Siyu grits his teeth and walks out of the inn, Sunshine following from behind. Axel the Faded… I finally meet the bastard… And he seems to want something from me… Siyu thinks, processing the encounter, as he let his feet take him away.

As Siyu thinks through the situation he couldn’t help but become enraged. This bastard is spinning some sort of tale. Me, Frey, and this other kid… Siyu thinks before taking a breath. Find Frey first. At least I know where he's staying… He thinks.

…

…

Axel ate a spoonful of stew before chewing into the bread. Our first encounter wasn’t bad. The boy restrained himself. He thinks, processing what occurred. As he thinks of the boy’s situation he couldn’t help but shake his head. Three things can not be long hidden… The sun, the moon and the truth… He thinks, somewhat worried for the boy.

There were three stages to being recognized as a demon. The first, was to be recognized by your victim. The second, was to be recognized by a witness. And the third, was to be recognized by the world.

After the first stage, the path of cultivation was usually cut off. But for Siyu… There was something special. For some reason the world allowed his cultivation to continue.

Axel didn’t care for the reason. All he knew was that this created an opportunity for the boy… If he could make it to the grandmaster stage… It would be like a stairway to heaven… Axel thinks, greed flashing across his eyes.

Alas, these were things he could no longer reach for. But for once. In this lifetime. He wished to see it with his own eyes. For someone to ascend this world…

…

…

Siyu knocks on the door, a little impatiently.

The door opens to a beautiful woman with red hair.

Siyu lets out a sigh. “Frey! Come on out! It’s time to go!” He calls out into the house.

A bandaged man walks up to the door, smiling bitterly before putting on his shirt.

The lady turns to him, looking somewhat worried. “Are you going?” She asks, feeling a little bitter.

“Alas, Rosie. It’s time for us to part. I had a lovely time.” He says, giving the girl a kiss on the cheek.

Siyu lets out a sigh. “I forgot to say. Your wife was poisoned.” He says, feeling somewhat bitter himself.

Frey frowns and gives Rosie a quick hug before exiting the house with a whistle. Quickly, a little fox followed after.

…

…

Siyu hands over a letter as he walks forward.

Frey reads it and lets out a sigh. “So we’re going home then?” He asks.

“Not yet. I owe the Blooming Flower Cult a favour. Then I think we can use them to get home.” Siyu says.

Frey stretches out his arms. “Is it safe to he walking around out here? I mean we’ll probably get caught right?” He says, somewhat worried.

Siyu lets out a sigh. “I’m a bit more awake now, so I’m actively avoiding any patrols. But you’re right, we’re not safe here.” He says, leading the way forward.

“By the way,” Frey says, sniffing the air. “Do you smell blood?” He asks.

Siyu shakes his head and ignores him.

…

…

Siyu took the winding path away from the village, walking every step with half-measures, testing the path ahead.

Eventually, they were outside the vicinity and Siyu could better sense the general direction of danger.

In this way they moved forward, always forward.

In this way they made it to the Blooming Flower Cult compound.