In the blast's aftermath, plumes of blackened smoke rose from the scorched earth while the atmosphere lingered with the scent of death and decay. The once lush and vibrant valley was now nothing more than a burnt-out crater filled with the ashes of organic matter that rode the merciless wind away from their resting place. Despite the intense residual heat leftover from the blinding light assaulting her lungs, Sofia stood within the epicentre, holding Felix's limp body within her arms.

Mina stood behind them, watching the burning remains of what she once called home. All that remained was the crystal pillars that contained her tribe. Despite the blast, they stood tall and pristine, as if nothing in this world could topple them. A faint hope remained in her heart that they might emerge from their prison someday, and she could hear their voice call her name again. But such hope was fleeting as grief overwhelmed her. She knew that if even that blast couldn’t mare the crystal’s sturdy surface, then she stood no chance of freeing them.

She looked away, unable to bear looking at the faces frozen in stasis only to gaze at where the essence spring used to be, now only a barren hole devoid of any substance. An overwhelming sense of emptiness and loss rose within her now that her revenge was accomplished. She had thought that vengeance would make the feeling more bearable, but the now barren spring only reminded her of what she once had but now had lost. She now stood in place, unable to go forward, unable to go back, stuck in a transient lull, until she noticed the look of panic on Sofia’s face.

Once Sofia saw Felix collapse, she feared for the worst but was relieved to find his chest slowly rising and falling, albeit irregularly, while also feeling his faint breath on her skin. Thankfully, he lived still, but his situation seemed precarious. The iridescent lines tattooed on his skin that seemed to empower him were still present, still glowing with the same fervour. With each cycle, however, she felt his body heat slowly desert his flesh, replaced by cold sweats. While a glacial cold soon emanated from his skin, wrestling the surrounding heat for dominance. His body trembled, futilely trying to fight the symptoms while the cause remained.

“What’s happening?” she said, holding his body closer to her own, but soon had to let go as the cold threatened to burn her. She panicked, unsure of what to do. She had never seen such symptoms.

Emil stood over them, examining the pulsating lines with a pensive look. Even in her panic, Sofia noticed it and shot him a look that said, "You better tell me what you know, or else!". He squatted down, pressing his finger on Felix's skin, tracing the scarlet line, only to sigh after all this.

"It's witchcraft," he said after collecting his thoughts. "Or, more precisely, a curse. Also, not a new one, but something that's been there for a long time."

Sofia's eyes opened wide, clearly shocked by the revelation, but soon narrowed them. "How would you know?" she asked, skeptical of the man's judgment. They had only travelled together briefly, and she knew almost nothing about the man. What reasons did she have to trust him while Felix's life was on the line? On the other hand, what reasons did she have not to trust him? With Felix growing colder by the minute, she had to do something. Time was limited; she couldn't stay indecisive.

"Is there something that can be done?" she asked after making up her mind. While she didn't trust him, she had no choice. Although her sudden encounter with Emil in the forest made her suspicious of him, it was simply how her environment shaped her. Back in the town, trusting someone was a matter of life and death. The only one she trusted implicitly was her brother until she met Felix. For some reason, she felt inclined to trust him completely, even if it went against her better judgment. This was the primary reason she followed him on his travels. She wished to get to the bottom of this feeling. As for Emil, she could only gamble at this moment.

A wry smile flashed on Emil’s face once he heard her question. He knew from her expression that she distrusted him, but he answered anyway. "Unless we find the one who put the curse on him and make them lift it, then no, there's no permanent solution."

Sofia's expression became grim while tears threatened to flow from her violet eyes, but she soon perked up once she noticed a minor detail. Emil had emphasized the word permanent, which meant that there was still something they could do. She turned to face him without hiding the anger now burning on her fair visage at his obvious omission.

“What I know on this subject is limited,” he said helplessly. “While I do know that only the original caster can remove it, I only vaguely heard rumours of a way to alleviate such curses, but I never found out the details. That’s why I didn’t really want to say anything.”

“Then who would know?” she said, raising her tone slightly.

Before she could obtain an answer, she noticed a multitude of animals observing them, standing on the crater's ridge. Sofia had no idea where they came from as since entering the forest's depths, they had found no trace of any animals lingering near the corruption. Worst yet, none of her group had noticed any sign of their arrival. Even Mina, with her keen sense of smell, was left dumbfounded by how they surrounded them without her noticing.

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Oddly, the animals only stood on the crater's periphery with no intention of coming closer, only observing them from afar. On closer look, Sofia found it even more strange. The animals on the ridge were a mix of herbivores and carnivores. She wondered how they could stand together without fleeing. Her doubts compounded once she saw a strange silhouette rise from the herd.

It was a man, clearly humanoid, but two furry fox ears perked up on his head while two large, fluffy tails danced in the wind. Sophia frowned at the sight while secretly glancing at Mina, trying to observe her reaction. That man was clearly a demon, but she showed no signs of familiarity with him. On the contrary, she seemed to be wary.

The fox-eared man only wore exquisite and exotic trousers, exposing his bare chest to the elements. His sturdy and well-sculpted muscles glistened under the sun's rays, while his well-defined facial features gave him an exotic but attractive look. If not for his bestial qualities, Sofia wouldn't have been surprised if the man was crowned the most beautiful man in all the lands.

Something caught her eye, however. The beasts surrounding the crater furtively glanced at him occasionally as if to ask what to do, which made it clear he was their leader. However, the fox-eared man ignored them, opting to scan Sofia's group instead.

Sofia felt his gaze wash over her, filling her with unease. No emotion marred his perfect face, only a careless indifference. Even as he glanced over at Mina, his expression didn't change a single bit, causing Mina to frown in response. Sofia thought that as they were both demons, they would feel some sort of comradeship until she remembered Felix's earlier explanation. They were both from different tribes; he was clearly from the beast tribe, while Mina hailed from the blood tribe. Such unfamiliarity was only to be expected.

His gaze soon landed on Emil, which caused the fox-eared man to show a fleeting look of disgust, but indifference soon returned. He quickly looked away as if refusing to even look at him. Finally, his gaze landed on Felix, which caused a light glint in his eyes.

A low, indescribable cry erupted from the beast-man's throat, causing the surrounding beasts to perk their ears. Following the sound, they slowly backed up before disappearing below the crater's ridge. Sofia could hear the massive stomps of countless beasts slowly growing fainter as they faded into the woods.

Only a few orange-furred foxes and the man remained, looking at them curiously until they finally descended the crater, approaching them cautiously. Sofia rested her hand on the handle of a small dagger lodged within her boot. Although she knew she couldn't do much with her strength if the man proved hostile, she would still fight if necessary.

The fox's party stopped a few paces away while the man spoke slowly and deliberately, obviously unaccustomed to the common tongue.

“Were you the ones who cleansed the Great Evil?” he asked solemnly.

Sofia's group was still on edge after witnessing Felix's battle, and now that they had been approached by demons right after, they couldn't help but be reluctant to answer. On the other hand, Felix's body was growing colder by the second. They couldn't waste any more time here, so she simply nodded her small head, answering his question.

The man still seemed indifferent, as if the answer didn't matter, yet a slight glint of interest was sparked in the depth of his eyes. The man opened his mouth to speak again, but before the words could come out, the lines on Felix's body glowed harder as the cold intensified, prompting the party to keep their distance from him. Although Sofia wished to stay by his side, she was too feeble to brave the frigid chill.

Upon looking at Felix's current state, the fox-eared man frowned before a small but intense flame burst at the tip of one of his tails. Surprisingly, the devastating cold was kept at bay by the flickering fire. The man nodded, prompting the smaller foxes at his feet to do the same. Soon, the foxes formed a circle around Felix before their tails burst into flames, bathing Felix's body in their warmth.

The two opposite forces battled and clashed for dominion, wrestling between an intense heat and a glacial cold. The small foxes exerted themselves, prompting the flames to grow more vigorous and dazzling before the cold slowly receded into Felix's flesh. Despite their best effort, the lines on Felix's body refused to be extinguished and soon produced a new glacial wind. The flames flickered while the foxes panted as they exerted themselves battling this phenomenon.

The man frowned at the sight before lighting a second flame. Soon, his whole body burst into an intense, radiant blaze; Sofia couldn't bear to look directly at him. She could only feel the fierce heat scorch her skin, yet she still felt the cold. The flames glowed even brighter as the man slowly approached before placing one of his flaming tails on Felix’s chest.

The tail transformed into the purest of fire, glowing incandescent white, before it plunged straight into his chest, gripping his heart with its heat, forcing the cold out of his body. Soon, the flames died down, and the cold was no more. Only a dull imprint of the red lines remained on Felix's skin before they soon faded away. The man stepped back, wiping the accumulated sweat on his forehead. Judging by his expression, battling the cold seemed more arduous than he first expected.

Once peace returned, Sofia lunged toward Felix, placing her small hand on his cheek. She was relieved to find that his body temperature had returned to normal. She turned toward the man while tears threatened to flow from her adorable eyes. She could only utter a small, almost inaudible "Thank You."

The man’s expression soon returned to indifference as if he completely disregarded her small gesture. He didn’t even deign to look at them while he spoke next.

“Come,” he said in an arrogant and authoritative tone. “The elder wishes to see you.”

His words left no room for discussion as if they would come whether they wished to or not. Emil was less than thrilled, but the man's gaze made him lose all hope of resisting. He soon resigned himself. Sofia opened her mouth in protest, but before the words could come out, the man had already wrapped his tails around Felix's limp body before lifting him off the ground and carrying him above his head. The man gave them one last look before he left toward the forest's depths.

The rest of the foxes surrounded them, prompting them to follow him. They stood rooted in place, unsure whether following demons to their den was a sensible idea, until Mina was the first to take a step. Sofia and Emil looked at each other, their anxiousness clearly evident, until they both sighed and followed suit. They had no choice in the matter and could only try their luck. Sofia reckoned that if they wished to harm them, then such actions were unnecessary.

They soon left the barren crater, threading deeper within the untouched wildness where no man had ever ventured.