Silence ruled as shock expressions filled the faces of Max, Mike, Nich, and Julie as Lena walked out of the room like a god exiting hell.

Lena closed her eyes and brushed her palms on her face, then pressed the door button on the elevator.

A mechanical sound erupted as the door opened, and when she entered and pressed the arrow showing upward, she exhaled sharply and leaned on the left side of the elevator as it moved up.

The moment the elevator stopped, Lena walked out without hesitation. She didn't stop, look at the faces of all those standing in the hallway and staring at her in shock, until she moved past a new soldier who had the same blue eyes as Lieutenant Gray.

Lena's eyes widened while she watched the young guy move toward the direction leading to the main entrance.

'No! That can't be him,' she said low in her thoughts and shook her head, letting the comparison going on in her head flash out.

When Lena turned from the guy's direction and walked to her door, she unlocked it slowly, entered, and threw herself on the king-size bed filled with white-colored bedsheets.

At first, she only hid her face in the huge cushion, but as more and more wind flew into the room, sobbing sounds echoed.

One step at a time, all the footsteps moving slowly and hastily died down, letting emptiness fill the hallways.

…

At a far distance away from Bion City, to the shore of the sea closer to the Western Temple, flickers of light shimmered.

The courtyard at the entrance of the temple breathed in half-darkness, as cool air carrying the faint scent of bamboo leaves and salt slipped from the gate to the pillars holding the buildings.

Outside the temple, at the left side of the bamboo forest, where the thick ancient bamboo tree was, dust hung motionless until the leader of the Radiant Palm's foot touched the ground and cracked the frail root.

His wine-colored robe brushed on the leaf-filled floor, stirring both the leaves and the dust into a slow, quiet drift.

Warm water moved over cold skin, poured from the shallow bowls, running in thin streams that darkened the wood beneath the tree.

Each monk took his turn, steadying their hands and moving in a practiced but careful stance.

When the water touched the motionless bodies placed on the slab of the tree, a breeze slipped through the stalks of the trees, lifting the loose strands of hair of the only female body among the men.

One after another, they clothed the female body in a long robe that covered it from the shoulder to the toe.

When the robe settled on all the bodies, the dust spiraling around the thick tree seemed to settle too, sinking back to the base of the tree as if the tree itself had exhaled.

…

The monks washed themselves after preparing the corpses for the final cremation. With careful stances, they stood in groups of four and carried the entire seven-foot board the bodies were laid on, and followed the Radiant Palm leader.

As they moved through the narrow path from the tree to the shore, the moon's rays lighted the faces of the corpses, almost as if blessing them for the last time.

Dry leaves stirred and followed, scraping softly along the bamboo at their sides as they neared the entrance of the bamboo forest.

The air grew sharper, cooler, and filled with salt and wet sand and stone.

Countless monks waited at the shore, some wearing white-colored robes, red-colored robes, wine-colored robes, and black-and-white-colored robes.

The waves moved steadily, folding into themselves and breaking again, turning into a soapy bubble nature.

Each step the monks carrying the corpses took brought the sound of wood clinging closer and louder, until they stopped at the raised platform arranged at the shore.

Two of each four men loosened their grips on the board, climbed the platforms, and carried the bodies from the board, holding the other two standing in the sand.

With careful precision, they tilted the heads of the corpses straight—only those that had heads—and descended from the platform.

Robes snapped lightly in the breeze as the waves stirred in an angry manner, splashing cold water on the base of the platforms.

For ten minutes, the leader of every cult moved forward, raised their arms, stretched them toward the platforms, and chanted.

As if the sea had ears, the waves began to calm slowly.

And when the last words exited their mouths and they placed their arms at their sides, a tornado-like air splashed on the chests of all the corpses, shaking them slightly before moving to the next.

But as the air reached the only female corpse, it moved to her temple and vanished.

…

Jude, who hadn't joined the Whispering Wind Cult group, stood by the side of Kai, crying heavily like a baby.

When he tilted his gaze at Kai, his tears stopped as he found no tears on the boy's face.

"Kai…" Jude said in a low voice and placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. But at the moment his palm touched the boy's skin, he drew his hand back as if he'd touched a live wire with wet hands.

When Kai turned his head slowly toward Jude, Jude swallowed hard when he saw the boy's eyes glowing wildly.

Meanwhile, when he tilted his gaze back at the platform Clara's corpse was on, memories stirred in his mind: from the first time he saw her; the time she mocked him at the barracks' cafeteria; the night she stood by his side after Lieutenant Gray brought him wounded to her; and the day they departed when he was tasked to join the Shadow Cult.

And when the monks carrying the torches of fire lighted the platform, Kai's knees slammed into the sand. His breathing started to intensify, flowing in and out of his lungs like melted steel.

Hearing the muted popping sounds, Kai's head raised slowly while his eyes focused on the dancing flames at the top of the platform.

He remained quiet until the last popping sound echoed. "NO!!!" he screamed in a loud voice that sent a chill down the spines of all the monks, from the junior disciples to the senior disciples, and to the leaders.

Yung Mai, who stood several meters away from the boy, rushed forward when he saw the boy stand up and want to throw himself into the burning fire.

"Kai!" he said, screaming and grabbing the boy's arm just an inch away from the fire, and dragged him backward.

Yung Mai wrapped his arms around the boy and tried all he could to console him, but no matter how much he did, the boy didn't cooperate.

Four hours they stood there, letting the sky reel like a disc. And when the early morning sky appeared, smoke stretched into the sky.

At the base where the platforms were, only burned ashes remained.

From the entrance of the bamboo forest, monks holding prestigious jars rushed forward and scraped the ashes into the jars, leaving the darkened sand untouched.

One after another, they handed the ashes to the cults, but as they reached Yung Mai's side, Yung Mai unwrapped his arms from the boy.

With tear lines filling his face, Kai stretched out his hand, collected the jar, and placed it on his chest, clutching his arms around it as if it were a baby.

…

Meanwhile, as the morning sun hit the roofs of the buildings at the barracks, Lena walked out of her room at great speed.

Reaching the door of Jinx, she knocked twice, then entered. Seeing the lady sleeping happily without bothering to close her door, Lena sighed.

"Wake up!" She tapped on Jinx's unwrapped thigh that glittered as the rays of the sun shone through the window and landed in a diamond shape on Jinx's skin.

"Mmm, Mike, stop," Jinx hissed and turned, opening her eyes slightly, and then closed them again.

"Get up!" Lena commanded again, slamming her palm hard on the thigh, which echoed with a loud slapping sound.

"OUCH!" Jinx frowned and screamed, jolting up in an instant and wrapping her fingers around the spot where her skin had reddened.

"Huh!" Her face tensed the moment she noticed Lena standing there, instead of the dead Mike she'd dreamt of.

And when she tilted her gaze at the door and found it open, Jinx quickly raised the cloth covering her, checked if her pants were on, and then tore her gaze to Lena.

"Please, am I the one who opened the door for you, or did you come to find it open?" Jinx said, wrapping the cloth around her entire body and moving from the bed.

Seeing the straight face of Lena, Jinx opted not to answer her question but became eager to know why she'd received this sudden visit.

"Tell me everything you know about the kid," Lena instructed, folding her arms at her chest as she watched Jinx change.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.