"Hey, is that voice delusional?" Flav pointed with his finger to his back and asked Iris.
Iris succinctly nodded, "Most likely."
"Master? Pfffft. Hahahahahaha. I can't hold it in," Flav held his stomach and burst out laughing,
Even Iris released a small smirk before composing herself. The atmosphere became light hearted after that just because the voice said it was their Master.
"What are you laughing at? Bow down to your new Master!"
The voice traveled to their ears again but the previously eerie sound felt like a joke now. The idea of having this person as a master was so stupid that they didn't know what to do. It was just a voice, they didn't even see a figure. Why would they be scared?
"Hah, alright now let's figure out a way to leave," Flav wiped a tear at the corner of his right eye and smiled. "If this person is good at joking then he mustn't have had time to study Arrays. After all, he spent so much time on his acting trying to convince others with his Ma-hahahaha, Master bullshit."
After Flav said that the surroundings changed. The sky went dark and the clouds started booming with thunder, great gusts of wind emerged hitting iris and Flav in the face. The ground started shaking and breaking apart, trees changed color and grew countless branch-like tentacles.
"Just. Who. Do. You. Think. Your. Messing. With?!!"
The wind carried the voice and amplified it. The voice sounded calm, angry, hateful, and bored. The voice enunciated every word and showed the anger by playing with the terrain.
"Hah, is that supposed to scare us?" Flav cleaned his ear with a finger uninterestedly as if his previous warriness had all but disappeared.
"This Array is either an Illusion Array or a mixed Array. But, the fact that he didn't hurt us even after sounding so frustrated makes the facts lean toward it being an Illusion Array."
Iris inspected the surrounding with curious eyes and commented. She also decreased her warriness and nervousness after the small act of the voice.
"This. Are you really not scared?" The voice asked, a little less angry.
"Not at all, so how about you show yourself up?" Flav grinned as they started getting the upper hand.
"You are no fun at all," a woman's low and smoke voice made itself clear. "I always did this to the travelers and had fun. Why can't you be the same? Damn you," she said annoyed. Her voice nearly whispered but was clear in the two's ears.
A red robbed woman with transparent looks and a floating body appeared in front of the two's eyes, surprising them. Iris curiously inspected the woman, her eyes more on guard than before.
On the other hand, Flav's eyes nearly popped as he instinctively retreated one step behind and stuttered, "G-ghost! Are you a ghost?" he asked, quivering.
Seeing Flav's reaction, the woman's pale face brightened slightly as she held her chin in a curious manner. "Are you perhaps scared of spirits? Damn, I should have just showed myself then," she clicked her tongue and tucked her red hair behind her transparent ear.
"So you are the one who has been doing this? Why?"
"Of course to have fun. Duh."
The woman eyed Iris boredly. She noticed how she wasn't scared of her which made her more interested in Flav.
'She meant no harm. She's just playful,' was Iris' conclusion seeing the way she behaved.
"When did you set this Illusion Array and how did we not notice it?" Iris pressed.
The woman moved her eyes from the frightened Flav back to Iris and sighed. "The Array was set when you passed the Giant Magnolia and you didn't notice it when you came back because I slowly formed the Array with minimal energy waves. Understand now?" Again the woman sounded annoyed at the questioning.
'She will answer my questions even if she's annoyed. She definitely wants us to stay and talk but it seems Flav's disgraceful behavior interests her more. For her to even form the Array around us without us sensing it shows how great her control over Qi or Mana is, yet I don't feel any energy from her. How?'
Iris' interest in the woman only grew as she pondered about the happenings and the situation.
"STAY FROM ME!" Flav screeched in a little girl's voice and comically crawled back before leaning his back on a tree behind him, his eyes looking everywhere but at Joanna. The woman neared him with a smirk and her hazelnut eyes focused on his retreating figure amused.
"Why are you acting?" she eventually asked.
"Eh?" Flav didn't think he would be found and was surprised. His eyes stopped wandering around and coldly focused on the woman and noticed a pair of eyes looking at him with a raised brow, it was iris.
Flav sighed and stood up as if nothing happened and dusted his clothes. "Can you restrain your ghost Qi?" he asked the woman. "It's really reeking and it's making my skin crawl."
"You. You can actually feel my ghost Qi?" The woman was surprised and stopped being playful, her eyes showed genuine terror. "Impossible…" she muttered.
'So this is how a ghost Cultivator is like,' Iris deeply pondered. 'I didn't expect to meet one in my life, Master said they were too rare.'
The two ignored Iris and kept their eyes on the other. Flav spat on the ground and repeated, "I asked you to restrain your ghost Qi. Do it." His order was strict and wasn't like the usual way he talked.
"A-ah. Y-yes, sir." Immediately after saying that, everything calmed down and the illusion Array dispersed. The woman warrily looked at Flav and neared Iris trying to use her as a shield from Flav's piercing orbs.
Iris stared at the scene with amazement and bewilderment. She didn't know why the woman was so scared of Flav.
"Who are you?" Flav asked the woman who was sneaking peeks from behind Iris' shoulder.
The woman calmed down after seeing Flav having no plans to attack her. "My name is Joanna and I am a ghost cultivator." she answered.
Iris' mind raced as it searched for information and soon after her eyes brightened. "Ghost cultivator? Aren't they a part of the wicked path that cultivates ghost energy and is usually shunned or killed on sight?" she asked curiously with no ill intent.
"Fuck no!" The woman answered with narrowed and enraged eyes. "Whoever said that is a fraud and a filthy liar!"