After some pleasantries, Hae-Hyuk told Sophia to pack up. They were leaving tomorrow. After Sophia left his quarters, he went to meet his disciples and broke the news to them. Well, to Jin. Min-Su remained meditating. He never stopped. The voices in his head were too painful for him to stop. He had to find the way out of the situation.

Sophia had gone straight to her Mother to tell her the good news. Isla smiled brightly while her beautiful daughter exaggerated and talked about it as if it had been an epic quest. Isla remained happy throughout as this was what she wanted. She didn't expect her daughter to leave soon after because she was told to 'pack up' and, while she understood, it made her sad. It would be time to say goodbye.

Isla went to meet Hae-Hyuk. She found him drinking some tea as usual. She looked at him for a time before sitting with him. She wanted her daughter and him to leave and experience the world but she wanted them close to her at the same time. It was a complicated feeling.

Hae-Hyuk was the one to break the silence: "We're leaving tomorrow. Can you let us use the teleportation array?"

She didn't think he would ask for that. It was the first time. He always spent his days roaming around on foot. She asked back: "Why would you want to use it?"

Hae-Hyuk tapped on the table with his fingers a few times before he told her: "I plan to go to the City of Seven Waterfalls"

Isla nodded. She understood the reason behind the use of the array right away. She agreed to it. There were no reasons to refuse it anyways. That aside, what mattered to her where they went but that they were leaving. She got up and went to cuddle with Hae-Hyuk. She whispered a small 'thank you' before burying herself in his embrace. There was nothing sexual about it this time, she only wished to feel his warmth. Understanding, Hae-Hyuk hugged her back.

She asked him while in his arms: "Will you be back? Before it starts, I mean"

Hae-Hyuk said that he wouldn't and Isla sighed. It meant that for the next few years, they wouldn't meet. Again. She slowly got up and began to leave. Before she exited, she told Hae-Hyuk to take good care of her daughter.

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That night, Isla spent it with her daughter. She told her stories of her adventures with Hae-Hyuk back in the days. How he liked this and that and how he disliked this and that back then. Sophia marveled at the tales of her Mother, wishing to experience her own epics...

The next morning, Isla bade goodbye to her daughter in the tower. She didn't plan to accompany the group to the array. She already gave instructions to a few of her trusted men. Soon, Hae-Hyuk left with Min-Su held under an arm, Sophia and Jin.

As the array began to stabilize, Sophia took one last peek at the twin towers where she grew up. She was leaving. She bowed in gratitude towards the building before turning around and following her new Master. This was the start of the next part of her life.

Meanwhile Isla had also left the towers but for a different place. She was miles away from her city, direction north. In the wild lands, at the top of a rather high hill, she was facing someone. It was a majestic man. He had long blue hair, deep blue eyes and wore a black robe with golden depictions of waves. It was someone she knew well. And she didn't like him. It was the neighboring ruler and one of the strongest men in the world. Just like her and Hae-Hyuk, he was at the peak of the 69th stage.

As he saw her, he sported a radiant smile. A stark contrast to her own expression. He opened up his arms as he said: "My dear Isla! It's been so long! I missed you!"

"Cut the crap, Cao Lei. He left already so, why don't you back to your shitty cave?"

He laughed. She was truly as ferocious as she was back then! He could never understand what she found in Hae-Hyuk... Anyways, she was right. He told her: "I know. I felt the array... It is a shame, I thought I would be able to meet him this time. Since I rushed all the way here and everything, how about taking me for a tour of your city?"

It didn't seem to amuse Isla as the air surrounding her began to palpitate. The space itself seemed to fail under her anger. But it only made for a laughable sight in the eyes of Cao Lei. Intimidating him? She was thousand years too young for that! He didn't even bother about it and continued: "Never mind, you don't seem in the mood for it. It's a shame that he left so soon...I really wanted to meet his new disciples"

Isla was getting furious due to the implicit threat. It was obvious what this man's goals had been in coming all the way here. He wanted to kill Min-Su and Jin before it began. Fair play meant only so much in this world.

In any case, Cao Lei missed them so, he had no reasons to stay here. Facing Isla wouldn't bring him any benefits since she wasn't going to participate. He waved as he turned around and departed before leaving a few words: "Let's meet again at the gathering, Isla"

Isla watched him fly away. The surroundings reverted back to their calm state. She sighed. If this man had decided to fight her, she would have suffered greatly. Even at the same stage, there were no equals. And she was aware that she was lacking compared to this one. He was a monster like Hae-Hyuk...

She sighed again as she flew back to her city. The crisis was averted but it had been close.