Rigel was exploring the 4th floor with Kiko, and since Kiko was too small to be able to follow his speed, he had to carry her on his back. Kiko couldn't say no since she knew she was being a burden, but if it wasn't because Rigel wanted to ask for her guidance to learn about Sixth Sense, she wouldn't let him carry her.
"The place is 3 days from this hill. You see that aurora over there? That's where spirits are gathered," Kiko pointed at the beautiful aurora in the far distance in the night sky. "You're currently on the first stage, and the only way to master your Sixth Sense, you have to be sensitive about that sense," she explained.
Sixth Sense was what they called it, it was the same back on Earth for indigo people. People who had Sixth Sense were gifted people, and they said people who had it were capable of seeing things from the past and seeing things that were coming to them. Madam's exclusive skill was actually a Sixth Sense, but she hadn't mastered it yet.
"I'll let you go once I mastered my Sixth Sense. You're free to find your family..." Rigel nodded as he walked down the hill. "But I'm not sure if you can do that. I heard it myself from the slaves that I met that they would rather stay to be slaves since their lives are safer that way," he said.
Kiko hummed and didn't know what to say because she knew what those slaves meant. She would rather be a slave than have a fear of being caught and hunted by Players. Although her life would be miserable, she knew nothing bad would happen to her.
"On second thought, I'll help you find your family and I know a place where you can live peacefully. I have friends back on the 1st floor, and I believe they will welcome you with open arms," Rigel said and thought of bringing Kiko to meet with Kane, Isaias, and Naya, and Caius.
"Thank you, Rigel..." Kiko smiled as she hugged Rigel's back.
Kiko knew about Rigel and his name had been spread out throughout the 4th floor. She was surprised, but she was glad that she met Rigel since he was one of them, a Non-Player. She understood without having to ask him why there were so many lingering emotions around him.
Rigel learned about Tinykin from Kiko that they were indeed the weakest race in the whole tower. They lived under the hill, hiding from the outside world and danger because they couldn't protect themselves. They couldn't even tame a cow with force, they had to become friendly with animals and hoped the cow would stay to provide them milk.
They made their own clothes, shoes, and houses by working together. They shared their food, drink, and even helped the new family members to make their own house.
He found out that their houses were like children's playgrounds where their houses were as big as those balloon castles with slides. They were so small that hiding behind the hills would protect them from everything, except for heavy rains. He also found out that all Tinykin were the kindest and humble beings in the tower.
The journey he had with Kiko was the most pleasant and memorable one. He was taken care of even though Kiko was so small compared to him, and somehow he had never experienced something like that in his previous life. He felt warmth and kindness from Kiko, something that he never had, and she was so cheerful and was easily amused by the outside world.
"Rigel... It's morning already," Kiko gently poked Rigel's left shoulder as she rubbed her left eye. Rigel was sleeping outside the tent, protecting Kiko from any monster.
Rigel never thought he could sleep so well and felt refreshed ever since he entered the tower. It could be because he had a long night of talking and laughing with Kiko, a companion that made him feel alive.
"How far are we from the bridge?" Rigel asked as he stood up and saw Kiko had prepared a breakfast for him.
"Half a day. I haven't been there myself, so I don't know much about that place. I only heard stories from papa and grandpa," Kiko answered as she offered the potato soup in a coconut shell.
"How did you master your Sixth Sense?" Rigel looked at Kiko taking a sip of the soup.
"The lingering emotions in my village were overwhelming. The villagers that died, they died happy because they lived the best life they could have. The first time that it happened was when I went to the farm and the voice of an old man that had died the previous day greeted me. I thought I was hallucinating, but I heard more and more voices since that day," Kiko said as she ate the small chunk of potato and it was enough to make her mouth full.
"Papa and grandpa had the same gift, and it had been passed down from generation to generation. They told me what it was, and since the lingering emotions in the village was so overwhelming, I became more sensitive and could see them ever since," Kiko reminisced with a smile on her face. "They helped us to prepare if a storm was coming, or a pack of wolves. They became our guardians and passed down their knowledge so we could survive and grew the village to a better place," she added.
"So, everyone in your village has Sixth Sense?" Rigel asked as he ate the whole soup in a single gulp. He couldn't feel the burn on his tongue anymore because he had a high heat resistance.
"No, only my family has it. My family has become the elder in the village for decades. Our job is to keep our village safe, but I failed them..." Kiko answered as she looked at the soup in her hands.
"Nothing lasts forever. Bad times, good times, none of them last forever," Rigel responded and that was the only thing he could say. "That's something I realized, so all I can say is enjoy it or be patient with it," he looked at Kiko who was saddened by the fact she couldn't protect the village.
Kiko hummed as she nodded with understanding and continued eating her soup since Rigel had finished eating.
They continued their journey, and since the place was hidden under the aurora, they had to wait until nighttime. They rested on the hill, and Rigel thought Kiko how to use magic. She could sense Mana around her, but she couldn't use it yet since she still didn't have the aptitude to use it.
"We need to hunt more monsters with Magic Cores so you can utilize magic. I don't think what you have right now would be enough," Rigel looked at Kiko holding a Magic Core that was as big as her head. "Don't rush it and take your time," he said with a smile.
"Yes, I'll do my best..." Kiko nodded and she looked so determined to learn magic. "Oh, the aurora has appeared!" She pointed at the sky as the moon lit the sky.
They both followed the aurora since it was the only way to find the place where spirits lived. They entered the forest and the voices that had been bothering Rigel became less. When they walked out of the forest, they saw a rocky mountain in front of them, and the aurora went beyond it.
"This is the trial I heard from papa. You have to go up there and if you manage to reach the top, you will see the Land of Spirit," Kiko said and was stunned by how tall a mountain could be.
"That's not a problem," Rigel went down to his knees. "Hop on, I'll show you how fast we can go," he looked at Kiko over his left shoulder.
The moment Kiko held Rigel's shoulders tightly, Rigel jumped as high as he could and manipulated the Mana around him to boost him up to the mountain. Kiko was screaming her lungs out as she stared at the peak of the mountain. It only took them a minute to reach the peak, and that was when both of them were stunned by the scenery.
"The Monolith..." Kiko jumped down from Rigel's back and looked at the square black shiny stone, standing in the middle of the island that was surrounded by a massive lake.
Rigel looked at the aurora going down into the lake and when he was admiring the scenery, he heard the loudest Kiko's laugh. He was startled and noticed Kiko was looking around her and spun around with a huge smile on her face.
"Kiko! My name is Kiko!" Kiko said as she stared at nothing above her. "Yes, I'm Tinykin," she added as she giggled.
Rigel couldn't hear their conversation, all he could feel was a breeze of wind whenever Kiko had a conversation with the spirits. It felt like they made him unable to hear their voices and only spoke to Kiko for some reason.
"This is Rigel, and he helped me free from Players. He's my savior," Kiko said and she looked a bit confused. "He's the prophesied one? What does that mean?" She raised her eyebrows and kept looking up at something.
Rigel who heard Kiko's words was enough to understand what the conversation was about.
"Rigel, they want you to go to that island. They want you to see them," Kiko looked at Rigel as she pointed at the island where the Monolith was.
"Got it," Rigel nodded with understanding and walked toward the lake.