" HOW ARE YOU ABLE TO TOUCH ME AGAIN THIS TIME? "
Mia yelled as soon as Jin placed one hand over her shoulder and flipped her gently down. Her body was shivering. It was the body's automatic response to her previous experience.
" Mia! Calm down! I am not here to hurt you! I am not that beast! "
His words rang as empty as the hollow of the tree trunk they were in.
" Mia I am sorry that I am having to do this by force. But I need to get that pendant out of you heading back to the immortal world! "
Mia wanted to take a step back but her back was already leaning against the wood.
" But... But you were sent flying... "
" The pendant mistook me and my intention as belonging to the beast. It took a moment to ! ... Mia now I will need you to lay down. Let me start the process already. We don't want be more delayed than we already are! "
Mia had no other option. She had to head back to her son at the earliest. Overpowering this was out of question. Surrendering was the only option.
" Thank you! "
Jin waved his hands and Mia's body was levitating in the air. White thread like fibers started out from all the sides . It looked like some fine spider web. The fibers moved slowly but until it wrapped itself all around Mia's body.
" Ummm, Uncle... Uncle Jin... What exactly is happening? "
" These are the fibers of the Tree of Knowledge. It will help me pass my remaining soul essence the pendant. Then I will be able to pull it out. It is a bit slow but it is painless. Please bear me a little! "
" Is there a painful process that is faster? I am running out of time! "
Mia's voice was full of desperation.
" There is. But it will still take some time and the pain is way too much! "
" I am fine with that. Even seconds matter. It's about my baby boy. Please do the one that takes least time. "
Jin looked hesitant. But he understood the urgency that Mia was facing.
" Alright Mia. Place this between your teeth. "
He handed a wooden branch in her hand.
" What is this for? "
" To stop you from biting your own tongue in pain! "
After she positioned it nicely Jin went toward, facing her face to face.
" I will bear the Wolf inside me and dig inside your flesh at the center of the pendant. I will close eyes with this cloth, " He showed her the one he had torn from his own dress before himself.
" My claws will act as a medium and my essence will flow from myself inside the pendant but... "
" But you will have to bear the pain till the end. It will be quick but if terminated prior completion, will get very complicated. It might take ages to reverse the process after that!"
Mia nodded. She understood how grave the situation was.
Mia watched as Jin's hands and limbs started modifying. She had never witnessed such a . It was a spectacle in itself. It was like each bone in his limbs was breaking before itself. She had self taught herself to bare her fangs and claws. But that was very from a transformation in the original form.
She was with awe mixed with a little fright.
His eyes were behind the blindfold so there was no telling how it looked from the outside.
He plunged those massive wolf claws inside Mia's chest. The branch she was biting on to sure a very important role to play.
The pain was so severe that she could have easily chewed off her tongues and lips without realizing. Her body was yelling to tear out of the trap. Physically it might have been but she was stopping herself consciously. Constantly.
It might have been just a few minutes but it felt to Mia like hours. But she dared not ask how longer or the time.
Jin suddenly started pulling his claws out and then gave a loud howl looking up into nothing.
A thin filament of white discharge floated towards the wound dug open by his nails. It swept and with a mighty jolt, pulled something deep inside Mia's flesh.
" Aaaaaaahhhhhhhhh! "
Mia let out a blood crawling yell. It was much much more painful than everything that had happened.
But then within a moment she saw something shiny floating out.
Jin was back to normal.
" Mia you see the pendant, don't you? Grab it. Quick. Grab it before it gets misplaced. "
Mia followed instruction.
She pulled her outer cloak over herself. Her wound was already starting to heal itself.
" I got it , " She yelled while sitting up.
Jin opened his blind fold and came rushing towards her. Moa extended the pendant towards .
Jin smiled, " This body has its own limitations. I cannot touch or yield the power of this pendant by myself. "
The look Mia gave him was out of this world.
" Did you trick me again? Did you not say we would be able to save my baby with this pendant ' help? "
" Mia, you are getting me wrong again. I did not say this pendant will help save your child. I said will go save him after we get hold of this. Besides, we will need back up to get inside the . Not all of us are able to breathe underwater easily like yourself. "
" Then why did you need the pendant! "
Mia's voice was still rebellious.
" We need to take it to Nanako. I will need her help to bring an end to our curse forever. With pendant 's help. "
********
Under the water
" Mia is missing? "
Lin yelled without hearing anything else.
Not the part where his son was already born and that he was at risk.
" Lin calm down! "
Xie had to physically hold him down.
" You are saying Mia already gave birth to a son? "
Ruby nodded. " And then she vanished? Just like that! "
" I mean she might have had her reason. I am unable to understand that. But the life of her son at risk here. "
Ruby was still having problems standing.
Roe came in , held her from the back and lowered her to a comfortable seat.
" Lin, stop! Where are you leaving! "
Lin was about to use his vanishing light technique. The Wolf King stopped him at the nick of .
" I need to find Mia... " Lin looked like he was in a state of daze.
" Yes. We do. But it seems like your son might be in more danger. Lin, get a hold on yourself.
This is time for action. You can't let your emotions run wild. "
" My son? " He said as if it was the first time he was learning about his existence.
Just then the gatekeepers announced the Fox King's arrival.
" What is happening here? "
He asked the moment he entered.
" Father, I have become a father myself! "
It was evident that he was all over the place.
" This is Ruby, Mia's mother's sister. She has risked her life in informing us about Lin's son's .But we have no time to celebrate. Mia is missing. We do not know any details about it yet.
But the situation that immediately needs our attention is the threat lurking over Lin's son's life.
The mer-witches might be planning to exploit his unique bloodline for their occult practices."
" Father, I think we must head straight towards the mer-kingdom, "Xie proposed.
" That is not possible at the moment. I am guessing the mer- queen had been planning this . The fake Water Breather that the human king had has died out already. It was done the mer-world. "
" I don't care. I will dive in anyway! "
"Don't be stupid Lin. We don't need you to go in a suicide mission. That will serve no purpose . " The Fox King turned towards Ruby, " Is there any technique that will help us to breathing longer under the waters? "
Ruby sighed, " Apart from the water breather, there is just one technique that can help a non person from drowning. It's the Air Bubble pocket but... "
" But what? "
Almost everybody present there asked in unison.
" But I am not an expert in that field. I can try but I don't have that much cultivation to strengthen lengthen the process. It was Crystal's expertise and Mia too seems to have inherited it. "
Ruby summarized.
" How many can you support and for how long? "
The Wolf King asked.
" I think I can hold around three for a couple of hours! "
" Fantastic. I am going. "
Lin jumped up again and was on his feet.
" I will go in too, " Xie said.
" I can be the third, " Roe volunteered.
" But what will the three of them and myself be able to achieve against the entire mer- army. We be butchered even before we will be able to reach the mer- palace! "
Ruby turned towards the Wolf king.
" I might have a solution for that! "
Nanako walked in from behind with something in her hand.
" I can cloak your scents with Fox art. You can sneak in and get the boy out first. The rest can settled after we trace Mia and find her! "
Everybody knew it was a risky bargain. Anything could go wrong any moment. But it was a risk had to take.
" Let's go! "
They moved a small portion of the settlement towards the beach.
" Stand back a foot away from each other! "
Nanko instructed as they helped them mask their scents with their Fox technique.
Next was Ruby's turn.
Lin, Xie and Row entered the water along with her. They dived at her instruction.
She pulled all her strength and wrapped them with a thin film of air. Enough to keep them going.
They swam under the layers of water. Ruby led the way. They successfully sneaked in .
" This way, " Ruby further showed them the way to the palace.
But something was not right. Ruby did notice it but she did not alarm the others.
The mer- kingdom looked oddly deserted. Though she had used the secret passage, she had noticed anybody doing the patrols or playing and fooling around.
She stopped when the way towards the palace too looked the same.
" What happened? "
Roe stopped when she noticed Ruby was not coming for a few seconds.
" Something is not right! " Ruby said.
" What is the matter? "
Lin was getting too impatient. He did not want to waste even a second.
" It's oddly deserted. I can see no one! "
" Is it? I had thought so too. But I had no knowledge of the larger population so thought that it be just usual. " Roe added.
Before they could further their conversation, a bunch of light arrows came at them from all .
" Brace yourselves! "
" Protect Ruby! "
The three of them were the finest warriors. They immediately formed a triangular body shield Ruby and blocked all the attack attempts.
" This was a trap. They knew we would be coming. "
" This means they got inside Jade's head. It was the only way for them to know where I was . " Ruby was on the verge of breaking down.
" I wonder what they did with my sister! "
" Don't worry Ruby! We will get you all out safely with us! "
Xie moved in closer over her structure.