Tsana stared at Kylos from the edge of the pit.
The place suddenly fell silent, only the rattling sound of the expanding cracks in the ground could be heard.
"What do you mean?"
Kylos gritted his teeth. "Don't pretend to be stupid! You vanished just like that and left us trapped in this forest for hundreds of years! Where have you been all this time?"
Tsana raised an eyebrow. "Us?"
"Yes, my other brethren are also trapped in this forest! We waited for you to return, until we despaired and wished to die."
Tsana was increasingly perplexed by Kylos's words. This was the first time she had met this demon, yet why did Kylos speak to her as if they had known each other in the past?
"You..." Tsana paused. "Did we know each other in the past?"
Kylos's eyes widened at Tsana's words. The rocks around him that were initially levitating in the air suddenly fell weakly to the ground, scattered everywhere. The widening cracks now stopped.
This created a heavy, silent atmosphere.
"What do you mean? Don't joke around, are you pretending to forget? You are my Master." Kylos's voice trembled unsteadily.
"I will answer your question with a brief, concise, and clear answer."
Suddenly, Kylos heard a pleasant male voice coming from behind Tsana. The man's light footsteps sounded cheerful, and when he stood beside Tsana, his entire appearance entered Kylos's sight.
Cayn smiled and said, "She lost her past memory."
Kylos was stunned when he saw the man.
That white hair, and that voice.
Kylos recognized him very well.
Even though the man's eyes looked different and wearing a mask, he could still recognize him.
Kylos's pupils shrunk as he looked at Cayn, his hands clenched tightly, and the veins in his neck bulged as if wanting to burst out. The aura around him once again became heavy, and the rocks that were initially lying on the ground slowly began to float into the air again. His body gradually emitted a dark aura.
The aura around him was so dark that others could see small sparks of fire around his body, originating from the magical energy he was releasing.
Demons were also capable of using magic, and they were even much more skilled at it. That's why they were so feared by humans in fairy tales.
Seeing it firsthand now made Helena and Rolan shiver with fear.
Kylos's face truly looked like that of a person full of vengeance. "How dare you show up in front of me! You bastard!"
A black, 2-meter-long spear reappeared in Kylos's palm. This time its power was much greater and more terrifying than the one he had previously used to attack Rolan and Helena.
"Die!"
Then, the levitating rocks shot towards Cayn at incredible speed. They were so fast that the stones even emitted sparks at their tips, like meteors.
Two red and yellow lights shot from the direction of the trees and attacked the rocks at the speed of light. In the blink of an eye, the rocks were pulverized into dust.
William and Zephyr landed on the ground, in their half-spirit forms: William's appearance from his head to his wrists was enveloped in blazing red fire, and Zephyr's lower body was in the shape of a whirlwind.
Rolan and Helena, seeing the forms of Zephyr and William, gasped in awe. Their current forms looked incredibly cool to the two teenagers.
Kylos threw a greater number of rocks towards Cayn, and again, they were easily thwarted by William and Zephyr.
Kylos did not give up; he once again exerted his power to attack.
This time, the demon raised his two front legs and took a stance to throw his spear, and the spear shot toward Cayn.
Large, sharp rocks flew simultaneously with the black spear.
However, this time William and Zephyr couldn't stop the spear because its power was far stronger than theirs. They were only able to hold back the flying rocks.
Cayn remained standing there, unmoving. However, he had secretly cast a magic spell.
Suddenly, Tsana's body was in front of him, her pale hand gripping the sharp tip of the spear before it reached Cayn, causing a sudden wind to spread around from the force of the stopping action.
The spear trembled violently, as if struggling in Tsana's grip. This caused Tsana's hand to bleed from the wound she sustained from the spear's sharp blade.
Seeing that, Kylos shouted, "Stop!"
Then the spear slowly calmed down and no longer trembled.
Kylos stopped releasing his magical energy and stared at Tsana with a confused look.
"Why?" He whispered.
Then, a heavy sigh was heard from behind Tsana's body, and Cayn's quiet voice was audible.
"Could you stop making yourself a shield just to protect others?"
"Wh-"
Before Tsana could finish her sentence, she felt a hand circle her stomach from behind, and a heaviness on her shoulder.
It was Cayn who had embraced her and rested his head on Tsana's shoulder.
"Why do you always do this?" - Cayn.
Tsana didn't know what Cayn meant by the word 'always,' nor did she understand why she did this, but her body had reflexively stood in front of Cayn to stop the spear, as if she was used to doing it.
"My body moved on its own." - Tsana.
Again, a heavy sigh was heard from Cayn, who was still burying his face in Tsana's shoulder.
"You really haven't changed at all, Singing Witch."
Tsana raised an eyebrow. "Haven't changed?"
But Cayn was silent and didn't answer Tsana's question, which plunged Tsana into confusion.
Kylos stared at Tsana, full of confusion. "Why did you protect him, Master? He's a bastard! He is our enemy! He always tried to kill you."
Tsana furrowed her brow. "What are you talking about? This is the first time I've entered this forest, and the first time I've met you. How could I be your Master?"
Kylos gritted his teeth, seeming desperate.
Cayn spoke again. "I told you, didn't I? She lost all her memories."
Tsana lowered her gaze.
Judging by the interaction between Cayn and Kylos and hearing every dialogue they spoke, there was no doubt that both of them knew Tsana and knew about her past.
But...
Tsana turned to look at Cayn, who had released his embrace.
Why didn't Cayn tell the truth? That he knew Tsana's past.
All this time, Tsana had thought that Cayn was just the Dragon's friend who would guide her on her journey to meet the Dragon.
In truth, Cayn's existence was very mysterious and felt false from the beginning. His every action was also unpredictable.
Where did Cayn truly come from? What was the past relationship between Cayn and Tsana? What was his true goal?
Who ... exactly is Cayn?