Although they had escaped the deep pit, another gap now stood before them. This barrier was so troubling that they couldn't find a way across, no matter how hard they tried. However, this pit was not a real hole—it symbolized how lost they felt while wandering through Linuxinia's wild landscapes.
Asahi and Chloe searched everywhere for the others.
Despite the thick green bushes, the long grass terrain, and practically everything flora-related, there was not a trace of anyone else around. The only thing that had greeted them was a long, narrow "corridor" made of hard, brown earth and thick vegetation that led out to an opening in the dark forest. Chloe muttered as the sunlight streamed out of the bushes.
"It's been hours, and we still haven't found a single trace of anyone."
"Unfortunately. I don't even know where we are." Asahi said as he passed through vines that scraped his head. "I miss my sister, now."
Chloe could feel the same for Asahi. She had always wanted to talk with her brother again, but that day never came. She thought to push that thought aside and continue onward, after all, that's how progression could be made in life. And so she was awarded an outstanding sight.
As she passed through the vine curtains, her bright brown eyes were greeted with the sight of a tall, open grassy space standing at the center of several encircling mountains. The mist of the flowing waterfalls hovered heavenly among the fields of lush flora and vegetation, along with the tall pine trees and a flock of animals.
From both above and below the surrounding hills were tall, slanted bridges winding down to lower elevation. Of those bridges, four led directly to a massive wooden mansion with several other structures, including a garden, fountain, farm, shed, and more.
"So this place was here all the time? This house has the best spot, scenery-wise."
Asahi grinned and joked, "If I lived here, I'd never leave!" Chloe laughed and nudged him. "Come on, you just want a garden like this for yourself." Together, they walked down the bridge, Chloe marveling aloud, "It feels like every corner here is alive."
As they approached the mansion, Asahi and Chloe were greeted by a beautiful young maid. She had powder blue hair that reached halfway down her neck, round bright blue eyes, and creamy skin. Her outfit was short and decorated with pretty lace drawstrings across the bodice, topped with a white apron around her waist. She looked every bit the part of a maid.
In Asahi's eyes, her petite and adorable appearance reminded him of Kali. Although her appearance was one to take note of, she never once batted an eye at Asahi.
But Chloe, on the other hand, cared about her appearance. As they waited for a response, the maid bowed and introduced herself.
"Greetings, my name is Kendra. I am a worker and maid for the Loire residence. We appreciate you two for visiting! If you want, please… follow me to the front door, where I will introduce you to the owner of the Loire Household."
Chloe and Asahi had nothing else to do, so they agreed to follow Kendra. The front door was made of clear glass, unlike the rest of the mansion, which was made of wood. It felt strange to Asahi, but Chloe seemed comfortable with it. As they stepped up the stairs and entered with Kendra, four more maids hurried down the spiral stairs and bowed to the guests. Telos still had yet to speak.
"Greetings, visitors! We are the maids of this household!"
A crimson-haired maid pointed over to the dining room which was only a long hallway away.
"Our master should be in the dining room. If you could be so kind, please follow us."
Asahi and Chloe nodded in silence, then jumped in surprise as the glass door slammed shut behind them. This only made them more curious about what mysteries the household could hold.
* * *
"Mr. Toivo, two visitors have arrived!" Kendra expressed with a cutesy voice.
A man with a square-faced chin, a long nose, and vibrant aqua blue hair pushed his chair up and watched as Chloe and Asahi entered the dining room.
"Ahh, visitors?" His squinted blue eyes widened in surprise as his eyes caught notice of Asahi's hair color. "Hold on, does that boy have white hair?"
Kendra nodded along with all the other maids. "Indeed."
"That's very peculiar. I have never seen someone so young have such a bright shade on their hair, if not… ever. Please, help yourselves and take a seat."
Asahi and Chloe quietly chose seats near the windows. Instead of sunlight on their faces like Mr. Toivo, the sun now shone on their backs.
The warmth in the room made them want to stay and do nothing for the rest of the day. However, Mr. Toivo objected and told his maids, "Cook something to feed our visitors."
The maids quickly stood up and turned to Mr. Toivo, unsure why they were being asked to host two strangers and use their time and resources on them.
The man replied warmly.
"No, we treat visitors as our own. Please prepare a meal for them—use the meat we hunted three days ago," he instructed kindly.
All five maids nodded their heads and bowed down.
"Yes, master."
"Oh, please. Just call me Mr. Toivo. Stop resisting to call me that."
Kendra, the blue-haired girl, stepped forward, trembling.
"B-But… that seems disrespectful to us."
Toivo chuckled and turned to Asahi.
"Sigh, do you see what I mean when I say that my maids are so stubborn?"
Asahi, still confused, watched as the maids left. He glanced at Toivo. "Are they always this intense?"
"No, not at all."
Asahi had no idea what was going on, especially after being tossed into a pit hours ago. His journey was becoming more chaotic.
Although Asahi had feelings for Kali, seeing Kendra sparked similar feelings in her. Something about her hair color filled him with admiration for her appearance.
But as the glittering sun descended further towards the horizon, the golden chandeliers flickered on, followed by sweet, cinnamon-scented candles that enlightened the room in an orange light.
Mr. Toivo adjusted his monocle and hat, then approached them and spread a white cloth on the table. He asked them kindly,
"So, what is it that you need? Surely if you two chose to approach my mansion upon free will, you must know who I am, right?"
Both Chloe and Asahi shrugged, their expressions conveying genuine cluelessness. The man accidentally toppled a chair to the ground, gasped, and stammered, his face filled with shame.
"You two can't be serious?! Then, why did you arrive here? Do you two have any problems I could fix?"
Chloe twiddled her thumbs, gulping. She could understand, but she didn't reply because she knew little of Gincad's language. Sensing this, Asahi moved his chair aside and spoke with urgency.
"Yes, my friend Chloe…" Asahi tried to be as polite as possible as he pointed to the martini-haired girl. "Had some trouble understanding our language."
Toivo caged his fingers, rested his chin on his wrist, and considered how to solve the problem.
"Oh, well… I can easily arrange a tutoring lesson from my maids, as they are highly intelligent and knowledgeable about that stuff." He chuckled as he saw the dumbstruck look on Asahi's face.
Mr. Toivo looked at them both. "Are you truly unaware of who I am? Well, I am Mr. Toivo, a wise and intelligent host who assists visitors who find or seek out my mansion. It appears that you two stumbled upon this place, so I'll show you my kindness."
Toivo picked up a brown pin from the silk-white tablecloth and placed it in Chloe's open palms. He then called over a crimson-haired maid to accompany her. She spoke in a warm, soothing voice.
"Yes, what is it that you need me to do, Mr. Toivo?"
He rolled his eyes, grinned, and leaned in to whisper.
"Finally, at least ONE of you called me that. A-Anyways, do you see that girl with faint red hair?"
The maid nodded.
"Indeed, sir."
Please educate her and give lessons in the universal language. Be gentle—she hardly knows it.
The maid's brows drew together and her gaze directed over to Chloe.
"Understood. I will try my best!"
She knew this would be a greater challenge, given her past experience educating people.
She steadied her nerves, smiled, took Chloe's hand, and led her from the dining room. Asahi waved and reassured her.
"Don't worry, you will be fine! Just try to understand her, and she will teach you the language. Okay?"
Chloe resisted at first, but then, as she saw the door to the grand library of this huge mansion, she gave a thumbs up and replied brightly.
"Okay, Asahi!"
As she vanished through the doors, Tovio's gaze lingered on Asahi. He adjusted his handkerchief, coughed for attention, and quickly shifted from kindness to seriousness.
The blue-haired man then grabbed a wooden sword, slid it to Asahi across the table, and muttered as the sun started to descend into the horizon of trees.
"As for you, boy, I know well that the only thing you want from me is to learn how to fight. I can sense it already in you that you don't know a single way on how to use the magic in Linuxinia."
His gray eyes rounded in shock.
"H-How do you know that?"
Toivo crossed his arms and snarled before pushing Asahi out the doors and shouting, as the maids watched.
"I know many things, after all, that's how I got this prosperous in the first place. Now, I know you have a feeling of not wanting to do this, but if you want to become stronger, the first thing to do is to immediately push yourself out without warning."
He pushed the glass doors open and led Asahi down the stone steps, revealing the thriving garden surrounding the mansion. His eyes were like silver lightning, sharp and quick-witted as he analyzed Asahi's thin and pathetic build.
"If you want to become stronger and become a man, instead of whoever you are, I am willing to give you three lessons."
Asahi tried to back up, feeling offended, but shook his head and followed the stranger's orders.
Never had he thought that he would end up here after being senselessly abused by a certain foe. He still had growing concerns for Aletha, too. As Asahi thought about the choice, he turned over and saw Toivo's eyes were closed as he felt the cold breeze of evening approach from the sunset.
"I can tell your puny self was beaten by someone. Don't worry, I'll teach you. Every boy that arrived here out of desperation and accident had at least once gone through my training." He scratched his chin with a look of perplexity, and flexed his bulging muscles despite his age.
Asahi's eyes froze still in shock as he saw that build glimmer among the orange light of the sun. It just motivated him more to join.
As Toivo's mind recollected the many memories with his past students, he pushed Asahi with an attentive tone and informed.
"Listen, some have quit because it was hard. I know you're a stranger and all, but… knowing of the aura that shines through you, I can see heavy potential. These lessons will not be explained until you pass the first test. It's guaranteed that if you are willing to go through this gauntlet, you will become a changed man in just a few days."
A faintly quizzical look came into Asahi's gray eyes as he thought about whether to trust this man or not.
"A… Are you sure--
Toivo rudely mocked.
"O-Oh… a-are you s-sure… shut the hell up and stop stuttering. See, if you were to go through my training, you wouldn't be a whiny little coward that gives up the moment that they make one stupid mistake."
As a silence dawned in the area, Toivo slowly offered a wooden sword to Asahi. He asked as stars started to sparkle in the clear sky.
"So, are you willing to take up a challenge and become a man? I promise you, you won't be depressed and dumb as you are now. That disgusting frown on your face will turn into a glorious smile in a couple of days."
After Asahi looked at the patches of bright, virescent cyan flowers, he tightened his fists and reached over to the wooden blade in approval. He muttered as the cool breeze urged him to put up with this challenge and brush away the concerns for Joshilyn, Canyon, Aletha, and the others.
"Fine, I'll try…."
The man gave a disgusted snarl and pulled away the wooden sword.
"The hell did you say?"
"I'll try!" He replied gently as his hands tried to reach over to the blade again. Toivo slapped his wrists and grabbed Asahi by the neck, being unnecessarily furious at the process.
"What?! I can't hear you?!"
Asahi's blood started to boil with frustration. As he extended his arm over to the wooden blade again from Toivo, Asahi screamed at the top of his lungs.
"I SAID, I'LL TRY!"
A satisfied smile dawned on Toivo's face. He patted the boy's back and leaned over the wooden sword to Asahi's open palms.
"That's my boy! Alright, your training starts…"
But just as the wooden sword could touch the boy's hands, the man quickly pulled it away and snapped it in half, crushing it into pieces in front of him.
(SNAP)
"... now."
In response to this, Asahi lowered his eyebrows, shook his fists, and the tension in his neck stood out from his burning infatuation with Toivo's ruthless act.
"Why did you do that?! I thought that was mine!"
(SLAM)
Before Asahi knew it, Toivo pushed him away from the mansion, slammed the front doors shut, and locked them, then the back doors, and practically every single door in the mansion away from his grasp without any explanation. Every single light in the place turned off as evening struck, and loud, inhumane groans sounded beneath the soil on Asahi's feet.
"W… What in the world?! How is this training?! Why did you lock me out?!"
Asahi pressed his lips together and made a long-suffering sigh.
(KNOCK)
"Hello?! Let me in!"
(KNOCK)
(KNOCK)
"Are you kidding me?! This is stupid--
"ROAR!"
Suddenly, as the defenseless, confused white-haired boy tried to slam the door at the mansion, he felt a frigid touch of a hand grasp tightly onto his ankles.
A ghastly whiteness overspread his cheek as his eyes widened and narrowed down below.
A silent gusty breeze blew his hair about unheeded as he tried to pull himself away from the grasp. He had thought it was just some sort of grasp, but then…
"AH!"
His eyes caught a horrifying glimpse of a crooked, faint teal, undead hand clenching on his ankles. It was at this moment that Asahi realized that this place was infested with…
"ZOMBIES?!"