Lamech’s voice—the chief of the White Lotus—kept ringing in Asher’s ears for exactly 86,400 seconds.
Now, he sat on the blackened soil, his head hung low, his arms resting on his knees while his hands dangled limply.
His posture was one of defeat.
Meanwhile, Alex paced about the wooden cell, watching the spirit beasts go about their business.
Almost all of them were able to speak, but that was hardly shocking—he had watched it for an entire day.
“Time is running out.”
Asher said, finally breaking the silence.
Eder, who also sat in the cell along with the other knights, turned to him.
“I guess that means you have a day less to live.” Jed spat with a faint smile.
Alex shot him a glare so sharp that it seemed like the situation would explode into a fight in the next instant.
Asher lifted his head. “It’s been 86,400 seconds since they have kept us in this flimsy wooden prison. Clearly, it isn’t meant for long-term imprisonment.”
“86 what?!” Mushi’s eyes almost popped out.
“You were counting the seconds this whole time?!” Merari, the eldest of the brothers, exclaimed.
Asher sighed, “I wanted to keep myself in check. Unfortunately, it’s not like I can fight a beast stronger than an ancient-ranked knight.”
He spat the words out, but Eder frowned. He could sense an underlying tone that didn’t sound as defeated as Asher’s words were supposed to be.
“We didn’t want to be here but you had to grab that sword! You caused this!” Jed scowled.
According to Lamech, Ithamar had drawn Asher to the mountain pass and from there, a dozen bears–each strong enough to slap a sacred-ranked knight to death—had herded them straight to the Forest of Shadows!
“Jed.” Eder shot the ponytailed knight a warning glare before turning to Asher once again and asked. “Are you certain that they’ll come for us?”
“No.”
Eder frowned.
“They’ll come for one or two of us. Not all.” Asher responded.
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“And you think you’re the one they’ll come for?” Jesiah raised an eyebrow.
He wasn’t too antagonistic about Asher as much as before—especially after Alex saved him from being ripped and torn to pieces by those wolves.
Just then, a rustling sound made them all turn toward the approaching tigress.
Almost instantly, all of them turned to the tigress, who with a flick of one of her three tails swung open the cell door.
“The one with white hair. You’re summoned.”
Asher rose to his feet and walked out. The moment he stepped out of the cell, vines slithered down from a tree and wrapped tightly around his wrist, causing him to grimace.
“Why bother?” Asher muttered. “I’m sure you’re strong enough to kill me if I try anything funny.”
Zillah, the three-tailed tigress, gave a nod of approval to the large condor perched on the tree’s branch before averting her gaze to Asher.
“The fact that you possessed Ithamar makes you dangerous—even to the strongest of us.”
Asher’s eyes flickered. “But you’ve taken the sword. I’m like a beast without fangs and claws.”
“You would have been,” Zillah said, “but Ithamar refuses to be drawn. Clearly, it wants to follow you back to the mortal world.”
Asher raised an eyebrow. He was honestly waiting for the right moment to activate his talent—perhaps summon one or two of his predecessors if the beasts made attempts to end his life. But it seemed like Ithamar had turned the situation in his favour.
‘Follow? More like it wants to take over my body and wreak havoc. You can’t hinder an ambitious sword.’
He thought inwardly.
As Asher walked, he saw numerous beasts, but the one that stood out the most was a white wolf adorned with glowing azure symbols, lying peacefully by a pond with its eyes closed.
Then, ever so slightly, its eyes opened, revealing delicate sapphire irises. At that moment, all Asher could think of was a companion for Sirius. But then reality struck—Sirius was dead and so was this wolf. And if he didn’t leave the spirit world soon, he would be too.
“What kind of beast is that?” Asher subconsciously asked.
Zillah arched an eyebrow. “That was once an ordinary wolf until it developed a yearning for the moon. That desire drove it to evolve into a mythical beast—the Moon Chasing wolf.
All its life, it has been chasing after the moon only for it to die and come to this world where neither moon nor sun exist.”
“Ah… I see…”
They soon arrived at a clearing where the trees formed a circular enclosure. Zillah halted, staring right into Asher’s eyes—not a casual glance this time, but a piercing stare.
“When I look into your eyes, all I see is Scar,” she said coldly. “And it makes me want to rip you to shreds.”
The tigress’ sudden coldness made Asher’s brows knit together. His eyes slowly narrowed, confusion creeping in.
‘Scar? Who is that?’
That was how Zillah ended the discussion and then he found himself inside the enclosure, standing before Lambert, who rested calmly on a fallen tree with only its roots intact.
Beside him sat Ithamar!
“Mortal. Tell me, why do I perceive Scar around you?”
Lamech cracked open an eye and a crushing weight bore down on Asher—not from any exertion of force, but from the sheer presence of the being before him!
“Who is Scar?” Asher asked.
Lamech’s eyes narrowed. “You don’t know Scar?”
“I don’t.”
“Then why are you here?” Lamech frowned deeply.
“I came for my wolf.”
Hearing this, Lamech’s eyes flickered. He recalled a certain wolf months back, a wolf he once called friend, a wolf who had fought beside him against Belial.
That wolf had the same gaze Asher had now.
“You must be Asher Ashbourne.”
There was something different in Lamech’s voice now. Not the deep, commanding weight from before but something… sad. Something pitiful.
Was he… being pitied?
Lamech rose, his towering frame overshadowing Asher. “The wolf you seek is gone. I admire your courage to journey into these lands but consider that wolf dead—and return.”
Asher finally caught onto something and his eyes gleamed.
“Consider?” he repeated.
“The fact that you said ‘consider’ instead of telling me if he’s actually dead means Sirius isn’t dead. So tell me… where is he?”
