“What’s wrong?”
“Why are they all staring at us?”
Kouta, holding Guina’s hand, walked towards the group, gazing at their stunned expressions. He looked down at himself, then around, and chuckled, “Ah! It’s nothing!”
“Haha!!”
Ah Hua and the other two snapped back to attention, waving their hands dismissively and laughing. They would never admit that they were astonished by the ethereal aura Kouta and Guina exuded just now. After all, they had grown up together; they knew each other inside out!
Robin, however, had fewer reservations. She stared at Kouta and Guina, a spark of brilliance in her eyes, and said with a smile, “For a moment, I thought I was seeing the legendary true gods!”
“Kachakacha!”
Indigo also chuckled nearby, “The instant you two emerged, I felt as if the entire world was deliberately welcoming you. That aura, in particular, was the most… in all my years of life…” He paused, then smiled, “Anyway, I don’t know how to describe it. It was just very beautiful, very charming! Kachakacha!”
“Beautiful?”
“Charming?”
“What kind of lewd words are those!”
Kouta shook his head, releasing Guina’s hand. He then turned to Gan Fall and said with a smile, “Elder Fall, I’ve done as I promised. Enel will never appear again. The rest is up to you, alright!”
“Hahahahaha!”
Gan Fall grinned widely, his laughter filled with joy and relief. As they watched his slightly unhinged smile, no one interrupted. They could feel the fervent emotions within him.
After a moment.
Gan Fall’s laughter gradually subsided until it ceased entirely. He looked through the gaps in the trees at the setting sun in the distance, then glanced at the Shandian ruins, not too far away. Finally, he turned to look at Kouta. A smile never left his face as he asked, “Kouta-san, it will be dark soon. Do you plan to spend the night here, or will you go to Angel Island and explore this place tomorrow at your leisure?”
“If you plan to go to Angel Island, I’ll head back first and prepare a feast. When you arrive, I will surely let you experience the warmth of our Angel Island.”
As he said this, everyone’s gaze turned to Kouta. Ah Hua and the other two’s eyes practically glowed, and they even swallowed hard. They had only eaten one fish for lunch, and their stomachs were already rumbling with hunger. The prospect of going to Angel Island and enjoying delicacies they had never seen or tasted before was something they had long anticipated. Even Robin, who was most eager to explore Shandora, blushed as her stomach growled.
Seeing everyone’s reaction, Kouta found it difficult to refuse. Moreover, he didn’t want to stay on this deserted island overnight.
So, he smiled at Gan Fall and said, “Then let’s head to Angel Island first! After all, in this wilderness, there’s nothing to eat, and it’s not a good place to sleep, is it?”
“But we’ll have to wait a moment. I need to speak with those Shandians.”
Gan Fall chuckled and cast his gaze towards the distant Shandians, then strode towards them. They didn’t know what he said to the Shandians, but eventually, the Shandians cast a complex glance at Kouta and his companions before turning and heading back the way they came.
After the Shandians left, Gan Fall turned back and walked towards Kouta and his group.
“Haha! I apologize for keeping you waiting. Enel is dead, so these Shandians will now be Angel Island’s top priority. I had to speak with them first and will also invite their chieftain to Angel Island later.” He shook his head, “I hope they will come! After all, we’ve been enemies for nearly 400 years. I don’t want this enmity to continue. Jaya is vast enough for us to coexist peacefully.”
“Taking advantage of Enel’s death, I can finally accomplish something I’ve always wanted to do but never could. It will also bring an end to this tragic history.”
“Indeed! Let’s go, Elder Fall. You can say whatever you wish at the banquet later. For now, let’s head out!” Kouta shook his head, looking at the darkness that had begun to appear in the sky, and said, “It will be truly dark soon.”
“Look at my brain, Kouta-san is right.” Gan Fall tapped his own head. “Then I’ll go ahead.” He scanned each person’s face, his eyes filled with deep gratitude. He then turned to the pink bird beside him and called out, “Pierre, we’re leaving.”
“Pei!”
Pierre, who had been lying nearby, heard Gan Fall’s call and immediately stood up. Its body expanded, its claws turned into hooves, its beak elongated into a muzzle, and its tail feathers became a horse’s tail. After transforming, it raised its head and let out a loud cry, “Pee~”
The onlookers stared at Pierre, initially expectant, but as they saw its transformed body, their mouths twitched, and a deep sense of disappointment filled their eyes. Pierre, however, ignored their opinions, its head held high, its horse-like face filled with pride.
Gan Fall mounted the creature and, after glancing at Kouta and the others, said, “Hurry up and join us! I’ll have good wine waiting for you.”
“Yes! Go ahead!” Kouta nodded.
Gan Fall retracted his gaze and patted Pierre’s back with his right hand.
“Go!”
Pierre immediately flapped its wings, stirring up a gust of wind, and with Gan Fall on its back, broke through the trees and soared into the sky. From afar, despite Gan Fall’s age, he possessed the majestic aura of a sky knight. Only the pink-skinned, black-spotted sky horse beneath him, which neighed not like a horse but with a “Pee~,” was slightly jarring, spoiling the overall impression.
However, this was not for Kouta and his companions to worry about. Recalling his gaze, Kouta raised his wine gourd and took a drink. He cast one last look at the area previously covered by his domain. A smile flickered in his eyes. Then, turning around, he led Guina by the hand, along with his companions, and left the place, disappearing into the sunset’s afterglow. They departed from this ordinary, yet extraordinary, patch of forest.
Not long after Kouta and his companions left, darkness descended rapidly like a curtain, covering the entire sky, obscuring the sun’s lingering warmth and revealing an infinite starry expanse. As a radiant bright moon rose. This dark forest once again had light, a crystalline glow. But unlike its usual quietude, tonight, this forest was remarkably lively. Streaks of firelight emerged from a deeply hidden cave, gradually forming a long dragon. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be the residents of Angel Island, welcoming back their family members who had been away for over four years. Their arrival filled the once silent forest with life and brought a sense of human vitality to this place, once occupied by Enel and called a sacred land, now just an ordinary island in the vast ocean below. It seemed to have come alive from its former lifelessness. One could surmise this was the fervor of humanity for its land, influencing the island. After all, no matter how precious an island is, it only becomes significant with human presence. Without people, even if the island were full of gold, it would merely be a dead object.
…