A damsel in distress?

Zanetor gazed at his arms, a mixture of confusion and awe playing across his features. He couldn't believe how the burn wounds from just a while ago had miraculously healed. His eyes then shifted to the path ahead, where the light filtered through the trees in large patches. To his surprise, the ruins that were there moments ago had vanished, and he now found himself in a shallow forest. Walking beside him was Edem, who couldn't help but smile as he observed the clueless boy.

"Not used to the environment, huh?" Edem remarked, walking ahead of Zanetor to face him directly.

The young boy blinked twice, nodding slightly. "Yeah, it's all too weird. The changing scenes and those monsters."

Edem chuckled, "I did mention something called 'Plane Rotation' once, didn't I?"

"You did?" Zanetor's eyebrows furrowed as he tried to recall.

"Well, let me explain it again," Edem said, lifting his right palm into the air. Three tiny golden circles appeared above it, playing a silent tune. Leaves from the surrounding trees detached themselves and floated towards his palm, arranging themselves in stacks.

"Think of the spirit realm as a dimension that consists of a sphere," Edem explained, his smirk growing as the leaves began to vibrate. "However, this sphere doesn't physically exist, but it appears that way. Instead, it's made up of several flat planes."

Zanetor's face contorted with confusion, but he tried his best to grasp the concept. "So, it's like latitudes, but each one has different sub-worlds?"

Edem was impressed, "That's a wild guess, but quite accurate. Yes, exactly. Now, listen carefully."

He went on to explain that there were seven parallel planes in the spirit realm, which formed the main lands solidifying the existence of the realm. The golden circles' tune changed, and more leaves joined the arrangement, this time aligned diagonally around the parallel leaves.

"In addition to the main lands, there are alter lands," Edem continued, surrounded by the floating leaves. "These planes are aligned at different angles and are mostly close to the main lands. The rotation occurs in intervals of two years, causing an overall change in the environment due to the intersection of main and alter lands."

Zanetor followed closely as they walked, processing the information. "So, the entities stay in one place while the planes rotate?"

"Exactly," Edem confirmed. "The rotation only affects the planes, not the souls or entities residing within them."

Suddenly, Zanetor stopped in his tracks. "But wait, why did the rotations happen thrice in a row?"

Edem looked up, his expression thoughtful. "I'm not sure. But one thing's certain, such anomalies are caused by great disturbances. It seems someone or something is attempting to tamper with this dimension."

Zanetor's mind raced with possibilities. Could the gas monster he encountered be involved?

"What about the gas monster I dealt with?" he asked, hurrying to catch up with Edem.

"Hmm," Edem pondered for a moment. "I didn't see it, but from the traces of spiritual energy it left behind, it was likely a demon. Another problem to be dealt with."

"Demon!? A demon!?" Zanetor stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes wide with realisation. "An actual demon. No wonder its presence was so sinister. The person who took my mother's soul had the same aura around him, even though it was faint."

"Huh. Come to think of it, you never told me what you remembered," Edem said, resting his hand on his waist. "I'll need to know all about it if I'm really going to be of help."

"R- Right…" Zanetor nodded, recounting his last memories to his teacher. He described the train station, the flaming hospital ward, and the faint image of the man in the thick coat. Edem listened attentively, his expression growing more serious.

"This is a bit more serious than I thought," the cloaked young man remarked as they continued down the path.

"Exactly! That's why I need to save her…" Zanetor's voice quivered with determination.

"Humph, the person you saw may have been related to demons, considering the fact that he had an aura similar to the demon you stood against," Edem's voice turned stern.

Strange things had been happening in the spirit realm in the past few days. Frequent plane rotations, demons leaking out of their sub-realms, and a shortage in the number of souls entering the realm. A deadly look appeared in Edem's heterochromatic eyes as a realisation suddenly hit him.

The anomalies began after a certain soul had entered the realm. Souls with high amounts of spirit energy like himself had no problem detecting fresh waves of new souls entering. When he sensed only a single soul instead of many, he grew curious and searched for that soul. That's when he found the battered boy in a tattered uniform lying unconscious in the middle of the desert.

Zanetor walked in silence, disturbed at the idea of having to face vile creatures like demons to rescue his mother. But he shook his head, determined not to let fear overtake him. He had made up his mind; he was going to learn everything he could and gain the strength to properly face his obstacles. There was no going back.

"Wahh!! H- Help!!" A loud shriek suddenly cut through Zanetor's thoughts, sounding like it was coming from the east.

"Someone's in trouble," the young boy calmly turned to face the direction of the sound.

"Hmm, seems like it," Edem pondered, rubbing his chin. "What are you going to do about it?"

"Huh?" Zanetor raised an eyebrow. "I'm not going to do anything. It could be a trap of some sort, and on top of that, I can't waste any time on a random voice calling for help."

"Oh?" Edem stared at the boy, a slight surprise hidden behind his serious expression.

Zanetor showed no ounce of fear, simply caring about himself and his mission. His past was filled with pain and loneliness after his family fell apart due to rumours about his mother. He was forced to endure bullying and seclusion, labouring endlessly to support his ill mother in the hospital. All of this had hardened him, making him focus solely on his own survival and purpose.

Trust no one. Even if you need to… turn that trust against them for your benefit and then leave them in the trash. That was his mantra, and he executed it for years without fail, regardless of whoever the victim was.

"We just have to keep walking down this path, right?" Zanetor turned around and started walking away. "Where are we going anyway—"

*Thud!*

Zanetor was interrupted as he slammed into what seemed to be an invisible wall. Confused, he gently placed his palms on the sturdy barrier and couldn't help but curse.

"Are you freaking kidding me?" He looked back and shot Edem a bored look.

The cloaked figure responded with an expressionless face, "What? Don't look at me like that. I'm not the one who put that there."

"Then who did?" Zanetor dejectedly sat on the dusty ground.

"I have no idea, but judging by the strength of the barrier..." Edem smirked. "The culprit is in that direction."

He pointed towards the same direction from which the voice came earlier.

'Why does this feel so suspicious?' Zanetor thought.

"It'll most likely be the guardian of this plane's transitional shrine," a sarcastically serious expression flashed across Edem's face.

"Transitional what?"

"I'll explain after we deal with it," Edem smiled as he walked into the bushes.

"W- Wait!" The young boy stood up reluctantly and then groaned as he silently followed his teacher into the faint darkness.

...

(Somewhere within the same forest)

"H- Help! Is anyone there!?" A little girl sat down on a patch of grass in the middle of a clearing. Her crystal-clear blue eyes were teary as she desperately tried to clear them with her soft hands. She radiated an aura of purity, but it was hard to notice her features initially as her white dress was stained with blood.

"Ouch!" The girl flinched as she felt a sharp pain on her left leg. It was akin to a severe burn and didn't seem to stop.

Surrounding the defenceless girl was a pool of lava that sizzled menacingly, releasing tiny specks as bubbles of intense heat popped occasionally. She was stuck, and no matter how many times she cried for help, no one would come... no one.

"Over there!"

A sudden voice erupted from within the bushes a few meters away from her, instantly grabbing all of her attention. The bushes rustled more and more as the little girl's heart pounded faster.

Was she finally going to be rescued!? Really!? Was it really happening!?

"Jeez, why am I sweating like—" A young boy donned in tattered clothes stepped out from behind a few trees. "The hell..."

Right after, another person came into view, completely hidden in a hooded cloak.

The little girl's melancholic expression turned into a slightly joyful one as the sight of human souls like her brought her warmth.

Her cries for help were answered!

"P- please help me!" She cried out once more. "The lava… it's getting closer—ouch!"

A lava bubble burst close to her, ejecting a spray of melting rock that landed on her delicate skin. Luckily, she had shifted a bit. If she hadn't, her blonde crown braids would've been burned without mercy.

Without letting a second pass, Zanetor zoomed towards the damsel in distress and swiftly got her out of trouble in one smooth motion. Edem had cast a spell that made the young boy's footing extremely light and agile, granting him the ability to handle the situation swiftly. The lava didn't even get the time to affect the speeding boy.

"Are you okay?"

Zanetor held the girl securely in his arms, but inside, he was seething, "I swear to God, Edem, next time I'm not gonna listen to any of your plans!! This goes against my mantra, and to top it off, my body bloody hurts!!"

"Y- You saved me," the little girl slowly spoke, a gradual grin growing on her lips. "Really!? Are you kidding me right now!? You fell for a trap like that!?"

"Eh?"

At that moment, Zanetor felt a heavy presence dawn on him as a large shadow loomed over both him and Edem.

"Papa! I got them!" the girl spoke with glee as the image of the gigantic figure became clear.

Zanetor's face cracked a sarcastic smile, "A- A large monkey?"

*ROAR!*

The large creature's mighty roar split the clouds in a display of raw power and dominance. Zanetor and Edem were surely in for something horrible, and they both knew whose fault it was.