5 : Is he dead?

The time was running out.

They were trapped in an illusionary world. And no one knew the way to crack that illusion.

Piano wrapped his hands around the small body of Jiro and placed him very close to his chest. Even though Jiro was an adult, his body was that of a child who was merely nine or ten years old.

So when Piano cuddled him and glued him to his chest, like a kid, Jiro was nonexistent to the outsiders and the whole world as he was mixed to Piano's body and flesh, as if they were one and not two.

Roug was originally twenty-seven and was now in an adult's body which was no more than any child. It's been more than twenty years since someone carried him like this into their arms.

He still remembers how his mom used to arrive early and wait outside of the junior school when he was a kid. She used to wait for him and when he would walk out of the school gate, his mother used to welcome him with a wide smile filled with affection on her face.

She would carry him on her back on the way home. Ice cream on the way and some junk food were his favorite. He would stubbornly look at the food and then his mom would buy it for him, it was always the routine.

Those warm back and front-back hugs were always his favorite. As he started growing up, those warm hugs started decreasing and a point came when it was nowhere.

Those warm and close-to-the-heart hugs became nonexistent and disappeared without even him realizing. And the insults from society and their scoldings became his new routine.

Piano carrying him like that, made him remember his mother and father.

Without even realizing it, he felt secure.

After three hours.

It's been more than three hours since they were walking, yet there was no exit yet. Something felt strange.

"Are we walking on the right route?", Piano questioned himself.

It's been more than three hours, they should have at least reached somewhere. But no...

"We have been here before. No! we are coming to the same place no matter which direction or route we take".

Jiro was observing it for the last three hours now. And they were coming here for four times till now. It's like...they were walking in a circle and coming back to the same place again and again.

Piano looked around and saw the same tree with the tallest height in the forest, even the branch position was the same.

"Are we lost then?", He asked while meeting eyes with Jiro.

"I think...we are indeed right. Or maybe, we are trapped somewhere but failed to understand as it's an illusionary dungeon".

Jiro spoke as he moved his head from his entrance and met his eyes.

"I think so..."

He was in the middle of his conversation when some strange movements started happening in the forest. The land was shaking, voices were coming from a short distance.

Jiro's ears tingled as they straightened up when those sounds started getting close. "Big brother! There are many movements on the surface, it's as if many animals are running in our direction. And...I think I heard some Howling of the wolves. There's a full back of wolves coming in our direction".

Jiro started shaking in fear now that he concluded that many wolves are coming in their direction, he started panicking. His heartbeat started fastening at a fast speed as the sound and movements started coming close.

Piano sensed that insecurity and fear in Jiro as he could hear that little kid's heartbeat getting faster.

"It's okay! We will be fine...", Piano tried consoling the kid.

Before this, he never had a chance to touch a kid or talk to them. The reason behind it was very clear since He was known as the devil of the Ansio tribe, he was the Prince of that tribe, a scary beast who had killed many people before. So it was quite clear that kids never liked him.

No matter how much their parents would try to tell the kids to not get scared as he was the hero and savior of their tribe, the personality, and behavior of the kids were unyielding.

They were reluctant to understand that he was not a devil or beast who might devour them.

So having the kid by his side who was both worried about himself and Piano, it was quite new to him and it was heart-touching as well.

[Master! Stop being a soft rice man and get to work. Just because you look like a kid, doesn't mean you are really a kid. Do something...or else, how will you gain experience]

"Shut up already! I am very vulnerable right now. Can't you see my body condition and the fact that I have just had my soul inserted into someone else body? I need to recharge myself. Not until my body condition improves will I do anything. If you are referring to me as a soft rice man, then I am and it's a fact. Let me get carried by someone else, don't interfere".

If that damn system was his father, then Jiro was the father of his father. Maybe Roug was an experienced person, but Jiro was not.

Jiro's body had many wounds on it, some were light while some were life-threatening. So in such a situation, how can this damn system tell him to exhaust his body?

No!...No matter what this damn system says, there's no way he will move an inch.

[Fine! Don't move. Be a lazy ass and stay where you are. If those animals attack you and then kill you by any chance, don't even expect this system to help you. Cause I will watch from the side how they eat your bitter and hard flesh with those bones remaining only]

This damn system seriously was something.

"Life-threatening or soul threatening, even if you are to tell me now that you will finish my soul and not gonna let it reincarnate or reborn, I will still not gonna move an inch from here", Jiro thought in his mind as he made that funny face.

For some reason, he believed that as long as he was with Piano, nothing will happen to him. So he was relying on him with his life...his life was now in Piano's hands.

The sound and movements grew even closer. And without even realising it, the pack of wolves was running towards his side.

Piano saw it and immediately took out the long sharp sword from the corset of his clothes.

Jiro was utterly shocked to see such a shining and sharp weapon on him.

"Kiddo! Do you wanna read for a while? How about you stay there behind the rock and wait for this big brother to complete this task? Will you be okay?", Piano asked in a gentle tone as he moved Jiro from his embrace.

Jiro looked at the pack which was almost there to get them and nodded his head vigorously. It seems like Piano was very good at fighting. Thus, he doesn't want to be his burden.

"Very good! Once we are done, I will show you something really beautiful. Now...go over there and hide yourself"

Piano was really treating Jiro like a kid. He has seen kids fear him after he swung his sword at those bandits who were trying to rob his people. And after the kids saw blood splashing on the ground after his blade flew in the air, they became scared of him.

He doesn't want that same situation to happen again. And those, he is going to protect that child with whatever he has.

Those wolves were running at the speed of air, their mouth and every part of their body were screaming dangerous and risky.

Jiro hid himself behind the big rock, but he had enough space to see the whole scene happening.

That pack of wolves looked really angry and hungry at the same time with how much time they were taking into that run.

Piano positioned himself as he held the sword tightly in his hands. He was waiting for those animals to reach him.

Those wolves howled in loud, letting the whole forest know that it was their territory and that no one can enter into it without their permission.

They had killing intent in their eyes. And just a moment later, there was no distance between them as all of them fled on him with him having as their center.

Jiro felt his heartbeat dropping when he saw that all the wolves had covered Piano with no option left for him.

"HOWL...."

They marked their territory and a lot of blood started springing from the center, as if they really killed Piano.

Jiro felt miserable at this point when he saw no signs of Piano getting rescued.

In desperation, he jumped in.