Reika immediately turned her head around as the mysterious voice kept calling her.

     Who is that?

     Reika searched among the crowds. She stared at those who were eating their dinner while talking to others. She also saw others who were lining up in order to get their share. She got confused.

     That voice... I'm sure it was calling me in Japanese...

     Others who passed by noticed that Reika was standing still without moving a single inch. A certain woman wanted to ask her what was wrong, but she was hesitant to do so.

     While they were gone, others got curious about their identities. With nothing to hide, the old man told them that they were foreigners who came from afar and that their language was different from theirs.

     Although I want to help her, I'm afraid that we won't understand each other...

     Seconds had passed, but the voice from before had become silent. Without a chance that she might hear it again, Reika gave up and sighed.

     I must be hearing things...

     Suddenly, a woman approached behind her without her knowing.

     "Are you alright?"

     Reika jolted and immediately turned around. She was shocked that the woman was speaking in Japanese.

     "You...!"

     "I can speak Japanese? Yes, I can." she told Reika while nodding her head.

     Reika remembered that only the old man, Silas, was taught how to speak Japanese. She got confused about how this woman standing in front of her could speak Japanese well.

     I thought that in this village, only Silas and his son knew how to speak Japanese... So why is there another one besides them?

     "You... Who taught you how to speak Japanese..?" Reika curiously asked.

     "Oh! About that, my childhood friend taught me how to speak Japanese fluently." 

     Reika didn't utter any response upon hearing the woman's answer. The woman noticed Reika's silence and got anxious.

     Was she unconvinced by my answer? Then, I'll add more details...

     "Uh... My childhood friend, Fumeirō, is the one who taught me how to speak Japanese. At first, I learned it just to gossip on other villagers with him without them finding out."

     The woman suddenly grabbed both of Reika's hands with excitement.

     "Now, who would've thought that I'd meet another person beside him who could speak Japanese fluently? Maybe learning Japanese isn't bad after all!"

     Reika got anxious over the woman's sudden actions.

     "Ah... Yes, hehehe..."

     The woman noticed Reika's anxiousness and immediately let her hand go.

     "Ah! I'm sorry... I got a little bit excited..."

     Reika sighed and smiled at her.

     "It's okay. I'm always like that when someone casually approaches me in that manner..."

     "Oh..." the woman uttered.

     While both of them fell silent, the woman suddenly smiled and reached her hand out.

     "Before I forgot, we didn't have a proper introduction, did we? By the way, my name is Sylva."

     Reika also reached out her hand and grabbed Sylva's hand.

     "I'm... Reika Mitsuha."

     Both of them shook each other's hands as a greeting. After that, they let their hands go and smiled at each other.

     Reika noticed that meters away behind Sylva lay the dead body of the dragon. It was chopped into smaller pieces and carried by wagons.

     "That dragon... What are they doing on it?" Reika asked Sylva.

     Sylva turned around and also saw the dragon's corpse being mutilated.

     "About that... The village elder instructed them that since the corpse would rot if left unattended, it must be dispatched to the forest and let it rot there."

     "Is mutilating the corpse necessary?" Reika asked her.

     "Hm... It is. The corpse is too big and heavy, and dragging it towards the forest while the corpse was intact takes a lot of time. So mutilating it and moving the chopped parts using wagons to dump it on the forest is the most efficient way to save time."

     "That makes sense..." Reika murmured.

     Reika observed the village men as they cleaned up the site where the dragon's corpse fell. Its four large legs are being mutilated and placed on the first wagon. The body was cut into smaller pieces, including the neck, head, tail, and pair of wings, with a size enough to fit on the separate wagons.

     "I'll be the one to guide them to the forest. You want to come? "

     Reika, who got curious, agreed by nodding her head.

     "But before that, we'll wait for them to finish tidying up the carcasses. Is that okay to you?" Sylva asked.

     "Sure, I don't mind." Reika replied.

     While Reika was busy observing them, Sylva noticed that she hadn't had her dinner yet. She left without noticing Reika in order to get two cups of stew.

     Staring at the busy men working on the corpse, Reika noticed that her stomach started to grumble. She remembered that Silas had invited her to eat dinner.

     Oh shoot, I haven't had my dinner yet...!

     She looked beside herself to excuse herself from Sylva. She realized that Sylva wasn't beside her and was nowhere to be found.

     Where did she go?

     She looked among the crowds, searching for Sylva's whereabouts. In the distance, she saw Sylva carrying two cups with a spoon on them and heading towards her. When Sylva reached her, she gave the other cup to Reika.

     "You didn't have your dinner yet, right? Here you go."

     Reika got the cup using her two hands and smiled.

     "Thank you."

     In the distance, Soru saw that Reika was talking with someone else, so he didn't bother her and looked back while following the line of people that leads to the cook who offers stew for dinner. While he was waiting for his turn, he heard someone calling his name from behind.

     "Soru! You don't need to line up there. I already have a stew for you."

     Soru turned around, and it was the old man Silas, carrying a bowl of stew with his hands.

     Soru slowly walked away from the line and went to the old man, who was meters away from him.

     When he reached the old man, Silas gave him the wooden bowl filled with stew.

     "Fill your belly with this hot stew and look for a spot to eat on. I'll tend others who haven't eaten their dinners yet, so I won't be accompanying you for the time being..."

     Soru nodded at him in response. Silas smiled at him and walked away, heading to the village men who worked with the dragon corpse.

     As he saw Silas talking to them, he looked at the bowl and stared at it. He noticed that it was still hot and steaming, with a slight hint of fragrance. It had various vegetables, like potatoes and carrots, in it. He also saw some meat on it, but Soru didn't know what kind of meat it was.

     Out of curiosity, he tried to taste it, and he quickly realized it was lamb's meat based on the taste and texture when he tasted it. He looked around, searching for a spot to eat the delicious stew he was carrying in peace. While looking around, he saw a person sitting on the ground near a healthy tree.

      That person...

      The person he saw was the guard from the entrance gate from before, the same guard who had tried to end his life with a hatchet.

      The guard noticed that someone was approaching in his direction and saw that it was the male guest that he encountered before, which is Soru. But despite being familiar with that person, he ignored Soru and continued sulking.

     Soru quietly sat beside him and ate his bowl. While looking at the guard, Soru tried to reach him by giving him his bowl of soup.

     The guard noticed it, but he simply raised his hand and blocked the bowl, indicating that he refused Soru's offer to lend the bowl of stew to him. Soru quickly understood it and continued eating.

     While he was in the middle of eating his stew, Soru heard a deep sigh beside him. In his peripheral view, he saw the guard before looking at the night sky above them with a tear falling from his cheek. Soru also looked up above, and he saw the beautiful night sky.

     It was mesmerizing to watch. Countless twinkling stars were scattered across the night sky. There were no clouds that obstructed the mesmerizing view, revealing the beauty of the night sky.

     On the right side of his view, he saw two moons hovering above the vast night sky. The large one was placed much higher than the smaller one, forming a binary moon system. Even though the scenery gives off a sense of tranquility, Soru didn't feel anything at all. He continued eating his bowl of stew while etching the view in his mind.

     ...

     While Reika was eating, she noticed that Sylva was done with her stew. Sylva noticed that Reika wasn't done yet, so she waited for her to finish.

     "After you're done with your stew, we'll guide those village men to the forest."

     Reika nodded and continued eating the remaining stew in her cup.

     "You don't need to rush, though. Those men are still eating their stews, just like you."

     Upon hearing Sylva, Reika slowed down her pace. Several minutes later, she completed her stew.

     "Give that to me; I'll return it along with my cup."

     Reika gave her cup to Sylva along with the spoon. Sylva smiled and walked away, giving the cups she brought to the washers.

     Those village men who helped discard the dragon's corpse were also done eating their dinners and preparing themselves for their journey towards the forest. After they were done with their preparations, they waited on the wagons that carried the dragon's carcasses.

     Reika saw Sylva heading towards the wagons. Sylva looked back and called her.

     "Come, we've got to go!"

     Reika followed Sylva, along with the men pulling the wagons, towards the forest. They got past the village entrance and are currently in the middle of the wheat fields, following the path that leads to the forest.

     With Sylva guiding them, Reika quietly followed behind her. While observing the area, she noticed that the moon was bright enough to cast a shadow on the ground.

     Is it full moon now?

     Reika looked up and saw the night sky above them. She noticed the two moons hanging in the sky, along with the countless stars that scattered the quiet night sky. Reika felt bliss while staring at the scenery above her.

     "Beautiful, isn't it?"

     Reika heard someone talking beside her and looked back. She saw Sylva beside her, staring at the sky.

     "According to the legend, there was only a single moon many eras ago. Many were mesmerized by the beauty that the moon exuded. Along with its sheer size, it stood in the night sky, shining the entire continent during nighttime."

     "At that time, there was a powerful entity. It got envious at how the moon got the attention of many people, yet its existence wasn't. In order to unleash its jealousy and hatred, the entity decided to blow the moon into pieces. In that way, the entire continent might divert their attention to that said entity and gain the recognition that it always wanted."

     "On a certain peaceful evening, the moon emerged from the horizon. As usual, the people on the continent watched the moon in the night sky, without knowing the malicious intent that the said entity would do. Using all of its might, the entity unleashed its most powerful attack on the moon, trying to destroy the moon in pieces."

     Reika silently listened as they followed the path to the forest.

     "Fortunately, the moon wasn't completely destroyed. Due to its sheer size, one-third of the moon chipped out from the main body and formed into another moon. The plan of that entity failed, and it fled from the continent in fear of humilation and never came back."

     Reika raised one of her eyebrows, unconvinced by the story that Sylva told her.

     "That doesn't make sense at all!"

     Reika looked up into the sky and observed the moon.

     "You see, there are no signs of a dent around the moon, plus their shape is round, indicating that they were formed billions of years ago-"

     Reika realized something and glanced at Sylva, confused at what Reika was blabbering about.

     Oh. They don't know how the moon was formed at all...

     Suddenly, Sylva giggled.

     "Fufufu... You have the same reaction as Fumeirō!"

     Sylva looked up into the sky, staring at the two majestic moons.

     "Whether the legend makes sense or not, the fact that we could see their beauty is a gift sent from the heavens. Whenever we look at them, we could feel that all of our worries fade away in an instant..."

     Reika fell silent upon hearing Sylva. She stared at the sky once more and sighed.

     "Sigh... You're right."

     After half an hour of walking, they finally reached the edge of the forest. Reika saw the village entrance from afar, emanating a faint glow from the torches attached from each side. Sylva looked around the area and signaled the first man on the wagon.

     "l̶͖̑a̷̫̔t̴̘̽i̶̜̚f̵̼͐a̸̳̓ ̸͍͒'̷̩̿ḷ̸͝ĕ̸̺k̸̼͌h̷̯̓.̸̲̓e̵͘͜ ̷̖̄ŝ̶̩o̵͓͒r̷͔̽ ̴͙͒t̵̩̒i̵̙̋!"

     "l̶͖̑'̷̩̿ḷ̸͝ĕ̸̺k̸̼͌h̷̯̓.̸̲̓e̵͘͜"

     With Sylva's command, they started to place the chopped corpse on the ground. Reika watched as the dragon's carcasses were carefully scattered by the village men. Minutes later, their task was done, and they were ready to head back to the village.

     Sylva commanded them to pull their wagons back to the village.

     "ḏ̸̐ȃ̷̩c̸̭̏g̵̮̀ ̴͕̐ḻ̶̃!̸̨̌ ̴̱̎"

     Sylva saw Reika staring at them in silence. 

     "You're just staring at us the entire time! I'm sure you're bored now..."

     Sylva picked up the torch that had been pierced from the ground by one of the men.

     "Let's head back to the village."

     Reika nodded her head. She was about to take another step when she heard that someone was calling her from behind. She stopped upon hearing the call.

     Come here...

     She looked around, searching for the source of the mysterious voice that kept calling her. But all she could see were the dark trees and the dragon's corpse. Puzzled by the situation, a mysterious hand tapped her right shoulder.

     "Are you okay...?" 

     Reika got surprised and jolted.

     "What the...?"

     Reika noticed that it was Sylva who tapped her shoulders.

     Oh... It was Sylva.

     "You seem not to be your usual self. Is everything alright?"

     Reika looked around the area, with a confused Sylva staring at her strange actions.

     "D-Did you hear someone calling at us? That voice..." 

     Sylva looked around, but all she could hear were the sounds of the crickets hidden behind the grass.

     "What are you talking about? All I could hear were those crickets and the swaying of the leaves... " Sylva responded.

     "It's-"

     Reika sighed.

     "Well, nevermind. You go first; I'll stay here a little bit longer." Reika said.

     Sylva was surprised and tried to block her.

     "No! There might be monsters lurking around the area!"

     Reika smiled at her.

     "Don't worry. I won't stay here longer; just a quick snoop!"

     Sylva sighed, as she was unable to convince her. 

     "Just follow us afterwards. And, be careful. The monsters might be attracted by the dragon's corpse, and they might attack you too."

     Sylva gave Reika the torch she was holding before.

     "Here's the torch. You can use it to see in the dark and also to ward off those monsters in case they might come to harm you."

      Reika accepted the torch and held it firmly.

     "Thank you..."

     Sylva walked away, worried about Reika being alone. Reika saw Sylva walking towards the village men, who waited on them. Sylva talked to them and looked back in her direction.

     Reika didn't mind them and continued to look around. She searched for anything suspicious, but there was nothing at all. 

     "That seems strange. I'm sure I heard it clearly this time..."

     Suddenly, she heard the voice from before calling her once more.

     Come a little closer...

     Reika immediately turned her head behind her. There, she saw a faint, pulsating glow on the dragon's chest. Reika got curious and tried to approach it.

     Is that...?

     As she walked closer, a sudden gust of wind blew. The harsh wind blew away the flame from the torch that she was carrying, and the entire area dimmed out.

     Despite the absence of light, Reika didn't pay any attention and continued to approach the faint, pulsating glow. After a while, Reika heard the mysterious voice again.

     You... Do you want to obtain immense power?

     Reika got surprised and dropped the torch she was holding. She looked around and realized that the voice originated from this strange glow.

     Is that strange glow on the dragon's body the one that's been calling me...?

     Reika approached the pulsating glow within the dragon's body. She observed it quietly.

     "What do you want from me?" Reika asked.

     The mysterious voice laughed softly.

     Fufufufu...

     Suddenly, the strange glow pulsated.

     I... I could give you something you humans truly desire: Power.

     Reika fell silent while listening to the mysterious voice.

     (This human... )

     You humans, are weak and fragile. In order to overcome your weakness, you sought a greater power. Power that can move the mountains and do everything as you please... Isn't that your desire?

     Upon hearing the mysterious voice's temptation, Reika became hesitant about its offer. The possibility of obtaining greater power is close, but the chance that it is a trap that could bring her harm isn't out of the question. In her judgment, it was a double-edged sword.

     It seems kind of fishy! Who would try to offer such a bargain for free? Only an idiot would do that...

     While she was conflicted, Reika realized something.

     Although I don't desire power for my personal gains, seeing others in dangerous situations while unable to do anything... I couldn't even help myself but stand and watch them die in front of my eyes...!

     Soru... He had a mysterious power that could save anyone. I am grateful that he saved me multiple times, but relying on him too much... 

     While Reika was hesitating, the mysterious light inside the dragon's chest was waiting for her answer.

     (She's taking too long to respond...)

     The mysterious light couldn't take it anymore and decided to take action.

     In a second, the mysterious light swiftly entered Reika's body. Reika noticed it, but it was too late to take action. Suddenly, Reika felt an immense pain coming from her chest. She fell to the ground and held her chest tightly.

     "W-What did you do to me!?" Reika uttered while suffering in pain.

     The mysterious voice spoke to her in an amused tone.

     Ha! Hesitating won't get you anywhere, mortal. Seizing your body by force is the best action!

     Reika couldn't believe she had been set up by an unknown entity. Being powerless to take action, Reika felt that she was being played from the other's palm.

     "Is this what y-you want...? In exchange for giving me p-power, y-you want to s-seize my body?" 

     The mysterious voice laughed at her.

     HAHAHAHAHAHA! Isn't that obvious? The exchange is inequitable to begin with!

     The pain of being played at, along with the excruciating pain that she felt, was tormenting her. The pain grew stronger as the seconds went by. 

     Now... This might be a little bit painful, but this will be over soon once I wipe out your soul and take control over your body. Sleep well, mortal...

     Unable to withstand the pain she felt, Reika screamed at the top of her lungs.

     "AAARRGGGHHHHHHHH!!

     In the distance, Sylva heard Reika screaming in pain. She turned around and noticed that there was no light in Reika's direction. 

     Oh no... What happened to her..?

     Without hesitation, she immediately ran in the direction where she left Reika, but she was pulled by someone else. She turned around and saw one of the village men who came along with her and stopped her from going further.

     "It's too dangerous to go there. Better report it to the elder Silas first; we'll handle the situation here..."

     "But..!"

     Sylva had no choice but to obey the man's advice. She immediately ran away towards the village as fast as she could.

     After a while, she reached the village. She looked around and saw the old man talking to the woman near the tree.

     "Mister Silas...!"

     The old man noticed that someone was calling his name and saw that his son's childhood friend, Sylva, came running towards him in a hurry.

     Sylva stopped in front of the old man while panting due to her running nonstop towards the village.

     "What happened?" 

     "Reika... The guest from before... Seems to be in trouble!" Sylva said while trying to catch her breath.

     The old man was shocked by the sudden news. From a distance, Soru noticed that the old man was agitated and walked towards him.

     Silas noticed him and immediately walked hurriedly to inform him. They met up, and the old man spoke in front of him.

     "Y-Your friend, Reika. She's in trouble... "

     Soru looked around and noticed that Reika was nowhere to be seen.

     "Where is she?" 

     "She's in the forest now..." Sylva told Soru while pointing in the direction where the edge of the forest can be seen.

     Soru heard the villagers gossiping around, while others tried to ask Sylva about the situation.

     "ḛ̵͒o̴͍̽o̶̹̊ ̷̤̈́ḍ̶̎i̸̝̒f̵̹̍a̵̩͌v̸̛͎é̵̱ǵ̶̦l̸̳̊h̷͈̀y̶̮̓ī̸͎"

     "ḍ̶̎i̸̝̒f̵̹̍a̵̩͌v̸̛͎é̵̱l̸̳̊h̷͈̀y̶̮̓ī̸͎"

     "ḍ̶̎i̸̝̒f̵̹̍a̵̩͌v̸̛͎é̵̱ǵ̶̦l̸̳̊h̷͈̀y̶̮̓ī̸͎ḍ̶̎i̸̝̒f̵̹̍é̵̱ǵ̶̦l̸̳̊h̷͈̀y̶̮̓!"

     Though he couldn't understand what the others were saying, he didn't have time to listen to their gossip. He simply turned around and walked towards the entrance. Silas noticed Soru and stopped him from going further.

     "I know what you're thinking... Let me come along with you. Guard!"

     The guard, who was sitting beside the tree, immediately stood up upon hearing the old man. Silas walks towards him and leaves Soru behind.

     While anyone was busy gossiping and doing their tasks, Soru vanished from where he was standing without them knowing. When Silas came back in order to meet up with him, he noticed that Soru was gone. The confused old man looked around, searching for his traces. He saw Sylva, who was talking to some villagers, and asked her for his whereabouts.

     "Where's Soru?" Silas asked Sylva.

     Sylva, who was confused by Soru's sudden disappearance, tried to look around the area. After a while, she shook her head.

     "He... He was just there a moment ago! I couldn't see him anymore..." Sylva told the old man.

     Silas sighed.

     "Maybe he went out on his own first..."

     Silas ordered the guard to follow him to the forest.

     "Sylva, come along with us!"

     Sylva nods her head and follows both of them in silence.

     ...

     Near the edge of the forest, Soru stepped in to search for Reika. In the distance, he saw several men standing beside the dragon's carcasses. Soru casually walked to meet them.

     One of the men noticed Soru and ran towards him. The man remembered that the guest in front of him was acquainted with the young woman who tagged along with Sylva.

     "#̴̙̒͛̕%̸̧̧̞̂̀͘-"

     The village man was about to tell him about Reika's whereabouts, but he quickly realized that guest's language is different to them. In order to communicate with him without using his mouth, he pointed his finger towards the depths of the forest.

     Soru understood what the man was conveying and walked towards the depths of the forest. The men watched as they saw Soru slowly being consumed by the darkness.

     Entering the forest from the entrance, Soru followed a narrow path that is now covered in small grasses, trying to find Reika's whereabouts. Although the place seemed dark, with a little light from the moon passing through, he looked for her eagerly.

     Suddenly, he heard a scream somewhere deep in the forest.

     "AGGGGHHHHHH!!"

     Soru deduced the origin of the scream and ran in the direction where he assumed that the scream originated. In that direction, he saw a light, indicating a wide space ahead. He followed the path that led to the open area.

     In a minute, he got out of the woods. There, a wide area welcomed him. A huge, tall mountain can be seen from the distance, still covered by trees. Thanks to the bright moon that lit up the night, he saw Reika lying on the ground.

     Reika was holding her chest tightly, screaming at the top of her lungs due to the agonizing pain she felt. 

     This pain... I felt that I was being pierced by a thousand blades...!

     As the pain grew larger, Reika couldn't bear it anymore and passed out on the ground.