This time, Liora stepped out herself.
A strange tension filled the air between them — even the wind felt heavy.
From the look of it, it seemed as though Lily was about to attack Liora again.
That same old anger, that familiar spark of warning, had returned to Lily's eyes.
But at that very moment, Lily moved swiftly toward Liora —
and to everyone's surprise, she simply said,
"You're not going anywhere… I don't want to beat you up again."
Liora gave a cold, mocking smile at her words,
then turned her gaze toward Snehwal.
There was both challenge and impatience in her eyes.
"I came here to meet him,"
she said in a firm, unwavering tone.
Lily's anger had reached its peak.
She suddenly grabbed Liora's hair and pulled her close, shouting,
"I'll teach you a lesson, Liora!"
Liora cried out in pain,
"Lily! Stay away from me…"
Her voice trembled with both pain and rage.
The tension between them kept rising.
The air around them seemed to crackle with energy — as if an explosion could happen any moment.
Just then, Snehwal jumped between them.
"Stop it, both of you!" he shouted,
forcing them apart with his hands.
For a brief moment, everything froze.
Snehwal's breathing was heavy, his face showing exhaustion and frustration.
"Stop fighting… especially not because of me, and not in front of me!"
he said firmly.
Lily and Liora stood silently for a few seconds.
But Lily's face was still flushed with anger —
her fists clenched tight, her eyes burning with fury.
"Why are you getting in the way, Liora? Don't ruin our peace!"
Lily growled.
Liora took a deep breath, then replied calmly,
"Because I just wanted to see him, that's all."
Snehwal looked at both of them —
the hatred, emotions, and confusion between them
felt more dangerous than any battle he had ever fought.
After a moment of silence, things began to settle down.
Snehwal sank to the ground, exhausted.
Lily still stood with her back turned, her face red with anger,
while Liora gently bent down and helped Snehwal to his feet.
Lily spoke in a low, steady voice,
"That's enough now…
he needs to rest."
Then Snehwal stood up, placed his hand gently on Lily's shoulder, and led her a little deeper into the forest.
Leaning close to her ear, he whispered softly,
"We'll keep her with us."
Hearing that, Lily flared up immediately.
"Idiot! She's—"
Before she could finish, Snehwal covered her mouth and whispered,
"You didn't understand what I meant."
Lily glared at him, her tone sharp,
"Then say it quickly!"
Snehwal looked at her furious, flushed face and said quietly,
"Listen… when we go to retrieve the Divine Water, we'll use her as bait.
If she truly loves me, she'll help me.
She'll fight our enemies by our side."
Suspicion flickered in Lily's eyes.
"This could be a trap too.
She's the sister of a Yakshini — what if she came here for the Divine Water herself?"
Snehwal shook his head.
"No, that's not possible.
The Yakshini, Lith, already sent two warrior maidens — Velika and Arshiyana.
It was through them that Liora saved me. She's not like that."
Lily's eyes widened.
"Those two… Velika and Arshiyana — they're here?"
Snehwal asked,
"What happened?"
Lily turned her face away.
"Nothing… just an old score that needs to be settled."
Then she walked over to Liora and said coldly,
"Fine. You can stay with us — but on one condition."
Liora's eyes lit up with joy.
"Really? Tell me quickly, I can't wait!"
Crossing her arms, Lily said,
"Don't be so happy — you'll stay as our bodyguard."
Liora paused for a moment, thinking to herself,
"This is my chance…"
Then she smiled and said,
"Alright, I agree… little sister."
Lily snapped instantly,
"Don't call me little sister."
Liora giggled playfully,
"Okay then… big sister."
Lily's nostrils flared in anger as she turned away,
"Don't call me anything! And don't even talk to me!"
Liora just smiled faintly, amusement dancing in her eyes.
Suddenly, a terrifying roar echoed from somewhere deep in the distance — like a giant ape had torn the air apart with its scream.
Snehwal jumped in fright at the sound and instinctively hid behind Lily.
Lily's sharp eyes scanned the surroundings; she looked far and wide through the thick trees.
Liora, too, immediately became alert — her expression hardened with the determination of someone ready for battle.
Snehwal trembled as he spoke, "Whose voice was that? It sounded so terrifying… are there dinosaurs living in this world?"
Lily quickly turned to him, puzzled. "Dinosaurs? What's that supposed to be?" — her tone carried both surprise and sharp curiosity.
Then Liora spoke in a calm, cold voice, "That sound came from deep within the forest. It's no ordinary creature — it's a giant ape. We can defeat it easily."
Snehwal panicked, shaking his head. "No, no — we should run away!"
But Lily grabbed his hand tightly and started walking fearlessly toward the direction from which the sound had come.
Liora followed right behind them.
Snehwal shouted nervously, "Why are you doing this? Why provoke it?"
Lily replied in a steady, unwavering tone, "Someone must have disturbed it — that's why it screamed."
Snehwal hesitated, frowning. "And what does that have to do with us?"
Lily's eyes gleamed with determination as she said, "That creature guards something valuable — a treasure.
And defeating it will be worth our while."
Their shadows slowly disappeared among the trees — one driven by fear, one by curiosity, and the other by opportunity.
The air in the forest grew colder, and far away, the monstrous roar echoed again — as if the jungle itself had thrown them a challenge.