Morning
Kuto burst out of the hotel room with a bag slung over his shoulder.
"LET'S GO, GUYS!" he shouted with unnecessary drama and overflowing energy.
Lan followed behind him, flinching at his volume.
"Hey—don't scream like that," she said, rolling her eyes with an annoyed look.
Rien stepped out calmly, handed the keys to the manager, and walked forward with a composed, unreadable gaze.
Kuto looked back at them, confidence flooding his eyes.
"So! I'll navigate this time. We'll reach the Xia Clan faster than either of you can imagine," he declared proudly.
Lan opened the map.
"We should follow the route properly… or Rien can just teleport us directly to the Xia Clan," she said, glancing at Rien with admiration.
Kuto snatched the map instantly.
"No! No shortcuts! Just follow me—I KNOW we're going the right way."
His voice was bursting with confidence.
Lan rolled her eyes again. "Here we go…" she muttered, walking after him.
Rien followed behind both of them, quiet and steady.
"Lan Xia," he spoke, eyes calm. "What's the cultivation system here?"
Lan tapped her chin thoughtfully before looking at him.
"There are nine major ranks, starting from Ming Lao. The peak of cultivation in all of Alzera is Shi Dian," she explained with certainty.
"I'm currently at Tang Shuang, and once I break through, I'll reach Tang Huang."
Kuto turned back, curious.
"How will you increase your rank?"
Lan smiled proudly.
"By absorbing the soul of a Cosmic Beast. Their abilities increase our cultivation speed drastically. The ability depends on the beast type—and the power depends on its age."
Rien nodded lightly.
"So the older the beast, the stronger its ability," he stated calmly.
Lan nodded again, firm and confident.
"Exactly. And we can also refine or merge our skills to increase their capacity and power."
Kuto leaned forward. "So… what's YOUR power?"
Lan smirked.
A massive White Tiger Soul materialized behind her—long fangs, golden fur, and a cosmic aura so intense that the ground trembled.
Kuto instantly fell backward.
"W-WOAHHH!"
Rien stepped closer, unaffected, his expression blank.
"You truly possess a high level of cosmic energy," he said, eyes analyzing the beast.
Lan smiled and winked.
"Of course. It's a 2000-year-old White Tiger—the Guardian of the Zui Clan. I obtained it when my clan defeated the Zui Clan."
She walked past them proudly.
Kuto scrambled up, cheeks red.
"She's amazing…" he muttered before rushing after her.
Rien followed silently.
After a Long Walk
They entered a vast forest filled with peaceful Cosmic Beasts. Birds with glowing wings fluttered overhead, and gentle spirit animals roamed around like harmless guardians.
"WOAH! This forest is AWESOME!" Kuto shouted.
Lan giggled.
"You've never seen beasts like these before?"
Kuto shook his head vigorously.
"Of course not! I've never seen THIS many peaceful beasts in one place!"
Rien stepped beside them.
"How long will it take to reach the Xia Clan?"
Lan thought for a moment.
"If we walk straight, around four hours," she answered.
Kuto kept walking ahead like an overconfident explorer.
Rien and Lan followed.
Soon, they reached a wide river glowing with crystal-clear water.
"Nice! We can rest here!" Kuto said, sprinting toward the river.
Lan followed him cheerfully.
"This place is beautiful!"
Rien approached the water slowly.
"The water is extremely clear," he observed.
Kuto frowned.
"Obviously!! It's a river! Water is supposed to be clear!"
Rien sighed.
"Your mind is empty."
Lan nodded.
"Rien means: When a powerful beast lives inside water, its cosmic pressure makes the surroundings look clearer than normal—sometimes even separating that area from reality."
Kuto tilted his head.
"What does THAT mean?"
Rien answered simply,
"It means something inside this river is powerful enough to separate this place from Alzera's normal reality."
Kuto shrugged—and jumped into the water.
The moment he touched it—
He vanished.
Lan gasped.
"W-Where did he go!?"
She turned to Rien—
But Rien had already disappeared too.
In the Blank Dimension
Rien appeared in a silent, endless void.
Nothing existed—except a colossal Demon Dragon coiled around him.
Rien spoke coldly:
"Where is Kuto?"
The Demon Dragon circled him.
"So YOU are the one disturbing my peace…"
Its voice rumbled with anger.
Rien blinked once.
A final warning.
The next instant—
CRACK—SHATTER—BOOM
The Demon Dragon's body exploded into millions of pieces.
Reality fractured.
Dimensions collapsed.
Cosmic pressure flooded the void like a storm.
Rien stood untouched, expression unchanged.
"Don't waste my time."
Suddenly—
"Hey, buddy!"
Kuto popped into existence right in front of Rien's face, smiling like an idiot.
Rien stared at him.
His anger dissolved instantly into a calm expression.
"Kuto. Where were you?"
"Oh, I was just going through some portal! And I ended up here!" Kuto laughed.
Rien touched his shoulder.
Both of them teleported back to the riverside instantly.
Lan exhaled with relief.
"Thank goodness! I thought you two were lost forever!"
Kuto scratched his head.
"Nope! Just got thrown into another dimension!"
Rien nodded slightly.
"Most likely. You travel slower than me—but appeared before I did. That means the demon tried to pull you in first."
Lan's eyes widened.
"Right before you disappeared, the cosmic pressure became so intense I felt like I lost consciousness!"
Rien looked at the river.
"I teleported too fast. It made the local existence collapse for a moment."
Lan and Kuto both looked confused.
Rien waved it off.
"Forget it."
Kuto grinned and ripped his shirt off.
"LET'S HAVE FUN!"
Lan blushed instantly.
"Eww—! D-Don't undress in front of a girl!"
Kuto rolled his eyes and jumped into the water.
Lan yelled at him again.
Rien watched the chaos for a moment…
And for the first time—
He laughed.
A real laugh.
Warm, loud, echoing across the forest.
Kuto looked at him, stunned.
"I've never seen you laugh before…"
Rien cleared his throat and turned away quickly.
"Don't disturb me, idiot."
Lan giggled softly before looking back at kuto, with a agressive and shy gaze "And You should not remove your shirt front of a girl like that, Idiot" her voice is full of shyness but kuto rolls his eyes, swim away while she shouting after him.