"But we will be prepared for the consequences. Please tell us where the Vasukih Forest is!" the man asked firmly.
"... ... Go home! And don't think about coming to this place again."
The young man with red eyes quickly left as if he didn't care. His words had been testing the patience of these two people since earlier. Although their request wasn't ambitious, they just wanted to know where Vasukih forest was.
"Pfft! What a clueless boy! With or without your help, we'll definitely find it ourselves!"
BURK~~
That's what just after the individual said, Zeyn dropped. He fell and lay helpless on the ground. They were confused by what had just happened to their interlocutor. For some reason, after he had intended to leave, he fell down hard on his own in front of them.
"What? Is he playing with us?"
'Your desires and determination have been heard very clearly in my ears sshhzzh~'
A woman's voice emerged from behind. She was wearing a black cloak that covered her face so that her features were not visible. Her accent was so strange, and her appearance was so mysterious.
"What? Who are you?"
'You want to know the direction to Vasukih forest, am I correct? Ssshzzh~~'
"Um...yes...that's right," they replied.
'Just go straight towards the village road, and you will find sshhzzh~~ the village exit gate and a house. Pass by the house and you will find a forest trail that leads into the woods.'
As if receiving a blessing, these two strangers were so delighted to finally get an answer. Finally, someone gave them directions easily. One of them tried to express their gratitude and offered a handshake, but the woman remained silent and just smiled.
'Go on, pursue your desires.'
After the departure of the two who confidently walked towards the unknown depths of hell, the woman opened her hood and revealed herself as a beautiful woman with long straight black hair cascading down her shoulders. Her reptilian pupils briefly glanced towards the surrounding houses before she walked towards Zeyn, who was still lying stiffly on the ground.
'Uh ohh~ You are being stubborn again...'
The villagers witnessed all of this with their own eyes. Many were frightened and prayed that the two strangers would abandon their intentions and turn back. They didn't know who the two were talking to, who the woman they referred to was, or why the village's caretaker suddenly collapsed like that. They couldn't see the woman whom the two had spoken to.
"What should we do now?"
"Of course, we have to save Zeyn's body!"
* * *
'I never thought we would meet under these circumstances.'
"Sister Ayu? What do you need?"
'Hmm~'
His sister, whom she called sister Ayu, tended to be more straightforward. Zeyn felt that this meeting would not be as long as usual. However, he sensed that danger was imminent. Talking to someone who didn't like small talk usually led to both good and bad things quickly, depending on the topic he would get.
'You should have already known why I came here, I don't like beating around the bush.
"..."
'Sshhzzh~ after releasing two people from us, now you want to release two more people who should serve us'
Roughly, Ayu pushed her brother until he lay on the bed. Without hesitation, she pinned him like a wild animal pouncing on its prey.
"Hah?!"
'I don't like your attitude of trying to act tough.'
Unlike Bella who likes to wrap her body around him, Ayu hugged him very tightly with a scary glare in her eyes.
'Even though you always deny that you're not human, don't forget that you're also a part of us!'
"Are you mad?! Let me go!"
Zeyn concentrated on gathering protective energy. A glowing aura emerged from within his body, causing the demon to back away uncomfortably. Standing up, Zeyn readied himself with his stance.
'What? Do you want to fight your own sister?'
"Shut up! Stay away from me!!"
A Kris with snake scale motifs and a human skull at the tip appeared from Ayu's right hand, floating and spinning, waiting to be commanded. Meanwhile, from her left side, a scabbard made of strange, purple-hued metal also emerged.
'Hmm hm… sshhzzh~ Which item do you think I should implant inside you?'
"What! What is that?!" Zeyn screamed suspiciously.
'I'm not sure you're ready for this one on the right. Perhaps trying to get used to the one on the left could help you improve your attitude, my dear'
"What are you trying to do, sister?! Go away!"
In the end, the black serpent demon sheathed the blade on its right side. Ayu's right hand moved as if it was gripping a target in front of her. Suddenly, Zeyn couldn't move and felt as if he was being strangled by an invisible force. It felt like there were thousands of hands holding him down and preventing him from moving.
"Ugh? Damn it!"
As if able to move her opponent with just her hands, Ayu pulled her sibling closer. The look in her eyes showed an intimidating expression. Her beautiful face, which could even enchant anyone to fall in love with, suddenly appeared very frightening.
'You can't do that, you should always obey your older sister, right? Since when you have become so disobedient, dear?'
"Stop!!" In this condition, Zeyn even had difficulty breathing. No matter how much energy he gathered to try to break free, it seemed his efforts were in vain.
Gently, she lifted and laid her target on the bedroom floor. Her serpent body coiled slowly, positioning her sibling's body to lie face up. Her slender fingers tried to unbutton and touch his shirt one by one, feeling her hands' ability to touch human skin directly.
'Ah~ it's so beautiful...you're not a kid anymore, that's for sure,' Ayu said when she saw her brother's masculine chest.
"What are you doing?!" Zeyn exclaimed.
'If only we could have some fun, but I can't do that since you belong to sister Bella,' she replied.
Her hands tightly gripped the scabbard of a kris as she prepared to stab Zeyn.
'Rise up... the overseer of death...'
ZRASH~~
The scabbard was stabbed right above the heart and then sucked into the body, but for some reason, he didn't feel any pain at all. It felt like being lightly hit by a blunt object that didn't cause any damage. A cold air slowly enveloped his body, a piercing coldness that caused discomfort throughout his entire body.
The view suddenly changed, coinciding with the disappearance of the object above his body, implying that the object had merged with his body. The last thing Zeyn saw was the sadistic smile of his sister.
His ruby red eyes opened spontaneously, filled with surprise. His mind became confused after realizing and still unable to process what had just happened. Previously, he was in his room and now he was sleeping in the living room, together with the villagers who were already in her house. The village head, village elders, and several people came to her house because they were worried.
"Phew, thank goodness he's regained consciousness."
"Zen, how are you feeling?"
Hastily, He checked his body's condition. Everything was still safe, with no injuries or scratches on his chest."
"I..."
"What's wrong, kid? What happened?"
One of the villagers handed him a glass of water to help him feel better. His mind was still confused and filled with confusion over the recent events he had experienced.
"Calm down, just drink."
A glass of plain water? That's a good idea! It's best to refresh the mind first to recover from this feeling of confusion and anxiety. By closing the eyes and trying to enjoy the flow of water that will moisten the throat...
'You are a part of us...'
'You are a part of us...'
Once again, his eyes opened wide upon hearing the voice. The warm plain water turned into blood, and only then did he realize that he had returned to the world filled with dark red hues as before.
The villagers who surrounded him turned out to be a group of corpses in a state of decay, wrapped in tattered shrouds.
"Hwa!!"
Quickly, Zeyn stood up and tried to leave the house, only to find that the group of corpses had gathered in the middle of the yard, staring at him. Dozens, hundreds, even thousands of astral creatures surrounded his house, enveloped in a reddish hue and thick fog.
Without losing his mind, he eventually chose to escape using his own power. He ran and the world around him spontaneously changed. It was a dimensional leap he often did by bringing his body to cross the boundary of the different layers of the invisible realm in different time zones, trying to find his way back to the real world.
'You can't run~'
Once again, Ayu's voice echoed from the sky and dragged Zeyn back into the dimensional layer where he should be.
He found himself inside a giant excavation hole where many giant snakes as big as anacondas were circling around. Once again, the astral creatures surrounded him and just stood in a circle, watching the events unfold like a show.
'Learn to be responsible, based on the noble values that the ruler has taught you!'
A cold breeze pierced through him again, and this time it was truly torturous. Thick fog penetrated his skin at an incredible speed. Zeyn could feel nothing but drowsiness and the urge to scream, holding back the intense pain that he felt throughout his body, especially in his heart. But he was helpless, his body was being controlled.
What he caught from the corner of his eye, it seemed that his sister indeed intended to put something inside his body. But for what and why? He still didn't know.
'We will meet again, my dear brother.'
"ZEYN!"
For the umpteenth time, he woke up, and this time he was truly in the human world. The ordinary world where he took shelter, the real nature with true reality. It was a familiar sight. Still the same as earlier when he woke up in the living room in a dazed and dizzy state.
"Hey kiddo, what's wrong? What's going on?"
The villagers surrounded him out of concern for what had happened to this young man. But whatever it was, what they saw and what Zeyn saw... must have been different.
"I don't even know anymore. I'm tired. Lemme take a nap for a bit," replied Zeyn calmly.
* * * *