The young man's eyes glistened. 'She's here,' he thought as the sounds of footsteps continued to get further away. He peeked just to see that those people were already gone. They had dumped a huge white bag in the middle of the forest alongside the black garbage bins that stood a lot. Shade grimaced, whiffing the oozing odor from the bags, and he already knew what smell it was.
"Those shits," he muttered and sauntered towards the bags. A hint of red on top of the white bag stood out, proving Shade's assumptions.
Meanwhile, Eirin and Coleen decided to continue the search for the Phoenix as soon as they finished eating. The two went out to survey the bustling town.
"Do you think Link ate already? He sometimes forgets to take care of himself whenever he's busy with a mission."
Eirin shrugged. "Maybe he hasn't yet. He said he'll return as soon as he's done talking to the village chief. Shade Cromwell hasn't come back either."
"Oh! There he is. Link!"
Eirin turned in the direction of Coleen, who was waving her hand. There, they saw a vibrant color of pink twinkling underneath the sun's rays. A smile immediately formed on Link's pinkish lips as sweat fell from his pale white face.
"Coco!" Link rushed towards the two. "Are you feeling alright now?"
The excitement in Link's voice, yet the gentle tone, made Eirin feel out of place as if she was not there at all, and the two couldn't see anyone but themselves. It was as if Coleen and Link were inside their own little world.
'They're so oblivious,' Eirin thought as she smiled.
Despite that, Eirin couldn't help but smile as she observed Coleen's face. "Have you eaten yet? Ei and I ate our lunch in the lodging. You better try the fish dish. It was delish!"
Seeing how comfortable Coleen looked talking to the young man made Eirin smile. It was as if it had been long since someone called her by that nickname, making her heart flutter.
"Hey."
Their eyes turned in the direction of that voice.
"Good timing. We should eat lunch before continuing our search. I'm famished," Link said, smiling at Shade, who continues to have that stoic face.
"Great! I want to try that gelato they've been talking about right there," Coleen pointed her finger to the farthest end of the plaza.
"You three must think this is some kind of a field trip," the three looked at Shade after he said those. The young man pushed his hair back as his eyes were filled with annoyance that he could not hide— he wasn't even trying to hide. "You're being influenced by that hamster. This is a mission. Stop playing around."
Coleen rolled her eyes and pouted. "What's wrong with you? It won't hurt if you eat— and I'm not a hamster!"
Shade clicked his tongue and observed his surroundings. Seeing him like that caused Eirin to wonder if something had happened while he was gone. Yet, Shade Cromwell did not have any choice but to follow the others back to the lodging.
"I'm not quite sure yet, but I think there's something wrong going on in this place, and it doesn't feel good," Link said after eating a spoonful of rice.
"How come?" Coleen munched on snacks she brought while sitting beside Eirin in front of the two guys.
"I met some villagers, and there's this weird aura around them. Remember the lessons Sir Arthur told us before? About the effects of miasma on some ligmas?"
Eirin's forehead creased. What lesson? She wondered if it was something discussed before her arrival or something she didn't pay attention to? The only thing she remembered from Mr. Blade was his mathematical lessons, which they probably wouldn't need right now.
"It's obvious that these people are beast men. And I met this guy; his eyes were out of focus, and he was leaking miasma. That's why I was trying to find you, Shade. It would be bad if you met him."
Coleen and Link stared at Shade while Eirin was in the dark. She needed help comprehending where the conversation was going and the problem.
"What? You thought I was going berserk?"
Coleen slammed her hands on the table, causing her favorite potato chips to spill as she screamed. "Are you stupid? Link only said that because he's worried about you. He would never think of you badly, and you know that."
Eirin's amber eyes were confused as she blinked repeatedly at Coleen's unexpected outburst. Her head could not understand what was happening right in front of her.
'Miasma? Berserk? What are they all talking about?'
Shade rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "I didn't say anything about that. Why are you overreacting?" His words caused Coleen to glare at him. Even after that, Shade did not mutter about what he witnessed earlier. As soon as they finished their lunch, Shade insisted that Eirin accompany him while Coleen and Link went together.
'Is he planning to do something to me? Why would this man, Shade Cromwell, the notorious guy who hates my guts, want to search for clues with me?' Eirin's eyebrows furrowed as they walked around the village. She soon noticed they were walking further towards the forest, causing Eirin's heart to pound.
What could this man be planning, bringing Eirin to an isolated place with only the two of them? Thousands of thoughts filled Eirin's head as she broke into a cold sweat, fearing that the man in front of her was planning to finally take her life after being pissed off for a while.
"H-Hey, where are we going?"
Shade continued walking on his previous path, completely ignoring the teenage girl's attempt to start a conversation. He looked around and saw that there was another path that was covered with signs saying, "NO ENTRY."
"H-Hey! Can't you read the signs?"
Shade turned back to Eirin after she raised her voice. "Could you shut your mouth? Stay there if you're too scared. Create a signal if there's someone suspicious around," he said as he burned the blockage and walked deeper into the forest.
"What kind of signal— hey!"
Eirin bit her fingernails as she watched Shade's back getting further into the forest behind the village. She looked around with trembling knees, terrified of the thought that someone could catch them doing something they shouldn't be doing.
'Seriously! What is that guy thinking? What about respecting people's culture and tradition? What if this place is a graveyard?'
The anxiety was eating Eirin up, and despite the continuous inhaling and exhaling of air, she could not just catch her breath. Even though the sun was at its peak, the shade from the trees caused a cooling effect, but it couldn't help calming the teenage girl down.
Shade continued following the restricted path. He advanced until he reached what seemed to be a small hut made from concrete. As the young man moved closer, his brows furrowed, seeing how it had a cell door with metal bars and a lock. When he reached out his hand, some sort of barrier prevented him from touching the metal bars.
'A protective barrier?' Shade thought as he stared at his blistered hand. "This mana is awfully familiar." He looked around and raised an eyebrow. It was too familiar for him to ignore.
"Hey, I know you're in there."
Silence followed Shade's words, causing him to click his tongue. However, his forehead creased further after hearing the clacking sound that resonated from the underground.
"You have grown, Shade."
A hint of red shimmered in Shade's eyes as his gaze landed on the person behind the metal bars.