Slady stood on the edge of a mountain cliff, feeling the cold wind wrap around the cloak that protected him from the waist down. With each passing minute, the island seemed to reach lower temperatures at a speed impossible to explain.
A doubt crossed his mind. Shaphira and Elisa were far too fragile. Maybe they still saw him as a father figure, guided by an instinct he himself did not understand. He brought a hand to his face, thoughtful, until the familiar feeling of being watched made him raise his head.
He knew he was not alone.
A mocking voice echoed behind him. The woman emerged from the shadows with a cruel smile. She approached with the confidence of someone who savors her own malice and let her fingers slide down his back. Her beauty came mixed with a twisted desire. Another presence soon materialized, heavier, placing a dark sword beneath Slady's chin. The armor consumed by darkness whispered a voice without remorse.
They accused him, calling him the Soul Bearer. They spoke of the curse they had carried since the last day they crossed paths and reminded him of what he had lost: the knowledge, the power, and the right to have a body. They tried to break something in his unshakable posture. Slady answered with coldness. He recognized Hades's cowardice for imprisoning within him the souls that haunted him. His fingers tightened around his staff. He only needed to recover. They, on the other hand, were weakened. They had lost part of their Renkai Energies and could neither hurt him nor strike those he deemed important.
He knelt slightly, his single arm resting on his knee, his blindfolded eyes turned toward the abyss. He declared he would come back stronger. He declared he would turn the two of them into his alchemies. The boldness of these words drew a shudder from the Destroyer of Lust. She stepped back, shrouded by her own shadows, protecting her chest with an instinctive gesture before disappearing among the mountain's fissures, consumed by fury and shame.
Hades remained for a moment. He spun the blade, drove it into the ground, and delivered one final threat: if Slady dared touch his sister, he would suffer a punishment that would last for all eternity. Then he dissolved like smoke.
Silence fell in an oppressive way. The mountain seemed to listen to Slady's restrained breathing as he remained still. When he finally spoke, his voice came out low, carried by something almost imperceptible.
He reassured Raintalya and Raizer. He swore to himself he would not repeat the mistakes of the past.
***
While they eliminated the demonic creatures inhabiting the island, Elisa suggested that instead of hunting nonstop, they should explore Rykenzon more deeply and ignore the insignificant Renkai Creatures.
Followed like a master by a group of those beings, Shaphira agreed and said she would tame them to use in the exploration.
Thus, the two split up, each following her own path and methods.
***
Leaves brushed against Elisa's face as she walked. Along the way, her mind drifted through several thoughts about the recent events. Even if she had not forgiven Slady completely, she felt that the man was trying to redeem himself with her and Shaphira.
A pleasant smell then reached her nose, something warm and comforting. By following it, she found paradise.
A hot spring.
She questioned the possibility of something like that existing on that island. Her feet touched the edge and felt the warm water, satisfying and inviting. Upon entering, she let out a relieved sigh and sat down, feeling the water wrap around the parts of her body protected by her clothing.
Her eyes opened to the leaves of the trees that shielded her from the sunlight, light that was slowly being covered by white clouds. Soon, a cold breeze hit her chest and forced her to submerge her whole body in the thermal water.
She complained about the sudden cold, yet could not avoid wondering about the unstable climate of Rykenzon.
Then a familiar voice reached her ears. It was him.
Without ceremony, the man stepped into the spring, walked to her and sat at her side. He asked if she was satisfied with the place.
Controlling her voice, Elisa said she was, despite the problems. Her eyebrow rose as she asked why Slady was there.
He remained silent for a moment. Then he admitted he had noticed a certain weakness in Elisa and Shaphira when they fought him, compared to the fight he had seen earlier. He moved a little closer without invading her space and questioned the reason for that hesitation.
Elisa gave him a reproachful look, as if the answer were obvious. No matter how selfish and cruel Slady had been, she and Shaphira still saw him as a father figure. She still saw him as a second father.
Upon understanding, Slady leaned back slightly. He acknowledged his mistakes and said he sought redemption not for the sins he had committed but for the mistakes he made with them.
He extended his only hand and invited her to be trained by him. He said he would make her stronger than ever and give her the courage to never hesitate before anyone, not even him.
Elisa stared at his hand with hesitation. She wanted to be stronger and face what she feared, but she felt that Slady was entrusting her with the responsibility of killing him if something happened.
Before accepting, she lifted her gaze toward the cloth covering the man's eyes and imposed one condition. She would not use his teachings to kill him.
Slady was silent for a few seconds. The condition seemed like a heavy burden, as if he foresaw he would become a danger to her in the future.
Even so, he nodded. He said the teachings would serve only to elevate Elisa to a new level.
Before they could shake hands, the ground shook as if something were awakening within the island.
Elisa had no time to react. She saw Slady's chest and stomach split open with countless claws of flesh that wrapped around her and trapped her inside him.
He stood up and left the water with quick steps. The droplets exploded in the air as he rushed off in search of Shaphira.
***
On her way to an ancient temple, Shaphira watched from a great height as a colossal serpent emerged from the island and pierced through the clouds.
Suddenly, her body shifted into fox form without her permission. She felt a firm and familiar grip on the scruff of her neck that made her instinctively obey the man who pulled her to the ground and mounted on her back.
He whispered in her ear to stay still and do nothing without his permission.
No matter how many years had passed, she still obeyed that commanding tone.
The serpent's massive scales covered the surroundings of the island as it rose. Its colossal gaze fell upon Slady and Shaphira.
With a slow and feminine tone, the serpent murmured Slady's name and asked why he had stopped helping her free herself from the island.
Slady's voice did not falter. He said he was busy with matters that were not worthy of the majestic Animalistic Destroyer's concern. The serpent smiled, revealing rows of teeth, and her tongue swept through the trees to touch the man's face in warning that he should return to helping her or suffer something worse than being devoured.
Her red eyes turned to the Renkai Creature beneath Slady. Shaphira felt a dominating presence that seemed to demand instinctive obedience.
The grip on her scruff, however, made her snap back to awareness.
Curious, the serpent asked why he had tamed a demon. Slady replied that he admired the beauty of the fox's fur and decided to make her his.
The serpent let out a deep rumble and added that she would make those creatures her property if he did not return to his work.
With a swift movement, she circled the island and vanished as quickly as she appeared, shaking everything and knocking Slady off Shaphira's back.
Even so, a sigh of relief could still be heard escaping his lips.