18 And 19
A Failed Task

From the ground they pitched, something like thin golden threads moved closer to the tree quickly. Tanu was a little surprised. He took off his hand from touching the sacred tree but suddenly something pulled Tanu's hand back to the tree. Tanu finally did it while trying to calm down.

Those golden thin threads not only appeared around them but also all over the land in Aro until all the land no longer looked like land but like gold.

Everyone can see that. In the place of Marchel and the others, the appearance of the moving golden threads healed them and saved Marchel even as their strength was being replenished.

"Successfully?" Vinus said he felt very grateful.

Everyone's tiredness really feels paid off. Marchel woke up and immediately got a hug from everyone.

"We have to go back. Nev's still there" Marchel said, reminding his friends.

They took off their hugs on Marchel while nodding.

Even in the place where there was currently going on a great war between the demon race, the giants, the, the demon against the human race that had the help of the fairy race came to a halt for a moment when the ground they stepped on turned golden.

On the battlefield, a blind man from the side of the demons touched the ground and felt the immense power heading towards the sacred tree. He stood up again and said lightly to the ugly demon nearby.

"Command all troops to retreat" he said in a flat tone.

"What's!? That's not possible! It's close to the goal!" The word demon does not accept.

"Then do as you like. If you lose back to stealth," he said.

He then walked away with his wand from the arena.

The demon looked furious with the blind man of the human race but he did nothing to the blind man.

The demon looked back at the battle before his eyes which resumed after a short pause. It is impossible for them to back off. He shouted out loud in a hoarse voice and sounded creepy telling all his side to get back excited, victory on their side, the appearance of golden threads with this great power would not affect anything.

As the blind man continued to walk to get out of the battleground, suddenly an arrow with high speed pointed at him from the side. When the arrow was so close to the blind man, it stopped and fell.

The blind man did not stop walking by using a cane to help him without caring about what was going on around him.

The young elf pulled back her arrows eyeing the blind man. Just as she wanted to release her arrows again, another elf stopped her.

"You can point your arrow at any enemy except Nev" said the fairy who stopped him.

"But he is also the enemy and he is the leader," said the young elf.

"Yes, he is an enemy and indeed you will not be able to defeat him. Instead let her leave this terrain, it will give victory to our side," said the fairy.

He looked back at Nev. He finally released his arrows towards the other enemy.

Suddenly magically a golden radiance swiftly formed a golden pillar touching the sky.

Everyone could see it and they were all convinced that the tree had been successfully restored. At that very instant, the Sage felt his strength had completely been replenished.

In the sky the pillar of light then formed a huge tree as high as the sky.

From his hand that had the bird emblem Tanu could feel an immense energy that he had never felt before entering his body.

In the glare of the golden light, Tanu opened his eyes and peered slowly. A beautiful woman like the Greek Goddess walked so gracefully towards him.

She grabbed Tanu's hand with a beautiful smile. He then placed the back of Tanu's hand on top of his palm and then covered the palm of Tanu's hand with another palm.

Tanu only saw the beautiful woman smiling. No talk of anything.

The Sage was relieved to see the tall golden light pillar and formed a huge tree like a sacred tree while doing well. He was just like everyone else sure the restoration of the sacred tree had been successful.

It hadn't been past five seconds that Sage thought like that. Suddenly something surprising happened. The golden light from the majestic-looking tree suddenly broke into small shards which then disappeared with the air. Others who saw it just thought the healing process of the sacred tree had been completed.

Unlike the Sage who was on the scene. Not only that, the dried form of the sacred tree also changed shape into a pile of ashes.

Tanu surprised. When women like the Greek Goddess took Tanu's hand off and went back away, this shocking thing happened.

Tanu timidly turned to the handsome man there. Sure enough, the man had a cold face that looked angry and dark.

"What are you doing?" Asked Sage who stood up eerily.

Tanu trembled at the Sage who looked lost his mind. In an instant, the Sage appeared in front of Tanu and instantly strangled Tanu strongly and full of anger.

The girl is in pain. His hand grabbed Sage's hand trying to take off.

"I'm asking for your help to recover it. Why would you do the opposite?" Sage asked with his extremely sharp eyes.

Tanu smacks Sage's hand sign he has trouble breathing.

"You didn't tell me how to recover it," Tanu defended himself with great difficulty while dropping tears. "Don't I tell you I'm just a regular guy. I don't have powers like you. I don't know anything about everything" Tanu said with increasing difficulty defending himself.

Sage seemed to wake up. He knew Tanu was not from their world and indeed Tanu did not know Aro very well. "Why did the holy fire have the men choose you!?" Sage asked who then forced a look at Tanu's right palm which indeed had that mark.

Sage then releases Tanu. Tanu immediately sat down coughing while holding his sore neck. "I also want to know why I was chosen," said Tanu who himself was very confused.

If he could choose, Tanu wanted someone else who was in his current position to save the sacred tree.

Sage ruffled his hair crazily and frantically. The situation has become like this. He might be crazy about this fact. The holy fire cannot be wrongly chosen. But how to make the choice right and in accordance with its purpose.

Inside that panicked head, Sage was trying to find something he could make his way out of. His expression then turned darker, cold and flat. He looked at the still-sitting Tanu and the ashes of the sacred tree in turn.

Tanu was scared. He felt a pretty bad premonition from Sage's dark expression. The man was already like a demon with a real form in front of Tanu.

Sage stood up straight. A split formed from the strength he possessed appeared within his grasp. Tanu became more afraid.

"Maybe your blood can restore the life of Aro's growing heart" he said with darkness.

This time Tanu could not remain silent. He had to help himself from the sacrificial ritual the Sage wanted to perform.

"It's excessive" said Tanu trembling.

Ridiculously, Tanu had thought of himself dying at this moment and he could not return home after hearing what the Sage said as if he could not escape anywhere.

The sage who had lost his mind had no other thoughts other than the purpose of returning the ash form back to its original form. He was really serious about wanting to sacrifice Tanu.

Tanu could not move his body as the Sage aligned their height. Tanu's entire body was numb in an instant.

With sparkling eyes Tanu looked at the eyes of a Sage who was no longer a Sage.

A direct puncture hit Tanu's left chest. In front of the man, Tanu looked at the heartless cold eyes. Tanu's tears fell. He's really gonna die.

Tanu looked once more at the man who stabbed himself. This time it was as if courage had suddenly gathered for the girl. The girl smiled strangely and was no less crazy than Sage. Whether the girl had any regrets or had not been in this place, it no longer mattered.

"If you use my death to achieve your goal," Tanu spoke weakly as he caught the hand of the Sage who was still holding the knife stuck in his chest. "I don't care what people in your world want to achieve. I just want, my death will not help you get anything," said Tanu who immediately pulled the knife from him and stuck it quickly in Sage's thigh.

Before the Sage screamed in pain, Tanu had already pushed the Sage and directly jumped into the river and disappeared between the four tributaries.

......

A man bathing in the river smelled blood. He who was only bare-chested used his kiss to guide himself to find the source of the blood.

He found someone stranded by the river unconscious with serious injuries. Even though his eyes had no vision, he still knew how to examine the life of the girl he had found. The girl was still alive after sustaining serious injuries to her head and chest.

In addition to the injuries given by the Sage, Tanu also sustained serious head injuries that he got from hitting rocks in the river while drifting.

The man lifted Tanu to the ground. He then put on his clothes. When he finished he just carried Tanu on his back.

With a cane that served as his guide, he walked slowly and carefully carrying Tanu with him.