Rhona stood frozen. She was acutely aware of her position now. It was a mistake to admire the craftsmanship of her enemies, especially after everything they had put her through. She straightened her back, pushing aside her awe. She had no intention of fighting a battle she couldn't win.

  ?"I'm sorry... I didn't touch it," Rhona said quietly.

  ?She stole one last glance at the statue behind the youth. Freya. She was right. The beautiful woman was a representation of the Goddess Freya.

  Rhona's mind drifted to the legends of Nirwana Island. They said the Odam Tribe-dark-skinned people with hair as white as Freya's-once inhabited this island before vanishing without a trace. Now, they were nothing but ghosts in stories.

  ?"You almost touched her!" Zinx barked, his eyes narrowing into sharp slits.

  ?"Almost isn't touching!" Rhona snapped back, her irritation flaring again. "Besides, what's the big deal? It's just a statue!"

  ?Her ego got the better of her. She didn't realize that to someone like Zinx, those words were a fatal insult.

  ?The Anex youth extended his hand in a sudden, jerking motion. Instantly, Rhona's body went rigid. She couldn't move a single millimeter, exactly like the moment her legs had marched on their own in the forest.

  ?So it was him? He's been following me this whole time? Panic surged through her. Cunning bastard!

  ?Suddenly, Rhona felt a strange sensation. It wasn't pain, but a creeping warmth spreading through her pores. Looking closely, she saw the ultra-fine silk threads attached to her vital points, glowing with a faint, ethereal light.

  ?"What are you doing?! Let me go!!" she screamed.

  ?Zinx ignored her. He had no time for drama. As the anti-social head of the Animal Division, human interaction was nothing but an exhausting chore.

  ?He concentrated, channeling high-level healing energy-a fusion of modern medical science and pure internal power he had learned from his master. His threads traced Rhona's cracked ribs.

  Sev's first aid had been decent, but Zinx was performing the finishing touches. He stimulated her cells for rapid regeneration. The cracks fused, the bone solidified, and the scrapes on her skin vanished at an unnatural speed.

  ?The nagging ache in Rhona's back slowly dissolved, replaced by a confusing sense of comfort.

  ?"You're... healing me?" Rhona asked, breathless, her eyes wide with disbelief.

  ?"Get out of this place!"

  ?Without warning, Zinx flicked his wrist. Rhona's body was launched into the air, soaring past the statue of Freya, and-

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  ?SPLASH!

  ?A muffled scream escaped her as the cold water swallowed her whole. She sank, panicking for a moment, but quickly found her rhythm and kicked toward the surface. By the time she broke through, gasping and coughing, the youth and his statue had vanished.

  ?"Crazy lunatic!" Rhona cursed, wiping the water from her face.

  ?She panted, completely unable to fathom the Cygnus' logic. They tortured her mentally, healed her physically, and then tossed her into a lake. Yet, she had to admit one thing: her body felt incredibly light. The pain in her spine was gone, and the water of the Lava Lake felt rejuvenating, as if washing away every ounce of her exhaustion.

  ?Rhona decided to dive back down for a moment.

  ?The world beneath the surface took her breath away. Aquatic plants swayed gracefully, surrounded by schools of vibrant fish she had never seen in any biology textbook. The lakebed was littered with unique stones of varying shapes and colors, shimmering under the refracted sunlight. Rhona was certain a single stone from here would be worth a fortune on the black market.

  ?Eventually, Rhona climbed back onto the shore.

  ?She reached for her forehead and untied the red bandana. The color reminded her of Sev, the metrosexual youth. This must be his. She sighed and tied the cloth around her left arm, a substitute for the green bracelet she had lost somewhere in the chaos.

  ?But as she sat on the grass to rest, the world suddenly began to spin.

  Her head felt heavy. Her vision blurred. An overwhelming, brutal wave of drowsiness hit her like a physical blow.

  ?Poison!

  ?The danger alarm in her brain screamed. She remembered the survival lessons from Agi. An enemy might attack frontally, but the most lethal threats were the invisible ones-odorless, colorless airborne toxins. She cursed silently. Dirty tactics!

  ?With her fading consciousness, Rhona moved her tongue to the back of her mouth. Her four wisdom teeth had been extracted and modified. In one of those empty slots sat a tiny capsule containing a rare anti-toxin serum-a panacea.

  ?She bit down, shattering the capsule. A bitter liquid flooded her mouth. The serum was designed to neutralize any neurotoxin within seconds. She waited for it to kick in.

  One second. Five seconds.

  ?Instead, her head felt even heavier. Her body slumped, refusing to respond to the medicine.

  Why isn't it working??

  ?Rhona's consciousness flickered out. Her body fell limp onto the damp grass.

  ?Soft footsteps approached.

  A young girl emerged from behind the trees. Her hair was tied in two braids, adorned with a velvet headband of Anex design. She wore traditional attire-a knee-length skirt and high boots.

  ?Sera knelt beside Rhona's unconscious form.

  She carried no weapon, but her eyes held a heavy burden. Her hand reached out, her trembling fingers touching the pendant hanging from Rhona's neck.

  ?Sera's breath hitched. Her gaze dimmed, her face clouding with the weight of an old memory. She had seen this engraving of a strange flower once before, in the hands of her friend, Kafarupi.

  ?"Kafa, you said you were carving a Lora flower. But Lora never blooms."

  ?"One day the Lora will die, Sera. Its seeds will hibernate for over a hundred years... and before that happens, the Lora will evolve into the Lorenza. The Lorenza blooms beautifully, just like this."

  ?"Oh, really? Is there any history of the Lorenza?"

  ?"No. But I saw it in my vision. Someone destined for the Lorenza will come to this forest, bringing back what was lost."

  ?Sera took a long, shaky breath, looking at Rhona's peaceful, sleeping face.

  Someone truly had brought the necklace back to this forest. Could this blonde girl be the one from Kafarupi's prophecy?

  ?Sera felt a deep, gnawing unease. She only hoped that her friend's prophecy wasn't a harbinger of disaster.

  ?But she had no time for doubt. She had to carry out the Leader's orders.

  ?Though Sera held no Cygnus blade and was not an official member, she had been born and raised in these woods. To her, the Cygnus were family, and the Leader's word was the absolute law.

  ?Sera slid her arms under Rhona's back, preparing to carry the girl to the designated place.