The group set off for the Living Forest, reaching it after a trudge through the mountains.
"The air in this forest has such a nice breeze. I feel quite at home here." Cheetah said.
"As do I." Esmeralda said.
"A lot of your Beastfolk make homes in forests, do you?" Barbarosa asked.
"I suppose you could say that." Agursu said.
"This scholar must be very reclusive if they are making their home all the way out here." Angelo said.
"I heard it might be a plant monster that looks like a Human. Though, there's only hearsay to go on." Barbarosa said.
"Yes. I don't exactly know much about them either." Renzo said. "I've only heard rumors at the guild. I don't think anyone is gonna know what that Dryad is anytime soon."
"Should we be concerned?" Cheetah asked.
"Well, anyone who had supposedly seen that thing is now dead, so…I'd say yes." Renzo said.
"I see…" Aoesia said.
"It might be best to exercise caution while we are in this forest. We don't know what creatures are lurking around here." Cheetah said.
"I don't know… With all of these big cats and Rayleigh with us, I think it's the creatures of this forest that should be scared." Barbarosa said as the group share a laugh.
The group proceeded through the forest, soon reaching a sort of hut in the treetops.
"Hello? Is anyone home?" Glacius asked.
"Who the hell are you guys?! You just barged into my home!" a voice called out. They saw an old lady in green robes walking over.
"Are you…the linguist?" Cheetah asked.
"Correct. Call me Citro." the old lady said. "And to think that the reason I live all the way out here is so I wouldn't have to deal with people. To think they would actually find this place!"
"Forgive us for our intrusion, but we are in need of your assistance." Kareem said with a bow.
"Hm? Young people like you just need courage and will. And just get back up whenever you fall. That's all you need to do." Citro said. "You guys can handle your own problems."
"Y-you really consider us young?" Kareem asked. "We thank you for the advice, but that's not what we are here for."
"We want you to take a look at this." Cheetah said as she showed Citro the mirror.
"Where did you find this?!" Citro asked in surprise.
"We found these in some ruins a few days ago. They call it the Ancient Museum." Cheetah said.
"You broke into the place? Even past the Beastfolk security?" Citro asked.
"Yes. We had Rayleigh here punch through a wall to get us in." Zenji said.
"So you brought it here to have me decipher this." Citro said. "I will only be but a moment. Excuse us." she said as she brought Cheetah along to decipher it. With her help, it took merely an hour for Citro to decipher it. "Sorry for the wait, everyone." she said as she and Cheetah walked up.
"Were you two able to find anything?" Koren asked.
"Yes. It is a very ancient text. From long before the Daemons descended and divided this world." Cheetah said.
"Divided this world? What do you mean?" Aoesia asked.
"Daemons and Beastfolk prohibit people from talking about history, so I can only speculate on my part." Cheetah said. "But… There may be another world past the Dark Current that surrounds this one. The Daemons once erected a Great Barrier that divided this world into multiple continents. A lot like the worlds we all go to."
"So, there really are other worlds out there?" Azura asked. "Well… That certainly does explain a lot about you guys."
"Well, that's only if you believe what the Mirrored Cross says." Citro said.
"This cross was made when the world was still whole. It could be possible that it is made as a tool for a sort of Ark that connects these worlds." Cheetah said. "Based on the maps used… This Ark is not far from here."
"Yes, it is in the North Cape Cave." Citro said.
"The North Cape Cave? Are you sure?" Azura asked.
"If that's the case, we are going to need the Silver Rain's help." Renzo said. "I suggest we head back to the pub and plan our next move."
The group headed back to town to give Wyatt the news.
"Hmm… The outside world and a ship that can cross the Dark Current…" Wyatt said in thought. "I was hoping we'd something more substantial on the Daemons, but nothing really came of it."
"This may seem unbelievable at first, but we assure you, it is worth looking into." Nesma said.
"If we are to ally ourselves with those fighting the Daemons in the other realms, we might be able to stand a chance." Galil said.
"That is indeed a possibility. I say we go for it." Wyatt said.
"Alright! I think this is the start of making things right here." Matthew said.
"So, I take it all is in agreement?" Renzo asked as he came down. "I have already contacted the Silver Rain. We will need their help if we are to reach the North Cape Cave." he said as the group heard an explosion.
"We're under attack!" Bassam said.
"They must have found us." Wyatt said. "I'll go see what's going on. You all stay here. And…Cheetah, was it? If anything happens to me…"
"Say no more." Cheetah said. Wyatt gave a nod and headed up. "We need to escape."
"What?! But… If we don't do something, they'll arrest the old man!" Galil said.
"That's precisely why he left things to me. He knows that it would be impossible to escape from the front." Cheetah said.
"Yes, Wyatt is very shrewd. There is no doubt that he foresaw that this would happen." Barbarosa said. "There is an escape route in the back. Let's go."