"Well then, let's go! The foothills of Mount Agaz are teeming with demonic beasts. There are plenty I've had my eye on to boost my prestige,"
Peach Blossom said earnestly, leaving Kimhant slack-jawed. He had not expected her to suggest venturing all the way to Mount Agaz.
"W... We're really going there? It's dangerous."
"Of course. I'm looking for a prestigious pet, after all. You can't expect to settle for so run-of-the-mill creature around here, can you?" Peach Blossom replied with a determined expression. Kimhant opened and closed his mouth wordlessly, regretting his earlier flattery. Now he had to risk his life helping her find a pet that matched her status. Worse, knowing Peach Blossom, if she did not find anything suitable at the foothills, this spoiled girl would undoubtedly drag him higher up Mount Agaz—an ominous prospect he realized he had brought upon himself.
Peach Blossom and Kimhant set off toward Mount Agaz with just the two of them, though the young man's nerves were on edge. However, his worry gradually eased as they encountered nurous players along the way, both from allied guilds and the Doom Star Guild. The steady flow of players in the area ant no demonic beasts dared to attack them.
"What's with this place? Why are there so many players wandering around?" Peach Blossom asked, puzzled. Usually, no one dared to co near Mount Agaz.
"It's probably because of the mines. I heard that both our guild and the Doom Star Guild have set up refineries near the mining areas. They're probably taking turns overseeing things. Everyone knows the two guilds don't get along,"
Kimhant explained. Peach Blossom nodded in understanding, and they continued on their way.
"Looks like we'll have to head deeper up the mountain. There are hardly any beasts left around the foothills," Peach Blossom remarked as she glanced around. The usual beasts that attacked players in groups had been wiped out. Since the respawn timing was staggered, beasts were being killed almost as soon as they reappeared, leaving no ti for them to regroup.
"It seems more players are hunting beasts here now. The area's gotten pretty lively,"
Kimhant observed. He noticed that in addition to guild mbers managing the mines, many independent players had co to hunt beasts in the foothills and lower slopes. It appeared to be a rare opportunity for mid-level players to hunt without dying from getting overwheld by the beasts. The presence of the two major guilds inadvertently ensured their safety.
"Exactly. So, what's even left for to ta as a pet?" Peach Blossom grumbled, growing frustrated. She had initially thought she would catch one quite soon.
"Want to help?" A voice unexpectedly broke in, surprising both Peach Blossom and Kimhant. They turned to see the speaker and froze, their eyes widening in shock.
"D... Demos!"
Kimhant stamred. Both stared at the newcor, stunned. Demos, the cold-blooded enemy of Chang Long and Siegfried, stood casually before them. This encounter could very well spell their deaths.
"That's right, it's . So, want to take up on my offer?"
Demos asked nonchalantly, ignoring the teens' astonished reactions.
"W... Why would we let you help us?"
Peach Blossom retorted, taking several cautious steps back from him.
"Well, it seems your brother and his friends are too busy to help you, so I thought I'd step in. You know, I've always had younger brothers but never a younger sister. I'm curious—would taking care of a sister be harder than a brother?"
Demos replied with an easygoing deanor, though his gaze remained cold.
"Guild Leader!" One of Demos's subordinates tried to object, but Demos silenced him with a raised hand. He glanced with amusent at Peach Blossom, who was eyeing him proudly from the corner of her eyes. She could not make sense of the situation. Why was this ruthless man—known for killing players and beasts without hesitation—suddenly offering to be kind to her?
"Don't even think about pretending to be nice to . You're probably scheming sothing, aren't you? I'm not falling for it. Let's go, Kimhant! Don't pay any attention to him,"
Peach Blossom snapped, grabbing Kimhant—who was still too stunned to react—and dragging him away imdiately.
"This rude little girl, Huh? Guild leader, where are you going?"
One of the guild mbers accompanying Demos glared at Peach Blossom in disdain. When he turned back to speak to Demos about heading to the mines, he saw that Demos was already following Peach Blossom and Kimhant from a distance.
"Go find Phobos. I've found sothing far more entertaining to do."
With that, Demos walked off. The players accompanying him knew better than to stand in his way. Once he had made up his mind, any interference from them could very well lead to their own demise.
"What do we do now?"
The abandoned guild mbers exchanged worried glances.
"What can we do? If we try to intervene, we'll probably end up dead before we even realize it. Let's try to contact Deputy Guild Leader Phobos."
One of them sighed. The others agreed, quickly contacting Phobos to assu command in Demos's stead.
.....
Spending the night in the park proved to be a headache. The white swan that Siegfried and Chang Long had found refused to let them rest, acting out and causing chaos. They had to work together to calm it down, and by the ti it finally wore itself out, it was nearly dawn. Even though they had set up a tent, they were too exhausted to use it. Instead, the two collapsed in front of it, with Siegfried holding Chang Long close, and Chang Long in turn clutching the troubleso white swan tightly, sleeping.
The swan was the first to stir. It slipped free from Chang Long's grasp and waddled down to the nearby swamp for a swim. Chang Long shifted, rubbing her eyes as the sunlight filtered through the canopy, looking for the bird. Seeing the swan still nearby, showing no sign of leaving, she dozed off again.
The pair did not wake up until nearly noon, roused by a very natural alarm: the sound of their own rumbling stomachs. Chang Long pulled away from Siegfried's arms with a crimson face, though Siegfried could not tell if her embarrassnt stemd from being held while sleeping or from the loud growling of her stomach. She summoned food from the Horn of Abundance, and the two ate quietly. It was not until nearly an hour later that Siegfried broke the silence, initiating a conversation.
"We'll probably find the black swan tonight," Siegfried said as they watched the white swan play in the water. The swan seed blind, with both of its eyes a milky white.
"Uh-huh. By the way, do you know where the Heavenly Avian Temple is?"
Chang Long asked, suddenly rembering her other quest.
"I'm not sure. This quest is pretty specific. I've heard other players ntion it back when I first started playing, but none of them had details or a map to get there. It might be sothing we'll have to figure out as we go."
Chang Long sighed with resignation at Siegfried's answer. She had faced plenty of quests where she had to find her own way, so it was not particularly surprising.
"But I've heard a legend about it,"
Siegfried added, noticing her discouraged expression. He hoped the story might lift her spirits.
"A legend?"
Chang Long repeated, turning to Siegfried with curiosity. He smiled and began recounting the tale of the Heavenly Avian Temple.
"They say the ga developers created the Heavenly Avian Temple for a beast god. Unlike your kirin, the Ocean Dragon, or Wu Ming the Golden Dragon, this creature has never appeared before. It's said to be majestic and blessed with a beautiful voice. However, because no player has completed the quest, no one has ever seen this beast god, which supposedly resides at the very top of the temple."
"A beast god in the Heavenly Avian Temple? Then it must be a bird,"
Chang Long speculated. Siegfried nodded, confirming her guess.
"They say it's a phoenix."
Chang Long's eyes widened in astonishnt. Could there really be a phoenix atop the Heavenly Avian Temple? Another beast god, like her Flatear and Kitsune? She wondered what it might look like. Would it resemble the illustrations in fantasy storybooks? Her excitent was palpable, and Siegfried could not help but feel happy seeing her childlike wonder. Everything he did was to make her happy—to see that bright, unguarded smile lighting up her face at all ti.
The two spent the rest of the day resting and trying to glean clues about the black swan from the white swan. When the ti drew near for the swans to call to each other, Chang Long tied a rope leash to the white swan's neck to lead it toward its partner. Siegfried packed up their campsite.
As night fell and the white swan began its mournful song, the pair followed it as it sang, moving as if it instinctively knew where its partner was. The guiding lights illuminated their path, but the journey was not without obstacles. At one point, Chang Long tripped and lost her grip on the leash, allowing the white swan to dart away. Siegfried had to release Chang Long's hand to chase after it. Although he managed to catch the swan, it left them nearly separated.
"Why does this park keep trying to split us up?" Chang Long asked, exhausted. In addition to the long winding, rugged paths littered with rocks and undergrowth, they had to wrangle the uncooperative swan to keep it from escaping. Both of them were battered and worn out, but even so, they refused to let go of each other's hands.
"Look, Sieg. The swan stopped moving,"
Chang Long said, tugging at his sleeve when the white swan ca to a halt.
"Maybe it's tired—just like us,"
Siegfried replied, slightly out of breath as he watched the swan stand motionless, almost statue-like.
The singing of both swans had ceased, and silence once again enveloped the park. The white swan, standing still, suddenly spread its wings as if performing a dance. Its form began to blur and distort until sothing extraordinary happened: the swan transford into a slender, well-grood young man.
"Black, are you there?"
the white swan—now a young man—whispered softly, gazing at the wall before him.
"White, is that you? Have you co looking for ?"
A hoarse, trembling voice of a woman replied from behind the wall.
"It's , Black. I've been searching for you, and now I've found you. Just a little longer, and we'll finally be together. I'll climb over this wall and co to you,"
White, the transford swan, said eagerly, overjoyed to hear Black's voice. As White prepared to climb the wall, Chang Long and Siegfried hurried to stop him.
"Wait. There's got to be another way. That wall's way too high—if you fall, you'll break your neck, and then you won't see Black at all,"
Siegfried warned, bringing White to a halt.
"No, don't climb over. This wall has an archway. It's covered in vines, but if you search nearby, you'll find it. It's not far,"
Black called out urgently from the other side, after hearing that White was trying to climb the wall to her.
Just as Black, the person Chang Long and Seigfried assud was the black swan had said, there was indeed an archway hidden under thick vines. The three worked together to clear the vines and open the path. Before long, the archway stood unobstructed. White was the first to step through, followed closely by Chang Long and Siegfried. As they passed through the archway, sothing strange began to happen. Their bodies subtly started to change, though neither of them noticed just yet.
White ran forward and embraced Black, their reunion filled with joy. Siegfried and Chang Long looked at them with relief; the quest was halfway complete. Now all they had to do was guide the two swans back to the central lake, and the Tear of the Swan quest would be finished. After that, Chang Long could eagerly finally begin her next adventure—heading to the Heavenly Avian Temple, where she might encounter the majestic phoenix, a beast god.
"It's so wonderful that they've found each other at last," Chang Long said, smiling with genuine happiness. Siegfried turned to look at her with a smile, but had to freeze, stunned. Her body was shrinking before his eyes. At the sa ti, Chang Long was also surprised by his state: his body was also shrinking.
The two stared at each other, pointing in shock. When they looked down at themselves, they realized it was not just their height; their arms and legs were also getting smaller and reshaping.
"What's happening? Why are we turning!" Chang Long cried out in alarm. Wondered if they been cursed without realizing it. The only strange sensation she rembered was the brief chill that ran through her as if cold water was splashed on her when they passed through the archway.
Wide-eyed, Chang Long ran back to the archway. Near it, on the wall, she noticed inscriptions carved into the stone. The carvings were so ancient and faded that much of the text was barely legible.
"Wall of Beasts," Chang Long read aloud the large heading of the inscription. The unease its na gave only grew as she continued to read the text beneath it. By the ti she finished, she felt like she might faint.
"What are you reading, Chang Long?" Siegfried asked, walking over with a curious expression. Chang Long did not reply. She simply pointed her trembling finger toward the inscription. Siegfried followed her gaze, initially confused. But as he read the text, his expression grew more troubled with each word.
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