"Kriya…?" Astra blinked at him. "Is that your name?"
He nodded slowly, tilting his head as he continued staring at her. She squinted. "Why are you looking at me like you haven't seen a human in years?"
At that, Kriya's expression dropped. His eyes fell to the ground, almost like her words were true.
Astra blinked again. "Hey why'd you go all gloomy now? Forget it. Just tell me…where are we? I need to find Arisu and get back before anyone starts freaking out."
"We're in the middle of the forest zone."
"We're what?!"
She jumped to her feet, her eyes wide in disbelief. "we were just at the border before and now we're inside the forest?!" She pointed at him accusingly. "Hey! Kriya you brought me here, didn't you?!"
Kriya stood up calmly, brushing the dust off his clothes, "Yes. I carried you here after you fainted. The bees came back, and it wasn't safe there anymore. So… I brought you deeper into the forest to avoid them." Astra stepped back, her eyes wide in disbelief. "You—you carried me all the way here?"
"Yes, it was to—"
"To what?!" she cut in. "Avoid bees by walking straight into a demon's backyard?!" She waved her hands in panic. "You do realize we're standing inside a demon's lair now, right?! It's so far from the border. What kind of logic was that?! Did you think..,Oh no, bees let me carry her into something ten times worse!'"
Kriya blinked, unsure how to respond. "I… thought it'd be safer…"
Astra threw her hands in the air. "Oh heavens …..I got carried by someone who thinks demons are safer than bees! What am I supposed to do if a tier 4 or 5 demon shows up?! I don't even have the spiritual energy to handle a tier 2! I'll end up as someone's midday snack or worse, their dinner feast! I'm going to faint!"
Kriya watched her pacing and panicking, then tried to speak gently, "Don't worry, I will—"
"You'll what? Carry me deeper into the forest again? Great! Maybe we should just hang a sign that says 'Free Human Buffet for demons beast!' Ugh, what to do what to do?!" She ran her fingers through her hair in frustration before something clicked.
"Wait….you're a blessed one too, right? You are! How strong your spiritual power is? Can you fight a demon?" she asked, eyes wide with hope.
Kriya rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "My spiritual power… is just enough to handle a tier 3 demon… and, well, chase away some bees."
Astra's face went blank. She slowly sat down, placed her face in her palms, and sighed deeply.
"Perfect. Just perfect. Let's hope nothing finds us before we go back. Otherwise… we're officially on the demon menu. I wonder what Arisu is doing? Others might have already started searching for us."
__________
Standing in the middle of the flower field, the wind moved through the petals, sending them swirling through the air. Their robes fluttered with each time the breeze came, blending into the rhythm of nature around. Amidst this, the three men stood still, eyes scanning the landscape.
Kaen glanced at Ryoma, noticing how deeply he was staring at the flower-filled field.
"Does this remind you of something?" Ryoma closed his eyes and let out a long breath. Humming In response with a faint nod.
Before the moment could stretch too far, Shion broke the silence with an annoyed groan. "I still can't believe she walked all the way here just for honey! If that's really true… she's in big trouble when I find her." He spun around, pointing in random directions in frustration. "which way did she even go?"
Ryoma opened his eyes and turned to Kaen. "Can you sense anything?"
Kaen shook his head. "No… she's not nearby. I don't feel any danger either. I think the power I borrowed from Seirou has already faded."
Shion tapped his flute against his hand, then paused, tilting his head and suddenly his ears perked up twitching. "Wait… I hear something." His eyes sharpened as he pointed his flute toward the tall, dense trees just ahead.
Ryoma frowned. "That's where the forest starts. What exactly did you hear?"
Shion took a step forward, tuning his ears again to the distant sound. "It's faint… soft footsteps.
Unsteady. Tired. Definitely not a wild animal it's …a human."
Kaen nodded. "Then let's check there first." Without wasting a second more, they headed toward the trees, the petals behind them fluttering gently to the ground.
As they walked a little farther, Shion's ears twitched again he could hear the faint footsteps becoming clearer… then suddenly, they stopped. The three of them picked up their pace, eyes scanning the area. Just a short distance ahead, they spotted a figure slumped against a tree, completely still. Their steps froze for a second, but they recognized her instantly despite her face and neck turning a worrying shade of purple.
"Miss Naname!" Shion gasped.
Without wasting another moment, all three of them rushed to her side and kneeled down. Ryoma quickly checked the sting marks on her neck and arms. "She was stung.....by Resentful Spirit Bees."
Kaen and Shion glanced at him sharply.
Ryoma placed the back of his hand on her forehead, his expression tightening. "These bees are different from the normal venom bees. Those don't cause much harm, but these ones… have deep grudge against their target and their venom might seem to have similar effect like those normal bees, but as time passes, that venom mixes with the bloodstream and slows it down, lowers temperature, weakens blood flow. Eventually….the heart stops pumping."
Kaen placed a hand gently on her forehead. "A normal person wouldn't have lasted this long. She must have used her spiritual power to control her blood circulation and slow down the effects. But it's best if she's treated quickly. The anti-venom for this is...the honey made by those bees themselves." Kaen quickly turned to Shion.
"Uta, search the entire area nearby and find their hives immediately. The hive will be larger than normal and built high on the tallest tree around and it's easy to tell difference. Be careful and whatever you do, don't get stung by the Queen bee… The honey won't work against her sting."
Shion hesitated for a second, then gave a firm nod before rushing off without delay.
Kaen then turned to Ryoma, his expression growing more serious. "Astra's not with her… I'm afraid she might have gotten stung too. Ryoma, go look for her right now. I'll join you as soon as Shion returns." Ryoma gave a silent nod and rushed into the woods.
While searching the area for the tallest tree and the hive, Shion's ears twitched catching a sound of furious buzzing. He picked up a faint buzzing and followed it cautiously.
Soon, he found it…..a massive tree, clearly the tallest in the area. But the hive wasn't hanging from the branches like he expected. Instead, it was on the ground right in front of the tree, large and heavy-looking, with a swarm of furious bees buzzing aggressively around it.
Just as he stepped closer, the bees suddenly flew toward him, ready to attack.
"Oh no you don't," Shion muttered, quickly grabbing his flute. "Trying to mess up my pretty face? This Shion won't let that happen." He raised the flute to his lips and began to play.
The bees, as soon as they heard the soothing melody, slowed down. The aggressive buzzing softened. Soon, they began circling around him, hypnotized by the sound. After a moment, they scattered, flying off in all directions. Shion lowered the flute and let out a sigh.
"Didn't know my flute skills could fluster bees so much they had to flee.…"
He shrugged… "Who Needs a Sword When You Have a Flute? I play, you obey. Simple rules tiny bees."