18. The incident

After losing sif, Elias refused to let despair consume him.

He continued on his way until he reached a series of deep underground caves, where he began training alone.

Every time, he placed a hand against his forehead and closed his eyes, trying to sense the energy surrounding him. Seconds passed... then he opened his eyes without anything happening. He had failed. He tried again. And failed once more.

That was how his days passed after parting ways with Wail.

A brief scene from before they separated appeared.

Elias said: "Don't you dare interfere in my fights."

Wail smiled. "You too."

And that was why... Elias never interfered in either of the two battles Wail fought.

Elsewhere...

Bahaa stood before his followers.

He looked at them with contempt. "Damn you all... not one of you managed to please me with even a single thing."

mark lowered his head. "I'm sorry... Send me this time, and I'll get you what you want."

Bahaa replied coldly: "Get out of my sight."

Then he turned away. "I'll go myself this time."

The dark voice echoed inside his mind. "I told you..."

Bahaa interrupted it irritably. "Shut up." "I'm not going to stand by while they defeat them one after another." "I'll capture whichever one of them I find first."

Silence fell for a moment.

Then the voice said: "You won't be able to find Wail on your own..."

Bahaa frowned. "What do you mean?"

The voice answered: "The Valis have taken him."

Bahaa's expression froze. "The Valis...?"

The voice continued: "They are a race descended from the planet Valis." "During the Great War, the men of that planet decided to sacrifice all the women in order to save the rest of their people." "But the women of Valis refused to accept their fate and started a rebellion that ended with the extermination of every male." "To prevent their race from going extinct, they used the spiritual energy they had taken from the men." "Since that day, no male has been born among them." "Each woman uses the absorbed spirits to reshape her body and extend her lifespan, which is why their race has survived until now." "But that made those spirits the sole source of their lives..." "And that is why they hunt those who possess powerful spirits."

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from NovelPhoenix. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

The voice fell silent for a moment before continuing: "And it seems Wail became one of their targets because of the power hidden within him."

Bahaa gave a mocking smile. "Don't worry about that trash." "He'll find a way out himself, and then we'll bring him straight here."

He turned toward mark. "But for now... come with me." "You're the only one I can rely on."

Wail suddenly woke up.

He tried to stand, but couldn't.

He looked down at his body. Pink chains were wrapped tightly around him. Every time he struggled, he felt his body's energy being drained little by little. He gritted his teeth and tried to break free. But it was useless.

A girl's voice came from the entrance of the hall. "It's pointless."

Wail raised his head. A girl was standing at the entrance. She continued with a smile: "These chains were once used to restrain even the Spirit Race." "But you... they're draining your energy now." "The more you resist, the faster it will be over."

She approached until she was standing directly in front of him. She leaned forward slightly. "I remember you..." "You were there when we came."

At that exact moment... The scene returned to Wail's mind. The ruins. The flames. The bodies. A hand covered in blood reaching out from beneath the rubble.

His eyes widened. Suddenly, he slammed his head into the girl with all his strength.

"I knew it... You were the one who was there that day."

She staggered back several steps, clutching her forehead. Then she smiled.

"I like you..." "Looks like I'll enjoy torturing you for a while before absorbing your spirit."

Then she added: "My name is Hida." "And I'll tell you something I'm sure you've always wanted to know, as a reward for your determination."

Wail froze. "What...?"

She gave him a cold smile. "What happened that day."

His eyes widened even further. "What do you know?! Answer me!"

But she turned around. Then she left the hall without looking back.

Wail continued shouting after her, but his voice faded into the walls.

One year earlier... before any of these events began.

Wail was sitting on the beach beside a girl around his age.

The waves broke gently before them, while the breeze played with their hair.

The girl stared at the horizon. "Wail..." "What do you think about when you see something like this and hear these peaceful sounds?"

He smiled as he looked at the sea. "I feel..." "Like the entire world has disappeared." "And there's only me left..."

She paused, then lightly hit his shoulder. "Only you?"

He laughed. "And you too."

She smiled and turned her gaze back toward the sea. As for Wail... he continued looking at her in silence.

She turned toward him. "What?"

His face reddened. "N-Nothing."

Silence settled between them for a few seconds. Then he shyly muttered: "You're... beautiful."

She smiled, then burst out laughing.

Wail frowned. "I'm serious!"

She moved closer and wrapped her arms around his arm. Then she rested her head against him.

The two remained silent... listening to the sound of the sea.

At sunset, they were walking back toward their homes.

Before they parted ways, the girl asked: "So... what are we going to do tomorrow?"

Wail answered: "I'll take you to the place I promised you."

Her eyes lit up with excitement. "Really?! Awesome!" "I'll call you tomorrow."

She turned and began walking away.

But... Wail called out to her. "...Layla."

She turned around. "Yes?"

He became flustered and looked away. "No... nothing. I'll tell you tomorrow."

She smiled softly. "I know what you want to say."

Wail quickly raised his head. "What did you say?"

She shook her head. "Nothing. Until tomorrow." "Goodbye."

Wail watched her until she disappeared at the end of the street. Then he continued on his way.

Everything was peaceful. Birds were singing, and the sky was glowing with the orange colors of sunset.

Suddenly... a massive explosion thundered through the air.

Wail stopped and quickly turned around. The explosion... had come from the direction of Layla's house...