After having said his part, Timos no longer spoke, leaving a spooked Arthur alone. The parasite spent some time to collect his thoughts then sat back on the chair, waving his hand to Vyncent, signaling him that everything is alright.

The bearded young man finished his last piece of meat, licked his fingers then drank a bit of water. When he was fully satiated, he took a deep breath and shifted his attention to the eerie silent moving skeleton that was gazing at him, attentively and unobstructively.

When he was certain that he got Vyncent's full attention, Arthur said:

"How long have you been here?"

The blond man shrugged his shoulders and gave a vague answer: "Months? Years? Time flows differently in this world and I, for one, haven't been keeping count. Got other things in my mind, things more important than counting how much time I spent in this hell."

"Then how did you end up here?"

Vyncent lifted his head and watched the sky, bloody red, illuminated by an ominous moon, so very close to the world… seemingly about to crash into it.

"An unfortunate accident. Honestly, if I can go back in time, I would still follow this path. It's either this or dying by the King's assassins."

His face lacked its craftiness and previous brightness, under the bloody light coming from above, his expression was dim and his face devoid of any innocence. This world hardened his heart and changed his mentality, for the better or worse, nobody knows.

Arthur glanced at Lissandra, who was still eating, only to hear an answer to his thoughts almost immediately.

"I accidentally found her when I was scouting an enemy base. She told me she came from a world called Astria, there was a portal that connected the two worlds."

Lissandra, albeit busy filling her belly, still heard their conversation. She cleared her stuffed throat and explained:

"Under the Eastern Continent, there was a cave from which the Cthulhu arrived. Deep inside, there's an orange portal that brought me here."

With one hand under his skeletal chin, Arthur pondered for a few moments before asking again:

"This cave? Where is it exactly?"

The women expected such a question so she honestly answered: "Apparently, there are many entrances. The one I used is located far North, somewhere around ancient elven ruins."

She paused for a second, trying to remember the cave, then resumed: "Apart from a few simple traps, there was nothing special about the cave. However…"

As she stopped once again, the green flame inside Arthur's eye-socket started restlessly flickering, giving Lissandra the creeps. She knew it wasn't on purpose but, as a mortal, emotions such as fear, anger and such, are a common occurrence. Cultivators can, more or less, control their emotions, however, mortals heavily relied on emotions, which define their existence.

After struggling for a bit, Lissandra managed to spit the words which got stuck in her throat.

"However, at the end of the cave, I stumbled upon shocking things. Wall paintings. To be precise. You'd have to pay them some attention to know their meaning… they relay the past and present events… as well as future ones."

"Future events? Could you elaborate?"

"Yes, sure." She nodded her head and stated: "There weren't many paintings but each one of them was too accurate. I cannot recreate them but I can speak of what I saw; An army of undead, millions of them, as well as the four Divine Beasts, all marching toward the same direction. The World Tree attacked and scorched by alien forces, mainly angels. A man in black using a scroll on top of a valley."

"Anything else?"

"Yes but uh… it was a long time ago for me and I can't properly remember them."

Arthur waved his hand reassuringly and added: "It's fine if you can't remember, I'll personally investigate the cave once we're back."

"What makes you think we'll come back? I've been here for a long time, more than you can imagine. As I said previously, time flows differently from the outside. It may have been a few days since I vanished from the Cloud Sea Universe while several years passed here."

Arthur glanced at the unconscious Lucy then confidently said: "We'll be able to leave, trust me."

Unconvinced, Vyncent retorted: "Don't get me wrong, it's not that I don't trust you, but… I want to bet on your abilities and not on your confidence. If there's one thing I learned here then it's that having hope is akin to signing your death certificate. Through the hard and rough way, I've learned not to make a move only when your survival is certain. People who 'hope' not to be captured or to escape this hell are but delusional idiots."

The man unsheathed the sword he got from Arthur, gently caressed it while coldly looking at the parasite.

"Lissandra and I saved you both not out of pity or our past 'relationship'. No. We did it because we believed in your strength, in what you could do for us, how you can facilitate our hazardous adventure, if I may call it so. Arthur, I've seen what you're capable of and I know a fair bit about your powers, however stranger they may be. I chose to bet on them because we desperately need them, especially in such an unfavorable and unfamiliar world."

Arthur wasn't the least bit angry over Vyncent's words, he knew the man's reasoning and he had no right to blame him.

"Your actions are justified. I, too, if I were in your position, wouldn't have saved a soul if they can't prove to be useful in the future."

"Yes, we risked it big by saving you two. Lissandra had to store her power for one whole year to teleport such a big distance, and twice, at that."

"I know, and I'm grateful for what you did. I thank you for my and Lucy's behalf. You can consider those rings as partial compensation."

Still looking at Arthur with an expressionless face, Vyncent sheathed the sword then said

"Since you said so then, these rings, I will keep. However, please do not misunderstand me, I did not ask for your gratefulness but your help. With you here, even if we can't leave this world, we can at least reach the remaining base East of here."

The bearded young man stood up, fixed the sheath on his waist then glanced at Arthur, saying his last bit. "One last things, Arthur… I'm no position to lecture you but don't get too attached. In here, anything can happen so you should always prepare for the worst, always."

His figure melted in the ground, leaving a silent Arthur and a nonchalant Lissandra, who savored the food as if it was her last meal.

…

"Your desire to leave my 'turf' is stronger than ever. What happened, dear guest, someone bothered you?"

Timos deep voice reverberated inside Vyncent's ears. He was scanning the area when he suddenly heard this voice, invading his mind, reading his thoughts.

"Bugger off."

"Come now." The entity sounded a little hurt as it continued; "You don't have to be so aggressive. I'm trying to be helpful here. Don't you want to leave? Start a new life? Not everything is lost, you know."

Vyncent ignored the voice, pretending as if it didn't exist. However, the one speaking knew better than to stop, it could see the man's turbulent emotions, his hidden desires, and masked expression.

"Do you have some bad blood with the new guests?" Timos remained silence for a few moments, seemingly trying to see through Vyncent. "Hmm, it doesn't seem to be the case, then.. what's pushing you so hard? You used to be docile, unperturbed by mortal emotions. You do know that one simple 'outburst', as you people like to call it, would lead to your miserable and very unwanted to death."

The man kept his eyes focused, inspecting the terrain, his body merging with the earth, catching the tiny vibrating all around him.

Seeing that he got no reactions from his first guess, Timos let out a sigh and added:

"Treat wisely, my dear guest. 'Tis a treacherous path and an unfair life but waste not the potential given to you. Do not let yourself be controlled by your emotions. Think, think, and think before you act. You've entertained me so I want to see the day you leave this forsaken place."