Chapter 471 I do have a motive  

Kyle leaped into a narrow pit a short distance from the mountaintop, where his eyes caught sight of the familiar leafless buds sprouting all around him. The herbs, with their earthy hues, blended seamlessly into the surroundings.

He dusted off his clothes, then stooped down to pluck and gather the herbs in his hands. But as he got busy in his task to gather 1,000 Vitalis as soon as possible because the sky had started to turn even darker, behind him, the man dressed in white also entered the pit.

Azazeal's feet hovered in the air before landing on the ground without a sound. His eyes absorbed the scene in front of him. A pit full of rare herbs that grew only because of spiritual energy. He couldn't help but stare at Kyle's back.

'So that's why you dropped into the pit? I was wondering why... when you could have easily avoided it, given that nature favors you as if you are its child.'

Kyle's back tensed, and he snapped his head back, only to witness a pair of glowing eyes staring at him in the dimly lit space. But he didn't get startled, probably because, for some reason, the eyes had become a lot more normal... or maybe he had seen them just too many times already? He wasn't sure as he clicked his tongue.

"What are you staring at me for? Don't you want to gather the herbs? It's getting dark, and carrying a thousand up the mountain would require many trips because we lack storage space. Ugh, and I even dropped my bag somewhere because of you."

Azazeal moved his eyes to focus on a distant herb with a richer hue compared to the others.

"Why should I? I never asked him for help. It was always you."

Kyle blinked, now that he thought about it, Aze never once asked for help from Hubert. He simply observed from afar.

"So, why are you even here?"

He fixed his gaze at the man who opened his mouth to speak up while gazing in another direction.

"Do I need a reason? It's my choice to go wherever I please."

Kyle took a deep breath to calm his throbbing head. He set the herbs in his hands down and stood up, then walked toward the man who paused in his tracks and stared back at him due to his sudden movement. Kyle let out a long sigh and, after wiping his hands on his sweater to clean them, he extended his right hand toward the man across from him with a faint smile.

"It's Kyle... Kyle Ohan. I want to leave this land as soon as possible. I don't know who you are and why you are following me, but I believe you also want to leave this land. Therefore, let's not get in each other's way and do our best to leave this place."

He paused for a moment when he noticed a flicker of surprise flashing through Aze's eyes.

"Aze, right? It would be better if we don't become enemies. I can't sense it, but I have a feeling that you're not weak. So, standing on opposite sides wouldn't benefit either of us, because I am sure I won't back down even if you are stronger than me."

Azazeal stared at the hand stretched out toward him before glancing at the face of the human who gazed at him with a faint but genuine smile. He couldn't help but think... how naive?

'You have no clue who I am and that I'm already standing on the dark side... In fact, I'm the one who created that side.'

The corners of his eyes lifted as he extended his hand to shake the outstretched hand.

"Kyle, I have to admit once again, you surprised me. Now I get it..."

The human across from him furrowed his brows slightly when he didn't finish his sentence.

'...why we became friends in the first place. It's because of your actions... I can't and would never be able to predict them.'

It was already late at night when Kyle finished stacking 1,000 Vitalis herbs near Hubert's house, where the old man had gone to sleep. Kyle's eyes shone slightly in the darkness as he glanced at the starless, moonless sky. Different from the dark sky, the dim light coming from the countless gray flowers scattered on the mountain illuminated his surroundings enough for him to see everything around him.

He slumped down on the ground and closed his eyes. However, only after a minute, he opened his eyes to glance at the man with purple eyes standing at a distance, staring at the empty sky.

Kyle sat up and let out a sigh.

"Just sit down, will you? The ground won't harm your pristine white clothes."

Instinctively, he stared at himself and couldn't help but grimace at just how dirty he was. But he didn't have spare clothes to change into since he lost the bag Hazel had prepared for him.

'I'll search for it first thing in the morning when it's a little brighter.'

Kyle followed Aze's gaze and looked at the sky filled with nothing but dark clouds.

"Hey, you have been doing nothing. So, what's your plan? If you don't want Hubert's help, why are you even here? You must have a motive, right?"

He didn't really expect the man to answer because he had noticed that Aze didn't like to answer if the man deemed it unnecessary.

"Whatever..."

Kyle shut his eyes once more and lay down. He was still wary of Aze, but he had started to be less bothered by the man's presence. Besides, without Bia's voice that always echoed in his head, he realized he didn't enjoy quietness.

So, he wanted to speak a bit more, even though he usually stayed quiet. But he was surprised when the man actually replied.

"I do have a motive..."

Kyle let out a silent scoff.

He so badly wanted to say that If you want to speak, complete your sentence at least! But he didn't because he knew he would not get an answer.