BEACON AT THE END

ARACHNE'S PAST

As the bargaining continued, Vesper's eyes burned with determination. "You said you want to take revenge at all cost," Queen Luna said, her voice firm. "Actually, we'll face you now. We're going to defeat you. Don't even think about it, Vesper." Vesper graced them with a full, bitter smile. "Yes, I know you can defeat me. But why am I on this earth without my people? What is the essence of a tree without rainwater? I'm drying off with the past event. You, Arachne, killed all my people. You must pay for it."

Kaito, ever the calm mediator, spoke up. "Okay, I get you, and I can understand your pain. It is not easy for someone to adapt to a melting iron. It is not easy, I know. But what exactly do you want from us now, Vesper?" Vesper's response was cold and direct. "What I want is very simple. The only thing I want is for Arachne to kill herself."

Kaito, Queen Luna, and Arachne exchanged shocked glances. "What?" Queen Luna exclaimed. "You mean by killing herself? Full of hatred and revenge, the law of nature goes beyond what you see. Faith can never be changed. It's heaven's way, heaven's way." Vesper's eyes narrowed. "Yes, I know it's heaven's way. But I won't give up. I won't give up. I won't give up."

Vesper tried to attack, but Queen Luna stepped forward, stopping his attack with her sword. Kaito still tried to bargain with Vesper. "Please understand our point, please understand our point." As they continued bargaining, suddenly, an arrow came from nowhere, striking Vesper from the back. He choked, losing his conscience before he could even know it was another enemy who had attacked them.

Reacting swiftly, Kaito, Queen Luna, and Arachne used their swords to dodge the arrow and shield Vesper, protecting him from further harm. "We have to get him to safety," Queen Luna said, her voice urgent. Arachne nodded, their masked face set in determination. "We'll protect him, for now. But this means we have a new, unknown enemy to deal with."

As they moved to secure Vesper, Kaito's eyes scanned their surroundings, searching for the mysterious archer. "We need to find out who attacked us," he said, his voice low and alert. Queen Luna's gaze was equally sharp. "And we need to tend to Vesper's wound. This changes everything."

The scene was chaotic, with the unexpected attack adding a new layer of complexity to their situation. As they worked to stabilize Vesper and assess their surroundings, Arachne's voice was thoughtful. "This unknown attacker... could be an ally, or another enemy. We have to be ready for anything."

The tension was palpable as they navigated this unexpected turn of events. With Vesper's fate uncertain and the mysterious archer still at large, their next steps would be crucial. Would they be able to uncover the identity of the attacker and navigate this new threat, or would further dangers emerge from the shadows?

After the unexpected attack, Kaito, Queen Luna, and Arachne carefully set Vesper down on a chair. Kaito used his magic to heal Vesper, chanting a spell silently as he started the healing process. Arachne stood guard, serving as a shield to protect Kaito and Vesper from any external forces, allowing Kaito to focus on the healing without distraction.

As the healing process continued, Queen Luna took a trip to investigate the origin of the mysterious arrow. She moved stealthily, her eyes scanning the surroundings for any clues. On the other hand, Kaito remained focused, his hands moving gently as he chanted another spell, pulling his hands back forcefully to the center of Vesper's wound. Gradually, the wound began to close, the bleeding stopping after some minutes. Vesper felt somewhat better, but he was still in a coma, his eyes not yet open.

Meanwhile, Queen Luna's investigation led her to notice the path of the arrow through the bushes and leaves. She realized that the arrow had passed through several leaves, which seemed unusual, as leaves typically couldn't stop an arrow. Following the trail, she determined the direction from which the arrow had come. Her search led her to the top of a small mountain called Chanfan. From this vantage point, she saw that it was indeed the people of Chanfan who had attacked them.

"What the hell is going on on earth?" Queen Luna muttered to herself, puzzled by the sudden attack from the people of Chanfan. She thought, "This is like a bolt out of the blue—we were just trying to resolve things with Vesper, and now this!"

As Queen Luna made her way back to Kaito and Arachne, she pondered the implications of the attack from Chanfan. "This changes the game," she thought, her mind racing with possibilities. When she returned, Kaito had just finished the healing process, and Vesper, though still in a coma, was stable.

Arachne's masked face turned toward Queen Luna, awaiting her report. "What did you find out?" Arachne asked, their voice calm. Queen Luna's eyes were serious. "It was the people of Chanfan who attacked us. I saw it from the top of the mountain. This is getting deeper by the minute—first Vesper's quest for revenge, and now this."

Kaito's eyes narrowed. "Chanfan, huh? We've had dealings with them before. This could be a bigger problem than we thought." Arachne nodded, their voice thoughtful. "We need to get Vesper awake and figure out our next move. This is like navigating a minefield—we have to be careful."

As they stood there, strategizing their next steps, the situation seemed to grow more complex, like a tangled web. They knew they had to unravel the mystery of Chanfan's attack and decide how to proceed, but for now, their priority was Vesper's recovery.

As Kaito, Queen Luna, and Arachne decided to settle down for Vesper's fast-track recovery, Kaito went to gather some fruit, meat if possible, and firewood. While Kaito was on this task, Queen Luna and Arachne began a discussion. Queen Luna turned to Arachne and asked, "But Arachne, you haven't even told us your background before."

Arachne smiled, stood up, and faced Queen Luna, saying, "Hm, you want me to remember my past. That makes me cry." Queen Luna's expression softened. "Oh, sorry. But we must know. I want to know your experience about this life."

Arachne's masked face nodded. "No problem. When I was still young, there was a disaster in our village which led to the downfall of every people in our village. Before that time, our village was serene, beautiful, with a water body. But suddenly, everything became a thing of the past. The water dried up, and later, a tornado started evoking. That's why the disaster killed all of our people, except for me. I was the only one who survived."

Queen Luna felt sorry for Arachne, her voice gentle. "So, how did you find a way to live in this life?" Arachne continued, "At that time, I was still ten years old. I tried to pursue my way in this life. On my way, I met one person who gave me the scripture of Mathew Act, though it was devil cultivation. I chose to study it to at least protect myself. After that, I tried to protect myself, and I mastered it. That was my first task."

Arachne paused, her voice reflecting on the past. "When I came to this village, I saw that they were waging war against themselves, using scriptures and bullying. I tried to defend some parts, not knowing that that's how they were doing it. In order to protect myself, I mistakenly got out of conscious because I was practicing even art. So, I killed them all. That's it."

Queen Luna's expression was sympathetic. "Oh, sorry. Actually, you had a good intention, but it later turned to bad." Arachne's masked face nodded in agreement. "After this, that's when I met King Orken, who used me as his subordinate to kill people. I became an assassin in that time. Until when I met you, and you enlightened me and took me out of the pool of darkness. Here I am today. Even if I got killed by fast-track, I will never regret."

As Arachne finished her story, Queen Luna's voice was warm. "I'm glad we could help you find your way, Arachne. Your past is tragic, but your growth and redemption are inspiring." Arachne's masked face seemed to smile, her eyes shining with gratitude.

As Arachne and Queen Luna were discussing Arachne's past, their eyes shining with gratitude, they suddenly heard Vesper sneezing. This drew their attention and redirected them from their conversation. They flushed to Vesper's side, and the first person Vesper saw was Arachne. "Arachne, you save my life," Vesper said in a low voice. Arachne replied, "Don't mention it. What you need now is for us to want you to recover."

Vesper's eyes welled up, and a drop of water, like the water that comes when someone is crying, dropped out of his face. He was full-on crying. "Ah, I don't expect it," Vesper said. "My greatest enemy now becomes my greatest savior. You guys, thank you." He thanked them slowly, his eyes still fading.

It was delightful that Vesper had already awake. Vesper said, "Yes, it's full of enlightenment." Delighted, Kaito quickly prepared the fire by setting the firewood ablaze. He took out the fruit and gave Vesper food, distributing the minimum amount among themselves. They also brought out little rabbits, which they started to prepare and dry. They dried the rabbits in the aim that Vesper would recover, and then they would find the next thing to do.

As they worked on preparing the meal, the atmosphere was filled with a sense of gratitude and relief. Queen Luna's voice was warm. "It's great to see you're awake, Vesper. We're glad we could help." Arachne's masked face nodded in agreement. "Yes, we need to get you fully recovered so we can move forward."

As they sat around the fire, eating and sharing the dried rabbit, the mood was hopeful. Vesper's recovery was a turning point, and they all knew that the next steps would be crucial. Kaito's eyes met Queen Luna's, and they shared a silent understanding. They would support Vesper's recovery and then face whatever challenges lay ahead together.

The air was filled with the aroma of roasting meat and the crackling of the fire. As they ate, Vesper's strength began to return, and his eyes regained their sparkle. It was a moment of peace, a brief respite from the challenges they had faced.

After Vesper recovered from his injury, Queen Luna asked him, "What's your next plan? Do you still insist on taking revenge from Arachne, or what's your next step?" Vesper breathed deeply and said, "Actually, since that incident happened, I have been demonized with my inner demon that I must take revenge at all cost. Since then, I have been working on cultivation, and I have improved a lot. But now, I just realized that taking revenge is like adding salt to injury. So, no one is now... If I said I want to take revenge now and I did fulfill it, there will be some people also who want to take revenge for you guys. So, I will accept everything as destiny and faith. My next move is just to determine who should harrow against me."

Queen Luna nodded thoughtfully and said, "I've already investigated and kept their location. It is the people of Chaofan." Vesper's expression upset, saying, "Chaofan again?" Queen Luna and Kaito looked at each other, wondering, "What do you mean by Chaofan again?"

Vesper explained, "It's because their village and our village have been engaged in war right from when I was still young until I became the leader of my village. Since my village lost everything, they are now chasing after me to piece themselves back together. But right in this moment, I know you have to stop their evil act." Queen Luna nodded firmly and said, "Yes, we will work together as a team to eliminate all funds of theirs and demons."

They began to make a strategy, trying to develop a plan to go to the mountain and help them. They thought about the kind of strategy they would use, considering all possible angles. Kaito suggested, "We should sneak up to the mountain and gather intel before launching a surprise attack." Arachne added, "We should also prepare for any possible traps or ambushes they might have set up." Queen Luna concluded, "Alright, let's finalize our strategy and move forward together as a team."

As they continued to discuss their plan, the atmosphere was filled with determination and focus. They knew that their mission to stop the people of Chaofan would be challenging, but they were united in their resolve to succeed.