"Hello… you two. Did you miss me?"
Enatur immediately pointed at her, his face red with anger. "Hey, White Mask… you're the one who got me stuck in this situation!"
Her hand rose halfway, her index and middle fingers extended. "That's right, I'm the one who did that to you!" she said, mocking Enatur.
Death turned her face away. "So?"
The White Mask Girl stood before them. She walked closer, circling Enatur while glancing at his body.
"Hm… hm… it looks like there's been some progress." She folded her arms, "But you're still far from being strong. The dangerous entity you'll face is far stronger, you know!"
Enatur furrowed his brows. "Huh? What are you saying?"
"Alright, I'll recount what happened and my purpose!" said the White Masked Girl.
A few moments later.
Enatur's face instantly paled; his hands trembled uncontrollably. "The future is destroyed?" his eyes quivered. Enatur immediately turned to Death.
Death glared sharply at the White Mask Girl. "I still don't fully believe you, and you haven't answered my previous question either!"
The girl sighed. "Even if I told you, you might not believe me, so I won't say it."
The girl turned her back on them, her tone colder. "What's the point of me trying so hard to go back to the past, when you don't believe me?"
The atmosphere grew silent. There was no sound; they all fell silent. Enatur clenched his fist tightly and closed his eyes.
His head relaxed, then he opened his eyes and steeled his resolve.
"I believe you!" His eyebrows furrowed, and his eyes trembled, showing his determination. The girl turned and looked him in the eyes.
"I'll try to believe you; I don't know why… but my gut tells me you're not lying!" Enatur continued. Death remained silent, staring at Enatur.
The girl turned around and faced Enatur. Her left hand reached into her pocket. She held two letters in both hands.
"Alright… there are two letters for you, but you mustn't tell anyone what's inside them. I've written instructions for you!"
Enatur took one letter, and Death took the other. The letters were addressed to each of them by name.
The girl warned them again. "Remember, don't reveal anything about the contents of the letters you're holding. The rest is up to you!"
Enatur nodded. "Alright, so you came here just to give us these letters?"
"No, I also need your help," said the girl. She opened a storage space and took out two scrolls.
The girl handed them to Death—a yellow scroll and a red one.
Death stared at the two scrolls. "What's in them?"
"They contain the formula for a cure to lift the next stage of the Soul Core curse. The ingredients for the red scroll are on Earth-020 in Type-2 human civilization," the girl explained.
"What about this yellow scroll?" Death asked.
"The yellow scroll is from Earth-010, Type-3 human civilization; it's a secret scroll," she replied.
"I think that's enough for now, since I just stole the Heart of Secrophia! Good luck to both of you!"
The girl opened a green dimensional portal and stepped inside. For a moment, Death stood frozen in place.
"Heart of Secrophia?! Why did she steal that heart?" Death Thought
Shortly after, Enatur and Death flew toward the palace.
---
Enatur was in his room; he sat on a bench reading the letter from the girl. His elbow rested on the table, and his hand pressed against his forehead as he wore a gloomy expression.
"I can't believe this girl knows what happened in the past. Everything she said is true, but the next clue... my future is so dark!"
Enatur stood up and walked slowly, his body limp. "I just want to take a bath first!" He walked through the large corridor toward the hot tub.
After washing his body, he soaked in the 4x4-meter hot tub. His head rested against the side of the tub.
Then the door opened, and Death stepped in, a towel wrapped around her body. Death and Enatur locked eyes. The atmosphere grew awkward.
No words were spoken, and Death removed the towel and turned on the shower in front of Enatur. He turned away, his face flushing.
Nervously, Enatur said, "Miss Death, I'm here!"
She glanced at Enatur out of the corner of her eye. "Are you still bringing that up? We've both seen each other naked. There's nothing left to make a fuss about."
Enatur watched Death bathe, completely naked, with a serious expression. After her shower, she walked over to the pool and soaked in it.
"Has Miss Death read it yet?" Enatur asked.
Death covered her ears with her hair. "Hm!"
Enatur's face grew even redder. "It seems we already know what's going to happen in the future. It's a bit hard to believe, but I really didn't expect it."
Death averted her eyes, her expression remaining cold. "Hm, that's how it is!"
Enatur's index finger scratched his left cheek. "Do you believe it too?"
Death immediately shot Enatur a cynical glance. "Don't bring it up again!"
Both fell silent; whatever the White Mask Girl had written made them both feel too awkward to speak. It wasn't like them at all.
"In a few hours, we'll be heading to Earth-020, a Type-2 human civilization. Your focus now is on freeing you from the Soul Core curse."
Enatur was quite surprised to hear this. "Eh? Is Miss Death coming with me?"
Death's tone grew colder. "Why? Do you have a problem with that?" Her icy gaze pierced Enatur.
Enatur's face immediately panicked. "No... not at all. Please guide me, Miss Death!"
"Hm!"
---
After enjoying a soak together, Enatur made preparations before leaving. He was in his room wearing a bathrobe.
He sat on the bed while studying Earth-020's civilization through the hologram screen.
"It's a medieval Eastern culture, a fantasy dynasty era. I'm quite curious about this civilization. This Earth is rich in rare and potent medicinal ingredients."
Enatur zoomed in on the screen and pinpointed the location to open the dimensional portal. "This forest area seems safe for opening the portal."
Knock! Knock!
Death knocked on the door. "Enatur, are you ready? I'm opening the door!" Death then opened the door. "Why aren't you ready yet?"
Enatur looked at her, Death was wearing only a towel. "Ah, I'm studying the civilization. Eastern medieval civilization is still very foreign to me."
Death sat on the edge of the bed, their eyes meeting. "I'm quite familiar with the Eastern medieval era, so you don't need to worry about it."
"Alright, then I'll get ready!" said Enatur, his voice nervous.
A few moments later...
Death and Enatur were in the palace courtyard. Death was wearing her black-and-green gown, a butterfly-wing-shaped hair accessory, and green heels.
Enatur adjusted her outfit to match the medieval Eastern fantasy dynasty era.
"Open the portal!" Said Death.
"Alright."
Enatur opened the red dimensional portal, and the two of them stepped inside.
---
The dimensional portal opened in a forest. Death and Enatur stepped out of the portal. Enatur was stunned by the sight of the beautiful forest.
"Whooaa... this forest is different from an ordinary one. Sis Earth is truly amazing!"
The forest didn't grow horizontally, but rather climbed upward. Silver-trunked trees grew sideways from crevices in the cliffs, creating natural bridges filled with neon-colored wildflowers.
The broad leaves rustled against the stone walls, producing a low humming sound amidst the shadows of the deep ravine.
The bluish-gray stone walls rose from the forest floor. The roots of giant trees clung to the rocky surface, and a thin waterfall cascaded down.
Death asked Enatur. "Why did we move here?"
Enatur replied. "It would be very dangerous to open a portal in an exposed place."
They walked toward the forest's edge, making their way around. A dirt path led them, flanked on both sides by tall trees and bushes.
Roar!
They heard the monster's growl, and the birds scattered instantly. The heavy footsteps grew louder.
"The monster is heading this way!"
Suddenly, a black-haired woman leaped high over them. "You two, run!"
"This is bad!" Enatur formed a sword from Nano Tungsten.
A silver-colored ape-like monster leaped toward Enatur; its hands were incredibly hard, as if clad in stone gloves.
Enatur leaped high, opening a dimensional space and quickly whipping a chain dagger to wrap around the monster's two hands. The monster's movement was locked in midair.
Swing! Slash!
Enatur swung his sword and slashed at its neck. Blood splattered on the ground. The monster's head was immediately flung into the air and slammed into the ground.
Enatur landed roughly. "That was close!"
Death folded her arms. "Your movements are more efficient and faster. The calmness training earlier paid off!"
Enatur approached Death and nodded. "It's thanks to your guidance!"
The monster's body turned to dust and dissolved into the air. A crystal the size of a fist fell, glowing blue.
The girl emerged from behind a tree and peeked at them. Enatur noticed her presence.
"Come out, it's safe now!" Enatur said irritably.
The girl laughed awkwardly; she had the sweet, typical features of an Asian girl. Her attire resembled that of a medieval Eastern warrior. Her brown eyes blinked at them.
The girl approached them and clasped her hands together. "Sorry for the trouble. Oh, by the way, my name is Xiao Chen. Thank you for saving me!"
Xiao Chen picked up the crystal stone.
Enatur clasped his hands together as well. "No problem. My name is Enatur. This woman's name is..." Death immediately shot a sharp glance at Enatur.
"It'd be a problem if I revealed her name... I have to give her a nickname!"
Xiao Chen tilted her head. "What's wrong?"
Enatur replied awkwardly. "Ah... it's nothing, she's my older sister; her name is Hisui!"
"Oh, your names sound pretty foreign. Are you from another continent?" Xiao Chen asked.
"Yes... Yes, that's right. My sister and I train together in secret," said Enatur.
"Oh, I see. Do you want to come back to the city with me?" asked Xiao Chen.
Enatur nodded slowly. "Yes, we're heading to the city."
Xiao Chen was delighted. "Then come with me! I live in Wu Xian City; let's go there together!"