“You’re still here, huh?” Stella asked, hovering by Kim Hajun’s head. The well-dressed man was sitting down on a bench made of a tree’s root. “Aren’t you supposed to be busy saving the tower? You still have the spare time to visit our residence?”

“I’m concerned,” Kim Hajun said, staring at the blue temple within the middle of the forest.

“About Melody,” Stella said and nodded her head in the temple’s direction, where the group was standing around. A pink-haired woman stood behind everyone else, fidgeting in place. “Of course.”

“Yes,” Kim Hajun said. His forehead scrunched up. “Wait, no.” He scratched his head and spat out a sigh. “I mean, yes, I’m concerned about Melody because in my prophetic dream, she played an important role in keeping people alive. If something happens to her now, it’ll be the same as letting future victims die.”

“Right,” Stella said. “You’re absolutely not concerned about her feelings for you at all.” The fairy queen grinned and flew ahead of Kim Hajun while whirling around to get a good look at his expression. “I could tell you left a bad impression on her earlier. There’s a little part inside of you that’s worried she doesn’t like you, isn’t there? Admit it; I’m a fairy, and I’m very good at reading people’s emotions. I have to be to mess with them properly.”

“Is that something you should be proud of?” Kim Hajun asked and shook his head. “It’s true; I worry about people’s first impressions of me, but that applies to everyone. The better impression you leave someone with, the more you value you can gain from them. The concern I show for Melody is only that; my heart belongs solely to Gaegukja Yeol.”

“I knew you weren’t a good person,” Stella said and nodded her head. “You think way too much.” She flew over to Vur’s side and looked around. “What’s happening here? You guys still haven’t gone in?”

“Yeah,” Tafel said. “I don’t want Vur to break open the door, but he doesn’t want to give up thirty days’ worth of food and water.”

Stella tilted her head to the side. “Why don’t you want Vur to break open the door?”

“Well, it’s our temple now,” Tafel said, crossing her hands over her chest. She looked up at the blue structure and nodded her head. “Since we can’t bring the dwarves into the tower just yet, if Vur breaks the door, who’s going to fix it?”

“And why do you have to fix it?” Stella asked, her head tilting to the other side.

“Because if we don’t, it’ll look ugly?”

Stella turned her torso to take a good look at the blue temple. “It looks ugly now; it’s too perfect,” she said. “A little destruction would do it some good, don’t you think?”

Tafel furrowed her brow. “Do you really think that, or are you just taking Vur’s side?”

“I think everything looks better when it’s a little broken,” Stella said. A bright smile appeared on her face. “People too.”

Tafel glanced at Vur. He didn’t seem to be bothered by what the fairy had said. “How about this?” the demon said. “Vur, close your eyes.”

Vur closed his eyes.

Tafel’s horns glowed silver, and she opened up a portal. She reached inside, retrieving barrel after barrel, placing them in front of the temple doors. After a few trips, she exhaled and wiped at her forehead with the sleeve of her robe. “Alright,” she said. “You can look now.”

Vur opened his eyes as he turned his head towards the temple entrance. He blinked at the orange, yellow, and green fruits inside the barrels. “Mangos?” A second later, the barrels were engulfed by a blue light radiating out of the temple, and the fruits inside disappeared.

“Yep,” Tafel said. “I know you don’t like mangos, so you weren’t going to eat those anyway.”

“Then why did you have so many?” Stella asked.

Tafel shrugged. “I like them.”

Melody’s forehead wrinkled upon seeing the doors of the temple swing open as the light coming out of it faded away. No matter which way she looked at it, that was definitely the Temple of the Water Lord, the temple she had been in before her untimely demise. “Excuse me,” the pink-haired woman whispered to Kax. “Is that the Temple of the Water Lord?”

Kax glanced down at Melody before shrugging. He whispered, “Ask her,” and pointed at Miranda. A shudder ran down Miranda’s spine, and the bald monk shuffled to the side, standing in a way that’d definitely attract Lindyss’ attention if Melody made so much as a peep.

A furrow appeared on Melody’s brow, and after thinking about it for a bit, she decided it’d be best to keep her mouth shut. Even if she suspected her death had something to do with the temple and people in front of her, what was she going to do? Question a god? Even if she had a serious misunderstanding, and she wasn’t actually living as a spirit inside Feathered Serpent’s holy kingdom, it was still a stupid idea to bug him; she’d die for real.

Vur entered the temple, and Melody walked around the others to approach the temple steps. Tafel met her gaze, and Melody nodded, her face turning red from the stares of the people behind her. Since Feathered Serpent had told her to follow him, then that’s what she’d do. Even if no one else was going to enter the temple, and the thought of being alone with him caused cold sweat to form all over her body, she’d still go inside. Melody took in a deep breath and entered the temple. Where had Feathered Serpent gone?

There was a cracking sound, and Melody didn’t have to determine which way Vur went. He walked towards her from the main hall leading into the temple with a blue orb held in his left hand. Melody wasn’t sure what to say or do, so she bowed, her body bending at a ninety-degree angle. Vur blinked and raised one eyebrow at her before shaking his head and walking around her, exiting through the doors.