“What do you mean… your seed?” Mira asked, tilting her head.

  “We don’t have time for that,” Kars replied flatly.

  “Do you prefer to get lost here as long as possible or help us and get out of here as quickly as possible?” Meir’Dea was calmer compared to Kars. Her smile seemed like it would never fade, and the sparks in her eyes would never disappear.

  “You haven’t answered my question,” Mira said before Kars could speak.

  “Choose first, if you agree, I will explain.”

  “Why don’t you look for it yourselves?” Kars couldn’t hold himself back any longer; he wanted to leave immediately. Something was blocking his instinct, something ancient like a dam in a river that previously flowed smoothly without obstruction.

  “We are not fighters.”

  “Who stole it from you?” Mira looked towards Kars. Although the man seemed to disagree, this was the best option to get out of this forest.

  “A group of people, each with a red scorpion tattoo on their right hand. They are all human.”

  “Mira,” Kars whispered. “Come here.”

  Mira approached Kars, and they both took steps away from Meir’Dea. Before starting to speak, Kars looked at the elf woman standing there, then turned his gaze back to Mira. “Lesson number one, don’t trust anyone.”

  “She’s an elf,” Mira whispered back, her voice now as soft as the morning wind’s song.

  “So?”

  “Elves never lie.”

  “What kind of theory is that?” Kars furrowed his brow, confused by this woman's thoughts.

  “People from the south say so.” Mira looked at Meir’Dea, still smiling as usual.

  “Don’t look at her, idiot.” Kars held Mira’s chin and made her turn back to him. “Every creature can lie, Mira. Don’t be too na?ve.”

  “Why don’t we just try it?”

  "You said you want to find your sister quickly?”

  “With her help, it will make everything faster.” Mira sighed, looking down before meeting Kars' gaze again. “You said this forest is misleading, with hardly any way out. Once you enter, it’s like being here forever, right?”

  “Besides, while searching for that seed, you can teach me star magic even more perfectly. Didn’t you say it’s better to practice directly than just theory?” Mira said, trying her best to sound confident. Maybe she was impatient, but she was good at convincing people.

  “You want me to teach you while fighting them?” Kars raised an eyebrow. He really had no idea where this woman was heading with her thoughts.

  Mira nodded firmly. “Let's accept that offer,” she said confidently, even though there was fear in her heart. After all, she was volunteering to fight directly, even though she was still inexperienced.

  Kars let out a long sigh. "I hope you don’t die quickly," he said as he walked toward Meir'Dea.

  "Let’s see." Mira smiled hesitantly. Kars's words made her even more terrified.

  "Where can we find them?" Kars was now facing Meir'Dea. Kars's eyes looked at the elf's with curiosity. "In this forest without any direction?"

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  "My wind will guide you." Meir'Dea raised her hand to chest level, then opened her palm. A small gust of wind appeared, spinning lightly. The wind floated toward Kars, circling him, then moved to Mira and did the same.

  "It will also show me the way back when you have obtained the seeds."

  "The last time I was betrayed, I burned down a whole city," Kars emphasized every word. It wasn't just out of disbelief; he also didn't want to be used and have his time wasted. To Kars, time was more valuable than anything, even the rarest material.

  Meir'Dea nodded. "You could burn down this forest."

  ***

  "Was that threat really necessary?" Mira sat by the river, which somehow held some kind of magic, the water still flowing smoothly. She dipped both of her feet into the current, washing them slowly. She also washed other parts of her body, like her face, neck, and hands.

  "In this world? It's necessary," Kars said while carrying a lot of dry wood in both hands. He dropped the wood not far from the riverbank, then arranged it so the fire could spread well later.

  Once everything was ready, Kars pointed toward the stacked wood. A light appeared at the tip of his finger, shooting out rapidly until it hit the wood. It moved so fast it was like breaking through a door.

  The fire erupted fiercely without warning.

  “Can you do all styles?” Mira asked without taking her eyes off the flowing river. She saw her reflection in the calm current. Her brown hair now looked messier, not like a princess of nobility.

  “Of course,” Kars replied as he arranged stones by the campfire.

  “How does it feel?” Mira smiled bitterly as she recalled shooting useless flames at that lava maniac. “I once shot a small fire that had no effect on the enemy.”

  “Fire?” Kars stopped what he was doing, looking at Mira’s unmoving back. A woman’s body is like a statue, ready to be destroyed at any time.

  “Yes, fire. My family inherits the fire element.”

  “Star magic users can’t use other types of magic.” Kars walked closer and took a position to Mira’s right.

  “But I can.” Mira glanced at Kars. To be honest, Kars’s face didn’t look like a thug or an ordinary person. That face was well-kept, like a nobleman, or at least from an elite class.

  "Who knows, maybe it's a Flare Style or something. Stars also have fire." Kars replied to Mira's glance. That woman was surprised and quickly looked away. "Are you sure your opponent is okay?"

  "Well, he didn't react at all after receiving it. Not even in pain."

  "The fire from star magic is different; it burns from the inside."

  "What do you mean?" Mira looked at Kars, who was staring far into the forest across the river.

  "I can't explain it either. But that's the fact. Maybe your opponent hasn't reacted yet because your fire is still spreading throughout his body. Melting everything or even giving off radiation. Both are equally bad."

  “So you think he's already dead?”

  “I don't know. Maybe that person knows how to save themselves,” Kars said as he returned Mira's gaze. “We don't know.”

  “That person is very strong,” Mira said softly. She couldn't understand how someone as strong as Pati Tirta and his sister could be defeated by Muro, the lava maniac.

  Suddenly, Mira remembered something. Singus.

  “By the way, why not just use Singus?” Mira asked.

  “So what? Our presence would be detected immediately?”

  “So th–”

  “I’m not afraid of anyone,” Kars interrupted, already knowing what Mira was about to say. “But this is a different case. A Stealix, with the power to teleport instantly on a world scale. Do you think only the Golden Angels Order will be after us? No. The whole world will be hunting us.”

  "Besides, Singus is a difficult technique and requires high focus. You have to plan it out first and calculate all the variables involved. You have to figure out how many seconds it takes to cross Singus, at what second the portal will close, how long it stays open, and so on, because being off by even a fraction of a second..."

  "We'll die." Mira shivered as she said that. She had to thank whichever gods helped her when she did Singus that time. But it wasn’t because of the gods; Mira didn’t believe in gods. Her success with Singus yesterday was due to herself, her own skill.

  Mira sighed. "Teach me how to use Lisp."

  "You're crazy."

  "Why?" Mira tilted her head, curious why Kars said that.

  "Lisp has no training. The technique cannot be repeated if you fail." Kars turned to the stars, far above, where they seemed calm and serene. "The first time you use Lisp and fail, you will immediately lose both of your legs right then and there."

  "Then how can you use Lisp?"

  "Because I’m talented." There was no joke in Kars’s words. That man was always serious.

  Mira knew that the man beside her had a wealth of experience. He must have gone through both sweet and bitter moments. She could never compare herself to him, never.

  "You can activate it when the trigger comes, when there’s nothing left that can be held onto. Both Lisp and Singus are techniques that require high-level preparation."

  “It sounds challenging but scary at the same time.”

  "You should feels that."