things like that secret from their members. Only its leader and the 10 Hellfires know of the existence of ghosts.¡±


    Walter: ¡°Yes, I think I have heard that. I still find it hard to believe no one would find out.¡±


    Dyne: ¡°Well ¡­¡±


    He trails off leaving Walter curious for what he was about to say.


    Walter: ¡°Go on, say it.¡±


    Dyne: ¡°The reason why they would not be able to find out is partly also because a particular ability of us Spectres.¡±


    Walter: ¡°Huh?¡±


    Dyne: ¡°Have you heard of people seeing ghosts and then forgetting the memory of that ever happening?¡±


    Walter: ¡°Well, since they just forget it, it¡¯s not that easy to say I have heard ¡®stories¡¯ of that. But I have heard a fair amount of rumors and urban legends revolving around things that I know originate from something like that.¡±


    Dyne nods as Walter says.


    Dyne: ¡°Yes, I believe there have been quite a few urban legends spreading around because of this ability. In truth, this ability only puts a seal on those selected memories in order for us to keep hiding peacefully.¡±


    Walter: ¡°Okay?¡±


    Walter urges him to go on.


    Dyne: ¡°Normal ghosts can¡¯t select what memories they are going to seal away. They just have to use their abilities on the target¡¯s whole brain and the memory gets wiped out. We Spectres, on the other hand, can control what part of the memories we seal away.¡±


    Walter: ¡°So you guys have been doing so?¡±


    Dyne: ¡°Yes. But you know the nature of seals, don¡¯t you? When they are broken ¡­¡±


    Walter nods as he finishes the sentence Dyne trails off at.


    Walter: ¡°All the memories are released overtime. Also if anything that may be related to a particular memory happens, that memory comes back immediately.¡±


    This is why when the seal stopping Kais from remembering the fact that the demon that killed Barry was he himself broke, he started forming theories that were always very close to truth as he subconsciously knew something that led to those answers.


    This is why after Sneha had come to know about the existence of ghosts, she started remembering things like Dyne being the leader of Spectres, which is the army of ghosts, as if it¡¯s completely normal.


    Walter: ¡°So, if Ethan Kales, the owner of Eyes of Truth, knew about all this, he could have broken the seal off right when it would convenience him most.¡±


    Dyne looks at Walter with a look of surprise that Walter is able to sense through Aura Reading despite not being able to see his face.


    Dyne: ¡°You think he might be taking advantage of the situation like that?¡±


    Walter: ¡°Well, why wouldn¡¯t he? After all ¡­¡±


    Walter suddenly realizes something and does not complete that sentence. Feeling anxious and curious, Dyne asks him though.


    Dyne: ¡°What were you saying?¡±


    Walter: ¡°No, nothing important. Just forget it.¡±


    He, however, asks Dyne to not pay it any mind. ¡°This is something Walter wouldn¡¯t want me to know. Or even if he is okay with me knowing, at least he just doesn¡¯t want to say it yet or he doesn¡¯t want to tell it to me himself. What could it be?¡± Dyne is left thinking.


    Walter: ¡°Hey, I¡¯ll just say this. That man, Ethan Kales; don¡¯t underestimate him, okay? It could become the worst mistake you ever make.¡±


    He says with a serious expression making Dyne anxious as to what he is talking about.


    *******************************


    Sneha: ¡°The first thing I found is that Vermillion has been transporting something other than war supplies to rest of The Dragon Alliance.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Huh?¡±


    They both know that Vermillion only acts as a supply unit for The Ghost Nation and The Dragons. They are not going to fight. All they do is supply the other two with best quality weapons for fighting vampires as well as some talented-in-combat members. But,


    Sneha: ¡°It wasn¡¯t just the weapons or a few members; they were trying to also transport money.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Money?¡±


    Ethan widens his eyes in surprise as he hears that. It is not uncommon for money transfers during times of war but it¡¯s a different matter in this situation. The Ghost Nation would have no need for money used by humans and neither would The Dragons use it for any reason. So why would it be transported between them?


    Sneha: ¡°It¡¯s strange, right?¡±


    Ethan nods while pondering on what that could mean.


    Sneha: ¡°Should I go on?¡±


    Ethan turns his gaze to her while still half in his thoughts and says,


    Ethan: ¡°Yeah, go on please.¡±


    Sneha: ¡°Well, the next thing I found out was that Vermillion was trying to set traps around their territory as well as heightening the security to the maximum. In fact, they were hiring some dragons and Aurals as mercenary bodyguards for all the Hellfires as well as the leader, the Phoenix.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°That¡¯s again suspicious.¡±


    He says as he narrows his eyes. The 10 Hellfires and the Phoenix are some of the most powerful psychics on the planet, so why would they need to hire bodyguards for themselves. Are they afraid of an attack? If yes, then by whom?


    Ethan: ¡°Are the Vampires that dangerous?¡±


    Sneha: ¡°I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t think Vampires even stand a chance if the war actually begins. And yet, Vermillion seems to be so careful for some reason.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Hmm ¡­ hey, I have heard that members of Vermillion have some habits they can be recognized for. Do you know them?¡±


    Sneha: ¡°How did we get on that all of a sudden?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Just answer me, okay?¡±


    She sighs knowing that there¡¯s no point in arguing.


    Sneha: ¡°Fine. That is indeed true. We are known for some habits that each of us more or less has. For example, it is a pretty common strategy among Embers to try to gain a mental high ground.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°I-Is that so?¡±


    Sneha: ¡°Yeah. If you want an example, when I, Ro and Mohammed were trying to gang up on Kais, I had hidden myself well in advance.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Oh?¡±


    Sneha: ¡°When the negotiations failed and it seemed like my help will be needed to bring him in after all, I tried to read the expressions on his face with little help from his aura and act like I was reading his mind. He, in a seemingly fatigued state, started to believe I was somehow using telepathy, so I played along to put more pressure on him.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°I see. And from the results, it worked as well.¡±


    Sneha: ¡°That it did.¡±


    She says while folding her arms and sighing.


    Sneha: ¡°So why did you bring that up?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Well, it might give me some insight into the situation if we know how these habits came to be. I mean, it¡¯s not like you all are trained anywhere. Yet, these habits are found in most Embers, right?¡±


    Sneha: ¡°That can mostly be attributed to the fact that all Embers have their first five missions as assistants to experienced Embers where it is the job of the experienced ones to teach these things to the new ones.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Well, that certainly explains some things.¡±


    Sneha: ¡°Does that somehow give an explanation as to why they were transporting money or why they needed bodyguards or why they sent someone like me on the mission to bring Kais in the organization?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Well, not exactly. But an explanation is forming in my head. It¡¯s still not something I can place my bets on and I would like to hear other clues if there are any.¡±


    Sneha: ¡°Yeah, there was one more thing.¡±


    Ethan looks at her as if to tell her to continue.


    Sneha: ¡°I also found that there is someone in the ranks of Vampires that the Phoenix himself has marked as a prime target.¡±


    Ethan stands there unable to speak. ¡®The Phoenix¡¯ is the title given to the leader of the Vermillion. He is, obviously, one of the most powerful psychics as well as one of the most powerful people in the world. And there is someone so dangerous that he himself has marked as a prime target.


    Sneha: ¡°From what I could infer, I think that man he has marked is the strategist of the Vampires.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°I-I see.¡±


    Ethan lowers his head as he puts his hand on his chin.


    Sneha: ¡°Huh?¡±


    Sneha furrows her eyebrows as she sees Ethan ¨C with a smile on his face.


    Sneha: ¡°What are you smiling for?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Don¡¯t become so hostile towards me now.¡±


    He says while putting up both of his hands.


    Ethan: ¡°I was just ¡­¡±


    He trails off as he smiles again.


    Ethan: ¡°There¡¯s someone who can scare the Phoenix, huh? That proves the fact that everyone can be afraid.¡±


    Sneha: ¡°Hmm?¡±


    She wonders why he would need to note such an obvious thing. But she is unaware of how much this ¡°obvious thing¡± means to Ethan.


    Ethan: ¡°If everyone can become afraid of something, then that also means that everyone, no matter how powerful, can become vulnerable.¡±


    He says with his smile growing wider,


    Ethan: ¡°That also means that everyone, whether the strongest human or the smartest human, can lose to someone else.¡±


    And that is why, Ethan Kales can keep going. That is why, even when monsters stare at him with hostile intent and every thought in his brain is only of running away, he still finds some sliver of courage within himself.


    The fear he feels every time he faces a monstrously powerful person, the fear he felt that day 12 years ago when his eyes showed him a sight that he shouldn¡¯t have been able to see, and the fear he felt when later his life was threatened again because of that very incident; that fear means something. That fear means his humanity.


    Being weak and being afraid are two completely different things.


    The two things have nothing to do with each other, because even powerful people get afraid. The reason for fear is not weakness or power but the survival instinct. And when because of him, that survival instinct starts ringing in the heads of those very monstrously powerful people who look down on weaklings like him, that is when he can truly prove his point. That is when he can truly believe in himself when he says a human, and is surrounded by humans, no matter if they call themselves a god or a devil.


    Ethan: ¡°It¡¯s all thanks to Dyne ¡­ and of course, him.¡±


    He says as he remembers the incident 12 years ago that took place after he had seen Barry¡¯s carnage ¨C the incident that truly changed his life.


    *******************************

 Chapter 37: Im God

    It was a rainy night. Even though it was a full moon, it wasn¡¯t visible. So, there was no light coming down from the sky. There was no light that could illuminate that darkness. There was no escape from that darkness.


    Police Officer: ¡°It¡¯s not safe to be here, kid.¡±


    The officer said as he moved closer to the boy. He looked to be around 7-8 years old and was sitting on a bench alone in that rain.


    Police Officer: ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Are you lost?¡±


    The officer asked in a voice that should be comforting for the boy to hear, a tone of voice that he should feel comfortable listening to. Furthermore, the officer bent one knee to look at him in the eye.


    Boy: ¡°I ¡­ I am ¡­ not lost. But ¡­¡±


    The boy pursed his lips as if to indicate that he wouldn¡¯t say anything more.


    Police Officer: ¡°I-I see. Then, are you waiting for someone?¡±


    Boy: ¡°I ¡­ don¡¯t know.¡±


    The boy said. The officer didn¡¯t understand what had happened and so all he could do was to offer him a hand.


    Police Officer: ¡°Come on, come with me. It¡¯s dangerous to be here.¡±


    Boy: ¡°It ¡­ is?¡±


    Police Officer: ¡°Yes, this rain is not good for you. And it seems like lightning can strike too. Although that¡¯s not likely, better safe than sorry, am I right?¡±


    The boy looked at the officer blankly. The officer started to take the boy¡¯s hand as the boy didn¡¯t do anything to resist.


    Police Officer: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ll be fine. I¡¯ll listen to whatever your problem is and will do my best in solving it for you. So, come now.¡±


    The boy didn¡¯t resist. In fact, he didn¡¯t make any movements at all. He just kept staring blankly at the officer. The officer understood (or at least assumed) that the boy was going through something really troubling. He had no idea what it could be but he understood that he couldn¡¯t leave him all alone in the rain.


    Police Officer: ¡°So, what is your name?¡±


    The officer asked in a soft, gentle voice. That voice was meant to comfort the boy. But instead, it shocked him. It reminded him of a different voice, a voice that was in no way comforting, but in every way ¨C eerie.


    Police Officer: ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Tell me your name.¡±


    Boy: ¡°I ¡­¡±


    The boy struggled to say anything. Half of his mind was occupied by the thoughts of the incident that had led to him ending up there. He just couldn¡¯t focus.


    Boy: ¡°My name ¡­ is ¡­¡±


    And all of a sudden, tears started flowing down his cheeks.


    Police Officer: ¡°Uh!¡±


    The officer was left bereft of words as he saw that. ¡°Just what in the world happened to this kid?¡± he wondered.


    They continued walking. In a short time of about two minutes, they were at the police station. While the officer took the child into the station by hand, other officers enquired about him and they all got worried when they heard what had happened.


    Cases of kidnapping, murder as well as child torture was nothing very new to the place they worked in. One or two of them popped up every two months. However, that doesn¡¯t make it any less horrifying.


    Police Officer: ¡°Hey, could you go and sit over there while I take care of something?¡±


    The officer asked of the boy as he pointed at a bench within the station. The boy looked at the officer with the same blank expression and nodded.


    Police Officer: ¡°Okay, don¡¯t go anywhere. I¡¯ll be back in a second.¡±


    The boy nodded yet again and started walking towards the bench the officer pointed at. His tears, by that point, had dried off.


    Police Officer: ¡°Hey, you ¡­¡±


    He trailed off as he checked the boy¡¯s forehead, before going, to make sure he doesn¡¯t have a fever.


    He didn¡¯t have a fever. The officer felt relieved.


    Police Officer: ¡°Okay, that¡¯s good. Now, I¡¯ll be ¡­¡±


    He said as he started to leave but stopped mid-sentence. He stopped because he got a good view of his eyes for the first time.


    Police Officer: ¡°Y-You¡¯re ¡­ blind?¡±


    The officer said as he saw those eyes with no light in them.


    *******************************


    The boy wasn¡¯t born blind. He was born with a rather good pair of eyes. But he lost the sight he was born with. Furthermore, he didn¡¯t lose them because of some natural loss of sight or overexertion of them. His sight was taken from him. It happened in the morning prior to that night ¨C before the rain started.


    ¡°Hey child, can you hear me?¡±


    He heard a voice. It was a rather pleasant voice. But he didn¡¯t know whose it was, who it was addressing and where it came from. The boy looked around but couldn¡¯t find the one who said that.


    ¡°Ah, so you can hear me. That¡¯s delightful.¡±


    Hearing the voice showing glee, the boy felt uncomfortable. He was standing in a public park filled with people on all sides. So even though he continued to look, he couldn¡¯t find the one who said it.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to look around to find me, child. I¡¯m right here.¡±


    He heard that voice. It seemed like the voice was addressing him. But if so, whose is it? What is the speaker trying to say?


    ¡°You won¡¯t find me even if you keep looking around, child. If you really want to find me, look within your heart.¡±


    The boy gasped at those words. For an eight-year-old like him, those words didn¡¯t sound all that creepy; but they still gave him a bad feeling.


    Boy: ¡°W-Who ¡­ are you?¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t it be obvious, child? Who else could you find when you look within your heart? Who else could I be?¡±


    Who else could he find when he looked within his heart? There was only one answer that anyone could come up with.


    ¡°I¡¯m god.¡±


    Boy: ¡°W-W-What!?¡±


    ¡°Is it really that surprising? I think you should have heard that the god lives within a person¡¯s heart, within their soul. I am the one they talk about.¡±


    There was no way the boy could just readily accept that as if it¡¯s nothing. He may have been a child, but he was not so ignorant of reality that he could just believe someone who calls themselves a ¡®god¡¯. So,


    Boy: ¡°Y-You ¡­ don¡¯t lie to me. You can¡¯t be god. I can¡¯t just believe you if you call yourself a god.¡±


    ¡°No, no, child. You are wrong. I am not a god.¡±


    The voice said very calmly,


    ¡°I am <u>the</u> god.¡±


    The voice continued before the boy could think anything.


    ¡°If you want me to confirm it to you, then come.¡±


    The boy was doubtful. He was suspicious. He had always been told to not associate with strangers. And this was a stranger who didn¡¯t even show his face. He couldn¡¯t do just as the voice told him to. And yet,


    Boy: ¡°W-Where?¡±


    He could not help himself. The boy asked where he needed to come because he just couldn¡¯t control his curious mind.


    ¡°Come to the shrine nearest to this park. You know which one I am talking about, don¡¯t you, child?¡±


    He nodded. There was only one shrine that can be called near to the park. Every other was at least 10 kilometers away. So that one shrine can only be what that voice asked him to come to. And the boy, knowing he shouldn¡¯t, started to head there. It was as if his legs moved without even his consent.


    *******************************


    Boy: ¡°This must be the place, right?¡±This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    He asked himself as he stepped foot in the shrine. There weren¡¯t many people in the shrine. In fact, the only ones there were the people who lived at the shrine and a couple of people who had come to pray.


    Monk: ¡°Have you come to pray, boy?¡±


    Boy: ¡°U-uh, I ¡­¡±


    ¡°Go on. Say you have come to pray. It is not really untrue, you know.¡±


    The boy felt the urge to ask ¡°How?¡± but he controlled himself and nodded to give the monk the answer to his question.


    Monk: ¡°I see. Come here.¡±


    The monk walked ahead as he asked the boy to follow and he did. The boy followed him and entered the tomb. He was barefoot as he was walking in the shrine he had never been before. Needless to say, he was pretty nervous.


    Monk: ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. Come here.¡±


    The monk motioned the boy to come to a place he was already headed towards. As he reached that place, the monk pointed at a statue. It was a statue of the god the monks prayed to.


    Monk: ¡°See. He is the god known as Ozyllus.¡±


    The boy felt a shiver run down his spine as he heard that name,


    Monk: ¡°He is, in fact, the only true god.¡±


    The monk said. The boy heard.


    Monk: ¡°He is the one who brought prosperity to the world when it was being ravaged by the demon known as Abyss.¡±


    The monk continued to say. The boy continued to hear.


    Monk: ¡°He defeated that demon and brought an end to the war.¡±


    The monk kept singing praises. The boy kept listening blankly.


    Monk: ¡°Mankind has now strayed from the path he opened up for us ¨C the path of peace that would lead to salvation. But if you pray to him, you can still find that path, and you can still find salvation.¡±


    Boy: ¡°S-Salvation?¡±


    The eight-year-old boy didn¡¯t completely know what that word meant. But he did understand that it was something good, something that a lot of people would want to find.


    Ozyllus: ¡°See. Now do you believe me?¡±


    The voice suddenly spoke.


    Ozyllus: ¡°That statue, in front of you, is a statue of me. The monk just told you about me too. That saves me some trouble.¡±


    The voice continued leaving no time for the boy to process everything that was being told to him.


    Monk: ¡°So boy, join your hand together in order to pray. Like this.¡±


    The monk said as he joined his hands. The boy had no choice but to follow suit. That¡¯s when,


    ¡°I hate YOU!!!¡±


    A voice came. It was a much different voice than what the boy was hearing in his head again and again. It was the voice of a girl.


    Monk: ¡°Uh, I suppose she is in a bad mood. That was to be expected though.¡±


    The monk said as he heard that voice as well.


    Monk: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, boy. It¡¯s just a girl who lives here. We are going somewhere but not taking her so she¡¯s angry.¡±


    Boy: ¡°I-I see.¡±


    Ozyllus: ¡°My, my. That girl he just mentioned is an Aural. I thought this shrine only had casual believers but I suppose that¡¯s not true.¡±


    The voice told him as he heard the girl running away angrily. Shouts of ¡°Sneha, come back¡± or ¡°Don¡¯t be such a brat, Sneha¡± could be heard.


    Hearing them, the monk sighed confirming his guess.


    Monk: ¡°Don¡¯t mind them, boy. Come now, where were we?¡±


    *******************************


    After having prayed to the god he had just come to know about, the boy exited the shrine building.


    Boy: ¡°I ¡­ I didn¡¯t ¡­¡±


    Ozyllus: ¡°¡­ get to meet me. Is that what you are thinking, child?¡±


    The boy wasn¡¯t really surprised to hear his voice again suddenly.


    Boy: ¡°You ¡­ are Ozyllus, is that right?¡±


    Ozyllus: ¡°I would like you to address a god with more respect, but oh well; I can let it slide for children I suppose.¡±


    He said and he sighed.


    Ozyllus: ¡°Yes, I¡¯m Ozyllus.¡±


    Boy: ¡°Hmm ¡­ so what exactly do you want from me?¡±


    The boy asked with a bit of anxiety.


    Ozyllus: ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t ask for too much.¡±


    He said as his voice got mellower.


    Ozyllus: ¡°I just want you to give me your eyes.¡±


    Boy: ¡°Uh-huh?¡±


    The boy didn¡¯t understand why the god would say something like that.


    Boy: ¡°M-My eyes?¡±


    The boy could comprehend the words but not the meaning behind them. The fear of what it may be started to make him more and more anxious.


    Ozyllus: ¡°You don¡¯t need to be so troubled. You will lose your sight, yes. But in exchange, you will be doing a great service to humanity.¡±


    His words were not without any substance behind them. They were not mere deception.


    Boy: ¡°You ¡­¡±


    The boy could feel the emotions of the so-called god as he said the word ¡®humanity¡¯.


    Boy: ¡°You say my eyes will be able to do something good for humanity?¡±


    Ozyllus: ¡°Yes, that¡¯s exactly what I am saying.¡±


    The boy couldn¡¯t just deny him now. The emotions he felt in Ozyllus¡¯ voice told him that he was not lying, not completely lying at least.


    Boy: ¡°I ¡­¡±


    He couldn¡¯t decide on what to do. He was put in a bind with nowhere to turn to for any help or advice.


    Ozyllus: ¡°Why are you so conflicted, child? It should be an easy decision. By sacrificing your eyes, you could, in a sense, save the world even.¡±


    Boy: ¡°W-What?¡±


    Ozyllus: ¡°Yes, that is the extent of how great it would be if you give them up. It should be obvious what the right thing to do is.¡±


    Boy: ¡°I ¡­¡±


    Ozyllus: ¡°Come. Come to the bottom of the shrine, the entrance.¡±


    The boy was already heading down the stairs to where Ozyllus told him to come. He was already heading to the entrance. So he continued on.


    *******************************


    The boy had come down to the entrance. He could see no one there. Not a single human was present there.


    Ozyllus: ¡°This should make it easier for us, right?¡±


    He said. The boy heard. But for some reason, there was a difference in his voice that the boy noticed.


    Boy: ¡°Hah!¡±


    He gasped as he turned around. The difference that he had been able to pick up was that his voice, for the first time, seemed to be coming from a specific direction. That direction was behind him.


    Boy: ¡°W-Where did you come from ¡­ all of a sudden?¡±


    Ozyllus: ¡°Well, I just thought I¡¯ll try to let you see me since you are about to do something so noble. Appearing visible to the naked eyes might be pretty taxing in a soul¡¯s state but still, this is the least I can do for you. Now you can take pride in the fact that the eyes you gave didn¡¯t just save the world, but also captured the reflection of the god in them.¡±


    The boy fell silent. He just couldn¡¯t retort. Something absurd was going on. And he had no clue about what to do in response.


    Ozyllus: ¡°Well now, you must be wondering how exactly you are supposed to give me your eyes.¡±


    He said as he raised his hand to the boy¡¯s height.


    Ozyllus: ¡°It¡¯s simple actually.¡±


    He faced his palm at the boy¡¯s head.


    Ozyllus: ¡°You don¡¯t need to do anything in fact. All that needs to be done will be done by me.¡±


    A hint of darkness was on his face as he spoke.


    Ozyllus: ¡°Yes, just like the whole humanity doesn¡¯t need to do anything but sit back.¡±


    He moved closer bringing his hands towards the boy¡¯s eyes.


    Ozyllus: ¡°All that needs to be done in order to save this vile race will be done by me. They don¡¯t need to do anything.¡±


    He kept moving closer. The boy, on the other hand, was frozen in his place. He couldn¡¯t move. He was seeing the so-called god in front of him coming towards him seeming to want to grab his face.


    Boy: ¡°Uh ¡­¡±


    Ozyllus: ¡°It¡¯s okay, child. There is no need to worry. Just stay there. It will be over before you know it.¡±


    The hand moved closer. The boy couldn¡¯t move.


    The hand came even closer. The boy still couldn¡¯t move.


    The hand continued to come closer. The boy continued to try and fail in moving his limbs.


    The hand came closer. The boy didn¡¯t move.


    The hand came closer. The boy moved.


    Ozyllus: ¡°Huh?¡±


    He looked at the boy in surprise as the boy moved away from Ozyllus¡¯ approaching hands.


    Boy: ¡°I can¡¯t. I can¡¯t give up my eyes.¡±


    He shouted. He couldn¡¯t help himself. Ozyllus thought this would happen. But he thought this reaction would come much sooner. When it didn¡¯t come, he started to think this boy wouldn¡¯t resist for a second. But in the end, he did resist.


    Ozyllus: ¡°I see. Then what if we make a deal?¡±


    Boy: ¡°A d-deal?¡±


    Ozyllus: ¡°Yes, you let me take your eyes and the people of the shrine get to live.¡±


    Boy: ¡°H-huh?¡±


    The boy didn¡¯t understand. So Ozyllus continued.


    Ozyllus: ¡°I may have forgotten to mention this but all those people except the girl that is being left behind are going to die today.¡±


    The boy couldn¡¯t say anything. What was he supposed to say? He just couldn¡¯t understand.


    Ozyllus: ¡°Today, a man would cause a disaster the world would never forget. And the people of this shrine will be one of the many victims of it. You can save them though.¡±


    The people in the shrine were nothing compared to the world. But Ozyllus understood that the boy doesn¡¯t understand the true weight of what saving the world means. So he brought into the equation those the boy knew of. He understood that this will hit the boy¡¯s conscience harder.


    Boy: ¡°But w-why? Why is it supposed to be this way?¡±


    Ozyllus: ¡°Because that¡¯s what the world demands. Now then, make your choice.¡±


    He said as he looked straight into the boy¡¯s eyes.


    Ozyllus: ¡°Give your eyes to me and save the people in the shrine. Or keep your eyes and let them die.¡±


    He presented the choices. The boy was left to choose. Chose to suffer the pain of losing his sight and blindness for the rest of his life or to sacrifice the people he had just met and had treated him kindly.


    Boy: ¡°I ¡­¡±


    Ozyllus had already started to move closer as if he already knew what the boy was going to choose.


    Boy: ¡°I ¡­¡±


    The boy didn¡¯t retreated any further as if to make it clear what he has chosen.


    Boy: ¡°I ¡­¡±


    Ozyllus closed his eyes and opened them again as if to collect the resolve to do what he is about to do.


    Boy: ¡°I CAN¡¯T LOSE MY EYES.¡±


    The boy shouted louder than he had ever before, leaving Ozyllus surprised.


    Boy: ¡°I can¡¯t do that. It¡¯s not fair.¡±


    The boy couldn¡¯t help but start crying.


    Ozyllus: ¡°I see.¡±


    Ozyllus said as he looked at the boy with sympathy.


    Ozyllus: ¡°This is why you are a human.¡±


    He said as he looked as the boy with pity in his eyes.


    Ozyllus: ¡°This is why you can never be a god yourself.¡±


    Ozyllus grabbed his head before the boy had any chance to do anything.


    Ozyllus: ¡°I lied. I¡¯m sorry but you never had the option to do that.¡±


    He said as he sent the child in front of him in a vortex of pain.


    *******************************


    Police Officer: ¡°Tell me, what¡¯s your name?¡±


    Boy: ¡°E-Ethan ¡­ Kales.¡±


    He said his name while barely keeping himself from breaking down.


    Police Officer: ¡°I see. Do you know where you live?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°I ¡­ live ¡­ in the St. George¡¯s Orphanage.¡±


    Police Officer: ¡°Orphanage, huh? I see. Did you get separated from the rest of the orphans?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°I did.¡±


    Police Officer: ¡°When did that happen?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°This morning. We were taken to a public park that we are taken to often ¡­ when I heard ¡­ a voice.¡±


    Police Officer: ¡°A voice? What happened then?¡±


    What happened then?


    What happened when the voice called to him? What happened when he went to the shrine? What happened when he came out of the shrine? What happened when he saw the so-called god? What happened when that god took his eyes?


    He knows the answers but was afraid to think about them. How could he not be? Was he supposed to remember the fact that he passed out from pain when his sight was stolen? Was he supposed to remember that for some reason, the next time he woke up, he found himself near a pile of dead bodies where only two people seemed to be standing? Was he supposed to remember that the only thing he could see was supernatural? Was he supposed to remember that he saw some auras among the pile of dead bodies that gave him a familiar vibe, as if they belonged to the monks? Was he supposed to remember that the ability to see normal things and not see the supernatural had been stolen from him?


    How could he be asked to remember something so cruel? He would never be able to voice this complain. Because, in the next moment, the windows broke and chilling breeze flew in as a man in dark brown robe, a black cape and a golden helm walked towards them.


    Police Officer: ¡°Hey, who are you? What happened there?¡±


    Dyne: ¡°Nothing much, your buddies would have been an annoyance to me so I put them to sleep.¡±


    Police Officer: ¡°What? Did you kill them?¡±


    Dyne: ¡°No, don¡¯t worry. I won¡¯t go around killing the police for no reason. As I said, I just put them to sleep.¡±


    The Spectre said in a matter-of-fact tone. The officer covered Ethan behind him as he pointed his gun at Dyne. Unfortunately,


    Dyne: ¡°That won¡¯t work.¡±


    Dyne caught the gun with his hand. The officer still managed to shoot but it didn¡¯t affect Dyne at all. After all, he¡¯s a ghost.


    Dyne: ¡°You need to go to sleep too.¡±


    He said as he chopped at the pressure point of the officer and made him lose consciousness. He did it so fast Ethan didn¡¯t move an inch.


    Dyne: ¡°Now then, you have become a holder of something that could be really troubling for me.¡±


    He said as he looked at Ethan.


    Dyne: ¡°I don¡¯t know why a normal human like you was chosen to do something like this but those eyes you have acquired by sacrificing your true ones; they could either end up saving the world or destroying it.¡±


    Ethan had no time to process everything that had happened there.


    Dyne: ¡°Thankfully, there are other ways to save the world. And so I am not going to take the risk of keeping you alive.¡±


    He said as he raised his arm.


    Dyne: ¡°This probably isn¡¯t your fault, but you will have to die.¡±


    *******************************

 Chapter 38: Motive

    Dyne: ¡°This probably isn¡¯t your fault, but you will have to die.¡±


    The Spectre brought his arm down, an arm that would end up ripping the soul of his target in two. However, it never reached its target.


    Dyne: ¡°What?¡±


    He exclaimed as an arrow came out of nowhere and ripped through his hand stopping it in mid-air.


    Dyne: ¡°Who the hell did that?¡±


    Dyne spotted a hole in the wall from where the arrow would have entered.


    Dyne: ¡°Tch! What¡¯s going on?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Uh,¡±


    Ethan ran. He saw the chance to and started running. He had loads of things to think about but at this moment, they didn¡¯t matter. All that mattered was to stay alive.


    Dyne: ¡°Wait, you brat!¡±


    Dyne ran after him. He couldn¡¯t let the boy get away. Needless to say, the Spectre closed the distance within seconds.


    Dyne: ¡°Running from me is not possible for a mere human like you.¡±


    He said as he grabbed the shoulders of the boy but an arrow came at him again. This time it missed its mark and only scratched Dyne¡¯s hand. No blood obviously came out but the pain did. And that pain was enough to make him let go of Ethan¡¯s shoulders.


    Dyne: ¡°Damn!¡±


    Ethan started running again as soon as he got free. He ran out of the police station and towards a construction site not very far away.


    Dyne: ¡°I need to take care of this sniper if I want to do my job it seems.¡±


    He said that as he came out of the police station and saw Ethan running. Another arrow came at Dyne and he took it head on.


    Dyne: ¡°That ¡­ really hurt.¡±


    He said as he turned to the direction the arrow came from. The Spectre tried to maximize his sight by making all his energy flow into his eyes. As he did so, he found the presence of a vampire holding something akin to a bow.


    Dyne: ¡°Bingo!¡±


    *******************************


    About 100 meters away from the police station, on a roof of a relatively large building, a female vampire was standing holding a bow.


    Vampire: ¡°Well, I need to keep shooting if I have to buy enough time for the boy to get away.¡±


    The vampire said as she picked up an arrow from the bundles of it lying on the floor. She had so far shot three arrows and had more or less been able to do her job with all three of them.


    Vampire: ¡°Okay then.¡±


    She put the arrow on the bow and started to take aim. Vampires aren¡¯t called Lords of the Night for no reason. In night time like it was back then, their eyesight was beyond amazing. So it wasn¡¯t all that much of a challenge for someone like her who, in addition to being a vampire, had also trained herself to be a sniper, to get a clear view of her target.


    Vampire: ¡°Get ready for another one, Spectre.¡±


    She said as she shot the arrow straight at Dyne. However, the arrow was destroyed mid-air.


    Vampire: ¡°What!?¡±


    She found herself surprised as a voice rang in her head.


    ¡°Get out of there.¡±


    The voice said in a tense tone.


    Vampire: ¡°Wait, why?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have time to explain, Darcie.¡±


    The voice was very clear and Darcie herself could feel a danger alarm going off in her head.


    Darcie: ¡°But ¡­¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t get out of there now, you¡¯re dead.¡±


    Darcie: ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Dyne is going to kill you. So get out!¡±


    Darcie: ¡°Tch!¡±


    She had gotten distracted so she took a look at her target. But, she couldn¡¯t find the Spectre anyway.


    Darcie: ¡°What!?¡±


    Dyne: ¡°Looking for someone?¡±


    A murderous aura suddenly started to emanate from behind her as the voice pierced her ears.


    Darcie: ¡°Shit!¡±


    She jumped away off the building she was on and as she saw the building while falling, she realized how good her decision was.


    Darcie: ¡°No way!¡±


    The entire roof of the building seemed to be on fire with bricks breaking down and falling apart. By the time she was on the floor, the roof was a life-threatening place.


    Darcie: ¡°What the hell!¡±


    She said as she saw the silhouette of previously her prey, now her hunter.


    Darcie: ¡°I need to run.¡±


    She said as she started sprinting along the street. The body of a vampire allowed her to run at a very high speed. While someone like Dyne could still easily catch up to her, he decided that he would not because it will only be a waste of his time.


    In the flames he had created, he stood and took a glance at the construction site that Ethan was headed towards.


    Dyne: ¡°Need to get back to the real problem.¡±


    *******************************


    In the time he had gotten to run away, Ethan had realized that just running forever will not let him get away from the monster that¡¯s chasing him. For some reason, when he looked at that monster, Ethan saw energy and intent; huge amounts of energy, and murderous intent. So he had instead tried to find something he could fight with.


    However, he was blind. He could barely run without falling so there was no way he could have found anything to fight with. That is, if he hadn¡¯t suddenly founding his hands touching a ¡®DO NOT ENTER¡¯ sign.


    Ethan: ¡°This is ¡­ someplace dangerous.¡±


    The letters were etched out and his fingers could feel them.


    Ethan: ¡°It¡¯s a risk but ¡­ I might find something here that I could use against that guy.¡±


    And with that thought, he guided himself to the entrance by touching the gates and entered the site.


    It had been three minutes by now. He had realized that he was in a building. He had also realized that it probably meant it was a construction site. He was now at the second floor of the building.


    Ethan: ¡°I-I ¡­¡±


    He was panting heavily.


    Ethan: ¡°¡­ need to find something.¡±


    Dyne: ¡°You do?¡±


    Sound of thunder cracking came as Ethan immediately turned on hearing the voice of the Spectre.


    Dyne: ¡°For what though? Nothing will help you in fighting me if that¡¯s what you are thinking.¡±


    Ethan fell back in trying to move backwards to get away from the aura, the only thing that was actually visible to him.


    Dyne: ¡°Just give up, kid.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Tch!¡±


    Ethan found his hand touching something.


    Ethan: ¡°Go to HELL!¡±


    He yelled as he threw a rod at the aura and ran in a different direction.


    Dyne: ¡°Was that supposed to hurt?¡±


    Dyne said exasperatedly as he didn¡¯t block the rod and let it hit him only for the rod to end up bouncing off him.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Ethan, on the other hand, kept running. He didn¡¯t stop for a second. This floor was the highest and so he couldn¡¯t escape any further. He had to find a way to fight back. He kept running his hands through the walls and trying to skid through the floor so he doesn¡¯t miss some potentially good weapon. He came across other rods, cement and bricks. Nothing particularly special that may be effective against a ghost but he still managed to pick up some weapons. The only problem is ¨C


    Dyne: ¡°You can¡¯t expect to hurt me with normal physical objects like those. Though I suppose I can¡¯t blame you for trying, you are a normal human who doesn¡¯t know about things like us ghosts.¡±


    He said as he saw the boy holding those objects.


    Ethan: ¡°G-Ghost?¡±


    Dyne: ¡°Yeah, I am a ghost. Are you scared now?¡±


    Ethan gritted his teeth.


    Ethan: ¡°Like I¡¯d care about that anymore.¡±


    He said as he moved back.


    Ethan: ¡°Why are you trying to hurt me? What do you want from me?¡±


    Dyne: ¡°As I said earlier, this is probably not your fault, but you have to die. I don¡¯t think you need to know anything past that, especially seeing how the possessor of Eyes of Truth doesn¡¯t become a ghost when he/she dies.¡±


    Dyne says things Ethan doesn¡¯t understand right off the bat, but he does understand that his death is very important to Dyne.


    Ethan: ¡°Well, in that case,¡±


    He said as he ran in the opposite direction of what he had been facing, which happened to be the direction that can lead to jumping out of the building. So,


    Dyne: ¡°What is that, a suicide attempt?¡±


    He didn¡¯t felt any need to rush in to stop Ethan since his objective will be fulfilled regardless but, that became his undoing.


    Dyne: ¡°What the-¡±


    He sees the boy picking up a wire and bringing it in contact with a rod that he had let go and was now lying on the ground.


    Dyne: ¡°You brat!¡±


    The current in the wire starts flowing into the rod and all of sudden the rod starts getting charged.


    Ethan: ¡°Yeah, I am a kid so I don¡¯t blame you for thinking I couldn¡¯t have come up with this.¡±


    The energy surrounding Dyne was the catalyst and the charge flowing in the rod was the supply needed to turn the rod into a lightning rod.


    Dyne: ¡°But why is current flowing in the wire at an off work hour like this and how are you able to know my energy will act as a catalyst?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°The first and second are connected actually.¡±


    Dyne: ¡°What?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°I had realized that there are wires here before you showed up. When I threw a rod at you and you were busy mocking me, I had peeled off the cover of a wire and let it rest on the ground. Since your aura is so huge and compacted, it would break off from you whenever there¡¯s any chance for it to. When you passed by the wire, that chance came and the wire started receiving electrical energy from your aura.¡±


    Dyne: ¡°Tch! You couldn¡¯t have known that plan would work.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Yeah, but it did. And because it did, you need to understand that killing me in killing yourself.¡±


    Dyne: ¡°You ¡­¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Stay away!¡±


    Ethan uses a plastic as a cover for his hands as he lifts up the lightning rod.


    Ethan: ¡°This right now is the highest point here.¡±


    He had no way of knowing that a higher point in not present but he had to bet on it.


    Dyne: ¡°Tch!¡±


    And that reaction told him that his bet paid off.


    Ethan: ¡°Lightning will strike on it if it does strike. And soon as that happens; your compacted aura which has broken off because of the wire sucking it out will attract that very same lightning to yourself.¡±


    Dyne knew this would be the case. And this is why, he was so irritated. A kid who should have had no way to fight back somehow (with admittedly luck involved) was pushing Dyne back.


    Dyne: ¡°If lightning doesn¡¯t strike, nothing will happen.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Yeah, but can you guarantee it won¡¯t. You can¡¯t, can you?¡±


    Dyne: ¡°Tch!¡±


    Ethan: ¡°All you can do is to go below so the lightning doesn¡¯t have a path to reach you.¡±


    Dyne had started to move back already in order to be safe.


    Dyne: ¡°Still though, all you have done is secured yourself on this floor. Are you planning to stay here forever?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Tch!¡±


    He clicked his tongue. It¡¯s true. He had been able to drive back his pursuer but not fully. He had not become completely safe yet. So,


    ???: ¡°I think that¡¯s enough.¡±


    A voice came, a voice that had a hint of sadness in it.


    Ethan: ¡°What!?¡±


    Dyne: ¡°Now who the hell are you?¡±


    They both said to the boy who had suddenly appeared between them.


    ???: ¡°The person this body belongs to may look like a child, but don¡¯t go underestimating me.¡±


    He said as glanced at Dyne.


    ???: ¡°I could easily kill you.¡±


    Dyne: ¡°Tch! Yeah, I can see that in your aura, you freak. Who are you?¡±


    ???: ¡°My name is not really important. But I guess I have been somewhat important in this world¡¯s history, so I may as well say it. I am Abyss.¡±


    Abyss, the demon who had come in the body of the 8-yeard-old psychic, glanced at both of them. Ethan had heard about Abyss that morning. He was the demon that Ozyllus defeated and brought peace to this world. Dyne, obviously, knew who this demon was. So,


    Dyne: ¡°That¡¯s impossible!¡±


    Ethan: ¡°That¡¯s impossible!¡±


    They said at the same time.


    Abyss: ¡°Impossible things do happen. But anyway, that¡¯s not important here.¡±


    He said as looked at Ethan in his desperate state.


    Abyss: ¡°That bastard just keeps producing more and more victims.¡±


    Dyne: ¡°What!?¡±


    Abyss: ¡°Forget it!¡±


    He said as he started walking towards Ethan.


    Ethan: ¡°No, stay away!¡±


    Abyss: ¡°Don¡¯t worry; I¡¯m only going to help you.¡±


    Ethan looked at Abyss with scornful eyes.


    Ethan: ¡°You think I would just believe something like that.¡±


    Abyss: ¡°No, I don¡¯t. Which is why I didn¡¯t ask you to believe me, I told you to.¡±


    He closed the gap between them before either Ethan or Dyne could even try to stop him.


    Abyss: ¡°This will hurt a little.¡±


    He said as he put his hands on Ethan¡¯s eyes just as Ozyllus did. Pain comes to those eyes. Ethan shouts in that pain. But Abyss doesn¡¯t let go.


    Dyne: ¡°What ¡­ the heck are you doing?¡±


    Abyss: ¡°Trying to help.¡±


    He said.


    *******************************


    The next time Ethan Kales opened his eyes; he was on a bed and was seeing a ceiling that he didn¡¯t recognize.


    Ethan: ¡°W-What¡¯s going on?¡±


    He said as he got up and looked at the two people in the room. One was the demon in the body of a child and one was the Spectre who had tried to kill him.


    Ethan: ¡°W-what!?¡±


    Abyss: ¡°Calm down!¡±


    Dyne sighed.


    Dyne: ¡°So you are finally awake.¡±


    Ethan tried to get back but,


    Abyss: ¡°Have you noticed any difference from before?¡±


    As he said that, Ethan realized.


    Ethan: ¡°I ¡­ I can see normally now.¡±


    Abyss: ¡°Is normally it?¡±


    It wasn¡¯t.


    Ethan: ¡°I can ¡­ still see your aura and I can also see what I couldn¡¯t see back then.¡±


    Abyss: ¡°Yes, that¡¯s good.¡±


    Abyss said as he smiled.


    Dyne: ¡°Yeah, yeah, that¡¯s all fine and all. Now listen so I can finally leave.¡±


    Ethan turned his attention to the Spectre.


    Dyne: ¡°You are going to learn a lot about things that are generally considered supernatural. You will then realize that there¡¯s a war going on between some factions and the stakes are off the roof.¡±


    He said as he looked straight at Ethan from his golden helm.


    Dyne: ¡°I was ordered to kill you because you could have been detrimental to the whole world in this war if you were not able to master the use of Eyes of Truth. I will report back that that¡¯s no longer an issue. But now you can¡¯t choose to not be in this war. I know you were dragged into it and you must be confused as hell right now, but try to catch up soon, your help will be needed in the future.¡±


    He said and turned around.


    Dyne: ¡°That¡¯s all for me.¡±


    Dyne started walking out of the room and soon the noise of the door to the exit opening came.


    Abyss: ¡°Well, did you catch all that?¡±


    Ethan looked down while thinking.


    Ethan: ¡°Not all of it.¡±


    Abyss chuckled.


    Abyss: ¡°I see.¡±


    Ethan¡¯s attention turned to the demon as he sat down on a chair beside Ethan¡¯s bed.


    Abyss: ¡°In order for you to understand everything, I have given you three things.¡±


    Ethan looked at Abyss with a surprised expression.


    Abyss: ¡°First of all, back when I put you through that pain, I was improving your eyes.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Improving?¡±


    Abyss: ¡°Yes, I don¡¯t know why Ozyllus chose you as the one he wanted to have the Eyes of Truth but since he did, it must mean that you are someone special.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°I don¡¯t know about that.¡±


    Abyss: ¡°Well, I can¡¯t do anything about how you think of yourself. So instead let me tell you what the Eyes of Truth are.¡±


    Ethan looked at Abyss with clear curiosity.


    Abyss: ¡°About a thousand years ago, a blind man who was a scientist of sorts created a pair of Eyes that could see everything that naked eyes couldn¡¯t. He gave those eyes the name Eyes of Truth and they were transplanted in him. That man was called Sagax and he became the man whose eyes could never be deceived.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°T-That¡¯s amazing.¡±


    Abyss: ¡°Yes, but there was a catch. His eyes were not able to see anything that a normal eye could.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°That¡¯s what happened to me.¡±


    Abyss: ¡°Yes, but after much research, that man was starting to become able to see things that he had lost the ability to.¡±


    Ethan listened to him with astonishment as he continued,


    Abyss: ¡°After that, he kept improving his sight. Eventually, he became able to see everything. We called that, for a lack of a better term, ¡®mastering the eye¡¯. ¡±


    Ethan: ¡°I see.¡±


    Abyss: ¡°I took all the formulas he had and forced them into your brain. This is why you had to go through that pain. But because of that, you have ended up mastering the eyes.¡±


    Ethan finally understood what was going on.


    Abyss: ¡°If you hadn¡¯t been able to master it, then terrible side effects could have happened. This is why Dyne tried to kill you. But because of what I did back there, that¡¯s not an issue now. That was the first thing I have given you.¡±


    Ethan understood things much more clearly than he did in the past day.


    Abyss: ¡°The second thing ¨C is this house.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°What!?¡±


    Abyss: ¡°A few Aurals I know will act as your guardians, but this house will ultimately be yours. There are a lot of books I have left that are pertaining to the past era as well as this era that you should read to find out more about how the things have been. Those very Aurals will also protect you so you don¡¯t need to worry about something like that attack again.¡±


    He didn¡¯t even have the energy to be surprised anymore.


    Abyss: ¡°The last thing I am giving you is ¨C motivation.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Motivation?¡±


    Abyss: ¡°Do you want Ozyllus¡¯ reign to continue?¡±


    A question the answer to which Abyss already knew ¨C was asked just to remind Ethan of the burning hatred that was born within him in just a day.


    Abyss: ¡°Or do you want his reign to end?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°You already know the answer.¡±


    Abyss: ¡°Then I¡¯ll tell you how to do it.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°What?¡±


    His eagerness to listen somehow heightened even more.


    Abyss: ¡°That will be your motive and that is what will bring Ozyllus down.¡±


    Ethan had gained a focus he never had before.


    Abyss: ¡°Ozyllus thinks you are dancing to his tune. And he will keep thinking that. You need to turn that around. You need to make this war end in a way that he doesn¡¯t want it to.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°In what way?¡±


    Abyss: ¡°I myself don¡¯t know that, or it wouldn¡¯t have been so hard for me to fight back against him. But listen, the only way his plans can fail is if the most powerful psychic in the world, actually ¡­ scratch that, most power person in the world, tries to stop his plans, whatever they are.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Most powerful?¡±


    Abyss: ¡°Yes, there is a person in this world who is as powerful as if not more than Ozyllus was. That psychic is needed to enter this war, because I know that Ozyllus¡¯ plans mostly depend on him, I also know that he is the only one who can completely turn them around.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Okay?¡±


    Abyss: ¡°But because of how that bastard has played his game, that boy would not want to have anything to do with this war. I had to erase the poor soul¡¯s memories in order for him to even be able to face himself.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound good.¡±


    Abyss: ¡°It¡¯s not. Which is why, you will need to change that. Bring him into this war, and make sure he destroys Ozyllus. Only you can do this.¡±


    At that moment, he had gained a goal. And with that goal, Ethan Kales had become one of the most crucial pieces in Abyss¡¯ counterattack rather than in Ozyllus¡¯ attack.


    At that moment, his resolve had strengthened beyond what one could expect and it has not wavered since.


    Abyss: ¡°In order to keep fooling him into thinking you are his tool, we will need to keep away from each other. So, this is the only time you have to talk to me.¡±


    Ethan looked at Abyss with that resolve in his eyes.


    Abyss: ¡°Look at me. Memorize this face. This is not the face of Abyss, the demon; I just inhabit this body. This is the face of the psychic you will need to bring into this war.¡±


    Ethan understood that. And he was ready to do what he needed to. So yes, he saw that face and never forgot it.


    Abyss: ¡°This is the face of the boy you saw the aura of a day ago as one of the two people who were alive in that mess. Remember this face so well that you will recognize it even 12-15 years later when this child has grown up.¡±


    Ethan affirmed to it. And Abyss understood very well just how serious Ethan truly was about it.


    Abyss: ¡°And remember this name ¨C Kais.¡±


    *******************************

 Chapter 39: Three Reasons

    Barry: ¡°You want answers, you say?¡±


    Kais: ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what I just told you.¡±


    There is a knife at Barry¡¯s throat and I am the one holding it.


    Barry: ¡°Tch!¡±


    He clicks his tongue but doesn¡¯t show any intention of speaking. It¡¯s irritating but I need to put up with it rather than losing myself to emotions.


    Sona: ¡°Do I need to remind you about what that knife does?¡±


    Sona looks at him threateningly as if to remind him of what she had said just a moment ago ¨C that this knife is imbued with spiritual energy and will cut the connection of a ghost with rest of their body essentially destroying their existence.


    Barry: ¡°No, I remember it very well.¡±


    He says in an irritated tone.


    Kais: ¡°Then talk.¡±


    I say as I press the knife on his throat.


    Barry: ¡°Hahahaha! Hahaha!¡±


    He, however, laughs.


    Kais: ¡°What!?¡±


    I just can¡¯t understand this bastard. What is he laughing for? I know he knows he can¡¯t get out of this situation unless he tells us the things we want to know and yet, he is laughing.


    Barry: ¡°Well, never mind.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Don¡¯t you dare ¡®never mind¡¯ me.¡±


    Barry: ¡°Don¡¯t get so worked up, dunce.¡±


    Kais: ¡°You ¨C don¡¯t call me that.¡±


    Anger and frustration are the two most prominent emotions inside me right now. I want to bash Barry¡¯s head in.


    Kais: ¡°Stop dodging the question.¡±


    Barry: ¡°Since when did I start taking orders from you?¡±


    Kais: ¡°Tch!¡±


    I click my tongue.


    Kais: ¡°You bastard!¡±


    I can¡¯t stop myself from kicking him in the face and,


    Kais: ¡°Huh!?¡±


    My hand, the one which wasn¡¯t holding a knife to Barry¡¯s throat, gets wrapped by vines.


    Sona: ¡°Control yourself. Don¡¯t let your emotions take control.¡±


    I realize only when Sona words it out for me that I was about to do something foolish once again.


    Kais: ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Thanks to her though, I didn¡¯t.


    Kais: ¡°Now please let go.¡±


    I say in a much calmer tone than I had a moment before. Sona complies with my request and releases my hand.


    Barry: ¡°That was something.¡±


    I and Sona both glance at him.


    Barry: ¡°Didn¡¯t know you two had such a friendly relationship.¡±


    Sona: ¡°That looked friendly to you.¡±


    Barry: ¡°Certainly, you stopping him so he would not do something that he would end up regretting ¨C was a very friendly thing for you to do.¡±


    Sona narrows her eyes.


    Barry: ¡°I can¡¯t imagine you would do something like this for everyone.¡±


    Sona sighs as she hears what he just said.


    Sona: ¡°I suppose I do value my childhood memories. Which is why, I don¡¯t really want to hurt you either, so the one who will be hurt in your place will be your partner.¡±


    She says as she turns towards Ro and the vines wrapped around him suddenly get tighter. Ro tries to endure the pain but one can clearly see that he is suffering because of it.


    With a sigh, Barry speaks,


    Barry: ¡°Well ¡­¡±


    Ro: ¡°Tch!¡±


    Barry: ¡°If you want answers, then ask your questions.¡±


    I feel doubt in my mind as I hear that.


    Barry: ¡°If I think your questions are things I can answer, then I¡¯ll try.¡±


    He adds to his statement, which only ends up annoying me.


    Dragon: ¡°Well, that sure took some extra time, didn¡¯t it?¡±


    He says while continuing to stand at the place he was.


    Dragon: ¡°Hey Sona, could you undo this contract now. It¡¯s only really dangerous for you after all.¡±


    Sona sighs as she looks at him and says,


    Sona: ¡°Fine. Just don¡¯t move until I tell you.¡±


    The dragon nods. Since her left hand was being used to control the mole spirit, Sona raises her right hand. She made it so her palm would be facing the seal.


    Sona: ¡°Okay then,¡±


    Under her breath, she mumbled chants that I can¡¯t understand even though I can hear them because of my clairaudience; the ability to hear what normally can¡¯t be heard.


    Sona: ¡°Now, you are free to move.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°I am? But the white marking are still there.¡±


    Sona: ¡°Of course they are. Those are physical markings. The spiritual energy, however, has left them.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°I-I see.¡±


    The dragon cautiously moved from his place and got off the markings. All of our gazes got fixed on the markings, but nothing happened.


    Seeing that, the dragon closes his eyes and sighs.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Dragon: ¡°Well, I guess that¡¯s that. I was really worried for a while there.¡±


    He says as he opens his eyes and looks at Barry.


    Dragon: ¡°I can do the task of keeping that knife on his throat so you focus on asking the questions.¡±


    He, obviously, says that to me. However,


    Kais: ¡°No, that might be dangerous.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°You don¡¯t trust me?¡±


    Kais: ¡°It¡¯s not about trust. I have known this man well enough to know that he is trying to think of a way to escape right now. I am a psychic so I can pick up on anything he might try to do. That¡¯s not the case for you though.¡±


    I state my reasons for not letting the dragon do this job. Hearing that, the dragon folds his arms.


    Dragon: ¡°I see. That¡¯s quite the problem, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    The dragon says while looking at Barry.


    Dragon: ¡°Well then, let¡¯s get on with the questions.¡±


    I nod. Sona nods. The dragon nods. As we three confirm to each other, Barry looks at me with narrowed eyes. I look back at him.


    Kais: ¡°First of all, tell me again who you are working for?¡±


    Barry: ¡°The Vampire Kingdom.¡±


    Yes, that¡¯s completely true. I am using all the methods I have of detecting lies. All of them tell me it¡¯s the truth.


    Kais: ¡°Why?¡±


    Barry: ¡°Well, there is more than one reason.¡±


    That is also the truth.


    Kais: ¡°Then start naming those reasons.¡±


    Barry: ¡°Fine. One reason is that I was ordered to do so.¡±


    Kais: ¡°By whom?¡±


    Barry: ¡°The vampires. I had been associated with them because I am the brother of Valdis, the queen of Vampires.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Yeah, about that, what the hell does it even mean?¡±


    I had heard that before but how could he be her brother?


    Barry: ¡°Exactly what it sounds like. I am her brother, you are not. I think you should be able to figure some things on your own.¡±


    I can take a guess. I am not her brother but he is, so we are not really brothers. But then, what relationship do we have?


    Barry: ¡°I was adopted into your family so I started treating you as my brother, though I would tell you that was not a coincidence.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a coincidence. That¡¯s not a detail I can ignore.


    Kais: ¡°What does that mean?¡±


    Barry: ¡°It means that I was sent there to act as your brother by the ruler of the vampires.¡±


    Kais: ¡°You mean your sister sent you on this mission?¡±


    That would mean his sister is connected to all of this.


    Barry: ¡°No, not my sister. I am talking about the previous ruler of the vampires.¡±


    So when he was sent on this mission, his sister was not the ruler of the vampires. That¡¯s something I need to remember.


    Kais: ¡°I see. I get that you couldn¡¯t have told me all of that, but why hide the fact that you are not my brother?¡±


    Barry: ¡°If you knew that, seeing how you were just a child, you may have started to see me in a different light. I couldn¡¯t risk it.¡±


    Kais: ¡°And why couldn¡¯t you risk it? What was the problem?¡±


    Barry: ¡°Well, let¡¯s just say that the shock you felt that day 12 years ago would have been different.¡±


    Kais: ¡°What!?¡±


    Barry: ¡°Don¡¯t tell me you haven¡¯t realized yet. That day is the reason why you are able to stand here like you are now.¡±


    That¡¯s absurd.


    Dragon: ¡°Does that mean ¡­¡±


    Barry: ¡°It does. It means that I did all that to create the ¡®you¡¯ that you are today.¡±


    That¡¯s just absurd. That is the worst reason I have ever heard for killing hundreds or thousands of people.


    Kais: ¡°To create the ¡®me¡¯ that I am today, you killed all those people?¡±


    My eyes turn bloodshot and I again start losing my mind. But this time, I am not losing my control over my emotions. I am losing my sanity.


    Barry: ¡°Yeah.¡±


    With an agitated tone and murderous intent that I can¡¯t stop myself from feeling, I say,


    Kais: ¡°You killed thousands to ¡­¡±


    But before I could finish,


    Barry: ¡°¡­ to save millions.¡±


    What!?


    He does it for me.


    Barry: ¡°That will be the result of what you have become today.¡±


    I don¡¯t understand.


    Barry: ¡°You will end up saving millions, maybe even billions of people.¡±


    I just don¡¯t understand.


    Barry: ¡°And this is only because I killed hundreds or thousands that day.¡±


    Just what does that even mean?


    Barry: ¡°In the end, I won¡¯t be a sinner for nothing.¡±


    Just how am I supposed to save that many people? Just what am I supposed to save them from?


    Dragon: ¡°Okay, hold up. From what you have said until now, it seems the previous ruler of vampires was also connected to all of this, right? Why did he send you to act as Kais¡¯ brother?¡±


    Barry: ¡°Someone told them to send me.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°What!?¡±


    Sona: ¡°Now who would tell the ruler himself to do that?¡±


    Barry: ¡°Well, it was someone you all probably have heard about.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Just say the name.¡±


    Barry sighs and then opens his mouth,


    Barry: ¡°Ozyllus.¡±


    Sona: ¡°!?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°!?¡±


    Ro: ¡°!?¡±


    Kais: ¡°!?¡±


    Barry: ¡°He¡¯s been manipulating your whole life from the start. So obviously, this was his doing as well.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°That bastard!¡±


    Silence falls upon us as none of us seems to be able to say anything. This silence continues.


    I stare down at the ground in the irritation I feel towards the so-called god.


    The dragon grits his teeth in anger.


    Sona looks at me with expressions I can¡¯t read.


    Barry looks at me with a mix of pity and anger on his face.


    And Ro looks at the whole scene through a calm and calculating gaze.


    Kais: ¡°You said there was more than one reason. What were the other reasons?¡±


    All the gazes shift to him.


    Barry: ¡°One reason was that my sister, Valdis, wanted me to get away from the Vampires.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Huh!?¡±


    Barry: ¡°In fact from what I have heard, Ozyllus only brought forth the proposal to send someone to act as your brother. It was Valdis who said that I should be the one to go.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Why?¡±


    Barry: ¡°To protect me.¡±


    Sona: ¡°From whom?¡±


    Barry: ¡°From the vampires.¡±


    Sona: ¡°And why would you have needed protection from them?¡±


    Barry: ¡°Because we weren¡¯t originally associated with them.¡±


    It surprised all of us to know that and yet again, we are left speechless.


    Barry: ¡°My sister was turned into a vampire but I was not. I was kept as a potential food for the vampires. So, my sister used that opportunity to tell them about my potential as a psychic and make them agree to send me on that mission.¡±


    I just can¡¯t think of anything to say right now. These are things I never expected to hear, much less from Barry.


    Barry: ¡°And if you want to know, there was another reason for sending me.¡±


    He continued without anyone urging him this time.


    Barry: ¡°It was because I could gain something that I and my sister never had.¡±


    And what was that? Just as I was about to ask, the answer came to me.


    Barry: ¡°It was parents.¡±


    All of sudden, his words that day 12 years ago came back to my mind.


    Barry: ¡°My sister tried to give me the chance to live with a family and see what parents are like. Unfortunately, as soon as they found out about my abilities and yours, they left us.¡±


    Barry said to me that day that I didn¡¯t lose anything when our parents left us. He wasn¡¯t just trying to make me feel bad. Those words were not careful manipulation like I thought they were. They were the helpless cries of a child who was searching for love but never found it.


    Barry: ¡°Well, I guess all your questions thus far were things I could answer after all. If you have any more questions, then I probably won¡¯t be able to answer.¡±


    I could not say anything. I could not do anything. All I could do was remove my knife from his throat.


    Kais: ¡°So, in the end,¡±


    The words come out of my mouth without me even trying to say them.


    Kais: ¡°You were also his victim.¡±


    Barry: ¡°I assume you are talking about Ozyllus. Yes, he is the one who destroyed my real home, who forced my sister to turn into a vampire and told me to kill thousands of people in front of you or he would have killed the whole Vampire Kingdom, which included my sister.¡±


    That¡¯s was how it was. At the end of the day, he was also a victim.


    The knife in my hand dropped even as I tried to keep it still.


    Ro: ¡°So, you are telling me that Ozyllus is the one orchestrating all of this?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Yeah, he has been manipulating people ever since a thousand years ago.¡±


    Ro: ¡°You are kidding me, right?¡±


    He asks in shock but the dragon replies in a calm yet raging voice,


    Dragon: ¡°I am not. For a continuous thousand years, that man, or his ghost at least, has kept trying to make things go his way by manipulating everyone.¡±


    There¡¯s no denying it anymore. I regained my memories. Barry answered all of my questions, and I know that he didn¡¯t lie even once. The dragon said so too and it all makes sense when you think about it. Ozyllus ¨C is the man responsible for everything.


    Sona: ¡°Hey, don¡¯t tell me that ¡­¡±


    I glance at Sona and see a horrified expression on her face. Seeing that, the dragon sighs and closes his eyes. He then opens them as he looks at Sona with a sense of powerlessness.


    Dragon: ¡°Twelve years ago, Ozyllus told me to go to a village to bring a girl, who was a spirit-user, to him. However, I never met her. Before I got the chance to, Ozyllus told me that she has already left for there. I didn¡¯t completely get it and wanted to stay away from the bastard as much as I could so I didn¡¯t ask for the details. I just left. Looking back at it now, that was a mistake.¡±


    I realize why he is telling us all of this. That girl must have been Sona.


    Sona: ¡°So, he is the one who killed all of the villagers. And he made it look like you did it.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Yeah, probably.¡±


    Sona falls on her knees as she hears that. The vines let go of Ro as the spirit¡¯s master had lost all will to keep holding him.


    We were either enemies or allies a few minutes ago. But now, none of us can look at the others that way, because all of us at the end of the day are victims, just victims.


    Why did Barry lose his home and everything else he lost? It was because of Ozyllus.


    Why did the dragon tried to deceive us and play us? It was because of Ozyllus.


    Why did Ro have to die and fight this war? It was because of Ethan Kales, who I am pretty sure at this point is also a victim of Ozyllus.


    Why did Sona go through what she did? It was also because of Ozyllus.


    Why did I go through all I did? It was once again because of Ozyllus.


    We are victims, victims of that man, no, victims of that monster who calls himself a god. We are just his victims, which is why,


    Kais: ¡°There¡¯s just no other way.¡±


    So I¡¯ll have to take that only way that is present.


    Kais: ¡°I¡¯ll have to destroy him ¨C utterly destroy him.¡±


    *******************************

 Chapter 40: Strength

    It has been hours since Dyne and Walter entered the forest and since Kais, Sona and the dragon ambushed Barry and Ro.


    Sneha: ¡°The sun¡¯s on our heads now. Are we still going to keep standing here?¡±


    The Aural asks the human beside her. However, instead of answering, that human just smiles.


    Sneha: ¡°Stop acting cool and answer already.¡±


    Ethan took a long breath and looked at her.


    Ethan: ¡°Three days are left for the dragon, as well as this island.¡±


    Sneha: ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s true.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Unfortunately for the dragon, the upcoming two days are going to be much shorter than he would want them too.¡±


    Sneha furrowed her eyebrows.


    Sneha: ¡°What exactly do you mean?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Just that time will start to pass faster than it usually does.¡±


    Sneha: ¡°Which, if happens, doesn¡¯t make any sense.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Yeah, I am not sure why it would happen either.¡±


    Sneha: ¡°But you know that it¡¯s going to happen?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Yeah.¡±


    She sighs.


    Sneha: ¡°So, I am assuming you know that because you can see something from your Eyes of Truth?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Right on the money.¡±


    He turns to the forest as he says that.


    Ethan: ¡°I can see energy variations in the atmosphere. They seem to be triggered by fluctuations on time and space axis.¡±


    Sneha: ¡°Isn¡¯t that really bad though?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°They are minor fluctuations and won¡¯t cause too much problem directly but you can expect some trouble.¡±


    While sighing, she says in sarcastic tone,


    Sneha: ¡°Just what we needed!¡±


    Sneha also turns to look at the forest.


    Sneha: ¡°So, what¡¯s the plan?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°We should go in.¡±


    Sneha: ¡°You sure about that?¡±


    She says with folded arms as if to ask ¨C ¡°you don¡¯t want to spend one or two more days standing here?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Yeah okay, so I have been taking up a lot of time trying to think things over but you don¡¯t need to start shooting me with sarcasm.¡±


    Sneha: ¡°So you say.¡±


    She says while looking at the forest.


    Sneha: ¡°But anyway, now that we are going in after all, we should be ready for anything that might come our way.¡±


    Ethan nods.


    Ethan: ¡°Yeah, chances are high we will come across some rather troublesome things in the forest.¡±


    He takes a glance at her. Her face shows her resolve. He doesn¡¯t even need to ask to know that she is completely ready to fight anyone at any time no matter how difficult that fight may be.


    Ethan: ¡°Okay then,¡±


    He turns back to look at the forest.


    Ethan: ¡°Time to go in.¡±


    *******************************


    Dragon: ¡°So what now?¡±


    The dragon asks while looking at me. Right now, I, the dragon and Sona are standing at one side a little distance away from each other. We are facing the direction that will lead us to the tomb. Barry and Ro are standing about 10 meters away and opposite to us. They are facing the direction that leads to the pond.


    Kais: ¡°Well,¡±


    I sigh.


    Kais: ¡°What is your current goal, Barry?¡±


    I ask while looking at him. Nothing will come out of trying to stay silent like we have been for a while.


    Barry: ¡°Are you calm enough to be asking that?¡±


    Kais: ¡°Why?¡±


    Barry: ¡°Nothing, I just thought you¡¯d be more shocked after hearing all that.¡±


    To be honest, I too am surprised that I am able to accept it just like that. Then again, my mind does seem to be working very rationally ever since I came to this island. But I don¡¯t care right now.


    Kais: ¡°Well, let¡¯s just say I knew deep down something like that was your reason for doing what you did.¡±


    That¡¯s not a lie, not completely anyway.


    Barry: ¡°Did you really knew it? Or did you just wanted to believe that?¡±


    Kais: ¡°Who knows? It doesn¡¯t matter how it was anyway.¡±


    He looks down.


    Barry: ¡°I suppose you are not wrong.¡±


    Ro: ¡°Before you answer his question Barry, I just want to tell you that I now understand why you were trying to believe in Ethan. All the things that I immediately assumed Ethan would be responsible of, in truth, can be doings of Ozyllus or Abyss¡¯s ghosts. There is, to be honest, no definite reason to suspect him so much if I move my personal feeling about having been killed by him aside.¡±


    Barry looks at him in unexpected surprise and then looks at the other three.


    Barry: ¡°That brings a question to my mind. What do you all think about Ethan Kales?¡±


    Sona: ¡°I don¡¯t know much about him but I do know that he is cunning. I would rather not be friend or foe with someone like him.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°As for me, I am curious about how this island would get destroyed when I die and how he would have been able to predict that something like that would happen. But yes, I would also prefer not to associate with him much.¡±


    Having heard the two¡¯s answers, I can¡¯t help but wonder what his goal is.


    Kais: ¡°There¡¯s just so much I don¡¯t know about him that I can¡¯t say what my opinion on him is.¡±


    Barry: ¡°Well, in case you didn¡¯t know, his goal, or at least what he says to be his goal, is to bring you into this war.¡±


    That¡¯s strange. Bringing me into this war ¨C is a goal that does make sense in certain situations, but isn¡¯t it pretty unclear? Bring me into this war from which side exactly?


    Barry: ¡°I am assuming you are wondering which side he wants you to join.¡±


    So he¡¯s still able to predict my thoughts, is he?


    Kais: ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Barry: ¡°Unfortunately, I don¡¯t know that.¡±


    Sona: ¡°Then fortunately, I have a guess.¡±


    Sona unexpectedly says so.


    Kais: ¡°You do? And what is that guess?¡±


    Sona: ¡°The third side.¡±


    Sona gives a pretty confusing answer.


    Dragon: ¡°Huh!?¡±


    Ro: ¡°What?!¡±


    Which obviously leads to confused expressions, but somehow,


    Barry: ¡°Did you meant ¡­?¡±


    Barry seems to have understood what she meant.


    Sona: ¡°I meant exactly what I said.¡±


    Barry tries to ask to clarify but Sona cuts in.


    Sona: ¡°He acts like he is okay with you joining either side but in truth; I think he wants you to join neither one.¡±


    None of us interrupt her.


    Sona: ¡°He wants you to bring a stop to this war. That has been his goal from the start.¡±


    I can¡¯t help but feel like she¡¯s right with her guess.


    Sona: ¡°At least, that¡¯s what my guess is.¡±


    Ro: ¡°Could you explain the reasoning behind that guess?¡±Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    He asks in a rather serious manner. Sona seems to notice that and seems to be answering him sincerely.


    Sona: ¡°Well,¡±


    She takes a glance at all four of us.


    Sona: ¡°He told me too that his goal is to bring Kais in this war.¡±


    I thought so. It didn¡¯t seem to surprise her when Barry said that to be his goal.


    Sona: ¡°On the beach, Sneha and he were awake before I regained consciousness. And at that time, everyone else was unconscious too. If his goal was to just bring you into the war, they could have just gone in the forest after you.¡±


    Kais: ¡°But how would that help him?¡±


    Sona: ¡°He could have tried to convince you to join one side or the other. He could have acted like the bad guy and claimed to be from one of the two sides so you gain motivation to join the other. He could have also used the fact that Barry and Ro want you to join the war and tried to push you into that direction. But he just waited there.¡±


    Barry: ¡°That is strange. But still, there¡¯s the possibility he just wanted to see if I and Ro can convince him and he would not have to work at all.¡±


    That would be a pretty lazy approach but it¡¯s not out of question when I think about it.


    Sona: ¡°Logically possible but I just can¡¯t see someone who would we willing to go up against people like us with no offensive abilities of his own to be someone who would adopt a lazy and risky approach like that.¡±


    That¡¯s true. Things may not go his way if he leaves everything to others and I am sure he is well aware of it. Also, an energy-saving strategy just doesn¡¯t suit him to be honest.


    Sona: ¡°That¡¯s why I think his goal is not as vague as he makes it sound.¡±


    That¡¯s a fair point. But how did she come to the guess ¡®me joining the third side¡¯?


    Sona: ¡°After that, when I reached the pond, I met a fish, who has psychic abilities, and has an archive of past records stored into her brain.¡±


    Ro: ¡°Did you just say the fish is a psychic?¡±


    Barry sighs.


    Barry: ¡°Is that a result of Ozyllus¡¯ experiments?¡±


    He asks while looking at the dragon and the dragon nods. Seeing that, Sona continued


    Sona: ¡°So, that fish told me that the archive in her brain can only be accessed by spiritual energy. While we didn¡¯t get to access it, I am pretty sure she was telling the truth.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Yeah, I can confirm that part is completely true.¡±


    I can confirm it too. She wasn¡¯t lying about that.


    Sona: ¡°So, that got me thinking ¨C what relation do the two energies have with each other?¡±


    Barry: ¡°The connection between different forms of energies, huh?¡±


    Kais: ¡°You know something about it too?¡±


    And were you hiding that from us too?


    Barry: ¡°I didn¡¯t know back then. In fact, only when I fought a really powerful ghost did I realize some connection between two forms can exist.¡±


    I see. I suppose this is something that most people wouldn¡¯t know if he didn¡¯t know it for so long.


    Dragon: ¡°So what did you realize?¡±


    Sona: ¡°I realized that the two energies are, in a way, opposites.¡±


    Wait, they are opposites. I don¡¯t get how she would come on that conclusion.


    Sona: ¡°It¡¯s when the fish mentioned that they needed a particular concentration of spiritual energy to even out the psychic energy that I started thinking of this possibility.¡±


    She did say that.


    Sona: ¡°The term ¡®even out¡¯ meant that the characteristics of psychic energy would be neutralized by the spiritual energy. It only makes sense in case they oppose each other.¡±


    Okay, that makes sense.


    Sona: ¡°This relation probably exists with other forms of energies as well.¡±


    Barry: ¡°It does.¡±


    He nods as he says that.


    Sona: ¡°Ethan¡¯s Eyes of Truth allows him to easily see these relations. So he would find out any relations like these after seeing them in action once. So he should know about how these relations work in the upcoming war as well.¡±


    Kais: ¡°By that, I suppose you mean how the various sides affect each other in theory?¡±


    She nods. Seeing that, Barry puts a hand on his chin as he says,


    Barry: ¡°Well, from what I know, the ghost and vampiric energies oppose each other. Psychic is also opposed by ghost energy but not as much as it is by spirit energy. Dragons use a mix of various energies so it depends on which ability they use.¡±


    Sona: ¡°I suspected it would be something like that. All the three energies, psychic, ghost and dragons, naturally oppose vampires. Think what would happen if this war does happen?¡±


    Barry: ¡°At this point, it¡¯s more like when it happens rather than if it happens, but anyway, I think the vampires will get wiped out.¡±


    I have to agree. No matter how I try to look at the situation, their chances are slim to none.


    Sona: ¡°And the result would be seas of blood.¡±


    Yeah, that¡¯s very likely. Wait! I see. That¡¯s what she is getting at.


    Sona: ¡°That result would probably be ¡­¡±


    Kais: ¡°¡­ what Ozyllus desires.¡±


    She nods.


    Kais: ¡°And the more fight the vampires are able to give, the bloodier the sea would become.¡±


    Sona: ¡°Yeah, so the only way to change things is to stop the war.¡±


    She turns to look at me.


    Sona: ¡°I think he is someone who has suffered because of Ozyllus too. I just have a feeling stopping his plans is his real motive.¡±


    I believe you, Sona. I totally believe you. And if that¡¯s the case then ¡­ then ¡­ I should probably agree to it. But,


    Dragon: ¡°Are you wondering if you¡¯ll be able to stop the war or not?¡±


    Kais: ¡°Yeah, don¡¯t you think my power alone wouldn¡¯t be enough.¡±


    The dragon sighs. What? You can¡¯t possibly expect me to stop a war between these powerhouses by myself.


    Barry says irritated,


    Barry: ¡°You are actually right. You can¡¯t stop the war by yourself.¡±


    He says while sighing as well. Okay, I am glad we agree but what is with that tone?


    Barry: ¡°The problem with you is that a couple of misconceptions in your mind have led you back to the right answer.¡±


    That¡¯s ¡­ awkward to hear.


    Barry: ¡°Listen,¡±


    He steps forward and looks me in the eye.


    Barry: ¡°You are strong, you know? You are very strong.¡±


    Yeah, I know. I know I am not really a weak psychic for sure.


    Barry: ¡°No, you don¡¯t get it.¡±


    He says as if he read my thoughts.


    Barry: ¡°You are stronger than me.¡±


    What!?


    Barry: ¡°You are stronger than everyone on this island. You may even be stronger than everyone in the world.¡±


    That¡¯s absurd.


    Barry: ¡°Yes, you would still not be able to stop the war by yourself. But that¡¯s not because you are not strong enough, but because it is that great of a task.¡±


    Kais: ¡°You can¡¯t be serious.¡±


    Barry: ¡°I am, very serious. Stop thinking you are not strong and stop thinking that is the reason you can¡¯t stop the war by yourself. You need help, but not because you are lacking in power but because the world isn¡¯t so flimsy that you can save it alone.¡±


    Barry says it all looking me in my eye. How am I supposed to deny him like this? How am I supposed to tell him that he is wrong when I can clearly see his sincerity so clearly?


    Barry: ¡°I have had it with the masks. I am done trying to deceive you. So, at this moment, believe me when I say that I believe in you.¡±


    And I can¡¯t help but believe in him too.


    Dragon: ¡°And if hearing this from him is not enough for you, then I will say it too.¡±


    The dragon turns to look me in the eye the same way Barry did.


    Dragon: ¡°You were chosen by Ozyllus to become his weapon of destruction. It was because you had to power to do so. And because you had the power to do so, you also had the power to do the opposite.¡±


    He says it with the same sincerity that Barry did.


    Dragon: ¡°I know you are using Aura Reading. I know you can sense my true feelings right now. So tell me, am I lying now?¡±


    Kais: ¡°You ¡­ are not.¡±


    Ro: ¡°The reason Vermillion wanted to bring you on their side was also probably that you were powerful enough to destroy their enemies. We Embers weren¡¯t told much but we were told that you are someone really special and will become the man who will change this world. So I too think you are powerful.¡±


    Ro says so as well.


    But I just don¡¯t get it. How can I be powerful? How can I be someone who can change the world when I couldn¡¯t save anyone in my life?


    Barry: ¡°What you are thinking right now ¨C is exactly what Ozyllus wants you to think. Those thoughts were created by me following his orders and showing you that disaster 12 years ago. So stop those thoughts. They were forced into your head.¡±


    No matter how much I try to, I can¡¯t deny those words. I can¡¯t deny any of their words.


    Ro, a man who served Vermillion without knowing about anything, a man who was forced to think the way Vermillion wanted him to, is now sharing his true feelings to someone.


    Barry, a man who was forced to do as Ozyllus told him to, had to endure the pain of deceiving a child, is now speaking without any deception in his words.


    Dragon, someone who was also forced to do just as Ozyllus told him to, someone who grieved over the fact that his power would kill all who try to kill him making him a murderer without even doing anything, is now rebelling against the cause of all that suffering.


    I can¡¯t deny these people. I can¡¯t say they are lying or run away from reality, can¡¯t run away from my responsibility.


    Sona: ¡°Hey, you okay?¡±


    Kais: ¡°Uh, what?¡±


    I can¡¯t see as well as I could a moment ago. Why is that?


    Barry, looking at me, smiles.


    Kais: ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡±


    I can¡¯t see well, my vision has become blurred. It looks like something is flowing from my eyes.


    Dragon: ¡°I suppose that means you accept it.¡±


    I ¡­ I ¡­ do. I do accept it. I won¡¯t try to step on your words. I won¡¯t try to act like a brat and run away. I will accept what you have said and will believe in your words. I will believe that I am worthy of our trust.


    Kais: ¡°I will save the world.¡±


    As I say that, I realize why tears are coming from my eyes. I am about to see these people go away.


    Barry: ¡°It¡¯s true.¡±


    Even if I want to change this, I can¡¯t.


    Barry: ¡°I will probably not live past the three days this island has left. My death is not certain but I doubt I will live past that.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°And I, as you all know, am I going to die in three days.¡±


    Ro: ¡°I don¡¯t plan on dying any time soon, but I don¡¯t know how long I will survive. Though I am already a ghost so dying doesn¡¯t technically make sense but my existence will be over.¡±


    It¡¯s true. These people have been able to show their true feeling once in their life, and now they will soon all die. It¡¯s as if these moments filled with humanity are a sin to have.


    Having silently watched all this, Sona sighs. She comes forward and glances at me before saying,


    Sona: ¡°My goal hasn¡¯t changed. I want to get revenge for all those people that died 12 years ago. But I now know who I should take that revenge from.¡±


    She turns to me.


    Sona: ¡°I am not dying, so I am coming with you.¡±


    I feel relieved to hear that. It¡¯s as if, for the first time in an eternity, I really regained something I had lost.


    Sona: ¡°We are going to stop him. And we will do it together.¡±


    Yes, I regained a friend.


    *******************************


    Ozyllus: ¡°¡­¡±


    The silence continues.


    Abyss: ¡°¡­¡±


    Ozyllus: ¡°¡­¡±


    The silence continues as the stare at each other.


    Abyss: ¡°¡­¡±


    Ozyllus: ¡°Well,¡±


    But like always, the silent stare-down comes to an end. And it happens by Ozyllus.


    Ozyllus: ¡°Do you think they¡¯ll be able to do what they are trying to do?¡±


    Abyss: ¡°Yes.¡±


    Ozyllus: ¡°Hmm ¡­ well, I guess we¡¯ll see.¡±


    He says as he spreads his arms.


    Ozyllus: ¡°Tell me, you do know what I have been up to for some time, don¡¯t you?¡±


    Abyss: ¡°You have been trying to create a distortion in time-axis so that the time starts running faster.¡±


    Ozyllus: ¡°But you didn¡¯t try to stop me.¡±


    Abyss: ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have been able to.¡±


    Abyss says calmly.


    Abyss: ¡°Besides, now there is no need to.¡±


    Ozyllus: ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡±


    Abyss: ¡°Because everything that was needed to defeat you is already done. No matter what you do now, you can¡¯t win.¡±


    Ozyllus: ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate a god, devil.¡±


    Ozyllus says in a loud voice.


    Abyss: ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate humans, god.¡±


    Abyss said in an equally loud voice.


    Ozyllus: ¡°Tch! Human, what humans? These people are not humans. Mere humans could never be able to do the things they have done.¡±


    Abyss: ¡°Yeah, maybe. But mere humans can do what Ethan Kales has done. And he is the reason this all is happening.¡±


    Ozyllus: ¡°What?¡±


    Abyss: ¡°Do you know why the dragon betrayed you? Do you know why Barry has become so ready to spill everything? Do you know how they all gained the courage to go up against you after all these years?¡±


    Ozyllus doesn¡¯t answer. He can¡¯t answer.


    Abyss: ¡°It is because Ethan has the courage to go up against them.¡±


    Ozyllus doesn¡¯t interrupt. He can¡¯t interrupt.


    Abyss: ¡°They saw the ¡®mere human¡¯ going up against monstrously powerful people and still being able to smirk at their faces. They saw the courage that borders at the line of madness. And ¡­ seeing him, they just couldn¡¯t let themselves be cowards anymore.¡±


    Ozyllus remains speechless.


    Abyss: ¡°It wasn¡¯t all that long ago you said that Ethan is your pawn. But you couldn¡¯t be more wrong. Ethan Kales is not your pawn.¡±


    Ozyllus knows what he is saying is the truth. He has realized it over the course of these events.


    Abyss: ¡°Neither him, nor Kais or anyone else is your pawn. They are people, who at the end of their lives had what it takes to take their own path. And they will be the ones you will remember as the ones who brought you down.¡±


    At this point, the air of sadness is felt by all.


    There are those who are about to die. There are those who will have to see them die. They are those who know they will die. They are those who believe they won¡¯t die. There are those who have to see their dreams being crushed in front of their eyes. And there are also those who will see their dreams being reached, but will lose everything in the process.


    Ozyllus: ¡°How can anyone wish for an outcome like this? How can any of you be happy with such tragic existences?¡±


    Abyss: ¡°You still don¡¯t get it.¡±


    Abyss said as he clenched his fists.


    Abyss: ¡°It¡¯s not about us. It¡¯s about the world.¡±


    The so-called devil, who had sensed all of this sadness for more than thousand years, now tells the so-called god his reason for enduring it.


    Abyss: ¡°It¡¯s the tragedy of our lives that will shape the story of this world to a comedy. Because, at the end of the day, we will give this world the happiness we can¡¯t get. We just happen to be people who can find our salvation in that fact.¡±


    Ozyllus looks at Abyss as every word he hears pains him to his heart.


    Ozyllus: ¡°I see. So be it. That¡¯s how it shall be.¡±


    He says as opens his tightened fists. And with those fists, he lets go of the trigger of time.


    *******************************

 Chapter 41: Reverse Time Dilation

    As the two people walk towards the tomb, they sense something in the aura surrounding the island.


    Sneha: ¡°Has it started already?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Looks like it has.¡±


    Ethan says as he sees the fluctuations in time-axis get larger.


    Ethan: ¡°Time has started to flow much faster than it normally would.¡±


    Sneha: ¡°Do you have any numbers?¡±


    Ethan thinks while trying to focus on the aura his eyes can see.


    Ethan: ¡°I am not particularly sure but time seems to be running ¡­ about 12 times faster.¡±


    Her eyes widen on hearing that.


    Sneha: ¡°What!? That¡¯s a lot!¡±


    Ethan: ¡°It is. It means a day will pass in the time equivalent to two hours normally.¡±


    He realizes that this could present a problem to him in the long run, even if he¡¯s confident that his objective here will be achieved.


    Ethan: ¡°I guess that means we need to hurry.¡±


    Sneha: ¡°Hmm ¡­ there¡¯s no other way than to hurry now.¡±


    Ethan nods as Sneha turns back to the direction in which the pond is. She takes a long breath in order to send her aural energy to her legs.


    Sneha: ¡°You won¡¯t be able to keep up though.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Yeah I know, but that¡¯s fine.¡±


    He says as he notices Sneha transferring energy into her arms as well.


    Ethan: ¡°Just get to the tomb and try to make sure no one is able to ambush you, if they for some reason want to.¡±


    Sneha nods and opens her eyes which had been closed for a moment and says,


    Sneha: ¡°Okay then, try not to take too long.¡±


    Ethan smiles on hearing that.


    Ethan: ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I am not planning to miss out on all the good parts.¡±


    She sighs.


    Sneha: ¡°I should have expected something like that as the response.¡±


    She says as she starts running towards the tomb.


    Ethan: ¡°Damn!¡±


    As he sees her running, or rather, disappearing away, for a moment, even Ethan stands still in astonishment.


    Ethan: ¡°I wonder how fast she is right now, mach 1 maybe ¡­ no, half of that.¡±


    He says as he too starts running through the forest.


    Ethan: ¡°If I am reading the aura of the island right, which I should be considering how much experience I have built reading it, she should reach the tomb in about two minutes or so.¡±


    He keeps running while avoiding obstacles as he says so.


    Ethan: ¡°Even considering this distorted time, only 24 minutes would have passed by then.¡±


    He sighs because of the words that would come out of his mouth next.


    Ethan: ¡°I, on the other hand, would take 2 hours to reach there. So one day would have passed all in all.¡±


    He keeps running despite feeling disappointed in himself.


    *******************************


    Ro: ¡°Does anyone else feel that?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Yeah, there¡¯s some sort of interference with time going on.¡±


    The dragon says as he tries to observe the changes around us.


    Barry: ¡°I think you are right.¡±


    Barry affirms what the dragon says. And truly, it does feel like the flow of time has gotten faster.


    Sona: ¡°If time is moving faster, shouldn¡¯t that affect our perception of it?¡±


    I get the point she is trying to make. From what I have come to learn in the past day, time moves much faster on this island. But it¡¯s not like we feel that¡¯s what¡¯s going on. That difference can only be observed by someone who looks at us from outside the island.


    Barry: ¡°Well, what is going on is that the time is moving faster but our sense of time is not. According to our sense, time is moving at the same pace, but it¡¯s not. So, we are able to see the difference.¡±


    That makes sense too. Time and sense of time are two different factors. Our sense of time can lead us to think that time is moving faster or slower depending on our mind-sets. I haven¡¯t personally experienced things like these but I have heard people saying things like time seems to fly by when they do something they like and it seems very slow when they are doing something they don¡¯t like. That¡¯s the most common example of how our sense of time can affect us. Usually, our sense of time on the island is fast enough that it coincides with the fast moving time on the island. But for some reason, our senses have remained the same while the time has gotten faster.


    Ro: ¡°Well, this isn¡¯t the first I have seen something like this.¡±


    Barry nods. I think I know what he is talking about too.


    Barry: ¡°The difference between the moment we reached the island and the moment I saw Kais and Ethan talk in that dark cave-like place should have been, on the island, two days.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Yeah, technically that should have been how it went. But it seems like only some hours passed between those two things.¡±


    It seemed like instead of time flowing slow like it usually does, it had started to move in faster than outside even.


    Sona: ¡°Okay then, what should we do now that the time is moving so fast? And what will happen to ¡­¡±


    She doesn¡¯t complete her sentence as she takes a look at the dragon.


    Dragon: ¡°Well, I wish it depended on my sense of time but it doesn¡¯t. If three days come to pass sooner than they should, I would die sooner than I should.¡±


    That¡¯s ¡­ infuriating.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Sona: ¡°Then I suppose, we have a guess as to who is causing this?¡±


    Then only one I can think of right now who would benefit from the dragon dying sooner is Ozyllus.


    Barry: ¡°Even ignoring the motive, if anyone has the power to cause so much interference with time, it would be Ozyllus.¡±


    Ro: ¡°Even though he has become a ghost?¡±


    Barry: ¡°Especially because he is a ghost.¡±


    Ro: ¡°What!?¡±


    I think I get what he is trying to say. After all, it doesn¡¯t make any sense for Barry to be the only ghost who could use psychic.


    Barry: ¡°It¡¯s because of him that after becoming a ghost, I was still able to use psychic abilities. So even if I have never seen him using any, it only makes sense that he would also know how to use them.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Yeah, I can confirm that he has been able to use psychic abilities even after becoming a ghost.¡±


    Sona: ¡°But can psychic abilities, or even combine them with everything ghosts can do, would still be enough to cause something like this?¡±


    It does seem rather suspicious. Psychic abilities are not omnipotent. And I don¡¯t think ghosts abilities would be either. This type of time-interference doesn¡¯t make a lot of sense.


    Barry: ¡°Well, unfortunately, it seems we don¡¯t have enough time to think about that right now.¡±


    He says while looking back towards the tomb and getting alert.


    Kais: ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    Barry: ¡°There are a couple of people with hostile intent coming towards us.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Can you tell me who they are?¡±


    Barry: ¡°I can¡¯t discern their identities though it does seem like I know at least one of them. I do know one of them is a ghost and the other is a psychic and both of them have insane amounts of energies of their respective forms surrounding their respective auras.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°That sounds dangerous.¡±


    He says as he raises his hand making his palm face the forest.


    Dragon: ¡°Come.¡±


    A face I had not seen for a while appears as the dragon says that. It was the little girl made of energy who has no name.


    Girl: ¡°H-Huh!? What¡¯s going on here? Why are there so many people here? Weren¡¯t they supposed to be fighting each other?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Yeah, I suppose that was how things were the last time you saw them.¡±


    The girl turns to him as he says so.


    Dragon: ¡°Things have changed and there¡¯s not much time to explain but I need you to do something for me.¡±


    She doesn¡¯t even take a whole moment before nodding.


    Dragon: ¡°I need you to take Kais and Sona to the tomb and go inside it with them.¡±


    Girl: ¡°Okay.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Wait, where did that come from?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°There¡¯s something in there you need to see. The last time I sent you in, it wasn¡¯t the tomb you ended up in but a different dimension Ozyllus teleported you into.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Yeah, I know that. And I still need to ask you why you sent her with me when you should have clearly known she would not be able to stay there.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°It was to deceive Sona into believing the things I said after the girl returned from the tomb.¡±


    Sona: ¡°Yeah, figured.¡±


    She said with folded arms.


    Dragon: ¡°But anyway, you were supposed to meet Ozyllus¡¯ soul back there but I suppose he had changed his plans.¡±


    That explains why he was surprised when he found out that I met Ethan in that place.


    Dragon: ¡°Regardless, because of all that, you have never been into the real tomb. And you need to go there. There are some answers that you can only find by going in the tomb.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Okay, but what about you?¡±


    Barry: ¡°Damn!¡±


    Barry suddenly cursed while moving two steps back.


    Ro: ¡°What?¡±


    Barry: ¡°Now that they are much closer, I recognize both of them.¡±


    And by his reaction, I am assuming they are bad news.


    Barry: ¡°They have enough power to kill us all here. So I suggest you guys get on with whatever you are trying to do.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Okay listen, don¡¯t worry about us and go there.¡±


    But still,


    Kais: ¡°Tch!¡±


    Sona: ¡°I think we should follow his advice.¡±


    I sigh.


    Kais: ¡°Yeah.¡±


    I have no other choice it seems.


    Kais: ¡°I¡¯ll be leaving this to you then.¡±


    I say as I glance one last time at Ro, then Barry and finally the dragon before running to the right.


    Sona: ¡°The tomb¡¯s not in this direction.¡±


    Sona, who starts running right after I do, says.


    Kais: ¡°I know but we will run into those two Barry mentioned if we go in directly.¡±


    Sona: ¡°Yes, but aren¡¯t we going in blindly if we try to take this route?¡±


    Kais: ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Two abilities I am really good at are eidetic memory and aura reading.¡±


    Sona: ¡°Okay?¡±


    Kais: ¡°By eidetic memory, I have memorized the whole path from the tomb to the pond. And by aura reading, I can keep track and make sure we are running directly parallel to it.¡±


    I say as we both turn around considering that there is enough distance between our path and the one that led straight to the tomb.


    Sona: ¡°Well, I¡¯ll trust you on this one then. But,¡±


    She says as she raises her arms towards the sky,


    Sona: ¡°For safety purposes, I am going to summon a spirit that can keep an eye on those two for us.¡±


    That¡¯s a good idea.


    Sona: ¡°Now, the Eye of Death That Pleases the Gods,¡±


    I can¡¯t understand what exactly her chants mean but I am hoping this spirit she is going to summon is good at this job she is about to give it.


    Sona: ¡°Bring the Flood to a Dying Land.¡±


    A flash occurs as a spirit appears around her. It is a spirit in the form of a bat.


    Sona: ¡°Okay, Jaw,¡±


    She explains to the spirit what it needs to do and the spirit starts flying in the search for its targets.


    Kais: ¡°Is that spirit, Jaw, powerful?¡±


    Sona: ¡°Well, it¡¯s nimble, if nothing else.¡±


    That kinda works better than it being simply powerful like Death. I am sure someone Barry would be at alert from would be able to kill a spirit like Death or even more powerful ones without much trouble.


    Sona: ¡°Okay, now that all that¡¯s done; are you planning on continuing to run like this?¡±


    I know what she is talking about. It will take us a lot of time this way.


    Kais: ¡°Well, we are going to run but not with this speed.¡±


    Sona: ¡°And what does that mean?¡±


    Kais: ¡°You¡¯ll find out pretty soon.¡±


    *******************************


    Dust and broken trees are all that¡¯s left behind after someone with extra-ordinary speed charges through the forest. It almost seems like the forest is destroyed by someone, though the person responsible for this can¡¯t afford to worry about things like these. The only thing she can worry about is getting to her destination. And so, she gets to her destination.


    As the last of the trees, present before the clearing in which the tomb is, fall down, the woman stops running.


    Sneha: ¡°So, this is the tomb.¡±


    She says as she looks at the temple-like structure painted in gold.


    Sneha: ¡°Okay then, I suppose I need to wait here.¡±


    She says as she suddenly feels someone¡¯s aura drawing closer to the place.


    Sneha: ¡°Now who could that be?¡±


    She wonders as she looks diagonally left from where the aura was closing in. She tries to read the aura but is unable to.


    Sneha: ¡°If that person¡¯s able to conceal themselves like this, then it¡¯s either a ghost or a psychic.¡±


    She says as she alerts herself.


    Sneha: ¡°I better be on guard.¡±


    *******************************


    Dragon: ¡°So you want to tell us who these two are?¡±


    Barry: ¡°One of them is a Spectre who is as powerful as me if not more and the other is the strongest man alive.¡±


    Ro: ¡°You mean Spectre Dyne and ¡­ who exactly?¡±


    Barry: ¡°Well,¡±


    Barry and Ro jump back as the ground blows up beneath them. As if on cue, Dyne and Walter land on the ground.


    Walter: ¡°I do believe that was a rude way to ask that question, but allow me to introduce myself.¡±


    Barry: ¡°Shit!¡±


    He says in a low voice which Walter acts as if he didn¡¯t hear.


    Walter: ¡°I am Walter Schmidt. I have been bestowed the title of ¡®the strongest man in the world¡¯.¡±


    He says as he bows to the three. As the dragon sees that not-so-tense attitude, he is reminded of the day he met Ozyllus, which leads to much frustration and anger boiling inside him.


    Dragon: ¡°You sure are calm.¡±


    Walter: ¡°Well,¡±


    He raises his head enough to look at the dragon.


    Walter: ¡°Do I have any reason to be tense?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Tch!¡±


    The dragon clicks his tongue in annoyance, annoyance at the fact that he can¡¯t say ¡®yes¡¯ to that question.


    Dyne: ¡°We don¡¯t have time for this.¡±


    Dyne says as he looks at Barry.


    Dyne: ¡°Since time seems to be running faster than usual, we need to take care of a troublesome opponent as quickly as we can and get to Kais.¡±


    Ro: ¡°Get to Kais, huh?¡±


    Ro says as he narrows his eyes. Barry had predicted that the reason for them being here would be to bring Kais to their side or something so it doesn¡¯t surprise him to learn that was really the case.


    Dyne: ¡°Yes, now if you would try not to resist too much.¡±


    Barry smiles.


    Barry: ¡°Sorry, but I need to live a little longer. So I am not going to just let you kill me.¡±


    He says as fire starts forming on both his hands.


    Dyne: ¡°Pyrokinesis, huh? Your fighting style hasn¡¯t changed I see.¡±


    Barry: ¡°No, I like to stick with my strong suits.¡±


    Barry says as the fire on his hands grows stronger and stronger with every second.


    Dyne: ¡°Okay then,¡±


    He says as he puts his hand in his cape and takes out a spear plated in gold.


    Dyne: ¡°Let¡¯s get started then, shall we?¡±


    *******************************


    Sneha: ¡°Well, for insurance,¡±


    She brings her hands up and a ball of aural energy forms on it. She has realized that the people who are coming there do not have hostile intent towards her but that is not enough to make her drop her guard as the very fact she¡¯s here could be unknown to them.


    Sneha: ¡°They might have something against me but the hostile intent is not present because they don¡¯t know I am here.¡±


    She mutters to herself when the arriving party shows. A little girl comes out of the forest first followed by a spirit-user and then a psychic.


    Sona: ¡°Something wrong?¡±


    Kais: ¡°Yeah. Thanks to our strategy, we saved a lot of time but it seems we are not alone here.¡±


    The three look at the Aural and stay silent. Both parties have come for the tomb and both of them can guess that much. What they can¡¯t guess is if they will end up enemies or allies at this point.


    *******************************

 Chapter 42: Strategy To Fight, Strategy To Run

    Kais: ¡°Okay, that¡¯s what we need to do.¡±


    I explain to Sona and the girl as we run.


    Sona: ¡°That does seem plausible.¡±


    Girl: ¡°Yup, we should try it.¡±


    They both nod and so we decided to go with my idea.


    Sona: ¡°Okay, come out.¡±


    The rabbit-like spirit appears out of nowhere. It¡¯s strange how she didn¡¯t need any chanting to call it out.


    Sona: ¡°Cut some trees in front of us. And make sure they are far enough that we can pick them up while we pass by there.¡±


    The rabbit-like spirit nods and runs ahead of us to do the job.


    Kais: ¡°I was kinda curious what the name of that spirit is. You never seem to call it by any name.¡±


    Sona: ¡°It¡¯s a nameless spirit.¡±


    Kais: ¡°What!?¡±


    Sona: ¡°Spirits are only given names after a contract is formed with a spirit-user. That spirit doesn¡¯t have a contract with anyone so there¡¯s no name.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Hmm ¡­ why does it follow your orders if it¡¯s not a spirit you have a contract to?¡±


    Sona: ¡°I guess you can say we are friends and he is just willing to help out its friend.¡±


    Somehow I don¡¯t think that¡¯s the case. It just doesn¡¯t appear to me as if that spirit considers her a friend.


    Kais: ¡°Really?¡±


    She sighs as if to say this conversation is unimportant.


    Sona: ¡°Anyway, I have a question too.¡±


    So I guess I agree to change the topic.


    Kais: ¡°What is it?¡±


    Sona: ¡°Instead of doing all this, why can¡¯t you just teleport us directly back to the tomb?¡±


    I thought that question would come up from one of them at least.


    Kais: ¡°That would be very convenient but there¡¯s high risk involved.¡±


    Sona: ¡°How?¡±


    Girl: ¡°Yeah, I want to know too.¡±


    The girl looks at me curiously.


    Kais: ¡°Fluctuations are happening in the time-axis. But it¡¯s not just limited to the time-axis. The way these two things are connected, when time-axis gets disturbed, some disturbance happens in spatial-axis too.¡±


    Sona: ¡°I see. That¡¯s the problem, huh?¡±


    Seems like Sona understands but,


    Girl: ¡°I don¡¯t get it.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Look, teleportation is basically the ability to change one¡¯s location on the spatial-axis without disturbing the time-axis.¡±


    To be more precise, teleportation transfers one¡¯s aura over the spatial-axis.


    Kais: ¡°So when fluctuations like these are going on, it may not work like you¡¯d want it to.¡±


    There¡¯s a very high chance that a fluctuation will change the targeted position of teleportation. While it may not seem dangerous at first thought, there¡¯re some pretty nasty possibilities present in that scenario. Teleporting right inside a solid object and losing some limbs or in fact dying depending on what part of the body is teleported in the object is very possible.


    Girl: ¡°I see. It¡¯s very dangerous.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Yes, it is.¡±


    While I was explaining, I had picked up three trunks of trees that the rabbit-like spirit broke for us, though it would be more accurate to say I lifted them up with psychokinesis rather than actually picking them up.


    Sona: ¡°Okay, how many more do you need?¡±


    Kais: ¡°Just one more.¡±


    Sona: ¡°Well, looks like that¡¯s ready.¡±


    I nod as I spot a broken trunk a distance away.


    Sona: ¡°Okay then, return.¡±


    She says in a slightly louder voice that the rabbit-like spirit still shouldn¡¯t be able to hear. But it somehow does and comes back.


    Kais: ¡°He sure has some sharp ears.¡±


    I say as I lift the fourth trunk with psychokinesis as well.


    Girl: ¡°Okay, now comes my part.¡±


    She says as she whistles. And as soon as she does that, animals of all kinds start heading towards us.


    Girl: ¡°I want you all to tell everyone to get away from the path from here to the tomb.¡±


    By everyone, she means all the animals. As soon as they hear her say that, they disperse.


    Kais: ¡°Well, it¡¯s only a matter of time now.¡±


    I expect them to take about 10 minutes to deliver that message. That would be two hours on the current time-axis. I guess we¡¯ll just have to lose that much time.


    Girl: ¡°Okay, now.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Now what?¡±


    Girl: ¡°Come on, do it now.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Wait, don¡¯t tell me ¡­¡±


    The girl looks at me as she smiles and points at the animals looking at us from a distance.


    Girl: ¡°They have already delivered the message.¡±


    That sure was way earlier than I expected it to be.


    Kais: ¡°So be it.¡±


    I try to bring as much force as I can into my hands as I throw the fours trunks in the air towards the tomb over other trees.


    Sona: ¡°Yeah, the fluctuations have stabilized.¡±


    She nods as she says so. I immediately react to it by putting a hand on the girl¡¯s shoulders and teleporting her and then doing the same to Sona.


    Kais: ¡°Okay, finally.¡±Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    I do the same to myself.


    *******************************


    As I arrive on the targeted spot, I see Sona and the girl standing there ready to go. I nod to them as we start running again.


    The only difference from before is that we are way closer to the tomb than we were before. In fact, now it¡¯s just a minute or so away.


    Sona: ¡°I can see the tomb from here. Looks like it worked.¡±


    That¡¯s a relief to hear. I was worried about some unforeseen circumstance causing the strategy to fail.


    Teleporting was dangerous because of the fluctuations in time and space. So we had to stop those fluctuations. Of course I can¡¯t go around stopping it for good or the whole ordeal would be much easier to deal with. So I decided to throw solid objects of high volume as fast as I can through the air. If I succeeded in reaching a particular speed, I would be able to stop the fluctuations in the path of those trees (and somewhat around it) for a moment.


    Sona told the rabbit-like spirit to cut trees with high volume trunks, so that was taken care of. The girl made sure the animals are out of our path so they don¡¯t get hurt and Sona confirmed that the fluctuations halted after I threw those trunks. So I was able to teleport us through that path to a place as near to the tomb as possible. Luckily, the trunks did fell really near to the tomb.


    Sona: ¡°If you still have some doubt about you being exceptionally powerful, then I think being able to throw them with half of light speed should be proof enough for you to stop thinking that.¡±


    That ¡­ is a good point. Still though, this was something that would have been too dangerous for me to pull off by myself. But I was not by myself. Maybe what Barry said really is plausible. Maybe the world can be saved if I¡¯m not alone.


    As we are about to reach the clearing in which the tomb is, I sense someone already present there.


    Sona: ¡°Something wrong?¡±


    Seems she hasn¡¯t noticed it yet.


    Kais: ¡°Yeah. Thanks to our strategy, we saved a lot of time but it seems we are not alone here.¡±


    As I say that, Sona turns her head to the woman standing in the clearing. It¡¯s the Aural, Sneha Stone.


    *******************************


    Dyne: ¡°Let¡¯s get started, shall we?¡±


    Barry: ¡°It¡¯s already started.¡±


    Barry declares as the vines that were holding Ro still a while ago attack Dyne. The attack, however, doesn¡¯t hit its target. Ro and the Dragon look up to find the Spectre flying, almost looking like he is standing in mid-air.


    Dyne: ¡°Psychokinesis is too basic you know. It will get you nowhere.¡±


    Barry: ¡°Yeah, I know that.¡±


    He says as the same vines are redirected towards him. The vines that seem to be attacking him are thicker but have sharp edges. They would cause heavy damage if they actually hit him.


    Dyne: ¡°Do you really?¡±


    Dyne tries to move away from their path but the vines follow him as he tries to get away. Seeing that, Dyne sighs.


    Dyne: ¡°This is disappointing, Barry.¡±


    He says as his hands ignite and he charges straight downwards tearing the vines apart in the process. However,


    Barry: ¡°Got you.¡±


    The fire on the vines, caused by Barry¡¯s pyrokinesis, latch onto Dyne.


    Dyne: ¡°The thicker portion of the vines was not natural, was it?¡±


    He says as he tries to cool off the fire.


    Barry: ¡°No, I bundled various vines to make it thicker so you can¡¯t see the fire on their lower portions.¡±


    Dyne: ¡°Tch! Cunning, but that won¡¯t be enough.¡±


    Barry: ¡°Of course not.¡±


    Barry says as his gaze shifts from Dyne to Walter and back.


    Walter: ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not that much interested in fighting you. I would rather avoid it if I could.¡±


    Barry: ¡°Don¡¯t make me laugh. You literally came here to kill me.¡±


    Walter: ¡°It¡¯s more like I have to kill you. I don¡¯t particularly want to do it. It¡¯s not something I take a lot of pleasure in.¡±


    He says as a creepy smile forms on his lips.


    Ro: ¡°I don¡¯t buy that.¡±


    Barry stares at the two of them as he sees the fire extinguishing on Dyne¡¯s uniform as the Spectre stands back up.


    Ro glances at the dragon at the same time the dragon glances at him and they both nod.


    Ro: ¡°Barry, focus on that Spectre. We will make sure to keep that Walter guy away from you.¡±


    Barry, despite knowing that they would be no match for Walter, agrees to their proposal. There just is no other option. He knows there is no way he is winning against both Dyne and Walter. Even if all three of them go at the two of them combined, Walter would probably come out on top, even if Dyne falls. The best way to deal with this is to defeat Dyne and threaten Walter by putting Dyne¡¯s existence on the line.


    Dyne: ¡°Well, seeing as how you have let me cool off the fire without attacking even once, I suppose you have some other tricks planned.¡±


    Barry: ¡°Maybe I do.¡±


    Barry says as he disappears right in front of their eyes.


    Dyne: ¡°Teleportation? Isn¡¯t that dangerous at a time like this?¡±


    However,


    Barry: ¡°Who the hell said anything about teleportation?¡±


    Barry¡¯s voice comes from behind Dyne. Dyne understands at that moment. It wasn¡¯t teleportation, but Energy Manipulation. In the time he let Dyne cool off the fire, he was gathering enough energy in his legs and his arms to run so fast that it looks like he disappeared. He used that speed to get behind Dyne.


    Walter, seeing that, smiles.


    Without paying attention to him however, Barry put his hands on Dyne¡¯s back and uses pyrokinesis. The result was Dyne being set ablaze from his back to this head.


    Dyne: ¡°AAAAHHH!!!¡±


    Dyne screams as he falls away from Barry having his back literally erupting in flames.


    Walter: ¡°That would really hurt.¡±


    Walter says as he glances at Dyne and then at Barry.


    Dragon: ¡°Yeah, too bad you can¡¯t help him.¡±


    The dragon says as snakes suddenly appear out of the trees and the ground to bind Walter.


    Walter: ¡°Now this is peculiar.¡±


    Walter remains unfazed no matter how many snakes bind him though. But in the next moment, Ro comes running towards him and puts his hand through Walter¡¯s body.


    Ghosts are, more or less, energy so they can move through solid objects like it¡¯s no big deal if they try to dilute themselves in the atmosphere. However, what happens when a diluted body that could pass through solids is condensed while it¡¯s going through the solid. Since ghosts are mostly energy and generally feel much less physical pain than a normal person, they may be able to cope up with it, but what about their targets?


    Walter: ¡°AAAAHHH!!!¡±


    Walter Schmidt, the strongest man on earth, shouts in pain, as blood comes out of his mouth. Ro, trying to endure further, pulls his arms back while keeping it in the condensed form. That causes a wound almost akin to a hole in the stomach to be opened up on Walter.


    Walter: ¡°GGAAAHHH!!!¡±


    Ro immediately steps away from him.


    Ro: ¡°I hope that worked.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°From the looks of things, it did work. My turn next.¡±


    He says as he motions the snakes to go at his wound and bite him. The snakes follow through and inject him with their poison directly in his wound. Ro tries to look away in disgust at that scene but doesn¡¯t, so as to not miss anything.


    Dragon: ¡°Well, I guess it¡¯s not common for you to encounter such gruesome things.¡±


    Ro: ¡°It¡¯s not.¡±


    He says as he readies himself to repeat the same trick he just did.


    On the other end,


    Dyne: ¡°AAAAAHHH!¡±


    Dyne¡¯s body continuously burned as he screamed in pain. In trying to get away from Barry, Dyne had ended up going deeper into the forest away from Walter, Ro and the dragon. Barry, however, had followed him.


    Barry: ¡°My first attack confirmed that your armor has no properties that would protect you from getting burned. That should have been obvious but I just had to check once, who knows what upgrade you people would have come up with?¡±


    He says as he raises his hand to point a finger at Dyne.


    Dyne: ¡°AAAHHH! GAAHHH!! EEEHH!!!¡±


    Dyne tries to control the pain so he could try to counter attack but he is unable to. On the other hand,


    Barry: ¡°Now then, the moment couldn¡¯t be better than this.¡±


    Barry says as he uses photokinesis on Dyne to show him illusions.


    Barry: ¡°Witness the most horrible sight you¡¯ll ever see in your life.¡±


    Barry declares as he sends the burning ghost on a trip of mental torture.


    *******************************


    I don¡¯t know what to say to her right now and it seems like both Sona and the girl don¡¯t have a clue either. As she look at us one-by-one, she sighs and says,


    Sneha: ¡°I bet that bastard predicted this would happen.¡±


    She is probably referring to Ethan.


    After saying that, she looks straight at us and says,


    Sneha: ¡°I want to go inside the tomb.¡±


    What she says surprises all three of us.


    Sneha: ¡°And I can¡¯t do it alone. The only way I¡¯ll be able to enter the tomb is if someone Ozyllus approves of comes along with me.¡±


    She says as she looks at me.


    Sneha: ¡°That¡¯s why I am here, now what about you?¡±


    She plainly gives the reason for her being here without us even asking. Was I feeling nervous for no reason?


    Sona: ¡°We are here to go inside the tomb as well.¡±


    Sona answers her as she takes a glance at the girl. She doesn¡¯t immediately understand, but does so pretty soon.


    Girl: ¡°Um, well ¡­ I suppose it would be okay if we could bring her along with us.¡±


    Both of them turn to me.


    Kais: ¡°I don¡¯t have any objections.¡±


    I say in a casual manner. If they are so okay with all this, then there¡¯s no need for me to be nervous either.


    Sneha: ¡°Well, when are you guys planning to go in then? You know about how the time is working right now, don¡¯t you?¡±


    All three of us nod.


    Girl: ¡°Yes, that¡¯s why we need to go in right now.¡±


    Sneha: ¡°Hmm ¡­¡±


    She turns to look back at the forest as she seems to wonder about something.


    Sneha: ¡°Okay, I am on board.¡±


    She says as she turns back to us. I wonder; was she worrying about Ethan? Where is he anyway?


    Sona: ¡°Well, let¡¯s get going then.¡±


    We all step in front of the entrance of the tomb. I don¡¯t think Sneha knows what is inside. So at this moment, none of us know what¡¯s inside. In which case, we can come across anything in there.


    Sneha: ¡°Well, I am ready to go in.¡±


    She says in a slightly bored tone.


    Sona: ¡°Yeah, me too.¡±


    Sona says in a rather casual tone.


    Girl: ¡°Yes, let¡¯s go.¡±


    The little girl says in her usual cheerful manner.


    Kais: ¡°Yeah sure, lead the way.¡±


    I reply in the calmest voice I can come up with. As the girl steps inside the tomb, she is followed by Sneha, Sona and finally me.


    Whatever we will find in this tomb, I can only hope it helps us. But I am not so sure it will. For some reason, I just can¡¯t take the picture out of my head, the picture of Ozyllus smiling somewhere at this development, and the picture of Abyss being sad.


    I can just hope that these pictures in my head are not actual expressions they have at this moment, inside The Cage.


    *******************************

 Chapter 43: Fire

    No matter where he looks, there is fire. There is only fire. No, fire would be too mild of a description of it. A more accurate description would be inferno.


    Dyne: ¡°No way. This isn¡¯t true.¡±


    The Spectre, Dyne, falls as he sees this scenery, as he sees all the other Spectres slaughtered.


    Dyne: ¡°This is ¡­ just impossible.¡±


    He says as he looks at the inferno around him in disbelief.


    Dyne: ¡°This is ¡­ an illusion. It has to be. There¡¯s just no way, something like this just isn¡¯t possible in reality.¡±


    He denies what he sees. He has to.


    Dyne: ¡°After all, we are the strongest army in the entire world.¡±


    This is not wrong.


    Dyne: ¡°We could defeat any army in the world. We can even defeat the whole The Dragon Alliance by ourselves.¡±


    This is not wrong either.


    Dyne: ¡°We could even ¡­ even defeat Walter ¡­ ¡°


    He notices something that catches his eyes.


    Dyne: ¡°if we ¡­¡±


    He lowers his gaze to look at it.


    Dyne: ¡°fight together ¡­¡±


    He says as he gets a good look at what had caught his sight.


    Dyne: ¡°This ¡­ is just plain absurd!¡±


    He denies it. He can never believe it. The psychic hailed as ¡®the strongest man in the world¡¯ lies dead in front of his eyes.


    Dyne: ¡°It¡¯s unreal!¡±


    He drags himself back from that scene, that unbelievable scene.


    Dyne: ¡°This just doesn¡¯t make any sense.¡±


    He says as he tries to look away but is unable to.


    Dyne: ¡°Who could possibly do something like this?¡±


    He asks when there was no one to answer.


    Dyne: ¡°That¡¯s right. There¡¯s no one.¡±


    He smiles, no, frowns. He frowns to convince himself.


    Dyne: ¡°There just is no one who can create this disaster. No one in the world has the power to do this.¡±


    He keeps crawling backwards and frowning in disbelief unable to look away from the sight of Walter Schmidt¡¯s corpse.


    Dyne: ¡°That¡¯s just it. There¡¯s no one. This is not a reality. This is just an illusion.¡±


    He does not remember that he was set ablaze and is being shown these illusions by Barry. Those memories have been temporarily sealed away. But if he believes, if he believes enough that this is an illusion, then he will realize that it really is.


    Dyne: ¡°This is an illusion. It has to be. It can only be an illusion.¡±


    And fortunately for him, ghosts don¡¯t have dreams. They can¡¯t have dreams. So, the only possibility for denying this reality he can think of is it being an illusion.


    Dyne: ¡°This is an illusion. This is an illusion. This is an illusion. Huh ¡­¡±


    His words stop coming out as he feels a presence behind him. He feels that there¡¯s someone standing behind him.


    Dyne: ¡°No, it¡¯s just an illusion. Even that presence is an illusion.¡±


    That presence even overtakes his inability to look away from Walter¡¯s corpse. He tries to convince himself to not do it yet he can¡¯t stop his head from turning to look back. His curiosity seems to be getting the better of him.


    Dyne: ¡°Huh!¡±


    And it doesn¡¯t turn out very good for him.


    Dyne: ¡°No, no, no, no, no, no,¡±


    He keeps saying the word of denial as he looks at the sight behind him.


    Dyne: ¡°no, no, no, no,¡±


    He keeps repeating the same word as many times as he could. That was just how unbelievable the sight in front of his eyes was.


    One man ¡­ among all the fallen, there is one man standing.


    His hands are soaked in blood.


    His clothes are soaked in blood.


    His face is soaked in blood.


    And he has tears flowing from his eyes.


    Dyne: ¡°no, no, no, not possible. There is no one alive ¡­ who can do this.¡±


    Walter Schmidt is supposed to be the most powerful person in the world. And even he couldn¡¯t slaughter all the Spectres in the world by himself.


    Dyne: ¡°There is just no way!¡±


    He crawls away as he denies that scene.


    It just doesn¡¯t make any sense for someone to exist who can do this. If there really is someone who can do this, he would truly be ¡­ the devil.


    And yet,


    Dyne: ¡°No, stay away!¡±


    He crawls away as he sees the figure soaked in blood from head to toe coming towards him.


    Dyne: ¡°Don¡¯t come any closer! Stay away from me!¡±


    But even as the Spectre says so, the figure doesn¡¯t stop. He keeps walking towards Dyne.


    Dyne: ¡°Damn it! Don¡¯t underestimate me!¡±


    He shouts at that figure but it doesn¡¯t faze him. Instead, a reply comes back.


    Figure: ¡°I am not underestimating you. I know how powerful you are.¡±


    He says as he walks towards the horrified Spectre.


    Figure: ¡°Which is why, I became more powerful than you.¡±


    Dyne: ¡°What!?¡±


    Figure: ¡°I saw you people destroying the world as if it¡¯s your plaything. And I saw myself being able to do nothing as you took everything from me.¡±


    He says to the Spectre whom he stares with bloodshot eyes.


    Figure: ¡°That is why; I became more powerful than you. I did so to destroy you all. I did so to stop your carnage.¡±


    He says as he steps right in front of the Spectre.


    Figure: ¡°And I ended up losing everything again.¡±


    He says as he kicks Dyne¡¯s head.


    Figure: ¡°I couldn¡¯t stop you.¡±


    He says as tears flow from his eyes and he pounces on the Spectre.


    Figure: ¡°In the end, all of you ended up destroying everything again.¡±


    He says as he bends down.


    Figure: ¡°So I, in return, stopped abiding by the rules too ¡­¡±Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    He says as he punched the Spectre.


    Figure: ¡°and destroyed all of you.¡±


    He punched the Spectre again and again.


    Figure: ¡°And in the end, I am left alone.¡±


    He says as he kept punching with his bloodied hands. His words ringing in Dyne¡¯s ears as the Spectre¡¯s existence started to come to an end.


    Figure: ¡°I gained nothing ¡­¡±


    The blood on his hands couldn¡¯t come from ghosts like the Spectres but it was still there. And that couldn¡¯t all be Walter¡¯s blood. But then where did all that blood came from? The Spectre wondered that question as his existence kept fading away little-by-little.


    Figure: ¡°but lost everything.¡±


    And the answer came to him very soon. As his vision faded away, the last thing he caught in his eyes was the sight of the vampires.


    Dyne: ¡°Ah!¡±


    He realized then. The war was over. It became the end of Spectres. It became the end of vampires. And it probably didn¡¯t end on just that. This figure, this man, the only survivor is left all alone after this war.


    Dyne: ¡°Who ¡­ are you?¡±


    Figure: ¡°Just someone who wanted to save those dear to him ¡­ and couldn¡¯t. My name is not important.¡±


    Dyne, hearing that, gave up and surrendered his existence. But the figure, devoid of any reason to live, kept hitting his head.


    The voices of those bloody hands hitting the Spectre¡¯s helm kept ringing and the inferno kept burning. Surely, there will come a moment when the inferno will extinguish, and so will the sound of those hands.


    *******************************


    Neither Ro nor the dragon would be able to defeat or even gain an equal footing against Walter Schmidt alone. But by working together, they have managed to bring him to his knees.


    Ro: ¡°We can¡¯t stop.¡±


    Ro says to the dragon who relaxes somewhat after seeing the snakes¡¯ poison spreading in Walter¡¯s body. The dragon nods.


    Dragon: ¡°Yeah, I know. I am not planning to stop either.¡±


    As he finishes his sentence, as if right on cue, much larger snakes that looked like pythons with golden skin surround Walter.


    Ro: ¡°Eh!¡±


    Ro just can¡¯t watch something as horrible as this but he has to force himself to do it.


    Dragon: ¡°I don¡¯t blame you for feeling nauseous right now.¡±


    The dragon isn¡¯t lying.


    Dragon: ¡°After doing your part, you are free to turn away.¡±


    Ro again runs to Walter and uses the same trick he has used for three times now. That is to say, the trick that has worked like a charm for three times now.


    Walter: ¡°Damn!¡±


    He says as he grits his teeth in pain but can¡¯t even lift his fingers to stop Ro from putting his hand through his body in diluted form and then condensing it with the atmosphere some of its portions are in touch with.


    Walter: ¡°GAAHH!!!¡±


    As usual, the trick ends up being a very painful experience for Walter. This pain, however, worsens for him in every turn because of the now present poison in his veins. Ro, on the other hand, was building endurance against the pain he feels during this, which was already much lower than what Walter felt.


    Dragon: ¡°Okay, pull back already.¡±


    The dragon says in a forceful tone that brings Ro¡¯s focus back on the subject and Ro pulls his hands out and retreats.


    Dragon: ¡°What were you doing?¡±


    He asks as he motions his pythons to attack Walter.


    Ro: ¡°Sorry, I just noticed how my endurance against this pain is increasing on every single try.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Well, that¡¯s a good thing but ¡­¡±


    Ro: ¡°Yeah, I know. I won¡¯t let myself lose focus again.¡±


    He says with an affirming attitude that gives reassurance to the dragon.


    Walter: ¡°Again, you say?¡±


    Walter looks at the two with bloodshot eyes as he asks them.


    Ro: ¡°Well, what about it? Finally going to try to stop us?¡±


    Walter: ¡°You ¡­ stop messing with me!¡±


    He says as the pythons bite on his hands and his legs while the poison keeps destroying his body from inside out.


    Dragon: ¡°Sorry, but we need to stop you.¡±


    Walter: ¡°Yeah. That you do.¡±


    Walter bleeds from his mouth as he speaks but he still continues,


    Walter: ¡°Which is why ¡­ come up with something new for crying out loud!¡±


    He says as his irritation becomes more and more visible in his voice.


    Walter: ¡°This trick of yours was fine once and twice but now you are just being one-trick ponies.¡±


    He displays his irritation clearly.


    Ro: ¡°If the same thing works, then why would we change it?¡±


    His bloodshot eyes grow even more intense after hearing Ro¡¯s words.


    Walter: ¡°Works? Oh please!¡±


    *******************************


    Barry keeps his distance from the burning body of the Spectre as he continues showing him the illusions using his photokinesis.


    Barry: ¡°If only I could take a look inside his mind at the same time and see for myself what he is seeing, I could control the illusions to make sure he doesn¡¯t get a chance to figure out it¡¯s an illusion.¡±


    Barry laments his inability to do so.


    Barry: ¡°But I can¡¯t risk it. I need to stay on-guard.¡±


    Dyne could potentially pull something Barry had not anticipated or Walter could come to his rescue. In either case, Barry needs to be on-guard.


    Barry: ¡°Still, I can at least do this.¡±


    He says as he intensifies the flames on Dyne with his pyrokinesis. Pyrokinesis takes more energy than telepathy. But, it takes less focus. And focus is what Barry can¡¯t devote right now, energy he has in abundance.


    Barry: ¡°I hope he stays there for long though, long enough that Kais gets to the interior of the tomb.¡±


    Barry wishes so. Since he is unable to see what illusions Dyne is seeing, he can only wish for it. The way illusions work is not as simple as it may sound at first. One can¡¯t just show others an illusion they want to.


    Barry: ¡°Yeah, only idiots or monsters would try to do that.¡±


    In which, most who try it would be idiots. Although perceptiveness varies depending on who the person in question is, the subconscious part of the brain is always very perceptive. If the illusion has even a slight error in a detail, the subconscious brain would pick up on that and the person would start feeling something wrong with what he/she is seeing.


    In order to create a perfect illusion, you need to know literally everything. If you want to show an illusion of a desert, you need to know the properties of every grain of sand, the plants, whether among many others to create an illusion that the subconscious wouldn¡¯t be able to pick up on. The only other way to do it is to put so much psychic energy into creating that illusion that others wouldn¡¯t even have that much energy in them. That feat is only possible by someone like Kais, and he did do it back on the beach.


    Barry: ¡°But even so, I could still mold them a little if I could see them.¡±


    When a person just tries to use photokinesis to show others an illusion, they just insert light rays with the ability to form an illusion. These illusions connect with the targeted person¡¯s consciousness and use their memories both from the conscious and subconscious parts to create an illusion they wouldn¡¯t want to see.


    That said, that illusion could be something the person so wants to deny that they would immediately start thinking it¡¯s an illusion. And once that happens, the person would soon start to realize that it really is one.


    If Barry was able to see what Dyne was seeing and how Dyne was reacting to it, he could do some modifications to that illusion to make sure that doesn¡¯t happen. Unfortunately, that was not something he could spare his attention to.


    Barry: ¡°But still, it has been a while since I sent him in there. I suppose its working fine.¡±


    Barry says as he tries to think positively. Unfortunately for him,


    Dyne: ¡°It¡¯s just not possible!¡±


    Dyne breaks out of his illusion right at that moment, though it would be more accurate to say there was just no illusion to see after having literally been killed in it.


    Barry: ¡°Shit!¡±


    Dyne: ¡°It will never happen!¡±


    Dyne seems to be unable to get the illusion out of his mind. Barry thinks of using this chance to attack Dyne, but ¡­


    Dyne: ¡°That illusion was the stupidest thing I have ever seen in my life.¡±


    He says something that catches Barry¡¯s attention.


    Dyne: ¡°All the Spectres, dead; all the vampires, dead; Walter, dead; others, probably dead. It was just the most impossible outcome ever.¡±


    Barry stops in his tracks as he hears that. That illusion would be something Dyne never wanted to see and formed from his memories. But that also means that there is something in his memories that indicates the possibility of such a future.


    Barry: ¡°No way!¡±


    Dyne: ¡°That¡¯s what I am saying.¡±


    He looks at Barry with bloodshot eyes. He doesn¡¯t even care about his burning body. He doesn¡¯t even feel the pain, at least, not more than the shock and disbelief.


    Barry: ¡°Tch!¡±


    Barry regains focus. He realizes that he needs to focus on what he is doing at that moment. And so, he tries to intensify the flames on Dyne but,


    Dyne: ¡°If the inferno comes, it will be because of him.¡±


    Dyne says as if declaring.


    Dyne: ¡°If the corpses align, it will be because of him.¡±


    Dyne says again as if declaring. And in the same tone, he continues,


    Dyne: ¡°It will be Walter who would do it. If not him, then nobody would do it.¡±


    Dyne remembers the promise Walter made to him and the trust he gained from the Spectre to think he would stay true to it. He would not allow himself to believe in an illusion that is only possible if that promise is broken.


    Dyne: ¡°There¡¯s only person who knows how to play with fire, and that¡¯s Walter Schmidt.¡±


    *******************************


    Walter is irritated by the fact that Ro and the dragon keep repeating the same trick again and again. But the two are willing to continue on with it if it keeps working. If Walter finds a way out of it, they have more tricks up their sleeves. That is what the both of them think.


    Walter: ¡°You people sure are confident, aren¡¯t you? You do know I can heal myself with my psychic?¡±


    He says as he reads those thoughts in their heads.


    Ro: ¡°Yeah, but you can only heal your wounds. The poison inside will keep you at bay.¡±


    Walter: ¡°Too bad, you don¡¯t know anything.¡±


    He says as he clenches his fists and fire forms on them.


    Ro: ¡°Is he going to try to seal his wounds close?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°With the poison already in his body, that won¡¯t do much for him.¡±


    Walter: ¡°True, which is why sealing my wounds isn¡¯t going to be enough.¡±


    He cuts in their conversation with a big grin on his face.


    Walter: ¡°But this will be.¡±


    As he says that, the fire on his hands spreads from his body to hand wounds to his legs to his face to his back and hence, the whole body is covered in flames.


    Dragon: ¡°What!?¡±


    The pythons retreat from the fire. And just as they do that, the fire even intensifies ¡­ it intensifies to the point it becomes a blaze and it keeps becoming fiercer.


    Dragon: ¡°Just what is he doing!!?¡±


    Ro: ¡°I have no idea!¡±


    The two watch in sheer shock.


    Walter: ¡°Now then, let¡¯s turn the heat on.¡±


    He says as if to mock the fire that was already present. But he wouldn¡¯t bluff at a time like this. He doesn¡¯t need to. And that¡¯s because he can literally increase it to the level that it kills him. And he does just that.


    By increasing the heat to what can only be found on the sun¡¯s surface, he kills himself. As the person responsible for the fire dies, the fire disappears immediately. Thanks to that, the dragon and Ro only get half-burned to death.


    Dragon: ¡°AAHHH!!! AAHHH!!! What the hell was that bastard thinking?¡±


    Ro: ¡°AHHH!!! AAAHH!!! Like I said before, I have no idea, but now that he¡¯s dead, I suppose we won.¡±


    Even though they had ended up coming on top against the world¡¯s strongest, they just didn¡¯t feel any sense of accomplishment because the reason for their victory was the opponent. And then,


    Walter: ¡°Who did you think is dead?¡±


    He says while stepping out of the smoke he had created and looking down at the fallen, half-burnt ghost and the dragon in his human-form.


    Dragon: ¡°WHAT!¡±


    Ro: ¡°No way!¡±


    Walter: ¡°Yes way!¡±


    He says mockingly with a smirk on his face.


    Ro: ¡°How are you still alive?¡±


    Walter: ¡°All I had to do was heal myself before my soul completely disconnects from my body.¡±


    The two listeners are left with their mouths hanging wide as they see the monster beyond all monsters standing in front of them talking about healing a dead person, especially himself, back to life like it¡¯s no big deal.


    What else could they do when their opponent¡¯s title of the strongest in the world truly dawned on them?


    *******************************

 Chapter 44: Fate

    It has been a day. Not really, but according to the time on the island right now, it has; though if one tries to use their sense of time well, they would know that it has only been two hours. It has only been two hours since the fiasco with the time began.


    Ethan: ¡°Well,¡±


    He says as he steps out of the bushes into the clearing.


    Ethan: ¡°I am finally here.¡±


    A faint smile is on his lips and there¡¯s good reason for it. He is seeing what can be called one of the most important reminders of history for the very first time.


    Ethan: ¡°Ha!¡±


    A sigh escapes his lips as he looks at the golden monument. He is neither taken in by its beauty nor disgusted by it. Even though there is a smile on his lips, there is no real awe felt by seeing the monument. The only reason for the smile is the sense of achievement felt by him in reaching this place.


    Ethan: ¡°Still though,¡±


    And yet, he can¡¯t deny that there¡¯s something amiss.


    Ethan: ¡°I¡¯m sure ¡­¡±


    There should be something there that is not.


    Ethan: ¡°there should be a pond here.¡±


    He remembers the legend well. He has studied about it many a times so as to completely memorize everything about it. And it is times like these when that memorization helps him noticing things that may or may not seem insignificant.


    Ethan: ¡°And then,¡±


    His eyes, as they try to look for the pond, spot something else that catches his interest.


    Ethan: ¡°So she went in, huh?¡±


    He understands immediately that his partner has gone in the tomb as he sees her footsteps leading up to the gate of the tomb. There are, however, no footsteps inside the tomb.


    Ethan: ¡°And she¡¯s wasn¡¯t alone either.¡±


    He says as he sees three other footprints besides her going in the tomb as well. And just like her footprints, they can only be seen up till the entrance.


    Ethan: ¡°Now this is interesting. If I try to step in the tomb, I would probably find out the reason for that. But, I¡¯ll hold off on that for now.¡±


    He decides to first properly search the clearing and everything around it. After all, it¡¯s quite possible he would be led to a place he can¡¯t leave just by stepping backwards when he steps in the tomb.


    Ethan: ¡°So, I am really curious about where the pond is.¡±


    He puts a hand on his chin as he wonders about that.


    ???: ¡°I can tell you if you want me to.¡±


    A voice, a familiar voice comes from behind.


    Ethan: ¡°¡­¡±


    He recognizes that voice, and is caught off-guard by it.


    ???: ¡°But I suppose you probably hate me so much you wouldn¡¯t want to hear anything from me.¡±


    His eyes stare at the ground as his mind clogs up with hatred. The desire the kill the owner of this voice takes over him as he turns around.


    ???: ¡°See, I knew you hate me.¡±


    The voice continues. As he hears that, he realizes something. He realizes he was about to do something really stupid. And he steps back.


    Ethan: ¡°No, no,¡±


    ???: ¡°No?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°No, please, feel free to tell me.¡±


    He says while his head hangs low and his eyes stare at the ground trying to hide his anger and hatred.


    Ethan: ¡°Where is the pond mentioned in the legends, Ozyllus?¡±


    He asks the owner of that voice.


    Ozyllus: ¡°Well, the pond¡¯s on the opposite end of the island to the beach you initially landed on.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°I see.¡±


    He understands that if he loses himself to anger or hatred right now, all the things he had done for so long would be for naught. So, he has to stop himself. He has to think rationally. He has to look at the man who turned his life upside down and try to talk to him calmly and rationally as if the hatred from 12 years ago has disappeared.


    Ethan: ¡°Then, tell me, why are you here?¡±


    He holds those hands that are shaking from anger and asks so.


    Ozyllus: ¡°That¡¯s a good question, considering your position.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°My Position?¡±


    As Ozyllus sees his reaction, he ponders on how to give the answer to his question. After a moment of silence, he asks,


    Ozyllus: ¡°Do you know why I chose your eyes?¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    Ethan¡¯s lips curl in disgust as he hears that question.


    Ethan: ¡°¡­ I don¡¯t.¡±


    Ozyllus: ¡°It was because you didn¡¯t have a purpose.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°What!?¡±


    His eyebrows twitch and his hands tighten but he is still somehow able to stop himself from attacking the so-called god.


    Ozyllus: ¡°It¡¯s because, out of all the people in the world that I saw every day, you seemed like the most devoid of a reason to live.¡±


    He says as he turns to look at the sky.


    Ozyllus: ¡°It was as if there you had no real desires, as if you were living for the sake of living.¡±


    He continues on.


    Ozyllus: ¡°You looked like you¡¯ll easily jump off a cliff if you feel like it, because there was just nothing driving you to live.¡±


    Ethan hears those words with wide-eyed shock on his face.


    Ethan: ¡°T-That¡¯s ¡­ bullshit!¡±


    He says to the so-called god.


    Ozyllus: ¡°Is it?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Of course it is. I was an eight-year-old boy. Maybe I had just not found anything that I was passionate about, but that doesn¡¯t mean I was ¡­¡±


    Ozyllus: ¡°You were.¡±


    Ozyllus cuts in.


    Ozyllus: ¡°It was not that you had no passion for anything you did; it was that you didn¡¯t have any feeling at all towards it.¡±


    Ethan is left unable to respond. Memories of when he was an eight-year-old could have easily been forgotten by him if his life remained ordinary. But the incident that happened that changed his life forever was etched into his memory. And so, he couldn¡¯t forget the days around that fateful day either.


    He remembers them. He remembers them well. And so, he can¡¯t refute Ozyllus¡¯ words, because they spell the truth.


    Ozyllus: ¡°If you missed eating, you didn¡¯t feel anything. If you missed class, you didn¡¯t feel anything. If you were ignored by everyone, you didn¡¯t feel anything. If you were bullied by everyone, you didn¡¯t feel anything. If you were congratulated on your birthday by everyone, you didn¡¯t feel anything.¡±


    Ozyllus keeps wording those irrefutable facts and Ethan is left with no room to escape.


    Ozyllus: ¡°It was as if, no, you really were ¡­ hollow. You were hollow inside.¡±


    It¡¯s true. Ethan knows it¡¯s true. And as someone who had made it a habit to face facts for facts without trying to ever run away from reality, he has nothing to say.


    Ozyllus: ¡°Your life looked to me like an empty vessel, so I thought you would be the perfect person to be given this responsibility, since it could fill that vessel.¡±


    He turns his head to Ethan. Ethan doesn¡¯t meet his gaze as he looks away but Ozyllus smiles as he sees that.


    Ozyllus: ¡°I made up a lie about your eyes being capable of saving the world and asked for them. I thought it would work. Because you didn¡¯t seem to have any motivation to live, I had thought you wouldn¡¯t have any attachment to your eyes either.¡±


    Ozyllus turns to look at the sky again.


    Ozyllus: ¡°But in the end, there was something inside you. You weren¡¯t completely hollow inside after all. You didn¡¯t want to experience pain and so you refused me. Furthermore, you felt fear too.¡±


    His lips keep moving.


    Ozyllus: ¡°But by then, I had already decided. I had already chosen you and I just could not bear to have memories of making another victim for no good reason. So I stuck with the one I had already involved in the war and had already made a victim, you.¡±


    He said. His hair covers his eyes so Ethan Kales wouldn¡¯t know, but there are tears forming in them.


    Ozyllus: ¡°I ended up forcibly taking your eyes and giving you the eyes of my former friend, Sagax.¡±


    Ethan is left with emotions so complicated he can¡¯t even try to explain.


    Ozyllus: ¡°That is why I chose you. I made an error in my judgment of you and ended up choosing you. But alas, it doesn¡¯t matter anymore.¡±


    He says as his face darkens.


    Ozyllus: ¡°Now that brings me to your question ¨C Why am I here?¡±


    He says as if just remembering it.


    Ozyllus: ¡°I am here because Kais stepped foot in that tomb.¡±


    Ethan wants to ask to explain further but the words just don¡¯t come out.


    Ozyllus: ¡°I was in his subconscious when he sealed it using his psychic abilities of mind-controlling on himself. But when he stepped in this tomb, in the tomb where my dead body lays, I regained all the power that I otherwise lacked to force my way out of there. And hence, I was able to be here at this moment.¡±


    Ozyllus finishes explaining.


    Ethan: ¡°HA! HA! HA!¡±


    To distract himself from everything that the so-called god had said before, Ethan laughs like a madman.


    Ethan: ¡°A god ¨C sneaked away like that? What a joke! How pathetic ¡­ of a god are you!¡±


    He tried to act as if he didn¡¯t care about the things that were said a moment ago. Seeing that, Ozyllus smiled.


    Ozyllus: ¡°Are you sure you want to ignore the reality of your emotions and try to act tough?¡±


    Ozyllus words hit their mark and Ethan is left unable to continue mocking him. He had made a vow to himself that he would never try to ignore the reality yet when it came down to it, he did it anyway.


    Ozyllus: ¡°In case you are wondering why I told you about all that before answering your question, it was because I wanted you to understand what your position is.¡±


    Ozyllus turned to look straight at Ethan.


    Ozyllus: ¡°You are the man who will see history unfold in front of your eyes. At least, that¡¯s what anyone in your position tries to do.¡±


    He starts walking towards Ethan.


    Ozyllus: ¡°Everyone like you who is alive at a time of war like this tries to observe it as a third-party and create its legend. There was one exception though. It was Sagax, whose eyes you have right now.¡±


    He continues walking and Ethan starts stepping back.


    Ozyllus: ¡°He could have easily stayed out of the war and just observed it too but he tried to stop it. He was one of the people who really wanted the war to end. And in the end, that cost him a lot.¡±


    Ozyllus keeps walking towards him and Ethan tries to step backwards.


    Ozyllus: ¡°If he had stayed out of the war and just observed, it would have been so much better for him, but that¡¯s not what he did. Some might say he was a fool and some might say he was brave, but none of it matters.¡±


    Ozyllus stops few steps away from Ethan.


    Ozyllus: ¡°In the end, he lost more than he gained and died regretting ever involving himself in the war. That is all that matters.¡±


    He looks at Ethan straight in his eyes.


    Ozyllus: ¡°So tell me, knowing all this, knowing the fate of the man who tried to involve himself in the war like you are, would you still try to change things?¡±


    The answer to this question would mean everything to Ozyllus.


    Ozyllus: ¡°I know you want to destroy me. I know that¡¯s what you have desired. I now also know that you had been trying to destroy my plans from the start. I know the reason you let him, the Vampire Kingdom¡¯s strategist, spread true legends about vampires was so my efforts at making them seem more dangerous than they are were sabotaged. I know the reason you sought out Sneha¡¯s help was because it would have been easy for you to manipulate her into going against me since I am the reason all her teachers and fellow students at the shrine died.¡±


    Ethan understands how important to Ozyllus the answer to this question is.


    Ozyllus: ¡°So, knowing the fate that awaits you on this path, would you still continue doing what you have been doing?¡±


    Ethan can clearly see the darkness on Ozyllus¡¯ face as he asks this question, as he begs for an answer. So, Ethan replies,


    Ethan: ¡°Like I care about a bunch of fatalistic nonsense. I only care about my goal.¡±


    Ozyllus: ¡°The goal that you were told to accomplish by another?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°The goal that I felt the strongest urge to follow when that another told me about it.¡±


    Ethan¡¯s reply makes his intentions as clear as they could be.


    Ozyllus: ¡°I see.¡±


    Ozyllus closes his eyes as he hears that,


    Ozyllus: ¡°If that¡¯s the case,¡±


    Then opens them.


    Ozyllus: ¡°Then go try your hand at it as well.¡±


    Ozyllus says as he raises his right hand and touches Ethan¡¯s forehead.


    Ozyllus: ¡°Who knows, maybe you really could change the fate.¡±


    He says as he taps Ethan on his forehead making him step back; and having not realized that he was just one step away from the tomb, Ethan steps right into it.


    As soon as he steps in the tomb, Ethan sees the darkness in the tomb disappearing by fires that continue to ignite on both sides of the walls.


    Ethan: ¡°What!?¡±


    As he looks back at where Ozyllus was standing, he finds there to be no one. The so-called god had left him without giving him a chance to find out what he thought of his decision to go against fate.


    *******************************

 Chapter 45: Being Freed

    It was two hours ago. According to the unstable time right now, it was a day ago. But regardless, that was when we entered the tomb. The little girl was the first one to step in, followed by Sneha and then Sona. After that, it was my turn.


    The three of them looked at me as I lifted my foot to step in the tomb. That was it? I am about to step in the real tomb, I thought to myself. And as I thought that, only then did I realize something.


    Sona: ¡°Don¡¯t take forever.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Wait! If I step in the tomb,¡±


    This is Ozyllus¡¯ tomb. If I step in, who knows what may happen? My concern was about the fact that he was locked inside The Cage because I could overpower him when he was in my mind. But if I stepped inside, that power balance could change.


    Girl: ¡°Come on already.¡±


    I stepped back.


    Kais: ¡°Listen, there¡¯s something I haven¡¯t told you.¡±


    I said so to Sona as I looked at her. She narrowed her eyes but didn¡¯t say anything.


    Kais: ¡°The thing is; Ozyllus¡¯ soul is currently in my subconscious.¡±


    All three of them gasped as they heard that.


    Sona: ¡°T-That¡¯s a pretty lame joke.¡±


    Kais: ¡°You know I am not joking.¡±


    I was serious and, from the expression on her face, I could tell that she understood that.


    Sona: ¡°¡­ Damn!¡±


    She immediately caught on to what I was getting at.


    Sneha: ¡°How did that happen?¡±


    I knew all three of them wanted the answer to that question.


    Kais: ¡°Well, he was the one who invaded my consciousness. It happened on the beach.¡±


    Sona: ¡°Wait, seriously!?¡±


    She was wide-eyed as she looked at me. I nodded in response.


    Sona: ¡°Then don¡¯t tell me that ¡­ that ¡­¡±


    I didn¡¯t get what exactly she was so shocked about.


    Sneha: ¡°No way, the other personality?¡±


    Sneha caught on to what Sona was thinking and as she worded it, I got it too.


    Kais: ¡°No, that wasn¡¯t Ozyllus.¡±


    After I gained all of my memories back, I remembered all the times that other personality had taken over my mind.


    Sona: ¡°You know about that?¡±


    I nodded.


    Kais: ¡°It was because he was trying to make me forget everything about him that I kept forgetting everything every time the other personality was in control.¡±


    Sona: ¡°I see. So then that would have been a part of all the memories you gained back.¡±


    Because she is a spirit-user, subjects like souls and what they can and can¡¯t do is very well-known to her. So, she was the quickest to understand everything that had happened to me involving the souls of Abyss and Ozyllus.


    Sona: ¡°But regardless, that¡¯s not the current issue.¡±


    That¡¯s true. So no one objected to her pushing the issue aside.


    Sona: ¡°What is the state of his soul right now?¡±


    She asked me with serious and focused eyes.


    Kais: ¡°I locked him in a part of my subconscious called The Cage. It¡¯s basically a-¡±


    -A dimension where a psychic¡¯s consciousness rests while one goes to sleep. Or so I was about to say,


    Sona: ¡°Yeah, I know what The Cage is. Barry had explained it to me.¡±


    Kais: ¡°I see. That helps.¡±


    Sona: ¡°You are afraid he may be able to break out of there if you step in his tomb.¡±


    I nodded. I was never so confident in myself to think I¡¯d be able to keep him locked in if it comes to fighting on equal footing, much less when I am in a place that may be beneficial to him.


    Sneha: ¡°Okay, so I need some clarification. Just because it¡¯s his tomb, would it really make his power grow.¡±


    I was not sure about that either. I was just being cautious. If anyone would have known the answer to that, it would have been Sona.


    Sona: ¡°It¡¯s not something that would happen in anyone¡¯s case. But in his case, there¡¯s a chance.¡±


    Girl: ¡°Excuse me,¡±


    She tilted her head as she asked Sona,


    Girl: ¡°why would it be anything different for him when you said that he was not a god, but another human?¡±


    That was a good point. At the end of the day, if he was just a human, then no matter how powerful he may have been; the same laws that apply to everyone else should apply to him too.


    Sona: ¡°It¡¯s not about him being a human or a god; it¡¯s about him being a cunning asshole.¡±


    She replied in a bit of irritated tone.


    Sona: ¡°There are some methods for increasing a soul¡¯s power that can only be performed by someone who has a physical body. It¡¯s very possible he could have set the tomb in a way that one or two of them are performed as soon as his soul entered the tomb.¡±


    That was a bit of a stretch to think.


    Sona: ¡°What¡¯s even more possible however ¨C is that he could have made the dragon put in some mechanism like that in here, since the dragon was following him for all these years and everything.¡±


    Now that was completely possible.


    Sona: ¡°The question is ¨C is it worth the risk?¡±


    And the answer to that question could only have been given by the dragon, who had told us to go in the tomb without telling us why.


    Sneha: ¡°Haaa!¡±


    She took a long sigh and looked at me.


    Sneha: ¡°My goal has nothing to do with what yours is but I need someone who has been recognized by Ozyllus to come with me. It¡¯s probably because Kais fulfils that requirement that nothing is happening to me right now.¡±


    Sona fulfilled that requirement too but Sneha didn¡¯t know that.


    Sneha: ¡°I would offer to listen to your problems but with the time as it is now, that could backfire.¡±


    That was true. If we lost a lot of time on this, it could definitely backfire in ways we couldn¡¯t imagine. Not to mention the obvious fact that the two who attacked us back there could come here since it seemed like their target was me.


    Sona: ¡°This is a problem.¡±


    She looked at the ground in irritation at not being able to come up with any solutions for the said problem.


    Girl: ¡°Then I think you should step in the tomb.¡±


    She said with a smile as if it was no big deal. Needless to say, someone would not like that attitude.


    Sona: ¡°Do you even understand what¡¯s going on here?¡±


    Sona asked with quite some irritation visible on her face.


    Girl: ¡°I know, I know. But shouldn¡¯t you choose to learn as much as you can when you get the chance. After all, it¡¯s not like you can keep him caged in forever.¡±


    To all of our surprise, she made a very sound point.


    Sneha: ¡°I am all for that idea.¡±


    Sneha supported her in that decision. In the end, the decision still was mine and Sona¡¯s input was the most crucial but,


    Sona: ¡°Oh boy!¡±


    She sighed.


    Sona: ¡°¡­ she has a point, we should go in.¡±


    And agreed to it as well. I couldn¡¯t help but agree too. I couldn¡¯t waste any more time on something like that. I had to sacrifice either the knowledge that could help me in the long run or the cage holding him in that would help me in the short run only.


    Kais: ¡°Fine then!¡±


    With that decided, I stepped in the tomb; and as soon as I did that, a sharp pain arose in my head.


    Ozyllus: ¡°That sure took a while.¡±This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    He said as he materialized before us outside of the tomb.


    Girl: ¡°I can¡¯t believe it!¡±


    Sneha: ¡°No way! Is that really ¡­¡±


    The two looked at him in astonishment.


    Ozyllus: ¡°I am. I definitely am.¡±


    He proudly told them with a smile. That astonishment, however, was not present on our ¨C mine and Sona¡¯s ¨C faces. To us, who had seen him once before, we couldn¡¯t afford to be astonished every time we saw this legend. The only expressions we could manage to muster up at him were ¨C hate and disgust.


    Ozyllus: ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like that, Sona.¡±


    He said to Sona as she looked as if about ready to kill him. It makes sense, to be honest. After learning the truth about the incident that took everything from her, he is the one who has inherited all the hatred that Sona once directed towards the dragon.


    Ozyllus: ¡°Oh well, I can¡¯t really change your impression of me now that it has gotten this bad. I wish I could but I can¡¯t.¡±


    He said as he started to walk away from us.


    I looked back at him, leaving the left side of my chest I had ended up holding while the pain intensified in my head.


    Kais: ¡°Not gonna try to stop us?¡±


    I provoked him to see what his response was. I didn¡¯t want to find out later that he had set up an ambush. So I asked this question because, if he had acted like he won¡¯t stop us and was lying, I would have known.


    Ozyllus: ¡°No, there¡¯s no point in trying to stop you. I doubt the devil inside you will just sit back and let me do whatever I want to you.¡±


    It made me angry beyond my imagination to hear Abyss being referred to as the devil, and by him on top of that. But, before I snapped, Sona grabbed my arm tightly to bring me back to reality.


    Sona: ¡°Don¡¯t lose it!¡±


    She told me as she looked me in the eye. I nodded. I was thankful to her for stopping me because I knew I couldn¡¯t have stopped myself.


    Kais: ¡°Well,¡±


    I looked at Sneha and the girl, and then glanced at Sona.


    Kais: ¡°Let¡¯s get going.¡±


    Sona nodded and hence, we started walking. Ozyllus didn¡¯t say anything after that. Since I was neither facing in his direction nor trying to read his aura (because I disgusted with him enough to want to stay away from everything that is his), I don¡¯t know what expression he had at that moment.


    *******************************


    Walter: ¡°Is it over?¡±


    The strongest man in the world looked down at the dragon and Ro as he said so.


    Walter: ¡°Have you finally realized you can¡¯t defeat me?¡±


    Even after seeing the terrifying display of pyrokinesis and healing, the two had still tried to attack him. However, none of their attacks had landed.


    The dragon had even tried to aggravate him so that Walter tries to kill the dragon and ends up dying himself but he had gotten his limbs torn off and asked, ¡°Do you get how ineffective that ability of yours truly is?¡±


    After that, Walter had healed him back to health with all his limbs re-attached to his body and asked him, ¡°Do you two have any other tricks up your sleeve or shall we call it quits?¡±


    The two had become well-aware of their chances of victory and how slim they were. So, they had given up on trying to win and decided to just buy time since that was what they needed to do anyway. But,


    Ro: ¡°You ¡­ bastard!¡±


    Ro cursed him as he tightened his grip on his severed arm.


    Walter: ¡°You can call me whatever you want but please answer me already, are you done with your little charade?¡±


    Ro: ¡°Tch!¡±


    Ro clicked his tongue. The dragon, on the other hand, asked Walter,


    Dragon: ¡°Do you even have a weakness?¡±


    Walter sighed.


    Walter: ¡°If I had a weakness, I wouldn¡¯t have been given that title of the world¡¯s strongest.¡±


    He said as he looked down on the dragon who was covered in blood.


    Walter: ¡°It is because I left anyone who could be more powerful than me so far behind that this title was given to me.¡±


    He wasn¡¯t bragging, but just plainly stating the facts.


    Walter: ¡°It was because I became invincible. Now, do you two still want to try fighting me?¡±


    He asked while looking down on the two. However,


    Ro: ¡°Damn!¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Tch!¡±


    There was simply no way to oppose him. Ro¡¯s contact with his right arm had been severed within a blink of an eye and the dragon had seen the same happen to all of his limbs. They knew full-well they can¡¯t stop him no matter what they may try to pull.


    Ro: ¡°Why didn¡¯t you just made us unable to move or something from the start?¡±


    Ro asked him as if to say, ¡°If you¡¯re gonna look down on us, at least show us your true power from the start?¡±


    Walter: ¡°I am not a big fan of pointless violence.¡±


    He said while sighing.


    Ro: ¡°Tch! You did more violence by repeatedly tearing our limbs off.¡±


    Walter: ¡°That can¡¯t be denied. And I suppose doing that might have actually ended up saving me the trouble of defeating you multiple times. Still, what¡¯s done is done.¡±


    He turned to the direction where Barry and Dyne would be.


    Walter: ¡°I suppose I should go help Dyne now. We have lost quite a bit of time after all.¡±


    He looked at the two as he said,


    Walter: ¡°Aren¡¯t you glad you bought a fair bit of time for them?¡±


    He started walking away without waiting for an answer. Having left behind, the two wondered,


    Ro: ¡°I don¡¯t buy it.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°What exactly are you talking about?¡±


    Ro: ¡°That excuse of pointless violence.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°That, huh?¡±


    The dragon looked at Walter while saying,


    Dragon: ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t buy it either. But what do you think his real intentions were?¡±


    Ro pursed his lips on hearing that question.


    Ro: ¡°I wonder, and this is just a guess but,¡±


    He looked at the dragon with uncertainty written all over his face.


    Ro: ¡°Did he want to let Kais, Sona and the girl get some time to go into the tomb?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°That wouldn¡¯t make any sense.¡±


    Ro: ¡°I know. But, his phrasing about us being glad for having bought them some time just seemed off to me. He understands well-enough that we are just thwarting their mission by trying to buy those three some time but he doesn¡¯t stop us. Why?¡±


    Ro¡¯s concerns were very understandable and his guess, if correct, would explain the reason for it. But then his real intentions in coming to the island become clouded in the mist.


    Dragon: ¡°Damn! I hate to admit it, but your guess could actually be on the spot.¡±


    The dragon said as he looked at Walter in confusion and irritation.


    Walter, on the other hand, listened to that conversation through his clairaudience and smiled.


    Walter: ¡°Dyne, are you okay?¡±


    Walter asked his Spectre partner. But before Dyne answered him, he saw for himself the scene of the battle between him and Barry. Dyne¡¯s uniform had burn marks all over it and Barry¡¯s clothes were torn apart from places to places. The cuts on both of them were deep enough that if they had a physical body, blood would have been coming out without pause.


    Dyne: ¡°I¡¯ve been better,¡±


    Dyne responded to Walter¡¯s question anyway.


    Dyne: ¡°And worse.¡±


    He referred to the situation in front of Walter¡¯s eyes as ¨C neither the worst nor the best Dyne has seen.


    Barry: ¡°I suppose you defeated the two of them.¡±


    Walter: ¡°Are you disappointed?¡±


    Barry: ¡°No, I expected that would happen.¡±


    Walter: ¡°Not confident in your friends?¡±


    Barry: ¡°Regardless of whether any of us would call the others our friends, I know how powerful you are.¡±


    Barry wasn¡¯t lying, not about thinking of none of them as a friend, and not about knowing how powerful Walter is.


    Dyne: ¡°If that is the case, do you still want to try to fight us?¡±


    Dyne asked Barry if he would fight them knowing he would have to take on both of them.


    Barry: ¡°I doubt I stand a chance.¡±


    Walter: ¡°I think you might actually be able to do me some heavy damage though.¡±


    Walter wasn¡¯t mocking or provoking him, he was just saying what he thought of Barry¡¯s abilities.


    Barry: ¡°I know I will do you some heavy damage. The point is that it doesn¡¯t matter anymore.¡±


    Dyne: ¡°It doesn¡¯t.¡±


    Barry: ¡°I can¡¯t sense Kais¡¯ or Sona¡¯s aura anywhere on the island. That would mean they have entered the tomb. My mission is accomplished.¡±


    Dyne: ¡°Tch! I took too long.¡±


    Dyne got irritated at himself and Barry as he heard that but,


    Walter: ¡°I wouldn¡¯t worry too much. We just need to bring Kais on our side, right? It¡¯s not like he would stay in the tomb forever. We can just talk to him when he comes out.¡±


    Dyne listened to him with a suspicious gaze. He wasn¡¯t suspicious of Walter but of what he is saying and was trying to think of anything that may go wrong with that approach.


    Dyne: ¡°Still though, there¡¯s a big chance he might not come with us. Who knows what he would learn in the tomb?¡±


    Walter: ¡°I can¡¯t deny that.¡±


    Walter said as he turned towards Barry, who had fallen on the ground out of exhaustion.


    Walter: ¡°But if you remember, we had two missions while coming here.¡±


    Dyne: ¡°Yeah, I remember.¡±


    Dyne said as he stood up straight and turned towards Barry as well. Seeing that, Barry gazed at them in surprise but soon his lips curled into a faint smile as he looked down on the ground.


    Barry: ¡°I see.¡±


    Dyne: ¡°You already understand what we are talking about, huh?¡±


    Barry: ¡°Yeah, you were told to kill me, weren¡¯t you? Well, I am already dead, so I guess it will be more accurate to say ending my existence.¡±


    Dyne didn¡¯t say anything, letting the silence be the reply.


    Barry: ¡°It makes sense. Now that the war is almost here, it makes sense that your superiors would tell you to dispose of someone who had been a bother to you people before.¡±


    Dyne: ¡°That¡¯s true.¡±


    Dyne walked towards Barry, not charging to kill, but simply walked towards him.


    Dyne: ¡°You are one of the few people who actually made my superiors sweat.¡±


    There was no excitement in Dyne¡¯s voice about the fact that he was going to kill the ghost who had been his archenemy for such a long time.


    Barry: ¡°Well,¡±


    Barry said as he looked at Dyne.


    Barry: ¡°I had a feeling I would die on this island.¡±


    Dyne stopped a foot away from where Barry was and bent to his knees.


    Dyne: ¡°I suppose your instincts were right, mine never are.¡±


    Barry: ¡°Yeah, I know how much of a loser you are when it comes to that stuff.¡±


    Dyne sighed as he saw Barry smirk over his own comment. Walter kept silently watching that exchange as,


    Dyne: ¡°I suppose I must.¡±


    He said as he put his hands on his helm and took it off. For the first time ever, Dyne had shown his face to someone outside of the Ghost Nation.


    Seeing it, Barry smiled.


    Barry: ¡°It isn¡¯t that good of a face that I¡¯d be glad I got to see it before dying.¡±


    Dyne: ¡°I doubt any face would be that good, so stop being an asshole.¡±


    Barry chuckled and said,


    Barry: ¡°Hey; let me be a bit of an asshole on my death, will you?¡±


    Dyne smiled as he heard that. What followed was a moment of silence, comfortable silence. That silence was broken when Dyne took a long sigh.


    Dyne: ¡°If we weren¡¯t on opposite sides, I would have opposed to the decision to kill you with all I could. But,¡±


    Barry: ¡°I don¡¯t need you to tell me that. I know you enough to know that already.¡±


    Barry had accepted his fate right when he had stepped his foot on the island. His instincts, courtesy of being a psychic, had always been very accurate. So, he knew he was going to die ¡­ again, but for the final time this time. He was ready for it. And now, the only thing he needed to really do, he has done. So now, he is ready to accept his death without any struggle.


    *******************************


    12 years ago, on a particular day, a 20-year-old youngster stood in front of the so-called god.


    Ozyllus: ¡°You do understand, don¡¯t you? It will be your sister and everyone else in the Vampire Kingdom if not anyone here, obviously, done by someone else but a slaughter will happen. And I will make sure Kais witnesses it.¡±


    Barry: ¡°Why you-¡±


    His hands were shaking with rage as he heard those words.


    Ozyllus: ¡°I have my reasons. You don¡¯t need to know them. All you need to do is choose ¨C the about a million people in the Vampire Kingdom along with Valdis, who in one way or another are somewhat involved with the war and guilty for some things at least, or a thousand or so uninvolved innocent humans around you, whose corpses will Kais see today?¡±


    There was no helping it. He could try to warn everyone in Vampire Kingdom but they wouldn¡¯t believe him. They wouldn¡¯t believe ¡®god¡¯ would do something like this.


    No matter what he did, the corpses would align. He had to make the choice of whose corpses those would be. And so, he turned back. He started heading towards the place he would turn into a graveyard as he was stopped by a voice.


    Ozyllus: ¡°Since I may not get any other chance to say this, I just wanted to tell you. The reason you and Valdis got attacked by the vampires and lost your home as well as your parents, it was because I told them to attack.¡±


    Barry¡¯s hands clenched tighter than ever.


    Ozyllus: ¡°I found you two to be specially gifted in some aspects and so I made sure I put your talents to good use, so I told them to turn your sister into a vampire since she had a lot of potential to be a very strong one and told them to let you be.¡±


    Blood started dripping from the clutches of his hand.


    Barry: ¡°Ozyllus, remember this.¡±


    He said as the angry screams of a victim rung in his head.


    Barry: ¡°I¡¯ll make sure Kais learns those things you are trying to hide from him.¡±


    Ozyllus: ¡°Oh?¡±


    Barry: ¡°And when that will happen, you¡¯ll see your dream falling apart in front of your eyes.¡±


    Ozyllus¡¯ eyebrows twitched as he heard.


    Ozyllus: ¡°Well, you won¡¯t be alive to see that day.¡±


    The so-called god muttered under his breath.


    *******************************


    Dyne: ¡°Barry, I want you to know,¡±


    He said as his lance touched Barry¡¯s neck.


    Dyne: ¡°That I am happy right now.¡±


    He lifted his lance.


    Dyne: ¡°And it¡¯s not because an enemy of mine is dying. It¡¯s because you are being freed ¡­¡±


    He lifted his lance enough so the strike would deal a killing blow.


    Dyne: ¡°freed from this twisted world our ancestors have given us.¡±


    He brought his lance down and beheaded the psychic-ghost lying in front of him. Barry had resigned his fate knowing that he had fulfilled the promise he made to Ozyllus 12 years ago. He knew he could not win against the two of them anyway, so there was no point in further resistance by him. So, he had resigned himself.


    In that moment though, Dyne felt as if he had heard him say ¨C ¡°I¡¯m happy too.¡± And unexpectedly, the Spectre fell to his knees in a show of grief that no one could have seen coming.


    Dyne: ¡°I hope ¡­ you rest in peace.¡±


    *******************************

 Chapter 46: Reasons - Known And Unkown

    Ro: ¡°What!?¡±


    Ro stood in shock as he raised his voice. He just couldn¡¯t help it.


    Walter: ¡°Barry is gone. How many times do you want me to repeat it?¡±


    Ro: ¡°Don¡¯t mess with me!¡±


    He shouted at the Spectre.


    Dyne: ¡°We are not doing anything like that.¡±


    Dyne said as he stepped forward and showed Ro his lance.


    Dyne: ¡°It was by this lance that I beheaded him. His existence is forever over.¡±


    Dyne said in an emotionless voice. Ro stood still in shock as he stared at that lance.


    Dragon: ¡°I see. So that¡¯s it for him, huh?¡±


    The dragon¡¯s voice was melancholic. Neither the Spectre now the former half-psychic knew why. But, Walter Schmidt distinctly understood.


    Walter: ¡°It really is unfortunate, but I think he was ready for it.¡±


    The dragon nodded. He had seen the same resignation in Barry¡¯s eyes that were in his own. He knew Barry was ready for it.


    Dragon: ¡°Still, it¡¯s kind of sad to hear.¡±


    The dragon was leaning from a tree as he stood at the place he was defeated by Walter Schmidt a few moments before.


    On the loss of the psychic-ghost known as Barry, all that the dragon felt was a sense of melancholy. Walter understood that melancholy, for he felt it too. Barry had only ever been a victim and he still tried to do all in his power to help Kais find the truth. In the end though, he couldn¡¯t even see for himself if his efforts brought any success.


    That was why the dragon and Walter felt sad. The dragon was well-aware that the same fate awaited him. Walter, on the other hand, is someone who will be left with the burden to carry out Barry¡¯s wishes after his death, or he wouldn¡¯t be able to have any peace of mind. Both, for what would become of them, felt melancholic.


    Dyne: ¡°Well, we know that Kais has already gone in the tomb, so the only chance we will get of bringing him on our side will be after he comes out.¡±


    Walter nodded and the two turned to look in the direction the tomb is. However,


    Dragon: ¡°I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ll be able to do that.¡±


    He had no sarcasm or hostility in his voice as he said so. He just stated what he thought.


    Dyne: ¡°And why¡¯s that?¡±


    Dyne turned to him as he asked.


    Dragon: ¡°There¡¯s a particular person he may meet there after which, bringing him on either side might not work out so well.¡±


    Ro: ¡°And who is that ¡®particular person¡¯?¡±


    The surprise on Ro¡¯s face was also present on Dyne¡¯s, but not on Walter¡¯s.


    Dragon: ¡°I am pretty sure Barry knew the answer to that. And well, Kais will too when comes out so just ask him.¡±


    The dragon glances at Ro when he mentioned Barry. Ro¡¯s eyes widened for a second and he looked confused, as the dragon expected he would.


    Ro: ¡°That doesn¡¯t make any sense. Why would Barry let something happen that would end up causing our mission problems?¡±


    Their mission was to bring Kais to the Vampire Kingdom¡¯s sides, so why would Barry let Kais go in the tomb when it would sabotage that mission?


    Walter: ¡°Maybe he didn¡¯t care about your mission all that much.¡±


    Ro looked at Walter in anger.


    Ro: ¡°And that is exactly what I am saying doesn¡¯t make any sense. Why would he not stop something that would sabotage a mission given to him by Valdis herself? I mean, even if you ignore the fact that they are siblings, he was still obliged to serve his queen. Just why would he not care about the mission?¡±


    Walter: ¡°Yeah, he definitely had the obligation to obey, but maybe he didn¡¯t care about that obligation all that much.¡±


    Ro: ¡°Well, I ¡­¡±


    -don¡¯t think that¡¯s possible.


    The words don¡¯t come out of his mouth. How much did he know about Barry anyway? Definitely not enough to give those words much meaning.


    Dyne: ¡°I doubt he didn¡¯t felt the obligation to fulfill his mission.¡±


    Dyne, however, while still staring at the forest, rejects Walter¡¯s assumption.


    Dyne: ¡°The reason he would have let something like that happen was simply because of who he was.¡±


    The other three looked at the Spectre in confusion.


    Dyne: ¡°Because of who he was as a person. He was someone who couldn¡¯t live with the guilt of having done what he did 12 years ago.¡±


    There was no one who could refute Dyne¡¯s words, because they were the words of the person who knew Barry, albeit not completely, but better than anyone else on the island.


    Dyne: ¡°Because he couldn¡¯t live with the guilt, he tried to atone. And since he couldn¡¯t have atoned for every life he had taken, he would have tried to find some closure in atoning to Kais, whose life he had destroyed.¡±


    So was Dyne¡¯s explanation to Barry¡¯s mindset. What was really the reason ¨C there was no way to make sure.


    Dyne: ¡°Either way,¡±


    Dyne turned around and looked at the three as he said,


    Dyne: ¡°he did what he thought he should do. Now, we need to do what we think we should do. There¡¯s no reason to fret over anything else.¡±


    He said with a strong voice, a voice no one refuted to.


    *******************************


    It had been half an hour from real-time. On the time-axis however, it had been 6 hours; 6 hours since we entered the tomb.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    Sneha: ¡°We have been walking for quite a while now.¡±


    Girl: ¡°It has been half an hour.¡±


    Sneha: ¡°Yeah, I know that. I meant to say that we should have come across something of value by now.¡±


    It¡¯s strange but we hadn¡¯t seen a single thing by then except the walls, the floor and the ceiling.


    Sona: ¡°That¡¯s been bugging me too, to be honest.¡±


    I was constantly using Aura-Reading so we couldn¡¯t have missed some hidden doors either. So the fact that for half an hour, we had been walking in what seemed like an empty tomb would surely worry anyone.


    Girl: ¡°Hmm ¡­ we are on the third floor now so ¡­¡±


    She trailed off. The one other thing we had seen except walls, floor and ceiling were the stairs. We were already on the third floor and all the floors below us had been completely empty. And it looked like the same would be true for that floor also.


    Sona: ¡°I don¡¯t know what to think about this but ¡­¡±


    She turned to look at me as she asked,


    Sona: ¡°Do you suppose Ozyllus could be doing something for the tomb to look this way to us.¡±


    Her worrying about something like that made total sense but that was not the case.


    Kais: ¡°If he had been doing something like that, I would have known. Have some faith in my Aura Reading, will you?¡±


    I said in a somewhat light-hearted tone even though my mind was full of heavy thoughts. Or maybe that was the reason I used that tone.


    Sona: ¡°It¡¯s not that I don¡¯t have faith in your abilities. But I am worried that he might be using some mechanism that your abilities wouldn¡¯t be able to detect.¡±


    We had mentioned the possibility of something like that existing before I entered the tomb. And while this isn¡¯t what we were afraid something like that would be used for, who is to say that there is no mechanism that can be used for this purpose.


    Sneha: ¡°I really doubt that though.¡±


    Sneha however objected to that guess.


    Sneha: ¡°Alongside him using his Aura-Reading ability, I have also been constantly keeping an eye out for anything that may have any relations to supernatural. And I have come up empty.¡±


    Sona nodded as if to say she understood that, but the anxiety still didn¡¯t seem to leave her mind. And so,


    Kais: ¡°There¡¯s something I have been wondering about for a while too.¡±


    Sona turned to me as I voiced my concern.


    Kais: ¡°How exactly is this island going to get destroyed?¡±


    I asked the question that had been weighing on my mind.


    Kais: ¡°I assume it has something to do with the tomb as well.¡±


    I looked at the girl as I asked that,


    Girl: ¡°I have no idea.¡±


    But much to no one¡¯s surprise, she didn¡¯t know anything about that.


    Kais: ¡°Tell me, how much do you know about this island?¡±


    She put a finger to her cheeks and looked up as she wondered. Seeing her actions which matched her figure, it¡¯s actually pretty easy to forget that she¡¯s made of energy and is not a real child.


    Girl: ¡°I don¡¯t know how large or small you would call my knowledge of the island, but I don¡¯t think I know a lot.¡±


    She then started to mention all the things she knows.


    Girl: ¡°I do know that the flow of energy on the island favors psychics.¡±


    That is something I think most people who know of this island also know.


    Girl: ¡°I know that the island has a pond on the opposite side of the beach that everyone from outside first appears on.¡±


    I found that out about half a day ago.


    Girl: ¡°I know all the animals living on the island.¡±


    That is something I didn¡¯t expect. Knowing a lot of them is something of a given when she has only ever been on the island but knowing all of them is an amazing feat even for her.


    Girl: ¡°I know that this tomb is for ¡­ is for ¡­¡±


    She knew the name but hesitated in saying it.


    Sneha: ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡±


    And then I remembered that she and the animals in the forest had become very lively when I had mentioned Ozyllus¡¯ name back when I was talking to her for the first time.


    Kais: ¡°I think there¡¯s a reason why she is hesitating. We should rather not force her to say it.¡±


    Sona: ¡°Is that so? Well, fine.¡±


    Sneha nodded as well. I made the suggestion and both women agreed to it. Seeing that, the little girl continued.


    Girl: ¡°Well, I also know that the island would get destroyed somehow after the dragon steps out of the tomb the first time.¡±


    Kais: ¡°I think it was more like after you see him out of the tomb the first time but anyway, that last one was said to you by Ethan Kales, wasn¡¯t it?¡±


    She nodded.


    Sona: ¡°Do you know anything about that?¡±


    Seeing where I was going with that, Sona asked that question while looking at Sneha. She moved her head in denial.


    Sneha: ¡°I don¡¯t know about everything he says. In fact, I don¡¯t have a clue about most of the things he says.¡±


    So it seemed. I didn¡¯t expect her to know much to be honest. I just can¡¯t picture anyone knowing the meaning of most of the things that Ethan says, much less everything.


    Sona: ¡°Well, that¡¯s that I suppose. We¡¯ll just have to leave that issue.¡±


    Kais: ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then I want to ask you something too.¡±


    I said while looking at Sneha.


    Kais: ¡°What exactly is in the tomb that you are after?¡±


    Hearing my question, she narrowed her eyes as she looked at me with suspicion.


    Kais: ¡°You are using my help to get there so you should at least let me know that.¡±


    Sneha: ¡°Hmm ¡­¡±


    She wondered about whether to tell me or not as I and Sona glanced at each other. The little girl watched our exchange from further ahead.


    Sona: ¡°Well?¡±


    She tried to probe Sneha to give an answer and, in response, she sighed. The probing seemed to have done its job.


    Sneha: ¡°I have been searching for records of the history of a particular shrine.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Shrine?¡±


    Sneha: ¡°It was the shrine that I was raised in as a kid.¡±


    She revealed that information with a straight face, leaving me surprised. Though for Sona¡¯s reaction, it seemed like she had predicted that.


    Sneha: ¡°Out of all the people that lived there, I am the only one alive.¡±


    She said in a voice that seemed to be losing some of its composure.


    Sneha: ¡°There are a lot of questions in my mind for those that lived there. And the only way I may be able to get the answers to those questions are by finding the history of that shrine. So I am searching for the records of their history.¡±


    Her reasons made sense.


    Sona: ¡°And those records would be present in the tomb?¡±


    But it didn¡¯t make any sense how she would find those records in this tomb of all places.


    Sneha: ¡°Well, I have been shown some proof that the records would be here.¡±


    Sona: ¡°By whom?¡±


    Sneha: ¡°By Ethan.¡±


    I had seen that answer coming but it still was surprising.


    But after hearing all that, it made some sense why Sneha and Ethan were working together. Ethan would have wanted someone with supernatural abilities on his side (probably). Sneha agreed to be that person in exchange for giving her this information. I don¡¯t know how he would have known those records would be in this tomb and how he would have given proof of it but at least some things had cleared up.


    Sona: ¡°I see. But does it really look like we¡¯ll find anything in this tomb.¡±


    She said while looking at the stairs we were approaching. The fact that the tomb had so many floors and empty ones at that was a troubling issue no matter how you look at it. From how it looks from the outside, we figured that the next floor would be the last one. And since we had not found Ozyllus¡¯ body so far, it would be on the top floor as well.


    Girl: ¡°Something wrong?¡±


    She asked with a curious look while titling her head as she looked at us three who had stopped walking.


    Sona: ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing.¡±


    She said while looking at me as if asking if I have anything to say. I closed my eyes to say ¡®no¡¯ and she understood it. Sneha didn¡¯t say anything either. And so, after spending about 40 minutes in the tomb, which would be 8 hours on the time-axis, we finally reached the top floor, empty-handed.


    *******************************


    Ethan: ¡°Now this is something I didn¡¯t expect.¡±


    Ethan says, baffled about the fact that the tomb has been completely empty. It has been half an hour since he entered the tomb. And since he had to search every corner of it by himself as opposed to the previous party of four, he had only reached the second floor so far.


    Ethan: ¡°Still, I would expect there to be something on these lower floors of the tomb.¡±


    There was no one around to hear these words. They weren¡¯t meant for anyone anyway. The only reason Ethan said those words was to keep calm. He didn¡¯t know what would happen in this tomb and so needs to keep his cool for any kind of situation. Unfortunately, doing that isn¡¯t that easy especially when the fear of unknown looms over you, so he tries to talk to himself in an effort to ease the burden on his mind.


    Ethan: ¡°I should have two more floors to go before I reach the top one. And I¡¯ll probably come across them before or at that floor.¡±


    He took a long sigh and looked up. By them, he obviously meant Sneha and Kais since those two are the only ones he really knew well in this tomb.


    Ethan:  ¡°Let¡¯s just hope nothing has happened that would make either of them extra hostile towards me.¡±


    He stands no chance in a fight and the only way he can get around by using his brains is if no one tries to kill him the moment they see him. That is why; he can only wish that the situation is in his favor.


    However, he meets Sneha much sooner than he expected.


    Ethan: ¡°Uh ¡­¡±


    A gasp escapes his lips as he suddenly sees her kneeling on the ground when he takes a turn.


    Sneha: ¡°I see, it¡¯s you, huh?¡±


    She says as she looks at him. Her voice, for some reason, is sad. And she is alone.


    Ethan: ¡°Care to explain what¡¯s going on?¡±


    Sneha: ¡°Well, something really twisted.¡±


    Is all Sneha says in her response to Ethan, which only ends up confusing him more. But from Ozyllus¡¯ tone before and Sneha¡¯s attitude now, he does understand one thing ¨C that a dramatic turn of events has taken place, one that would affect the players involved for the rest of their lives.


    *******************************

 Chapter 47: What Was Told

    Ozyllus: ¡°Well, it¡¯s about time.¡±


    Ozyllus said as Kais was about to step in the tomb.


    Abyss: ¡°What are you planning to do now that your plans have been hindered so much?¡±


    Abyss knew what would happen as soon as Kais stepped foot inside the tomb.


    Abyss: ¡°Are you planning to make this war start before it normally would?¡±


    So he asked these questions that were genuinely concerning for him.


    Ozyllus: ¡°Ha!¡±


    A mocking cackle escaped Ozyllus¡¯ mouth. It was not to mock Abyss, but to mock the situation he was in.


    Ozyllus: ¡°That¡¯s certainly one way to go about this. If it comes down to it, I may need to do that after all.¡±


    He said as if it¡¯s not even a concern for him.


    Abyss: ¡°I suppose that means you haven¡¯t thought of anything yet.¡±


    Abyss replied in irritation.


    Ozyllus: ¡°Yeah, that may be what it means.¡±


    Ozyllus tried to give his answer in a roundabout way. He had no real qualms with answering Abyss¡¯ questions even if he was telling his sworn enemy his plans. All telling him all this could do was to end up indirectly giving this information to Kais.


    Abyss: ¡°That wouldn¡¯t be too bad for you though, would it?¡±


    Ozyllus: ¡°No, it wouldn¡¯t. Even if Kais learns about these things, it¡¯s not a big deal.¡±


    Ozyllus said as he waited for Kais to step in the tomb. Kais had come to the realization of what may happen when he steps in the tomb and was hesitating from entering. The two in The Cage could hear the discussions going on between Kais and the group but neither of them was too worried about what the result of these discussions would be. They already knew the answer to that question.


    Ozyllus: ¡°Well, not like my plans are that much of a stroke of a genius either.¡±


    Ozyllus was not trying to be humble, and he doesn¡¯t have the personality or any reason to be either.


    Abyss: ¡°That¡¯s true. You are not a genius, just meticulous.¡±


    Abyss knows that well.


    Ozyllus: ¡°Fair, I think once someone puts their mind to it, they can figure out my plans. Even so,¡±


    So, the both understand that what he is saying at the moment is the truth.


    Ozyllus: ¡°Whether they¡¯ll be able to stop it or not is a completely different matter altogether.¡±


    At least, it is what he believes to be the truth.


    Abyss: ¡°We may have differing opinions on that.¡±


    Abyss plainly said what both of them very clearly understand.


    Abyss: ¡°I think he¡¯d be able to stop your plans.¡±


    Ozyllus: ¡°Alone?¡±


    Ozyllus sent a questioning gaze towards Abyss and he moved his head in denial.


    Abyss: ¡°No, that would be impossible. One man alone can¡¯t stop you when you have been working towards this for over 1000 years now. I will give you that much credit at least.¡±


    Hearing that answer, however, made Ozyllus more curious than anything.


    Ozyllus: ¡°And who will help him?¡±


    Abyss: ¡°Well, for one, I know Sona will. I don¡¯t know much about Sneha so I can¡¯t guarantee that.¡±


    Ozyllus: ¡°Let¡¯s say they both help him, are you saying that will be enough?¡±


    Abyss: ¡°I am not.¡±


    Abyss again denied the questioning gaze of his enemy.


    Abyss: ¡°But Ethan would also help him.¡±


    Ozyllus¡¯ eyes grew wide as he heard that and asked,


    Ozyllus: ¡°And why are you so sure about that?¡±


    Abyss: ¡°Because that is exactly what he had been trying to do for past 12 years.¡±


    And his widened eyes turned narrow as he heard those words.


    Ozyllus: ¡°Has he now?¡±


    Abyss: ¡°You may not know this but the reason that boy has mastery over his eyes is not because you chose someone who is so capable of using those eyes that he mastered them in 12 years.¡±


    Ozyllus: ¡°Don¡¯t tell me-¡±


    He had already grasped what that meant.


    Abyss: ¡°Yeah, it was because I forced all the knowledge pertaining to those eyes that Sagax had into his brain.¡±


    For a moment, Ozyllus just looked at Abyss is shock and surprise, but then,


    Ozyllus: ¡°I see.¡±


    His expression softened as the surprise completely wore out.


    Ozyllus: ¡°I thought he was my pawn but that wasn¡¯t the case.¡±


    Ozyllus had, for whatever reason, gained a smile.


    Ozyllus: ¡°He was actually working for you this whole time.¡±


    His smile didn¡¯t fade away as he said the words that should have brought despair to him.


    Ozyllus: ¡°I guess our last game of chess never really ended, did it?¡±


    Abyss: ¡°No,¡±


    Abyss tried to hide his sadness as he closed his eyes.


    Abyss: ¡°It didn¡¯t.¡±


    Yet, his voice gave it away. Ozyllus could clearly see that Abyss had a sad voice. And it stirred up complex emotions in him to know that his enemy still felt bad for him.


    Ozyllus: ¡°You are too ¡­ too soft, you know.¡±This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    The word he wanted to say was ¡®compassionate¡¯ but it just didn¡¯t come out.


    Ozyllus: ¡°Maybe this is why I have won more than I have lost to you in chess.¡±


    Ozyllus said with the same smile, but now it had finally started to fade away. And as it faded away, it turned into something much more painful.


    Ozyllus: ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think those four will be enough to stop me either.¡±


    Abyss: ¡°I can¡¯t guarantee they will either.¡±


    Abyss said as his gaze became firm while looking at Ozyllus.


    Abyss: ¡°But I chose to trust in them.¡±


    Ozyllus: ¡°And you would let the fate of all of humanity reside on something like trust.¡±


    Abyss: ¡°Yeah, I would.¡±


    Ozyllus: ¡°If they are unable to do that, everything you believe in will fall apart, and humanity as you know it and want to preserve will be no more.¡±


    Abyss: ¡°That¡¯s true.¡±


    Ozyllus: ¡°And yet you choose to trust.¡±


    Abyss: ¡°Yes, I do.¡±


    Kais was, by that point, about to finally step in the tomb.


    Ozyllus: ¡°Ha! Ha! Ha!¡±


    Ozyllus¡¯ laughs were dry and devoid of any real happiness. All his masks had faded away by this point.


    Ozyllus: ¡°That positivity is what led them to calling you the devil.¡±


    Ozyllus said as his aura started to grow larger.


    Ozyllus: ¡°But I suppose,¡±


    He said as his aura grew so large it engulfed all of what Abyss could see in an instant.


    Ozyllus: ¡°knowing you haven¡¯t changed was one of the reasons I had to take the risk of coming here, even when the possibility of getting trapped like this existed.¡±


    The Cage, for one moment, was cracked open by the so-called god as he escaped from it.


    As the darkness returned to it, Abyss sighed.


    Abyss: ¡°So now that you know I haven¡¯t changed, you can take pride in calling me the enemy like you did back then, huh?¡±


    He muttered to himself and sighed


    Abyss: ¡°I wish we were different in that regard.¡±


    *******************************


    It was the fourth floor of the tomb, the highest floor in fact.


    Sona: ¡°Well, there it is.¡±


    She said as we looked at Ozyllus¡¯ coffin. It was made of gold. It wasn¡¯t plated in gold like the tomb but literally made of gold.


    Sneha: ¡°I guess I shouldn¡¯t be surprised.¡±


    She said while recovering from the initial shock of seeing that coffin of gold that we all felt, all except one.


    Girl: ¡°So he is the one the dragon said was god.¡±


    Sona: ¡°He was lying to you when he said that.¡±


    Sona told her that as she started walking towards the coffin.


    Sona: ¡°I had come to this island once before, more like brought here but that doesn¡¯t matter I guess.¡±


    Sona told us so.


    Sneha: ¡°If you had been here before, then why were you surprised about the tomb being empty?¡±


    Sneha asked a question that I would have if she didn¡¯t, but the answer we received was nothing of what we expected.


    Sona: ¡°I was blindfolded that time.¡±


    Girl: ¡°Blindfolded?¡±


    Sneha: ¡°That doesn¡¯t make any sense.¡±


    But as I thought about that, I understood.


    Kais: ¡°You said you were brought here. Does that mean it was Ozyllus who brought you here?¡±


    All I know about what happened to her is that her whole village got destroyed and while she used to think the dragon did, it was actually Ozyllus who was responsible.


    Sona: ¡°Yes, he is the one who brought me here.¡±


    He answered while not showing any negativity on her face. That, however, I knew for a fact was just her trying to stay calm in the face of this overwhelmingly horrid situation.


    Sona: ¡°I didn¡¯t know back then though.¡±


    She said in that same voice and I couldn¡¯t help but feel bad for her.


    Sona: ¡°He was controlling a mask somehow and talking to me through it. Though when I really think about it, he would have made himself invisible and appeared in front of me holding a mask or something.¡±


    That does seem like something that would fool an 8-year-old child, so it¡¯s certainly possible. I thought of those things to keep myself away from the thoughts of the tragedy that would come up in her tale eventually.


    Sona: ¡°He said that Ozyllus wanted to tell me something. Because I didn¡¯t know that mask was him, I followed the mask and he took me to this island as if bringing me to the real Ozyllus.¡±


    Going through all that to deceive her means it is something he had definitely planned for. But what was he trying to achieve by all that? I wondered.


    Sona: ¡°When I was brought here, I was taken through this forest by him in the figure of that mask and finally brought here. Apparently, the dragon was not here. Whether Ozyllus had told him to not be here or it was just a coincidence, I have no idea.¡±


    My assumption was that the dragon would have been told to not be here, as I think would be what all of us thought.


    Sona: ¡°Before I entered the tomb, I was blindfolded by a black cloth and was guided by him to this room. My blindfold was only taken after I reached this room.¡±


    Sneha: ¡°I see. So you had only seen the top floor before.¡±


    This room is the whole floor so I suppose one can say so, but,


    Sona: ¡°No, it was night and all the torches on the wall that helped us in getting here were either not present or just put out. The only light I could see was a torch flying over this coffin.¡±


    The flying part would probably be because of his psychokinesis.


    Sona: ¡°And in this coffin, there was his body, as you¡¯d expect.¡±


    Girl: ¡°Then, did you get to talk with him as you were told you would.¡±


    Her childish voice may have felt a little out-of-place but it didn¡¯t remove any pressure I had been feeling throughout this story.


    Sona: ¡°I did. His voice came to me out of nowhere and I didn¡¯t try to question it too much back then. Looking back at it now, it have been some kind of hypnotic suggestion or something but I felt that voice was fairly different than what I heard when he tried to talk to me as the mask.¡±


    Well, that and the fear and confusion she may have felt back then would have made her unable to question the possibility of that mask being Ozyllus.


    Sona: ¡°He told me ¡­¡±


    She trailed off. Because of how we had gotten used to hearing her tell her story fluently, all three of us became cautious of what she would say next. She, on the other hand, turned to look at me and said,


    Sona: ¡°He told me about you.¡±


    That wasn¡¯t completely unexpected for me, but I still thought the possibility of that being low. At least, I wanted to believe it was.


    Sona: ¡°He told me about all the potential you have as a psychic. He told me about how that same day, Barry had committed a massacre and you had witnessed it, which had traumatized you.¡±


    And on hearing that, after a long while, rage started to build me in again.


    Sona: ¡°He told me about how hopeless your situation would become and about how a war will be coming that will forcefully drag you into it.¡±


    The rage of that moment was the same rage I felt towards Barry 12 years ago. It was the rage I felt every time I looked at someone whose actions I thought were not justified.


    Sona: ¡°He also told me about the dragon and how his hobby was to destroy towns and villages.¡±


    And hearing that made that rage hit another peak.


    Sona: ¡°Now that all this has happened, I guess he told me that last part just to make sure I think the dragon was the one who destroyed my village.¡±


    And he succeeded in doing that, which is a fact that was just fuel to my fire.


    Sona: ¡°And so he completely played me, just like he played everybody else.¡±


    Her face twisted in irritation but she managed to keep herself in control.


    Hearing all that, I can¡¯t help but tighten my fists in pure rage as the thoughts of destroying his plans come to my mind and steel my resolve.


    *******************************


    Ethan: ¡°I see.¡±


    Ethan says as Sneha tells him what happened when they reached the fourth floor of the tomb. He leans to a wall as he says,


    Ethan: ¡°So that¡¯s how the woman known as Sona plays into all of this.¡±


    Sona¡¯s story has been told to Ethan by the one she had told it to and now he understands that she is just another victim of the man he had devoted his life to destroying the plans of.


    Ethan: ¡°I suppose she is a potential ally then.¡±


    He says while looking at a torch burning bright. As he looks at that torch, he sees red in the yellowness of the flames. That was the red that he saw in that mountain of corpses 12 years ago, the red that Sona may have seen in her village.


    Ethan: ¡°We are more similar than I could have ever imagined.¡±


    He says with folded arms as he glances back at Sneha, who had her face facing downwards.


    Sneha: ¡°Similar, huh? Did you have that kind of experience too?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Yeah, I too saw a mountain of corpses. Though, I do think hers would have been more horrible of an experience.¡±


    Sneha: ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Well, the corpses she saw were of people she knew and probably liked as well. That wasn¡¯t the case with me.¡±


    Sneha: ¡°I see.¡±


    Sneha looks at him and asks,


    Sneha: ¡°Did you know that it wasn¡¯t Barry who killed all of them?¡±


    On hearing that is when Ethan realized that she would have come to know that on hearing all of Sona¡¯s story and her claim that Ozyllus had played ¡®everybody¡¯.


    Ethan: ¡°I did know that. Though in a literal sense, Barry did kill them, it wasn¡¯t really him to be blamed for it.¡±


    Sneha: ¡°Why didn¡¯t you ever tell me?¡±


    There is no anger or irritation at Ethan in her voice as she asks this question. Seeing that, however, only fuels his guilt.


    Ethan: ¡°I ¡­ I just ¡­ didn¡¯t wanted to think about that day.¡±


    Sneha¡¯s eyes grew wide in shock.


    Sneha: ¡°You don¡¯t mean to say that ¡­ you saw that slaughter 12 years ago?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Yeah, I did. That was the memory of corpses I just mentioned a few seconds ago.¡±


    He keeps his voice and his tough-guy-act from breaking apart, unsure whether Sneha could see through the little cracks that were formed on it.


    Sneha: ¡°I ¡­ see. You two, no, you three really are similar. Sona might really be willing to work with you, you know.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°That¡¯s good to hear.¡±


    He closes his eyes and turns his head up.


    Ethan: ¡°So ¡­¡±


    While purposefully trailing off, he opens his eyes and turns to look at Sneha.


    Ethan: ¡°things couldn¡¯t have ended there.¡±


    He says pointing out to how Sneha¡¯s account seems incomplete.


    Sneha: ¡°Yeah, they don¡¯t end there. There¡¯s more to the story than just that.¡±


    She says while looking down just like before. Though, now her expression seems to contain less despair than before.


    *******************************

 Chapter 48: Black Hole

    No matter what happened, no matter what I learned, everything seemed to be telling me only one thing ¨C Ozyllus is the source of all despair. He is the reason we all had to suffer as children and he is the reason we still suffer. He is the root of all our problems and if we destroy his plans, we would finally be able to live our lives.


    On the other hand, Abyss is someone who has been trying to save us from Ozyllus¡¯ schemes. He has been the only reason we have not been completely manipulated by Ozyllus. He is the only reason we have time to prepare to strike back. It is all because he tried to take away as much pain as he could from our lives.


    And in the end, Abyss is the one we called devil and Ozyllus is the one we called god. Or, that¡¯s at least how we used to call them. And that¡¯s at least how most of the world who knows of their existence calls them.


    So, if we destroy his plans, if we put a stop to all of Ozyllus¡¯ schemes, will that really be enough? What are his real motives and end goal in the first place? We don¡¯t even know that much. What exactly does stopping him even mean? All I have been doing is talking about putting a stop to his plans, but I don¡¯t even know how to go about it? In order to stop him, what exactly should I do and how exactly should I do it?


    Do I need to get stronger? Of course, I¡¯d need to get stronger.


    Do I need more information? I absolutely do. I barely have any information.


    Do I need to team up with others? That should be the most obvious thing. I can¡¯t possibly stop him all by myself.


    So, what needs to be done first? What is the most important thing here? What can I postpone for now? Is there anything I can postpone at all?


    All I can think of at this point is questions. Someone out there surely knows the answers to these questions, right? I wonder, who that someone would be and how am I supposed to find them?


    After questioning all this, the only thing I can think of while looking at my situation right now is that I am a hopeless idiot for trying to do something like this. But, is that so bad? Is it?


    I have never been one to be very confident in myself. Even though I have never been not good at anything I tried to do; I just never felt like I could do something that I had never done before. I could just never bring myself to be confident in my abilities as a psychic or a person. Maybe I need to change that. Barry told me that I am someone who has potential to be as powerful as Ozyllus. So, maybe I should stop looking down on myself. Maybe I should try to forget about the fact that I couldn¡¯t do anything as Barry slaughtered so many people. Maybe I should try to forget that I was so powerless.


    And that, as I think about it I realize, is impossible. I can never forget about it. That incident 12 years ago was what could easily be the most unforgettable incident of my life. How could I ever forget something like that? So the only way around it is to try to do something while keeping that memory etched in my mind.


    I know I should try to turn that memory into an inspiration for my goal. But is that even realistically possible? I know Barry and all the people he killed were all victims. Remembering that incident definitely makes my blood boil and makes me want to kick Ozyllus¡¯ ass, but even though the rage inside me burns so much, my intellect tells me to not rely on my emotions.


    As a psychic, leaving everything to my emotions is the worst possible thing I can do. If I stop using my brain, my psychic abilities will only weaken. Emotions don¡¯t matter here. This is a fact. Unlike in fairy tales, emotions of rage, hatred or sorrow can¡¯t empower me, they would only weaken me. So, I can¡¯t let my rage or hatred against that so-called god be the biggest driving force or I¡¯ll lose myself when it really matters.


    So, as I lay in a pool of questions, I ask myself ¨C what is it that I lack? What is it that I need to achieve my goal? It would be so convenient if someone were to give me the answer.


    Unfortunately, time is running out and I don¡¯t even have the luxury to dream of that possibility. All I have done until now has been guided by someone else¡¯s words. I was told to destroy Ozyllus, I was told to go to the tomb and so on. As much as I hate to say it, I have never really taken one step towards my goal without someone else¡¯s help.


    Now though, that help would not come to me anymore.


    Now, I am forced to choose.


    *******************************


    Sneha: ¡°I see. So Ozyllus truly has been manipulating everyone, huh?¡±


    As Sona had finished telling us of her tragic experience 12 years ago, Sneha said so with a dejected face.


    Sona: ¡°Yeah, he has. He manipulated me. He manipulated Barry. He manipulated Kais. He had manipulated the dragon too. I don¡¯t know much about you, so I can¡¯t say if that holds up in your case as well though.¡±


    Sneha: ¡°I think it does.¡±


    To Sona¡¯s straight faced summarization of Ozyllus¡¯ victims, Sneha nods and adds her name to the list of victims.


    Girl: ¡°¡­¡±


    The little girl, as if wanting to say something, looks at us three one-by-one but drops her head without actually saying anything.


    Kais: ¡°What is it?¡±


    Girl: ¡°Um ¡­¡±


    Hesitation was on her face as she glanced between me and Sona again-and-again.


    Sona: ¡°If there¡¯s something you want to say, just say it.¡±


    Although her words and attitude were business-like at the moment, Sona¡¯s voice was not at all intimidating or forceful.


    Girl: ¡°The thing is-¡±


    Hence the girl started speaking in a rather calm tone.


    Girl: ¡°I think this coffin is ¡­¡±


    She trailed off leaving us with a question mark above our heads. Though from what she spoke, we did understand what to do to get the answer she didn¡¯t give.


    Sona: ¡°Well?¡±


    Sona glanced at me as if to confirm my intention and I nodded to tell her to go ahead. Seeing that, she stepped near the coffin and raised a hand as she started calling a spirit.


    Girl: ¡°Eek! Are you going to open it!?¡±


    Well, what else are we supposed to do when you trail off like that? I almost voiced the question but before I could actually come out and say it, Sona¡¯s spirit appeared. This spirit was the size of a child as tall as the nameless girl with us.


    Though, from the looks of it, it wasn¡¯t a human child but a vampire one. The sharp canines were very visible once it opened its mouth. The petite frame of the child made one feel like it¡¯s a poor boy starving to death. However,


    Sona: ¡°Don¡¯t let the appearance mislead you.¡±


    Its contractor said so in a plain voice.


    Sona: ¡°Out of all the spirits in my arsenal, he was second in strength only to Death. So I guess he¡¯s the spirit with most raw power I have right now.¡±


    That¡¯s quite impressive actually. The rabbit-like spirit that I have seen her using the most is very fast but I do think that¡¯s not the only reason its attacks are powerful. Sure, it¡¯s speed give it an advantage over others but the attacks themselves are pretty damn powerful even without the speed. She said that this vampire-child-like-spirit has more raw power than that makes it quite a powerful spirit in my opinion.


    Sona: ¡°Now Sagzear,¡±


    As we came to know its name, I certainly felt like the name belongs to a vampire.


    Sona: ¡°Open this coffin.¡±


    She gave her order and her spirit immediately responded to it. As the spirit lifted the lid of the coffin, I was, for a moment, left amazed at how easily it had lifted what would certainly have been a very heavy lid. But soon my attention drew back to the interior of the coffin itself.


    Sona: ¡°Oh ¡­ god!¡±


    She lost composure as she said so and the reason for it was pretty clear. Upon seeing the interior, even Sneha who had been quite while she was looking at the floor sprang up in surprise.


    Sneha: ¡°It¡¯s empty?¡±


    That¡¯s exactly what it was. There was no body in it. No traces of it either. The only thing inside was ¡­ nothing.


    Girl: ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s ¡­ what I felt.¡±


    It makes sense that she, being made of energy, would sense something like this before the three of us and now we know why she was acting funny. But after that relatively minor question is given an answer to, a much bigger question comes blaring at us. Or, it would be more accurate to say that another big question comes at us.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    Sneha: ¡°But, this just doesn¡¯t make any sense.¡±


    Sona: ¡°Well, it isn¡¯t the first time that¡¯s happened.¡±


    Sona seemed to be least surprised of the three of us as she regained her composure soon enough and only showed disappointment on her face.


    Sona: ¡°In either case, there might still be something here worth looking ¡­ into.¡±


    She paused once between her words. The reason for it, I presume, was because of the interior of the coffin. It didn¡¯t look like the body was taken out of it or something like that. The interior looked like it had always been empty, as if it hadn¡¯t even been opened before. That could be surmised from the shine coming from the interior.


    Kais: ¡°A coffin made of gold and one that looks unused at that ¡­¡±


    As I voiced my thought out loud, I had unconsciously placed a hand on my chin.


    Kais: ¡°It¡¯s obvious something like that is custom made.¡±


    Because seriously, no matter what era it was, things actually made of gold don¡¯t exist for the sake of showcasing. In fact, this might be truer for 1000 years ago than it is for now but anyway,


    Kais: ¡°And the size definitely looks like what the dragon would fit in.¡±


    Sneha: ¡°Hmm ¡­ and since the dragon is using Ozyllus¡¯ appearance, that must mean Ozyllus would also fit in it.¡±


    Sneha understood where I was going with that and the other two probably did as well. All signs did point to this being his coffin. But, where is his body?


    Sona: ¡°Well, I can kind of help with that.¡±


    She said while turning to her vampire-spirit and nodding to it. The spirit bowed to her as if to say ¡®as you wish¡¯ and got to whatever she wanted it to do.


    Girl: ¡°What¡¯s it doing?¡±


    The curious nature of the little girl got the better of her and she asked the question before either of us.


    Sona: ¡°I told it to trace the energy surrounding the coffin. If it¡¯s successful, we can find some connection to this coffin.¡±


    Girl: ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that just lead to the dragon though?¡±


    Sona: ¡°Even if it does, I don¡¯t think it will lead us out of the tomb.¡±


    I understood what Sona meant but the others seemed to have not as they tilted their heads with questioning looks.


    Kais: ¡°There must be some other place that the dragon might have gone to from here instead of just the entrance. And if there is, tracing the energy surrounding the coffin could lead us there.¡±


    Sneha: ¡°But, we both checked all the doors and the walls, didn¡¯t we? There were no hidden doors or anything like that out there. Where else would he go other than the outside?¡±


    Kais: ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s true. But still this girl never saw the dragon outside even once before the day I was brought here.¡±


    Sona nodded to my line of suspicion and so I continued laying out my doubts, not noticing how Sneha had gotten uncomfortable when I mentioned being brought here.


    Kais: ¡°Furthermore, Ethan Kales was completely sure that she would not see the dragon outside of the tomb even once before this stage, i.e., last days of the island comes up.¡±


    So, by taking into account all those things, there has to be somewhere in this tomb he would have been spending his time if he was always staying inside whenever the girl passed by here.


    *******************************


    Ethan: ¡°While I¡¯m glad to see that those two are able to think through things, I don¡¯t get where this is going at all.¡±


    Ethan wears an unexcited face as he hears about the incidents from Sneha.


    Ethan: ¡°The whole tomb was devoid of anything useful and the dragon seemed to have been spending most of his time here. It doesn¡¯t seem like there is any breakthrough.¡±


    Sneha doesn¡¯t deny him as those were the exact thoughts of everyone present on the top floor back then as well.


    Sneha: ¡°That seemed to be the case, but apparently, was not.¡±


    She has been looking down for most of the time and Ethan didn¡¯t find anything in the story so far that would lead to her acting like that. So, while suppressing his urge to directly ask the reason for that, he decides to listen to her story chronologically.


    Ethan: ¡°So that means you guys actually found something in the tomb, right? Well, please go on.¡±


    Sneha: ¡°It was a ¡­¡±


    Ethan: ¡°What?¡±


    Sneha sighed as she said,


    Sneha: ¡°Black hole.¡±


    For a moment, Ethan was left speechless. ¡®Black Hole¡¯ is something he never expected to hear at a time like this.


    Sneha: ¡°When that vampire-like spirit of Sona started tracing the energy out of the room, we followed it. But just as we thought it would go down the stairs, it started ¡­ stepping on air.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Whoa! Slow down! Black hole? Stepping on air? Neither of the two makes sense, even with supernatural abilities thrown into the mix.¡±


    Sneha nodded and continued with an unchanging expression.


    Sneha: ¡°None of us really understood it either but we still followed the spirit in the hopes that it will lead to something. Surprisingly, when we tried to step foot on the path her spirit had walked on, it really felt like there was ground beneath our feet.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°So, an invisible floor?¡±


    Sneha: ¡°That should be it, but neither Kais nor I sensed it even though both of us used our methods of reading auras.¡±


    Sneha¡¯s eyes gaze at Ethan as he starts to wonder what that would mean. Even though he hadn¡¯t said anything, Sneha decides to stop talking and letting him think to see if he can come up with an explanation.


    Ethan: ¡°So, does this mean that there can be things that can¡¯t be detected reading the aura?¡±


    Sneha: ¡°Well, technically, there are a lot of things that don¡¯t get detected by reading the aura.¡±


    Ethan knows that well. But, he still can¡¯t help but ask.


    Sneha: ¡°However, aura detects any and all forms of energy, be it psychic, spiritual or something else. So, in this case, none of those things should be responsible for that invisibility.¡±


    As her words assured him of the facts he already understood, Ethan formulated a few guesses as to what the reason for that invisibility would have been.


    Ethan: ¡°Before you realized that there was invisible floor there, what exactly did you see there?¡±


    Sneha: ¡°Just an empty space. More than half of the top floor is the room in which the coffin was and we thought the rest of the area had been left blank. We didn¡¯t pay it much notice at first.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°I see. Could it all have been made invisible by some scientific means?¡±


    Sneha: ¡°You know any scientific means to do that?¡±


    Sneha¡¯s tone might make it sound like she is mocking Ethan but in actuality, she is not. She is genuinely curious of what he might come up with.


    Ethan: ¡°Hmm ¡­ I don¡¯t.¡±


    Ethan closes his eyes while saying so as to admit that wouldn¡¯t have been the case.


    Ethan: ¡°But in that case, the one other thing I can think of is that the floors didn¡¯t really exist in the first place.¡±


    Sneha¡¯s eyes-widening on that answer as she understands everything of what he means to say and adds to it,


    Sneha: ¡°That¡¯s it!¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Wait, really!?¡±


    Sneha: ¡°Yeah, that would explain so many things.¡±


    She regains some energy in her voice as she states,


    Sneha: ¡°It felt like our feet were standing on something solid, which could very well be hardened air and magnetization.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°I¡¯m not catching any of that.¡±


    After a sigh, he says,


    Ethan: ¡°My guess was that somehow the floors are formed when one steps on that part of the air and it seems like you agree that it was what was going on, but how exactly?¡±


    Sneha: ¡°It was the coffin.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°The coffin?¡±


    Sneha nods.


    *******************************


    The three people, one mass of energy and one spirit all walked on invisible floors.


    Each step made it look like we¡¯d fall, but that didn¡¯t happen and henceforth slowly but eventually, we reached the other end of the floor, the wall opposite to the one the room with the coffin is in.


    But as we walked on this floor, we didn¡¯t realize that removing the coffin¡¯s lid had caused the air to harden enough for us to walk on. I knew full well there¡¯d be psychic energy surrounding the coffin so I didn¡¯t think much of it when I sensed it. I assume Sneha was the same too. And by doing that, we failed to notice that the psychic energy is causing psychokinesis so that molecules of the air and small solid objects around are lined up and contracted in a way it became capable of being called a floor. As for the reason why they were lined up like this, it was because of magnetism. There were various north poles and south poles here and as their existence was also obvious, none of us paid attention to it either.


    While it looks obvious now, none of us thought of it and so, without realizing the how of it, the five of us walked on the hardened air and reached the other end of the floor. And as the first person to reach there, the vampire-like spirit touched the wall and all of a sudden, the tomb started to shake.


    Sneha: ¡°What the hell!¡±


    Sona: ¡°Sagzear, what are you doing?¡±


    The spirit looked back at us blankly as if it didn¡¯t understand why Sona was yelling at it. Our freaked out selves though were busy trying to get to the wall as fast as we could.


    The little girl was the second one to reach the wall, followed by Sneha, Sona and me. During all of that, the tomb kept shaking.


    Kais: ¡°Did you figure anything out?¡±


    I asked them as soon as I reached the wall, but they had no luck with it. Although they had tried to investigate the wall, especially the place that Sagzear touched, they found nothing. And the same was the case for me.


    Girl: ¡°W-why is the tomb shaking so much?¡±


    She put her hands to her head and squatted down in a very childlike response to the situation. But as if right on cue, the tomb stopped shaking as soon as she did that.


    Girl: ¡°U-uh, i-it¡¯s over!?¡±


    Relief came upon our faces, a very short-lived one.


    Sneha: ¡°Hey, what is that?¡±


    Sneha was the first one to spot it and point it out to us. As I followed her finger, I found a minute black substance floating around in the air. By the time all five of us noticed it; the substance had started to grow larger and had started to exude an attracting force. Furthermore, the force it was exuding was much more than what it should be for something so small.


    Seeing all that signs, it doesn¡¯t take a genius to figure out what it was.


    Sona: ¡°A-a black hole?¡±


    By the time she said that, one of us had already started to fly towards the black hole unable to resist the attracting force. That person was the little girl.


    Girl: ¡°AAAAAAAH!!!!¡±


    She cried out as she got sucked in and left the four of us behind. We were left speechless. The first thought that crossed my mind was to use teleportation to get someplace away from the black hole. And as that thought came to my mind, my body started to act on its own without me even agreeing to that approach. But in all honesty, I was glad my subconscious was faster than my conscious in making that decision.


    Sona: ¡°Go back!¡±


    Sona ordered so to her spirit, Sagzear, and it disappeared away. But just as that happened, she got sucked in the black hole.


    I wanted to help somehow. I wanted to try to save the two of them. But, I realized no matter how much potential anyone says I have, I am not going to be able to suddenly fight against a black hole. However, I didn¡¯t teleport away. I was stopped by a voice, a voice I had heard for the first time 12 years ago and the second time a day ago in The Cage.


    Abyss: ¡°Don¡¯t try to resist it.¡±


    Kais: ¡°What!?¡±


    Abyss: ¡°I know it looks dangerous, but you need to let yourself see ¨C the other side of that darkness.¡±


    As I heard that, the energy gathered in my body to use teleportation just dissipated away. There was no time to think of anything. I stopped resisting completely. And,


    Sneha: ¡°W-what!?¡±


    I saw a shocked expression on Sneha Stone¡¯s face as I got sucked in the black hole. But even though it was only for a second, no, much less than a second, I saw the black hole shrinking in size.


    And then I got sucked in.


    As soon as I did, I tried to look behind me and spotted the little girl and Sona floating with their eyes closed. They seemed to be unconscious. After not seeing Sneha for a while, I realized that she didn¡¯t get sucked in.


    Kais: ¡°HAH!!!¡±


    That gave me a sigh of relief as I moved my gaze in the darkness. Before I had realized it, my body was floating just like Sona and the girl but I didn¡¯t fall unconscious.


    Kais: ¡°Just ¡­ what in the hell is going on?¡±


    As I posed my question to nobody, somebody answered me.


    ???: ¡°¡®What is going on?¡¯ What a foolish question to ask?¡±


    The voice was loud but not unpleasant and came from my back. In order to find the source of that voice, I turned back and saw,


    ???: ¡°What is going on ¨C is what we call the beginning of a dream, a scarlet dream.¡±


    I saw my father in that darkness talking to me as if it was natural and my mother was beside him as if standing in the middle of nowhere.


    While looking at me, their son, the couple was smiling. However, it wasn¡¯t a happy smile, it was a malicious grin.


    *******************************

 Chapter 49: A Parent And A Child

    Ethan: ¡°You were the only one to escape from the black hole, you say?¡±


    The woman sitting in front of him with her gaze lowered at the ground nods in response.


    Sneha: ¡°It almost felt like the black hole started to disappear because Kais had been sucked in.¡±


    The timing of the black hole starting to close was the peculiar detail that led to Sneha thinking so.


    Ethan: ¡°What you are saying is not making any sense to me.¡±


    To a depressed looking Sneha, Ethan says with a dejected and confused face.


    Ethan: ¡°If that hole really started to disappear that conveniently after sucking in Kais then it might have been there just to do that. But, I know for a fact that Ozyllus left this place before I came in and there¡¯s no way he could have slipped in without me noticing.¡±


    Sneha¡¯s eyes twitch on hearing Ethan¡¯s words, and so she voices her question,


    Sneha: ¡°Are you sure about that? You haven¡¯t forgotten what happened with Walter Schmidt, have you?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°I haven¡¯t.¡±


    The incident Sneha is referring to is the one that happened at the beach, when Walter was able to deceive Ethan by exuding power of such a degree that even Eyes of Truth could not see through. It only stands to reason that someone like Ozyllus would be able to do something Walter could. However, Ethan¡¯s confidence in not without its own foundation.


    Ethan: ¡°There¡¯s a difference between being powerful enough to deceive Eyes of Truth and being powerful enough to make Eyes of Truth unnecessary.¡±


    Even if Walter Schmidt is the strongest person on the planet today, that doesn¡¯t mean he is a match for Ozyllus himself. And the difference in their power levels can be justified with just this ¨C


    Ethan: ¡°I don¡¯t need Eyes of Truth to detect him. He¡¯s so powerful that once you have felt his aura, you can detect it even without any special means of detection. Basically what I am saying is that he¡¯s so powerful that it¡¯s impossible to hide his presence without the most complex of mechanisms done through psychic beyond what anyone today would even dream to do.¡±


    Sneha: ¡°I get what you are saying but why couldn¡¯t he have used those complex mechanisms you are talking about?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Because he can only hide himself using those mechanisms from those who do not have Eyes of Truth.¡±


    As she hears that, her eyes widen on realizing the double-edged sword that Ozyllus¡¯ power has become for him.


    Ethan: ¡°Simply put, if he doesn¡¯t try to take enough measures to hide himself, pretty much any creature can detect his freaking large aura. And if he does go to the extreme lengths of hiding himself using very complex mechanisms, Eyes of Truth will be able to see through those mechanisms because, in the end, those mechanisms would just be a combination of much simpler uses of psychic energy that Eyes of Truth expertise in finding.¡±


    Basically, Ozyllus had become so powerful that he would never be able to hide himself from someone who has Eyes of Truth.


    Hearing so, Sneha sighs as she understands what Ethan said and, even if unwillingly, starts admiring the level of power Ozyllus has achieved.


    Ethan: ¡°But anyway, coming back to the topic, I suppose you don¡¯t know anything of what happened to those three after that point.¡±


    Ethan makes a simple guess that should be answered with a nod, but doesn¡¯t. Much to his surprise, Sneha denies it.


    Sneha: ¡°I don¡¯t know everything of what happened after that but, I do know some things.¡±


    Ethan finds himself honestly surprised and curious on hearing so and fixes his gaze on her. Because of his Eyes of Truth, he can see fluctuations in the energy surrounding someone as they lie. So, he knows Sneha is telling the truth. Though, there shouldn¡¯t have been any reason to really doubt her in the first place, he just couldn¡¯t help it.


    Ethan: ¡°So,¡±


    He asks with a little bit of nervousness finally coming to his face,


    Ethan: ¡°what happened after that?¡±


    Sneha turned to look at him as she answered,


    Sneha: ¡°After some minutes had passed since the black hole disappeared, I found her lying here.¡±


    *******************************


    Ro: ¡°Looks like we have completely lost.¡±


    Ro whispered to the dragon. Even if the two who defeated them heard them, there won¡¯t really have been any problem. But still, Ro decided to whisper. So, in response, the dragon answered in a whisper too.


    Dragon: ¡°I suppose that¡¯s true. But still, one can say we lost the battle, but won the war.¡±


    The dragon said with a faint smile.


    Dragon: ¡°After all, we were able to buy enough time for Kais to go in the tomb.¡±


    Ro: ¡°Is that really us winning the war though?¡±


    He asked doubtfully as he glanced at Walter.


    Dragon: ¡°I see. So you noticed, huh?¡±


    Ro: ¡°It¡¯s true, isn¡¯t it? He knew all along that he would fall short on time but still didn¡¯t try to run after Kais.¡±


    The dragon nodded.


    Dragon: ¡°He deliberately let Kais go in the tomb. But, no matter what he thinks, I can guarantee that Kais would not join the ghost¡¯s side after coming out of the tomb, no matter how much they preach.¡±


    There was an unexplainable confidence in the dragon¡¯s eyes and seeing that made Ro feel guilty for being doubtful.


    Dragon: ¡°Ha! Ha!¡±


    The dragon chuckled seeing the guilty expression on Ro¡¯s face.


    Dragon: ¡°There¡¯s no reason for you to try to hide your doubts. I understand perfectly well why just me saying that would not convince you. In fact, I would advise you to keep up that attitude; it will surely help on a future occasion.¡±


    The dragon accepted his doubtful expression. Ro, on the other hand, was still stuck between guilt and doubt, even though some of his guilt had been lifted after hearing the dragon¡¯s words.


    Dyne: ¡°Hey, you two, I want to ask something.¡±


    Ro and the dragon turn to Ro, who was looking at them with one hand on his waist.


    Ro: ¡°And why exactly would either of us answer you?¡±


    Dyne sighed exasperatedly on hearing Ro¡¯s response, however,


    Dragon: ¡°Well, we can at least listen to what he has to say. Maybe it would be something we can answer and there¡¯ll be no reason for pointless hostility that way.¡±


    Ro stared at the dragon with narrowed eyes as if to say, ¡°You know they could ask us a trick question that we can¡¯t refuse to answer.¡± The dragon blinked as if to say that he knows that but is still willing to let them ask.


    The kind of thing Ro was worried about was a question which if they refuse to answer, Dyne would automatically be able to interpret the answer according to just that. If they refused to answer from the start though, then it won¡¯t be so easy. However, the dragon, knowing all that, had still agreed to answer if he can.


    Dyne: ¡°Well, do you guys know why time is suddenly running so fast?¡±


    Ro: ¡°No idea.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Same here. Though if I were to take a guess, it¡¯s Ozyllus¡¯ doing.¡±


    Dyne narrowed his eyes on hearing that but very soon accepted the dragon¡¯s answer.


    Dyne: ¡°His ghost¡¯s doing this, is your guess, correct?¡±


    The dragon nodded.


    Dyne: ¡°Well then, is this the first disturbance that has been caused like this?¡±


    Ro: ¡°No, it¡¯s not.¡±


    Ro immediately gave his answer as he reminded himself of the time when this happened before.


    Dragon: ¡°Although no one on the island felt that way, a disturbance was caused back when Ro, Barry, Ethan and Sneha had come to the island as well.¡±


    Walter: ¡°I see. That¡¯s peculiar.¡±


    Walter, leaning next to a tree with folded arms, said so.


    Walter: ¡°So he messed with both time and people¡¯s sense of time back then but not now. Why?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°I believe it is related to my death.¡±


    All three turned to stare at the dragon with varying degrees of shock on their faces. Ro and Walter were not that surprised to hear so but Dyne was utterly baffled.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Dragon: ¡°Strictly speaking, five days were left for me to live back when Kais was first brought here. However, the thing that would kill me is not psychic. It¡¯s demonic, so ¡­¡±


    The dragon trailed off seeing all three of them understanding what was going on.


    Walter: ¡°So in other words, even if you don¡¯t believe your time is up, whatever kills you will be activated and you will die.¡±


    The dragon nodded to give an affirmation to the summarization of the understanding Walter had gained of the situation.


    Dragon: ¡°In the case time is running slowly, whether I realize it or not, I¡¯ll live longer. Since I was being quite loyal to him back then, that¡¯s probably why he slowed the time so as to make me live longer and carry out the orders he gave me to the fullest.¡±


    The dragon continued, unfazed.


    Dragon: ¡°However, when the opposite of that started to happen, he started to make my end come sooner. As the time is right now, even if I try to convince myself that my time is not running out so fast, it wouldn¡¯t matter because the time of death will come sooner.¡±


    It is a sickening concept. Or so Ro thought at least.


    Ro: ¡°So I suppose this ¡®thing¡¯ that kills you is, in the end, a contract, huh?¡±


    Only contract could have such conditions that can completely ignore psychology. Ro was well aware of this much at least.


    Dragon: ¡°Yeah, I made that contract with him. In exchange for giving me a human form, I would have to agree to his demands. The result, as you can see, is this form, a replica of his appearance.¡±


    The three find themselves surprised and losing composure on hearing that. For what reason could the dragon have wanted a human form so badly that he would have agreed to such a contract? Seeing their reactions was enough to let the dragon know that was what they were thinking. And so, the dragon answered.


    Dragon:  ¡°The reason I wanted a human form was because I was threatened.¡±


    He said without showing any hint of sadness in his voice. There was absolutely no emotion in his voice as he said that, all was buried underneath. The emotions that would not come to his face when they are felt by him, for once, they were helping him deal with a painful situation.


    Dragon: ¡°He threatened to destroy the whole dragon race if I didn¡¯t agree to that contract.¡±


    Dyne: ¡°Seriously, he couldn¡¯t have been serious, right?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°He killed a five of them in front of me and then gave his threat.¡±


    Ozyllus had made it very clear how serious he was about his threat by showing that horrible sight of five of his dead kinsmen to the dragon. And so, the dragon had no choice but to agree to everything Ozyllus said.


    Dyne: ¡°I see.¡±


    Dyne lowered his gaze. He just didn¡¯t feel enough courage to look the dragon in the eye after hearing that. Walter was no different in that regard, but


    Ro: ¡°I have something to ask too.¡±


    The dragon turned towards Ro as he urged him to go on.


    Ro: ¡°How much of this does that little girl know?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Ah!¡±


    The dragon looked surprised as he heard Ro¡¯s question. But soon, as his surprise subsided, only the emotion of happiness came from within him.


    Dragon: ¡°Thanks for worrying about her but she does not know any of this.¡±


    The dragon had a faint smile that described his expressions best.


    Dragon: ¡°I didn¡¯t need to tell her any of this because she could fulfill her duties without knowing this stuff.¡±


    Ro: ¡°Is that all?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°That was all.¡±


    The dragon stretched ¡®was¡¯ to make his intent very clear.


    Dragon: ¡°In all these years, even after knowing that she is just a mass of energy at her core, I ended up starting to think of her as someone who was important.¡±


    The dragon confessed.


    Dragon: ¡°I started to think that I was a monster to treat that mass of energy as if she is a machine.¡±


    The dragon confessed the sin.


    Dragon: ¡°I started to feel disgusted at myself. And so, one day,¡±


    The dragon confessed the sin that he believed he had committed.


    Dragon: ¡°I, who had started being respected among the animals on this island, asked them to start assisting her. On my command, there started to be always a handful of animals around her to look out for her.¡±


    The dragon confessed everything.


    Dragon: ¡°And by doing that, I finally felt I had set things right.¡±


    The dragon confessed everything he felt.


    Dragon: ¡°I never really expressed it out loud, but I did wonder, is this what I felt towards her what you would call a parental love?¡±


    It was still lacking in certain areas because of obvious reasons, but the answer to his question was definitely ¡®yes¡¯. All three present there had understood that. And so, they all kept quiet.


    They just looked at each other unable to say anything. The dragon, realizing what they must be feeling at that moment,


    Dragon: ¡°HA! HA! HA!! HA! HA!!!¡±


    He started laughing with all his heart.


    Ro: ¡°W-what are you laughing so much for?¡±


    Dragon: ¡°HA! HA! Ha! Ha! I ¡­ am sorry. I-it¡¯s just ¡­¡±


    He wiped off the teardrops forming near his eyes because of his laughs,


    Dragon: ¡°I never thought I would be talking about things like this to anyone, much less anyone like you three.¡±


    The dragon, having accomplished his mission to sent Kais to the source of the knowledge which will change everything, felt the weight of the responsibility he had felt for over 1000 years being lifted off his shoulders. And as that happened, he found that he could still laugh so wholeheartedly. It was such an elating self-realization for him that he almost wanted to dance.


    Dragon: ¡°I wonder, what brought on this change?¡±


    He asked a question that Barry had also asked himself over why he was able to give up on everything and help Kais when the moment called for it. What made these two victims of Ozyllus to find courage to stand up against him even if it meant early death? And that answer was,


    Dragon: ¡°That¡¯s right. The reason for this change was him.¡±


    He thought of the man who was undoubtedly the person who inspired that change in both of them.


    Dragon: ¡°It was because of Ethan Kales.¡±


    He thought of a man, who despite being exponentially weaker than everyone around him would look down at them with a smug face. On seeing that powerless human, showing no fear in the face of monsters like him and Barry, how could they not have found in themselves to want to rebel. How could they not have told themselves to go against Ozyllus, even if one last time?


    Dragon: ¡°I still don¡¯t know what exactly his stance is in all of this, but he had undoubtedly led to some things that both I and Barry and even many others would be grateful for.¡±


    *******************************


    She saw it. She saw the dragon fallen on the floor as he answered the questions of the three around him with a faint smile. She was hearing the answers to all the questions she didn¡¯t even want to think about.


    Girl: ¡°This ¡­ is ¡­ wrong.¡±


    The dragon had said that he had started to feel something akin to parental love for her overtime. But from her perspective, he was the only person she could look up to and call a parent. She had always felt that love a child feels towards a parent.


    Girl: ¡°Why ¡­ would ¡­ would he ¡­ do something ¡­ so horrible?¡±


    She had also heard that Ozyllus had threatened her parental figure and put such a horrible condition on him. With everything she had been hearing about Ozyllus, she had come to realize that he is someone who has created a lot of trouble for a lot of people. But, she had not started hating him.


    Girl: ¡°How could ¡­ he ¡­ do ¡­ something ¡­ like this?¡±


    Now, she had started hating him.


    Until her parental figure had not shown his sadness, this child had not understood that he was this sad. But when he did show it, the sadness within this child was perhaps even doubled or tripled compared to what the dragon felt.


    Girl: ¡°Why ¡­ why ¡­ can¡¯t, things ¡­ work out?¡±


    She had started to feel a tight knot in her chest. This knot was starting to suffocate her.


    What were these feelings? She didn¡¯t know.


    Why did she have these feelings despite being made of energy? She didn¡¯t know.


    What were these feeling going to cause? She didn¡¯t know.


    Girl: ¡°H-huh!? Who¡¯s there?¡±


    In the darkness that she was surrounded in ever since she got sucked in the black hole, she was being shown the scene of the dragon with other three. But, who exactly was making her see all this?


    Girl: ¡°W-who are you?¡±


    The answer to that question was in front of her. In the darkness, there was a silhouette visible. This had to be the person who was showing her those things. His name was,


    Sagax: ¡°I am Sagax, the former holder of Eyes of Truth.¡±


    He said in a calm voice.


    Sagax: ¡°Though to be honest, I am just a ghost of who is used to be.¡±


    The girl was left with widened-eyes and mouth open. Of course she knew who Sagax was. Ozyllus and Abyss may have been considered the most important people in the history, but if anyone were to come after that, that would be this man standing in front of her. Shock was natural.


    Sagax: ¡°I see that you are in much pain.¡±


    The silhouette of the man calling himself Sagax¡¯s ghost drew nearer to her and his features started to become clearer. He appeared quite tall because of long legs and arms. They weren¡¯t so long that one would feel awkward looking at him but were definitely out-of-proportion. But regardless, what struck the girl the most was his face.


    Sagax: ¡°I understand that you have feelings then.¡±


    His face gave the impression of someone mellow and there was a nice atmosphere to being around him. If there was one thing that made Sagax look different from an ordinary tall man, it was his eyes. That is, they were not present.


    Sagax: ¡°But why would you have feelings?¡±


    Instead of his eyes, there was just pure darkness. It looked as if two black spots had been formed on the places where his eyes should have been.


    Sagax: ¡°Tell me, do you remember anything that may lead me to understand why an artificially created existence like you has feelings?¡±


    He asked in a humble and calm tone.


    Girl: ¡°I-I ¡­ I don¡¯t ¡­ know.¡±


    Sagax: ¡°I see. Do you remember when was the first time you started feeling any special attachments to anything?¡±


    Girl: ¡°I-I don¡¯t r-remember.¡±


    She wasn¡¯t lying. She really didn¡¯t remember. It was simply because she had never really considered things like that to be something she should remember.


    Sagax: ¡°I see. I suppose you accepted the birth of your feelings as something natural. But still, there has to be a reason why you have them? I am pretty sure the dragon wouldn¡¯t have made you in a way that you¡¯d develop the ability to humanize more than you already had.¡±


    Sagax knew the dragon well enough to know that he wouldn¡¯t do something so horrible as to try to create a person. But seeing all these feeling in this girl, one would assume that he did. However, Sagax believed that something or someone other than the dragon is responsible for the existence of her feelings.


    Girl: ¡°T-that ¡­¡±


    She was so overwhelmed by the things she had seen and the things Sagax had said that she was unable to speak fluently.


    Girl: ¡°That ¡­ doesn¡¯t matter right now.¡±


    Yet, when she reached her boiling point, her words started to come out as if they had been programmed to.


    Girl: ¡°W-what¡¯s important is ¡­¡±


    Sagax: ¡°I see.¡±


    As the girl, who had lowered her gaze shifts it back up in anger, she sees Sagax looking at her closely, which forces her to stop talking.


    Sagax: ¡°I can see traces of psychic energy in your structure.¡±


    Regardless of how he would be able to see without there being any eyes, he had been able to figure out why the girl had human feelings that the dragon never built her with.


    Sagax: ¡°Ozyllus is the one who gave you these feelings, isn¡¯t he? He took all the emotions he could find in different people and probably forced it out of their brains to inject into yours.¡±


    Sagax kept talking while bringing a hand to his chin.


    Sagax: ¡°Yes, yes.¡±


    He nodded to himself.


    Sagax: ¡°He is the only one who could have done something like this.¡±


    He affirmed.


    Girl: ¡°I ¡­ don¡¯t care.¡±


    The girl faced down as she trembled with rage on hearing Ozyllus¡¯ name.


    Sagax: ¡°Looks like you do care though.¡±


    Girl: ¡°Shut up! I don¡¯t care!¡±


    She shouted in anger, to which, Sagax sighed.


    Sagax: ¡°The person you have come to think of as a father is about to die.¡±


    Girl: ¡°Tch!¡±


    It would only hurt her to hear this, but Sagax continued anyway.


    Sagax: ¡°And there¡¯s nothing you can do to stop it.¡±


    He continued knowing it would hurt her,


    Sagax: ¡°So would you like to die too?¡±


    He continued for the sake of this question.


    Girl: ¡°¡­?¡±


    She stared at Sagax with wide-eyes.


    Sagax: ¡°If you decided to die now, I will grant your wish. I don¡¯t have much power, but I can at least do that much.¡±


    She stayed silent, unable to answer as she kept staring at the face of the man with hollow eyes.


    *******************************


    It had been 10 minutes since the black hole had disappeared. All Sneha Stone could do was to bring herself down to the second floor, being as vigilant as she could.


    Sneha: ¡°Hah! Hah!¡±


    She was breathing heavily, half because of her body still not having recovered from the pressure of the black hole and half because of being in a tired state of mind ever since then.


    Sneha: ¡°Just what happened to those three?¡±


    She could do nothing but wonder ¡­ or so she thought.


    Sneha: ¡°Huh?!¡±


    But something proved her wrong. That something was the little girl ¨C sitting on the floor while leaning to the wall.


    Sneha: ¡°W-what!?¡±


    She exclaimed as she saw the girl and brought the girl¡¯s attention towards herself.


    Girl: ¡°I-I see. It¡¯s Ms. Sneha.¡±


    Her voice, as she spoke with a smile, was weak.


    Sneha: ¡°Didn¡¯t you get sucked in that black hole?¡±


    She asked as she started walking towards the girl.


    Sneha: ¡°How are you here?¡±


    Her voice was filled with pure surprise. But the girl, on the other hand, only smiled as she said the truth.


    Girl: ¡°I agreed.¡±


    Sneha: ¡°Huh?¡±


    Girl: ¡°I agreed to die.¡±


    Sneha was left speechless. She did not understand what was going on but she did understand that whatever it was, it was tragic.


    Girl: ¡°I agreed to die, so I am here. Now,¡±


    Her voice weak but sweet continued on,


    Girl: ¡°I can rest just like he would.¡±


    The smile on her face was also weak but full of happiness.


    Girl: ¡°And, in the end, both of us will be free.¡±


    *******************************

 Chapter 50: One Regret

    Girl: ¡°And, in the end, both of us will be free.¡±


    On hearing those words said with a genuine on the speaker¡¯s face smile, Sneha was left with no seeming way to respond. To someone who was so happy with this outcome, she couldn¡¯t possibly try to tell them to live, not die. And even if she does, how would any of them be able to change the fate that awaits this girl.


    Girl: ¡°You don¡¯t need to be that shocked.¡±


    Seeing the expressions on the Aural¡¯s face, the girl said so. She had gained a better understanding of a person¡¯s feelings after having been confronted with the truth of her having human emotions. So, she could understand why Sneha was in shock.


    Girl: ¡°Although death may sound saddening to many, I would accept it wholeheartedly.¡±


    Sneha: ¡°But why?¡±


    Sneha gave a question that was to raise an objection to her line of thinking.


    Sneha: ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you rather try to live longer with the one you have come to consider a father?¡±


    For a moment, the girl¡¯s face showed surprise. It was surprise at the fact that this woman would actually care about her. It was surprise at the fact that this woman would have a dejected and sad expression on her face for her of all people.


    Sneha: ¡°Isn¡¯t that what you should desire?¡±


    Girl: ¡°I-I ¡­¡±


    Seeing that kindness, she had become unable to speak. It was not that she had never seen someone with such empathy, but because she had seen people like that never direct it towards her. After all, she was a mass of energy and not an actual person.


    No, that was not true. That had become untrue the moment the so-called god gave her human feelings. But, even she herself believed that she was just a mass of energy all this time. She wondered if even the dragon had noticed that change or not.


    Girl: ¡°I don¡¯t have a choice.¡±


    But in this moment, looking at the first and probably last person to ever show any real concerns for her, she had to brush all of those thoughts aside and answer her sincerely.


    Girl: ¡°The dragon would die and so would I. I think only a little more than two days are left. Even in those two days, one is going to go incredibly fast. So, this outcome is only inevitable.¡±


    She knew the facts, and had no intention of running away from them.


    Sneha: ¡°But still,¡±


    Girl: ¡°Tell me miss, why are you so worried about me?¡±


    Sneha: ¡°Huh?!¡±


    Girl: ¡°We have not talked much before, have we? In fact, the first time we talked was outside of the tomb two hours ago. So why have you started caring about me that much?¡±


    Faced with a question she couldn¡¯t answer, her gaze lowered. The girl saw that and smiled.


    Sneha Stone could not tell her the reason for this empathy was not a very noble one. She could not tell that it was just because her childish nature reminded her of her peers at the shrine. She could not say that it was a selfish want to not see someone die again.


    Sneha: ¡°I ¡­¡±


    She struggled to form words. She could not tell that such a selfish reason drives her to ask to continue to live longer in this godforsaken world.


    Sneha: ¡°I just started seeing you as a human, somewhere down the line.¡±


    So she said the part of the truth that she believed to be less selfish.


    Sneha: ¡°I just don¡¯t see you as some mass of energy.¡±


    The girl had understood that and was not benefitted by this answer, but she had a smile on her face and responded with a nod.


    Sneha: ¡°You said that we have not talked much. Maybe that is the reason.¡±


    Sneha answered to the best of her capability.


    Sneha: ¡°Because from what I have seen of you, I never saw you acting like someone who isn¡¯t human, I just saw you acting like an intelligent, little girl.¡±


    And that answer, even if lacking, was enough for the girl. She wasn¡¯t being deceived into thinking that was the real reason Sneha is so kind towards her. In fact, she understood that there is some reason for her kindness that she thinks is so bad she doesn¡¯t want to reveal what it is.


    And seeing that, she understood that this empathy is not a result of some fool¡¯s kindness, but has a genuine reason behind it. And to this girl, that painted it as far more acceptable than a person who would be kind for the sake of being kind.


    Girl: ¡°Thank you!¡±


    So, she could not do anything but thank her for this kindness.


    Sneha: ¡°¡­?¡±


    And what she received in response was a confused face. In order to clear that confusion, the girl told her reason for thanking her.


    Girl: ¡°I am happy I met you before dying.¡±


    *******************************


    Ethan Kales has finally started to understand the reason this Aural comrade of his is so down.


    Ethan: ¡°¡­¡±


    But even though he understands, he can¡¯t muster up any words to say to her.


    Sneha: ¡°¡­¡±


    And neither does she look to be in any mood to talk anymore.


    In that uncomfortable silence that had come about, the two helplessly shift their gazes from the ground to the ceiling to each other to the ground.


    They are not uncomfortable in speaking to each other even though they have been doing it pretty easily so far. The problem is that they don¡¯t know just what to say.


    And as they try to muster up some words, a loud sound comes. This sound looked to have come from something falling to the ground.


    Ethan: ¡°Uh!?¡±


    As he stared in the direction the sound came from, which was the direction of the stairs to the next floor, he glanced at the Aural.


    Sneha: ¡°That¡¯s suspicious, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°That it is. But, are you willing to go and see what it was from.¡±


    Sneha looks down as she seems to consider for a second what she would do. And then, as if having made up her mind, she sighs.


    Sneha: ¡°I don¡¯t think I have the legacy of refusing in such a situation.¡±


    They are inside Ozyllus¡¯ tomb and a black hole had suddenly appeared once out of nowhere about an hour ago. Considering the both of those alarmingly dangerous things, she has no choice but to investigate if any suspicious activity happens.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Ethan: ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s not wrong but, if you are not up for it, you can stay back.¡±


    His voice is not comforting at all, mostly because of the anxiety of what that sound came from, but his intentions still get through to her.


    Sneha: ¡°Sometimes you almost sound like a clich¨¦ good guy.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Hck!¡±


    Ethan gets surprised as he sees her smiling on that remark, a remark using the word ¡®clich¨¦¡¯ that he usually makes.


    Ethan: ¡°I guess you are ready then.¡±


    Needless to say, that remark was meant to ease up the anxious and tense atmosphere around them and it did its job.


    Before moving forward, both glance at each other and nod, and carefully start walking towards the stairs making sure to match their steps.


    *******************************


    Dyne: ¡°Is that so!?¡±


    He tilts his head with curiosity.


    Dyne: ¡°You are telling me that powerless person who holds the Eyes of Truth is the one who inspired you two to go down this foolish path?¡±


    His words were not for the sake of mocking the dragon, Barry, their intentions or Ethan. They were just words of plain surprise.


    Dragon: ¡°Yeah, even if it sounds stupid or hypocritical that people like us who had searched for more and more power to oppose Ozyllus were inspired to take our first steps by someone with no real fighting prowess, it is the truth.¡±


    The dragon affirmed to his claim. He knew full well that Ethan Kales was responsible for the changes that had happened within him as well as with Barry. He would not withhold from giving him the credit he deserves.


    Ro: ¡°I ¡­ just can¡¯t stand that bastard.¡±


    Ro admitted his annoyance at Ethan.


    Ro: ¡°True enough he¡¯s sharp and has done some rather beneficial things for us even if indirectly, but I doubt he really meant to help anyone.¡±


    Ro looked at the ground as he recalled the moment of his death.


    Dragon: ¡°And why is that?¡±


    Ro: ¡°Tch!¡±


    The reason for that was simply because he was unable to accept his killer as someone that noble. Or, what will he, the person who was killed by him, be?


    Ro: ¡°I can¡¯t say.¡±


    If his killer was a noble person, then doesn¡¯t that make him someone truly corrupt?


    Dyne: ¡°Well, that¡¯s understandable.¡±


    Dyne agreed with Ro even though he had no personal reason to do so. His instincts just told him that Ethan Kales is someone he should not trust.


    Dyne: ¡°He looks to me like a conniving meddler in the affairs of this war.¡±


    That was his judgment of Ethan¡¯s character, and truth be told, he was not too far off.


    Dragon: ¡°I won¡¯t deny that.¡±


    Therefore, the dragon accepted that evaluation. But, he continued,


    Dragon: ¡°However, he is someone whose meddling might as well bring something good out of this war.¡±


    The dragon had seen a war about a thousand years ago. He knew full well how much tragedy something like that brings. So, looking at this rapidly approaching war, he could do nothing but feel despair for those who would be involved in it. However, the existence of this conniving meddler might as well turn things around. Obviously, a lot of blood will still be spilled but maybe not as much as the last time. That is his hope. And he assured himself that Barry too had this hope. Whether he really did or not, the dragon wouldn¡¯t really know.


    Walter: ¡°His meddling will bring something good out of this war, huh?¡±


    Walter repeated the dragon¡¯s words with a curious gaze and folded arms.


    Walter: ¡°I don¡¯t know if that will be the case or not, but I can definitely see some change coming about because of him.¡±


    Dyne: ¡°That so?¡±


    Walter: ¡°What about you?¡±


    Seeing the rather unimpressed-at-Ethan face Dyne was making, Walter turned to him to ask.


    Walter: ¡°You did offer him to join us in this war. Why did you do that? Don¡¯t you have any expectations of him as well?¡±


    Dyne sighed and leaned against a tree.


    Dyne: ¡°I do have some expectations of him. That said though, it¡¯s only natural to have some expectations of a man who has Eyes of Truth.¡±


    Dyne¡¯s words were, in no way, wrong.


    Dyne: ¡°But there was someone with those eyes in the last war too, wasn¡¯t there? He couldn¡¯t do all that much to be honest even though he was a genius.¡±


    The person he was talking about had been the one who had created as well as mastered the use of the Eyes of Truth. His genius was undisputed throughout history.


    Dyne: ¡°If someone like him couldn¡¯t do it, how can an ordinary person like Ethan make a difference?¡±


    He had raised his point and although there were many things to say to argue him over his point, they didn¡¯t do it. It was because they knew full well that there¡¯s no way to really prove any point here, and even if there was, it would bear no real fruit. The results of this war are what will truly answer this question and till then, no argument has much credibility.


    *******************************


    Sagax: ¡°So you know?¡±


    Sona: ¡°Yeah, I do.¡±


    In the darkness she was swallowed in, she could see two other people unconscious. They were, the nameless little girl and Kais. However, a few moments earlier, the girl had disappeared. Sona didn¡¯t know what exactly happened, but she understood that the silhouette in front of her is somehow responsible.


    Sagax: ¡°So then, do you also know who I am?¡±


    Sona: ¡°Based on your eyes and you being in this black hole that was formed in the tomb, I have a guess.¡±


    Her guess was right and Sagax just nodded to say that. He didn¡¯t even need to ask her about her guess as it was pretty obvious for someone who actually knows somewhat about Sagax¡¯s story that this silhouette is him.


    Sona: ¡°That all, however, gives me no clue as to what exactly is happening here.¡±


    Sagax: ¡°It¡¯s simple. You have been sucked in a dimension that was created for my soul to reside in. The gates to this dimension could be opened from inside the tomb and I assume one of you must have opened it.¡±


    Sona: ¡°That¡¯s all fine and all but what I want to know is what exactly happened to the girl?¡±


    Hearing that, Sagax narrowed his hollow eyes and said,


    Sagax: ¡°Well, in simple terms, I gave her a choice.¡±


    Sona: ¡°A choice?¡±


    Sona looked at him doubtfully as he continued.


    Sagax: ¡°Yes, a choice between death alongside the dragon or a longer life without him?¡±


    As soon as she heard that, she knew the answer.


    Sona: ¡°She chose the former?¡±


    Sagax: ¡°She did.¡±


    To that girl whose whole world was this island, the dragon was her only family. So, dying alongside him was a no-brainer in her book. Sona, having spent some time with her, had come to understand that.


    Sona: ¡°Tch!¡±


    She was, regardless, irritated to hear that.


    Sona: ¡°So, has she already died?¡±


    Sagax: ¡°Hmm ¡­ I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Sona: ¡°You don¡¯t.¡±


    Her eyes saw him as someone suspicious and so she wouldn¡¯t just readily believe him if he said he doesn¡¯t know but,


    Sagax: ¡°I put a condition on her that she would die when she finds fulfillment in her life. I imagined that would be when the dragon had died, but I don¡¯t exactly know.¡±


    He told her the truth without any deceptions and she, well versed in contracts and conditions, could certainly not deny that what he said made sense.


    Sona: ¡°What if she doesn¡¯t find fulfillment even after his death? Wouldn¡¯t that be very bad for her?¡±


    Sagax: ¡°All that means is that there was something else she desired that she didn¡¯t understand when she agreed to dying. She would just have to find that something else.¡±


    Sona was about as sure as she could be that the girl would die when the dragon dies, maybe even before that, but she had learned to be skeptical and so couldn¡¯t deny the possibility that there could be something else that may stop her from dying.


    That, however, was and was not the case.


    *******************************


    The girl offered her gratitude to Sneha. Sneha did not understand why. The girl told her she was glad to have met her. Sneha didn¡¯t know why. And to that confused woman,


    Girl: ¡°If there is any regret that I have, it¡¯s that I probably won¡¯t be remembered by anyone.¡±


    She scratched her cheek as a slight blush came to her cheeks.


    Sneha: ¡°What are you saying? Why wouldn¡¯t we remember you?¡±


    Girl: ¡°Tell me, would you be able to remember a little girl you don¡¯t know the name of?¡±


    Sneha flinched as she saw her point.


    Girl: ¡°I don¡¯t have a name and so there¡¯s no real way to remember me.¡±


    Sneha: ¡°But,¡±


    Girl: ¡°I had, deep down, understood the value of names ever since I have had feelings. The proof is that I named all the animals on the island.¡±


    She smiled in self-reflection, something a girl of the age her appearance shows, shouldn¡¯t be very good at.


    Girl: ¡°But, because the dragon didn¡¯t give me one, I didn¡¯t understand the importance of my own name, at least not consciously.¡±


    Now that she had come to accept all her humanity that Ozyllus had given her, she knows the importance of her own name, the one thing she doesn¡¯t have.


    Girl: ¡°I wish I had one name people could remember me by.¡±


    The dragon himself is not someone who ever understood the value of names. He didn¡¯t mind others having one but never bothered to remember a name that people gave him. So it is only natural that she didn¡¯t really understand their importance. But Ozyllus, someone who did understand it, made her realize their importance. So now she feels regret.


    Sneha: ¡°I ¡­ I see.¡±


    Sneha understood her regret and knew, to some extent, what it feels like. Sneha herself had always had a name but there had come a time when, after everyone at the shrine died in the disaster caused by Barry, she had lost any place to belong. She had lost a part of her identity and so she understands, to an extent, the pain of someone who had no identity and felt a sense of loss for it.


    Sneha: ¡°In that case,¡±


    Therefore, the one thing that Sneha could do, other than feeling bad for her, would be ¡­


    Sneha: ¡°I will remember you as Lilly.¡±


    ¡­ giving her a name. And the name she gave the girl was the name of her friend, the one this girl reminded her most of.


    Lilly: ¡°Huh!?¡±


    She was flabbergasted at what Sneha had just said.


    Sneha: ¡°That will be the name that I would make sure everyone who knows you remembers you by. And so,¡±


    She said as the memories of her friend, Lilly, flashed before her eyes,


    Sneha: ¡°You can rest in peace knowing that you would be remembered.¡±


    Hearing that, a teardrop fell off from Lilly¡¯s eyes only to be multiplied very soon.


    Lilly: ¡°Ms. Sneha, thank you!¡±


    It was said from the bottom of her heart and Sneha well understood that. Her eyes had started to tear up as well.


    After a few moments, having her one and only regret diminished before her eyes, the girl would die and the energy she had been made of will disperse. As Ethan had planned, her believing that the island would get destroyed would, after the remaining time has passed, destroy the island.


    And that will be the end of her story.


    *******************************

 Chapter 51: Endeavor

    Sona: ¡°So what now?¡±


    She looked at the silhouette in front of her with suspicious eyes as she asked,


    Sona: ¡°Now that you are here, it should mean that you have some business with me.¡±


    Sagax: ¡°To be completely honest, I would have to come to you even if I had nothing to say to you. After all, you did enter this place and I am the only one who knows how to send you back.¡±


    Sona: ¡°Hmm.¡±


    She was skeptical but not unnecessarily suspicious. She did keep in mind the possibility that he might be lying, but decided to go along with it.


    Sagax: ¡°But that being said and done, yes, I do have something to talk to you about.¡±


    Sagax¡¯s voice showed a rather plain tone, almost as if he was trying to suppress all the emotions he had.


    Sona: ¡°So what is it?¡±


    Understanding that well, Sona decided that it would be best to focus on the conversation and not get distracted.


    Sagax: ¡°Well, simply put, I was curious about what exactly you are going to do.¡±


    Sona: ¡°Huh?¡±


    According to Sona, her intentions are pretty simple and it shouldn¡¯t be hard for anyone to figure out what she is planning to do. But since he had asked, it was only natural to state it clearly.


    Sona: ¡°I am going to do all in my power to bring doom upon Ozyllus and his plans.¡±


    Sagax¡¯s hollow emptiness in place of eyes allowed him to hide all the emotions swirling up inside him as he said,


    Sagax: ¡°I am afraid ¡­ you didn¡¯t understand my question.¡±


    And so, by using that empty darkness, he decided to ask his question.


    Sagax: ¡°I know what you intend to do. I want to know how you¡¯ll do it. What exactly will you do to fulfill that goal of yours?¡±


    It was a pretty understandable question. Even Sona herself had no real plan for going about this goal. One reason for that can be said to be the fact that she hadn¡¯t gotten much time to think about it, but even if she had, she wasn¡¯t confident that she would really come up with a very good answer.


    Sagax: ¡°Surely you must know what you are going to do is exponentially difficult.¡±


    Sona: ¡°Yeah, I know that very well.¡±


    She had prepared for over a decade to get her revenge on the dragon. The amount of effort it took her to form a contract with a spirit like Death and many other spirits she had was nothing to laugh about, not to mention giving them enough experience with battles and tactics, among other things.


    And even after all that, she lost to the dragon. The game turned around so suddenly that she couldn¡¯t even deploy any other spirit to assist Death. As a result, the spirits who may have been able to detect the special ability of the dragon and henceforth stopped Death in due time remained uninvolved in the battle as the main attack unit got wiped out in a second.


    That was the result of a decade worth of training against the dragon. Needless to say, in order to destroy a plan Ozyllus of all people had worked for about 1000 years would prove to be impossible.


    Sagax: ¡°So, how exactly are you going to go about it? And don¡¯t worry; I won¡¯t sell your plans to Ozyllus.¡±


    Sona: ¡°Actually, even if you do sell me out, it wouldn¡¯t really matter.¡±


    Sagax: ¡°Oh?¡±


    Sona: ¡°I mean, think about it. In these 1000 years of time, there is no way he could not have considered every angle in which his plan could be interrupted.¡±


    Sagax: ¡°Yeah, I expect him to have done that at the very least.¡±


    Sona: ¡°So anything someone like me cooks up isn¡¯t going to be enough.¡±


    Sagax stared at her with curiosity, among other countless emotions inside him.


    Sona: ¡°That¡¯s right; it just won¡¯t be possible for me to outwit him, not alone anyway.¡±


    Her plan was simple, and perhaps the most feasible.


    Sona: ¡°Trying to think of some ingenious counter-plan will only backfire at me. So, all I can do is relying on others for help.¡±


    Her approach was mature, to say the least. Needless to say, the chances of winning were still very slim even if all the people she had in mind would be willing to help.


    Sagax: ¡°I see.¡±


    Sagax nodded. At the very least, the silhouette looked to be nodding. Sona couldn¡¯t be sure of it until his next words.


    Sagax: ¡°That¡¯s a good move, possibly the best move you can make at this point.¡±


    Even Sagax, the man named as the wisest in the kingdom of Ozyllus could not have outwitted someone like Ozyllus when he has so much experience and knowledge on his side. So, at the end, even he would have gone with the same approach.


    Sona: ¡°We need to collect information that we don¡¯t know and simultaneously get stronger. That, I guess, is the long and short of it.¡±


    Sagax: ¡°Yes, that¡¯s fine. But you seem to already be assuming that people will join you on this quest.¡±


    Sona: ¡°That they will.¡±


    She wasn¡¯t bluffing. She knew people would join her. She knew there are many who would be willing to give their life to bring Ozyllus down. And there¡¯s of course the confirmed support from Kais.


    Sona: ¡°I am not an idiot. I know he has created many tragedies like mine, maybe even worse than mine. And I can bet those whose lives he destroyed will be willing to take revenge.¡±


    Sagax: ¡°Revenge, huh?


    Sagax knew the weight of those words all too well. And so, he could only frown on hearing them.


    Sagax: ¡°I suppose that is what¡¯s driving you. So the first thing you¡¯d use to motivate others like you is ¡®revenge¡¯ as well.¡±Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Sona: ¡°And?¡±


    She sensed a fleeting rejection in his voice that he had tried to hide throughout their conversation.


    Sona: ¡°Do you have any objections to that?¡±


    Despite her words, her tone gave no threatening vibes. If Sagax had eyes, he would have closed them and then sighed.


    Sagax: ¡°No, I do not.¡±


    But that would still be the answer he had given. There was nothing else he could say and nothing else he deserved to say.


    Sagax: ¡°Whatever drives a person, it¡¯s their choice. Whether it is revenge or hope; it¡¯s not my place to judge.¡±


    He gave his honest opinion.


    Sagax: ¡°Now that the question I had is out of the way, do you have any questions for me?¡±


    Sona: ¡°I do.¡±


    Seeing the former owner of Eyes of Truth willing to answer questions, she just had to ask him.


    Sona: ¡°Do you know where the psychic library is?¡±


    Sagax: ¡°You don¡¯t know where it is!?¡±


    Seeing the location of one of the most popular places of his time being unknown to the Spirit-user in front of him, he could only frown.


    Sona: ¡°As far as common knowledge among us goes ¨C nobody knows where it is.¡±


    Sagax was surprised. That surprise could only mean that he hadn¡¯t met anyone of the current time before who could tell him about these things. It would also mean that he has not talked to Ozyllus or Abyss. While keeping the possibility of him lying in the back of her mind, she derived this conclusion ¨C Sagax¡¯s soul has been in this place for a time long enough that nothing related to developments in the current world is known to him.


    Sagax: ¡°I see.¡±


    After a pause because of the surprise, he regained composure and said,


    Sagax: ¡°Then, I suppose I can tell you where it was in the past. Hopefully, that would help.¡±


    Sona: ¡°Why would you tell me this?¡±


    Sagax: ¡°It¡¯s simply because I too want to stop Ozyllus.¡±


    As if he had predicted her question, he answered immediately.


    Sagax: ¡°But getting back to the library¡¯s location, it was right in the middle of Ozyllus¡¯ and Vermillion¡¯s territories.¡±


    Ozyllus had liberated from Vermillion and formed a nation of his own. From what the history says, the territory that Ozyllus claimed as his own belonged to Vermillion before. As such, the psychic library would have been in Vermillion¡¯s territory. What the history doesn¡¯t say is that the library was the point from where Ozyllus negotiated with Vermillion to have the boundary line drawn.


    Sagax told her that missing piece of history, and Sona gained a clue as to where her next destination would be.


    Sona: ¡°I see. That¡¯s helpful.¡±


    She was undoubtedly thankful to him for that information. And so, she had gained a faint smile along with that information.


    Sagax: ¡°Well then, if that¡¯s all, I would send you back.¡±


    Sona: ¡°Just tell me one last thing.¡±


    She raised her arm making her palm face him as if to signal to stop him.


    Sona: ¡°What exactly is this place?¡±


    Sagax: ¡°It¡¯s where my soul was sent just before I died.¡±


    Because his soul was the only thing here and that was the only explanation to it that made sense, Sona had predicted that much but,


    Sagax: ¡°Even I don¡¯t fully comprehend what this place is.¡±


    The real answer to her question was that.


    Sagax: ¡°I think it¡¯s a replica of a Cage that all psychics have in their subconscious.¡±


    Sona: ¡°I see. Well, it does look that way.¡±


    Seeing the dark place that seemed endless in all directions, Sona can only agree to that assumption. Even if she had, obviously, never seen a Cage before, this was what she had imagined it to be like from the description Barry had given her years ago.


    Sona: ¡°Still, you have been here for about 1000 years now, and you still don¡¯t know what this place is.¡±


    Sagax: ¡°Well, without eyes, it¡¯s quite hard for me to actually investigate anything. Furthermore, Ozyllus is the one who made this place and I think he would have kept it in his mind to make something I wouldn¡¯t be able to figure out.¡±


    His reasons were valid and Sona did understand that, which is why she didn¡¯t say anything. But, she was still disappointed.


    Sona: ¡°So the reason why you are able to move around like you can see everything is because of some ability?¡±


    She wanted to ask him how, without eyes, he was able to move so freely. That was the last question she had for him.


    Sagax: ¡°I can sense a presence and then float to it. I suppose floating for these many years had allowed me to move much more freely than I initially could and so it may look like I can move as if I have eyes.¡±


    That was an expected answer. And being satisfied by it, Sona was out of any questions for the moment.


    In truth, she had many questions. She wanted to ask Sagax everything since he had been there when the war between Ozyllus and Abyss, the event everything seems to be connected to, happened. But, she had a certainty in her mind that he wouldn¡¯t answer and will just say to go to the Library.


    Sagax: ¡°Well then, if that¡¯s all,¡±


    Sona: ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s all I had to ask.¡±


    And so, she accepted what would come next.


    Sagax: ¡°I wish you succeed in your quest.¡±


    He said as bright rays of light came from behind her and she got pulled back to the tomb.


    *******************************


    The two kept carefully matching their steps as they looked up the stairs to see where the sound they heard a while ago came from. And soon, they found the reason.


    Sneha: ¡°Sona?¡±


    The woman who had been pulled back to the tomb a while ago is sitting on the stairs holding her left arm with her right.


    Sona: ¡°Yeah.¡±


    The reason for her holding her arm is something the two of them got concerned about and it could be seen in their eyes.


    Sona: ¡°Don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s just hurting a little because I got hit on this arm when I was pulled back to the tomb.¡±


    Sneha: ¡°I-I see.¡±


    As if all the tension has been released from her, her shoulders relax.


    Sona: ¡°But more importantly, I see we have been joined by your friend here.¡±


    Sneha: ¡°Please do me the favor of not calling us friends.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°Harsh!¡±


    Ethan acted as if he was hurt only to get a frown from both women in return.


    Sona: ¡°So hey,¡±


    Sona looks at Sneha as she asks,


    Sona: ¡°Where are the others?¡±


    Sneha¡¯s gaze drops as she hears that question.


    *******************************


    Sona: ¡°I see.¡±


    She clicks her tongue in frustration. After having been updated on everything that happened after she got sucked in the black hole, all she could do was click her tongue.


    Sona: ¡°So it has already happened.¡±


    She knew all along that the girl, no, Lilly, would die. After all, the dragon was about to die and the island was going to get destroyed.


    Sneha: ¡°Huh?¡±


    Sona: ¡°No, nothing.¡±


    During her conversation with Sagax, she had also come to know how she would die. But she hadn¡¯t expected her to already be dead by the time she got back. And so, she is frustrated.


    Sona: ¡°Tell me, how much time is left till this island is destroyed?¡±


    Sneha: ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know the exact amount but,¡±


    She turned to Ethan expecting him to have done all the calculations with time because of his Eyes of Truth.


    Ethan: ¡°About a day and a half. From what I can pick up, this interference will last for the current day only, so it would actually be a day and an hour.¡±


    Half a day will pass in an hour but then the time will get back to normal, is what Ethan says.


    Sona: ¡°I see. We don¡¯t have much time to be here, do we?¡±


    She gazes at the ground as she says that.


    Ethan: ¡°No, we don¡¯t.¡±


    He says as he narrows his gaze.


    The trigger that would lead to the destruction of the island, Lilly, is already gone. But that only means that her core has dispersed. She believed to the end that the island will be destroyed. So it will be destroyed. That has not changed. In fact, now it has become a certain future as there is no way for her to start believing otherwise.


    Only Ethan among those three knows that and he sees no reason to reveal that information. The destruction of the island was something Ethan is the true reason for. At least, that¡¯s what most would think if they hear about the why it would be destroyed.


    They wouldn¡¯t know that he had to do it because he had to make Ozyllus believe that he was dancing to his tune and so they would immediately antagonize him. In the current situation at least, Ethan decides to not take the chance and keep it a secret.


    Sona: ¡°If that¡¯s the case then,¡±


    Suppressing all her sadness and frustration for the girl¡¯s death, Sona decided to think of what they would do next.


    Sona: ¡°So where is Kais?¡±


    Sneha: ¡°Don¡¯t know. I didn¡¯t go up the stairs ever since I came here and neither have I gone anywhere lower, so he could he on one of those floors.¡±


    That was, obviously, assuming that Sagax would have let him go as well.


    Sona: ¡°I see.¡±


    But she had an instinctive feeling that he would let Kais go, and she chose to put her trust in it for the time being.


    Ethan: ¡°Well, let¡¯s hope we find him as soon as possible. You know, since the island doesn¡¯t have many more hours left.¡±


    Ethan says with folded arms, leaning against the wall.


    Sneha: ¡°I agree.¡±


    She nods, and Sona simultaneously stands up from the stairs she was sitting on.


    Sona: ¡°I would like that too but I don¡¯t think we will find him anywhere until he is let out of that place.¡±


    Ethan: ¡°That place, eh?¡±


    He says with a curious expression.


    Ethan: ¡°We have told you what happened here while you were gone. Now I think it¡¯s your turn to update us about the other side.¡±


    Hearing so, Sona nods.


    Sona: ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s fair. I¡¯ll tell you what happened there but let¡¯s start searching too.¡±


    After moving her gaze from one to other, she puts out that proposal. And so, they decided to start searching for Kais while she tells them what had happened inside the black hole.


    *******************************

 Chapter 52: Final Assessment

    Sagax: ¡°You look like you know why I am here, do you?¡±


    It was some time after I got sucked in the black hole that I saw light coming in and the girl being pulled out. The same thing, after a while, happened to Sona. I was the only one left.


    Kais: ¡°I do.¡±


    The only presence except that of the two of them I had felt in this place was something similar to Barry¡¯s. In other words, it was a ghost¡¯s presence. So when he appeared in front of me, it was pretty obvious he is that ghost. And it was also pretty obvious he is responsible for whatever happened to the two of them. And so I had realized that it was my turn next.


    Sagax: ¡°Then, do you also know who I am?¡±


    That, before he appeared in front of me, I didn¡¯t know. But after seeing his face, after seeing that hollow darkness where eyes should be, I realized.


    Kais: ¡°I do.¡±


    He is Sagax, the person whose eyes could never be deceived.


    Sagax: ¡°I see. That makes things easy for me.¡±


    Kais: ¡°¡­¡±


    I couldn¡¯t read his expressions.  In all the time I had before Sagax showed himself to me, I had thought about why Abyss would have told me to let myself get sucked into this place. But I didn¡¯t arrive on any answers that made sense. When he did show up, I thought maybe meeting him was the reason. But, what exactly did Abyss had in mind when he said that, I don¡¯t really know. He hadn¡¯t tried to say anything since then.


    Sagax: ¡°Now then, I have some questions for you before I let you leave this place.¡±


    He specified that there were multiple questions, which could mean that he only had one question for those two. I should probably keep that in mind.


    Kais: ¡°Ask them then.¡±


    Sagax: ¡°Do you know what exactly this place is?¡±


    I gave an honest answer.


    Kais: ¡°It feels like The Cage but at the same time, it seems like something is missing for it to be The Cage.¡±


    He nodded.


    Sagax: ¡°Yes, this is a replica of a Cage belonging to Ozyllus and he is the one who made it.¡±


    That made sense. If he had made this place, then of course he couldn¡¯t have made it to be as infinite as a natural Cage is. That should probably be what seems missing to me. It looks endless from here but I am sure it has an end.


    Sagax: ¡°Do you know why he made it?¡±


    I could place a rough bet, so I did.


    Kais: ¡°To trap you here.¡±


    If Sagax soul was trapped in a place like this, he would be a ghost for a very, very long time whether he wanted to or not. Ozyllus and Abyss tried to prolong their existences over these past 10 centuries but there was no guarantee Sagax would do the same. So if Ozyllus wanted to make him live till today without him even wanting to, the only option he had to do that is to trap him in a place where time would be very slow. Of course, if he could replicate a real Cage, then time wouldn¡¯t even be a bother. Anything inside will have infinity to live. But even this flawed replica can do the job for a thousand or so years. That was my theory.


    Sagax: ¡°If that really were the case, what would his reasoning be?¡±


    Kais: ¡°No idea.¡±


    Sagax: ¡°Huh?¡±


    Kais: ¡°I don¡¯t know what his plan is, what his goal is or what his motives are. Without knowing any of those things, how could I know his reasoning?¡±


    That is why I have to suspect him for any and everything, just to be safe.


    Sagax: ¡°I see.¡±


    His tone of voice was indifferent, as if to hide his emotions.


    Sagax: ¡°You people really don¡¯t know much, do you?¡±


    Kais: ¡°I am guessing you got the same kind of answers from Sona then.¡±


    I don¡¯t think he would include the girl in ¡®you people¡¯, so that must mean that Sona told him something similar.


    Sagax: ¡°Yeah, she did.¡±


    He seemed indifferent even though his words seem to be implying that many emotions are hidden underneath that fa?ade.


    Sagax: ¡°Well, anyway,¡±


    He sighed as he said so.


    Sagax: ¡°do you know why the link to this place from the outside world is in the tomb?¡±


    That probably plays into Ozyllus¡¯ plans, or that¡¯s what I would want to believe. But if coming here helps him, then why did Abyss want me to come here as well. I have drawn a blank slate on this one because of these two contradicting things.


    Sagax: ¡°I will take that silence as a no.¡±


    He continued,


    Sagax: ¡°The main reason was probably because he wanted you to find out what truly transpired 1000 years ago.¡±


    Kais: ¡°¡­?¡±


    Sagax: ¡°From what Sona told me, the Psychic Library is a place whose location is unknown at present day.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Yeah, we have all heard of it. No one seems to know where it is though.¡±


    The Library that is rumored to have the entire past from way before Ozyllus¡¯ birth to after the war was over present in it in writing, The Psychic Library, is one of the biggest mysteries supernaturals have today. No one has been able to find it. Needless to say, a lot many have tried. Well, personally, I didn¡¯t even knew of it until the dragon mentioned it and I then used a different opportunity to peak into Sona¡¯s mind to understand what it is.


    Sagax: ¡°Well, if that¡¯s the case then I think going to someone who knew where it was is the quickest way to find it.¡±


    Kais: ¡°That makes sense. And if you are that person, then I suppose he got what he wanted, for now at least.¡±


    He nodded.


    Sagax: ¡°Those who were there at the time of that war are probably the most likely ones to know of it all.¡±


    Kais: ¡°And since the dragon has been here for so long, he is unlikely to know of the geographical changes that have happened over the years. Abyss and Ozyllus probably can¡¯t expose themselves so easily.¡±


    The reason for that being that they are both at each other¡¯s throats and wouldn¡¯t want to give the other any chance to attack because of some carelessness of their own.


    Sagax: ¡°And that only leaves me.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Yes, it makes sense.¡±


    If I just assume that Ozyllus¡¯ goal was as Sagax said, then things made sense. Also, I don¡¯t think Abyss would be opposed to the idea of letting us (or me at least) know of the past either, which makes him wanting me to come here reasonable.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    Sagax: ¡°So, now that you know all of that, what do you intend to do?¡±


    Kais: ¡°Find the library.¡±


    My goal is clear ¨C stopping Ozyllus. And the first step towards that goal seems to be finding the Psychic Library.


    Sagax: ¡°I haven¡¯t even told you anything about its location 1000 years ago.¡±


    Kais: ¡°But you will, right?¡±


    I narrowed my eyes while staring at his face. Seeing that, Sagax sighed in exasperation.


    Sagax: ¡°Yeah, I will.¡±


    He said in the same indifferent tone he had during the whole conversation.


    *******************************


    I am on the highest floor of the tomb. I am sitting right in front of Ozyllus¡¯ coffin. And I am hearing footsteps. It¡¯s not hard to guess whose footsteps they are.


    Kais: ¡°They are coming rather slowly.¡±


    Maybe they are being cautious. Yeah, I¡¯d be too.


    Kais: ¡°Though it seems like-¡±


    The three people heading here don¡¯t seem to be the ones who were with me earlier. Or rather, two of them are the same, one of them is different.


    Kais: ¡°Seems like the girl isn¡¯t with them.¡±


    It¡¯s rather surprising that she is not but the person who has replaced her seems to be a man about my age.


    Kais: ¡°It¡¯s probably Ethan then.¡±


    I muttered to myself as I listen to their footsteps through my clairaudience. From their heartbeats, they seem to be a fair bit nervous. I guess that¡¯s to be expected.


    Kais: ¡°Ethan, huh?¡±


    I can see his heartbeat showing signs of nervousness too. I have never tried to read his emotions before, mainly because I had thought he is the type of person who doesn¡¯t hide them at all. But, is that really true? Can someone be surrounded by people at least 10 times more powerful than him and really not feel afraid?


    Kais: ¡°Can that person even be called a human?¡±


    I tried to look at Ethan in whatever way made it the most convenient for me. I didn¡¯t had to think about how much courage he has, how resolved he is or anything of the like if I just assumed he is naturally like that.


    Kais: ¡°I was trying to run away again.¡±


    I had made it a habit of running away as soon as things got bad. And this habit of mine has grown to an extreme by this point. Even subconsciously now, I would start running away from things like this.


    Others probably weren¡¯t like that. They probably realized that Ethan Kales is a human like any other and thus feels all the emotions anyone else does. They probably realized he is afraid and nervous but still has what it takes to stand up against them. Seeing that is probably the reason the dragon and Barry decided to stop attesting to their duties and try to go against Ozyllus. I, on other hand, kept looking away from it all.


    Kais: ¡°By this point, I won¡¯t be surprised if they are both dead.¡±


    I didn¡¯t get a very good look but I could tell the two who Barry, the dragon and Ro had decided to stall for us to get here were very powerful. The man in black clothes in particular, was a monster as far as I could tell from his aura. He could even be as powerful as Ozyllus was, though I wouldn¡¯t really know that for sure since I never saw Ozyllus when he was at his prime.


    The only ones who may know how he matches up to Ozyllus are Ozyllus himself, Abyss, the dragon and Sagax.


    *******************************


    Sagax: ¡°Well, if you can locate that place on the current map, you should be able to find the library.¡±


    I nodded as I memorized everything he said about the location of the library 1000 years ago.


    Sagax: ¡°Now if that¡¯s all, I suppose I need to send you back.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Before that,¡±


    There¡¯s something that I had wanted to ask him for a while and so I stopped him.


    Kais: ¡°There¡¯s something I have been really curious about, and it had to do with this war.¡±


    Sagax: ¡°Go on.¡±


    Kais: ¡°The Alliance of the dragons, Vermillion and the Ghost Nation are up against Vampires. I don¡¯t really see how vampires can possibly even stand a chance here.¡±


    Sagax: ¡°Hmm.¡±


    I didn¡¯t know if he knew what faction is doing what in the war but I assumed he would. From his reaction, it¡¯s hard to tell but he probably didn¡¯t know about this.


    Sagax: ¡°So you are wondering what the Vampire Kingdom may have up their sleeve.¡±


    I nodded. If they are defeated before we are able to do anything, all of this would be pointless. On the other hand, it¡¯s not like we can help the vampires and stop Ozyllus at the same time.


    Sagax: ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    That took me by surprise. I thought he would know if there¡¯s some ace the Vampire Kingdom has that may help them at this point.


    Sagax: ¡°They were quite a threat because of powerful leadership back then but I don¡¯t think something like that would be enough this time. I don¡¯t know this but I highly doubt that these 1000 years didn¡¯t produce a single weapon that can remove the value of leadership skills.¡±


    Well, there are hydrogen bombs. Be it normal humans or vampires, I don¡¯t think they stand a chance in hell against that.


    Sagax: ¡°This is really something.¡±


    He was pondering with his finger on his chin.


    Sagax: ¡°I have really no idea what the vampires plan would do. Add to that the fact that there is, according to what I have heard from Sona, someone more powerful than the dragon on the ghost¡¯s sides.¡±


    She probably meant that guy who was dressed completely in black.


    Sagax: ¡°Their chances seem slim to none.¡±


    Seeing from how he was pondering about it all, I knew he really had no idea what the vampires are planning to do about this all. I mean, they wanted to bring me on their sides but no matter what they may say about me being more powerful than all psychics, I know there is just no way that I alone would have been enough to turn the tides in their favor.


    *******************************


    We kept thinking about it for a while but no answer came to mind. Just what exactly are the vampires going to do?


    Kais: ¡°I just can¡¯t get that question off my head.¡±


    Sona: ¡°What question?¡±


    She says as she steps in front of me while looking relaxed. Following her, Sneha and Ethan step in my line of sight too.


    Kais: ¡°Well, just wondering how the vampires are going to fight the three powerhouses by themselves.¡±


    I turn to Ethan as I narrow my eyes to display my suspicion.


    Kais: ¡°Do you know anything?¡±


    He sighs.


    Ethan: ¡°You are certainly less violent than I expected you to be.¡±


    I guess after seeing me losing my temper on our second meeting, it is fair for him to think I¡¯d be more aggressive.


    Kais: ¡°Let¡¯s say I have learned to control myself better.¡±


    Thought to be completely honest, I don¡¯t feel any need to get aggressive.


    Ethan: ¡°So you say.¡±


    He sighs with a look of disappointment on his face.


    Kais: ¡°Did you want me to pummel you? Are you a masochist?¡±


    I say mockingly, the reply to which came with a straight-face,


    Ethan: ¡°Well, I could be one, I honestly have no idea.¡±


    Kais: ¡°You go around picking fights with people who can kill you in an instant. Furthermore, you aggravate them with a smug look on your face. I¡¯d say you are a masochist.¡±


    For some reason, our conversation derailed from the topic as soon as it began.


    Sneha: ¡°Whether he is a masochist or not is not really that important, is it?¡±


    She looks at us with even more of a disappointed look.


    Ethan: ¡°Just what do you mean? I am in the middle of doing some very important self-introspection here.¡±


    Even though he says that jokingly, his nervousness doesn¡¯t go away. On seeing no one reacting to his words though, he sighs.


    Ethan: ¡°Fine, let¡¯s get back to topic.¡±


    He turns to me as he says,


    Ethan: ¡°You want to know what the vampires are planning to do about their huge disadvantage in this war.¡±


    He says as if to remind himself.


    Ethan: ¡°Well, I don¡¯t know everything but it seems like they have one hell of a strategist and are mostly dependent on him.¡±


    A strategist, huh? That isn¡¯t much different than having a great leader. What can that strategist do against the likes of a hydrogen bomb? And how exactly would he defeat that guy in black clothing?


    Ethan: ¡°I know what you are thinking and I have those doubts too but from the intelligence I have been able to gather on them, they seem to trust that guy to be able to take out all the enemies with his mind.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Just mind?¡±


    It would make a bit more sense if that person if also really powerful in addition to being a good strategist. However, my answer comes as a sigh from Ethan.


    Ethan: ¡°He seems to have no supernatural abilities.¡±


    Kais: ¡°What!!!¡±


    My reaction is shared by Sona and Sneha too. Of course it is. Who wouldn¡¯t be surprised to hear that?


    Ethan: ¡°He doesn¡¯t even seem to have a special ability like mine. He is, in every sense of way, a powerless human being.¡±


    *******************************


    It seemed like Sagax had given up on coming up with a possible way for Vampire Kingdom to fight back. And so,


    Sagax: ¡°After you are back there, your mission begins.¡±


    I nodded.


    Kais: ¡°Yes, I am well aware.¡±


    Sagax: ¡°Before you go, tell me something.¡±


    He said even though light rays had already started flooding and I was starting to get pulled by them.


    Sagax: ¡°The current holder of my eyes, my successor, is he on your side or not?¡±


    He asked just as I was about to be completely pulled away.


    *******************************


    Ethan: ¡°Before all of that though, there is something else I am curious about.¡±


    He steps forward and stands right in front of me.


    Ethan: ¡°What are you going to do now?¡±


    My answer to this question has been given to everyone but him, so I figured he¡¯d ask sooner or later.


    Ethan: ¡°Will you keep sitting on your butt and let Ozyllus do whatever he is doing like you have been for these past 12 years?¡±


    He is looking straight at me as he says with a resolved face and firm voice.


    Ethan: ¡°Or are you going to try to change things?¡±


    Kais: ¡°Hah!¡±


    A chuckle escapes me causing him to tense his eyebrows in annoyance.


    Kais: ¡°Sorry about that.¡±


    He is on our side alright. You can relax back there remembering that smile I gave you for an answer before being pulled out.


    Kais: ¡°Well,¡±


    I take a deep sigh and say,


    Kais: ¡°I¡¯m going to destroy him obviously.¡±


    I am not exactly using Aura-Reading right now, but I feel like if I were, I would see smiles on both Ethan and Sona¡¯s faces right now.


    Ethan: ¡°Well, if that¡¯s the case,¡±


    He says as he steps away and towards the lower floors.


    Ethan: ¡°You might need to tell that to those outside then.¡±


    Kais: ¡°Outside?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°I figure it has been long enough for those two from the Ghost Nation to have shown up outside the tomb.¡±


    I see.  That makes sense.


    Ethan: ¡°I¡¯d be going ahead.¡±


    He says as he starts walking out of the tomb.


    Ethan: ¡°I have to give an answer to their question myself.¡±


    He walks away with a smirk on his face. When we get out, things may get ugly. We may need to fight those two monsters when we refuse to join them. But, as I look at the back of the man whose eyes cannot be deceived, I feel like he is ready for it.


    Sona: ¡°Well?¡±


    And if he is, then how can I sit back?


    Kais: ¡°Let¡¯s get going then.¡±


    I answer to the question she asked me with a smile, and stand up.


    From here on out, I am going to need to fight many times and most people would probably be stronger than me. so, there¡¯s no better warm-up than the those two, is there?


    *******************************

 Chapter 53: Resolve

    Walter: ¡°Well, I guess we all have a general idea of who everyone else on this island is, but I think we should still introduce ourselves.¡±


    Walter, a man clad in black clothing, says in a relaxed voice, as if to say he is not at all worried about us trying to go against him. So to say, even if we do try to go against him, we won¡¯t really stand a chance.


    Sona: ¡°I don¡¯t have any problems with that idea if ¡­¡±


    She pauses now to make sure our attentions are on her next words.


    Sona: ¡°you start first.¡±


    Hearing that, Walter smirks.


    I, Sona and Sneha had come out of the tomb knowing that we¡¯d be needed to face two monsters who may be capable of wiping us all out. However, fear isn¡¯t exactly the word I¡¯d use to describe our emotions at present.


    Dyne: ¡°Well, if that¡¯s how you want it to be, let me start.¡±


    Dyne, a man wearing a dark-brown robe and a black cape with a golden helm, says after hearing Sona¡¯s suggestion.


    Dyne: ¡°I¡¯m the leader of the official army of the Ghost Nation, which some people also call the Spectres Division. I¡¯m the Spectre known as Dyne.¡±


    As he finishes, his partner follows suit.


    Walter: ¡°Then next is me I guess.¡±


    After taking in a long breath, he states,


    Walter: ¡°I¡¯m Walter Schmidt, a psychic by birth and an ally of the Ghost Nation. I¡¯m also hailed as the strongest man in the world.¡±


    After that, the two of them and the three of us turn to the only other people here.


    Ro: ¡°Hah!¡±


    He sighs and says,


    Ro: ¡°I¡¯m Ro Garland. I¡¯m a ghost now, was a half-psychic before. I¡¯m currently working for the Vampire Kingdom, it seems.¡±


    It seems? That sounds like he is unsure of whether he really is working for them. But in any case, we move on.


    Dragon: ¡°In case someone of you in unfamiliar with this, there are five types of dragons ¨C Sky, Land, Sea, Volcano and Rock.¡±


    He starts with that line so people who may not know about it might come to, and then continues in a melancholic voice,


    Dragon: ¡°I¡¯m a sky dragon who was once a loner ruling the skies of the country that existed in the place you are all present in. That was the case until Ozyllus defeated me and forced me to join him, to which I had no choice but to comply to.¡±


    ¡°Calm down,¡± I tell myself. That¡¯s all I can do at the moment. I can¡¯t lose control of my emotions right now. I already know of how heinous that so-called god truly was but, I can¡¯t help the rage that boils in me every time I hear about some of his ¡®great¡¯ deeds.


    Dragon: ¡°As I¡¯m a dragon, I never once had or felt the need to have a name.¡±


    Now that the five of them are done, it¡¯s our turn now. So we start with Sneha.


    Sneha: ¡°I¡¯m Sneha Stone, an Aural by birth and also a former student of Kirin Shrine.¡±


    She stops with that. And so,


    Sona: ¡°Hah! Well,¡±


    After a sigh as to say she doesn¡¯t really have any interest in doing this, she says,


    Sona: ¡°I¡¯m Sona Pectus, a spirit-user who has a mission to fulfill and will not let anyone interfere with it.¡±


    With a scorn on her face directed at Walter and Dyne, she says the last past of her introduction, which was obviously a threat telling them to back off. Too bad, it wouldn¡¯t be that easy.


    Kais: ¡°I¡¯m Kais, a psychic. That¡¯s all.¡±


    That IS all.


    Walter: ¡°Just Kais, no surname?¡±


    Kais: ¡°Yeah, just Kais, no surname.¡±


    The surname I am supposed to have is the name of those cowards who left me and Barry when I was just a kid. Barry was someone desperate for parental love and he couldn¡¯t get it, because the ones who I am supposed to call parents were a couple of cowards. There¡¯s no reason for me to attach my name with theirs.


    Dyne: ¡°Well, that¡¯s that.¡±


    Dyne says as he looks at me, his emotions I am able to tell even through his helm because of my aura-reading. I can tell that he is ¡­ determined.


    Dyne: ¡°There¡¯s a war about to start. Which side are you on?¡±


    Just as he says that, Ro seconds it,


    Ro: ¡°Yeah, I think we all need an answer to that. The Vampire Kingdom or The Dragon Alliance, which is it, Kais? And Sona too?¡±


    I hear a cackle coming from behind me, probably from Sona.


    Sona: ¡°That¡¯s a foolish question.¡±


    As those around us, except Sneha and the Dragon, narrow their gazes at us, I respond with a smirk,


    Kais: ¡°We are on the third side.¡±


    *******************************


    Ethan: ¡°That¡¯s pretty hardcore.¡±


    Says Ethan Kales as he looks at the empty coffin in front of him.


    Ethan: ¡°Now I really have no clue where his body could be right now.¡±


    The man who said he¡¯d stay back and will have a chat with his ¡®predecessor¡¯ is now just standing in front of an empty coffin wondering why it¡¯s empty.


    Ethan: ¡°Yeah, not the best use of time. Probably should get on with it.¡±


    He says in a plain voice as he turns around and looks at the place the three who were with him a while ago told him that there¡¯d be some invisible floor.


    Ethan: ¡°Oh hell! Here goes nothing!¡±


    He says as he tries to step on what seems like air but his foot stops mid-way, on the invisible magnetic floor that he had been told about.


    Ethan: ¡°Well, let¡¯s just hope it stays like this.¡±


    ???: ¡°You don¡¯t need to do all that to meet me.¡±


    Comes the voice he had never heard before, but even so, he instantly understands whose voice it is. After all, there is only one existence aside from him in the tomb.


    Ethan: ¡°So,¡±


    He says while turning back to look at the empty coffin again, where his Eyes of Truth show a ghostly presence,


    Ethan: ¡°you are Sagax?¡±


    Sagax: ¡°Yes, I¡¯m Sagax. The previous owner of the eyes you have now.¡±


    Hearing so, a smile comes on Ethan Kales¡¯ face.


    Ethan: ¡°Well then,¡±


    Stepping forward with the smile intact, he says,


    Ethan: ¡°I have some questions for you.¡±


    *******************************


    Dyne: ¡°You do realize there is no third side?¡±


    Dyne asks in a sarcastic tone with a little anger in his voice. But, he is wrong about something.


    Kais: ¡°There used to be no third side.¡±


    So I have to correct him.


    Kais: ¡°There is one now. And it currently has four members.¡±


    As Dyne narrows his eyes, Ro asks,


    Ro: ¡°So I guess the fourth is that bastard?¡±


    Sona: ¡°Yeah, the fourth is Ethan.¡±


    Sona replies immediately. And then comes the loud voice of someone¡¯s laughter. That someone is Walter Schmidt.


    Walter: ¡°F-four members, seriously? Hahaha!!¡±


    He says while being unable to stop laughing.


    Walter: ¡°Isn¡¯t that a bit low?¡±


    Kais: ¡°It IS a bit low. But what does it matter if our objective is reached regardless?¡±


    Walter: ¡°Oh?¡±


    As he calms down a little, while still laughing, he asks,


    Walter: ¡°And what is your objective?¡±


    Sona: ¡°It¡¯s simple. We¡¯re gonna destroy Ozyllus and his plans.¡±


    The woman who shares my hatred answers before I could and so I just nod.


    Kais: ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s how it¡¯ll be. We¡¯re planning on taking down Ozyllus and his plans ¡­ entirely.¡±


    I made sure to show my resolve in my voice but,


    Dyne: ¡°That¡¯s foolish. You¡¯ll never be able to accomplish that.¡±


    Kais: ¡°And why¡¯s that?¡±


    Dyne: ¡°In order for you people to pull off something like that, you¡¯ll need to at least know everything that happened 1000 years ago.¡±


    Dyne says something that we all realize to be the truth.


    Dyne: ¡°And no one, except that dragon who is about to die in a day, can tell you that. And well, let¡¯s just say a day isn¡¯t enough to tell you everything.¡±


    A smirking voice comes, but not from me, not from Sona, and not even from Sneha. It¡¯s the dragon who has a smirk on his face.


    Dragon: ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s true. Even though time has returned to normal and so I would get a whole day to live instead of just two hours, I still can¡¯t tell them everything.¡±


    Even though his words make it look like he would, he doesn¡¯t actually have any sadness on his face right now.


    Dragon: ¡°I thought Ethan may know everything but by the fact that he stayed behind to talk to Sagax, I know that¡¯s not true either. However, there¡¯s still a way.¡±


    The dragon¡¯s voice only has a triumphant smile as if he has fulfilled his purpose.


    Dragon: ¡°There¡¯s still The Psychic Library.¡±


    Dyne: ¡°Oh, come on!¡±


    Dyne says suddenly as if disappointed by the answer.


    Dyne: ¡°No one has found that thing in ages. We are at a point where we doubt it even exists.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°It exists, alright? It totally exists.¡±


    The dragon says with the same smile.


    Dragon: ¡°And I know that it can be found, if you really try to find it.¡±


    Dyne: ¡°That¡¯s weirdly optimistic.¡±


    Dyne says as if the Dragon¡¯s words don¡¯t make much sense, which they admittedly don¡¯t from a logical standpoint.


    Dyne: ¡°hah!¡±


    He sighs and turns to look at me.


    Dyne: ¡°I can¡¯t let you do as you wish for a hope that has no guarantee of even existing.¡±


    He points his lance at me.


    Dyne: ¡°If you won¡¯t join our side, then I¡¯ll have to treat you as an enemy ¡­¡±


    I know what is going to happen next.


    Dyne: ¡°and the battle shall begin.¡±


    I know what is going to happen next, because of the vines around Dyne¡¯s feet.


    Sona: ¡°You are misunderstanding something, Spectre Dyne. The battle ¡­¡±


    She tightens her grip and the vines tighten theirs.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    Sona: ¡°has already begun.¡±


    *******************************


    Sagax: ¡°Well, go on, my successor. Ask your questions.¡±


    The ghost of Sagax says while seating himself over the edges of the empty coffin.


    Ethan: ¡°Hah!¡±


    He takes a deep breath, and then lets it go. He has gathered all his thoughts and finally knows what the best question to ask is.


    Ethan: ¡°Tell me, how do we defeat Ozyllus?¡±


    Taken aback by the unexpected question, Sagax widens his eyes, the eyes that were hollow.


    Sagax: ¡°You expect me to have an answer to that?¡±


    Sagax¡¯s whole body, or its ghostly form at least, starts shaking, with anger.


    Sagax: ¡°If I knew how to do it, he would have already been stopped.¡±


    He sits back up as the anger keeps rising within his mind.


    Sagax: ¡°What the hell even is the meaning of such a question!?¡±


    His voice, having grown coarse, and anger boiled further than the turning-point, he asks while his body shakes as if he¡¯d kill someone.


    Ethan: ¡°The meaning of that question? It¡¯s simple.¡±


    Ethan, however, continues without so much as a tinge of worry,


    Ethan: ¡°It¡¯s to tell you how powerless you are.¡±


    Sagax: ¡°Ha!?¡±


    Sagax is left unable to understand those words by himself, and so Ethan continues,


    Ethan: ¡°It¡¯s to let you know ¡­ that the fact that you can¡¯t stop Ozyllus means nothing.¡±


    Ethan had heard what Sona had talked to Sagax about. He could tell from that conversation what Sagax really thought of the four of them taking ¡®the third side¡¯ in this war.


    Ethan: ¡°It¡¯s so I can say it to your face that your incompetence, doesn¡¯t mean we¡¯ll fail too.¡±


    And so Ethan needed to break that belief of his predecessor. He needs to break the belief that his friend can¡¯t be defeated.


    Ethan: ¡°Ozyllus will lose, alright? And we¡¯ll make it happen.¡±


    As he hears all this, Sagax is left bereft of words. How wouldn¡¯t he be? This man who is completely ordinary aside from the eyes that Sagax too had, says that he¡¯ll be able to stop Ozyllus, something Sagax tried too, but never could?


    Sagax: ¡°You ¡­ don¡¯t mock me!¡±


    He was angry before, he is furious now.


    Sagax: ¡°YOU THINK IT¡¯LL BE THAT EASY!? YOU THINK I DIDN¡¯T TRY TO DO THE SAME!? YOU THINK YOU¡¯LL BE ABLE TO PULL OFF SOMETHING LIKE THAT, SOMETHING THAT I SPENT HALF MY LIFE AT AND COULDN¡¯T ACCOMPLISH!?¡±


    Ethan: ¡°No.¡±


    His answer is clear though. He never said he¡¯ll be able to stop Ozyllus.


    Ethan: ¡°I can¡¯t stop him.¡±


    He¡¯s powerless too. How can he stop him?


    Ethan: ¡°WE will stop him.¡±


    Sagax: ¡°What!?¡±


    Baffled by the response, Sagax can only frown.


    Ethan: ¡°Kais, Sona, Sneha and me. We are four people. We can cover for each other¡¯s weaknesses, and we can stop him.¡±


    Ethan says in a voice that had no room for uncertainty, seeing which,


    Sagax: ¡°How can you of all people, the one who has Eyes of Truth, be so foolishly optimistic?¡±


    Sagax just can¡¯t wrap his head around it. How can this man be so certain that they¡¯ll win at the end?


    Ethan: ¡°Hmm!¡±


    What comes as a response though, is first a smile, and then,


    Ethan: ¡°Because I¡¯m a human being.¡±


    The answer.


    Ethan: ¡°Ask yourself an important question.¡±


    He says as he stares at the empty coffin.


    Ethan: ¡°Why is Ozyllus god? Why is Abyss devil?¡±


    There¡¯s just one simple reason for it.


    Ethan: ¡°It¡¯s because we, humans, believe it.¡±


    And so,


    Ethan: ¡°If we stop believing it, their empires will fall.¡±


    Sagax just stares at the man in pure ¡­ horror.


    Ethan: ¡°We humans are the only reason ¡®god¡¯ or ¡®devil¡¯ even have a place in this universe. We are the ones who gave them that place.¡±


    The horror that Sagax feels is justified, after seeing the despair-filled eyes of the man known as Ethan Kales.


    Ethan: ¡°And since we gave them that place, we can take it away too.¡±


    *******************************


    Jin, the mole-spirit, manipulates the vines so they wrap around Dyne¡¯s legs and immediately use the opportunity created by that surprise to tie up his hands too.


    Sona: ¡°Now!¡±


    Sona says as the Aural beside her, who had used these few seconds to charge up aura in her hands, dashes forth and releases it all in a punch to Dyne¡¯s gut, sending him flying at the trees that surround the clearing.


    Dyne: ¡°GAAHHH!!!¡±


    Ghosts can still feel pain, which is a great advantage because it will slow him down. However, Spectre Dyne is not our main target.


    Walter: ¡°That was a slick move.¡±


    He says, not wary at all of the obvious fact that he is our next target.


    Sona: ¡°Oh, it was just a warm-up to be honest.¡±


    Sona says as a particular unnamed rabbit-like spirit dashes forth with full-speed at the psychic clad in black. However,


    Walter: ¡°Too slow!¡±


    He calls the spirit running at half the speed of sound slow as he easily punches it away, which, wasn¡¯t unexpected.


    Kais: ¡°You are the one who¡¯s slow.¡±


    I say as I make the ground beneath Walter¡¯s feet shake. The fact that he stayed in one place so he could get a good hit on the rabbit-like spirit made him late to react to this advanced application of psychokinesis, called geokinesis.


    Walter: ¡°Oh shit!¡±


    He says with a face that has finally shown a bit of anxiety, not to the fact that the ground is falling apart, but to the fact that his feet are unstable and so, he is unable to move away from the attack of the vampire-child-spirit, Sagzear, that was coming from behind him.


    The blow lands on Walter¡¯s face and he is thrown towards the tomb barely avoiding crashing into the structure.


    On the other hand, our Aural friend seems to be a good match-up for leader of the Spectres. According to her own estimation that she gave us when we were in the tomb, she is probably weaker than Dyne but, not by much. She said if we gave her an opening to land a hit first, she will gain enough high-ground to be able to take him down.


    Well, we¡¯re betting on her doing that as we can¡¯t offer any support aside from Jin, the mole-spirit. It really would take both me and Sona to take care of the opponent in front of us, who after getting hit by a punch that would blow a person¡¯s head off, stands up and casually rubs on the dirt that his clothes have gotten on them.


    Sona: ¡°Tsk!¡±


    She clicks her tongue. I know how she feels. This guy is clearly mocking both of us.


    Sona: ¡°Well, it¡¯d be your undoing, Walter.¡±


    Walter: ¡°Somehow, I really doubt that.¡±


    Walter says without even looking at us.


    Walter: ¡°I mean, seriously you had the element of surprise and this was all you could do. Maybe bringing you people on our side isn¡¯t even worth it.¡±


    Hah! Now you are going overboard, asshole!


    The part of the tomb that was behind Walter then heats up and blasts off, because of a little something we call pyrokinesis.


    Walter: ¡°What!?¡±


    Kais: ¡°Who said our attack was over?¡±


    I say mockingly as Walter finds it difficult to maintain his footing when everything behind him keeps hitting him again and again with the essence of an extremely hot pile of magma.


    Sona: ¡°We don¡¯t care if you are the strongest in the world or not, we are not planning on losing.¡±


    *******************************


    Sagax stands in shock and horror as he looks at Ethan for many seconds, before finally gulping and saying, in a much calmer voice than he had moments ago,


    Sagax: ¡°You think I never tried to convince people that he¡¯s not god? You think I never tried to tell them that Abyss isn¡¯t the devil?¡±


    He says with eyes that show his despair at the complete loss he is at.


    Sagax: ¡°I did. Hear me? I did.¡±


    If he had a physical body, maybe tears would be welling up in his eyes right now.


    Sagax: ¡°But even I, someone who was renowned as the wisest man on the planet, was completely ignored.¡±


    He tightens his grips.


    Sagax: ¡°No one. Absolutely no one listened to me.¡±


    Seeing and hearing the despair in Sagax, Ethan gives no reaction. He had already seen this coming.


    Ethan: ¡°Here¡¯s the thing, Sagax. The reason why they didn¡¯t listen to you isn¡¯t because you failed in convincing them, it¡¯s because you never truly tried to begin with.¡±


    Sagax: ¡°What!?¡±


    He says in disbelief.


    Ethan: ¡°Somewhere deep inside, you had the sentiment of wanting your friend, Ozyllus, to win and his enemy, Abyss, to not. That sentiment held you back.¡±


    Ethan had once made a vow to never look away from reality. No matter how cruel that reality maybe, he made a vow that he¡¯ll face it head-on. Sagax wasn¡¯t completely the same.


    Ethan: ¡°You convinced yourself that you tried everything in your power to stop the war and so you kept mourning those who died in that war as if you had any right to.¡±


    And Ethan, needed, to, make, that, known.


    Ethan: ¡°But you didn¡¯t. You had no right to act as if you are a tragic hero, when you never truly tried to stop that bloodshed in the first place.¡±


    He needed to make that known, to the one who knew it the best.


    Ethan: ¡°You never were and never will be a hero.¡±


    As the words that struck Sagax¡¯s heart came out like they were the most obvious things in the world, Ethan gives no reaction ¡­ at all.


    Ethan: ¡°You are just an ordinary man, whose sentiments make him even weaker than me.¡±


    Ethan finally gives a reaction. He closes his eyes, opens them again and turns back saying,


    Ethan: ¡°And since you are weaker than me, you are allowed to leave your burdens to those who are stronger. They may be able to do what you couldn¡¯t.¡±


    Ethan Kales walks away without waiting for any reply, leaving his predecessor with the words that could fill in the gap, the gap that was remaining for him to be fulfilled ¡­ and rest in peace, at last.


    *******************************


    Dyne: ¡°You can¡¯t defeat me.¡±


    The Spectre says after having finally gained the higher-ground in the battle.


    Sneha: ¡°Tsk!¡±


    The Aural clicks her tongue in irritation, but,


    Sneha: ¡°So this is how far he had planned.¡±


    Her irritation is not at being unable to overpower her opponent, it is at the fact that her partner knew this would happen and had given her a safeguard for it.


    Dyne: ¡°What the-¡±


    The Spectre couldn¡¯t even finish before the Aural takes out and throws a packet full of sand from the beach. While it is in the air and comes in the direct line from her fist to Dyne¡¯s head, she punches it making the packet tear off. The sand particles, with the force given to them by an Aural¡¯s punch, become able to hurt Dyne, and as the coarse little things keep hitting him, Sneha is able to get behind him and, with all the power she could muster, give a high-kick at Dyne¡¯s head.


    Dyne: ¡°GAAAAHHHHH!!!¡±


    The Spectre falls on the ground.


    Sneha: ¡°So this is why he was taking so much time thinking about things on the beach. He was thinking of ways to defeat these monsters.¡±


    She understands that by the fact that not just her, but Kais and Sona were also winning by following the plan Ethan laid out for them.


    Sneha: ¡°Hah!!!¡±


    She sighs exasperatedly.


    One of the things Barry had told Ethan on the night they talked at the beach was that his preference for fighting anyone really strong like Spectre Dyne is attacking with fire, so to say, pyrokinesis. Ethan had understood from the fact that those two weren¡¯t near the tomb when he came there that they were engaged somewhere else, which probably means that they were fighting Barry, Ro and the Dragon.


    From there on out, it¡¯s not hard to guess that Barry would have tried to take down Dyne to threaten Walter and so he would have attacked him with fire. Even if the ghost himself won¡¯t have any wounds, his clothes and specially his helm, which seems to be made of a special metal, will have burns on them. All they need to do is sprinkle some sand with a lot of force on those marks to cause those burns to react and henceforth, the current results had all been planned by the man with Eyes of Truth when he gave Sneha that pouch of sand and told her the plan.


    Sneha: ¡°I hate to admit it, but I¡¯m glad he¡¯s on our side.¡±


    *******************************


    We need to be cautious. Even now, this can still turn around. Thinking that, both I and Sona keep ourselves ready to attack at any time.


    However, at least right now, it doesn¡¯t seem like we have any need to attack. After all, the strongest man, in the world is lying on the ground unable to move after having his back charred and a hole made through his stomach by a certain ridiculously powerful vampire-like spirit.


    Sona: ¡°Sagzear, be ready to attack again at a moment¡¯s notice, no, not even that much time is guaranteed to be given.¡±


    She says to her vampire-spirit, who obeys and stays near Walter to attack him as soon as he tries to move.


    Walter: ¡°Ugh!¡±


    If Ethan¡¯s plan works, we might not need to fight him again. But, I really doubt this is all it would take for the world¡¯s strongest to go down.


    Walter: ¡°Why!?¡±


    He asks in a voice which was rising in anger with every millisecond.


    Kais: ¡°Huh!?¡±


    Sona: ¡°Huh!?¡±


    We both react at the same time.


    Walter: ¡°Why can¡¯t I move?¡±


    According to what Ethan said, the particular place that I blasted off with pyrokinesis has been painted in poison by him. So, that poison should be acting now. But,


    Walter: ¡°This happened before too.¡±


    I had started wondering something after having peeked into Ro¡¯s mind to see how the fight back there went. I was wondering why Walter let Ro and the Dragon keep hitting him with the same strategy so many times? I think I have gotten my answer now. It was because he was busy wondering about why such small amounts of poison are making him unable to move.


    And now again,


    Walter: ¡°This poison I shouldn¡¯t even be able to feel. Why is it working so potently on me now?¡±


    He grits his teeth in anger and while I don¡¯t share the sentiment, I do share the question. And seeing this, the dragon who is standing with Ro¡¯s help observing this fight smirks.


    Dragon: ¡°Allow me to enlighten you, Walter Schmidt.¡±


    He says as he points at Walter¡¯s arms, no, the cloth on Walter¡¯s arms.


    Dragon: ¡°That cloth has been sprinkled with a particular herb that spreads so fast as if it¡¯s a virus and it increases the potency of any poison.¡±


    Wait! There are herbs like that here? I guess it isn¡¯t exactly out-of-expectations but,


    Dragon: ¡°Now when I think of who may have planted those herbs on you, there¡¯s just one person aside from me and the girl who would know of it as he could have detected them with his eyes.¡±


    The Dragon seems quite satisfied as he sees Walter down, as if he is feeling the taste of revenge by this scene.


    Walter: ¡°Tsk!¡±


    Walter, as he understands everything that is said, clicks his tongue.


    Walter: ¡°Damn that brat!¡±


    Ethan: ¡°I¡¯m already damned. There¡¯s no point in cursing me anymore.¡±


    The voice of the possessor of Eyes of Truth comes as he walks out of the tomb and turns to look at Walter.


    Ethan: ¡°What the dragon said is more or less right. You had fallen in my trap the moment you so casually walked past me while underestimating me.¡±


    He says with a grin, a grin that perfectly displays the image of him I had built-in initially, the image of an evil bastard, what I now know Ethan is far from being.


    Ethan: ¡°And well?¡±


    As he looks at Sneha to see how things are on her end, we do too. And well, it seems like she has Spectre Dyne on his knees. Seeing that, we conclude that this battle ends with our victory.


    *******************************


    Dragon: ¡°You are gonna go through with it, right?¡±


    Kais: ¡°Of course I will.¡±


    I say to the dragon who is lying next to a tree as his time is about to end.


    Kais: ¡°I¡¯m gonna ¡­ We¡¯re gonna destroy Ozyllus.¡±


    I say in a firm voice.


    Kais: ¡°So you can rest assured, this world will move on to a better future.¡±


    That voice isn¡¯t there to sooth the dragon, but it is there to show him that I mean it when I say it,


    Kais: ¡°So rest in peace!¡±


    Dragon: ¡°Hah!¡±


    He cackles and looks at the three of us, and Ethan in the distance.


    Dragon: ¡°I believe in you, Kais.


    I believe in you, Sneha.


    I somehow believe in you, Ethan.


    And ¡­¡±


    He pauses as he looks at the only member left.


    Dragon: ¡°I believe in you too, Sona.¡±


    Sona: ¡°Tsk!¡±


    Sona clicks her tongue.


    Sona: ¡°I ¡­ I am ¡­¡±


    Dragon: ¡°You don¡¯t need to say it. Your hatred towards me was because of Ozyllus. I don¡¯t blame you for anything you did or tried to do to me ¡­ or the girl.¡±


    The dragon smiles as he says that. I believe, for the first time in a long, long time, the Dragon is showing all of his emotions, not suppressing any of them. And seeing that, Sona doesn¡¯t have the will she would need to refute him either.


    Sneha: ¡°Dragon,¡±


    Sneha suddenly speaks,


    Sneha: ¡°That girl had a name.¡±


    Dragon: ¡°She ¡­ did?¡±


    The dragon finds himself surprised, as do I and Sona.


    Sneha: ¡°Yes. I gave her name before she died.¡±


    She said in a sad and solemn but also firm voice.


    Sneha: ¡°She was Lilly.¡±


    For a moment, none of us say anything. And then,


    Dragon: ¡°I see. The flower Lily, I believe you humans consider it to be the symbol of innocence, right? Well, it fits her I guess.¡±


    He says as a clear smile comes on his face along with slight tears in his eyes. He looks up at Sneha and says,


    Dragon: ¡°Thank you!¡±


    He says those two words, maybe for the first time in his entire life, and that life ¡­ then ends.


    *******************************


    The ¡®god¡¯ and the ¡®devil¡¯ felt it. They felt a sudden tinge of sadness in them. At different places and at a different time, they had one thing to say.


    Ozyllus: ¡°So you have died, Sagax.¡±


    Abyss: ¡°So you have died, Dragon.¡±


    They are people from 1000 years ago. And they can now feel it more than anyone else.


    The ones who were with them 1000 years ago are long gone now. Whether they died with a smile or tears, they are gone. No matter what either of them does, they can never see the faces of their friends, comrades and families again.


    Even if Ozyllus succeeds in everything he wants to do, or Abyss succeeds in completely stopping him, it doesn¡¯t really benefit either of them in any way. They have lost everything now. They can never gain any of it back. They have nothing to gain and hence, nothing to lose. And so, completely disconnected from the world, they have truly become god and devil, just fulfilling their roles as the light and the dark.


    Their stories ended a long time ago, and both were tragedies. No matter what happens now, those two stories will remain tragedies.


    *******************************


    Valdis and Reid, followed by the four generals walk, no, barge into the room of their strategist; and seeing that, a woman looks at them in disgust.


    Woman: ¡°What¡¯s the meaning of this?¡±


    Valdis: ¡°We apologize for intruding, Darcy, but ¡­ but there¡¯s something that I want to ask him.¡±


    Valdis says as she looks at the figure sitting on a chair on the other corner of the small room, the man called the strategist of the Vampire Kingdom.


    Strategist: ¡°Well, what is it, queen Valdis? Ask away.¡±


    Reid: ¡°Show more respect ¡­¡±


    Reid is stopped by Valdis.


    Valdis: ¡°Barry, he ¡­ he ¡­ might have died.¡±


    Strategist: ¡°I see. I¡¯m sad to hear that about your brother.¡±


    Valdis: ¡°Yeah, and ¡­ and that means that ¡­ we have grown considerably weaker now.¡±


    Valdis shakes with sadness as she barely stops herself from tearing up. To help her, Reid continues,


    Reid: ¡°What our highness wants to ask you is if we can really win this war?¡±


    The strategist slowly steps up from his chair.


    Reid: ¡°We are up against three factions who are all stronger than us individually, and now we lose Barry. So,¡±


    Even Reid, however, has trouble asking the question.


    Reid: ¡°We don¡¯t stand a chance, do we? Tell us the truth, won¡¯t this war bring about the end of the Vampire Kingdom?¡±


    The six who had come in the room, look at the strategist with despaired faces which showed that they had already accepted that they would lose and that there¡¯s nothing that can be done about it.


    Strategist: ¡°No!¡±


    But the man whose word matters the most disagrees.


    Strategist: ¡°This war won¡¯t bring about our end.¡±


    His voice doesn¡¯t show uncertainty.


    Strategist: ¡°We ARE going to win this war.¡±


    Valdis: ¡°But the odds ¡­¡±


    Strategist: ¡°Will be turned around.¡±


    The strategist says looking directly in the queen¡¯s eyes and then bowing down to her,


    Strategist: ¡°That, I pledge on my name, the name that means ¡®hope¡¯.¡±


    The man whose name means ¡®hope¡¯ says with a firm resolve.


    Strategist: ¡°I, Bronzer, pledge that I will turn this war around.¡±


    *******************************

 Continuation?

    For those of you who have read A Psychic''s Scarlet Dream this far, whether you liked it or disliked it, you have my deepest gratitude.


    However, I would not continue updating this story on Royal Road.


    Nothing personal against anyone but I just don''t like this platform. There''s too much toxicity in my opinion.


    But in any case, it''s not that I would stop writing or anything of the sort. I couldn''t possibly give up on Scarlet Dream. I''ll be continuing this book on webnovel. If you want to read it, this is the link.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    https://www.webnovel.com/book/16000372505632705/A-Psychic''s-Scarlet-Dream</a>


    And from today, June 2 of 2020, the book will resume updating on webnovel with Arc 2 of the story.


    I will never open this platform again so any comments on this chapter will never reach to me. If you really have something you want to ask me, you could ask it on webnovel or on discord. My discrod is AbhaySingh#8256.