Erold and Argus arrived outside the mountain with Gilgamesh and Jasmin, where the cave entrance split open at Erold's presence. They rushed inside quickly. Suddenly, Jasmin stopped, turned around in blatant confusion, and shouted, "Where is Luce?"
Erold replied in a tone dominated by bewilderment and tension, "He's on his way here, I think."
At moment, Astra materialized before the cave entrance and said in a firm voice, "The village Chief did not find him. There are only ten minutes left for the moon to align with the worlds."
Argus shouted, "What do we do now? Astra... can't you use your powers to find him?"
Astra looked at Erold, and in her eyes was a trace of helplessness they were not accustomed to: "I have lost my power as an observer... I no longer see anyone but Erold and Jasmin. Luce is now outside the range of my vision."
Argus muttered in despair, "Then we cannot wait for him!"
But Erold interrupted him sternly, "We cannot go without him!"
Jasmin supported him firmly, "I agree with Erold. We cannot leave him."
Astra said in a voice as cold as a countdown, "Eight minutes!"
Here, Gilgamesh settled the situation with a serious voice: "We will go without him."
Before anyone could move, an exhausted crawling sound echoed at the entrance. Luce entered in a wretched state, falling before them as he crawled and said, "Sorry for the delay!"
Erold rushed to him, "What happened to you, Luce?"
Luce stood up with difficulty, his face flushed like embers from the intensity of fatigue, sweat pouring from him like rain. "I don't know." He stepped before the table, raised his wrist, and said, "Let's begin!"
But Gilgamesh's strong hand stopped him, grabbing his head and saying sternly, "You will die if you open a wound in your body now! You are in a state of collapse, and any infection will finish you before you cross the gate!"
Argus shouted in frustration, "Damn this!"
Suddenly, Jasmin's voice pierced the area as she stepped forward with confident steps: "I am the one who will do it!" Erold and Argus objected in one voice: "You will not!"
But Jasmin shouted with a firmness that silenced everyone: "Don't you dare say 'you can't do this because you're small'! Here I am today standing with you for a higher goal, and you refuse this and the achievement of all your goals because of my age? Come to your senses! It's just a simple wound!"
Astra looked at them and said quietly, "Don't worry, she can do it."
The exhausted Luce leaned on Erold's shoulder and whispered, "Sorry, buddy." Erold replied, "No matter."
Astra shouted warningly, "Come on, there are five minutes left!"
Erold placed the Eye of Mystery in the center of the table. Four red auras began to rotate. Gilgamesh stepped forward first, forcefully wounding his palm so his blood flowed into the circle designated for him. Argus followed, materializing a blade of sharp wind to wound his hand and pour his blood into the second circle. As for Erold, he drew his sword "Thorn" to wound himself with full determination and pour his blood into the third circle.
Then came Jasmin's turn. She extended her hand toward Astra, who produced a shimmering dagger and placed it on the little girl's palm. Jasmin pressed her hand onto the blade with force, and when Astra withdrew the dagger, crimson blood leaked... but Jasmin's face remained as steady as a rock; her features did not change.
The red auras poured toward the Eye of Mystery from every side until the Eye ignited with a glowing red crystal. Suddenly, a sound erupted that shook the mountain's foundations like a mighty thunderbolt, and the gate opened... it radiated with shifting colors, dancing between existence and nothingness.
Gilgamesh smiled solemnly and said, "Let's go, guys!"
Gilgamesh stepped forward to be the first to cross. Meanwhile, Astra performed gentle magical touches to stop the bleeding of Erold, Argus, and Jasmin. She turned to them and said in a sad farewell tone, "Then it is time for your entry. It may be difficult for me to be present in the Jinn world, but I will not lose sight of you. Farewell Jasmin, Lord Argus, and Lord Luce."
Then she turned toward Erold, and their eyes met in a long gaze: "And farewell... Erold."
Erold replied with shining eyes, "Farewell, Astra!"
A bright light emanated from her body and then she faded, leaving behind particles of light. Erold carried his exhausted friend Luce, and the whole team stepped forward with steady steps. Argus asked in a tone mixing enthusiasm with anxiety, "Is it normal for me to be nervous, guys?"
Erold answered him tersely, "I think so."
They all closed their eyes and rushed into the gate, feeling their particles pierce a curtain as soft as cold silk. Argus wondered while his eyes were still closed, "Have we arrived?"
They opened their eyes, only to be shocked by a vision completely contrary to their expectations. They did not find themselves in a magical paradise or a bright world of legends, but in abandoned and gloomy ruins. This was the In-Between World, the clearing field between the human world and the Jinn world.
The sky above them was twisted, colored in dark purple and waves of radiant darkness where neither sun nor stars could be seen, as if it were being constantly torn by violent cosmic energy. The ground was a vast plain of stiff gray dust, covered by debris of carved stones and eroded columns that had fallen from massive ancient buildings. The remains of the carvings looked like the bones of giants petrified in place.
They looked directly ahead; in the heart of the ruin stood the second gate that would transport them to the Jinn world. The gate was a massive, winding stone structure in a pale white color, resembling an eroded mountain peak, and its opening was dark as black charcoal.
Massive, twisted roots like snakes emerged from the ground, but they were petrified and dead, giving the impression that life had been forcibly stripped from this place. The air was heavy and cold, carrying the smell of dampness and rust, as if they had entered a world that died centuries ago. They heard no sound of birds or rustling of leaves, but an absolute silence pierced by the sound of sad winds slapping their faces.
Despite the look of the place, it radiated an incomprehensible beauty.
Erold was stunned, saying, "What a place!" while Argus added, "It is truly exquisite." Jasmin went further in her admiration, saying, "I might live here in the future."
Luce smiled weakly as he said, "So this is the separation zone." Then Luce called out tiredly to Jasmin, "Come here, little one." Jasmin came and said, "What is it, Luce?"
He took a purple bracelet and a paper from his pocket and gave them to Jasmin, saying, "Put the bracelet on your hand." Jasmin asked curiously, "What about the paper?"
Luce smiled tiredly, "Read it later." Jasmin put on the bracelet and it shrunk to the size of her hand. She was amazed: "Thank you for this, Luce, but what is it?"
Luce replied, "This is one of the Seven Legendary Tools."
Everyone around her wondered: "A legendary tool?"
Erold asked him in daze, "How did you get it?"
Luce answered, "I took it from one of the kingdoms and I don't need it. It stores one magical skill and repeats it forever, or until the death of the skill's owner. So keep it with you; the Jinn world is dangerous."
Jasmin's eyes gleamed with joy: "My God! Thank you, Luce!" She hugged him and he said, "Don't mention it, little one, this will protect you."
Meanwhile, Argus asked curiously, "Which skill did you use?"
Luce answered while leaning tiredly, "One of my skills in the Manifestation form."
Jasmin got excited and said, "Will I become strong?"
Luce smiled and said, "Yes, little one. But for the bracelet to work, Jasmin, all you have to do is utter one word: Fallen."
Jasmin raised her hand toward Argus. Argus shouted and said, "No! Not on me!"
Suddenly, the sky began to crack. Gilgamesh shouted, "Come on! Time is running out! All of you, go to the gate now!" Gilgamesh entered the gate quickly. Then the gate cracked, and Jasmin and Argus entered separately, then Luce by himself, and after him, Erold.
Jasmin opened her eyes to find herself falling from the sky toward a radiant golden sandy area, but the acceleration was lethal. She screamed in the air, and in a decisive moment, she raised her hand toward the ground and said: "Fallen!" A wave of thick blue fire erupted from her bracelet, shaking the earth, but it dissipated immediately. Jasmin fell and her head hit a stone, knocking her out instantly, surrounded by a faint shimmer.
As for Luce, he fell before a massive stone castle. He fell unconscious from the intensity of exhaustion. His heart was beating slowly; he heard incomprehensible voices in his head.
Gilgamesh fell in a high area full of strange trees radiating a dark color. The forest was silent and desolate, but he noticed that the moon was full, concluding that the human world and the Jinn world work on the same timing. Gilgamesh stood up, his dead eyes looking around him, realizing that his salvation is in this world.
As for Argus, he fell in a narrow alley, surrounded by massive buildings whose end he could not see. The alley was dark, as if created to plant terror. He was looking around searching for the others, realizing that he was now completely alone in a place he knew nothing about.
As for Erold, he fell on the ground spitting sand from his mouth. He looked around to find himself in the middle of a harsh gray desert, covered by stiff dust and rocky debris. He looked around and found no one but himself.
He began shouting their names: "Jasmin! Luce! Argus! Gilgamesh! Where are you?"
After a period of searching, Erold realized the bitter truth; they were all lost. He drew his sword "Thorn" and raised it high toward the twisted sky, saying in a voice full of determination: "Guys... I will find you all, I promise."