Ciara was pulling Michael along towards the comet crash site.
"We shouldn't go over there, town authorities are probably heading this way." Michael tried to convince Ciara to not go towards the comet.
"What about mom and dad I am pretty sure they would have also heard the explosion sound." Michael said pulling his wrist out of Ciara's grasp.
"Okay, Okay Mr Cautious we won't go too close," responded Ciara while continuing to march towards the comet crash site.
Continuing to follow Ciara, Michael questioned her,
"Why are you so adamant about finding out what that comet is?"
Michael found her behaviour weird, Ciara was a stubborn girl but she would not do something that would put the lives of her loved ones in danger.
"I.....I don't know. It just feels like something is calling me." she said with an uncertain tone.
"Something is calling you, what do you mean by___" before he could finish a sudden gust of cool wind hit them.
Michael felt something was wrong here, there were no signs of beasts here. Usually, if there was such a loud explosion beasts would panic and go haywire.
When a gust of cool wind hit him, he was certain something was wrong here. He trained near this area every day all around the year, he was certain that such cool wind would not blow here.
"Ciara, something is wrong here. It's not safe here, let's get out of here." his words were only heard by deaf ears.
"Ahhhhh.....why is she so stubborn today? I can't even leave her here now, can I?" Michael muttered to himself while scratching the his head in frustration.
As they were nearing the comet crash site Ciara noticed a blurred figure of a beast.
"Be careful I can see a glimpse of a beast at some distance." Ciara warned Michael as he seemed to be in a world of his own, thinking about something with a frown on his forehead.
Michael nodded in response before murdering to himself,
"What's happening? The authorities should have been here by now."
"Michael...Michael...do you see this, the beast is covered in a thick sheet of ice." Ciara's words pulled Michael out of his daze.
"Ah..oh yeah, the beast is indeed covered in ice. Whatever is happening here is probably caused by that comet."
They decided to not waste their time on the frozen beast and instead find out about the comet which was causing all this.
The step-siblings saw several frozen beasts and many uprooted trees on their way.
These were maple trees, due to which the forest was named Maplewood forest. These trees had absorbed spiritual energy, making them rigid, this made it hard but not impossible for ordinary mortals to cut them down.
The Maplewood was used to make furniture, as it was the lowest grade of woods and herbs. Sometimes it was also used to engrave arrays and as an ingredient in alchemy by beginners.
Suddenly the temperature around them started to increase, Michael was too busy thinking about what was going on here, that he didn't even notice the rise in temperature around him.
He was pulled back to reality when he bumped into Ciara's back.
"What happened, why did you__?" he was perplexed, entering the same stupor Ciara was in.
With her eyes wide open, Ciara asked Michael,
"Do you also see this, flame....blue flame?"
Gawking at the wall of blue fire with his eyes wide open, Michael nodded,
"Yeah, I can see it too."
They were brought out of their stupor when they heard an ear-piercing screech.
They glanced around to find the source of the screech when a huge bird which was being burned alive by the blue flames caught Michaels's eye.
Pointing towards the bird which was burning on the ground Michael said,
"Look...isn't that a magical beast."
"Wow, it's so huge." only these words were able to escape her mouth.
Before she could march off towards the burning beast Michael caught her hand, while shaking his head he said,
"No, don't go near it."
There was no choice for them, even if they wanted they could not help the beast as there was neither a water source near them nor they were intent-users. They could only watch it die.
To their surprise, the flame wall in front of them died down allowing them to see a huge crater.
In the middle of the crater was a glowing red light.
"Wasn't there supposed to be a comet here?" muttered Ciara while examining the red light from far.
They could only find a black neck-chain with a rough transparent crystal embedded on the black chain, surrounded by a rob of red light.
"Why is there a neck-chain here instead of a comet?" before Ciara could speak something, Michael spoke again.
"let's go back...I have a feeling that something bad is about to____" before he could finish what he was saying, the red light shot towards Ciara.
Michael was startled, he couldn't think of anything so he jumped in front of Ciara getting hit by the red light.
______________________________________________________________________________________________
Few moments earlier, when Michael and Ciara were standing near the wall of blue flames.
"hmm....i sensed it correct, that girl, she is indeed a heavenly talent. As for the boy he is just average, he is no use." the sentience of the neck-chain thought.
After Caesar provided the black neck-chain with the blood and vitality that he extracted from 21 higher worlds and 3000 lower worlds, it had developed a conscience.
After the death of Caesar it has been travelling across the cosmos to find a candidate for itself.
After 21,000 years it's conscience was at he verge of fading away when it sensed, Ciara's presence and decided to choose her as a candidate for itself. But unfortunately Michael jumped between it and Ciara causing it to enter his body not Ciara's body.