“What do you mean? Of course, the Screen Master is good. Why would you think he is evil?” Zan asked, unnerved at the strange conversational turn.

“I’m not saying he is evil, Zan,” Jiehong replied. “All I am saying is we know nothing about the Screen Master. We know nothing about this Sigma-Prime. We know nothing about this so-called ‘order’ of so-called ‘Ranger-Knights.’ We are small fish in a new and big ocean. We have to consider the possibility we got caught up in something. That’s all I am saying.”

“Okay… fine. I hear what you are saying. I understand your uncertainty. It’s true. We don’t know anything. I think, however, the Wardens are forces of good. That is the truth I want to believe and believe. Until we gain evidence to the contrary, we should not disbar the Wardens.”

“Fair!” Jiehong said. “Totally fair. Let’s make a vow, right?”

What Jiehong spoke made Zan freeze. “A vow?” Zan asked. “Don’t you think that is a little extreme, Jiehong?”

“Why would it be extreme? You and I are best friends, right? If the Screen Master is evil — not that I am saying he is — but if we discover evidence he and Sigma-Prime are not what they say, I need to know, to have that comfort, you will pull away from them.”

Walking more closely to their destination, the fluttering plume of flame-like light continuing to flicker in the distance, Zan didn’t know what he should do.

So, he split the difference. He said, “I will make the vow with you, Jiehong. The terms must be fair and balanced. I will not agree to anything less.”

“Yes! Absolutely. Of course! I will write the terms up and then run them by you—”

Interjecting, Zan said, “But I will not agree to anything without proof.”

Sighing, Jiehong said: “How about a basic vow?”

“What do you mean?” Zan said.

“For now, let’s only agree to an elementary vow of solidarity? Something as simple as… if we both see something about the Wardens which are disconcerting, weird, something that makes us think, ‘geez, that probably isn’t normal. That looks like it is something up to no good,’ then we both make pains to either get out of the order or destroy it from the inside.”

Zan and Jiehong stood before their destination with hardly a step before them for them to re-enter the real world. Zan felt like growling. Jiehong was being difficult.

“Sorry, Jiehong. Even that is too much. You really expect me to see one strange thing, maybe, about them and then go ‘aw! Time to get out and-or destroy this technologically advanced organization!’ at the first sign of maybe trouble?”

It was Jiehong’s turn to throw his hands up in frustration, like he was getting nowhere and hadn’t even the pleasure of company to show for it.

Not wanting relations among them to sour again, Zan said, “How about this? We do an elementary vow. If we both uncover something which makes us go, ‘nope, can’t have that in our holy order!’ then we will meet and discuss the issue. And that’s it.”

Considering Zan’s counteroffer, Jiehong said, “Okay. Fine. That is a good compromise.”

“Thank you, Jiehong. I understand your concerns about the Wardens. We know nothing about them or the order, right? Nothing they haven’t been the ones to tell us. But I don’t share your same concerns. So, for now, this is the best we can do. At least until we learn more about the ‘Shiv’ order and who the Wardens are as people.”

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“Okay. I like it. Let’s channel some magic and do the vow,” Jiehong said.

Channeling some miniscule sum of magical energy from his body and into his hand, as Jiehong did the same, the two boys then firmly shook their hands.

Feeling their hands clasp and their magic mingle, a thin ripple of goosebumps spread across their respective skins. Swaying throughout their bodies like tall grass in the wind.

“Shall we?” Zan asked, showing the portal.

Nodding, Jiehong gave his answer by jumping through the portal.

About to jump through himself, Zan paused for a moment.

He thought he heard something behind him.

Turning, he saw nothing. No one. No thing.

Must’ve been my imagination, he thought.

Zan jumped through the portal and landed roughly on the other side.

“Where are we?” asked Jiehong.

“Still in the region,” Zan said. “At least according to the Wardens.”

Around them were strong, tall trees. Each tree tightly packed itself to the tree next to it, which gave the impression of each tree being a jungle in itself, as branches and leaves co-mingled, creating a vast canopy, at layers, within this dense part of the wood.

“How? It looks like… I guess I don’t know what it looks like. Still. This part is so ancient…” Jiehong said.

“I’m surprised, too,” Zan replied. “We should start our search. Whiskey said the structure she found looked like our command center. Judging from the building materials. Be on the lookout for anything sleek, shiny, and confusing.”

Sticking together, the two boys wandered for a long time.

“Is that… wait, sorry… I thought that bird… nevermind,” Jiehong muttered.

Zan couldn’t blame Jiehong. As the hours passed, and they encountered no ruins, Zan’s mind longed for anything which fit what they’re looking for. Taking out his note, Zan again reviewed the elementary picture he drew for himself. The picture had all the needed information — a drawing of a house with lines throughout to signify the strange raw ores of the order; many trees, big and scaly, to denote the old wood; and the bluffs on either side of the ruin.

Wait, bluffs? Zan thought. I see no boulders or unsteady mountains. Maybe we’re in the wrong part of the wood?

Taking them to another part of the forest altogether, Zan did not know what they were doing wrong. It was possible Whiskey lied to them. Yet… Zan didn’t think her the type to lie. What did he know, though? Especially in the minds of desperate people?

Hearing the running water of a stream, Zan brought him and Jiehong down for a break. “Let’s water up and rest, then get back to it,” Zan said.

Sitting on their haunches, the boys emptied their heads, of all things.

Or at least Zan did. Jiehong… who knew what he thought about? Girls, probably. That or his parents and what sort of life he would have after the war ended.

In one regard, Zan was lucky. He knew his place after the war. This — all this.

He knew it: the Order would be his life. Silly warnings by Jiehong aside, Zan knew the Order would be his life. If he encountered difficulty, he would overcome. He would make it his life. It had called to him. It would be his. He knew it.

Rubbing his feet and looking over to his friend, Zan worried the stress was getting to him. What else could be the reason for his… difficulty lately? They had never been like this before the war. Sure, Jiehong was doing better, but was he, really? He still had outlandish ideas about both the order and him. Maybe things would be better if he and Whiskey settled down and started popping out babies? Maybe a domestic life was what Jiehong craved?

‘Who knows? He won’t even speak to me anymore,’ Zan uttered under his breath.

“Time to get going!” Zan said after they finished their snack of berries and biscuits.

Leading them along a stream, Zan contended himself to simply following the river. With woods still closing in on them at all angles, Zan knew the odds of encountering some old ruin with tall rocks or bluffs or whatever it was which Whiskey supposedly saw were not a likely chance. Zan contended himself, though, with one thought: what was likely to happen? They were here to investigate, research, and that was what they did.

For another few hours, Zan and Jiehong searched up and down. They searched up hills, behind bushes, even little caves. But they found nothing.

Zan was about ready to call the investigation for the day when he heard an unusual sound. It was water, but louder?

Looking at Jiehong, Zan said, “What is that?”

Jiehong seemed just as confused. “Uhh…”

Walking along several more steps, both came to the same conclusion — “Waterfall!”