The great tree, after crushing the soldier, turned its gaze toward the two protagonists, who were left in shock.
Victoria told Nova that those trees were called Forest Shepherds, and that they despised humans for destroying the forests excessively.
The tree began to speak, asking what they were doing in its woods.
—"You two, what are you doing in my forest? Humans are not welcome here."
—"Hey, hey, relax. We're just passing through, don't worry."
—"Then leave!"
The tree made it clear it didn't want anyone in its forest. Nova and Victoria quickly went far away, and along the way Nova asked where they should go next. Victoria replied that, for now, they needed to find shelter first, then decide later—besides, she still had to wait for Lucia.
Meanwhile, back with Sombrius, he devoured the last remains of Lucia, remarking that even though she was a primordial, he could still defeat her. After all, he was part of the Shadow Clan, who served the god of destruction, Void.
However, Lucia's soul reappeared, regaining her form. Furious, she shouted that she would kill him.
—"YOU IDIOT! DID YOU THINK THE GAME WAS OVER? NOOO, IT'S JUST BEGINNING! HAHAHA!"
—"Wow, you really don't die, do you? Whatever, I don't have time for this. I need to find that human… ah yes, Nova."
Lucia lunged at Sombrius, but he vanished into a cloud of black smoke. Aware of the danger, Lucia flew at full speed to catch up with the others.
Meanwhile, Nova and Victoria finally left the forest and arrived at a waterfall. Since everything seemed calm, Victoria said she would bathe there. Nova, having the same idea, entered as well, taking off his clothes—making Victoria uncomfortable.
But then she realized Nova wasn't embarrassed in the slightest. To confirm her suspicion, she joined him, and Nova showed no reaction at all. She concluded that Nova's mind seemed almost childlike, as if nothing mattered to him, and she wondered if the scientist he had killed had anything to do with it.
Later, once they were both relaxed and ready to move on, a massive shadow covered the forest, making it look like night. Victoria quickly pulled Nova down to the ground.
—"Hey, what are you doing, Victoria? What's going on?"
—"Shhh! Quiet. That thing is a ship."
Luckily, the ship left as soon as it appeared, but Nova still had questions. Victoria explained that the ship belonged to the Stermintrons, a highly advanced robotic race with consciousness similar to humans.
She also told him they were at war with humanity because the scientist who created them had died, and his sister—Alice, a robot herself—rose against humankind, becoming the leader of the Stermintrons. That was just one of the many reasons humanity was on the brink of extinction.
Nova, however, didn't seem to care, which earned him a playful knock on the head from Victoria. ;)
Back in the forest, the great tree was sleeping when suddenly an angel arrived, startling him.
—"Ohhh, Lord Angel, umm… what brings you here? How can I help you?"
—"Did you see two humans pass by? A grown woman and a young boy?"
—"Yes, yes, I saw them. They went north."
The angel thanked him for the information. Suddenly, a light wrapped around the forest and the angel vanished within it. The tree then wondered why an angel was so interested in those humans and simply wished them luck—for when an angel hunts someone, it never rests until it finds them.