Thirteen ran to the camp, where the other Wanderers were staying, at a fast pace.
He could have reached the area faster if he had jumped onto Blacky’s back, but he chose to run instead.
The reason?
Because he wasn’t alone at the moment.
After running for half an hour, the teenage boy finally stopped running and looked behind him.
“How long are you going to follow me?” Thirteen asked calmly.
Although he was feeling irritated deep inside, he made sure to not show it on the surface.
The young lady, who had long black hair tied up in a ponytail, moved her fingers and wrote something in the air.
“Don’t mind me, and just do what you need to do.”
Those were the words the young lady had written in the air, which made the teenage boy sigh internally.
Since he met her half an hour ago, the young lady had not spoken a single word.
She only used hand signs or wrote words in the air to communicate with him.
He didn’t know her name because she wouldn’t answer whenever she was asked.
“I can’t take someone suspicious back with me to our camp,” Thirteen replied. “Tell me why you’re following me, and who you are. If you don’t answer, we will part ways here.”
The moment Thirteen saw the black-haired beauty, he felt hate rising up from his chest.
Although he knew that feeling hate toward a stranger was illogical, he couldn’t stop himself from feeling that way because he understood what kind of existence was standing in front of him.
A True Hero.
Taiga and Roland were also Heroes, but they were just that.
Heroes.
They weren’t True Heroes.
Just like there were Third-Rate, Second-Rate, and First-Rate Villains, there were Heroes and True Heroes.
Fate protects Heroes, but she loves True Heroes the most.
They were the Heroes who acted like true Heroes, hence why the term, True Heroes, was created.
Not all Heroes were equal.
Despite the fact that they were called Heroes, some of them do bad things and use their authority, powers, and influence over others to get what they want.
It didn’t matter if they wanted money or women. As long as they wanted something, they would get it by hook or by crook.
Some Heroes are even worse than Villains, which was the reason why Thirteen hated them very much.
But True Heroes were different.
They were the righteous heroes who fought for the sake of the weak and the helpless, and they were capable of overcoming all adversities.
They were Fate’s Beloved.
And right now, the teenage boy was staring at a person who had killed many of his previous hosts just because that was their Fate.
“Do what you must.”
That was the reply that the young lady said as he wrote those words in the air.
Despite him telling her that they would part ways if she didn’t answer him, she simply gave him the same answer, looking as calm as ever.
Truth be told, Thirteen was extremely tempted to end her life to avoid future troubles.
But a True Hero wasn’t someone who could be killed easily.
Something would always happen to prevent them from dying until they had completed their role in the world.
So, until then, Thirteen understood that she was an “untouchable.”
He was trying to beat Fate in her own game, so he understood the rules as well.
This was why he was training Taiga and Roland—when the time came when he needed their help, they would come to his aid and assist him in fighting the pawns that Fate had prepared for him.
“Goodbye,” Thirteen said before taking a step back.
The ground behind him opened up, and the young man fell into the darkness.
The hole then slowly closed up on itself, leaving no trace behind.
When Thirteen disappeared, a faint smile appeared on the young lady’s face as she glanced in the direction where the Wanderers were staying.
A moment later, a little brown bird landed on her shoulder and started chirping loudly.
The bird was none other than a Wren, which was a very common bird that could be seen almost everywhere in Solterra.
“Thank you,” the young lady said softly after hearing the little bird’s report.
She then lightly patted the little bird’s head, making the latter close its eyes as if enjoying her touch.
“Let’s go,” the young lady said, and the little brown bird flapped its wings to jump down onto the ground.
A moment later, it transformed into a giant bird. It slightly lowered itself, allowing the young lady to mount its back.
She was also a Wanderer just like Thirteen and even shared the same mission as him.
But seeing that the teenage boy didn’t like her, she had no choice but to leave him alone for the time being.
“Zion Leventis,” the young lady said softly. “May fortune shine upon you. Let’s go, Aethon.”
The giant bird spread its wings and flapped it once, taking flight.
Soon, it disappeared above the clouds, leaving no traces behind.
Hundreds of meters away, Rocky’s head poked out from the ground and opened his mouth.
Thirteen, who was on the mouth of the Magma Bal-Boa, looked up at the cloud where the Giant Bird disappeared for half a minute before asking Rocky to drop him off near the camp of the Wanderers.
Similar to the young lady, Thirteen didn’t want to have a direct confrontation at the moment since they had more pressing problems waiting for them.
When he arrived at the camp, he pushed aside the thoughts of the black-haired young lady that he had met to the back of his head, and looked for Erica, Sherry, and Diana.
“Is everything almost ready?” Thirteen asked.
“We’re almost ready,” Erica replied. “We even managed to gain more food than we expected.”
“More is always good.” Thirteen nodded. “Tell the others that they should continue hunting until tomorrow noon, before we head to the underground tunnels.”
At the mention of the underground tunnels, Erica, Sherry, and Diana showed conflicted expressions on their faces.
Since the three of them were part of Thirteen’s Inner Circle, he had told them what he planned to do, which made the three of them very anxious.
But despite their reservations, they trusted Zion’s decision.
He had never failed them, and they believed that this one would be no different from the other crazy but successful things that he had pulled off in the past.