The fire on Sampo burned for a good ten minutes before Mo Wang, on the verge of watching the man burn to a crisp, finally remembered he had the Herrscher of Ice's core and used it to extinguish the flames.
"Achoo!"
A group of people now sat huddled around a campfire made from the Might of An-Utu.
In the center of it all was Sampo, his clothes completely gone, his skin so charred he looked like an African chieftain.
The only thing covering his modesty was a strip of white cloth, provided by who knows who, tied around his scorched rear. He was a truly pitiful sight.
Sampo's face, usually a mask of flamboyant exaggeration, was now etched with pure melancholy. Even for a standard-issue Masked Fool, a devout follower of the Path of Elation, there was absolutely nothing to be happy about.
"Um, sir, are you okay?" March 7th asked cautiously from across the fire.
"Heh, okay? How could I, Sampo, not be okay? That's hilarious," he said, subconsciously reaching up to touch his hair. All he found was a handful of charcoal.
He'd been hiding in the snow, lost track of time, and nearly froze to death. He finally gets rescued, only to be nearly burned alive. Even his clothes, his tools, and his hair were gone.
Sure, the Aeon of Elation, Aha, was the type to burst out laughing even when they themselves were the butt of the joke, but Sampo clearly hadn't reached that level of enlightenment.
In fact, most Masked Fools in this situation probably wouldn't find it funny at all.
"Hey, Sampo... you actually look pretty cool like this," Mo Wang offered, scratching his head and trying to break the awkward silence with a lighthearted tone. "Look at that charcoal-colored skin! So unique! No one would dare mess with you walking down the street."
Sampo lifted his head and gave Mo Wang a hollow look. The corner of his mouth twitched as if trying to form a smile, but it failed. He looked down at his bare arms, then ran a hand over his bald head and sighed. "Cool? Heh, yeah. So cool I can barely recognize myself."
Seeing this, March quickly interjected. "Oh, don't say that! Hair grows back, clothes can be bought, the important thing is that you're alive! Besides, what an experience! It'll make for a legendary story to tell people later!"
Sampo gave a bitter laugh, his voice raspy. "Legendary? Yeah, a legend about almost freezing, then almost burning, and ending up as an 'African chieftain.' If I told that story, people would probably laugh their heads off."
"No, no, no, who would laugh at you?!" Mo Wang waved his hands dismissively. "That's a thrilling, exciting story! People would be jealous! Besides, isn't life full of unexpected challenges? This just proves how resilient you are!"
Sampo was silent for a moment, a complex emotion flickering in his eyes. He mumbled, "Resilient... heh. I don't feel very resilient right now."
The others fell silent, the atmosphere growing even more awkward. Why was it that the more they tried to comfort him, the worse he seemed to feel?
After a few minutes of silence, Sampo took a deep breath, finally managing to pull himself together. If there was one thing you could say about followers of Elation, it was that they had an incredibly positive outlook.
"Forget it. Out with the old, in with the new. It's just some hair. I, Sampo, don't make a living with my looks anyway." A faint smile returned to his lips, and he seemed to be back to his old, roguish self.
"Hey, that's the spirit! Gotta keep a positive mindset, my friend. It was just a little roasting. You could probably turn this into a comedy sketch and make some money off it," Mo Wang said, seeing Sampo's mood improve.
"That's... huh? That's not a bad idea, actually. Maybe I should find a professional film crew and make a movie about my ordeal?"
To everyone's surprise, Sampo's mood rebounded a little too quickly. With just one suggestion from Mo Wang, he was already scheming how to profit from his near-death experience.
"That attitude... I mean, that's just nuts," March sighed, unable to even properly roast him. Do people this optimistic really exist?
"So, sir, why were you lying out here in the middle of nowhere? And nearly frozen solid?" Welt asked.
"Don't ask. Let's just say... I ran into a bit of trouble in the city and had to lay low for a bit. I didn't expect to lie down and then not be able to get back up," Sampo said, shaking his head. "A miscalculation. To think that I, the great Sampo, would find myself in such a predicament."
He felt like he'd utterly disgraced himself. If his colleagues found out, they'd probably laugh at him for at least three years straight. That one particularly nasty woman would probably broadcast his failure across the entire universe.
"But it's a good thing I had you guys, my family, to help me out. Otherwise, old Sampo would've really kicked the bucket here," he said with a look of genuine relief.
"Since when did we become family? This guy gets friendly way too fast," March muttered, eyeing Sampo with suspicion. He didn't seem like a good person.
"Speaking of which, I haven't asked who you fine folks are. May I know your names?"
"Well, we're..."
"That's right! We are the Masked Fools, defenders of universal peace! Our motto is to do good deeds without seeking recognition!"
Just as Welt was about to introduce them, Mo Wang jumped in, leaving everyone, especially Sampo, completely speechless.
Sampo: (—`′—)?
Buddy, if you're a Masked Fool, then who am I? Since when did people start impersonating us? And right in front of one, no less? Is that even allowed? Also, since when were the Masked Fools associated with 'doing good deeds' and 'saving the universe'?
"Wait, hold on, when did we become Masked Fools? How come I didn't know?" March stared at Mo Wang, dumbfounded.
"Hmm? We aren't? We travel between worlds, saving countless people. How are we not Masked Fools?"
"I think you're thinking of Masked Riders..."
"Ahem, same difference. The point is, I believe in Aha. Do you?"
"It's completely different! And when did you start believing in Aha? Aren't you on the Path of Destruction?" March said, exasperated.
"Hmm? Mo Wang is on the Path of Destruction? I could have sworn he was on the Path of Erudition," Welt blinked.
"Erudition? How does he resemble someone from Erudition at all? I remember him being on the Path of the Hunt," Dan Heng, who had been silent until now, finally cracked.
"What are you all talking about? I'm clearly a standard follower of Elation, okay? Look, I'll even show you my Path."
Mo Wang then displayed his Path for all to see. The group fell into a collective silence. Sampo, in particular, was completely baffled by them.
"Wait, are you guys really a team? How can you all have different ideas about what Path he's on?" Sampo didn't know what to say. At this point, he was starting to believe they really were his colleagues. Normal people weren't this chaotic.
"No, but I really remember him being Destruction," March said, scratching her head. Did I warp into a different dimension?
"I remember it being the Hunt..."
"Uh... maybe he used to be on the Hunt? Wait, I remember him using Erudition too..." Welt paused, feeling his own memory starting to get jumbled.
"Ahem, well, you see... I actually have all of those Paths," Mo Wang explained.
As he spoke, the symbols of various Paths began to flash over him like a slideshow. Destruction, the Hunt, Erudition, Remembrance... there were a dozen Paths, some they recognized, and some they had never even heard of.
"Are you collecting these like stamps or something? You've got so many Paths stuffed inside you!" Sampo couldn't hold it in any longer. He'd never in his life seen someone with so many Paths. If the Aeons looked down, would it be like a board meeting inside this guy? You could host several tables of mahjong with all the Aeons in there.
"Uncle Yang, what's going on? Can a person really have so many Paths?" March asked, hoping for an explanation.
But Welt could only shrug. "This is beyond my expertise!" This was the first time he'd ever seen someone whose body was hosting a conference of Paths.
"Ahem, it might have something to do with the Stellaron inside Mo Wang. That's the only explanation I can think of," Welt said, running a hand through his hair.
"But it's not a huge problem. People with multiple Paths aren't unheard of in the universe. Even we primarily walk the Path of the Trailblaze. Mo Wang's case is just... an extreme example. We should just focus on which Path he has progressed the furthest on."
After a long pause, that was the only explanation Welt could offer. What else could he say? Most people had two or three Paths at most; he had no idea what to make of someone with over a dozen.
"So, Mo Wang, which Path are you furthest along on?" March asked curiously.
"Uh, let me see... Lust?" Mo Wang squinted, his expression a little strange.
"That's not even a real thing! You pervert!" March shot back.
"Then it's a four-way tie between Elation, the Hunt, Erudition, and the Trailblaze," Mo Wang said with a shrug. Believe it or not, I don't really care.
"So, my friend Sampo, are you interested in joining me in worshipping the almighty Aha?" Mo Wang walked over to Sampo and extended an invitation.
"Heh, hehehe."
For the first time, Sampo felt a strong urge to curse. Buddy, do you have any idea who you're talking to? I'm a rising star among the Masked Fools, a veteran member. And you're asking me to worship Aha? Are you insane?
Also, "almighty Aha" just sounds weird. It turns a cosmic jester into some kind of terrorist.
"No, no, no. I think I'm better off without any faith for now," Sampo quickly refused. To think that he, who usually did the recruiting, was now being recruited himself.
"Ah, what a pity. I think you've got a great sense of humor, my friend. If you joined us, you could probably become the second-in-command of the Masked Fools in no time."
Sampo thought to himself: Thanks, but no thanks. I'm already in Belobog, have been a Masked Fool for years, and I don't need an invitation. Also, if you actually joined, that nasty woman wouldn't stand a chance.
You really are a true follower of Elation, my brother.
Honestly, seeing another follower of Elation, one who seemed even more chaotic than himself, suddenly appear in Belobog was seriously messing with Sampo's head. Wait, aren't these people from the Astral Express? When did they pick up a character like this?
Little did Mo Wang know, he had just been labeled as "extremely dangerous" by a certain jester. But then again, for those who walked the Path of Elation, it was hard not to be dangerous once you reached a certain level.
When two Masked Fools crossed paths, it was basically a clash of titans. If you couldn't pull off a grand prank on the other, you could hardly call yourself a Masked Fool.
The sad part was... Sampo had a sinking feeling he couldn't win against Mo Wang.
"Alright, let's cut the chatter. Hey, Sampo, my man. Do you know how to get to the city up ahead? Can you show us the way?" March asked.
"Well, about that... I can lead the way, but there might be a bit of a problem," Sampo said, scratching his charred scalp sheepishly.
"What is it? What's the problem?"
"You see... I ran into a little trouble in the city. Some people are after me."
"Look! There's a light over there! After them!"
Just then, a group of heavily armored soldiers appeared in the distance. Upon spotting Mo Wang's group, they charged forward.
"Whoa! That's a lot of people! Sampo, my man, is this what you call 'a little trouble'?" March was stunned by the sight of the armored knights.
In the blink of an eye, the soldiers from Belobog had surrounded them.
"Sampo! Let's see you run this time!"
At the head of the troops stood a young woman and a handsome young man.
And when Welt saw the girl's face, his expression was, for lack of a better word, spectacular.