The three spent their night in that hotel. While little Nadya fell into a deep sleep and Rem succumbed to the exhaustion of a day where he hadn't closed his eyes, Asari was the only one who stayed awake.
The sun reflected on Rem's eyes from the window, so he covered them with his hand and felt the warmth of the light. It was a sight Rem didn't often see in Dingo, where the presence or absence of the sun made no difference to the temperature anyway.
Asari knocked and entered with a silly grin on his face, looking at Rem and waiting for him to ask what was wrong.
"I won't ask..."
"Damn you... I bought a horse and a cart."
"Where do you get all this money?"
"The little goblin gives it to me."
Rem did not want to wake his little sister, so he carried her on his back and placed her on the seat of the cart, which was waiting outside the hotel.
Most of Asari's possessions were lost when the shack burned down, but he bought some provisions and winter clothes for the road, as Araniga is close to Dingo, making the weather there cold compared to Arashia.
"The people of Arashia don't like the cold..."
"I apologize."
"Your apology won't warm me up."
The cart began to move. People in the market looked at Asari with warmth and waved him goodbye. Despite everything, the people of Arashia respected Asari and knew him well.
Before they reached the end of the market route, a group of soldiers emerged from a side street and stopped the cart immediately upon seeing Rem.
Rem lowered his head and tried to avoid looking into their eyes, but a soldier decided to specifically check him.
"You, little one... your wanted posters are everywhere!"
The soldier grabbed Rem's arm and began to pull him forcefully out of the cart, but Rem did not budge.
Another soldier tried to grab the sleeping Nadya, and Rem's expression darkened. He reached his right hand toward the **Judgment Blade** hanging at his waist.
Asari grabbed Rem's hand, stopping him from drawing his blade to avoid causing a commotion.
Asari removed his round hat, and his long, ponytail-tied hair swayed with the gentle breeze.
"Is there a problem, sir?"
"You?!..." The soldier immediately let go of Rem, retreating quickly with fear etched on his face. "I didn't know it was you... I deeply apologize, sir."
"It's alright, we all make mistakes... Continue on your way and don't bother my guests."
"And who are you to order us!" shouted a young soldier from the back, wanting to pick a fight with Rem and Asari.
The other soldier punched him hard on the head and began apologizing profusely to Asari and Rem.
"I'm sorry, he's new and doesn't know you well!"
"It seems the people of this city have stopped telling their children stories before bed... about the **Seven Ghosts of Arashia**..."
All the soldiers retreated as soon as the **Seven Ghosts of Arashia** were mentioned. They did not speak a word, but simply returned the same way they came.
After a few miles of silence, Rem turned to Asari and asked:
"The Seven Ghosts of Arashia?"
"I knew you would ask! It's the special forces unit I was part of a long time ago."
"You were in the army?"
"Not exactly in the army... We were a special force invented by King Shima to accomplish tasks that couldn't be done officially..."
"If it was a secret unit, how does everyone know about it?"
"Well... To the public, we are a special force that supports the army in wars they can't win... But in reality, we don't support; we end wars."
"In a war between Arashia and Dingo... who would win?"
"That's a really bothersome question... Dingo has fierce men like your father and that young Williams, but we would certainly cause them some trouble."
"Who would win?"
"...Dingo."
On the side of the road, Rem saw a person lying on the ground in a pitiful state. Their clothes were torn and dirty, and they were unconscious at the roadside.
Without warning, Rem jumped out of the cart and ran towards them, causing Asari to stop the cart.
It was a beautiful girl with short hair and soft skin, and her body was in a terrible condition.
Rem carried her into the cart and gave her some water, refusing to move the cart until she woke up.
Her body was full of cuts and bruises, and it was clear that a human had caused these wounds. So, Asari treated her with some herbs, and Rem changed her torn clothes.
A short while later, the girl's eyes began to open, and she looked around the cart.
"Are you alright?"
Upon hearing Rem's voice, the girl jumped back in fear and confusion.
"What are you?!"
"My name is Rem... You were lying on the side of the road, and we picked you up and tended to your injuries."
"I... thank you."
The girl lowered her gaze. The tension and fear were obvious as she shrank further into the corner.
"May I ask what happened?"
"...."
"It's alright if you don't want to tell me, but I just want to make sure you're okay."
Rem's eyes were telling the truth, and the girl sensed it, so she moved closer to him.
"My name is Ramona Hikki... I descend from the royal lineage of Historia Hikki, Queen of Argon..."
Rem's eyes widened in shock at Ramona's words, and confusion appeared on his face while Asari watched in silence.
"And what happened to you?"
"While our convoy was moving from the Arashia palace, we encountered a wild monster..."
"There are no wild monsters in Arashia's forests..." Asari's voice interrupted her, slightly angered.
"I'm sorry! He wasn't a wild monster in the literal sense, but he was a man... but his actions and movements... were not human."
"Are you saying that a single man managed to defeat your entire convoy and its guards? Either this man is incredibly strong, or Argon has no men."
"Please don't insult our knights! That man was incredibly strong. He had blue hair and wasn't wearing a shirt. Scratches were all over his body."
"Wait!..." Asari sweated from the tension, his expression turned serious, and he leaned toward Ramona.
"Was that man wearing necklaces made of fangs/tusks around his neck, hands, and feet?"
"Yes..."
"Damn it!"
Asari leaped quickly from the cart and grabbed his Wind Path.
"Rem! Come with me! Ramona, stay here and look after the little one!"
"What's going on?" Rem asked.
"It's that bastard! If he reaches the city, it will be too late!"
Rem and Asari ran through the forest in the direction Ramona had told them.
Along the way, there were many shattered wooden remains from the convoy carts, and the blood of the slain horses was scattered everywhere. The smell was repulsive.
As they got closer to the wreckage, Asari could feel an aura that stopped his advance and ordered Rem to halt in his place as well.
The person Asari feared was close, and he could feel it; sweat began to pour from his forehead.
"Who is this person you are afraid of, Master?"
"Do you remember the Seven Ghosts of Arashia... the squad I was in?"
"Yes, Teacher."
"One time, we were sent deep into the Arashia forests where some harmless primitive tribes lived, because there was an Eathlth causing trouble."
"When we arrived there, most of the tribal people were already dead, and we found the Eathlth, but he wasn't just a swordsman... he was a Soul Tamer."
"A Soul Tamer?!"
"Yes... he was a truly powerful man, and after a fight where we nearly lost our lives, we managed to bury him inside a giant cave. I wished that would be enough to kill him, but he has returned... What the hell brought him back!"
Before Asari could finish his words, a strong punch nearly penetrated Rem's skull, but Asari pulled him away at the last moment.
The residual wind from that blow uprooted the gigantic trees behind them as if they had never been there.
Rem didn't understand the situation because the person who passed by him was too fast for his eyes to notice.
Asari drew his Wind Path forcefully, and Rem grabbed the Judgment Blade. They covered each other's gaps while searching for that person.
He continued to move quickly among the trees, with a speed that neither Asari's nor Rem's eyes could match. Each time he delivered a blow, it deflected off one of the blades, causing sparks to fly and Rem and Asari to vibrate, but they couldn't pinpoint his location.
Asari took a deep breath, and Enza slowly flowed from his body. When he opened his eyes, he shouted loudly to Rem:
"He's coming!" Asari swung his blade into the void, and in a blink, the man appeared with his neck right at the edge of the Wind Path blade.
As soon as the man moved his neck, a dark aura exploded from behind him, and the Judgment Blade plummeted down on him with a powerful strike from above.
The man twisted in an inhuman fashion in the air and managed to evade both strikes simultaneously. He finally stood motionless in front of Rem and Asari.
"It really is you... Luka..."
He was a teenage boy, but his muscles were taut and scarred from the severity of the wounds and scratches on them.
He was wearing barbarian clothes, an earring in his left ear, and his short blue hair did not hide his bloodthirsty features.
"Who are you?..." Luka spoke.
"It seems you've forgotten me already. No need to remember, your life will end here anyway."
The aura erupted from Wind Path, and this time, the intensity of the wind shook all the surrounding trees, and a massive tornado rose around Asari.
The flowing Enza around him was enormous, similar to the aura that Roger emitted when he released the Soul Tamer Form.
The severe tornado nearly flung Rem and Luka away, but they clung to nearby trees, their bodies lifted high into the air.
With a swing of Wind Path, the resounding tornado dispersed, revealing Asari's Soul Tamer Form.
White aura flowed through his veins like blood, his dark black hair became bright white, and his clothes also looked like those of a guardian angel. The entity spoke with the majestic voice of the changing winds:
"Asari hasn't brought me out in a long time... I suppose you are the reason for my summoning, human."
The Wind Path entity looked at Luka, who was laughing with exhilaration and excitement to face him.
Disgust appeared on the face of the Wind Path entity from that hideous laugh, and he turned to Rem, who was overflowing with the aura of the Judgment Blade.
"Everywhere I look, I see ugliness today... But I suppose you are an ally, ugly number two."
"Yes, I am," Rem replied with the most nonchalant expression you can imagine.