66~ The Reunion of Rivals

The sun had begun rising above the horizon, casting a golden glow across the sky. The weather was clear, and a gentle breeze stirred Doaa's hair as she sat quietly, watching the scenery.

She closed her eyes, enjoying the morning breeze, then opened them again.

She spotted two people approaching in the distance and paid them little attention at first. But as they drew closer, she recognized one of them, and her eyes widened in surprise.

Wail was walking calmly, with Evelyn following behind him, looking nervous.

As they walked, Evelyn reached toward Wail's back, as though attempting to do something.

But his voice stopped her before she could act.

"Does activating your ability require touching me, or something like that?"

Evelyn immediately grew flustered.

"W-What are you talking about?"

Wail turned toward her and gave her a terrifying look.

"Didn't I tell you what would happen if you tried anything?"

Suddenly, Doaa called out,

"You're finally back!"

Wail looked at her, then sighed in irritation.

"What are you doing here? It's way too early."

Doaa smiled and replied,

"Watching the sunrise gives me the energy I need to get through the rest of the day!"

Wail stared at her in confusion, seeming to contemplate something, but she interrupted him before he could speak.

"But what are you doing here? And is she your friend?"

Evelyn tensed up, while Wail answered coldly,

"No. Just some girl I don't know."

"Oh... So you brought her here just like you brought me, didn't you?"

Doaa approached Evelyn, but Wail immediately stepped in front of her.

"Don't you dare go near her."

He then turned toward Evelyn, looking annoyed.

"Damn it... I can't leave you here. I'll have to take you with me."

Doaa quickly said,

"Wait! At least have something to eat before you leave. Aren't you hu..."

Wail interrupted her in a low voice.

"Why do you care?"

"I just want to help."

Wail turned toward her.

"Do I look like someone who asks for help?"

Doaa hesitated briefly before answering.

"I feel like you want help... but you can't bring yourself to ask for it."

Wail replied irritably,

"Because I simply don't need it!"

Doaa interrupted him in a calm voice.

"Or is it because no one was there when you asked for it?"

Wail froze.

He stared at her, gritting his teeth, then grabbed Evelyn and disappeared with her in a flash of electricity, leaving Doaa alone.

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She continued staring at the spot where they had vanished before murmuring to herself,

"What made you become like this, Wail?"

---

A Few Days Earlier...

Vale stood at the edge of a high cliff overlooking the ocean, silently watching the horizon.

After a few moments, he turned toward a distant location, where he spotted someone wearing a black cloak and staring at him.

They exchanged glances from afar before the cloaked figure turned around and disappeared.

Vale gave a faint smile and returned his gaze to the horizon.

---

Earlier...

Wail was interrogating Evelyn as they walked.

"You don't know how many of them there are? Are you making fun of me?"

She answered nervously,

"Believe me, Vale never mentioned any other members of the group. All he said was that there were others."

"So, it's just you and Amin?"

"Y-Yes, and Heda."

Wail stopped walking for a moment.

"Heda? Oh, right... I killed her."

He continued walking as though he were talking about something trivial.

Evelyn, meanwhile, looked both angry and heartbroken, but she said nothing.

Wail continued questioning her.

"Besides the two who fought Aetherion... You also mentioned seeing someone standing beside Vale once?"

"Yes, but I never saw his face. All I remember is that his presence was terrifying."

Wail thought for a moment.

"Could it have been one of them? No... I'll assume it was someone else."

---

Back in the Present...

Wail and Evelyn appeared in the middle of a fierce snowstorm in the mountains. The wind whipped snow around them as Wail turned toward her and shouted over the howling gusts,

"Where are we going now?"

Evelyn struggled against the wind as she answered,

"I told you I last saw him here, but I don't know his exact location!"

They continued walking through the thick snow as the storm grew more intense.

Suddenly, Wail sensed someone's presence nearby.

He grabbed Evelyn and flew rapidly toward the source of the energy.

A few moments later, they reached a small cave inside the mountain.

They entered, and the moment Wail spotted the two figures lying on the ground, he rushed toward them.

Dill and Raouf were injured and unconscious.

Wail turned toward Evelyn.

"Can you find out what happened by looking through their memories?"

She hesitated briefly.

"Y-Yes, but they have to be conscious."

Before she could finish speaking, Wail placed his hand on Raouf's chest and released a mild electrical current, waking him immediately.

Raouf jolted, but Wail grabbed him by the shoulder and said,

"Calm down... You're safe."

Raouf breathed heavily and began looking around.

"Don't move," Wail ordered.

He then gestured toward Evelyn. She approached and placed her palm against Raouf's chest, closing her eyes.

Wail thought to himself,

"So she needs to touch someone to use her ability..."

A few moments later, her Bloody Eyes glowed within her mind as she began moving through Raouf's memories.

Fleeting, distorted scenes appeared before her, and she couldn't make out most of the details.

Then she saw a person wearing a black cloak, with red eyes.

The figure approached Raouf and punched him in the face.

Suddenly, Evelyn's eyes flew open. She recoiled in terror, gasping for breath.

Noticing her distress, Wail asked anxiously,

"What happened? What did you see?"

She tried to speak, but the words caught in her throat.

"I-It was... It was him! His eyes... I can't..."

She couldn't finish her sentence.

She was so terrified that she could barely speak, while Raouf looked stunned by what he had heard.

Suddenly, a hand reached up from below and grabbed Wail's foot.

He turned and saw that Dill had regained consciousness with great difficulty.

In a broken voice, Dill said,

"B-Bahaa was here."

Wail's eyes widened in surprise.

He then closed them and began sensing the surrounding energy.

A few moments later, he opened his eyes and spoke seriously to Raouf.

"Don't let her touch you or Dill. No matter what."

Then he vanished in a flash of electricity.

---

Elsewhere in the Mountains...

Someone fell from above, scattering snow in every direction.

The storm was still raging, while a brown glow shone amid the swirling snow.

Mark was engaged in battle, trying to pinpoint his opponent's location.

Suddenly, Wail appeared behind him.

Mark instinctively spun around and threw a punch at him, but Wail stopped it with one hand.

"Relax. I'm not your enemy."

Mark's eyes widened.

"Wail?! What are you doing here?"

"I found Raouf and Dill. Is what they said true?"

Mark answered anxiously,

"Yes... All that searching, only for us to find them in that state again? Damn it!"

Wail placed a hand on Mark's shoulder and gently pushed him away.

"Leave. I'll handle this."

Mark stared at him in disbelief.

"What? You think you can handle this alone? Have you lost your mind?"

"I can handle it. Just go."

"This isn't the same person you defeated before, Wail. Things are different this time!"

Wail replied confidently,

"And I'm not the same person I was back then, either, Mark."

Mark's eyes widened when he noticed the dense aura surrounding Wail, even though he couldn't see it clearly.

He remembered Yassin, and a faint smile appeared on his face.

"Don't take too long... I'll step in if you need me."

"Don't worry."

Wail turned and started walking forward before adding,

"Oh, right. There's something else. You'll find a girl with them. Don't let anything happen to her, but don't trust anything she says, and whatever you do, don't let her touch you."

Mark looked at him with concern, then nodded and flew away.

Wail was left alone.

Electrical sparks began rising from his body before an enormous surge of energy erupted from him, sweeping across the area.

Within moments, the snowstorm disappeared, and the clouds cleared from the sky, revealing blue skies and the midday sun above the mountain peaks.

Wail looked ahead.

Someone stood before him, wearing a black cloak.

After a few moments, the figure removed the cloak.

It was Bahaa.

The wind stirred their clothes and hair, and its howling was the only sound that could be heard.

Bahaa gave a faint smile.

"It's been a long time."

Wail continued staring at him without saying a word.

Bahaa noticed his silence and remarked,

"You don't seem surprised... Interesting."

Anger spread across Wail's face.

"What now? Have you returned to him?"

Bahaa looked at him in confusion.

"Hmm?"

"I'm asking about the thing inside you. Have you returned to him?"

Bahaa furrowed his brows.

"What are you talking about, Wail? I don't understand what you're getting at."

Bahaa's calm demeanor and faint smile only provoked Wail further. The veins on Wail's face and arms bulged as steam began rising from his skin.

He shouted,

"The spirit inside me is reacting to whatever is inside you! Has Dark returned to you again?!"

Bahaa chuckled softly.

"Calm down... It's different this time."

Wail gradually began to regain his composure, while Bahaa continued,

"I'll assume you've met your brother. He's the one who helped me gain control over Dark's consciousness. The same thing happened with Amin, too."

Wail looked directly into his eyes.

"Didn't you also acquire the Bloody Eyes?"

"Oh, right..."

Bahaa ran his hands over his face. When he lowered them, his red pupils were revealed.

He smiled.

"And why would I turn down something that makes me stronger?"

Wail clenched his fist, the veins in his arm bulging.

"Damn it... Then I'll have to discover what your eyes can do during the fight, too."

Bahaa laughed.

"I can tell you what they do, if you want."

His purple aura began to emerge around his body.

Then he continued,

"By the way, you killed Heda, didn't you? I don't know what happened to that fool who was with her, but I know you'll kill her sooner or later anyway. And what about Amin?"

Wail's aura began to emerge as well.

"I would've killed him, too, but that idiot Elyes interfered and stopped me. I lost the desire to kill him, but if he does something stupid again, I'll do it."

Bahaa narrowed his eyes, the faint smile never leaving his face.

"Honestly, I feel like today is a really strange day... So, what happens now? Am I next?"

Wail answered without hesitation.

"Yes."

The two vanished at the same instant.

High in the sky, they reappeared in their Elemental Transformations and charged toward each other, colliding with tremendous force.

The scene ended with Wail's cold expression and Bahaa's faint, confident smile.