Mara suddenly hears the sound of someone running behind him.
He turns back—
and sees a girl.
She is standing, her head lowered, leaning against a tree.
Her breath is heavy, as if she had been running for a long time.
Slowly… she lifts her head.
The moment Mara sees her, he is startled.
"It's her… the girl who treated Vasuki… Lina."
A thought flashes through his mind.
Could she be a soul…?
Without hesitation, Mara draws his sword.
Lina is shocked by his reaction.
What happened to him…? she wonders.
Her eyes fall on his weapon.
A black blade… strange… almost unnatural…
Mara's voice turns cold.
"Don't take another step forward…
or this sword will burn you to ashes."
For a moment, silence hangs in the air.
Then—
Lina smiles.
Looking at the blade, she says calmly,
"This sword… it looks like something that has already been burned once."
She tilts her head slightly.
"Where did you even find this… charred piece of wood?"
Hearing that, Mara feels a little embarrassed.
"It's not just a piece of wood," he says.
"This sword was given to me by Alpha Core, sir."
"I was sent here to use it—
to eliminate souls…
and to bring back those who haven't returned yet."
He pauses for a moment, then looks at Lina.
"But… how are you here?
How did you survive?"
Lina replies calmly,
"When those vultures attacked me,
I pretended to be dead to escape them…
and somehow, I survived."
Mara mutters softly under his breath,
"Looks like she's an expert at acting…"
Lina's expression immediately changes.
"What did you just say?" she snaps.
Mara quickly looks away.
"Nothing… it's nothing. Everything's fine."
Mara starts walking ahead.
"Come on," he says casually,
"let's head toward the palace. I'm tired."
Lina follows him, walking a few steps behind.
After a moment, she asks,
"How did that sword get burned?"
Mara suddenly stops.
The air around them turns still.
Without answering, he quickly moves toward a nearby tree.
Looking at it, he says,
"This tree… it's beautiful."
Lina frowns.
"Don't try to change the topic.
Just tell me the truth."
Mara hesitates.
Then, with a slight stutter, he replies,
"I… I was fighting a soul."
"And then… something strange happened."
He looks at his sword.
"In the middle of the fight…
this blade suddenly caught fire."
Lina, filled with curiosity, asks,
"Did you defeat that soul?"
Mara immediately replies with confidence,
"Yeah, I did."
Just then—
The leaves and branches of a nearby tree begin to shake.
Mara instinctively takes a step back.
Suddenly, something falls from the tree.
As he looks closer… he realizes—
It's Pasito.
Lina, startled, asks,
"Who is that?"
Mara lets out a small laugh.
"That's my friend… Pasito."
Pasito grins as he lands.
Mara steps forward and grabs his hand.
"You're alive, right?"
Pasito laughs.
"Of course. I'm standing right in front of you."
Mara smirks slightly.
"Spirits can stand in front of you too."
Pasito's expression instantly changes.
"What? Do you want me to turn into a soul or something?!"
In the next moment—
Both of them grab each other by the collar and start arguing.
Watching them, Lina sighs.
"Do you two not have even a little common sense?"
Hearing that, both of them calm down.
Without another word, they start walking ahead.
Lina follows behind them quietly.
As they walk, Pasito smiles and asks Mara,
"Do you know this girl?"
Mara replies casually,
"No… I just met her a while ago."
He then looks at Pasito.
"By the way, how did you end up here?"
Pasito shrugs.
"I didn't find anything useful… so I came back."
He leans in slightly.
"But bro… I saw something out here."
Before he can continue, Lina interrupts,
"Mara… how long will it take to reach the fort?
How much time do we have left?"
Pasito suddenly stumbles a little.
Mara glances at him for a moment… then smiles.
Turning to Lina, he says,
"We'll reach there soon."
Pasito frowns slightly, thinking to himself,
How does he know her name…?
A small smile forms on his face.
Then suddenly, he turns to Mara and asks sharply,
"Do you even know if this path leads to the fort?"
Mara smiles again.
"Yeah… I think this is the right way."
In the very next moment—
Slap!
Pasito smacks him on the head.
"Are you serious, idiot?!" he snaps.
"If you keep acting like this, our chances of surviving here are going to drop!"
After that, Mara and Pasito start arguing again.
Lina sighs in frustration.
"Stop fighting already. We need to find the way to the fort."
Hearing this, both of them calm down.
Just then—
Lina notices a group of people approaching from ahead.
She looks at Mara.
"Do all of them know you?"
Mara shrugs slightly.
"Maybe…"
Well… I am pretty popular, he thinks to himself, smiling.
Mara slowly draws his sword from its sheath.
Seeing this, Pasito frowns.
"Where did you get that new sword?" he asks.
"And what happened to your sandalwood blade?"
Mara hesitates for a moment.
"It's… the same sword," he says.
"It just… changed a little."
Pasito's expression turns serious.
"Idiot… what have you done?" he snaps.
"Alpha Core won't spare you for this."
He looks at the blade more closely.
"And look at it… it's completely black now."
Lina, keeping her eyes ahead, interrupts,
"Forget that. They're getting closer."