Second World

Jack didn't know what to make of the satyrs kneeling before him. He then stored his weapons and said, "Everyone, please get up. I didn't know that people of the underworld also respect the sovereignty of the Themisphere kingdom. Hahaha…"

His laughing stopped after receiving a slap from Peniel. "They are not kneeling for you, dumbass!" She uttered.

At the same time, Pandora reared up. This time, there was no magical glue holding Jack to the nightmare. He fell to the ground on his butt.

"Ouch! Was that necessary?" Jack complained.

The satyrs stood back up, but they stayed standing in their places. Except for one satyr, who looked to be the eldest. He approached Pandora. Pandora also walked to him. The two touched their heads. The satyr closed his eyes and muttered something indecipherable.

"Ho…," Jack was amazed. This was the first time he saw this cocky nightmare acting so affectionate.

"It seemed that this village is where the custodians of nightmares live," Peniel said after seeing the scene.

"Custodians?" Jack asked.

"The nightmares are exceptional steeds. They are the only beings capable of freely traveling between the main world and the underworld. This makes lots of sides try to capture them. The young ones, I mean. It's impossible to capture the adult ones. It is rumored that there is a group of people who worship the nightmares and take it upon themselves to protect these nightmares. They are the custodians. When a nightmare is giving birth, she will return to these custodians who then help her give birth. Afterward, it is the custodians' job to nurture the nightmares and keep them hidden until they are strong enough to venture out into the world by themselves."

"I see… From the look of it, that old satyr should be the one who took care of Pandora when she was young," Jack surmised.

"It's likely," Peniel said.

After a while, Pandora looked back at Jack. The elder satyr also looked over. The elder satyr approached Jack. Jack scanned him and learned his name was Ykos. He was a level 65 special elite.

"Good tidings, upworld dweller. Welcome to Pilenus village. Pandora told me a lot of things about you," Ykos greeted.

"She did? You two didn't talk for long. Are all the things she said about me good or bad?"

"A bit of both," Ykos chuckled. "But she said you are someone who can be depended upon."

"She did?" Jack looked at Pandora who turned away from his gaze.

"The fact is, we need help and there is no one in this underworld whom we can depend on," Ykos said. "That's why I contacted Pandora."

"What's the problem?" Jack asked.

Instead of answering, Ykos said, "Come with me, please."

Ykos led them outside the village. Pandora walked beside him while Jack and Peniel followed behind. They came upon the edge of burning woods.

"Will those trees continue to burn? Won't the flame eat all the woods up at one point?" Jack asked.

"No. This is the natural state of trees in the underworld," Peniel answered. "The flame will continue to burn as the tree grows. Once the flame dies, the tree dies as well."

"Okay," Jack said. He figured it would be a waste of time trying to understand how that worked.

Yvok and Pandora entered the burning woods. Jack entered anxiously as he made sure to not get burned by the flames.

Yvok took out a pipe and started blowing it. Jack didn't hear any sound from the pipe. When Jack was still wondering why the old satyr play an instrument in the middle of the forest, the scenery around them shifted.

"What…?" He was still stunned as the landscape around them transformed. It was like their surroundings rotated at a high speed. Then it stopped. He found they were standing on a small island surrounded by a lava lake.

"What the… Did we teleport?" He asked.

"This is a secret dimension we constructed," Yvok answered as he stored his pipe. "This is where we hide the young ones."

When he finished speaking, two little nightmares leaped out of a nearby rock and ran to Yvok. The old satyr laughed and petted the two. He was not hurt by their flames, just as Jack wasn't hurt by Pandora's.

"This is Sol. This is Fira," Yvok told them of the little nightmare's names.

Sol and Fira then noticed the nearby Pandora. They looked over with curiosity. Pandora came at them and lowered her head. The little ones slowly approached and started rubbing their heads on Pandora's. Yvok moved back and let the three spend time with each other.

"Those two never saw Pandora since their birth," Yvok said after he came to Jack's side. "But they could sense their mother's aura from Pandora."

"Their mother?" Jack asked.

"Their mother's name is Luna. She is Pandora's sister," Yvok answered.

"I see… So, where is Luna?"

Yvok sighed. "That is the problem," Yvok said. "Luna had been captured."

"Captured? I thought it is impossible to capture an adult nightmare?" Peniel said.

"You are the one saying that. I remember when we found Pandora, she was also in captivity. So, it should not be impossible," Jack said.

"Oh… Now that you mentioned it…," Peniel remembered after Jack pointed it out.

"So, I guess you need help freeing their mother," Jack said to Yvok. "Who captured her? And where is she imprisoned?"

"She had been captured by a Hell Baron called Hraghshu. She is being kept inside that demon's manor," Yvok answered.

"Hell Baron? Demons also have a hierarchy?" Jack asked.

"Yes. Our underworld is one big demonic empire. Can you help us?"

"I am here, ain't I? Do you know where is the manor of this hell baron?"

"If you open your map, I can input its coordinates."

Jack opened his map as requested. While interfacing with Jack's map, Yvok said, "If you traveled with Pandora, it should take only one day to reach that place from our village. I implore you to make haste. We don't know what Hraghshu is doing to Luna. I bet she was being forced into servitude. An adult nightmare prefers dying to being a slave. If we delay, I'm afraid Luna might decide to end herself rather than submit."