Zalawria was wandering around, confused, thinking out loud:
"Why does he care about me? Should I join them? Or should I keep tormenting that village? Which choice would be better?"
After a few moments of deep contemplation, Zalawria made her decisive choice:
"I'll join them… and I'll bring down that kingdom as well!"
She headed toward the place Yamamoto had told her about, and there she stood before a huge and highly secretive building. Even though she had a map of the area, it took her about half an hour to find the entrance. She only managed to locate it after one of the guards intervened and helped her reach it.
Zalawria stood cautiously at the door, gripping her sword tightly, for she trusted no one here.
The door opened slowly, releasing a terrifying creak as if a monster awaited behind it, and a cold, dark aura emerged, accompanied by an icy wind that cut through the bones.
As soon as the door opened completely, Yamamoto welcomed her amid a bunch of balloons — he was throwing a celebration and wearing a party hat, having prepared the place specifically to celebrate her joining.
A girl with brown hair, with a commanding and cold presence, wearing glasses and appearing both genius and intellectual, spoke:
"Congratulations on joining the organization, Devil Clown."
She bowed respectfully before Zalawria, as if affirming her strong status within the group.
Zalawria looked at them in disappointment and said:
"Seriously? All that horror outside, and inside it's refreshing and cheerful? I expected swords piercing through my body!"
Everyone laughed loudly, and one man stepped forward, placing his hand on Zalawria's shoulder as if they were friends, and said:
"We're not like that."
Zalawria brushed his hand off coldly and said:
"Who are you? And don't talk to me like that. I'm not your friend."
Yamamoto said with a smile:
"Come on now, Devil Clown! You should meet everyone here. That person over there is Thanis, one of the Four Symbols."
Then he pointed to the girl who had welcomed her and added:
"That's Kagami, the deputy leader and one of the Four Symbols. I'm Yamamoto, one of the Four Symbols as well. We represent the highest authority after the leader and the deputy."
Zalawria looked puzzled and said:
"There are only three of you… why do you call yourselves the Four Symbols? And what does that name even mean?"
Kagami replied in a cold, commanding voice:
"First, we call ourselves the Four Symbols even though we are three, because you will be the fourth member. Second, the meaning is simple; each of us represents a specific symbol. I often use swords, so I'm called the Symbol of the Sword. Yamamoto uses illusions and deception, so he's the Symbol of Deception. Thanis relies on duplication and rebirth in battle, so he's the Symbol of Reincarnation."
Kagami stepped toward Zalawria with sharp steps, looking at her with cold eyes:
"And you, what is your symbol?"
Zalawria smiled and said:
"I will be… the Symbol of the Clown!"
Kagami stepped back and sat confidently in her chair, crossing one leg over the other, and said in a cold tone:
"Welcome to the organization, Clown!"
Zalawria asked:
"May I know where the leader is?"
Thanis whispered in her ear:
"The leader right now is Kagami."
Kagami sighed in resignation:
"Thanis, this is the 103rd time I've told you not to tell anyone that I'm the leader. The leader is out on a mission, and I'm representing him in his absence."
Zalawria nodded and said:
"I understand."
Yamamoto gestured for her to move forward with a smile:
"Come on, I'll show you your room."
---
In the present time.
Somewhere else—
Ryo sat in an isolated place, training to control the four elements. In reality, only days had passed, but to him, it felt like billions of years.
He trained without rest — no sleep, no food, no water — continuously rebuilding his body.
One day, a grim silence fell, nothing could be heard except the whispers of thought. Absolute darkness surrounded him until suddenly, a powerful light illuminated the entire place.
Ryo looked at the light in awe and fear; it was a scene that embodied the majesty of that energy. Suddenly, a loud, terrifying voice spoke:
"Do you dare to control the four elements?"
Ryo did not answer.
The light repeated the question in anger, shouting:
"DO YOU DARE TO CONTROL THE FOUR ELEMENTS??!!!"
Ryo gathered his courage and said nervously:
"Yes… I want to rule those powers!"
The light intensified, and the temperature rose to unbearable levels. Ryo's body began to burn.
He screamed and begged for help, trying to regenerate himself, but even his skills couldn't stop the pain. The fire reached his very soul, almost burning it entirely — even his skill that prevented him from feeling pain failed.
The light said:
"You have committed two sins. The first, believing you are strong enough to control the eternal forces from which all things were born. The second, you angered me!"
Ryo shouted in rage, barely able to speak through the pain:
"What? Are you the ruler?! Answer me! Even if you are, don't think anyone can stand in my way! If I want something, I'll get it no matter what it costs!"
The light laughed mockingly:
"I am not the ruler. I am the energy you seek to control… the eternal, pure, sacred, absolute, and transcendent energy of the sun — the energy from which existence itself was born, peace, and all things beautiful."
Ryo was shocked but replied defiantly:
"Then get ready… I'll make you my servant!"
The light did not grow angry this time but merely warned him:
"Follow destiny, and do not exceed your limits."
The fire gradually faded, and Ryo smiled defiantly:
"Follow destiny? Stay within my limits? Who do you think you are to set my limits or my fate? I told you already… I want the eternal powers, and if I want something, I'll get it no matter what happens!"
The light replied with sarcasm:
"Do you dare challenge something greater than the rulers themselves?"
Ryo laughed and said:
"Yes… let me see what you can do!"
Suddenly, his body began to convulse and swell, burns appearing both inside and out, and with every word he spoke, fire erupted from his mouth.
The light said coldly:
"This is nothing compared to my power… let's see if you can endure."
Ryo replied confidently:
"Yes."
Then the light disappeared, and everything returned to normal.
When Ryo returned, his soul was on the verge of destruction because of the powers he had taken from the light.
But before it was too late, Ryo managed to regenerate his soul and body once again.
However, it was anything but easy.
Before the light vanished completely, it spoke in shock and disbelief:
"That's impossible!!!… Did he just regenerate his soul?!!"
To be continued…