Night came and Faier and Han still couldn't see the two. The boy was worried while Han continued to investigate.
"Han, can you stop? Aren't you worried about Arete and Lily? They are the same girl!" Faier says with panic in his voice.
"...." Han didn't say anything and started meditating. He crosses his legs and sits. His left foot is on his right thigh. His right one is on his left thigh. It needs a lot of training in flexibility if you don't want your bones cracking.
"Han! Answer me! Don't you care about the two of them?!"
"...." Han inhaled deeply and great pressure from his aura was released. Since he chose fire as his other form, the color of it was seen by Faier. The boy moved away because he seemed to be being pulled closer to Han and he senses danger. Han opened his eyes, and it was bright.
"... Han? What.... What are you doing?" He asked the man, not having the courage to come closer as he didn't move.
After a few minutes, Han calmed down and smiled at Faier.
"I'm looking for Arete and Lily. It's a good thing I didn't talk to you first and I might yell at you."
"...Huh?"
"I was losing control a while ago. Before Arete and I came here to the world of Sera, I made sure our energy was connected."
"... Huh? How is that, Han?"
"Remember the flute you're carrying? Where you hang it when you're inside the flute? Arete's belt."
"Oh.... You did that?"
"Yes. All the clothes and materials I have in the place I'm staying, I put a thread of awareness. In short, basic needs that require common sense but are ignored."
"Oh..."
"I lost track of her. I don't know if she noticed it and pretended like it's nothing or she just really didn't know." He chuckles, "Arete is pretty intelligent despite being a woman with few words."
"Like you..."
"Me, huh?"
"You... You rarely speak about yourself. About your feelings. You let others take control." Faier squirmed, "Your expression in your eyes says the opposite."
"....."
"Tell me, Han... If... Arete dies, will you regret not saying anything to her?"
"....."
"Will you change after her death? I can't include Lily because she became your friend recently."
"You're smart, Faier."
"Thank you, but... What will be your answer?"
"..... Other than my comrades, Arete is one of the most important people to me. I need to die just to save her."
"....." Faier looks at him, sympathizes with him.
"I don't know if I will lose control when I see her suffer but I vowed to myself that day... I'll protect her as long as I'm with her."
"You're a good man, Han. I respect you for that." Faier smiles at him.
"I'm not that good, kid."
"Nobody's perfect."
"Whatever I've done has nothing to do with that quote... I did those for Iryankka. I did it to protect the people... Or... I did it because of my thirst for knowledge."
"....." Faier tried to hold Han's hands to comfort him, "Han..."
"I'm... Not kind like the one you saw these past few hours. It's not that."
"I can feel it, Han... I'm here..."
"If you're still alive, I wonder if you will be one of my dearest comrades."
"I'm sure I will." Faier smiles widely, "You're a great companion, Han..."
"I lived for a thousand years... I..." He sighs and puts back the smile he has in his face, "We should look for them now. I can't track Arete now. Someone cut it off."
'He's pretending to be alright...' Faier looks down, "... Yeah."
Han walks through the forest with Faier when they come across a cave. They both entered it and there were candlelights. They saw many spiderwebs, bats and stone statues of an unknown God.
"Are we going to a trap?" Han sighs, "If we are, then we're doomed."
"Han... I can feel a great unusual energy here... In this stone statue..."
"Do you think it will move, Faier?" Han saw red light in the eyes of the statue.
"No... It's like... The statue is sucking in the energy, that's why it's like that."
"But did we find the source of it since the statue is sucking it?"
"Depends, Han... We —"
There is no point in changing what will happen,
I should have expected this but it hurts,
Was there really peace then?
No one brings justice to the oppressed.
Is there no hope of communication?
Can't love do anything?
Where are the principles we were taught?
Iryankka, my beloved world.
Han immediately took action and hid behind the statue. Although, it's triggering him because of its opposite flow of energy. He has no hiding place.
Faier didn't speak anymore and hid behind Han. When he was absorbed by the statue, he moved away but he made sure that he could not be seen from the entrance of the cave.
The painful reality of where we are makes us cry,
Head magicians tell us what we should do,
We can change our habits,
I beg you to love our own world.
Why do people do this?
Full of envy and anger in their hearts,
Is crying the only thing we can do in this situation?
Why are you locking us in the endless loop that you say is ideal?
They saw numerous people entering the cave. Han immediately noticed that they were not in the right frame of mind because their eyes were turning white.
"Fairer." He whispered.
"What's that, Han?"
"Look for an exit behind us. Make sure you're not close to any devices that can suck you inside the statue."
"I'm on it." Faier flies to the corner of the cave, searching for a place to escape but there's no path. He goes back to Han, "There is no way out, Han."
"I was thinking about escaping behind the cave, but there's no way..." He sighs.
"Are you perhaps... Not ready to see who the mastermind is?"
"...." He looks over and it's a shadow of a man.
"I heard what you and Arete talked about. I also remember what you said to me. That Iryankka song was composed by your friend."
"... That's right."
"You're not ready to face him if it's him."
"Exactly. It's been a thousand years or two. I don't know what his current purpose is." He smiled bitterly, "I guess I'll fight my comrades if they go against our beliefs when Iryankka is still thriving."
"So you're not the type of person who will talk about it to the person himself?"
"No. What's the use of it if you're taking a path where you can't leave? They're old enough to think about the path they'll walk on."
"You... You're amazing, Han."
"I'm not that considerate, kid."
"No... I mean... You're saving your energy instead of getting manipulated by people."
"That's based on the experience. I'm tired of people over sharing their past when it's not that relevant to the fight. Just fight and win. That's all."
There is no point in changing what will happen,
I should have expected this but it hurts,
Was there really peace then?
No one brings justice to the oppressed.
Is there no hope of communication?
Can't love do anything?
Where are the principles we were taught?
Iryankka, my beloved world.
Han focused again in front of him, and his eyes widened when he saw that the stone statue, he was hiding was absorbing the life energy of the people. He immediately created a barrier for the two of him and Faier because he felt his strength diminishing.
Faier didn't ask anymore because he could feel his spirit being absorbed into the stone statue. After Han built the barrier, that was also the middle of the ritual of sacrificing people. Their skin and organs gradually disappear until only bones are left on the floor. The one who was singing earlier while that was happening is still there.
They both heard it approaching the statue. Han is not nervous about what will happen because he is capable of fighting various creatures.
"He will come back to life... It's just a matter of time. As long as I use Jayen's song, I will succeed." The person said.
Only a stone statue intervenes between Han and the man who is the mastermind of the unusual flow of energy in this place. This person mentioned his friend’s name.
"What does Jayen have to do with what you're doing?" Han comes out, glaring at the man.
At first, the man jolted at his appearance but when he recognized Han, he smiled devilishly. The man has black hair and piercing golden eyes. A smile that will send shivers down your spine.
"The right hand of the king is here!"
Han summoned a spear that is surrounded by fire, "Answer my question, damn rat. What does Jayen have to do with what you did to those people?"
"The right hand of the king never disappoints! Where's your happy face, huh? You always tell your comrades that it will make everything all right." He mocks him.
"I'm no longer a right hand of whoever that king you're belonging to."
"Jayen's heartbreaking song about Iryankka can make every Gods here manipulated. It's so easy and powerful at the same time."
"Using his composition to do nefarious crimes... I should punish you after all."
"Come at me, right hand!" The man expands his arms and flies outside the cave.
"Stay still here at the barrier. As long as I'm alive, no one will touch you." He told Faier, glaring at the man who's waiting for him outside.
"Han... Are... Are you going to kill him?"
"Yes. If things don't turn into disadvantage for me, I will kill him. Maybe turn him into dust."
"...Han..."
"Jayen is a pure and kindhearted person. He made songs to make people happy and express their feelings. I won't let anyone tarnish his name." He gritted his teeth and went beyond the barrier he made, "I'll be back."
"Wait Han!"
Han twirled the flaming spear, drew his right foot back, swung his body around as he did so and threw it in the man's direction. He was like a bubble because he disappeared from Faier's sight but the impact that was left caused the ground to crack and the entire cave to shake.
The man laughs seeing Han's reaction. He stopped the spear with his hands but got burned.
"Right hand, why are you acting so righteous all of a sudden?!"
"I don't know who you are and how you know that I'm his former right hand, but can you shut the hell up and accept my judgment?" Han raised his right hand and clenched it. The fire that surrounded his spear disappeared, spread onto the man’s hands and burned those.
"Tch!" He tried to throw Han's spear at him and all the fire in his body shifted, "What?!"
"You triggered me a little, young man. But.. If you knew what happened to Iryankka then you're old like I am." He snapped his fingers, smiling evilly, "Lobin, eat him."
The fire formed into a man sitting in a lotus position with three faces and hands in one body. Holding different kinds of fire that humanity cannot interpret. The fire turned green as it burned the man's body.
It was over and there was nothing left of his opponent.
"Lobin, stop." Han commanded, "Go back into the spear."
Han came closer and saw that there were no ashes left but he saw a piece of cloth.
".... He escaped." He burned the cloth, "Lobin, find Arete at all costs."
"Han." Lobin called.
"Don't lose temper when finding her. Even if it's impossible, still go and find her."
"You trained that girl yourself. You're the right hand."
".... Even so. I don't want to lose another comrade."
The fire slowly turns into a human that is close to Han's appearance except Lobin's hair is in the chase of pink, longer and tied up in a ponytail, "As you wish." He bows.
"I'm not your master, Lobin. We've been partners since I was young. You're still a God."
"A minor God that was exiled in Iryankka for protecting you."
"....."
"I'll find her and maybe introduce myself. From my observation, she has a thin temper like me when she doesn't know the person and seems like a danger."
"Yes. She's like that." He smiles softly, "Remember, whoever that person is, he's the mastermind of this unusual activity in Ridav. As long as you find Arete, tell her what happened. If you encounter that person again, fight him to death. Understood?"
"Yes, Han." Then Lobin disappeared.
Han picks up the spear and creates a portal where he throws it in there, "It's been a while since I used weapons."
"Han!"
He looks back and Faier is like running but obviously he's floating fast towards Han.
"Han, I'm so worried about you!" Spirits can't cry but Han knows the child is crying.
"Mr. I know."
"I heard there's an explosion!"
"Is there an explosion? I didn't know. I was so focused on killing that pest."
"Yes... As if there's something being toasted! Is.. Is that your power, Han?"
"Who knows? I'm not flashy towards my skills at all." He looks up and it's a red moon. It's night and there are some beliefs about the red moon. It is also known as the blood moon. It symbolizes the bitter end of an event that will change someone's life forever.
Han doesn't believe that, but he is worried about Arete and Lily's condition. They are still the same woman. Even though Arete is good at defense, and he taught her magic to keep up with her talents, she is often vulnerable to the danger that threatens her.
On the other hand, Lily was sleeping while Arete was outside and sitting on the floor. She was watching the blood moon.
"....Han." She whispers, "I hope you're okay."
As the encounter between Han and the mastermind unfolds, Lily and Arete try to return to where they came from to tell what they saw. Even though Leruji's company is good, Arete's heart is restless. She couldn't trust what the man was telling them.
They also tried what people on earth do when they go astray but they still return to the temple.
Arete thought that Leruji had something to do with these phenomena. Even though they accepted the man's offer to let them stay inside the temple to get rid of the 'curse' attached to their bodies. The man said that the entities might be playing tricks on them because Lily had a magician with her.
Neither Arete nor Lily said their role or status. Arete just smiled and didn't answer. Due to exhaustion, Lily immediately fell asleep.
"Han... I'm nervous..." She continued to talk to the wind which was strangely cold, "You're strong. I'm strong but you're more experienced. What would be your advice?"
