The world of lies and truth soon became dark, the bright sky immediately turn into the dark night, he could feel the cool breeze that passed through him.
As he walked through the dense forest, the darkness that envelope him was like a thick veil, he could hardly see. All he could hear was sound of trees and grass, not a single human inhabited the forest. Suddenly, he heard footsteps jumping from tree to tree, he pretended not to know, but strangely, the Phoenix inside of him scoffed and laughed mockingly.
_Why the hell are you laughing?_ he asked the Phoenix in his mind while walking.
_The beast that's chasing you is known as the Zodiac tiger, it has been hunting me for over 500 years, and now he has smelled my soul in your body, so definitely, you are going to die._ the Phoenix replied to Dexter in his mind while trying to hide his true feelings. _I rather die than hand you over to the stupid tiger_
The tiger immediately appeared in his front, Dexter stopped moving and directed a bit of his Zephyxr energy towards his hands and brought out a sword. "Who are you calling stupid? I planned to give you a quick death cause you brought what I've been searching for decades to me, but now, I'll make you suffer" the tiger said boastingly, while adjusting himself and getting ready to attack Dexter. _Blah blah blah, if you want to fight, then do it, stop wasting your time chitchating with me_ Dexter said with all the confidence in his mind. "You fool, do you know who you're talking to?" The tiger asked again.
_I do, you're an hunter who wants the soul of the Phoenix. My turn….. Do You know who am I?_ Dexter replied and asked a rhetorical question. _No, I, I don't know who you are_
_Good, Phoenix, come out_
Dexter said as he commanded the Phoenix to come out, technically the Phoenix refused to come out, but they were both bonded by blood, so the Phoenix has to obey anything Dexter says.
The Phoenix reluctantly came out, and Dexter jumped on his back once more and the flew away. But the tiger would not give up, he began chasing them through the ground and following them on their tail.
"That dammed tiger won't leave us" Dexter said as he looked back and saw the tiger on their tail, chasing them. _There's a cliff upfront, if we pass there he won't be able to keep up with us_ the Phoenix said
Dexter held on tight to the Phoenix as he flew faster than usual, the tiger also add more speed and began to run faster, he ran and jumped unto the tree, then he jumped unto the next tree and took a long jump into the sky, the Phoenix saw it and took a swift turn to the left, dodging the attack of the Phoenix. The tiger fell to the ground after a failed attack, they were not sure that it would survive.
The Phoenix flew towards the direction of the the ocean, because Dexter choose to go there instead of looking for an ice lion. Dexter put his hands in his pocket in search for the map, but it was gone, he brought out everything from his backpack in search for his map, but he still did not see it, shit, he had lost it.
Meanwhile, the map was with the tiger, it fell from his pocket while the Phoenix was taking a swift turn earlier.
So they were doomed, or in order words, flying blindly. Dexter asked the Phoenix for possible place that the white whale could be, one of the places that the Phoenix recommended was the Ocean of the west, legends say that a whale once lived there, a white whale in fact, but the whale seems to be dead, because anyone who goes in search for it comes back with nothing.
Nevertheless, Dexter still choose to heard there, he choose to go there for one reason, because when he was in his former body, his father was among those who went in search for the white whale, his father claimed to have seen a ghost, but no one believed him, they all thought he was lying.
Dexter choose to go there to see if what his father was saying is true.
Dexter could be considered to be a stupid person, he was willing to risk his life just to confirm his doubt, what if the ghost was real? or what if the whale was still alive?
In other words, no matter if the whale is alive or dead, if the whale catches a glimpse of him, just a glimpse of him, he'll be dead.