((Broken Will and the Secret of the Mysterious Man))
A heavy sense of despair loomed over the Six Members after they exited the temple; the thought that they had calmly handed over the crystal to Sawad without the slightest resistance made them feel a humiliating weakness, as if they were incapable of protecting anything. As for Eden, he was in a pitiable state, wandering lost without uttering a word, with shock evident on his pale face. In his imagination, he saw the image of Sawad in her terrifying, demonic form, and he broke into a sweat whenever he recalled the horror of the sight he had witnessed.
Rima broke the thread of his silence, asking anxiously: "Eden, what did that mysterious man do to you that made you retreat from the decision to fight so easily?"
Eden fell silent for a moment, then said in a faint voice: "Nothing... I only remembered the words of (Malak) when she conveyed the orders to us. The leaders must have known what would happen, which is why the orders came through her to avoid confrontation."
Silver said in a frustrated tone: "And now, will we stay like this? What should we do? If we go after a second crystal, Sawad will follow us, and the same scene will repeat; she will take it from us without effort. There is no chance for us to win." Taijo agreed, saying: "That is true. If things continue this way, Sawad and her sister will obtain all the crystals, and no one knows what she will do with them then."
At that moment, Eden jolted as if struck by a lightning bolt, or as if an old memory or a future warning flashed in his mind. He said with sudden firmness: "We have no choice... we must fight!"
Everyone was astonished by this transformation, and Akina said in protest: "What are you saying, Eden? You were the one who ordered us to withdraw, and now you want to fight?"
Eden replied in a chilling tone: "We have no choice... either we fight, or Sawad gets the crystals and ends the kingdoms in a bloody war."
Silence and bewilderment prevailed; they wondered to themselves: "A bloody war? What is he saying? Does he truly know what Sawad intends to do with the crystals? And how does he know that?" But Eden did not answer their questions, and his secret remained locked within his chest.
Roro's Questions and the Turmoil of Feelings
On the other side, Sawad and Roro were making their way out of the dense forest. Roro asked curiously: "Sister, why did Eden retreat from the fight? And who is that mysterious man who appeared and disappeared in the blink of an eye?"
Sawad answered seriously: "I do not know, but what I am certain of is that man matches me in strength. Had he decided to fight alongside Eden, victory would have undoubtedly been theirs."
Roro was shocked and said: "How did you know that?"
Sawad said: "His combat aura was emanating from him like sparks everywhere. Even though he was trying to hide his power, it was as clear as the sun. But the thing that puzzled me is... why didn't he fight?"
Roro fell silent, stunned, realizing that if they had entered a fight at that moment, destruction would have been their fate. Yet, she had not seen any trace of concern on Sawad's face at that time.
Silence fell between them as they continued walking. Suddenly, Sawad raised her hand and looked at it with strange contemplation. She remembered that moment when her hand accidentally touched Eden's hand while taking the crystal. She whispered to herself: "What is this feeling? It was a beautiful feeling... did he feel what I felt, or am I imagining things?" Then she shook her head firmly to dismiss the idea and said: "Why am I thinking about something as ridiculous as this? We must obtain the crystals, and I must not distract my attention with anything else."
At the same time, far away from them, Eden was also looking at his hand, drowned in his questions about that strange feeling that had overwhelmed him when touching Sawad's hand, confused....
A New Destination: Towards the Kingdom of Water
After a while, as silence reigned between them, Roro broke the stillness with a question full of curiosity while looking at her sister:
"Sister... where are we heading now?"
Sawad answered, her eyes scanning the horizon with focus:
"To the Kingdom of (Sheth)."
Roro's eyes widened and she asked:
"The Kingdom of Water?" Sawad replied calmly: "Yes, that is our destination."
At that moment, a childish mischief sparkled in Roro's eyes, and in a humorous tone mixed with laughter, she teased her sister:
"So... if you drown there, who will save you? You can't swim!"
A rare and calm smile appeared on Sawad's face, and she said, reassuring her little sister:
"I won't drown, I will be very careful."
Their laughter rose together, breaking the tension that had accompanied them since leaving the temple, as they made their way toward the mysterious aquatic kingdom.....
To be continued))