Mara asked Vasuki,
"How do you know so much about animals?"
Vasuki calmly replied,
"Because I am familiar with this world."
Just then, Alpha Core arrived and asked Mara,
"Mara, haven't you gone to freshen up yet?"
Mara answered,
"Sir, Vasuki and I want to hunt the lion's spirit together."
Alpha Core paused for a moment and thought to himself,
"Can one spirit exist in two bodies?"
Then he said in a serious voice,
"No. One spirit cannot enter two bodies. That is impossible.
You both will have to hunt separately."
Mara and Vasuki replied together,
"Alright, sir."
Alpha Core walked ahead while thinking,
"I hope the lion's spirit does not create rivalry between them."
Just then Vaden came near Mara and said,
"I'm leaving now. I'm just going to say goodbye to Pasito."
Mara nodded and said,
"Alright, Vaden."
Vaden then walked away
Alpha Core shouted loudly, calling everyone,
"Ten minutes are over. All participants, return now."
All the children ran back quickly.
Alpha Core continued,
"One important thing—
You must be very careful on the Red Moon.
And now the moment you all were waiting for has finally arrived."
Just then Sir Jeron Junin arrived.
There was a bag on his back.
He walked up to Alpha Core and stopped.
Opening the bag, he began distributing threads of different colors to the children.
He said,
"These threads contain positive energy.
They will protect you from the negative energy of that place."
All the children tied the threads around their wrists.
Vasuki thought to himself,
"These threads have no real meaning.
Only 10% of the participants survive this competition.
This green thread won't change anything…"
Then Jeron Junin said,
"Stay alert."
Mara looked at his wrist and said,
"Hey, my thread is red!"
Alpha Core said,
"When I chant the Solar Eclipse mantra, everyone must look up at the sky together."
All the children replied at once,
"Yes, sir!"
Alpha Core looked up at the sky and began chanting the mantra.
In the sky, the sun appeared like a glowing ring, shining like a golden circle.
As the mantra was completed,
that shining ring slowly transformed into a gateway to the Red Moon.
Suddenly, everyone present began splitting into particles.
Their bodies started breaking apart into glowing fragments of energy.
Gradually, some children began screaming in fear,
as they could feel the terror of the Red Moon pulling them toward it.
Within moments,
all the teachers and students disintegrated into particles of energy and vanished.
And in that place,
only deep silence remained.
Moments later, a strange sight appears.
The glowing particles floating in the air begin drifting slowly.
Gradually, they start gathering together in one place.
Within seconds, the particles merge and take the form of the contestants and teachers again.
Everyone now stands on the surface of the Red Moon.
Alpha Core looks around and says,
"Long ago, a great king once ruled this Red Moon.
But now… nothing remains here."
In front of them stands a massive castle,
but it now looks like a ruined fortress.
Its walls are broken and collapsed in many places.
Looking at the shattered walls, Alpha Core says,
"These walls once held secrets and bravery within them…"
Then Sir Jeron says,
"The GOTES… now we begin the competition."
Alpha Core turns toward the children and says,
"You remember the rules, right?
You may use stones, wood, and fire.
You may also hunt animals…
but without cheating."
He continues,
"If your thread starts tightening,
return to this castle immediately.
That will be the sign of sunset.
And after sunset…
this place becomes far more terrifying."
Then Alpha Core announces to everyone,
"Jeron and I are leaving now.
The rest of the journey… you must complete on your own."
He adds,
"If anyone wishes to leave the Red Moon,
look at Earth and say the words 'Rest Chamber.'"
After saying this,
Alpha Core and Jeron walk outside the castle.
They both look toward Earth in the sky and say,
"Rest Chamber."
Suddenly, their bodies split into particles and disappear.
Now on the Red Moon,
only the contestants and silence remain.
Mara and the rest of the children step outside the castle.
As soon as they look around, they are surprised by what they see.
The land around them is completely barren.
It feels as if darkness itself lives in that place.
But the most shocking thing is that
all the trees standing there have yellow leaves.
Mara says in confusion,
"Sir never said that the trees here would have yellow leaves."
Vashuki looks at Mara in surprise and asks,
"What will happen now?"
Mara calmly replies,
"Don't worry.
Whatever happens… we will face it.
For now, we must move forward."
With that,
Mara and Vashuki begin walking deeper into the forest.
Meanwhile, Pasito watches them leave and thinks to himself,
"So he left me alone…
Well, let him go."
Then he smiles and looks at the boy standing beside him.
"Me and my new friend Atura Kajime will hunt together."
Both of them then head toward the forest together.Vashuki suddenly stops and looks at the ground.
"Mara… look! I can see lion footprints ahead."
Excited, Vashuki runs forward.
But suddenly his foot hits a rock, and he falls to the ground.
Mara quickly runs toward him.
When he reaches there, he sees
a girl helping Vashuki stand up.
Vashuki's leg is hurting badly.
The girl takes out a bandage and wraps it around his leg.
Vashuki gratefully says,
"Thank you so much."
The girl smiles softly.
"It's my duty."
Mara's eyes suddenly move to the girl's wrist.
A pink thread is tied around her wrist.
Mara thinks to himself,
"This isn't the girl…
I saw in my dream."
Suddenly a voice echoes from far away.
"Hey Lina! Come here, I found a prey!"
The girl quickly runs toward the voice.
Mara turns to Vashuki and says,
"You stay here.
I'll follow the lion tracks."
Mara runs ahead.
Vashuki quietly lowers his head.
After running for some distance,
Mara notices that the footprints suddenly disappear.
He thinks,
"Could this be a trap…?"
He then looks up.
His eyes fall on a tree.
On the tree, the word "Sunset" is carved.
But there is also a large crack in the tree trunk.
Mara slowly walks toward it and looks behind the crack.
There lies a dead lion.
Its body is completely still.
Mara slowly approaches the lion.
He wants to touch it,
but fear inside him stops him.
Mara whispers,
"This is the same lion…
from my dream."
Hesitantly, he touches the lion's face.
Suddenly, the lion begins to break into particles.
Hundreds of glowing particles scatter into the air.
Many of them enter Mara's body through his breath.
Mara suddenly feels a burning fever-like sensation.
It feels as if the thread on his wrist has tightened.
Then he remembers what the teacher said:
"When the thread becomes tight…
it means danger."
Mara turns around in panic and starts running.
While running he shouts,
"Where is the castle…?"
Suddenly he remembers something.
"I left Vashuki there… alone."