A speeding, blasting sound erupted as the black Mercedes shoved through the silent road at the center of the forest at the front of Bion City.

Leaves drifted at the back of the car, spinning and landing on the black-coated road that seemed to shimmer with life as the rays of the moon landed on it.

Tiny particles moved beside the car, sticking themselves and dirtying it as dust swelled up on the tyres.

The inside remained cold while the outside remained hot, almost as if they were driving through a bomb blast.

…

Tiny drops of tears traced down Jinx's eyes as she kept her gaze on the trees that reeled in the tinted window she leaned her face on.

A snowflake shape dressed the window as a breeze exited from Jinx the moment she exhaled sharply.

She swelled her mouth inward after she turned and saw the doctor's eyes fixed on the road ahead.

Silence ruled in the car for a couple of hours, giving way for the rumbling tyres take the applause.

Through shattered roads, collapsed cities, farmlands, and deserted lands, the car drove through without stopping.

As soon as the sun rose from the east side and brightened the road ahead of them, the speed at which the car was moving slowed when Lena raised her leg slightly from the accelerator.

With two inhales and exhales, her face saddened when she spotted a man, a lady, and a little girl walking by the side of the road, laughing.

A sobbing smile tore on her lips as she tilted her gaze from the family. A groaning sound erupted from the steering wheel the moment her grip on it tightened.

…

Moving into a road that had been struck with traffic, Lena cracked her neck, pressed a button on the dashboard, and loosened her grip from the steering wheel.

Jinx's eyes widened with shock as she stared at Lena, relaxing her body.

Though she had loosened her body, the car never stopped moving.

'Is the car moving automatically?' Jinx swallowed hard as thoughts reeled in her head.

She forced a smile when she noticed the doctor was staring at her.

…

"How long have you known the boy?" Lena's smile faded as she awaited Jinx's answer.

"Mm… I've known him for five years, I think."

"…Five years! Wow, then meaning you know what he likes and doesn't, right?"

"…Yeah. For Kai, all he wants is to be left alone." Jinx laughed shyly. "Forgive me for my actions."

"…Oh, it's normal to behave strangely with someone you have no idea of. I'm a stranger to you, but you're not a stranger to me."

"…Is that so?"

"…Yeah. I used to get information from…" Lena's face shifted from joy to silence, "…never mind."

"So, do you think he will simply follow us?"

"…I don't really know, maybe."

"…Well, since you're here with me, I think he wouldn't hesitate, because he knows you more than me."

"…Yeah, that's why I even stated that I will escort you."

Car horns poured on them like rain, and in that instant, Lena wrapped her arms around the steer as she made the seat jolt up.

…

Meanwhile, elsewhere, Hu inhaled and exhaled sharply, "This is the end of us."

He shook his head, then turned toward the direction of the Radiant Palm meditation chamber.

The coughs continued while the blood also kept spilling on the ground and both his beard and his wine-colored robe.

The air smelled of death as he entered through the meditation door and closed it shut.

A brown leaf flew by the door and lay flat on the ground.

Soft winds flew by the walls of the building, carrying a silent echo that seemed to scream as it moved through the open and closed windows.

Shadows stretched long in the large courtyard as the sun's rays shone brightly on the roofs of the buildings.

At the center of the bamboo forest, two squirrels paused mid-crawl, clapped their arms together, and stared in the direction of the temple's gate, almost as if they were praying to their god.

The squirrels stopped their act and jolted into the holes in the bamboo the moment a wood-crunching sound echoed as one branch of the bamboo fell.

Leaves spun from the ground and drifted to the exit of the bamboo forest. Seabird cries shot up in the air as they circled the shore, where footprints were.

Within a minute, the number of the seabirds increased, flapping their wings and crying, as if mourning for the dead.

…

"Faster!" Yung Mai's voice echoed wildly as he slammed his hand hard on the blade of the silver sword that moved across his face.

"Don't slow down even when you feel tired." He moved forward at high speed, slamming the boy's head down in the pool of water they stood in.

"Kai!" he screamed the boy's name loudly the moment he loosened his grip from the boy's head and moved three steps backward.

A smile tore on his lips as he saw the boy raise his head and stare in his direction.

Water dripped off Kai's face as he stood there panting heavily.

The sword in his hand trembled as he tried to tighten his fingers around it. The moment his panting paused, Kai dashed forward at great speed.

He moved the sword sideways, slicing it toward Yung Mai's waist. Before the blade could flip forward, Kai felt a hand pulling him backward.

In the blink of an eye, Kai saw himself flying backward and crashing back at where he stood earlier.

"Don't let rage take charge. Fight with a calm heart and a clear mind!" Yung Mai's laughter shot in the air as he kept on slamming the boy down like a doll.

For thirty minutes, Kai had no chance, but on the brink of collapsing, he saw two shadows walking from a far distance and nearing him.

He rose, stood still, and closed his eyes.

Kai added his left arm to the handle of the sword and began breathing at a slow pace.

His wet face turned dry as evaporated air gushed out from his skin. For a second, the air snaked around him, moved to the blade of the sword, and vaporized completely.

"What are you waiting for!" Yung Mai screamed, clapped his arms, yet the boy didn't move.

And when Yung Mai moved two steps forward, he saw the boy's eyes crack open. "Fight with the spirit longing to be released."

He stopped, opened his arms, and grinned.

Kai exhaled, tightened his grip on the sword's handle, then raised it, letting the blade reach his eye level at a horizontal angle.

Kai closed his eyes again, letting his ears take charge as he moved forward slowly.

With a little twitch in the air, Kai turned toward the direction, and with each direction, he heard Yung Mai's voice echoing loudly.

He heard every small movement of the water, the swallowing of saliva, and the cries of the fish in the sea, then smiled.

Kai dashed forward when he heard a slight inhale, then swung the sword to the right. At that instant, he felt the blade slicing through something fleshy.

A skin-tearing sound erupted the moment Kai pulled the sword hastily from whatever he had slammed it into.

And when he cracked his eyes open, joy drenched him like water. But seeing Yung Mai holding his stomach made him forget how to close his mouth.

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