The night continued on with various celebratory remarks.

Various children even moved near Bertugo and quietly observed him from a distance. The feeling that Bertugo had long lost somehow returned. He had told Dyne of how another tribe devoured his village with several strong Gobu Gobus. This had happened shortly after the Mist came when Bertugo's tribe was attacked by a maverick squad of Serus and some Seru-human pair. As such, he had been living with a few survivors, but they slowly dwindled over time until he became the only survivor. So he lived his life as a scavenger from the hunts of the other Gobu Gobu. But now, he was in an all-human village! And the ironic thing was that the humans his race had hated for so long were curiously looking at him.

The warrior Tetsu even approached the Gobu Gobu and gave him meat to eat.

The small acts of kindness caused the long and wearied monster to actually cry. He had been living hell outside, and now, among his enemies, he ate and enjoyed and even relaxed.

As for Dyne, he excused himself for a bit and walked towards the Genesis Tree.

Upon entering the garden, he saw the young Vahn praying so fervently at the Genesis Tree.

“You’re Vahn, right? Val’s kid?” Dyne asked.

Vahn was startled and glanced at Dyne and gave a smile in return.

“Yes.” Vahn gave his simple answer.

“You look strong.” Dyne laughed. And he wasn’t merely complementing Vahn. The boy had muscles for his young age.

Vahn smiled and didn’t answer.

“I plan to train with Master Tetsu after this. I guess we’ll be fellow disciples then.” Dyne laughed.

Vahn smiled and glanced at the Genesis Tree and then to Dyne.

“Thank you for giving the village hope.” Vahn said and bowed to leave. His smile was genuine, and Dyne could really see how grateful Vahn was, although he was trying to hold it in.

“It's watching you, you know. The Genesis Tree that is. I told the village earlier that they should keep praying to the Tree. To be honest, I think that I am an answer from the prayers you made to this Genesis tree.” Dyne laughed.

Vahn smiled and bowed once more.

“I will surely remember those words.” Vahn bowed and left.

Dyne smiled and watched Vahn go.

“Grow stronger, Vahn. I need you in that world.” Dyne sighed as Vahn disappeared.

“Hey... Meta. I need your help. One of your slumbering friends will probably die soon. And another Genesis Tree is also dying. What can I do to save it?” Dyne touched the Genesis Tree and slowly whispered.

Dyne was quiet and waited for a while.

“Are you still too weak? I’ll do my best to help you recover your strength. I’ll try to make the villagers pray twice morGenesisn and increase their faith in you."

Dyne had known through the game that prayers were something that could strengthen a Ra-Seru. Even Meta was too weak to awaken the Genesis Tree of Rim Elm and needed everyone's prayers.

But at the same time, he knew that prayers could only do so much and could not awaken a Genesis Tree.

The kingdom of Drake, just northwest of where Rim Elm was, had summoned all of its citizens to tried to pray at the Genesis Tree. Dyne wasn't sure if Terra was still there or if he had awakened before or after that event, but if a kingdom's desperate prayer could not do it, then the small population of Rim Elm also wouldn't be able to do it.

" I know you’ve been looking after Vahn for so long. Continue to do so. You and he are a perfect match." Dyne continued his monologue.

"I am someone who has served under the teachings of the prophet Hari and have learned of various prophecies. One of the predictions involves the death of a Genesis Tree and a dark shadow that will affect even the Seru-Kai world. It will involve the death of another Ra-Seru. I hope you awaken soon.” Dyne waited for a while. Since nothing had happened, he left the Tree.

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

As he moved up the area, Tetsu was waiting for him.

“I see you are a religious person, just like Vahn.” Tetsu laughed.

“Wise words from a monk.” Dyne laughed.

“For a child, you sure have a very... mature way of behaving.”

“The horrors of the world force me to.” Dyne sighed.

“I want to talk with the Elder. And probably talk with Val or Juno or the head hunters.” Dyne’s expression turned serious.

It was then that Tetsu noticed the seriousness in his eyes.

“I will send word right away.”

“You should be there as well. It pertains to Biron Monastery,” Dyne sighed.

“Biron Monastery!” Tetsu’s expression changed.

Dyne went ahead and went uphill to wait at the Elder’s house.

Soon the Elder arrived along with the top hunters.

“Alright. I wanted to tell you about the situation because I know the secrets of the Mist.” Dyne explained. He had already prepared a long lie to tell the Elders. These lies would solve the current situation as well as the mysteries of the Mist.

Dyne knew how the Mist was created and who made it, and even how to stop it. Looking at the grim state of Legaia and recalling Strafe's warnings that this world would be harsher, Dyne realized he had to make the Hunters prepare.

He dared not underestimate just how hard Strafe made this game far difficult. And since the workings of fate that Strafe designed have already ended, who knows if the enemy would discover Rim Elm earlier?

But To protect the continuity of the game, he decided only to tell the hunters what they needed to know to prepare for the coming battles.

Everyone's expression was startled.

“What do you know about the Mist?”

“The cause. The area. The enemy. I have seen through it in my eyes. I didn’t want everyone to panic and wanted to give this village more hope. But the truth is, there could be problems in the near future.”

“The Mist?”

Dyne had a thorough knowledge of the game. With Strafe adding this memory, Dyne understood the whole picture of the Mist.

“Yes. The Mist appeared seven years ago, right?” Dyne asked.

“Yes.”

“The cause of this Mist is human-made. Someone created it. I was at Sol back then. During those times, Sol and the Conkram kingdom had a war. I’m sure you’ve heard of this.”

“We have received news of it. But since it was so distant, it didn’t affect us.” The Elder nodded.

“Alright. Let me explain what had happened. We were winning. But then, Conkram released a different kind of weapon. It drove all Serus insane and made them more powerful than ever. It possessed the humans who had it, making them transform into a possessed creature.”

“The Mist!” Juno realized what Dyne was saying.

Tetsu nodded.

“It’s a weapon?”

“Yes. It was the Mist. It makes Serus stronger than they are. Some Serus grow stronger because of the Mist. As for its creators, we don’t know who it is specifically. The king and queen of Conkram or Conkram itself didn’t appear during the time the Mist appeared. We suspected that most of them also fell into possession, much like the rest of the world. However, since they were able to make that large fort, it must be made by someone from Conkram’s Royal family.”

“Oh, my Tieg! I can't believe that humans make the Mist!”

“Do not underestimate the wisdom of man. In Sol, we could also do amazing things with the Serus we have. How do you think we drove away from the monster kings?” Dyne laughed.

“Monster kings?” The hunters looked at each other in confusion.

“It is an old tale. It is said that before the arrival of the Seru, monster kings reigned in Legaia. When the Serus arrived, they despised the Monsters for monsters would eat them. When a monster devours Serus, they have a possibility of evolving.” The Elder explained.

“Monsters can evolve?” The hunters were shocked.

“Yes. But it is complicated. As you can see, the Mist has caused the Serus to run amok. They have formed groups, and the area in Drake castle has turned into a den of Serus where countless Gimards have made their kingdom out of it. Not to mention the Mist have haunted the spirits of the dead, causing foul ghosts and skeletons to rise in their wake. This is why monsters patrol around Drake castle of hopes to find a lone Gimard.”

Dyne maintained calm but was inwardly surprised.

“So that’s why the Bertugo was chasing the Gimard! It was his ticket to growth!” Dyne pondered and even considered gifting the Gimard back to Bertugo.

“The mist... can make undead monsters?” Dyne asked curiously.

“You don’t know?” The Elder was stunned.

“I don’t. Let me clarify something. Now, you may be wondering how I remember this if I was so young. The truth is, I was possessed in the Mist. The Gimard you saw earlier, and the reason I brought it here is that it has sentimental value. I was possessed in the Mist for more than six years.” Dyne explained with a grave expression.

“What?!” The Hunters were surprised.

“I was stunned to have learned from Bertugo that six years have passed. All the while, I felt like I was in a dream. Bertugo said that I hadn’t aged a day since I was possessed. Bertugo and I lost contact with each other when the Mist came. The reason I reached Drake continent was that I was fleeing Sol. My father believed that the Mist would soon envelop all of Karisto and sent me to the Sebucus Islands through the flying train.”

“A flying train?!” One of the hunters echoed out. It was Ixis' father.

“I’ve heard of such mysteries. So the Sebucus island is truly a magnificent place!” Val expressed.

“Not when I was there...” Dyne revealed a complicated expression.

“Shortly after arrived, rumors of a strange mist had also appeared near Ratayu! Instead of heading for Ratayu Kingdom, I went south and arrived here. I headed for Drake Castle but soon found that the same Mist had also appeared here! It was there I separated from Bertugo. He stayed behind to fend off some of the Serus that appeared, and I fled towards Drake Castle. After that... I don’t remember much.” Dyne sighed.

“I see. I understand now. Back then, the Water gate had been closed. You must have been possessed right before the water gate was opened.” Juno analyzed.

Dyne was silent but sighed in relief.

“Thankfully, they filled in the void of my lies.” Dyne quietly thought.