Despite the strange atmosphere between the group and the young man who walked alongside the snake, they followed the winding path that the new crawling member showed. They passed through leafy trees and dense forests, but nothing that interfered with their walk. The new place they arrived no longer had the same care as the leafy garden from before and didn't even have a single statue or well-kept geometric bushes. 

It was as if they were in a totally different place.

The tangled canopy of trees created shade, with only a few rays of sunlight stubbornly penetrating the small gaps in the foliage. The ground, previously stones, was now made of earth and leaves, some dry and others still damp, and branches. Sometimes, mushrooms were found on the fallen trunks or in the mosses of other trees.

The snake hissed, catching the dispersed group's attention. It crawled to a point further forward and struck the tree on the right of a large rock. The tree and the rock both shook, revealing a hidden passage.

The cave they entered was spacious and led to a crystal-clear lake and two other galleries. It was humid and a little too cold for those who entered there, so much so that Lydia, with her clothes in tatters, sneezed as soon as she entered. Azazel gave her his coat and grumbled, holding himself back from sneezing.

"We're partially safe here," the snake hissed, dipping its head in the pond's water and cleaning the dirt from its head. "I suggest you rest. Your faces are terrible. Master, sit here," it showed a spot on the floor next to the pond for Addai to sit.

Addai nodded and sat, placing Mine on his lap. "Thank you."

The snake hissed happily and swayed, looking at Lydia. The girl screamed silently and hid behind Abannak, who mimicked hissing at the snake, pleasing it. Lydia couldn't believe what her eyes and ears were witnessing. It was deeply unsettling!! Her fear of snakes always disturbed her field trips, but she always had a trick: her companions, who shooed away the snakes… but that snake wasn't going anywhere!! Lydia forced her body to not tremble whenever the snake looked at her or puffed a somewhat cute puff, but her leafy buddies trembled for her.

Some time passed and Addai was still holding Mine. His features showed tiredness, and the dark stain on his arms had spread to his shoulders. Fortunately, the dark purple stains on Mine were no longer as apparent as before.

While the group warmed themselves by the fire that Zophiel and Mephistopheles made, enjoying a brief period of calm, the snake couldn't relax because its Master seemed too tired. It crawled closer to him and saw that the stains from his arms were already starting to reach his neck. Hissing in desperation, the snake began poking its Master with its snout.

"Master, Master! Don't sleep! You can't sleep!" The snake hissed worriedly. "Ah! We… we need bitter and sour fruits…" It scanned the room, and its eyes laid on someone. "You! Little devil! Go take the fruits, please! They are not too far from here," it shouted at Azazel, who looked back very confused.

"Eh? Me?" Azazel's puzzled face was so terrible Mephistopheles faintly snorted.

"I'll go with you," Lydia started pushing the demon. "My body aches from tension! I can't stand it anymore!" she whispered, shivering.

"Thank you, Mrs. Human!!" The snake hissed cheerfully, and Lydia nodded, her smile almost cracking her facial muscles.

Addai, blinking lazily, stared at the snake. "Eden, how did you... end up here?"

The snake posed proudly as always and puffed, but before it could speak, it curled next to the fire and nuzzled on its own tail. Zophiel couldn't help but chuckle at that innocent action and patted the snake's head.

"Mr. Angel is so sweet," the snake complimented as Zophiel cuddled its head. "But answering the Master's question… Agarath captured me from my Madam's home. He threw something at me that made me pass out, and I woke up in a very dark space with dead humans. At first, I thought I was dead too, but when that man threw a pouch with a very disgusting smell… I don't remember what happened from that moment on," it said, its eyes dropping in sadness. "Madam must be looking for me, and don't worry Master. I won't spoil your location!"

Mephistopheles furrowed his eyebrows and looked at the snake. "Agarath used Asmodeus' pheromones on you so he could confuse you. He did the same with me at the mansion when Mine and I were split. He threw at me a pouch of a horrible smell, and I fainted. When I woke up, I was in the Wishing Well."

Zophiel couldn't help but feel blamed for keeping the keychain and not destroying it while Asmodeus was still in human form. Now that it was missing, God knows where it was and what the demon was doing. Would Agarath undone the binding spell? Probably. Would Asmodeus be lost? Maybe. The angel sighed and looked at Mine, who peacefully slept in Addai's arms. Lucky him Addai's pheromones were all around him because if he hadn't… Mine would probably be lost somewhere without location.

Talking about this…

Zophiel felt uncomfortable as his mind recalled the scenting thing. "You... ahem... So… you… scented Mine, Addai?" he asked, not knowing where to place his hands.

Addai was now wide awake. Mephistopheles was about to take the spare dry wood he gathered earlier and fell weak on the floor when he saw Addai's reddish ears and blunt face. The demon held his laughter the best he could, but Addai's trembling chin and almost serious face, hiding his flustering, was too much for him to handle.

"I…" Addai stammered, his ears burning. "I-it's not what you're thinking."

This was the end of Mephistopheles. He shamelessly started laughing and even wheezed! Zophiel kicked him twice, but the demon lost his shame a long time ago. Abannak stared at Addai in disbelief, recalling every meaning of that in his species and trying to reason it in that peculiar situation.

Fanning himself with his mana fan, Zophiel deeply exhaled, and his restless wings flapping sent a few feathers in the air. One of them fell on the snake's nose, which sneezed then "chuckled" at the distressed angel while its Master tried to keep his pose.

"Addai…" Zophiel started, fanning himself even faster. "Does he even know that?! Ugh!! Thank God he's not a demon or a dragon, or else you'd be in bigger trouble, mister!" he argued like a worried parent, and Abannak agreed with the angel.

"I can explain," the snake voiced, and Addai tried to stop it, but it dodged his grabbing attempts. "It's temporary, don't worry. A temporary and useful measure to make Mine safe against the mister's species laughing on the floor," it hissed cheerfully at the demon. "I think he needs to do it permanently... I liked the little one. Will you do it, Master?" It looked at Addai expectantly.

Zophiel's eyes traveled from the snake to Addai, glaring at him. Addai didn't know where to bury his face, so he kept the tomato looking as he tried to say something that didn't put him on a tightrope. "It's what Eden said. Mine was being targeted, so I… I didn't know what to do to protect him," he avoided Zophiel's piercing glare.

"Called me? For example?" Zophiel said impatiently.

"B-But I didn't know you!" Addai cried.

"…" Zophiel chewed on his words and took a deep breath while Mephistopheles still laughed in the background. "STOP LAUGHING, MEPHISTOPHELES!!" He kicked his beloved, who immediately stopped laughing and started groaning.

Abannak looked at Addai. Despite his always serious pose, his gaze was gentle and warm. "I know you like him, but when he wakes up... you should tell him what happened and explain why you did that. Mine will understand. He was also keeping a close eye on you, so… Just clear things out, and everything will be fine, okay?" he said like a very gentle parent.

Addai's cheeks blushed, and he silently nodded, feeling as small as a child.

Abannak observed the angel kicking the teasing demon, who made his beloved flustered every time he murmured something. "You see… Mine also likes you a lot, or else he wouldn't rely on you often," he said, offering a hand to the snake, which approached and nuzzled on the palm of the dragon's hand.

Addai blushed a little bit more and held Mine a little bit tighter. "Hm," he nodded.

In the background, Zophiel's fan was snatched by a teasing Mephistopheles. The angel tried to take the fan back, but Mephistopheles grabbed his hand and pulled him closer. This act almost caused Mephistopheles to lose consciousness because the angel fell on a very delicate area, causing the demon to curl like a shrimp as he groaned acutely.

While Zophiel fanned Mephistopheles while he recovered, Addai was watching the fire swaying around the burning woods. He felt lethargic and heavy, but he kept holding Mine close, ignoring how much his body was pending to a side.

Abannak chuckled at the duo, and the snake nuzzled on his legs. "I'll go check on Lydia and Azazel. Rest a little bit," he said and the snake looked at him as if it didn't want him to go.

"They will be here soon," the snake puffed, trying to curl its tail on Abannak's legs.

Abannak chuckled and patted the snake's head. "Stay. I'll be quick," he smiled and looked at Addai, who was not looking very good. "Addai? Are you- ah!"

Abannak reached for the passing-out boy, supporting his head with his long, scaled tail. Addai finally lost the battle against the poison's sleep effects. Knowing he'd lose the battle for the poison, the young professor placed his hand on Mine's head previously, making sure his friend wouldn't hit the floor if he lost consciousness before they could lay down properly.

The snake was very distressed and worried when a small shadow appeared beside Addai. The small shadow condensed into the form of a black cat with soft and long fur. Its pink necklace and ribbon were a charm, but her intense meowing distressed the snake even more.

"Massssster!! Wake up pleasssssse!!" the snake hissed.

Abannak took off his outer coat and rolled it like a DIY pillow. It wasn't comfortable, but it was enough to rest the head on. Withdrawing his tail with the pillow, Abannak placed Addai's head on it, certifying he was properly sleeping.

The snake and the cat looked at him, each emitting distressing sounds, muted by the dragon when he whispered a soft 'shhh.'

"He's fine. Addai is just sleeping," Abannak said softly, patting each pet's head. "Stay with him while I'm out, okay? I'll also take the lousy couple away from them, don't worry," he chuckled when he saw the snake glancing at Mephistopheles and Zophiel in the background.

Both snake and cat nodded, satisfied.