"Where could he be?" Tessa muttered to herself as she exited the village, stepping into the forest.
Her eyes scanned her surroundings, but she couldn't see who she was looking for.
"I just know that if I continue moving forward, I'll see him."
She knew this because of the connection.
The connection would only make her know the area Arin was in, but she wouldn't know his exact location.
With that, she began walking forward.
Only the sound of the leaves swaying and the sound of twigs breaking under her feet could be heard as she walked.
Her hair fluttered slightly as she folded her arms.
"Riya..." She muttered, recalling the conversation she just had with Riya a few minutes ago.
"She has also faced the same thing..."
Tessa's gaze hardened. "Alex... I'll make sure he dies a slow and painful death..."
Though Riya told Tessa about how Alex killed her mother and brother, she didn't tell Tessa about The Great One, and anything about the system.
Those were still information between her and Arin.
"I can only imagine how many people have suffered in the hands of Alex," Tessa muttered to herself.
As she continued walking, she suddenly felt something, making her squint her eyes.
Though the feeling was new and strange, she was able to understand it, making her eyes widen a bit.
Her eyes instantly locked on the direction she knew Arin was, and without wasting time, she began dashing towards that direction.
"Arin... Who the hell is he fighting with...?"
She could feel it... Arin was currently engaged in battle.
And this was further confirmed by the booming sounds she could hear from the distance with her enhanced hearing.
Her steps quickened, her eyes sharp.
With a slight gust of wind, a figure emerged in front of Tessa, forcing her to come to a halt.
"Well... Well... Well."
Tessa's eyes quickly scanned the figure who just arrived in front of her, and to her surprise, it was someone she knew all too well.
A deep frown unknowingly formed on Tessa's face as she clenched her fists.
Edith smiled as her brown hair fluttered. She had an amused expression on her face as she stared at Tessa.
"Ah... You don't look too hap—"
"Shut up, and get out of my way," Tessa suddenly said, interrupting Edith as she began walking forward.
Edith's expression took a complete turn. She gritted her teeth as she unfolded her arms.
"Who the hell do you think you're talking to, you piece of shit!?"
Tessa completely ignored her. She was more worried about Arin now.
Tessa didn't know why, but after seeing Edith here, she suddenly felt like Alex was the one Arin was fighting with.
This made her even more worried. Without wasting time, she continued walking forward.
She reached Edith who was seething with anger and walked past her. But...
Edith grabbed Tessa's hand. "Did I tell you to leave?"
Tessa instantly acted.
Her left hand zoomed towards Edith's face with incredible force.
The punch connected, making Edith stagger backwards.
Blood began oozing from her mouth from the mere force of the punch.
Tessa stared at her, eyes cold.
"There's more from where that came from..."
Edith's eyes were widened, but not in fear, but...
She gritted her teeth, her hands shaking.
"W... What did you just do...?"
Finally, she began raising her head, turning towards Tessa's direction, but to her surprise...
Tessa was no longer there.
She didn't have the time for Edith now.
"Haha... Haha... She thinks I'll just let her go that easily...?"
Edith laughed, her eyes fixated on Tessa who she could see running towards a certain direction.
Edith stopped laughing, her expression turning serious.
"If it was before when I was still quite weak, I know I would never be able to catch up to her, but now... After receiving Alex's gift... I can do anything!"
A black thick mass of smoke erupted from Edith's legs, spreading wide.
The smoke completely covered her legs, up to her waist.
She grinned, and then...
The ground beneath her cracked, and she was no longer there.
With great speed, she zoomed towards Tessa.
Her legs weren't even touching the ground, rather, she was levitating due to the smoke.
This made her really fast, and she was already catching up to Tessa.
Edith furrowed her brows. "I have to stop her..."
She stretched out her hands towards Tessa who was still running forward.
With that, she began shifting the wind in front of Tessa.
This took immense control, but because she was being carried by the black smoke, she could fully concentrate on doing this.
She began shifting the wind and then...
She hit Tessa with a wild gust of wind, making her lose balance and stumble to the left.
Because of this, Edith was able to reach her.
Now, she was standing in front of Tessa, a grin on her face.
"So you thought I'd let you escape easily?" She asked, the black smoke below her swirling.
At this point, Tessa barely heard what she said, rather, her attention was on the black smoke that covered Edith's waist and legs.
'This smoke... Isn't it the same smoke Alex can use...?'
If this was exactly the same smoke, then this meant...
"Is Alex here with?" Tessa asked.
Edith raised a brow. "Oh, my husband... Why do you care if he's here or not?"
"Tch..." Tessa clicked her tongue.
"That reminds me," Edith continued, her grin widening. "Alex has been in love with me, even before he started giving you attention. He doesn't love you... He just wants to use your body like the animal you are."
Tessa scoffed. "I don't know how you ended up in the situation, Edith."
Edith frowned. "What do you mean?"
'If I continue with questions , I should be able to get my answer,' Tessa thought.
"Alex loves you? Tell me, what has he done that shows that he loves you? Or did he just say it to you?"
Edith's frown deepened as she glared at Tessa. "He has proved it to me!"
Tessa remained silent. It seemed like her plan was working, so she waited to hear what Edith would say.
"He granted me this power... This alone is proof that he loves me and cares for me. With this power he gave me, I'm no longer a weakling just living in the shadows... I now have power... Immense power..."
At this point, Edith was already talking hastily and rashly to the point that saliva was already dripping from her mouth.
Even with that, she continued,
"And... and I'll use that power to carry out his will... I'll use that power to defeat you and bring you to him to be used like the animal you are!!!!"
"The sacrifice that was used to grant me this power... I will not let it be in vain!!"
Tessa's eyes instantly widened immediately she heard what Edith said last.
"Sacrifice...? D... Do you mean another human was used in order for you to have this power...?"
"Haha! Yes! What do you think? Horrible, right? Yes, it's horrible, but I'm sorry to say, but that's just how the world works. Extreme measures have to be taken in order to get the power we all desire!"
Tessa remained silent as Edith continued blabbing.
Slowly, almost unknowingly to her, she began walking forward, her steps inaudible.
Edith smiled. "Huh? Who was it? You really wanna know? It was a little boy... I remember clearly... How his throat was sliced by the knife, the sound of his muffled screams affecting my ears... The way he screamed for his parents... Calling for help, but no one answered..."
"His blood dripped on the ground... Fueling the ritual... I remember..."
As Edith continued talking like a psychopath, tears began forming on the corner of Tessa's eyes.
Edith's words were entering her ears, reminding her of her parents and bringing questions.
'Was that how they suffered before they died...? Was that the kind of pain they went through before they died...?'
She couldn't hold it anymore. The tears flowed down from her eyes, but with that pain and tears, something else was also present.
No, something even more intense than that.
And then, Tessa looked at Edith straight in the eyes. Her eyes began glowing a deep red, making Edith frown.
Tessa began walking forward, and three words left her lips... Three cold words.
"... I'll kill you..."
Edith instantly shivered, her eyes widening.
"Huh... What is this? Fear?" She muttered to herself.
As for Tessa, she wasn't the same anymore.
Her long black bluish-pink hair instantly changed, turning into white.
Claws and fangs formed, and her red eyes glowed even brighter than before.
Looking at Tessa now, Edith knew... Her appearance wasn't the only thing that changed.
Something else changed... Her entire demeanor.
Tessa appeared in front of Edith.