Shakky could see the trees moving with her own eyes, almost as if they were alive. One by one, they made way for her, seemingly guiding her toward the shadow.
The shadow stood motionless in the distance, staring directly at her. Only its white eyes were visible, watching Shakky closely.
Shakky clenched her fist and forced herself to move forward. There was fear on her face, but she pushed it aside and kept walking.
"Whatever happens... I'll deal with it when the time comes."
The farther she walked, the more clearly she could hear the sound of the trees shifting around her. When Shakky reached about halfway, she suddenly turned around.
Why can I hear these sounds so clearly...?
She froze for a moment.
The path behind her was gone.
The trees had closed in, blocking the way as if there had never been a path there in the first place.
"What the hell is going on?"
There were too many questions running through Shakky's mind, but she had no answers.
She turned back toward the shadow. Her expression shifted into a faint smirk.
"The answer to all of this is right there."
Shakky had already figured out that whatever was happening around her was being caused by that shadow.
She finally reached it.
Now she could see it clearly.
The shadow was wrapped in black smoke. Its entire body was hidden within it, with only two small, white, dot-like eyes visible.
Shakky looked around.
The trees had surrounded them in a circle, completely blocking every possible way out.
Then Shakky glanced at her own hand.
Something felt strange.
She slowly raised it closer to her face, her eyes widening in surprise.
"Strange... Why can't I feel anything?"
Shakky looked back at the shadow. She pointed a finger at it without hesitation.
"Who are you, and what do you want from me?"
She had already assumed that whatever was hiding inside that shadow had come here to kill her.
The shadow stared at her and spoke in a distorted voice.
"My name is Mirinda. And the one you will be searching for... you will find him in the west."
Shakky was completely confused.
That was totally different from the answer she had expected.
"I have no idea what you're talking about. I'm not looking for anyone. I think you've got the wrong person."
"No. The person I wanted to meet... was you."
Shakky became slightly curious.
"You wanted to meet me? But who are you? And why did you come to meet me?"
She had learned that this wasn't some random encounter, but Mirinda's true identity was still a mystery to her.
Mirinda answered,
"When we meet again, you will have already killed me. When that happens, bury me where I die. And the plant in my hand... place it above my grave."
Shakky was completely stunned by her words.
"I don't understand what you're saying. And why would I kill you?"
The shadow looked up toward the sky.
"So... the time has come."
Shakky looked at her in confusion.
"Are you going to kill me? Is that what you mean by saying the time has come?"
A faint smirk appeared on Shakky's face.
"But just so you know, I'm not going to give up that easily."
Shakky raised her hand, but to her surprise, nothing happened.
She stared at her own hand in disbelief.
"Impossible... Why isn't my magic working?"
The shadow began walking toward her.
Shakky simply stood there as Mirinda approached. Then she raised both of her hands.
"Fine... You can kill me."
She hadn't raised her hands because she couldn't fight.
She simply wanted all of this to end. If her powers weren't going to work, then maybe it was better if she just died.
Mirinda stopped in front of her.
"Why do you think I'm going to kill you?"
Shakky smiled.
"I don't know. Maybe you have some grudge against my father... or perhaps you want revenge, and killing me is how you plan to get it."
The shadow stared at her.
"The fact that you are still alive means you have a purpose."
Shakky didn't understand what she meant.
"Uhh... Could you explain that a little? What special purpose am I supposed to have?"
The shadow slowly extended her hand.
Shakky looked at it.
A red-colored book was resting in Mirinda's hand.
Shakky took the book.
"What does this mean?"
Suddenly, her pupils moved upward.
Then they returned to normal.
Shakky found herself staring at the bonfire.
She couldn't understand what had just happened.
What just happened...?
A moment ago, she had been standing inside that strange forest.
And now, everything had returned to normal.
She looked around in confusion.
Ameria was still sleeping beside her.
Nearby, Derland was also asleep, his sword still in his hand.
Shakky looked toward the road.
Several knights were standing guard, some of them half-asleep.
Everything was normal.
She turned toward the forest.
It was back to where it had been before, far away from the camp.
Shakky held her head.
"Maybe I'm having strange dreams because I haven't gotten enough sleep..."
But then her eyes widened.
There was one thing that shouldn't have been there.
The red book.
It was resting on her lap.
Shakky picked it up and carefully examined it.
"So... it wasn't a dream."
She was certain now.
What she had just experienced had been real.
Shakky opened the book.
On the first page, a large name was written.
BEHOUMAN HELIOS
Shakky's eyes widened.
"Behouman Helios..."
She had never heard that name before.
"Could this be a book about one of my ancestors?"
She thought for a moment.
"I know about all the kings who came before me, but we don't have much information about the kings from more than thirteen generations ago..."
Her curiosity grew.
"Does that mean he lived even before them?"
Shakky turned the page and began reading.
> The Hero Legacy is slowly fading. People are forgetting it, like a leaf torn from its tree, falling to the ground and slowly withering away.
But after many years, a child was born into the Helios family.
A child with a mark resembling a wheel on his head.
Everyone believed he would die.
But he survived.
And by the age of eight, he had already become the strongest and wisest among them.
Shakky stared at the page, unable to believe what she was reading.
"So this really is the story of one of my ancestors..."
She lowered her gaze.
"He was born with the same curse as me."
Shakky turned the page and continued reading.
> Behouman's father could not allow his bloodline to end. So he arranged Behouman's marriage with a girl twice his age.
Two years later, Behouman had a healthy son.
He was happy when he saw his child, but deep inside, he was hurt.
He knew that he was still young, and now there was another child in the family. After his son's birth, everyone began ignoring him.
And that was exactly what happened.
His father no longer paid him the same attention.
Behouman did everything he was told to do, but there was one thing he could never receive—the love of his family.
His mother was no longer there, so his father had been the only person he had.
He loved his wife as well, but after the birth of their child, she spent all her time with the baby and barely had any time left for Behouman.
Behouman knew that he was slowly growing weaker from the inside.
Days passed. Years passed. But nothing changed.
Everyone treated him the same way.
Behouman eventually realized that if he continued living like this, he would die from his illness long before his time.
So he made a decision.
He would see the world.
And he would find a way to cure himself.
Shakky became quiet after reading that.
"You weren't alone... I had my mother to save me."
She looked down at the book.
"But you had everyone around you... and still, you had no one."
Shakky turned the page and continued reading.
> One night, Behouman secretly escaped from the kingdom.
He carried a large sword with a sun-like symbol on its guard and a bag filled with gold.
Keeping himself hidden, he made his way onto a ship.
From the deck, he watched as Polard Kingdom slowly disappeared from his sight.
Tears filled his eyes, but there was determination in his heart.
He would cure himself.
Behouman became the first Helios to leave the kingdom.
The seas were ruled by pirates and demons in those days. The government did not have enough forces to deal with all of them at once.
And so, avoiding the dangers of the sea, Behouman began his journey.
Shakky turned the page and smiled.
For a moment, she reacted as if she had become part of the story herself.
"You really were brave..."
She looked at the book with growing interest.
"I want to know more about you."
Shakky focused on the book again and continued reading.
And just like that, she spent the entire night reading Behouman's story.
Morning eventually arrived.
The sun had risen slightly above the horizon, and it was around eight o'clock.
Far to the east, beside the sea, there was a harbor filled with ships.
Benjin and Aerstrone were already standing there, ready to depart.