historical

"No more problems, so where should we go? Can you still smell that scent?"

"Yes, very clearly. The scent is bright and intense, but not too much. It's a perfect balance." Wain muttered and closed his eyes.

He took a deep breath, and the scents from different directions turned into three paths that looked like threads of varying thickness. The thicker the thread, the straighter the path, and therefore more difficult it to follow.

The thickest thread headed toward the gate, but that was the worst option for Wain and Eva. They couldn't wreak havoc in Virfal and withstand the wrath of Plants.

The second thread ran from the north of the Violet District. It led to the middle of the five zones, which could not be reached.

The third thread, the thinnest and longest, led in the opposite direction. This thread, like a hair, pointed the way to the Dandelion District. Wain could hardly smell this thin and scattered scent.

"We need to go back. To the Dandelion District, that's where we can make our first move."

"I see, then go ahead. We have to make it before Feno comes back."

"Hmm? Why are you worried about that?"

"I'd like us to sit at the same table for dinner tonight. At least one more time." Eva said seriously.

"Huh, like one family. That sounds pretty sweet." Wain said and walked out of the alley.

Eva's gaze changed for a moment, and she followed him. Wain's words touched her feelings.

...

Wain and Eva easily made it back to the Dandelion District since no one was blocking their way. They didn't need a permit or any kind of fee to get from the best area to the worst, this rule only worked one way.

"Is this it?" Eva said, looking at the layer of sturdy vines.

"Yes, it's probably a secret, closed passageway from the Dandelion District to the Rose District. I can clearly smell the scent coming from there, even though there are hundreds of different scents." Wain stepped forward and pulled the thick, spiky vines apart.

A thread led Wain and Eva to the farthest and darkest corner of the Dandelion District. Here, in some places, the plants had already begun to rot. The process Feno spoke of would begin in a few days.

"What is that strange smell?" Eva said, walking behind Wain.

"Looks like we'll have to forget the fragrant scents for a while. Now it's more like a stench, and it's gradually getting stronger, but that just means we're going in the right direction."

They encountered vines along the way, and various flowers and plants were growing on the walls, but they exuded unpleasant smells. Some of the flowers smelled rotten, as if they were growing on a decaying corpse.

"There's something wrong with this place." Eva became wary.

"As I said earlier, there must always be hell next to heaven, these two cannot be too far apart or exist apart. We've already visited heaven. Now it's time to go down to hell." Wain said and stopped.

They reached a dense layer of cortex that had veins on it. They occasionally pulsated like a living organism.

Wain put his palm to It and, in a smooth motion, cut the tree's bark with his finger.

"Ladies first." Wain said and took a step to the side.

"That scent is either magical or poisonous. The other couldn't have made you so courteous." Eva muttered and stepped forward.

'What a pest. Is she still mad at me?

"Is that a lotus...?" Eva muttered puzzledly, looking at the growing flower on the tunnel's canvas.

"It looks like that, how strange. There are all kinds of known flowers and plants in various variations, but not the lotus in the Four Districts. I forgot for a while that it existed."

"Don't you think the color is kind of strange?"

"Yes, it's a white lotus, and the petals are supposed to be perfectly clear, but the tips look like they're infused with blood. We need to keep going, I can still smell it, and it has intensified." Wain said and headed forward.

Tremble.

Suddenly the ground shook, vibrations coming from far away. Wain and Eva accelerated and quickly reached the scene.

They saw two fighting Plants. One was a tall guy with white skin, wearing red and black robes, amber eyes, and black hair with a rosebud growing on the side.

The other was a girl in pink robes, with long hair and a small lotus growing on her head.

Their battle was swift and elegant. They used no weapons but their hands and fists. They were true masters of close combat and exchanged dozens of blows within seconds, parrying each other's attacks.

Behind them grew a large, red lotus whose petals were blood-colored. A powerful scent emanated from it that Wain felt, but it was not the end goal, only a gap in the long journey.

"What shall we do?" Eva said quietly.

"Well...we have three options. We can stay out of it and see what happens next without our involvement. We can kill one of them, and we can kill them both. Which do you prefer?" Wain said calmly.

"Answer that question yourself first."

"Obviously, it's the second option. Feno didn't know about this passage, and that's not surprising since he's a resident of the Dandelion District. Most likely, only the people of the Rose District know about this place, and those two are definitely from there. They are powerful, far more powerful than the guard at the gate. They are strong, and if Virfal has any secret, one of them will kindly tell us about it."

"Then how do we choose which one of them we will help?"

"We'll just do it the way we want to do it. We have to pick our own challenger. Let's point to the one we want to save simultaneously."

Eva nodded, and Wain made a sign.

They raised their hands but pointed in different directions. Eva wanted to save the girl with the lotus on her head and Wain, the guy with the rose.

"What should we do in that case?"

"Hmm... If we disagree, then we can do a detailed and boring analysis, or we can flip a coin."

Eva smiled.