Serez and Valen, hearing Yelan's hysterical screams, immediately ran at full speed. Upon arriving, they found Yelan trembling violently in front of a man who just stood there silently.
"It's... him... it's really him," Serez whispered with a trembling voice and a face as pale as death.
In contrast to his master, Valen actually wanted to show off his bravery. He stepped forward to confront Azril. "Hey, weirdo! Get away from Yelan!" Valen barked harshly.
Lyra, who had just arrived, could only stand frozen. Her face was anxious, her brain spinning to find an excuse. Whatever this long-haired guy did to make Yelan deathly afraid like that, Lyra thought worriedly.
Valen pulled Yelan's hand behind his back. When Lyra tried to step closer to mediate, Serez's hand held her firmly. "Don't!" Serez whispered. "Let me handle this. You stay behind me."
Azril remained motionless. He only stared at them with cold eyes that seemed capable of piercing through the soul.
Ah, whatever! Explanations later; the important thing is to resolve this first, Lyra thought desperately.
Valen, still feeling like a hero, stared at Azril from a close distance with a mocking smile. Yelan tried to tug at Valen's clothes. "Don't... don't offend that Senior," Yelan whimpered, but Valen ignored her.
Suddenly, Serez moved quickly. He pulled Yelan and Valen to his side, then pressed down on his two disciples' shoulders until they were forced to bow.
At the same time, Lyra actually stepped forward and casually pulled Azril's hand. "I told you to sit quietly inside! Why are you so hard to manage?" Lyra scolded.
Serez, seeing Lyra's behavior, nearly had a heart attack. With his remaining courage, he bowed deeply toward Azril. "Forgive my junior and my disciple, Sir... forgive them if they have offended you!"
Lyra gaped. "You don't have to be like that, Senior. This long-haired guy is indeed a weird person, but—"
"WATCH YOUR WORDS, LYRA!" Serez barked. His body was trembling violently; he was truly begging for mercy. Lyra flinched. This was the first time she had been snapped at by her senior, who was usually very calm.
Yelan joined in, speaking with a voice stammering from trauma. "Forgive us, Sir... I didn't know you were here. Please spare them, they are innocent..."
Azril just remained silent, ignoring the pleas as if they were merely dust. Lyra, who couldn't take it anymore, began to protest, "What is wrong with you all? Senior, you're usually arrogant toward everyone, why are you bowing to this long-haired guy now?"
"Quiet!" Serez cut her off. "Do you even know who he is? It seems you already know him?"
"I only met him a few days ago. He's just a weird person who got lost," Lyra answered honestly.
"Fool!" Serez hissed. "What Step of Star Ascendant do you think he is?"
"Maybe... late Step 1? Or early Step 2?" Lyra answered hesitantly.
"How could such a low level be capable of splitting space! He... he is likely at Step 3: Void Stillness!"
The screen in Lyra's eyes seemed to shatter. She froze. Step 3? The long-haired guy she often scolded was a Void Stillness? Valen, hearing that, immediately broke into a cold sweat. Fortunately, I didn't hit him earlier. If I had, I would have died many times over, he thought in horror.
"Handle this matter well, Lyra. We are leaving first!" Without waiting for an answer, Serez pulled his disciples and left in a hurry as if being chased by a demon.
Lyra stared at their receding backs, then turned to Azril with a growing sense of awe. "He... doesn't seem angry," she muttered. Despite the fear, Lyra tried to act normally so it wouldn't be awkward. "Hey, Long Hair! Let's go inside. I brought a book for you," she said while pulling Azril's hand into the bamboo house.
On the Other Side: Remnant Village
Lana sat brooding in front of the house, the shadow of her son's face constantly haunting her mind. Aerith came over. "Lana, come with me. There's a food distribution outside the village. I'm worried about your condition," Aerith said softly.
However, as they were about to exit the village gate, they saw two heavily injured shadows approaching. As the distance closed, Lana shrieked. "Arlo! Lizra!"
Both were covered in blood. Lana and Aerith immediately rushed them to Aerith's house in a panic.
"Why have you become like this, my husband?" Lana's tears broke out as she saw Arlo's condition.
"We were used as war bait by the Aethoria Empire," Arlo answered weakly.
Aerith vented her emotions, "Why is our life so unfair!"
Lizra coughed up blood, but her eyes remained sharp. "Initially, we were ordered to forcibly extort money from the commoners. We refused. Because we were considered useless, they made us frontline bait. It's better to be injured like this than to have to extort our own people."
"The war between the Aethoria Empire and Yeredith has broken out," Arlo added seriously. "The situation there is horrifying. We were able to escape because we were the first wave of bait. But now... Arlo and Lizra have been branded as traitors."
"Enough, think about that later. For now, take care of your wounds first," Aerith interrupted firmly.
Back at Lyra's Bamboo House
Lyra was working hard trying to teach Azril. She pointed to a word in an old book.
"Try to say this word... Long Hair. Come on, follow me."
Azril did not speak. He only let out a low growl from his throat.
Lyra slapped her own forehead hard. "Goodness... it seems I really have to teach you from zero!"
One week had passed since Serez's fear-filled surprise visit. Under Lyra's tireless guidance, Azril slowly began to recognize letters and string words together. Although his movements still often looked like a machine's, Azril began to be able to express emotions, even if they still felt very stiff.
"Ah, I'm exhausted!" Lyra complained while stretching her body until her bones let out a cracking sound. She looked at Azril, who was still seriously staring at the book. "Let's go out for a bit, Long Hair. Do you want to take a walk to the city?"
Azril did not answer with words. He only turned his head, and then his lips pulled into a very stiff smile—as if he had forgotten how facial muscles worked. Lyra was stunned for a moment seeing that rare sight, before finally bursting into laughter.
"Oh, you! Your smile is so scary," Lyra mocked while wiping tears from laughing so hard. "Oh right, I remember when we were in the city yesterday... You were holding a sugar candy, right? Let's go buy some. Even though Star Ascendants like us don't need food, at least it's nice to please the mouth," Lyra said with a wide smile, rubbing the back of her head.
They then departed for the city located near the Deep Sea Palace. Walking through the crowded market, Lyra occasionally nudged Azril's arm. "Hey, Long Hair, watch your expression! Don't go scaring the ordinary people here."
Azril only nodded slowly. Their steps stopped in front of a sugar candy vendor. Lyra bought two large sticks. "Here, one for you," Lyra said, handing over the candy.
Azril accepted it, then bit the candy slowly. Suddenly, his steps stopped. He stared at the candy in his grasp with a gaze that was hard to interpret—there was a deep sadness, yet a glimmer of happiness tucked in his eyes. His memory might have drifted back to the time he failed to taste a similar candy because of the riot the other day.
Lyra, understanding the emotional situation, did not say much. She simply grabbed Azril's arm and led him away from the crowd, toward the quiet seaside. Upon reaching the edge, Lyra was stunned. The light of the setting sun reflected on the water's surface, creating an extraordinary gradation of orange and purple.
"Beautiful..." Lyra whispered in awe.
Azril turned away from the sea; instead, he stared at Lyra, who looked so happy. Unconsciously, Azril's stiff smile from before slowly turned into a softer and more sincere smile.
Lyra noticed it. She turned and immediately widened her eyes. "What? You're smiling, Long Hair? Hahaha! Look, finally you can smile normally!" Lyra laughed freely, and for a moment, the heavy burdens on both of their shoulders seemed to vanish with the sea breeze.
Night began to fall, and they walked side by side back toward the bamboo house, leaving sweet memories on the shore that evening.