"We're safe until night. We have to reach Lucia Kingdom before then," Sarina said as Darius felt her head resting on his shoulder.
Darius smiled softly and asked, "What time is it?"
"Before noon. Probably around 11 a.m. or so," she replied.
"You okay?" he asked.
"Yes… I just don't feel good. But I don't feel bad either. In a way, I don't feel anything—after killing them or turning them into True Shadows," Sarina said in a neutral voice.
"You don't have to," Darius said, tilting his head gently against hers.
He didn't know how, but he was sure she smiled.
After a few moments of silence, Sarina broke it with a quiet question:
"Can we kiss?"
"That's a crime, you know," Darius said with a playful smile.
"Huh? But we've committed that crime more than a thousand times!" Sarina replied, genuinely confused.
"No, no… kissing isn't the crime. Asking your sweet half-blind boyfriend for a kiss? That's the crime. You should just do it!" he said.
Sarina chuckled.
"What? You're a strange girl. Why do you always laugh when I share my ancient wisdom? You really are a spoiled princess. Uncle Ryan succeeded in his mission to make you one," Darius said, shifting into a husky, mock-elderly voice.
Sarina burst out laughing.
"What?" Darius paused, then grinned devilishly. "Hey, aren't you going to kiss me? Or do I have to become a fine collector to get it?"
Then, he felt it—her warm breath, and the soft press of her lips on his.
After a few moments of passionate kissing, Sarina pulled back.
"Thank you, Darry," she whispered softly.
"You are a strange being, human! You paid the fine and then thanked me! Ah, I cannot understand you, you humans!" Darius said, mimicking an ancient alien voice.
Sarina giggled again.
After about half an hour, Darius's vision returned.
"Let's go," Sarina said as she stood up.
"Okay," he replied.
They continued walking in the silence of the Scarlet Forest.
In a sense, the forest was boring as hell. The trees all looked nearly the same—some minor differences here and there, but not much else.
While walking, Darius asked, "So… who's watching us?"
"The trees," Sarina replied. "They're alive. They're called Zeumas. They can merge with trees—but don't worry, not all trees are Zeumas. Only some. They can't come out during the day, only at night. But they can still see us. And they are watching."
"So… they're friendly, right?" Darius asked, hopeful.
"Never. Zeumas love blood. Human, beast, insect, bird—any kind of blood. They kill everything. But we'll reach Lucia Kingdom before dusk," she said calmly.
Darius swallowed a lump of saliva.
After a moment, he asked again, "What did you find out about the Azure Empire—and more importantly, Lucia Kingdom?"
"The Azure Empire is a beautiful nation… with corrupted officials. The guards didn't know much about Lucia Kingdom, only that it's ruled by Roan Cromvell and his wife, Tyris Cromvell.
But… it also has three Grand Magi: R—Ryan White, N—Nia White, and someone named Colo."
"Ryan and Nia… Sarina's parents who died years ago. Now Grand Magi of Lucia?" Darius thought, stunned.
---
Flashback
Malin Ren worked at a company owned by Ryan White.
One day, she brought her younger son, Darius, with her to work.
"Darius, stay here. I'll be back soon," she said to 10-year-old Darius—gray-white hair, reddish-brown eyes, and a naturally aloof face.
Darius nodded.
Countless people passed by, ignoring the boy.
Among them was a little girl with violet-black hair and crystal-like lavender eyes, looking around calmly in a beautiful white frock.
After a few moments of watching her, young Darius approached.
"Are you lost?" he asked, standing in front of her.
The girl nodded.
Scratching the back of his head, he asked, "Then why are you so calm?"
"Because I don't know what to do," she replied quietly.
"Umm… you should cry for help… maybe?" Darius suggested awkwardly.
"I don't know," she said with a hint of hesitation.
"Don't worry. What's your name?" he asked.
"Sarina," she said—just as someone bumped into her, knocking her to the ground.
"Are you okay?" Darius helped her up and pulled her out of the crowd's way.
Looking at her again, he saw tears forming in her eyes. Crystal-like lavender, shimmering and wet.
"Don't cry! Don't cry!" Darius said, panicking. "Look! I'm a monkey!" he shouted, jumping around and acting ridiculous.
Sarina laughed.
After a moment, she said, "I'm not a toddler. You think you can stop me from crying by acting like a monkey?"
"But you did stop," Darius replied with a small grin.
Then, a voice called out:
"Darry! There you are."
A golden-haired boy with ocean-blue eyes, around 14 or 15, walked up beside Darius.
It was Grey—Darius's older brother.
"Who's she?" Grey asked.
"Her name's Sarina. She's lost," Darius replied.
Sarina looked at them and said, "Your name is Darry."
"No, it's Darius. Only my big brother calls me Darry!" Darius corrected.
"Okay! So he's your big brother," Sarina said.
"Yep! My big bro, Grey!" Darius nodded.
"Sarina! There you are!" A tall man appeared beside her and knelt down, checking her with concern. He had jet-black hair and hazel-grey eyes. Handsome, strong features.
"Papa! I'm fine! Meet Darius and his big bro Grey! They helped me!" she beamed.
"Thank you, Darius and Grey, for helping my little one," Ryan said with a warm smile.
"So… you lost Sarina," a beautiful woman added. She had pale-dark hair and black eyes.
"I can explain, Nia!" Ryan said in a panic.
"Friends?" Sarina asked, looking at Darius.
"Why not?" Darius said with a grin.
---
After that, the memories fast-forwarded.
Darius eventually found out that Ryan White was the owner of the company where his mother worked.
Darius, Grey, and Sarina met several times at their parents' offices. But as they grew older, their meetings became rare.
At sixteen, Darius lost his mother, Malin.
A few months later, while walking home, he saw her again—Sarina.
She was sitting alone on a wooden bench in an empty, silent park.
"Umm… Sarina?" he said gently.
Sarina looked at him.
Suddenly, everything shifted.
Darius was twenty now.
Sarina was sitting on the same bench, in the same park, surrounded by the same silence—but not alone. Twenty-year-old Darius was sitting beside her.
"I love you," he said.
"Me too," Sarina replied.
"Hey… it's 'I love you too,' not 'me too.'"
"I love you a thousand," she said with a teasing smile.
"You're on your period," Darius muttered.
"What?" Sarina blurted.
Everything shifted again.
---
Four years later, Darius was twenty-four.
The once-empty park had become a kindergarten.
One quiet evening, Darius and Sarina walked alone down the empty streets, passing by the kindergarten that had once been their place.
And then—they were pulled into the Void.
There, they saw an extremely lazy man reclining in luxury on a ridiculously expensive chair—probably stolen from Earth. Several strange hands made of unknown matter massaged his lean, handsome body. One hand held grapes near his mouth as he yawned, ate, and shifted position on repeat.
Goobly Guy.
---
"Darry, what are you thinking?" Sarina asked, pulling him out of his thoughts.
"I was thinking about Ryan… but the flashback shifted to you. I should see a doctor—my thoughts have a mind of their own," Darius muttered. Then aloud: "Nothing. Just random thoughts. Anyway… what's the plan?"
"We'll reach the kingdom, earn some money, rent a house, and then start searching. We'll find out if Ryan and Nia are really who we think they are… or if it's just a coincidence," Sarina replied, walking calmly with a distant look in her eyes.
Darius sighed, his thoughts drifting again.
"It's been fourteen years since I met Sarina. But only four years since we started dating."
"But she hasn't changed in all these years. Or maybe she has… and I just never noticed."
"In a single day, our lives flipped. Not just changed—twisted."
"Processing Goobly Guy's nonsense, facing monsters, awakening abilities… all in a matter of hours. And I didn't even do much. I was mostly useless."
"But Sarina… she fought. She killed. And now, She'll command those vile things."
"And now, she's still walking… still smiling."