A wish? Takeshi repeated the old man's words a few more times in his head.
Seeing the clear confusion on their faces, the old man spoke again.
"Yes, you heard correctly — a wish. You may wish for anything that is reasonable and within my domain of power."
Renji then looked at him and asked, "What are your limitations? Can we wish only for physical items and objects, or even things that aren't feasible?"
The old man responded without much hesitation. "There are no limitations… except for the wish exceeding my own power."
Renji followed up, "Can I wish to find any remnants of my family's history?"
The old man nodded. "You can, if you want. That is not something beyond my ability."
After a brief moment of silence, Renji spoke again, excitement clear in his voice.
"Then I wish to find any historical remains of my family."
As soon as he said that, the old man raised his hand and snapped his fingers. The sound was identical to the incredibly loud snap they had heard earlier — the one that caused the skeletons and the bone dome to collapse.
Then the old man looked at Renji and said, "Your wish has been granted. You shall find what you are seeking very soon."
Hearing those words, the others turned to the old man in disbelief.
Is this really possible? Takeshi asked himself.
Then the old man looked at Aiko and asked, "Your wish is?"
She took a few moments to think before finally speaking.
"I wish to know the secret behind the wars of the Crimson Era."
Takeshi and the others were visibly confused by her request.
The secret behind the wars of the Crimson Era? Takeshi thought, intrigued. What does she mean by that?
The old man slowly shook his head.
"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but that is a wish I cannot grant, nor can I tell you the answer you seek."
As soon as Takeshi heard this, he sensed that there was something far more important behind Aiko's wish.
"I understand that you can't grant it," Takeshi said, "but if you know the answer, why can't you simply tell her?"
The old man let out a heavy sigh.
"If I were to reveal the secret of the Crimson Era to her — or to any of you — the whole of Heaven would descend upon us the moment we returned to the real world. We would be struck down instantly."
After a short pause, he added, "One can learn this secret and survive only by uncovering the truth on their own."
The entire group grew more intrigued… and more afraid.
Whatever truth the Crimson Era hid, it was dangerous — forbidden.
But then the old man spoke again.
"However, you may still wish for something related to it."
Aiko looked confused for a brief moment. Then, realization dawned on her face.
"I wish to find a clue that will drastically aid me in uncovering the secret of the Crimson Era."
As soon as the words left her lips, the old man raised his hand and snapped his fingers once more — that same resounding, thunderous snap.
"Your wish has been granted. You will find the desired clue in the upcoming days."
Then, his gaze shifted to Rin, who stood slightly behind the others, watching the old man with wary eyes.
The moment her eyes met his, she hesitated, then hurriedly and with little confidence, said,
"I… I wish to accompany her on her journey," as she pointed at Aiko.
Without a word, the old man snapped his fingers again, the sound echoing around them.
"Your wish has been granted," he said simply, offering no further comment.
Finally, his eyes turned to Takeshi, who had been patiently waiting for his turn.
While the others were making their wishes, Takeshi listened, but he also reflected on what he should wish for himself.
He thought carefully and realized that he didn't have any grand desires or long-term goals—except one: to become stronger.
At first, he considered directly asking for power. But after some thought, he came to the conclusion that the old Heavenly King probably couldn't grant such a wish, as true power was something only the deities themselves could bestow.
However, after seeing how Aiko cleverly navigated around the limitations of the old man's abilities, Takeshi realized he could do the same.
He recalled the advice he'd received from the serpent he had once met.
The problem was, he didn't know the location of the Stormwind Mountain Range, nor how long it would take to get there.
This, he realized, was the perfect opportunity.
Clearing his throat, he looked at the old man and said,
"I wish to arrive at the Stormwind Mountain Range instantly."
The old man gave a slight nod, then raised his hand and snapped his fingers.
After a brief pause, he said, "Your wish has been granted."
He then turned to the group and said,
"Now that that's settled, I must take my leave. I wish you the best of luck, travelers. May fate arrange for us to meet again."
With those parting words, he draped a carpet-like cloth over himself and vanished into thin air, just as mysteriously as he had first appeared.
The four remaining members stood in silence, now surrounded by a vast clearing in the heart of the bone labyrinth.
After a long moment, Rin quietly and uncertainly asked, "What now?"
Takeshi glanced at her and replied, "Let's sit down and discuss."
After they sat down, Renji spoke up.
"Now that we know we can avoid being dragged into this place, everything changes. We don't have to struggle to survive here every night anymore."
After a short pause, he added in a quiet, almost relieved tone, "I'm really glad."
Silence filled the air until Rin broke it with a question.
"Mr. Heavenly King said we can suppress our powers to avoid being pulled in… but I don't have any powers of my own to suppress. I'm only blessed by my demon. What should I do?"
Her question made everyone fall deep into thought.
After a moment, Takeshi responded, drawing from his own experience.
"I believe the only solution is to form a contract with your demon. Once you've obtained its powers, you can suppress them."
Rin slowly nodded, then asked, "But what if I can't make a deal with my demon? What if I still get pulled into this place?"
Good question… I'm sorry, but I don't know you well enough to risk my life for you every night, Takeshi thought to himself.
Before he could say anything, Aiko turned to Rin and said,
"Since the old man granted your wish, you'll be by my side. I'll guide you through it and help you form a contract."
She paused for a moment, then added with a gentle smile,
"And if you don't succeed… then I'll come back into this realm with you every night until you do."
Rin looked at her, eyes wide, then bowed her head slightly in gratitude.
"Thank you, Miss Aiko… truly."
After letting the heartwarming moment settle, Takeshi broke the silence.
"So, since we won't be returning here for a while… does that mean this is the end of our companionship?"
Renji frowned at the question.
"Of course not. At least not for me. Whenever any of you decide to return to this place, I'll be there to accompany you."
"Same," Aiko added with a warm smile.
After a brief pause, Rin also softly said, "Same."
Takeshi almost frowned.
They really are kind people, he thought.
After a short silence, he asked, "Then… when should we return?"
Renji was the first to answer.
"I suggest we meet here exactly thirty nights from now. At the very least, to check in and share our progress in the real world."
The others nodded in agreement, accepting the proposal.
After that, they continued sitting together in a circle, chatting and enjoying one another's company for what might be the last time in a while.
As the night drew to a close, Renji stood and left them with one final sentence as a parting gift:
"Good luck to you all, see you in a month's time."