"Listen to me carefully!" The man spoke with a firm but exhausted tone. "The one who took the form of Rika's mother is not human. It's a tree spirit. It used Rika's memories to deceive and steal human souls. Worse still, it turned Rika into a puppet without the girl even knowing."
Arya, still catching his breath while clutching his aching side, looked at the man with doubt. "Why should I believe you?" he said quietly, but faintly, his eyes caught the dark aura radiating from the creature that wore Rika's mother's face. His conviction began to waver.
"That spirit was born from human belief that seeks shortcuts. The blood and sacrifices spilled at the roots of this tree are what awakened it," the man continued bitterly. "If it isn't destroyed, it will devour more victims. That's why I have to destroy it."
Arya bit his lip, torn with uncertainty. But something inside him said the man wasn't lying. "Then… what should I do?" he asked, trying to stand tall even as his body trembled with exhaustion.
The man let out a long breath. "Let me handle it. You have to get back to the human world. Take the jasmine from the heart of this tree. That's the only way to weaken it. If you don't hurry, you'll die here."
Arya stared at him sharply, even as his vision began to blur. "Fine. I hope you're not just playing around."
With unsteady steps, Arya moved toward the heart of the tree, while the man took a deep breath, preparing himself to fight again. "Hey, little girl! Get out of there!" the man shouted toward Rika, who sat motionless with an empty stare beneath the great tree.
But Rika didn't respond. She just stared straight ahead, like a doll that had run out of batteries.
"Damn! She's already too deep under its control," the man muttered. There was no other choice. He began to chant, his voice echoing across the entire area. A golden light emerged from his body, growing with every line of the incantation he recited. The aura began to form a protective barrier around him.
But the spirit wearing Rika's mother's face began to pierce through the man's barrier. Black tendrils snaked out from its body, long and horrifying, creeping until they touched Rika's feet. Within seconds, Rika's eyes turned blazing red, and a dark aura engulfed her body.
"Hehehe… now it's my turn, you reeking human," the spirit's voice rasped, echoing with a terrifying laugh.
"Damn! I have to separate it from the girl's body!" The man hadn't even finished his sentence when Rika suddenly vanished from sight. In an instant, she appeared right in front of him and struck him hard. The man was sent flying, crashing into the ground and sending dust and dry leaves scattering.
Rika, now fully under the spirit's control, smiled sadistically. "I'll make you mine," she said, her tone cold and deadly.
The man rose with difficulty, blood trickling from the corner of his lip. But before Rika could attack again, a red blur leaped from the other side of the tree and slammed into Rika's body. Her small frame was sent flying, crashing hard against the tree trunk.
"Are you getting weak, old man?" Nagini's cold voice echoed through the air.
"Nagini?" The man looked up with a mix of relief and surprise. "Do you always have to show up at the last second?"
Nagini, her red dress billowing, stared at Rika with sharp eyes. "It's far too early for you to escape my watch, spirit."
Arya, who had been walking toward the heart of the tree, caught sight of Nagini. His eyes went wide in disbelief. "That woman…" he muttered, trying to stand.
Nagini glanced briefly at Arya. "This foolish young man," she said scornfully. "That spirit is playing with you. The little girl is nothing but a puppet. If you want to save her, act fast."
Though his body was nearly giving out, Arya moved toward Rika, who now stood under the spirit's control. "Rika… it's me, Arya," he said softly. But Rika only smiled cruelly before suddenly lunging at him and choking him with crushing force.
"You think I'll just let you go?" the spirit spoke through Rika's mouth.
Arya, nearly out of breath, managed a small smile. "Rika… we're friends, right?" he said weakly, looking at her with sincerity.
Rika froze. For a fleeting moment, the sadistic smile vanished from her face. But before anything else could happen, Nagini leaped toward them, striking with full force.
"Hold her tight, young man!" Nagini shouted. Without thinking, Arya embraced Rika with all his remaining strength, even as his body faltered.
**BOOOOM!** A powerful strike from Nagini hit Rika square in the chest. The explosion of energy blasted the three of them apart. Arya and Rika were sent flying, crashing through the tree trunk until they reached the core chamber within.
Inside the heart of the tree, Arya and Rika lay facing each other. Their eyes opened slowly, their faces meeting at an impossibly close distance. Rika, now seemingly conscious again, looked at Arya with a confused, flushed expression.
"A-Arya…" Rika murmured, slowly trying to open her eyes.
Arya, panicking, tried to pull back while reaching for something to support himself. But without meaning to, his hand plucked the white jasmine flower growing at the heart of the tree. The moment the jasmine was picked, a brilliant light engulfed them both, and in an instant, they vanished.
************
Nagini, still gripping the tree spirit's energy outside, began releasing an aura of golden fire that burned. The spirit's energy screamed in agony, shrinking like ice melting under the scorching sun.
"Finally… it's over," Nagini said with a heavy breath, releasing her grip.
The man approached, enduring the pain in his body. "Where's the girl?"
Nagini suddenly went silent, realizing something. Her eyes went wide.
"Don't tell me…" she said, her tone turning panicked.