Chapter 302: Waking up

The forest was eerily quiet.

This was the same place where Noah and Damien had entered the labyrinth months ago. The hill inside the forest where the entrance had once stood at base.

But the hill was gone. There was no trace of the labyrinth anymore.

Instead, a large clearing had appeared in the middle of the forest. Broken trees surrounded the area, and the ground was littered with the bodies of countless monsters.

Their pale, oily skin had lost its unnatural shine. They lay completely motionless, their bodies lifeless.

Near the edge of the clearing, beneath the shade of a large tree, someone was sitting.

It was Akari.

Her kimono was badly torn, and several parts of her skin were blackened and damaged.

Some areas of her cheek and arms still showed the terrible effects of the corruption that had touched her.

Yet she was alive. Her eyes were open, and her breathing had finally returned to normal.

Resting comfortably on her lap was Noah.

His snow-white hair fell smoothly across her thighs. His breathing was steady, and there wasn’t a single trace of injury or corruption on his body.

He looked completely unharmed.

It was almost impossible to believe that he had just survived an encounter with such a terrifying creature.

Akari gently brushed a few strands of his hair away from his forehead.

Then she raised her eyes toward the woman standing several meters away.

The woman was leaning casually against a tree.

She had long, silver-white hair, the ends of which gradually shifted into a brilliant orange, resembling flames. Her skin was fair and flawless, while her eyes possessed an unusual fiery glow.

Akari studied her carefully.

"Who are you?" she asked. "And how did you get there? How did you save us?"

The woman was looking at Noah for a while now, before looking back at Akari.

"My name is Sefira."

She straightened slightly from the tree.

"And since you asked what I am... you already saw the answer."

Her fiery eyes narrowed slightly.

"I’m not human."

A faint smile appeared on her lips.

"I’m a Phoenix."

Akari’s expression became slightly more serious.

"A Phoenix..."

She had heard of creatures like them, but meeting one was an entirely different matter.

Phoenixes were just like dragons. They existed in stories and considered as mythical beings similar to dragons.

"But how did you find us?" Akari asked. "And how did you manage to save us from that place?"

Sefira folded her arms.

"Honestly? You two were lucky."

"Lucky?"

"Yes."

Sefira glanced toward the clearing.

"I was investigating a portal that had appeared in this forest. Monsters were constantly coming through it, so I entered the portal to find its source and stop them. It led me inside a labyrinth. "

She paused for a moment.

"But while I was inside, another portal suddenly appeared."

Akari frowned.

"Another portal?"

"I didn’t know where it led. I had no idea what was on the other side."

Sefira’s expression became slightly more serious.

"But I decided to enter anyway."

She looked directly at Akari.

"That’s when I found you two."

Akari listened silently.

"You were falling from the sky," Sefira continued. "Both of you looked like you were barely alive. I caught you before you hit the ground and brought you back here."

Akari lowered her gaze toward Noah.

She still remembered what had happened.

She looked back at Sefira.

"What about the portal?"

"Which one?"

"The portal inside the labyrinth. And the labyrinth itself."

Sefira remained silent for a few seconds.

Then she shook her head.

"It’s gone."

Akari’s eyes narrowed.

"Gone?"

"It disappeared shortly after we came out."

Sefira pointed toward the surrounding clearing.

"And something else happened."

Akari followed her gaze.

"All those monsters suddenly died."

Only then did Akari properly examine the clearing.

Hundreds of the strange creatures were scattered across the ground.

Their bodies were unmistakable.

The same pale, oily-skinned monsters that had surrounded the abomination were now lying dead.

There wasn’t a single one still moving.

Akari’s expression became solemn.

"Those are the same creatures that came from the portal."

"Exactly," Sefira replied.

Akari gently ran her fingers through Noah’s hair.

Her mind was filled with questions. None of it made sense.

Sefira noticed her troubled expression.

"You seem to have a lot of questions."

Akari looked at her.

"I do."

Sefira smiled faintly.

"Then we’re probably going to have a long conversation."

Akari nodded.

But before she could say anything else, Noah shifted slightly in her lap.

Both women immediately looked down at him.

His eyelids trembled.

Akari’s expression softened.

"Noah...?"

While Sefira stiffened. She looked around as if she didn’t know whether to stay here or just leave this two.

She pressed her lips. Then said, "For now I am going... I will meet you... two when you both are recovered."

Akari tried to stop her. "Wait–"

But before she could speak further, Sefira vanished.

---

Sefira appeared several kilometers away from the clearing, standing alone among the trees.

She let out a quiet sigh.

"I need to tell Noah the truth about Mary..."

Her expression became complicated.

"But I ran away before I could say anything. Damn it."

She rubbed her forehead before looking back toward the distant clearing.

"Well, we need to talk when we’re alone. I’ll tell him next time."

Sefira reached into her storage ring and took out a small communication device.

She activated it. The device rang for a few seconds before someone finally answered.

"I found Noah," Sefira said calmly. "Go to the place where the labyrinth was. All the monsters there are dead."

Silence came from the other end. Then a trembling voice finally replied.

"R-Really? You found Noah?"

"Yes. He’s alive."

A relieved breath came through the device.

"T-Thank you..."

The voice became softer.

"Thank you so much. I don’t know how I can ever repay you."

"Don’t thank me," Sefira replied. "You did plenty of work yourself. Besides, you haven’t forgotten our agreement, have you?"

There was a brief pause.

"No. I remember."

"Good. When the time comes, you still have to do what I ask, Morgana."

"I will," Morgana answered quietly. "You have my word."

The communication ended. Sefira lowered the device and returned it to her storage ring.

She glanced once more toward the direction of the clearing.

"I should head back to the base."

A faint smile appeared on her face.

"Noah is finally safe."

She felt relieved.

After everything that had happened, seeing him alive and seemingly unharmed had been enough to ease some of the tension she had been carrying.

She had disappeared before Noah woke up.

She wasn’t entirely sure why. Perhaps she had simply felt nervous about facing him.

"That was strange."

A male voice suddenly came from above.

"Why did you run away?"

Sefira froze.

"You should have stayed there and proudly announced, ’Noah. I’m the one who saved you.’"

She slowly raised her head.

A man was sitting casually on a thick tree branch several meters above her.

His legs dangled freely from the branch. He wore completely black clothing and a dark mask that concealed most of his face.

Sefira’s eyes narrowed. A

"Shadow..."

The masked man tilted his head slightly.

"That’s right."

His voice carried a hint of amusement.