A brief silence followed the young man's question—a silence that was not empty, but filled with anticipation, as if everyone was waiting to hear what this stranger, who had appeared out of nowhere… then changed the course of everything without doing anything obvious, would say.
The girl stepped forward slightly, though her trembling had not completely disappeared, and raised her voice a little, trying to make it sound steady despite what she felt inside:
"Brother… you can't treat him this coldly. No matter your suspicion or caution, this man… regardless of his identity… is the reason I'm still standing here right now, breathing, and not dragged as a corpse to the Red Bear Sect. So at the very least… show him the respect befitting someone who saved my life."
The young man paused, looking at her for a few moments, as if reassessing the situation—not only as a leader… but as a brother as well. Then he breathed slowly, lowered his gaze slightly before raising it again toward Faiser. This time, however, his look was not as sharp as before—it was more balanced, mixed with caution and gratitude.
"Alright… I suppose you're right."
He stepped toward Faiser, but did not get too close, as if still maintaining a measured safe distance. Then he spoke in a calmer voice, though it still carried the weight of someone accustomed to leading:
"Strange man… whatever the circumstances of your appearance, and whatever doubts may surround you, I cannot deny one clear truth before me—that you played a decisive role in keeping my sister alive until we arrived. Whether that was intentional on your part or mere coincidence… the result does not change."
He paused for a moment, then added:
"So… I, Shin, offer you my sincere thanks for what you've done."
Inside—
Faiser smiled.
But it was not a smile of gratitude.
It was a smile of analysis.
"Red Bear Sect… sister… princess… guards… cultivators… seed…"
Concepts overlapped rapidly in his mind.
"A layered world… organizations… power not yet fully understood…"
Then—
"Interesting."
He raised his head slightly and smiled faintly, calmly, without any visible threat, and said in a completely natural tone:
"There's no need for all that. What happened was nothing more than a coincidence that placed me in the right place at the right time, and I only did what anyone would have done… or at least, what they're supposed to do."
Inside—
"A clean lie… acceptable… and pleasant to their ears."
Shin smiled slightly, then said:
"Even if it was a coincidence, some coincidences change people's fates. And what you did today… is not something that can be simply ignored."
He paused, then continued in a more open tone:
"And for that… I would like to repay this debt in a way worthy of what you've done, not just with words."
He raised his head slightly and added:
"I invite you to our sect, as an honored guest for tonight, where you can rest, eat, and be in a safe place—at least until things become clearer for you."
He fell silent for a moment, then said:
"But before that…"
He looked at him directly.
"What is your name?"
Faiser paused for a fraction of a second.
Not because he didn't know the answer.
But because he decided how to present it.
"Faiser."
He said it calmly.
"You can call me Faiser."
Shin nodded, as if carefully committing the name to memory, then said:
"A pleasure to meet you, Faiser."
Faiser raised his eyes slightly, looked at him directly this time, and replied with the same calmness:
"The same here… Shin."
A simple exchange.
But—
It was not simple.
Inside—
"This person… is not just a concerned brother… but a trained leader."
"Cautious… but not foolish."
"Can be used… but carefully."
He paused.
Then—
"Useful."
Shin smiled and said in a lighter tone:
"So… will you accept my invitation?"
A brief silence.
And within that silence—
Faiser's mind worked quickly.
"It would be a golden opportunity to accept his invitation since I am just lost in this strange world, and the most important thing now is information."
"The best current opportunity."
"And also…"
A slight glance toward the girl.
"An additional reason to enter."
Then—
"No reason to refuse."
He raised his head and said:
"With pleasure… Mister Shin."
Then added with a faint smile:
"Though I don't think you like being called 'Mister.'"
Shin paused for a moment…
Then burst out laughing:
"Hahaha! Indeed, I'm not that old!"
He gestured with his hand:
"Just call me Shin."
"Alright… Shin."
Faiser said it calmly.
Then Shin suddenly looked at him, as if remembering something important, and said:
"But tell me… were you hurt while you were with the men of the Red Bear Sect?"
Faiser paused for a brief moment.
Then said:
"No… it didn't come to that. There was only… some conversation, nothing more, before you intervened."
"Conversation…?"
Shin repeated it slightly, but did not press further.
"Good… that's better."
In the background—
The girl was watching.
Quietly this time.
But her eyes…
Never left Faiser.
"This man…"
She thought.
"He's too calm…"
"His words are natural… his actions convincing…"
She paused.
Then—
"But that aura…"
She shivered slightly.
"It wasn't an illusion… I'm sure of it."
She looked at his hands.
Then at his eyes.
"His seed is dormant… and yet… something like that…?"
She breathed slowly.
"Either I'm mistaken…"
She stopped.
"Or this person…"
She looked at him again.
"…is not what he seems at all."
She sighed…
"…but I think I'm still exhausted from escaping those men… so I was probably imagining it."
At that moment—
Faiser turned slightly.
His eyes passed over her.
For only a second.
But—
It was enough.
She froze.
She felt something strange.
Not fear.
But—
A sensation…
That he…
"Sees more than he should."
Faiser smiled faintly.
Then looked away and said with relaxed features:
"This girl is strange… she looks like a little child."
He sighed…
Then raised his head slightly, looking at the stretching trees around them, then at the sky barely visible through the branches.
"Hmmm… a new world…"
"New rules…"
"Strange powers…"
He paused.
Then smiled.
A deeper smile.
"And a sect… that will take me straight to the heart of all this."
He took a step forward.
Then another.
Calmly.
As if everything had become clear.
Or—
At least…
Clear enough to start playing.
Silence spread for minutes…
After that… the group moved through the forest in steady steps, their footsteps blending with the rustling leaves, as if they were part of the place, not strangers to it.
Faiser walked among them quietly, neither ahead nor behind, positioned in a way that allowed him to see everything without being the center of attention.
He did not speak.
But—
This time, the silence did not last long.
The girl stepped lightly forward until she walked beside him. She looked at him for a few moments, as if hesitating, then said in a voice less shaky than before:
"I didn't get the chance to thank you properly earlier… everything happened so fast, and it was confusing. But… even so, I can't ignore that you put yourself in danger just to buy some time. And even if you say it was a coincidence, I don't believe someone steps into a situation like that… without a reason."
Faiser did not turn to her directly.
But he heard her.
So he replied calmly:
"Sometimes… the reason doesn't matter as much as the result. And if I start looking for justification for every step I take… I'll be too late for the moment when I need to act."
She slowed slightly, as if she hadn't expected that answer, then said:
"That's not the answer of an ordinary person… but of someone used to making decisions without hesitation, even when the outcome isn't guaranteed."
Faiser paused briefly.
Then said:
"And hesitation… would it have saved you?"
She fell silent.
She found no direct answer.
She only lowered her gaze slightly, then murmured:
"…No."
From the other side, the young man turned toward them, having noticed the conversation, then said in a light tone, though it carried curiosity:
"It seems you've started weaving a deeper conversation than I expected, but that's fine… better than silence that makes the road feel longer than it is."
Then he looked directly at Faiser and added:
"Honestly… I still find it difficult to understand you. Your behavior doesn't match someone who claims he was lost, and the way you speak… doesn't resemble someone lost in a forest he doesn't know."
He paused, then continued:
"Usually, people in your situation either break down… or cling to any chance of survival. But you… act as if you're simply… observing."
Faiser raised his gaze toward him this time and said calmly:
"Maybe because I don't see much difference between being lost here… or anywhere else."
The young man paused.
Then said in a lighter tone:
"A strange answer… but interesting."
The girl spoke again, now more calmly:
"At least, that's better than those who collapse at the first sign of danger… I don't think someone like that would have stayed alive long enough to get here."
The young man smiled slightly, then said:
"True… and that's exactly why I think his presence with us now… may not be just a coincidence, as he claims."
A brief silence followed.
But this time…
It wasn't heavy.
It was closer to a comfortable calm.
They continued walking.
The trees gradually became less dense.
The light grew clearer.
And the air… lighter.
The young man raised his hand slightly, then pointed ahead, where the outline of something began to appear between the trees.
"We're close."
He said it clearly.
Then added:
"There…"
He pointed with his finger.
Through the light mist, the shape of a large structure began to appear—high roofs, frameworks extending between the trees, as if it were part of the forest itself, not imposed upon it.
"This… is the sect's headquarters."
He said it calmly, though there was a hint of pride in his voice.
The girl paused slightly, as if regaining some sense of reassurance, then took a deep breath.
As for Faiser…
He simply looked.
Calmly.
For a long time.
Without commenting immediately.
His eyes were not only observing the structure…
But everything around it.
Entrances.
Movement.
Distances.
Silence.
Then—
He smiled.
A faint smile.
But not spontaneous.
And said quietly, as if speaking to himself:
"A place like this…"
He paused briefly.
Then continued:
"Doesn't look like a refuge."
A brief silence.
Then he raised his eyes slightly, looked forward, and said:
"But rather… like a story far greater than it appears."
He paused.
Then added in a deeper tone:
"And the strange thing…"
His smile widened slightly.
"…is that I don't feel like I've arrived at a safe place…"
He looked at the structure again.
Then said:
"But at the beginning of something… I was never meant to enter… Is what I'm doing now right… or not…"
Faiser closed his eyes…
Then opened them.
His eyes now carried an unsettling feeling…
Then he said to himself:
"No matter what… I will find all the answers… and I will destroy anyone who stands in my way… just as I did in my previous life."
Silence.
Just a single moment.
But it was enough.
Because a subtle sensation—
Passed through the trees.
As if the forest itself…
Was listening to what Faiser had said to himself….