The wind around us carried the scent of scorched metal, charred bark, and old blood if I had to guess, most of it was mine
Jaipa, who had just opened his eyes, muttered something to himself that I couldn't quite hear
"It seems you're alright," I said, looking down at him
"Food... I didn't eat your share, I swear," he mumbled, still half-delirious
I sighed, thinking I should give him some time to come to his senses
I glanced around and noticed something near where Jaipa had collapsed Rakta's floating ring and those three beads lay quietly on the ground my eyes narrowed as I wondered if Rakta could somehow still be hear
Suddenly one of the beads moved
The movement was too swift for any normal person to react to, but to my surprise somehow my body did, i stepped back warily, watching closely as the bead began to float upward. The remaining two beads followed suit, and lastly, the ring.
After hovering momentarily in the air, one bead suddenly headed in my direction
My body remained on high alert whether from the strange incident or the changes that had occurred within me, I couldn't tell. As the bead approached, it began slowly orbiting around me. The two remaining beads followed its example, and finally, the ring joined them and the rotation started the ring remain still but those three beads rotated it
Studying them carefully, I noticed they behaved almost like children curious and playful. Slowly, the ring positioned itself above my head, with all three beads orbiting it just as they had done with Rakta
After standing still for several moments, I determined that these objects posed no immediate danger to me. As I took a step forward, the ring and beads moved in perfect synchronization, without even a moment's delay
As if they were a part of my body now I could direct them with just my gaze, without needing to recite any mantra. After experimenting with them briefly, I turned my attention back to Jaipa
I had so many questions about the previous night: How were we still alive? What was that fifth eye of his? Most importantly, had he killed Rakta? And how had my leg grown back?
With all these questions swirling in my mind, I looked at him and thought, "He can't possibly know." But then a specific memory surfaced the moment when he had bowed and offered me Rakta's head
Jaipa was now drawing something on the ground with a stick. He looked up at me and asked, "What were you doing over there, throwing those balls around and catching them? And why the hell are they floating above your head ? "
"Do they look cool?" I asked flatly
"Whatever," he replied with a mocking expression "I'm way cooler than you."
Ignoring his childish commentary, I got to the main point. "Why are we still alive?" With that question the air around us changed, taking a serious turn
Jaipa answered with another question. "That's what I wanted to ask you, did you kill that monster? And how did your leg grow back?" He squinted at me " And what are those bumps on your forehead?"
"What bumps ? "
Not knowing what he meant, I touched my forehead at the corner of my hairline. There was one bump on the right and one on the left. I found it strange but dismissed them as after-effects of the battle
Taking a deep breath, I realized that asking him more questions would only lead to frustration. It was clear he didn't know anything—not even about his fifth eye. All our questions remained unanswered, but I didn't dwell on them long. Instead, I suggested we should return to the city
Jaipa stood up and began searching for something. When I asked him about it, he simply gave me a dismissive look and continued his search. After a moment, he returned holding two bulging bags one filled with monster cores and one empty and at his left side of hips my two swords were hanging my wodden one and the iron one...
As he approached, the bag of cores slipped and fell to the ground jaipa bent over and retrieved it. "So... are we taking the sleeping beauty and the knight with us?" he asked, nodding toward the still-unconscious princess and her protector
I looked at them briefly before turning away and beginning to walk
"Ah," jaipa sighed "Cold as ever...."
As we departed, we didn't look back even once she was the princess, getting involved with royalty would only consume our precious time something we couldn't afford I could still feel that mysterious sensation, of my soul leaving my body but though it had somewhat subsided i didn't understand why, but it had definitely slowed down
We followed the exact path we had taken before. Monsters came at us again, more desperate and wild than before they had become more bestial, almost zombie-like maybe just driven by their own foolishness
For me, it didn't matter, what mattered was that I was killing them instead of they killing me
One lunged from the trees, its bark-covered skin splitting open with jagged fangs. With each slash, monsters fell as easily as if I were cutting grass
Every part of my body felt transformed, as if it had gone through an evolution my senses, agility, and strength, even my natural recovery had all improved even my capacity for storing tai energy seemed to have increased
I could anticipate every move before the monsters made it. Predicting their attacks had become effortless like i could see the future itself
Reflecting on my battle with Rakta, I realized that even though I could foresee his movements, I had been unable to defend myself he had simply been too fast for me to react that was how formidable Rakta had been
For now, I killed countless monsters on our way back to the city, blood spraying across the forest floor in wide arcs, painting the way with crimson
Another pack charged at me i killed and killed, finding that just a normal swing of my blade was sufficient. I didn't even need to wrap tai energy around my weapon anymore
I wove through the horde like smoke, my blade a silent hour of day and I a silent fog of night..
Jaipa whistled, swinging one of the bags like a club. "This is getting kind of boring "
"You can stop if you're tired," I replied to him
He grunted, one eye twitching. "Was that a joke? That felt like a joke i'm proud of you "
As for Jaipa, he had grown stronger as well powerful enough now to handle two shadowmancers with little struggle. Considering everything, I realized just how weak I had been in that world before
Time seemed to blur as we continued killing monsters and gathering cores in the bag. Jaipa now carried two bags one filled with monster cores and another containing an actual monster
Eventually, stone buildings came into view, along with broken fences and dirt paths curling into the heart of the city.
People were whispering about something as we passed by, our bodies dripping with monster blood and giving off an unpleasant odor
"I swear I saw it last night a golden sword hanging in the sky," a nearby person said
Another responded, "Didn't you hear about it? From yesterday, the forest had some unknown barrier around it, making it impossible for anyone to enter even the Knight squads couldn't get in some kind of barrier, they said "
"Maybe it was the king's wrath... or a beast lord... Who knows ? "
I kept my head low, not wanting to draw any attention to me
Jaipa adjusted the bags. "Hear that? We're officially local legends now "
"Hm."
He looked at me sideways. "You've been weirdly quiet."
"I'm thinking."
"About your leg?"
I paused in midwalk "Yeah ! "
"What happened to you aha... I am really curious about it ? One second you were bleeding out, next second you're back to doing murder yoga"
I looked at him. "You don't remember anything about last night ? "
Jaipa shook his head "I only remember up until your leg was severed That's all i can't remember anything after that "
Leaving that particular conversation behind, we made our way to the old merchant he was still there, crooked and smiling, sitting behind the same half-broken stall as if time hadn't moved at all
"Back again, little one?" he said, while covering his nose with his hand
I nodded once
"Are you wandering around or here to buy something?" he asked in a playful tone
I looked at him and replied flatly, "Clothes And that flute."
He blinked, then laughed before pulling out a dark black kimono layered over wide hakama pants. He also produced the flute matte black with intricate, vine-like carvings along its body. Crimson gems were embedded at intervals, framed by ornamental designs red tassels hung from both ends, adding a striking contrast to its sleek, dark surface, giving it a refined yet menacing appearance
I paid him without further conversation. As we turned to leave, the old man called out, from back "Wait....! I got something new for you, if you're interested. Come here, take a look."
I found it meaningless to waste more time, but we had too many leftover monster cores that we couldn't afford to waste with that in mind, I turned back
He pulled out a small, beautifully carved green jade pendant, circular in shape. At its center, it featured a delicate lotus flower in full bloom, with a few cords hanging down from it,
It was indeed a beautiful piece
"What does it do ? " I asked slowly, narrowing my eyes..
"It stores things..." he replied with a mysterious smile....
"Ha?"