"But I think we can't just run away," Araka stated firmly, her voice brimming with conviction. "We need to find out what's really going on here and why those crystals are so dangerous."
The earth-shattering explosion still echoed in Araka's mind. She gazed at the sheer cliff face below, its shadows swallowed by darkness, already planning a daring descent to find the source of the attack. As Araka stepped forward, Kai, Claude, Lylia, and Kino closed in, worry etched on their faces.
Kai's voice rang in her ears. "Araka! What are you doing?" Araka looked up, shouting, "I'm fine! Come down!"
"Oi, are you out of your mind? You want us to jump from here?" Kai shouted, eyes wide as he stared into the abyss below.
Kino, with a mischievous grin, leaned close to Kai. "Kai, hehehe, look, Araka's not hurt." He placed a hand on Kai's shoulder, trying to reassure him.
Following that exchange, Kai, eyes wide, eyebrows raised, and mouth agape, finally stepped to the edge. The wind whipped past his ears as he leaped. The world spun, his stomach plummeting into a bottomless pit. He saw the tree roots, like giant claws, gripping the cliff below, their shadows dark and menacing.
The moment he hit the ground, jagged thorns ripped through his clothes and stabbed into his flesh like searing knives. A burning sensation stung, blood trickled between his fingers, and thick tree roots wrapped around his legs, pulling him down forcefully.
He awoke to a jarring impact, his eyes fluttering open. Screams filled his ears. Startled, he groped at his body, feeling the searing pain.
After wiping his eyes, he saw his friends sprawled around him, impaled by thorns, but Araka appeared the worst off. Kai's gaze sharpened, turning cold as he stared at Kino. Kino, in return, simply smiled, averting his eyes.
"Damn it, just you wait!" Kai snarled, fury burning in his chest.
"You're badly hurt. Here, let me heal you," Lylia said seriously, her gaze attentive.
Lylia raised her hand, a soft light emanating from her palm, mending their wounds. Their bodies felt lighter, free to move. After discovering the cause of the explosion, they followed the trail of crystals towards Nucle.
In the Northern Yorkwes forest, beneath the shade of ancient trees, a figure lay sleeping. Two shadows emerged from the foliage. A woman with long, black hair shimmering in the sunlight, her violet eyes sharp and piercing, stared down at him. Beside her, a man with curly black hair, his face tight, lips pressed into a thin line.
As the sleeping man awoke, he was startled by their presence. His face was grim, confusion etched upon his features. A mocking smile spread across the man's face. He stood, his movements calm yet menacing. Kaito's breath hitched, a chill crawling down his spine as the man whispered into his ear. The words were like poison, gnawing at his soul, igniting a burning rage.
The woman behind him silenced him. With a cold, serious tone, she approached. "Enough, Kaito. Let's not provoke Luci. We're both here to bring you back with the others."
Kaito told them to leave. Yet, the woman remained, her gaze unwavering, as if waiting for an answer. The black-haired man had left an hour ago.
Kaito was confused. He glanced at the woman—her expression serious, as if plotting something. Every time he tried to leave, she blocked his path.
His gut feeling was strong—he was being forcibly taken back.
Kaito felt trapped… but perhaps, he could save that for later.
"Hey! Leave me alone! Why don't you tell that nagging woman to back off too?" he urged.
The woman turned, her eyes narrowed.
"Why are you talking about her?" she asked coldly. "Does she have something to do with this?"
Kaito exhaled slowly, weariness in his eyes. Maybe it was time to stop hiding the truth.
"That woman is nagging and keeps blaming me. Elianore and I already found what we were looking for. But when we were attacked by Aether… she abandoned me in this forest."
The man didn't answer. His gaze was serious, analyzing every word that came from Kaito's mouth.
So that was it. Only now did Kaito understand why Zenerith wasn't with Elianore.
Honestly, he didn't want to be further involved with that woman—let alone be on the same team.
Zenerith Nera—once his teammate in the Shin forces—was now under orders from Akzerath's higher-ups. Her mission: drag Kaito back, no matter what.
From her gaze, Kaito knew Zenerith hadn't given up. She was still trying to persuade him to return, saying it was an order from above.
But Kaito refused, firmly.
"Don't force me," he said. "I'm not going back."
Zenerith didn't reply, but her steps drew closer, her demeanor growing more stubborn.
Kaito sighed. He had a choice to make: comply… or resist.
Zenerith stood, leaving Kaito. Kaito turned, walking away from the forest.
Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his stomach. Blood welled up from his mouth. He turned—and froze. Zenerith lunged at him. Pain exploded in his gut. As he staggered, blood spilling from his lips, he looked up—only to see her smiling through tears. That twisted smile haunted him. His mind raced, trying to decipher what was going on in Zenerith's mind.
Zenerith collapsed.
Elsewhere, Vurce. Beside a bridge, an unsettling conversation about a supernatural explosion was overheard. Lixs, crossing the bridge, heard it. Zuxsin, too, was thinking the same, turning with a smile.
"So, should we go there?"
Kaito remained silent. Better not, it was probably another country's conflict. He didn't want to add to the problems. He hadn't found Virellia yet, he'd rather search for her.
"No, Zuxsin. I'm looking for Virellia and helping you find what you're looking for." Kaito turned to Zaresha, smiling.
Zuxsin understood. Finding Caelum and Virellia wouldn't be easy.
But they decided not to fail. After that conversation, the atmosphere turned cold.
Suddenly, a massive, pale blue ice mass appeared above them, towering like a gigantic iceberg. Its shadow engulfed the forest, creating a dark and chilling atmosphere. Lixs gasped, his eyes widening in disbelief. Zaresha recoiled, her face paling.
All three stared upward, incredulous.
Kaito had never seen anything like it: a terrifying, colossal ice mass.
Zaresha hesitated, fear gripping her at the prospect of it falling on them.
Zuxsin's frail body showed strange signs; his eyes darkened, and he shivered.
Lixs, unable to withstand the cold, fell, but Kaito managed to catch him. Lixs told Zaresha to follow him, to get away from the bridge. Kaito channeled Zensh energy into Lixs's body to warm him.
Zaresha wondered who created the ice. This power was incredibly dangerous. The atmosphere grew colder, the ice menacing.
The sound of cracking ice shattered the silence. Lixs asked Zaresha if she heard it too.
Zaresha rubbed her hands, her body feeling heavy, her eyes slowly closing, her mouth moving.
"Wughh... help... I can't... anymore."
She collapsed onto the ice. Kaito struggled to carry them both, feeling utterly exhausted.
He thought, if he could master Zensh, all this wouldn't be so difficult. The Zensh technique he could use was Win. But… he was too weak, his legs stiff. Yet, at the last moment, he managed to help them. "You won't die," he whispered to himself, activating the power, his heart lightening before he fainted.
At the entrance to Nucle, Kai's shout echoed. He clutched his head, disbelieving.
"So, you're already there, Ren?"
"Of course, I'm with Franz," Ren replied calmly.
Silence hung in the air. Kai knew Ren and Franz were there, but his heart felt like it was being stabbed. He was determined to see Ren, someone incredibly important to him.
Araka understood his worry. She let Kai go.
"Alright, I'll help you get there quickly," Araka said seriously.
Kai narrowed his eyes, smiling. He knew Araka would help him.
Araka turned to the others. "Hey… you guys want to come too?"
"Sure!" they exclaimed.
Kai wondered how Araka would get them there quickly, the distance between Nucle and Vurce was vast.
Araka drew closer, reluctant to use it, but she would.
Staring sharply at Kai, a chilling smile played on her lips.
"Curious? How we'll get there quickly?" she asked, smiling.
Kino looked intrigued.
"No way Araka's getting us there that fast," Kino muttered, skepticism clear in his eyes.
Araka turned to Lylia with a smile, and that smile made Lylia nauseous. She had already guessed Araka would use an unexpected power.