The part started with Yuki; she was talking to Akari about the timeline where they lost.
Yuki was blushing while looking down.
Akari noticed that;she slightly smiled and then looked at her ring.
"Well...Yuki," Akari said.
Yuki suddenly raised her head and then heard Akari attentively.
"Yes,sister," Yuki replied.
"First thing,you don't call me sister, Yuki. I feel odd if you call me like that," Akari said in embarrassment.
Then Yuki slightly blushed.
She moved her head down and looked at the ground,
clearly looking as if she is embarrassed and couldn't make eye contact.
Then she slowly made eye contact for a very short time.
"So what could I call you?"Yuki asked in a very soft and embarrassed tone.
"Well...in this dimension, Yuki calls me Lumi, as we both are the wives of Ryu," Akari replied gently in a comfortable tone.
She was trying to make Yuki comfortable with her,as Yuki was blushing again and again.
"Yes,Lumi, I will, but..." Yuki replied in a confused tone,
straightaway aiming that she is not satisfied with the word.
"But what,Yuki? Feel free to ask anything; I am open to answering your every question," Lumi replied.
She was trying to make Yuki comfortable.
Then Yuki slowly raised her head.
"Well,Lumi, we have a large age gap, so is it right to call you by name?" Yuki asked in a curious tone.
She wanted to know if Lumi was comfortable or not with her call.
Then Lumi slowly made eye contact with Yuki;the eye contact was so gentle that even she didn't need to express any word; anyone could easily guess her answer in a single look.
But still,Yuki was confused why Lumi was still comfortable after a large age gap.
"Well...I have not any issue, Yuki. I know with a large age gap it's odd, but I have a long life, and even a human could not live long while I live, so as per time, I don't want to be an old woman at all. I just want everyone to call me friendly and talk freely," Lumi replied in a smooth tone.
Yuki looked into her eyes,and she could feel the same feelings as Lumi, and finally, she realized why she wanted to call her by name.
"Oh,Lumi, it's okay; I could understand, because you are different from all mankind, and as you are blessed or cursed, a person like Yuki in this dimension is very important to you," Yuki gently replied.
She replied in a mature tone,looking like an elder was talking.
Lumi looked at Yuki and could see her parents'faces in her mind.
"Yes,Yuki, in this dimension, Ryu and Yuki are the only persons I could rely on, so it's a matter of comfort, and I feel more comfortable as Yuki calls me naturally," Lumi replied.
She closed her eyes for a short time and could feel the pleasure of the world,and that was clearly visible on her face.
Yuki noticed her joy and did not disturb her.
Then the scene came to Ryu.
He was walking in a narrow cave;he was walking with his magical fire for a light source. Then he slowly turned his head to the back side.
"Hey,sister, are you okay?" Ryu asked.
He tried to focus in the dark as the cave was growing darker,and he could not see clearly even with a light source.
"Yes,Ryu, we are all right; don't worry," the voice came from the darkness.
Ryu deeply focused on the place.
A figure came out from the dark.
"Sister,finally I got a chamber inside the cave," Ryu said.
"Really?So that's good news, Ryu," the mysterious figure replied.
Then slowly the darkness receded,and the figure started to be revealed as the figure walked toward Ryu.
The figure was none other than Akari.
She examined the ground suddenly when she felt something.
Ryu suddenly looked towards the place where Akari was examining;he looked there in shock.
"Hey,sister, what is this?" Ryu asked in confusion.
Then he slowly went closer to the area.
Akari slowly raised her head.
She had tears in her eyes.
Ryu could see her emotions clearly,and Akari was just in the situation to begin to cry.
Suddenly two drops of tears fell from her eyes.
"Ryu,it's an ancient magic circle," Akari whispered.
Ryu suddenly looked at the place.
"But...it's just a magic circle, and wait... I think... I think I have seen this somewhere," Ryu whispered.
Then Akari wiped her tears and stood up.
Suddenly she hugged Ryu.
"Ryu,you are right; you have already seen this, but you will know the reality soon. I couldn't explain..." Akari said in a sad tone.
Suddenly Ryu realized something.
His expression changed into a serious expression.
His eyes widened.
"No...It couldn't be," Ryu whispered.
Then he looked at Akari.
"Sister,"Ryu said in a serious tone.
"Yes,Ryu?" Akari replied in a surprised reaction.
"Sister,is this about any dream?" Ryu asked in curiosity.
Akari held for a second,and then her expression changed.
"Well,no, Ryu, it's about a book that I got from your academy," Akari said in a slow tone.
Ryu thought for a while.
"Well,could you show me that book now?" Ryu asked.
Ryu looked for some time at Akari's face.
"Well,no, Ryu, I couldn't give that book to you, and also it's written in an ancient language so you could not understand it too, but I don't want you to know more about the book," Akari said.
Ryu was disappointed;he let out his breath in disappointment.
"If she gave me the book,then I could ask Shinji, and he also knows the ancient language," Ryu thought in his mind, and looked at the face of Akari.
"Ah,sister, at least you could tell me the name of the book," Ryu asked.
Akari looked at the face of Ryu and held her breath for a while;she thought something for a little time.
Then finally she replied.
"Hmm."
"Well,I could tell at least the name of the book," Akari said.
Ryu suddenly became curious.
"Yes,now there is a chance to know about it," Ryu whispered.
"Well,the name is, I think, THE FRAGMENT OF LIGHT BORN BY THE BLOOD OF SHADOWS," Akari said.
"Wait,I think I have heard or seen this name somewhere else," Ryu whispered.
"Hey,Akari, have you found any place to rest for some time?" a familiar voice came from the darkness of the cave.
Suddenly Ryu and Akari focused on the darkness.
Akari suddenly used her magic spell to cover the place where the magic circle is drawn.
Two black mysterious figures came from the darkness.
Their faces were revealed as they came into the range of light.
They were Zara and Kyros.
"Hey,brother Kai, we finally found a place; it's just a little forward from this area," Ryu said.
He tried to maintain the situation and not reveal anything about the things.
Then they walked some distance to an open area inside the cave.
"I have burned some dry wood to camp here today,"Ryu said.
The others slowly sat and took a breath of relief,as they had been walking for a long time.
Their stress was clearly visible on their faces.
"Hey,Ryu, well, you told that we are now stuck in the future," Kyros asked in a tone with confusion.
Then Ryu took a break for a short time;Ryu took a breath.
"Well,yes, but why..." Ryu replied in anxiety about his exposure of Shinji.
Kyros looked at the face of Ryu;Ryu was trying his absolute best to hide his emotions.
"Well...I am confused who told you that. If it was told by an old man according to you, but still, who could tell you it without any reason?" Kyros said.
He was straightaway doubting Ryu.
"Aahh....Well.... Yes, it's not a normal thing, but he met me outside the cave, so I don't know if he is inside the cave or not," Ryu replied, trying to manage the talk and not expose Shinji.
"Hey..."
A slow sound came.
Ryu looked around.
Kyros noticed that thing,and he also looked with Ryu.
"Hey,Ryu, is there something?" Kyros asked in confusion at Ryu's behavior.
Ryu then realized what he did.
He tried to manage the situation.
"Ah,no, brother, that was just a slime, I think," Ryu replied by pointing at the location he looked before.
He was fully trying to distract Kyros.
"Oh,yes, I think so too, but now tell me, Ryu, it's important; the old man could be any monster trying to kill us," Kyros said in a fearful reaction.
"Brother is feeling terrified;how could it be?" Ryu thought in his mind.
"Well,I don't think the person could kill anyone, and also he went totally opposite to me, so don't worry," Ryu replied with strong words to make Kyros feel that it's the truth.
But still,that was a tactic to change Kyros's attention.
"Well, yes, and till now we are safe, so we could relax for a bit," Kyros replied in those words; his face told more than the words; his talk felt like he got great relief from a disaster.
"Hey, you fool," the whisper came again.
Ryu's eyes suddenly went down,and he felt something; his eyes widened while looking down.
"Oh,Shin, I can't talk now as I have to hide your identity; how can I explain you..." Ryu thought in his mind.
He was becoming anxious while thinking this.
"Oh, you little fool, we could talk in mind also; I can hear your thoughts," Shinji replied.
"What,really...." Ryu replied in his mind, and suddenly his face changed into a relaxed face.
He felt great relief for that.
Suddenly he gave an angry reaction;he tightened his fist and bit his lips as if he wanted to slap Shinji.
"You old man,could you not tell me before? At least I would not have to get terrified," Ryu told Shinji in frustration.
"Oh,leave the topic, but I have also seen the magic circle somewhere, I think.
I was not listening to your talk properly,but what were you talking about that?" Shinji asked; his voice felt like he had a deep connection with the circle.
"Well, nothing, but how could it be that we have seen the same thing, and also you have seen it? It means it's very ancient," Ryu said.
He went into deep thought by resting his head on his hand while he was sitting.
Kyros noticed Ryu at that time.
"Hey,Ryu, what's the matter? What are you worried about?" Kyros asked.
Suddenly Ryu opened his eyes and realized that he was not alone.
Suddenly Ryu looked into the eyes of Kyros.
"Ahh...Well... nothing, brother; I was just thinking about how to find Yuki," Ryu replied with a weird reaction.
"Hmm,you are the best story-maker, Ryu; I was not expecting that from you. I think I am with the right person who could hide my identity very well," Shinji said to Ryu.
Ryu closed his eyes in a funny reaction with his frustration;he was trying hard to keep his smile.
"This is all for you,"Ryu replied to Shinji in his mind.
"Hey, Ryu, let's eat some food," a familiar voice came from some distance.
Ryu suddenly looked at the point and found that it was Akari.
Ryu took a pause and then looked into her eyes.
"Yes,sister, you are right," Ryu replied to Akari.
Then Ryu took out some food from his magical space.
"It's fine.....Thank God that I always carry some extra food," Ryu said.
He gave food to everyone.
Then he went close to the campfire.
They started eating.
"Hmm,we are lucky that Ryu is with us," Zara said while eating.
She was talking while eating,and then she ate the bite.
"Well,it's really a big matter that we need to find Yuki before finding a way to return, if she is really here," Zara said in a serious tone; suddenly the moment became intense; the expression on everyone's face changed to a serious expression.
"Well,at first we need to survive here because I know that Yuki could survive if she got any clue, and also she could also be trapped inside crystals like you all, and until the crystal is broken, I think she will remain safe," Ryu said by breaking the silence and having some hope with his words.
"Hey,Ryu, did you not think the monsters suddenly stopped chasing us after we entered deeper?" the voice of Shinji asked Ryu.
Ryu listened and took a pause,but suddenly his expression changed.
"What...we were going deeper?" Ryu asked in his mind to Shinji.
"Well...Yes, but you didn't give me any chance to inform you," Shinji said.
"What,you useless soul, couldn't you tell me before? I was silent for most of the time while I was coming here; you had the great chance there to tell me," Ryu said to Shinji in anger.
"Well...."Shinji was telling something, but he was cut off as Ryu said, "Now how could I tell them that we are going deeper? They will doubt me."
"Wait,wait, young man... Don't show your anger on me; listen to me first," Shinji said.
The entire conversation was going on in the mind of Ryu,so he looked like he was deep in thought to others.
So when they noticed that,suddenly Akari said, "Hey, Ryu, eat first; we all are here to help you find Yuki; don't worry."
Suddenly Ryu realized that he was not in reality while talking to Shinji, so he suddenly opened his eyes and then realized that he had to talk with Shinji while acting normal in front of others, because if he acted more like before, then anyone could doubt him, because the time was supported by the current situation.
"Well,yes, sister, you are right; we have to eat first so that we could take some rest and continue our journey," Ryu replied.
They all ate their dinner, as there was no sunlight, so they considered this as dinner.
Then they went to sleep,but Ryu decided to talk to Shinji because that was the best time to talk to him as all were sleeping.
He acted as if sleeping; then when he closed his eyes, he decided to enter the Crimson Valley (the domain created accidentally by Daisuke). He tried to enter the dimension, but nothing happened. He tried again and again, but only one thing was the outcome: failure.
"Ah, leave it; I will talk normally in the real dimension," Ryu whispered.
"Hey, Shin,... Shinji," Ryu called Shinji to talk in his mind.
"Oh,young man, finally you recognized me," Shinji replied to Ryu.
"Well,listen first: why could I not enter my mental space?" Ryu said to Shinji.
Shinji took a pause.
"Well,really? You have a mental space?" Shinji asked.
"Yes,of course, or why would I be telling you about that?" Ryu replied.
"Ah,I can't even believe he gave that to you," Shinji said.
"But why and how do you know Elder Daisuke?"Ryu asked.
"Well,it's a long story; I will tell you later," Shinji replied.
"But wait,leave the topic; we could do it after returning. Now tell me that thing you were saying before while eating," Ryu asked.
Shinji took a pause.
"Well,I was telling that we are going deeper into the cave, I think," Shinji replied.
"Well,okay, but how could you figure this out, and why are you convinced of your theory?" Ryu asked.
"Well,as we are traveling more, the mana source is changing slowly, and your sister also figured it out; I am sure about that, but she didn't tell you," Shinji replied.
"Wait,what do you want to say?" Ryu asked in anger.
"Hey,child, don't be angry, and trusting anyone at this time is not good, especially when you don't know about this place well, and she could be only a fake human or could be possessed," Shinji explained.
Ryu calmed down and thought deeply.
"Well,yes, it's a strong point, but still we can't confirm this. I have noticed a difference in her too, but still I want to confirm," Ryu replied.
"Yes,exactly; her change in behavior is logical, so be careful; anything could happen," Shinji replied.
"But what do we do about going deeper?Shall we return?" Ryu asked.
"Wait,child, walk till the end; don't leave halfway, because if you want to find your girlfriend, then find her in each place," Shinji replied.
"Ah,she is not my girlfriend," Ryu replied in embarrassment.
"Leave the topic;now discuss your problem: you could not use your third eye and even could not enter your mental space, right?" Shinji asked.
"Yes,"Ryu replied.
"So let's go to the point directly:there is a force that compresses your range of using powers," Shinji said.
"But how could it be,and how could it be ended?" Ryu asked.
"Well,at first you need to find the cause: there is already an existing domain where you are, or there is any magical barrier that limits your powers," Shinji replied.
"Hmm,but how could I figure this out?" Ryu asked.
"Well,it's so simple: walk more deep and find the source," Shinji replied.
"Well,I will try, but I need to quickly access my mental space...." Ryu was saying.
His talk was cut off by a familiar sound.
"Hey, Ryu... Listen... Ryu," a whispering sound came.
"Wait,I think I have heard this sound somewhere," Ryu whispered.
"Hey,Ryu, have you already slept?" the sound came again.
Suddenly Ryu opened his eyes.
He saw Akari over him.
He was shocked and sat up quickly.
"Sister,what happened? Is there anything wrong?" Ryu asked.
"Hey,Ryu, don't shout; I just want to talk to you; nothing has happened," Akari replied in a slow voice.
Ryu was relieved.
"It's good that I could talk to Shinji in my mind,or there could be some problem because sister is still awake," Ryu thought in his mind.
"Yes,sister, of course," Ryu replied.
Then they went close to the fire,and they sat there.
Ryu looked at the fire and then moved his eyes to Akari.
"Sister,tell me what could we do next, because we have been walking for a long time but still have not found any end," Ryu asked.
"Yes,Ryu, you are right, but... I have one thing to tell you," Akari said.
Ryu took a pause and looked into the eyes of Akari.
She had no particular expression,but her eyes told the whole story.
From her eyes,it was clearly visible that she was confused about something.
"Yes,sister, feel free to tell me," Ryu replied in a calm voice.
After these words,Akari's expression changed; it looked like she was now relieved of something, and then she looked at the fire once.
After a little pause,Akari moved her eyes to Ryu and made eye contact.
Her eyes were glowing in the reflection of the fire;the fire and the face of Ryu were clearly visible in her azure blue eyes.
The fear of losing something precious was clearly visible on her face.
"Well,there is something different in this cave; I am feeling something different after we have been traveling more. Are you sure that this is the way out of here?" Akari asked.
The confusion was clearly visible on her face.
Ryu tried to manage his expression and not show his real emotions,but inside he was very serious.
"Shin was right;she felt something, but she was finding time to talk about it, so that's the reason she was acting different," Ryu thought in his mind.
"I already told you,"the voice of Shin came in his mind.
"Okay,it's fine," Ryu replied to Shinji in his mind.
Then he looked into the eyes of Akari.
"Well,sister, something similar with me; as we are traveling more, the mana flow is becoming heavier. Well, there is a chance that we are going deeper into the cave," Ryu replied.
His voice was strong,as he already knew everything and could manage the situation, and he knew the outcome.
His confident voice confused Akari.
She looked back into his eyes.
"Well,Ryu, what are you thinking? Do you have any easy way to get out from here?" Akari asked in confusion.
Ryu took a pause.
"Well,not exactly, but I am confident because as we go deeper, there is a chance that we could find Yuki, since you were also inside this cave, so checking the end once is a good idea, I think," Ryu replied.
Akari looked at Ryu's face.
Her glance made Ryu comfortable,as she was normal now.
Akari felt something different in Ryu.
"His words are sounding like a mature person now;ah, Ryu, you are really amazing," Akari thought in her mind.
She gave a decent smile,and her expression looked as if she was totally relieved now; a great burden had lifted from her head.
"Okay,Ryu, let's take some rest now; I got all my answers, and I am feeling free now," Akari said.
Ryu noticed her energy and then he agreed too.
"Okay,sister; now sleep for getting back energy to go more deep into this cave," Ryu replied.
Then they went to sleep.
Time passed.
A shadow moved swiftly deep inside the cave and disappeared into the darkness.
Ryu noticed the presence.
He looked around."Hey, what was that?" Ryu whispered.
"Well,it's an ignorable presence, but still dangerous," Ryu whispered again.
"Ah, leave it, Ryu; your presence is much stronger than it," the voice of Shinji came.
"Yes,Shinji, but... well, leave it, really, and I am feeling sleepy now, so good night," Ryu said and went to sleep.
He ignored that shadow.
Then time passed for some hours.
The fire had gone out;only ashes and burning embers remained.
Ryu opened his eyes;he looked at the top; there was only rock.
He sat up in his place and looked around.
Akari was sitting at the side and cultivating there.
Ryu noticed her;he was looking at her.
Suddenly she opened her eyes and looked at Ryu.
"Oh,Ryu, you woke up," Akari asked.
"Yes,sister, but what were you doing here?" Ryu asked back.
Akari took a pause.
"Well,nothing, but trying to use my powers here, but I failed," Akari replied.
"Yes,sister; this domain is different from others; it nullifies most of the powers," Ryu replied.
Then they both looked at Zara and Kyros;they were sleeping as if they had nothing new to do.
Ryu and Akari gave a funny reaction by looking at them.
"They are too lazy,"both Akari and Ryu said at the same time.
Then they went to wake them up.
Ryu and Akari tried to wake Kyros and Zara,
but they didn't respond.
So Ryu summoned a water ball over their heads in frustration.
Akari looked at the water ball
and gave a funny reaction.
Ryu released the water over the heads of Kyros and Zara.
They both jumped when the water fell on them.
"H...hey,what happened? Is there any flood?" both Zara and Kyros asked.
"Nothing;just I was trying to wake two lazy persons," Ryu replied, teasing them.
"But is this a manner to wake a sleeping person?"they shouted and then sneezed.
Akari was laughing from the back side.
"Now why are you laughing?"both Kyros and Zara shouted.
Time passed.
They all finished their breakfast
and started walking.
The cave was getting darker as they went forward.
Akari noticed something.
"Hey,Ryu, look: sometimes our shadows lag behind us," Akari said.
Ryu suddenly looked around,but he couldn't feel any change.
"Really,sister? But I could not feel any difference," Ryu replied.
"Yes,Ryu, Akari is right; I am feeling the change too," Kyros said.
"Brother,you too?" Ryu said.
"But I can't feel much change,but I could feel the environment is different from before," Zara said.
"Hmm,but it could be a big problem; after all, we are trapped, so let's walk forward; we have not any other way," Ryu said.
All agreed,and they again started to walk.
They walked for some time, and after that, they found a dead end.
"Hey,brother Kai, stop; that's a dead end," Ryu said.
Kyros stopped there,and he noticed that too.
"Hey,Ryu, what is it? We got a dead end," Kyros said.
"Hey,Ryu, what happened?" Akari and Zara asked.
"Sister,it is a dead end," Ryu replied.
Akari was confused.
"How?"Akari whispered.
"Sister,but the mana pressure is so heavy here," Ryu said.
"Yes,Ryu, you are correct," Akari replied.
"But what could we do now?"Zara asked.
"Ah,nothing; there is only one way left: to return," Kyros said.
"But,Kai, we have walked for many hours; should we return easily?" Zara replied.
"I know,Zara, but still no way is left," Kyros replied.
"Don't fight;let's take some rest here and then think about what we should do," Ryu suggested.
They agreed,but
when they turned back,the darkness was very deep; even the light could not penetrate the darkness.
That was looking like a void.
Then suddenly the darkness expanded.
Everything around was covered,and a magic circle appeared beneath them.
The darkness faded slowly...
A huge forest covered with mountains appeared.
The sunlight was coming through the gaps in the leaves of the trees.
At some distance,there was an open sky, and they were standing on a hill.
When they looked behind,there was an opening of a cave,
and when they went some distance forward,they found that they were standing on a high hill.
A great forest was below them.
"Hey, Ryu, is this real? We are teleported outside," Zara and Kyros asked in relief.
But a strange silence appeared on the faces of Akari and Ryu.
Fear was clearly looking on their faces.
"No..."Akari whispered.
"Hey,Shinji, what is this?" Ryu asked in his mind.
"It's not feeling like the real world;the aura of this place is different," Shinji replied to Ryu.
"Hey,Ryu and Akari, what happened?" Zara asked.
"It's quite strange,"Akari replied.
"Yes,sister; the mana flow is changing again and again here," Ryu said.
"Yes,exactly," Akari agreed.
"But I can't feel anything,Ryu," Kyros said.
"Yes,same with me, Akari," Zara said.
Then suddenly everyone looked in the same direction at the same time.
"Wait,I feel something," Zara said in a slow and deep voice.
"Yes,Zara," Kyros replied in a slow voice.
"Yes,a very cold mana flow came, but it's feeling much pressure," Akari said.
"It's so terrible,"Ryu said.
In some distance, they found a strange structure made of mossy stones in the middle of the forest.
"Hey,look; there is a mysterious structure," Ryu said.
They all noticed that.
Then the scene changed to Yuki.
Lumi suddenly reacted.
"Wait,what was that?" Lumi whispered.
"What happened,Lumi?" Yuki asked.
"Yuki,I don't know, but the domain is changing its actual state," Lumi replied.
"What?What is its meaning?" Yuki asked.
"The domain is losing its originality,Yuki," Lumi said.
Her eyes were wide;the stress was clearly visible on her face.
"Well,Lumi, I could not understand, but by your face, I am sure that it's not a small problem," Yuki replied.
The scene again changed to Ryu.
He was looking at the structure in a shocked reaction.
...