Zoe was taken aback. Though he had lived nearly a century himself and knew well of the existence of other Demon Lords, he never imagined that they, long sealed in slumber, would now begin to stir—only Barn had awakened first. Could it be that the others were rousing as well?
Anxiety welled up within him. Barn now faced threats on all fronts—while rival Demon Lords within the demon ranks posed one danger, humans and elves pressed forward with their crusades. Barn, the first of the Demon Lords to awaken, had initially unified the demon clans and then driven humans from the territory they had seized from the dragons. To demons and dragons alike, he was revered almost as a god. Yet, burdened as he was, who could truly comprehend the weight upon him?
At this thought, Zoe felt a pang of sorrow, tears welling in his eyes.
The Earth Goddess looked at him curiously. "Zoe, what's wrong? Why are you suddenly moved to tears?"
"It's nothing," Zoe replied. "I was only thinking of Lord Barn and how much he bears alone. Perhaps you wouldn't understand…Earth Goddess, is there any way you could help him? Do you have any plans?"
The Earth Goddess gave a soft smile, answering slowly, "To my knowledge, Barn's power has already been taken to the Goddess of the Wind. I cannot say what she will do with it, but we at least have a direction, a place to reclaim what Barn has lost. The rest lies in your and Barn's hands."
Zoe frowned, "So, is that truly your 'help'? Whose side are you on? The elves? The Human Federation? The dragons? Or the demons?"
The Earth Goddess smiled serenely. "I've pointed you in the right direction. In the coming months, you must first find Lord Barn, then head toward the Wind Goddess's domain. I'll aid you discreetly along the way…" Saying this, the Earth Goddess handed Zoe a bracelet. "Wear this… I'll be able to sense when you need my assistance."
Zoe accepted the bracelet, deeply pondering her words, yet he remained half-skeptical of the Earth Goddess's true intentions.
The Earth Goddess laughed lightly. "Take your time to consider. I've completed my purpose here; I didn't expect to accomplish it in less than an hour. One more thing…do not trust any elves. They carry deep hatred toward the dragons and demons alike. As for us Earth Spirits…we are absolutely neutral; we ally with no race. But we do trust Barn, the man himself." With those words, she stepped into a green magic circle, vanishing into the sky.
Zoe gazed at the empty sky where she had disappeared, gently patted the neck of his swift dragon, and once again took to the road, resuming his search for Lord Barn. And at that moment, Barn lay asleep on a tree branch, undisturbed…
At dawn—
Caesar wandered alone through the silent, unfamiliar forest. He had no idea where he was and could only proceed blindly, calling Barn's name in his mind over and over. Yet, no matter how much he called, there was no answer. Caesar muttered, "Could it be that Barn has truly been consumed by the 'gravity seal'? If so, this is a disaster…I can't begin to imagine how this will affect this body."
As he walked, Caesar's thoughts grew heavier with the sense of his dwindling power. He felt his strength significantly weakened, as though he had returned to the fragile state of his early adventuring days. Especially when he used his abilities the previous day—the draining sensation was chilling, stirring an unfamiliar sense of dread.
Caesar murmured to himself, "I've never seen such a magic circle before, nor do I know which nation or race could have devised such a technique… If we had known about magic this powerful back when we set out to defeat Lord Barn, forming that entire hero's squad might not have been necessary."
He gazed ahead, musing silently, *"This feels like I'm back to my days as a novice adventurer… No, impossible! This body belongs to Lord Barn—how could it be so frail? There must be a way to restore its true strength!"*
Suddenly, a figure swiftly appeared before Caesar—it was Zoe.
With delight, Zoe murmured, "Thank goodness, I finally found Lord Barn!"
Seeing Zoe, Caesar excitedly waved in greeting, "Zoe! How did you know I was here?"
But Zoe's smile faded as she scrutinized Caesar closely, her expression turning cold. "You're not Lord Barn. Who are you?"
Caesar looked at her, confused. "Me? I am Barn. Don't I look like him? Why do you say that?"
Zoe furrowed her brows, her voice laced with doubt. "No, you only bear his appearance. But you lack the unique magic aura of the dragon race. Demons and dragons alike have distinct magical essences, recognizable to each other. But you… you have none of it!"
Caesar was stunned, murmuring to himself, "So there is a way to detect it… No wonder the creatures didn't recognize me yesterday. I thought they had merely forgotten their master, but it was because my aura didn't match."
As he pondered this, Zoe raised her bow, arrow aimed squarely at Caesar's forehead. Alarmed, Caesar frantically gestured, "Calm down, Zoe! Don't be rash!"
Zoe pressed, her tone icy, "Who are you really? Answer truthfully… Why are you occupying Lord Barn's body?"
Caesar sighed, his voice steady. "Zoe, whether you believe me or not, I'm telling the truth. I am… Caesar."
Zoe's eyes widened in shock, her bow lowering as she muttered in disbelief, "You're Caesar? The hero? The one who fought Lord Barn a little over a month ago?"
Caesar nodded, his expression somber. "Yes, that's me."
Baffled, Zoe asked, "Then how did you end up in Lord Barn's body?"
Caesar managed a wry smile. "I don't know. All I recall is being stabbed through the heart with a dagger, losing consciousness… Then, when I awoke, I found myself in this body. I'm as bewildered as you are."
Zoe shook her head, incredulous. "How could something so absurd happen? Do you even believe it yourself?"
Caesar sighed, "At first, I couldn't accept it either, but the reality is right in front of us. Denial won't change a thing, will it?"
Zoe fell silent, piecing together her previous suspicions about Lord Barn's odd changes. After a pause, she finally asked, "So… how should I address you? As 'Lord Barn' or 'Lord Caesar'?"
Caesar smiled faintly. "Just call me Caesar. If the day comes when Barn returns to this body, I'll tell you. Is that alright?"
Zoe held his gaze, then finally nodded. "Alright, then it's a promise."
Overcome with emotion, Caesar stepped forward to embrace Zoe. Her cheeks flushed, and she immediately pushed him away. "What… what are you doing?"
Caesar hastily apologized, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I got too excited. I didn't expect you to believe me, so I got carried away."
With a huff, Zoe replied, "Fine, I won't hold it against you. But… Lord Caesar, you can't enter Misty City like this. There are many powerful creatures outside the city, as you well know. You and your companions had quite the struggle when you fought Lord Barn."
Caesar nodded, understanding. "That's true; those creatures are of a high level. From what you've said, if I no longer have the dragon race's magical identification, they'll see me as an enemy… correct?"
Zoe offered a small smile. "Exactly…"
The two fell silent, gazing at each other. After a few moments, Zoe broke the stillness. "Lord Caesar, I have an idea… Would you like to hear it?"