"The Nagashi Tribe?" The words reverberated in his mind endlessly. It felt as if he had heard them before… But when?

When did he hear that name?

The wyvern roared as it flew closer and closer to the ancient serpent statue, as if to announce its presence to those living there. Soren watched as the tiny specks grew into homes and buildings made of stone. Countless people roamed the streets openly, making the village surprisingly lively even in this cold weather.

"Hold on tightly," Uruk said as the wyvern finally landed at the center of the village. Soren watched as the tribe's villagers gathered around them in awe. A few warriors even pointed their spears at them:

"Uruk! Isha! What is the meaning of this?!" A guard yelled out to them as they slowly disembarked off the back of the giant Spirit Beast.

"There's a Spirit Beast stampede heading our way! Get me to the elders!"

The news shocked everyone there. Gossip began to spread.

"The Ashari are marching their way here? By the Serpent's grace…"

"What should we do?!" Someone else cried.

"We have to prepare! The barrier might not hold up!"

As panic spread across the villagers, Soren watched as a bit of their ire also turned to them instead. Bringing foreigners to the tribe during a crisis was not exactly the best idea.

"Who the hell are those two?!" One of the guards yelled while pointing his spear. Isha glanced at them for a moment then looked back at the guard.

"Foreigners we spotted while making our way back. We decided to bring them with us to gather supplies while they head out for their journey. Rest assured, we can seal the anima for the time being!"

"You brought rogue magi to our tribe? Are you insane, Isha?!"

She tried to argue but it fell on deaf ears. Their suspicious stares grew into anger.

"Get out! You aren't welcome here!"

"Don't you have your six gods to help you? Go ask them, not us!"

"Right, right! When have these southerner bastards ever helped us? Why should we help them? We already have a mess on our hands!"

Soren and Myrin stared at each other silently, contemplating their next moves. His mind was already racing with spellforms, preparing to cast them to life at a moment's notice.

"Enough!" A boisterous roar echoed across the village plaza. Silence once again returned to the snowy plains.

Soren watched as the crowd split apart, allowing a man as tall as Rodrick in height to pass through. His flowing white hair paired with a fur coat made of plucked feathers and scales only added to his menacing demeanor. With one cold look, every villager didn't dare to argue any more. But what surprised him most was the scepter he held in his hand. It was similar in design to Isha's—but vastly different in stature.

"Elden Kaalan!" Isha yelled with slight relief masking her face.

The older man looked at the pair of sibling hunters then at him and Myrin—his face remaining stoic, as if he too was a stone statue.

"Do none of you have any shame? Is your worship of the serpent nothing more than an act? How do you expect to be blessed in this frigid hell when you cannot even honor our traditions?" His voice cracked like ice. "If you cannot even pretend to be kind, then perhaps what befell our tribe fifty years ago was warranted!"

They all lowered their heads, unable to say anything back. Seeing this, Kaalan looked at the two foreign magi and nodded.

"You two, come here. I will personally seal your anima. Do not resist."

Soren raised his hand. "Before that, I would like it if you made an exception."

"An exception?" Isha and the rest turned to him. A sense of confusion setting on their faces.

"There is a spell I am perpetually casting on myself that cannot be deactivated. If it is stopped, I will die. I hope that your seal doesn't affect it."

Myrin turned to him—his frown showcasing his concern. This was the first time he was hearing about this…

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As he awaited Kaalan's answer, Soren couldn't help but sigh. That cursed corruption… Because of the disappearance of the [Traveler] blessing, Soren had to rely on the Fairy Bind spell's obfuscation of his Three Layers to keep himself safe. The Echoes of the Rift and the countless other maddening information he had obtained was not something he could erase. Not yet at least. Without that spell being active, he would die on the spot, or even become something else entirely…

Of course, explaining that to Isha and Uruk during the journey would have only delayed their negotiations further. He decided to wait until they were at the tribe to tell them.

Kaalan looked deeply into his amber eyes. The madness within brewed like flames, obvious to the old elder… Soren didn't know what he did, but he was sure that the man before him could somehow tell that he was telling the truth. After a few moments, he heard him click his tongue.

"Very well. But I will have to watch over you much more closely now."

Soren shrugged, "That's fine with me. As long as I stay alive."

As he said this, the pair of magi approached the old shaman and closed their eyes. Without hesitating, Kaalan planted his scepter into the snow and expanded his Soul Realm. Quickly, words in Scripted Runic formed on his lips:

"Anima Seal."

Just like that, a strange feeling washed over his body. It felt as if there were ants crawling on his skin. And more than that, his ability to expand his Soul Realm ceased to exist…

So this is how it feels to be a normal human again… It was strange. He almost couldn't fathom how he had lived his entire life this way. Over the span of months, he had already gotten used to using his anima—it was no different from simply moving his arms and legs or breathing in the air… To have that ability restricted was strangely uncomfortable.

Still, his seal was just as Kaalan promised, not enough to fully deactivate his Fairy Bind spell. Though, he did feel that its powers had waned…

Thankfully, I designed its spellform to allow for it to fuel itself on its own… Even when he was unconscious, the spell would continue to feed off his own anima to protect him from the corruption.

"For now," Kaalan addressed him. "I cannot have you follow me to the Serpent Wall." He glanced at the guard next to him. "See them to their own chambers."

Without question, the guard did as he was told and dragged them forcefully to a distant stone building. Isha and Uruk turned to follow after Kaalan, informing him of what they saw in Statue Town. Soren gave them one final look before turning around and following the directions of the Sentinel guiding them.

"Stay here for now." He said in a rather nasty tone. "I will be watching your every move, so don't even try anything. Hand over your belongings too."

He was slightly reluctant to do so, but they had no choice. Just as he had finished pulling out the spatial bracelet from his wrist and handing over his Soul Weapon, he heard a rather familiar voice call out his name in surprise:

"Soren?..."

Soren and Myrin tilted their necks slightly. The visage of someone they had never expected to see brightly illuminated their eyes… A girl short in stature, wearing a violet robe with a fur coat above it for protection from the elements. Her amber eyes seemed to shine like reflective mirrors as she gazed at the two magi in awe. Even her tail stopped moving for a few moments, caught in the moment.

"Cassia?!" Soren couldn't believe it.

The guard looked at who had approached and frantically lowered his head, "Holy Shrine Maiden! What brings you here?"

She did not answer his question. Instead, with her arms spread wide, she sprinted ahead of the two guards watching over her and tackled the pair to the ground—hugging both in each arm.

"Soren! Myrin! I… I can't believe it!" Her voice cracked with each syllable. Cassia's vision turned blurry as she glanced at the two warmly. At that moment, neither the cold nor the wind mattered. It felt as if all her worries were washed away.

"I… I can't believe it! I can't believe it!" She repeated over and over. Soren watched this scene unfold without uttering a word. The person before him… It really was Cassia. The same Cassia he knew.

Maybe it was due to how perilous their journey was, but being away from her for more than a month felt longer than a century…

Myrin also felt the same. "Is that really you Cassia?.." He almost couldn't believe his own eyes. But it was undeniable. Her hair, amber eyes, and even the wagging of her tail were all the same… It warmed his heart beyond what any flame could in this frigid hell. His junior apprentice, the sister he had always cherished was finally in his arms again.

Despite not seeing each other for only longer than a month, her disappearance weighed heavily upon the Elven Songster. He had always managed to hide his emotions well behind a mask, leaking only the faintest of melancholy in his tunes. But this time, he couldn't hold back the tears.

"Praise the Blossoms…" He hugged her tightly. "Where in the Six Divines did you go?! Why did you leave without telling anyone! Do you know how worried we were?!"

Soren also couldn't resist scolding her, "I tried divining your location several times and failed… We scoured the entire guild after you disappeared… How can you do this to me? To us?!"

As she held tightly to both of them, burying her head between their shoulders, Cassia wept. "I had no choice…"

The pair of magi looked at each other confused. Suddenly, their bittersweet moment was interrupted.

"Excuse me…" The hesitant guard said in a wary tone. He was the one assigned to watch over them, but with how the situation unfolded, the poor guy didn't know what to do. After a few moments, Cassia lifted her head from the both of them and glanced at the man slowly—wiping away her tears.

"Give them back their belongings. They are with me."

"But I—"

"Are you going against my orders?"

The man eventually relented, handing Soren his Soul Weapon and Spatial Bracelet. Seeing this, Soren and Myrin finally connected the dots together.

"You're the Shrine Maiden they speak of?!"

She chuckled with a slight smile. "I guess that's what they call me now…"

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