Together

"Humans are useless in situations like this," Zefiria repeated those words to Sefenfor, starting at the time when the man had let her down.

The atmosphere in the house became tense. Even the gentle sea breeze could not suppress the fire in their hearts.

Reibo, as a friend tried to calm the tension. He sat Sefenfor back down and gently pushed Zefiria's shoulder.

Zefiria is not easy to tame. She pushed Reibo's hand away. "You too! Why are you following this idiot? Get out of your workshop and find someone better than him," Zefiria snapped at Reibo.

"You have to calm down, Zefiria. Your pretty face will fade later," said Reibo trying to fight his own annoyance.

"You must not agree with Sefenfor's decision either, right?"

"Calm down, old lady," Ashnard stop her. "I didn't do it out of compulsion. It was my own will."

With a gaze like a beast, Zefiria pointed her finger at Ashnard. "Watch your mouth, young man!"

Reibo's efforts to calm Zefiria were not easy. He needed help from Liliya, who knew her to calm her anger. The girl's innocent face and sweet smile had succeeded in subduing Zefiria.

A few moments after the silence, still no one wanted to speak. Everyone was silent and waiting for someone else to speak.

Zefiria's face looked sluggish while massaging her forehead. She asked Ashnard, "Your name is Ashnard, right. Why would you do something that could harm yourself? Why not do the things that a child your age would normally do?"

Ashnard of course wouldn't say that he wasn't actually a child, that he wasn't from this world. Ignoring this, Ashnard said what was appropriate for the current situation.

"Do you really need an excuse for something that only I can do myself? If you forbid me and want to do it yourself, just do it. But, I also will not stand still when the darkness will destroy my house. I still have dreams that I want to make come true, you know!"

Zefiria looked surprised. She shifted her gaze to Sefenfor and then back to Ashnard. "You did it just for the sake of your dream? Who taught you? Who were your parents?"

"My mother is Edda and my long-dead father, his name is Ebert."

"It's not because of his parents, Zefiria. This kid really wants to do what he wants. There is no doubt in his heart," explained Sefenfor trying to believe Zefiria once again. "The power that Ashnard has can help Nous return to normal. As I said, this is the only way. If there is another way that doesn't involve Ashnard, I will definitely do it. You have to trust me. You have to trust Ashnard."

"Yes, if I do nothing, there will be victims, right? I don't want that to happen. My only option is to prevent that from happening. This is the reason I have this power," Ashnard added.

Since hundreds of years ago and until now, Zefiria still couldn't refuse the decision that Sefenfor had taken. She felt that this moment was like returning to that time. In the end, she couldn't make a decision that exceeds Sefenfor's decision.

"I'm afraid I won't be able to resist it. But, you can't just stand still." Zefiria glared at Sefenfor and Reibo. "I don't want anything bad to happen. Therefore, we must protect Ashnard."

Sefenfor did intend that, which is why he agreed. However, it seems that Zefiria's annoyance still cannot be easily erased. The hatred for hundreds of years continues to be embedded in his heart, and there's a possibility that it will grow even more if she can't control it.

"Actually, I wanted to ask you to come, not just ask for your help. There's something I want to show you," said the woman who became calmer now.

Zefiria then brought the others up into the open meadow. Not far from the Black Forest and the Dark Abyss. A long trail imprinted on the ground and continued all the way to the Dark Abyss itself.

Ashnard could feel his heart growing more restless as the abyss appeared in his eyes, even if it's a speck of black smudge.

Sefenfor crouched down and examined the strange trail. "This trail ...."

"Yeah, you must have known. It's like a trail when dragging something," said Zefiria.

"Who dragged and what is dragged?" Ashnard asked.

"Look." There was some red liquid along the trail. "Human blood," said Zefiria.

"You mean the creature dragged humans into the abyss?" Reibo stared in disbelief.

"Surprising, isn't it? As long as we fight them, they never show this kind of behavior. They always attack anything or anyone on the spot."

"Couldn't it be Raivolka? Some other creature that's more intelligent or it's someone's doing," Sefenfor guessed.

"But, who wants to take a person or thing into an abyss filled with darkness that can eat away, not only your bones but also your soul?"

"Yeah, I know, I know. It's different. I'm afraid the one we're fighting is far worse than Raivolka or darkness."

Liliya didn't dare think about the possibilities and fears that lay ahead. She grabbed Ashnard's arm.

Ashnard understood Liliya's fear because he also felt that fear. He asked anyone who could answer him, "So what now?"

Just as confusion was preoccupying them, a burst of energy occurred. The darkness element that emanated from the abyss, for whatever reason, suddenly overflowed like volcanic lava.

The overflow is not physical, but they can still feel it. The sky above the abyss turned purple from the effects of the energy. The air became thick like Sefenfor's mist but had a terrifying black color.

"We'd better stay away," said Sefenfor, who was trying to endure the black energy. He covered his mouth and nose with his arms.

That black energy affects the entire body. Breathing becomes very difficult, and movements become stiff. Those who are affected feel like something is running through their body and is heading towards the center of the body.

The darkness also tries to eat away at the mind as previously described. Causes pain and dizziness.

Among those who had difficulty moving and breathing, only Ashnard was the only one who could put a smile on his face. Among the shadows and darkness that tried to possess his friends, he used his power.

Zefiria became very confused as she no longer needed to cover her face. She can move freely without pressure in the black fog. There was no pain in his entire body, only a calmness washed over him.

The woman glanced back at the little boy she had previously looked down on, now the boy was smiling proudly.

"What are you doing?" Zefiria asked Ashnard.

Ashnard snorted arrogantly, "Of course protecting you guys. That's also my job."

Slowly, the fog faded away on its own, but not completely gone. The flowers and plants affected by the black mist withered and became dry as if they had no water in a season of suffering.

"Are you okay? You protected our minds all at once," Sefenfor asked Ashnard.

"At first, I struggled, but now I'm fine. It's easy," Ashnard said.

Liliya gave her proud smile to Ashnard, who had proven all the results of his training by protecting everyone's mind. In each of their minds, there was Ashnard, who kept fighting until the darkness completely disappeared.

"I think we should do it now," Ashnard suggested.

"You're right. We have to hurry. I feel like the overflow was just the beginning," Sefenfor explained. "In the Black Forest, there is a safer entrance to the abyss, made by Nous. We'll go there."