After resting for a few hours, Asa woke up from her sleep.
She expected to see her teammates are already awake, but Madelyn was still asleep like a baby next to her.
Dunn was also still sleeping, but his sleeping posture, with both hands folded on his chest and a straight, rigid body, reminded her of Dan's sleeping habits.
Sleeping habits were something unique and not easy to fake. Seeing this, Asa found it hard to look away from Dunn.
Her eyes stared intensely at the young man, trying to think of the possibility that he might be her brother.
However, if Dunn was indeed his brother, why didn't he recognize Asa?
Suddenly, Asa felt the presence of someone beside her, but before she could turn to see, a familiar voice reached her ears.
"He hasn't fallen into the river yet, why are you staring so intently?" Joan said.
Asa turned to Joan and tilted her head slightly, a bit puzzled. The young man's words sounded like a jest, but his expression remained completely emotionless. "Are you trying to make a joke?" she asked.
Joan turned to face Asa, but there was no emotion in his eyes as he shook his head. "No," he replied, "I just wanted to let you know that I can swim, so you made the right choice in saving Dunn first."
Asa couldn't help but chuckle at how childlike Joan was behaving. "Come on, that was just a random question that I answered randomly too. Are you acting like a 5-year-old throwing a tantrum over something so trivial?"
Joan huffed, "Who's throwing a tantrum?"
Asa smiled faintly at Joan's response, deciding not to prolong their conversation.
Both of them sat in silence for a few minutes, lost in their own thoughts.
"Do you think Mia and Heya really have the same appearance as us? Or do they take on the face of whoever performs the sigil to travel back in time?" Asa asked in her reverie.
She knew that Joan probably wouldn't have any more insight than she did, but her curiosity got the best of her.
"Is that important?" Instead of answering, Joan returned the question.
Asa shook her head. "Not important," she said, "just something foolish I was thinking..." Her sentence hung in the air, unfinished.
Not wanting to leave it hanging, Joan asked, "What foolish thing?"
"I was just thinking..." Asa didn't turn towards Joan at all. Her voice sounded uncertain, but she continued her sentence, "What if we are reincarnations of them?"
Joan scoffed, finding Asa's question amusing, "How old are you and still believe in reincarnation?"
Asa rolled her eyes, annoyed, "Alright, Mr. sceptic, your life must be very dull and empty for not having such a belief."
Joan nodded in agreement, "True, but I'm also okay with dull and empty."
"One day, dullness and emptiness will kill you," Asa said casually.
Joan nodded again, "Life will kill everyone eventually so I'm not too bothered."
Asa turned towards Joan with a puzzled and frustrated look, "Is it fun to live with so much hatred towards the world and life like that?"
Joan chuckled softly and turned to look back at Asa, "Is it fun to live with hypocrisy and pretending to enjoy a life that continues to torment you?"
Asa was too lazy to argue, so she simply turned her face away, avoiding Joan's face and the annoying words.
She just wanted to ask a harmless question, why were Joan's responses so aggravating?
Joan also turned his face to gaze into the transparent air in front of him.
There was no conversation between the two of them except for the dust particles floating in the air, whispering judgments about the two human beings who had such similar yet vastly different personalities at the same time.
"A few years ago, I knew a boy," Joan suddenly said, breaking the silence between them.
Asa just cleared her throat, signaling that she was listening to Joan.
Asa turned her attention back to Joan as he continued his story. "He was born weak, without any skills. Even in things he liked, he was bad at them," Joan narrated. "The rules of the world are always like this, the weak are tormented by those who are more capable. This child was despised and constantly teased by the kids around him."
Asa's curiosity grew, "So, the boy was the one who lacked abilities, but the other kids were the ones annoyed and mocking him?"
Joan laughed again, "They weren't mocking the boy out of irritation but for their own amusement. Don't you think making fun of a foolish child is enjoyable?"
Joan's question sounded a bit malicious, but Asa tried not to judge too quickly and just shook her head, "I know how to find pleasure without tormenting innocent people."
Joan smiled at the response and continued his story, "The boy would always come home crying. But his mother was always there waiting at home to hug him, pat his back, and kiss his forehead. She would tell him that he was the smartest and coolest boy on Earth."
Asa smiled, imagining the warmth of the boy's mother. "Then what happened?"
"Then, the boy never hated life. He lived in hypocrisy and always pretended that life was enjoyable. Because he thought, as long as he had his mother, couldn't he swallow all the bitterness of life?" Joan continued.
Asa nodded slightly, understanding the boy's feelings, "So, the boy wasn't hypocritical or pretending; he genuinely found joy in life even amidst bitterness."
Joan shook his head, "No, he was just pretending. One day, he realized he was only pretending. He realized that he actually hated life and decided to stop pretending, to break free from his hypocrisy."
Asa turned to look at Joan who was narrating. He spoke with a blank expression, no emotion on his face. "And then?" Asa asked again.
"And then?" Joan suddenly turned to Asa, laughing softly, causing Asa to feel a chill down her spine as she saw the change in expression on his cold face.
Joan looked menacing, laughing but with vacant eyes. If Asa couldn't control her reaction, she would have reached for her sword and swung it at Joan, who suddenly seemed like someone with a high aura of danger.
"Then," Joan said again, "then the boy eliminated all the sources that made him pretend to enjoy life."
Asa held back her surprise, swallowed hard, and asked, "His mother?"
Joan nodded, "He killed his mother."