CHAPTER 46: Before the Seal Breaks

As Sakura arrived at Aunt Patty’s place, the old woman let out a sigh of relief, her eyes softening when she saw her dog return safely.

“You troublemaker,” she murmured, patting Drake’s fluffy head before turning to Sakura. “..Thank you for bringing him back.”

Sakura hesitated for a moment, then spoke. “Aunt Patty… may I take the ball with me?”

The request made the old woman pause. At first, she looked hesitant, her gaze flickering toward the worn toy in Sakura’s hands. But then, as if sensing that it held some deeper importance, she nodded.

“..If you think it’ll be useful, then take it.”

Sakura smiled in gratitude. Giving Drake one last affectionate pat, she turned to leave.

Anna, standing nearby, made a move to say goodbye to the dog, but before she could reach out—

BARK!

Drake snapped his jaws in warning.

Anna immediately pulled her hand back, scowling. “Alright, alright, I get it..! No goodbyes!”

Helion chuckled, his amusement evident as they set off.

“Pfft—Anna, even animals don’t like you.” His tone was laced with mockery, his smirk never fading.

Anna shot him a glare, crossing her arms. “Oh, shut up! Now I’m starting to understand why you don’t like me either!”

Helion’s smirk faltered.

For a brief moment, he stared at her, clearly offended—as if she had just compared him to the very animals she was complaining about.

“…Did you just call me an animal?”

Anna huffed, “I don’t know. Did I?”

Kaziel and Sakura remained quiet, but the growing tension between Anna and Helion made them uneasy.

This was going to be a long walk.

As Aunt Patty turned, she let out a small sigh, glancing down at her dog.

“Alright, Drake… You really want to take a walk, huh? How about we visit the bakery later?” She chuckled, shaking her head. “In the meantime, I should check on Melinda—make sure she’s not flirting with another customer again…”

But before she could finish speaking—

She noticed Drake suddenly stiffen, his ears pricking up.

A low growl rumbled from his throat before he let out a sharp bark, his gaze fixed on something behind the cottage.

Her frown deepened as she followed his line of sight—a large root, twisted and gnarled, jutting unexpectedly from the earth.

She rubbed her chin, unimpressed. “Hmm… I should ask them to cut this annoying branch.”

Brushing it off, she ushered Drake inside, gently nudging him through the door before closing it behind her.

Outside, the air remained still—but beneath the soil, something shifted.

The earth trembled, ever so slightly. From beneath the soil, another root began to rise.

Slowly. Unseen.

Growing. Reaching.

When they arrived back at the grasslands, the wind swept gently through the now-thinning field, carrying with it the fresh scent of the earth. From where they stood, they could finally see the landscape beyond the fields, a view they hadn’t been able to glimpse before.

Sakura smiled. “Just a little more, and we’ll have this place cleared.”

Without hesitation, she swung the wooden scythe, with steel, cutting through the remaining grass with practiced ease.

It was then that she noticed something strange.

Kaziel.

He had been watching her.

His eyes lingered for just a second too long—before he quickly looked away and returned to his work, pretending he hadn’t been staring.

Sakura blinked, tilting her head slightly. What was that about?

Before she could dwell on it, Anna groaned.

“Ugh… I feel like Grandpa Whisker should be paying us extra for this..”

Sakura chuckled. “How many days have we been doing this?”

Anna began counting on her fingers. “Hmmm… seven, eight, nine…” She froze. “Wait—we’ve been here for over a week..?!”

Helion smirked as he effortlessly sliced through a patch of grass with precision. “At least it’ll look good on your portfolio.”

Anna’s eye twitched. “What did you just say?! Aren’t you just lucky because you can weave your fate to cut the grass perfectly while we struggle?!”

Sakura sighed as the familiar bickering between Anna and Helion started up again. She tuned them out, focusing back on her task.

Then—

She felt it again.

Kaziel stealing glances at her.

The moment her eyes flicked toward him, he quickly turned away, focusing on his work with forced intensity.

Sakura narrowed her gaze slightly.

Should I feel guilty…?

Kaziel had been acting strangely since this afternoon—quieter, more hesitant. He wasn’t his usual teasing self. It was as if he was afraid to talk to her.

Taking a deep breath, Sakura walked closer to him, cutting the grass alongside him.

Kaziel stiffened slightly at her presence, pausing momentarily before resuming his work.

He was choosing his words carefully.

“Are you… okay?” he asked cautiously.

“I’m okay.” Sakura’s voice was even.

Kaziel exhaled, relief flickering across his face—but there was still something left unsaid. A lingering silence settled between them.

For once, Kaziel didn’t know how to start a conversation.

He braced himself, then turned to her, his expression genuinely concerned.

“…Have I always been too easy on you?”

Sakura didn’t stop cutting the grass. Her voice was thoughtful.

“...Not really.”

She mused over his question, but deep down, guilt gnawed at her.

She shouldn’t have snapped at him earlier. Now that the frustration had passed, she realized just how awkward the situation had become.

She tightened her grip on the scythe’s handle, her voice softer this time.

“Kaziel… I’m sorry.”

Kaziel froze for a second before rubbing the back of his head, looking slightly flustered.

“N-no… I should be the one apologizing. I was the one who—”

But Sakura immediately turned to him, her emerald eyes earnest.

“B-but I was the one who lashed out! I was being emotional—I’m really sorry.”

Kaziel met her gaze, his expression conflicted. “But I shouldn’t have acted cocky when you were being serious.”

A pause.

Then, Sakura exhaled, her voice quieter.

“…I just want to be useful for once. I want to be strong. Like you.”

Kaziel’s breath hitched.

For the first time—she had finally said what she meant to say.

His gaze softened. A small, genuine smile crossed his lips.

“Sakura… you’ve been useful since the very beginning.”

Sakura blinked, caught off guard. “Eh…?”

Kaziel turned his gaze toward the shrouded sky, then back to the once-overgrown field—now cleared.

Even with Helion and Anna still fighting in the background, their voices rising and falling in playful jabs, he chose to ignore them.

His focus remained ahead.

There was still more to uncover.

“…If it wasn’t for you, we wouldn’t have found any clues about this place. Look at what we’ve done—because of you.”

Sakura followed his gaze.

For the first time, she actually looked at the land they had cleared.

Not at Anna. Not at Helion.

But as the wind carried its gentle breath across the fogged field, something felt different—

The world seemed less suffocating, less tangled in mystery.

For the first time, it felt as though the air had space to move.

Sakura exhaled softly, her gaze lingering on the shifting mist.

"I see…"

Then—she noticed it again.

Kaziel was looking at her.

This time, she caught his softened expression. His quiet gaze, the warmth in his smile.

Her heart skipped a beat.

“After all…” Kaziel murmured as he smiled, “I’m happy to have you by my side.”

Sakura’s breath faltered.

Butterflies. She didn’t know why, but—she felt them.

Suddenly, Baihou appeared out of nowhere, stepping smoothly between Helion and Anna, his Sapphire Heart's scythe resting between them like a silent barrier.

The two immediately halted, startled by his sudden arrival.

“Alright, alright—both of you! Enough fighting!” Baihou declared, exasperation clear in his voice.

Anna scowled, gripping her the scythe tighter. “Baihou! What are you doing?! Let me cut off Helion’s tail with this completely normal scythe!”

Helion smirked, twirling up the scythe swiftly. “Oh? How about I slice up your hoodie with mine instead?”

Baihou let out a dramatic sigh, rubbing his temples. “Enough!”

His gaze flickered between the two before he straightened, his tone turning serious.

“You guys can fight later—I have something important to say!”

Kaziel and Sakura approached as well.

Kaziel raised an eyebrow. “Hey, what’s up, brother?”

Baihou leaned on his scythe with a cocky grin.

“Guess who just mastered the naked eye?”

Anna’s eyes widened. “No way! It took you only a few days~?”

Baihou pouted, clearly offended. “Hey! At least I learned something extra along the way!”

“Ooh~! Show us, then!” Kaziel grinned.

Baihou took a stance, his grip firm. “Alright. Watch and be amazed.”

He channeled his magic into the Sapphire Heart Scythe, then swung—a full-speed horizontal arc.

In an instant, the tall grass was sliced cleanly in a perfect, wide arc.

The group stared in awe.

“Whoa…” Kaziel grinned. “That was insane!”

Everyone clapped, until Sakura could feel it.

An unsettling presence.

She turned toward the woods ahead.

Dark energy.

That was where it came from.

Baihou, standing beside her, his expression sharp, felt it too.

“You can see it too, can’t you?” he murmured, though his voice held a hint of unease.

Sakura’s eyes narrowed.

"Be careful.."

The sudden voice made them turn.

For the first time, they noticed Grandpa Whisker’s presence as he approached, his expression unusually grim. His sharp gaze narrowed toward the wooden expanse ahead, eyes scanning the unseen presence that lurked beyond.

“It’s not an easy opponent,” he muttered. “Back then, we almost lost… but instead of destroying it, we used our full power to seal it away. Breaking its core was far more difficult than you might think.”

His hands locked behind his back, his tone heavy with warning.

“Use the Sapphire Heart Scythe. It was made for this.”

Baihou's gaze flickered toward the weapon in his hands.

“The Sapphire Heart embedded in it isn’t ordinary—it’s enhanced. It’s the only thing that can break this Greed.”

Sakura’s grip tightened.

She could feel it.

After all… it had been waiting.

Waiting for them to unseal it once more.

And as they stepped deeper into the forest, the sight before them made their breath catch.

A massive Lunaflora, shrouded in dark energy.

Helion’s gaze darkened.

“…That’s it.”

The sealed flower.

And it had to be destroyed.

“As we discussed before,” Kaziel began, crossing his arms as the group gathered near the woods, “Baihou will lure it in—make sure it fully locks onto you. I’ll back you up.” His tone was steady, focused.

Baihou nodded, gripping his scythe. “As long as we focus on destroying the core, that’s all that matters.” His gaze flickered slightly before adding, “But… before I left earlier, Leina gave me some advice.”

Kaziel raised an eyebrow. “What did she say?”

Baihou’s grip on the weapon tightened. “She said another way to stop it from attacking us at full speed is to flinch it—at any cost. Break any part of it, especially if we can stun it. If we can force it to pause for even a second, that’s our chance to strike.”

Helion, standing nearby with his arms crossed, remained silent. His eyes stayed shut, but he nodded.

He understood perfectly.

After all—his ability to weave fate was designed to control movement. His threads of fate could ensnare and stun an enemy, leaving them vulnerable.

Even so, something still didn’t sit right with him.

Finally, Helion exhaled and opened his eyes.

“…Something about this still feels off.”

Everyone turned to look at him.

Kaziel’s gaze sharpened. “What is it?”

Helion’s golden eyes darkened. “The Lunaflora. We shouldn’t underestimate it.”

A quiet tension settled over the group.

Then, realization struck Sakura.

Her breath hitched.

“No matter what… this Greed was born from anger.” Her voice was quieter now, her emerald eyes flickering with sorrow.

“It’s Isla.”

The weight of her words settled over them.

Aunt Patty’s story echoed in her mind.

This Greed was aware. And so were they.

Sakura straightened her stance. “We have to face it.”

It was time.

Time to meet her.

Somewhere, buried beneath the rage and corruption, Isla’s pain remained.

She had suffered.

And now—it was their turn to put her to rest.

Kaziel’s gaze hardened as he turned toward the sealed Lunaflora, its dark energy pulsating through the air.

“…Let’s unseal this plant.”

His voice was firm.

It was time to end this.