Realm Wars

"Is that. . ." 

"That must be the portal to the next Islet!" Seraphina finished Ryu's words.

Both Ryu and Seraphina looked thrilled. They could finally reach the Third Islet without even fighting Tiamat!

"Is that really the portal to the next Islet?" Marcus said in a daze. It had been months since they searched for it, and now that it was just in front of him, he couldn't believe it was real.

Pinching himself, Marcus felt the stinging pain. He wasn't hallucinating!

"Ryu, we could finally reach the third Islet!" Seraphina exclaimed in excitement.

Ryu couldn't contain his smile as he nodded his head. It felt like they were finally going to get out of this wretched place. But more importantly, he felt like he'd be reunited with Ferris and Cecily soon!

Seraphina swept her gaze at Marcus and Halfjack and clasped her hands together, beaming. "You two can finally get out from this Islet and proceed to the next!"

Marcus and Halfjack's faces brightened, but then Marcus's smile fell off his face.

"What's wrong?" Seraphina asked, sensing Marcus's hesitation.

"I'm going to stay here," Marcus said in all seriousness before he broke into a smile. "I'm going to wait for Jane."

".. ."

".. ."

"Are you sure?" Ryu somehow expected that from Marcus. He would wait for Cecily and Rosa too, but he wasn't sure if they would cross paths here. And who knew if they had already successfully finished this Islet. Then he'd be waiting for nothing. 

Whereas Jane had a high chance that she would stumble in here, Marcus thought of that too.

"I want to be with her when she comes into this Islet. Now that I know where the portal is, I want to wait for her and cross it together."

Ryu and Seraphina looked at each other. The determination on Marcus's face told them that they couldn't change his mind.

"Then. .. I'm staying with you."

The others were surprised at Halfjack's words. 

Marcus looked Halfjack in the eyes. "Are you sure?"

Halfjack nodded. "If I go ahead. .. I might be separated from Ryu and Seraphina."

That made sense since Halfjack was just in his first Islet. And if he went together with Ryu and Seraphina, he'd might end up on a different Islet all alone, and the fate of a halfbreed alone in the Islet didn't end well. 

Whereas if he stayed with Marcus, the two of them would advance to the next Islet together.

"Then, I'll give you this." Seraphina brought all her food and water, and Ryu did the same since Seraphina could just pop out those things, so he felt that they weren't a necessity for him.

Seraphina also filled Marcus and Halfjack's jugs with water, and it almost made the two shed tears in gratitude.

"Thank you. You two have done so much already." Marcus really didn't know how to thank Ryu and Seraphina. "I'm forever in your debt."

Seraphina giggled. "Don't worry about it. Just make sure that you reunite with Jane and say hi for us."

"Tell her we are sorry that we couldn't save Theodore in time," said Ryu.

"I will."

The group bid their goodbyes before Ryu held Seraphina's hand, and they went together inside the portal, leaving one last look at the fading faces of Marcus and Halfjack.

.. .

.. .

Ryu and Seraphina were transported inside another hall similar to the sanctuary before. They breathed a sigh of relief when they were at least given time to rest.

They didn't see Azor, so the Demon must have been transported into another sanctuary. 

There were about ten beings inside the sanctuary, and most were resting on the floor with one eye opened. 

Ryu was searching, hoping to find a familiar face to no avail. He released an audible breath, and he and Seraphina decided to sit at a corner, away from the others.

"I don't know anyone here," muttered Seraphina, and she leaned her head on Ryu's shoulder and closed her eyes.

"Me too," Ryu answered back while he kept a lookout at anyone who appeared in the portal. Anyone who did, his hope would reignite only to be doused with disappointment when it wasn't Cecily or Rosa who appeared.

There were hundreds of them trapped inside the Islet and probably another hundreds of sanctuaries to accommodate their amount.

Eventually, the space in the sanctuary reached its required numbers, and right on cue, Pink appeared.

"Congratulations to all of you for completing your second Islet!"

This is probably one of the sanctuaries for those who completed their second Islet. Ryu deducted based on Pink's words.

Pink twirled in the air as it spoke, "Let's skip the explanation since you already knew what this place is. And I don't even have to remind you not to mess with the collector, right?"

Pink grinned evilly when the others broke into a sweat.

"Anyway, for you guys, only two Islet remains! One is the land of snow, and the other is the land of fire! Which do you think is your third Islet? Will you be lucky this time to escape the boss's jaws and find the exit to the last Islet? Or will you be stuck like the others and succumb to fear?

"Ohohoho! I can't wait to find out!"

Everyone grumbled. They were not in the mood to be happy at the moment. Can they agree and catch that little fella and roast him for dinner?

Sensing everyone's thoughts, a big sweat slid at the side of Pink's checks, and it immediately disappeared in thin air, leaving only its fading voice. "Good luck, and don't be too greedy!"

When the creature was gone, two humans stood, and they went in Seraphina and Ryu's direction.

Ryu and Seraphina haven't even rested for ten minutes, yet some humans were already going to cause some commotion? Seraphina's charm really was a magnet for trouble. Ryu thought.

"Hi, my name is Allen, and this is my companion Cid. We are both Rank-A mercs. If you don't mind me asking, do you want to join our group?"

The two men looked kind and amiable, but Ryu didn't trust them, nor anyone for that matter. He stood to his feet and guarded Seraphina from their view. 

Allen backed a little and raised his hands. "We don't mean any harm. It's just if you and your master wanted to survive the next Islet, it's best to team up." he then nodded in the direction of the others. "Like them."

Ryu swept his surroundings and found that everyone was within groups of at least three or five.

"We also gathered information from when we're in the previous Islet," said Cid and added, "If you join our team, we can work together and get into the exit without fighting the bosses."

Seraphina took to her feet. "In exchange for teaming up with you guys, you'll provide us the necessary information about the remaining two Islet?"

Allen nodded. "Not just that, we also knew where the exit is and what the bosses' restrictions are. We're also good in a fight. I'm a Fighter with an affinity to fire, and Cid is an archer with an affinity to wind. We are in need of a mage. And if I'm not mistaken, you're a mage, right?"

Seraphina nodded without hesitation. It was obvious from her get up. "That's right. My name is Seraphina, I'm a water mage, and this is Ryu."

Allen and Cid's faces lit up. they mainly focused on Seraphina and didn't bother with the halfbreed. "That's great. Would you like to join us?"

Ryu and Seraphina eyed each other. The advantage was many but. . .

"What's the catch?" asked Ryu.

Cid shook his head. "We just really want a mage in the group since they're pretty useful when we need healing. Everyone here already formed groups except you guys."

Allen chimed in, "We thought that you didn't know anything at the remaining two Islet. .. and we guess we're right."

"So, what do you say?"

"How about the distribution of treasure?" Seraphina asked.

Cid scratched his brown hair. "Frankly, we'll be zooming towards the exit nonstop. At this point, we have already acquired enough treasures to live in riches for years. All we wanted was to get out of this place as soon as possible."

Allen skimmed his fingers past his black hair and said, "We thought that you're probably the same? We feel that you two already acquired enough treasure in the two Islet and wanted to get out of this place as soon as possible too.

"But. .. if we ever did come across a treasure, we'll toss a coin to it, and whoever beat the beasts, its loot belongs to them."

It was a fair enough trade.

"Honestly, a group of five is ideal, but the majority here didn't agree with us," said Cid.

Allen shrugged. "They wanted to look for treasure since they already knew the bosses and where the exit is located."

There was silence for a moment before Seraphina looked at Ryu and asked, "What do you say?" 

Both Allen and Cid were shocked when Seraphina was asking a mere halfbreed. They eyed Ryu and thought Seraphina was his master, but now they believe otherwise.

Ryu put a finger on his chin and thought for a second. He wanted to look for the Lost Jewel of Tethyt, but he had a hunched that something that precious was located in the throne room.

Besides, he couldn't possibly search the whole Islet. It was impossible. He'd probably take years for just one Islet alone, and he also had to consider Cecily as well as his survival. 

It was risky staying longer in the Islet with all the unknown beasts and bosses. It was best to speed up and meet Cecily and the others halfway and get out of the place as soon as possible.

But of course, there was a chance that Ryu might not leave the Islet if he didn't find the Lost Jewel of Tethyt for Ferris. 

Ryu faced Allen and Cid. He didn't sense any hostility nor ill intent in them, and they looked like good people. If they, however, showed any signs of treacherous behavior, Ryu would end them.

But for now, they needed to acquire information on the remaining two Islet.

"Alright. We'll take up your offer."

----

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