In the next few days, they all spent time planning their next move. Kin was urged to leave Wize for the moment before Jai picked up his trail. No one knew the extent of Jai's powers yet, so they decided to play it safe.
Ri took her men and left Dura to search for more potential allies. Kin had told them about the Sulten of Cosant, who had pledged to ally with them, and instructed Ri to pay him a visit. Then, Thena was assigned a new mission: to find Meliesse and find out what had happened to her. She, along with some of Ri's men, was tasked with the search.
Ri's cousin, on the other hand, was urged to keep watch in Dura in case the Sulten made any more moves. They would have loved to put the final nail in the coffin for him, but they had too much to do and had to move quickly.
Meanwhile, Kin and Thia decided to meet up with Mystos outside Wize, in a town called Runtal, located in Omi—just close to the city of Miaan. Thia had been there before as a spy, so she knew her way around Miaan to some extent.
Commander Lei and Vera also accompanied them on their journey. Sanjay was sent to Jubai to see if the General's men were still alive, and Su Yin was asked to follow Ri. Since she still had little control over her curse, Kin had told her to stay with Ri, much to Su Yin's displeasure. She didn't want to leave Kin, but they had no choice. It was odd seeing a fourteen-year-old girl cling so tightly to a ten-year-old in such a bizarre manner, but no one complained, knowing what the girl had faced. If she wanted to cling to someone, she had the right to.
Once everything was settled, everyone went on their way.
Kin, Thia, Vera, and Commander Lei traveled to Miaan and stayed hidden until they met with Mystos. Once they arrived, Kin and Thia were finally able to have their private conversation.
Kin sat on the roof of one of the buildings in Runtal, looking at the city in the dead of night. The city wasn't exactly large, but it was comfortable enough for its inhabitants to live a decent life. His eyes were fixed on the darkness as he used the Eyes of Ra to monitor his surroundings. At first, he didn't register much—until a figure appeared behind him, causing him to frown.
"You were right, she's indeed dangerous," Kin thought to Ashell.
"Indeed she is," Ashell replied. "She carries the curse of death, after all."
"You need to be careful, although I doubt she means any harm."
"I'll be the judge of that," Kin responded, ending their dialogue.
As Kin conversed with Ashell, Thia was having her own conversation with Iku.
"Is he trying to probe my abilities?" Thia asked as she stared at Kin's glowing eyes.
"Not really, my lady. His eyes cannot see that deeply yet," Iku said.
"Oh? So he could one day?"
"Yes, my lady. But right now, he can probably only see through things."
"Hmmm," Thia murmured, suddenly covering herself with her arms.
Kin squinted at her in confusion, while Iku seemed equally puzzled.
"Why is she covering herself?" Kin asked.
"Your eyes, dummy. They make a maiden insecure," Ashell replied.
"But there's nothing there," Kin said.
"Good. Now say it out loud for her to hear. It seems you love playing games with death."
Kin sighed and deactivated the Eyes of Ra, making Thia stop covering herself.
"What do you want?" Kin finally spoke.
"I'm here to discuss something with you," Thia replied. "I thought you already knew that."
"What exactly is it?" Kin asked.
"I believe you've sensed it too. You can feel what's inside me, just like I can sense the same in you," Thia said.
"Yes, I know," Kin admitted. "Ashell told me our curses are similar—like fruits cut from the same kind of tree."
"And did she tell you that we are not the only ones?" Thia asked.
"There's someone else?" Kin asked in surprise. "Who is it? That friend of yours?"
"No. She's a different kind of... thing," Thia replied. "It's a boy named Gor. He possesses a curse called Ares."
"Ohh, that was unexpected" Ashell's voice echoed in Kin's head, feigning ignorance
"You knew?" Kin asked.
"Of course I did, and before you ask me why I didn't tell you I want to know what you would have done if I did tell you," Ashell said
Kin clicked his tongue knowing she was right, nothing would have changed if he knew, or at least nothing significant anyway.
Kin turned his attention back to Thia.
"So? Are we some kind of band, or does this mean something more?" Kin asked.
"I don't know much myself," Thia admitted. "But I do know this—your uncle is possessed by a powerful demon, and, according to Iku, it's not just after you. It's after the three of us."
"The three of us? Why would a demon be after us?" Kin asked.
"I don't know either. Something about our souls being unique," Thia replied.
"Ashell…" Kin called out, seeking clarity. To him, Thia was speaking nonsense.
"The girl is indeed right"
"There's something deep within your soul, Kin… and I'm guessing that's what the demon is after."
"What?! What is it? And why didn't you tell me?"
"For your first question… it's called the Mark of Chaos. It's quite difficult to understand, but very few people have ever been given this mark. It happens maybe once or twice in a million years. In fact, to the best of my knowledge, it has only occurred three times before you all."
"And for your second question… well, I guess we've already established that, it didn't really matter and I also didn't know there was a demon roaming about in the world" Ashell admitted.
"You crazy curse," Kin muttered.
Thia suddenly interrupted their conversation.
"Iku said there was someone who possessed such a mark two hundred years ago."
Kin turned toward her, eyes sharp.
"You can hear us?" he asked.
"Yes," Thia replied with an awkward smile.