The wheels of the Great Armor skid against the dirt as the vehicle advanced through the Great Nahatan Valley, one of the largest landmarks throughout the entire country. Xavier leaned against his seat, both his eyes locked onto a meter that was slowly going up with each passing mile. "The people of White Garden were nice enough to give this to us," Xavier observed, reclining his seat to look at Kevin, Gerald, and Kaelan, who were laughing about something. He then focused his eyes onto the front of the van, but was interrupted by Stephanie, who appeared right in front of him. "I can't believe you weren't going to bring me to see all of Nahata with you!" she complained, leaning her head on his shoulder. "This isn't a vacation, this is a mission," he advised her yet again, turning his head the opposite way from where Stephanie was laying. "I'm getting pretty used to the vibe inside the van," he informed Stephanie, who brightly smiled in response. "But whenever I relax, I remember what we're actually here for - and I wonder if we can actually pull something so extreme off."
"You're the reason sand-type entities are at an all time low!" Stephanie reassured, wrapping her arm around Itama's shoulder. "Why are you so unsure you'll be able to do it again?"
Both her and Itama stood silent for a moment. "I'm not sure," he replied. "Something just feels… significantly out of place."
The moment he had heard the pleading voice inside of Saharos' body suddenly played in his mind, and the crying woman's pleading caused him to grow even more quiet than he had been just moments before. "I feel like I've heard those words before…"
Volume 13, Chapter 8 - A Mysterious Woman
A few hours later, everyone in Team Pyron laid under a blanket near the Great Nahatan Valley. Gerald and Kaelan's snores drained out the sound of the animals that roamed across the land, but none dared to approach either one of them. Kevin, on the other hand, looked up at the beautiful, shimmering stars, a smile slowly beaming across his face.
"Whenever you miss me, think of me as that star!" a deep voice played inside his mind, recalling a fond memory of his father. "Dad…" he said to himself, plopping his head on the rock along with the rest of his body. "I don't know where you are, but I hope I can see you again someda-"
Kevin noticed a shadow coming straight from the waterfall that roared in the distance in the shape of a woman, completely interrupting his inner thoughts. Cautiously, he stood up and tiptoed over to the waterfall, breaking a stick off a branch of a dying tree that sat alone in the valley for defense. He passed right through the waterfall, holding the stick out right in front of him. The water from his brown, straight hair dripped onto his head, causing him to slightly squint both of his eyes. "Who are you!?" he said angrily, noticing the vibrant, red hair of the woman that he had just encountered. Her eyes shared the same shade of red, accompanied by a relaxing vibe if you stared in them for too long. "You shouldn't be out here so late," she told him, placing her hand around his head as if he were a child. "I'm an entity hunter, I can defend myself in any situation!" he exclaimed, catching her off guard. Quickly, she turned her back to face the other side of the mini-cave that stood behind the waterfall and tied her hair into a ponytail. "You may be an entity hunter, but have you ever encountered a pristine entity once in your life?"
Before Kevin could give her a response, she walked right into the rock - her sense completely disappearing along with it. All that was left was the roaring of the waterfall and Kevin's awe struck face. "W-who the hell was that…" he thought to himself, rubbing his eyes to make sure he wasn't dreaming. "Eh, who am I to care? Sleep is better than anything at a time like this!" he reassured himself, rushing back over to his sleeping bag and joining Kaelan, Gerald, and now Xavier in their loud snoring.
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Xavier, Forrest and Gerald gasped at Kevin's story. "You met a lady while you were sleeping!?" Gerald exclaimed, followed by a teasing ooh that caused Kevin to angrily push his face away. "I didn't kiss her, you idiot!" he screamed, jolting his face towards Forrest and Xavier, who were still trying not to laugh. "You said she disappeared through the rocks? That's a whole bunch of baloney, maybe you were just hallucinating!" Xavier laughed at his own joke, and both Forrest and Kevin were left to look at him as if he were insane. Forrest emerged from the rocky surface of the valley, opening the door to the Great Armor for the first time in the new day. "It's finally day two of Pyron hunting - it seems like there's a ton of firepower in the direction of the Land of Earth, which is just an hour drive away!"
"Land of Stone!?" Gerald chimed in, stars appearing as his eyes. "Wait, why didn't the people in that country come to the World Summit if they're a separate nation?"
Forrest remembered the angry letter their mysterious leader had sent to him following the creation of the Nahata Pact. "Well, he's a really private guy…" he informed Gerald, who became even more excited to learn about him. "What if he's one of those dark heroes who save people in the dead of night!?" he fantasized, spinning around happily while talking to himself. Kaelan angrily grabbed him and dragged him inside the Great Armor, closing the door behind him. "It's time to go, idiot!"