A/N: Photo of Dilinjer, but with darker hair and copper eyes :D

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After Zoe and Reonan arrived at the closed cake shop, the group gathered by the roof garden, taking refuge under the shade of wooden roof crawling with blue flowers Zoe wasn't familiar. The whole place was a mixture of herbal plants, flowers, and potted miniature fruit trees, which all seemed out of her normal world. However, she found it relaxing, being surrounded by such greenery combined with the view of the vast blue sky and a crowded city painted in different colors.

Nonetheless, she chose to sit beside Reonan and Hubert at the far end of the table, which was obscured from the wonderful view. It was to keep her distance from Darcy who was sitting at the other side.

Ever since they arrived, he seemed to be avoiding her. He arrived last for their small meeting and didn't bat her an eye, even though he kept mentioning her name as he retold what happened.

Regardless of that, she wanted to get his attention, to let him know that she wanted to apologize. And yet, his actions constantly altered her decisions.

"You got here after being eaten?" Ty summarized Darcy's story, his face plastered with disbelief. "So that's how you suddenly appeared that night! But that's disgusting! It's like you--"

"If I understood correctly," Nox interjected, making Ty purse his lips. "It crossed the barrier to Mamoria after it ate you?"

The young Prince nodded.

"Of all the possible places, why on the ship?"

"Even I can't answer that," Darcy said. "We know nothing of its purpose. It didn't go directly to attack Zoe, so it's still uncertain if the enemy sent it or not."

"But for it to be able to step inside the ancient seal, that silenced even your Gift of Sight, just what creature is that?"

The young Prince shrugged. "Like I said before, it's not a monster or one of the living."

"Not one of the living?" said by a man with light purple hair while inspecting his face in the small mirror. "It must be the one from that old tale."

A shadow formed between Nox's brows. "What tale is it, Uncle Lucio?"

All eyes turned to the Great Magician.

He set down the mirror on the table in an angle that he could still see his face, and gazed at them with satisfaction, as though enjoying the spotlight. "It's the story about those which are neither dead nor living, and neither dark nor light."

"You mean..." Nox trailed off, his jaw hanging in the air.

The older man dipped his head in response. "They are those from the In Between. Souls that haven't taken form and in the process of crossing the barrier. Despite that, no one knew about their true nature since the cycle had been like that for a very long time. But one thing is clear, they're not supposed to leave that plane."

Ty moved closer to the edge of his seat, straining his shoulders close to him, careful not to touch Krista. "You mean all those myths about being re-birthed in another realm was real?"

"There's a grain of truth in every story, no matter how absurd they sound," Reonan said and took another mouthful of the vanilla cake.

His eye grew wide as he hugged himself. "This is so so not happening! Does that mean I've been re-birth--"

"So how did it get out?" Nox interjected, disregarding Ty's rolling eyes.

"It only means that it has already started," Lucio answered, brushing the sleeves of his coat. "There was an old record of the history of Mamoria even before a lot of versions came out. Nobody knows where it came from, when it was made or who even made it, so it was considered unreliable. But according to the book, a time would come that all would return to where it started. Probably the time when the barriers didn't exist. The appearance of those In Between only signifies that the barrier is starting to weaken."

Zoe noticed that all their faces turned grim, even Krista became a little pale. Although she understood that a great danger must be upon them, she couldn't follow the gravity of their situation. It was like stumbling in the midst of an aliens' meeting.

Zoe tucked her hair behind her ear and licked her lips. "So, there's more than one barrier?"

"Mhm," the red haired man answered, but his mouth was full of cake that the Great Magician decided to explain it.

"There are exactly two barriers," Lucio started, showing his two long fingers. "First is the one that separates us from your realm. And the second one is the barrier that separates us from the old city of Mamoria."

"Old city?"

He nodded. "The first settlement of Mamorians. But during The Battle of Gods, darkness broke all throughout the land, corrupting everything it touches. To save what was left unharmed, the God Kairos, brought the lands above the sky and created a barrier that prevented the Dark Creatures from reaching the current Mamoria. After that, she created the second barrier to prevent darkness from reaching your realm." His violet eyes regarded her. "I believe you've seen the large expanse of clouds on the horizon."

"I did."

"It was believed that the barrier lies beneath those clouds and no one, who has seen it, ever lived to tell the tale."

Her brows knitted. "Why? It's not like you'd go beyond the barrier, right?"

"Based on theories," Dilinjer answered, getting the group's curious stares. "The barrier contained the power equal to that of a God, which gave it the ability to repel the Dark Creatures, but at the same time, it's also too much for the regular Mamorians. In spite of that, it was not proven if those blessed with the blood of Kairos could go near the barrier or even cross it."

"You mean she has children?"

For a moment, the healer stared at her as though the plant had spoken. "I understand that you're not from this realm, but not even one explained to you the basics?"

Zoe shook her head, feeling like a kid deprived of candy. Dilinjer examined the group of Darcy and each one of them seemed to be acting busy, except for Hubert who offered nothing but nods.

"The matter about the Heroine is of much importance," Darcy answered coldly, placing his glass on the table. "Educating her about this world could wait."

"Anyway." Dilinjer intertwined his fingers and rested them on top of his crossed legs before looking back at her. "To answer your question, she does not have children. Kairos shared her blood to the first warriors of Mamoria, giving them power. Today, they are those who occupied the Royal Families, primarily those with the Gift of Sight and have golden eyes just like Jao."

"Oh." It was the smartest response she could muster.

For a moment, everyone remained silent as the information sink in. Zoe, on the other hand, felt her brain swimming in the air as it tried to keep up with her newfound reality. The exchange of information was just too fast that she barely even remember a few.

***

Dedicated to Charlotte1121

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XOXO