When Kim Hajun had been chosen by Keulonoseu to go back in time to save the tower from destruction, feelings of honor and pride had welled up inside of him. Of all the lords and strong creatures, he had been singled out because he was special. Only he could save the tower, and though he had done his best to hide it, it made him proud, smug even. Now, however, he wasn’t too happy about being special. In fact, it’d be much better if he wasn’t special at all; then, he wouldn’t be bound by dozens of slimy tentacles, at the mercy of a giant, spacefaring octopus.

“It’s getting difficult to breathe, huh?” Lindyss asked, her brow furrowing as the tentacle traveled through the empty void.

Vur grunted. The starlike rune on his shoulder shone with a green light, and wind leaked out of his body, forming a sphere of breathable air around himself and Lindyss. Then, as an afterthought, a portion of the sphere extended to encompass Kim Hajun as well; though, it didn’t matter because his mouth and nose were covered by a tentacle.

Lindyss squinted at the space ahead. It was pure black save for a silver ripple reminiscent of lingering smoke from a blown-out candle. “Get ready,” the cursed elf said. “We’re about to transition.”

Transition? Kim Hajun wanted to ask. Unfortunately, he couldn’t formulate words. His body wriggled as he struggled, fighting to free himself from the field of pink tentacles. His eyes caught a glimpse of something white, and he furrowed his brow as he stopped moving to get a better look at the object stuck in the field with him. It was a skeleton.

A second later, green fire lit up within the skeleton’s eyes, and it let out a cackle as a green mist wrapped around Kim Hajun’s wrist. The mist solidified into a ghostly hand extending from the skeleton, coming out of its ribcage. The ghastly hand felt like ice, freezing Kim Hajun’s arm, but he was unable to pull away thanks to the tentacles holding him in place. The ghost cackled before tugging on Kim Hajun’s arm. Then, the ghost’s brow furrowed as it tugged again. Question marks appeared over its head as it tugged at Kim Hajun’s arm once more. The ghost’s arm jiggled up and down, but Kim Hajun’s arm remained firmly in place.

A lightning bolt struck the ghost, causing it to screech and retreat into the dense forest of pink tentacles. “He’s mine,” Lindyss said before smiling at Kim Hajun. “Aren’t you glad you sold your soul to Vur to deal with the severed hand? If you hadn’t, that wraith would’ve ripped your soul away from your body.”

If he sold it to Vur, why did the elf claim she was his? Of course, Kim Hajun could only think his questions. He had another question too: what was with the sky? Instead of the black backdrop, the sky was green and filled with a lighter-green haze. Was the transition Lindyss had mentioned earlier the switch from the world of the living to the world of the dead? Kim Hajun rolled his eyes—the only parts of his body he could move—and looked at Vur. A green haze drifted towards the ocean-blue dragon.

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Vur turned his head and sniffed the air. Then, he blinked before opening his mouth and sucking in a deep breath, inhaling all the approaching mist. Shortly after, a burp escaped from Vur’s lips, tiny green vapors fleeing his mouth. “Tasty,” Vur said and looked around, but the surrounding haze had fled upon hearing the burp.

Kim Hajun thought back on his time in the tower. The ocean-blue dragon had always been confident, and seeing as Vur could send even the dead running for their undead lives, Kim Hajun felt a bit foolish for ever doubting the dragon. How was he supposed to know he didn’t have to lift a single finger to save the tower? Why were there even variables in the first place? The fairies had mentioned the Wisty was in charge of grabbing people’s souls to help them reincarnate. What if Keulonoseu’s soul had been taken by the Wisty when the Time Lord had sacrificed himself to send Kim Hajun back in time?

“Keep an eye out,” Lindyss said, looking around with a frown. The tentacle continued surging forward, but the scenery didn’t change by much. However, a black sun did appear from beyond the haze, casting a dark shadow over everything its rays touched.

“What are we looking for?” Stella asked, poking her head out of Vur’s scales near his snout. She squinted at the surroundings before sinking back inside of Vur’s body. It sounded like her teeth were chattering as she spoke. “The weather out there is not very friendly, huh?”

“Yeah, you should stay inside for now,” Lindyss said. “Unless you’re dead or have a strong soul, this environment can easily take your life.” She scanned the surroundings with a frown. “You know how the undead are. If they can’t win fairly, they’ll take a cheap shot. We can’t let them take Kim Hajun’s soul before we reach the Wisty’s head.”

“So, we have to keep an eye out for anything that can harm Kim Hajun,” Sheryl said, the sunlike rune on Vur’s shoulder flashing. A sigh escaped from near his snout, coming from the location Stella’s voice had appeared.

“We really have to keep an eye out for everything, huh?” Stella asked.

“Why?” Mervin’s voice asked from approximately the same location on Vur’s body as the fairy queen.

“Kim Hajun is really weak,” Stella said. “Keeping him safe is like protecting a piece of glass.”

A dark expression appeared on Kim Hajun’s face. If it weren’t for the fact he was immobilized and completely helpless, he would’ve protested against the fairy queen’s words. Unfortunately, the situation he was in kind of proved Stella right. Unable to rely on himself, he could only pray Vur and Lindyss kept a watchful eye out for danger.

“Hey! That cloud looks like a bear,” a voice said from the green, starlike rune on Vur’s body.

Vur and Lindyss turned their heads up towards the sky.

“I don’t see it,” the cursed elf said after a bit.

“It’s over there,” Vur said, pointing with his claw. He traced an outline in the air in front of him. “See?”

Kim Hajun’s eyes shifted from left to right. For some reason, he didn’t like his chances.