CHAPTER 48: CHAPTER 47: PARADISE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE FOREST (22)

The masked man didn’t waste a single second observing. He raised his gun immediately and ran into the wide street.

He shoved his shoulder violently between people while scanning the crowd with his eyes, searching for any trace of Orion.

Oliver tried to catch up with him, but he lost him instantly within the moving tide of bodies that never stopped.

The scene was overwhelming for all of them. Too many faces, loud voices everywhere, and the city was larger than anything they had ever seen in their lives.

Oliver, the sage, Allen, and the rest stood in the middle of the road.

None of them dared to move for a moment.

None of them had ever seen a real city before, except Aria, who stepped out of the tower after the others.

And the moment she stepped outside, the tower vanished behind them and turned into a massive stone building that matched the rest, as if it had been standing there for decades.

On the other side, the masked man pushed through the crowd while Tell slightly lifted her head from under his coat, her narrow eyes fixed on him.

"You tried to kill him just a moment ago, and you failed. Why are you looking for him now?"

"Based on what the child said and everything I’ve seen, this man is not the agent."

Tell shook her head.

"I am extremely confused by everything you’re saying."

"Calm down. I’ll finish my part of the agreement. It won’t take long before we get out of here."

She sighed.

"I’ll trust you anyway. It’s not like I have any other choice."

At that moment, the masked man spotted Orion’s back disappearing behind a group of pedestrians, so he rushed forward and ran toward him immediately.

On the far side of the city, Oliver and the others wandered with their mouths half open, their eyes darting in every direction.

Oliver bumped into a huge man carrying a crate of fruit, and the man turned toward him.

"Watch where you’re walking."

Oliver lifted his hands and shook his head quickly.

"Sorry."

The man didn’t say anything else and walked away.

The massive stone buildings lined both sides of the road, alongside small stalls that exuded the smell of fresh fruit.

Allen was the first to speak as he looked around with wide eyes.

"What’s the next step? What do we do now?"

Aria, who was in her younger form this time, answered while stretching.

"We enjoy ourselves. Oliver’s father will spend his time exploring this city and looking for an exit, and all we need to do is wait."

Everyone slowly turned toward Oliver.

Maron asked while staring at him curiously,

"You mean the masked man?"

Aria waved her hand.

"Yes. Who else?"

Oliver frowned.

"For the last time, he is not my father."

Then he turned back to them, trying to convince them.

"Guys, don’t believe this. He’s not my father."

Despite his insistence, they all seemed to believe Aria completely. Even Allen nodded to himself as if he was connecting the dots.

...

At that same time, the masked man was chasing Orion through the main streets.

Orion ran while clutching his head with both hands, swaying with every step, on the verge of collapsing.

The crowds made it harder for the masked man, pushing him sometimes and blocking the way at other times.

Orion forced his way through until he entered a narrow alley with no people.

There, he collapsed on the ground, his hand squeezing his head.

The masked man reached him shortly after he fell.

His gun was in one hand, the other gripping the bag.

Orion dropped to his knees, the agony striking his skull the moment he remembered what the masked man said about betraying his people.

He couldn’t recall clear details, but the words made guilt twist inside him.

Hundreds of years inside that cell had made him lose so much of his past.

With time, the memories faded day by day.

He remembered little of the journey through the forest after the kingdom’s destruction and meeting the mythical creature.

But everything before that his life in his kingdom, what it looked like, or what happened during that period had vanished.

The masked man lowered the arm holding the gun, then dropped his other hand from the bag.

On the ground around Orion, the black mist stretched and wrapped around his legs and arms, climbing slowly up his body.

Orion lifted his head with difficulty.

"Tell me you were lying. Tell me you weren’t telling the truth. I didn’t sacrifice my people."

The masked man stayed silent for a moment, then finally spoke in a low voice,

"You know deep down that it’s the truth. Otherwise you wouldn’t be in this condition."

Orion shut his eyes for a moment.

"I... I created this place for them. I wanted to protect them, to give them refuge."

"You sacrificed a large number of them to build this place. And even if we assume you didn’t, look around. None of them remain here anyway. You were the cause of their destruction."

Orion leaned against the wall, lifting his eyes toward the masked man.

"Who are you? Really... who are you?"

"Just a traveler."

Orion let out a short, dry laugh as his eyes glowed purple, the black mist around him growing thicker.

"It seems you’re the most remarkable traveler this place has seen since it was created."

He pressed his back against the wall.

"What do you say, traveler? Shall we make a deal?"

"What kind of deal?"

"I want you to help me recover my memories. In return, I will help you eliminate that mythical creature you’re hunting. After all, it’s the reason behind everything I’m suffering from."

The masked man tilted his head slightly.

"You’re assuming I have the means to do that."

"Yes, Mythical Creatures hunter. I believe you have more than one way to make it happen."

The masked man didn’t reply immediately, but his eyes narrowed.

After a brief silence, he lifted his arm straight forward and extended his hand toward Orion.

"Deal."

Orion grabbed his hand with both of his.

"Deal."

The moment they shook hands, a faint purple light burst between their hands, spreading around them and leaving a glowing purple mark on Orion’s hand.

A similar mark appeared on the masked man’s shoulder beneath his clothing.

Orion looked at the mark on his hand.

"I look forward to working with you, Mythical Creatures hunter."

The masked man didn’t respond, his face staying rigid despite most of it being covered.