FEELING THE SAME PAIN

Megan observes the boss firing his pistol, the bullet striking the vine zombie's stomach. This triggers flashbacks for Megan, reminiscent of her past when she was with Sam. Despite the abuse, Megan would always return back to him with unwavering love no matter the situation. The flashback concludes, and she watches the boss harming the vine zombie. She engages in a mental conversation with herself. She wonders why she can't break free from Sam, regardless of the person he is. Megan contemplates if she is destined to be forever bound to Sam. Breaking through the vines, she falls to the ground, witnessing the boss stomping on the vine zombie. The boss criticizes her for failing to protect his family once again, emphasizing the need for her to become stronger, that if she doesn't, she's going to lose all of her family. Tearfully reaching out towards them, Megan experiences a hallucination, seeing the boss and the vine zombie as Sam and herself. Suddenly, many attached magical chains appear all around her body, restraining her and preventing further movement. Megan reflects that Adam may be indeed correct that she is mentally broken like him. Overwhelmed with emotions, she questions what life would be like without Sam, yearning for true freedom. As the magical chains begins to shake around her arm, Megan screams in frustration, drawing the attention of the vine zombie and the boss.

Observing Megan's emotional eyes, the vine zombie senses a shared pain. Megan tells the vine zombie to not to be like her, urging her to be her own person and to be free. Flashes of memories between Megan and Sam appear before Megan's eyes. Megan asserts that no one else should endure such suffering and that the vine zombie still has a chance to break free. Witnessing Megan breaking through the magical chains attached to her arms she then sees her own magical chains around her body, the boss turns to Megan to aims his gun and fires. The vine zombie, recalling her own painful memories with the boss, sheds tears and summons strength to rise, breaking free from her chains. Using her magic, she creates a vine to intercept the incoming bullet aimed at Megan. The boss accuses the vine zombie of betraying her own family and shoots her head. Despite the bleeding wound, the vine zombie declares her determination to earn her freedom. Before the boss can fire another bullet in her chest, numerous vines emerge from the ground, impaling him all over his body.

The magical chains around Megan dissipate, as the boss vomits lots of blood from his mouth. Suddenly, myriad flowers of every kind burst forth from his body, flooding the vine sphere with their vibrant colors. As the vine sphere opens, flowers spread across the area. Mai and Nakao approach Megan, lifting her up. They witness the vine zombie crying, expressing a conflicted love for the boss. Tenderly, she touches his face, declaring her enduring affection and that she will never love another man like she did with him. However, the boss erupts into maniacal laughter, surrounded by dark magic. Megan urgently warns the vine zombie to flee, while Mai notes that the boss has awaken his magic powers through a near-death experience. Defiantly, the boss proclaims that his wife will never be truly free and that she will always be bound to him. Dark magic emanates from him, causing all the flowers to shake ominously. Mai and Nakao carry Megan away from the floral area as the flowers grow to colossal sizes, shrouded in dark magic. Blooming with dark energy, one of the flowers shoots an energy beam toward them. Simbad intervenes with his katana, deflecting the beam into the sky before collapsing from exhaustion, declaring his timely arrival.

Nakao attempts to drag Simbad away, but his weight proves too much. Additional flowers redirect their focus towards them, yet numerous vines emerge from the ground to ensnare and restrain the flowers. Breaking free from the vines, the boss's body becomes illuminated with magical flowers, prompting the vine zombie to remark that their conflicts never seem to reach a peaceful resolution and consistently it always favor his side. The battle then begins between the both of them as there are numerous magical explosions across the flower-filled battleground. Despite Mai's attempt to pull Megan away, Megan insists on witnessing the end of this battle, emphasizing its potential importance for her future. Mai mentions that her drones are already recording the events, but Megan contends that experiencing it firsthand holds more personal significance since she feels the same pain as the vine zombie. Meanwhile, Nhia tends to Michael and Ezzy behind the RV, observing the spectacle from a distance. Unexpectedly, he is attacked from behind by the bandit he had previously incapacitated with a frying pan. Bleeding from his back, Nhia collapses forward, and the bandit, wielding a knife, asserts that the boss won't forgive him if they fail to emerge victorious.

With the knife-wielding bandit charging forward, Ezzy awakens and quickly positions herself in front of Nhia, taking the brunt of the attack as the knife penetrates her back. Astonishingly, the bandit witnesses the knife in his hand catching fire. A surge of flames emanates from Ezzy's back, scorching the bandit's arm and half of his face. The flames persist, and Ezzy embraces Nhia, absorbing the blood from his back wound. As the flames on her back subside, her injury heals, and with a flame dancing on the tip of her finger, she closes Nhia's wound. The scorched bandit wails in agony as he slowly approaches, but a blade suddenly pierces him from behind, lifting him off the ground. Nhia looks to see Rune has come to their rescue. Rune discards the lifeless bandit and notices Nakao struggling to pull Simbad away the near by magical explosions. Kiren arrives just in time to assist, pulling both of them to safety. Their attention is then drawn to pillars of flowers and blood emerging from the vine zombie's back and, simultaneously, pillars of vines sprouting from the boss's back. Thousands of vines wildly sweep across the battlefield, and a cascade of flower petals descends from the sky. The vine zombie embraces the boss, pleading for them to cease their battle, recognizing that they will be in endless cycle of pain. The flowers and vines from their backs continue to grow, reaching skyward. The boss screams in pain, questioning why the vine zombie couldn't be the perfect wife for him. Apologizing, the vine zombie asserts that it's time for all of this to end, acknowledging that perhaps they can't continue living in this way. 

Moved by these words, the boss reflects on the pain he inflicted on the vine zombie in the past. Realizing the depth of their connection, he declares that it's time for them to reunite with their family. Sharing a poignant kiss, a massive surge of magic emanates from their backs, intertwining vines and flowers to create a colossal flower tree. Witnessing the vine zombie and the boss becoming one with the flower tree in a beautiful setting, Megan wipes away her tears, contemplating that it may be impossible for her own freedom. Mai hands her a flower, suggesting this battle as a reminder of an alternative path to her freedom from Sam. Overwhelmed with emotion, Megan expresses her belief that despite her efforts to grow stronger, she remains entangled in the same struggles as Adam and Mai. She laments her apparent inability to break free from Sam and that she may be cursed for life. Offering support, Mai reassures Megan that there might be other ways for her to forge a new path in life. Suddenly, the distant explosion from the forest captures their attention. Kiren rushes towards the forest to witness the ongoing battle between Adam and Jean.

Adam gazes into Jean's eyes, astonished at how quick Henry has seized control of Jean's body. Speaking through Jean, Henry asserts that attempts to confine him are futile, and for every minor mistake Jean make, Henry will exploit the opportunity to fulfill his role as the Riders' boss. Jean's transforms more into his monkey monster form with Henry's magic. In a sudden burst of lightning speed, Adam appears in front of Jean, expressing that Jean doesn't deserve such a fate and that Henry should have died that day when the war ended. With a powerful swing of his bat, Adam strikes Jean's head, sending him crashing onto the ground, causing it to fracture. Jean quickly rises, repeatedly thrusting his katana into Adam's body, propelling him upwards. However, before Jean can pursue, Adam has already reappeared before him. Adam asserts that Henry is currently weaker than he was during the war, swinging his bat to send Jean hurtling across the forest, causing numerous trees to soar into the air. Abruptly, all airborne trees come to a halt as Henry's magic envelops them. The trees then darts toward Adam, who skillfully shatters each one with his bat. Jean, utilizing his monkey tail, springs back into the air, engaging in a clash with Adam. Henry remarks that although he may be weaker right now but eventually he's going to be stronger with enough time.

Adam then says that it's time for Jean to return to his body, overpowering him and sending him crashing into the ground. He directs his bat toward Jean, and a small beam of light energy emits from the tip of the bat, striking Jean in the chest. He focuses and channels his magic as his soul travels through this beam of light into Jean's body, projecting his spirit into Jean's realm. Within this realm, he witnesses Kayla and Jean bound in dark magic chains, only to see Henry atop the giant monkey monster. Unfazed, Henry laughs maniacally as they both charge towards Adam. Adam glares at them with an intense and ominous magical aura surrounding him, instilling fear in both Henry and the monkey. In response, Henry acknowledges Adam as the true monster in this scenario. Adam proceeds to shatter the chains binding Henry and Kayla. The monkey regains control and seizes Henry, who remarks that he is currently weakened. However, he ominously predicts that as Jean continues to make mistakes, Henry will gain more control over his body, unleashing their true powers. Henry envisions that once that time comes he will surpass Adam in power. The monkey consumes Henry, and they both fade away.

Returning to reality, Adam lifts Jean, who awakens. Adam tells him that Henry may prove to be a problem later down the future but he needs grow stronger mentally and spiritually to prevent Henry from resurfacing. Jean, in tears, apologizes for almost killing his friends under Henry's influence. He clings to Adam, and the rest of the group gathers around them. Mai informs Adam that the battle has concluded. They all turn to the beautiful flower tree and takes a moment to take in all that just occurred. Later that night, the Berry team settles near the beautiful flower tree. Mai engages in repairing the RV, while Michael utilizes his lightning magic to power it up. Exhausted, Michael collapses and admits he didn't anticipate expending so much energy in these pass few days, expressing the need for a substantial recharge. Ezzy promptly provides him with numerous car batteries for a quick replenishment, but Michael points out it may not be sufficient for a complete recharge, emphasizing the necessity for a more substantial energy source. Mai proposes visiting a nearby small city the following day to restock Michael's energy and utilize the radio tower to assess Jasee's current situation. Nhia reacts with excitement upon hearing the news, Mai also says that she was surprised to see Nhia in action, and he responds by mentioning that he also fought a lot in Nemura city during his youth when he was competing to become the overlord. Mai ponders for a moment and then looks at Rune.

The group then gathers around the campfire, and Mai raises questions about Rune's origins, hinting at the knowledge that he isn't an ordinary human. Simbad chuckles lightly, acknowledging Mai's observation, and Rune reclines onto his sleeping bag, expressing that he doesn't want to delve into his story but suggests that Simbad, who is familiar with most of his life, can provide the details to the rest of the group. Simbad, brimming with energy, rises and says that he still remembers word for word the day when Rune told him his past life. He then goes into explaining Rune's extraordinary strength, emphasizing that Rune, even in his youth, displayed the potential to become the most formidable swordsman. Simbad reveals Rune's origins as he is from a powerful lineage of superhumans residing in the distant east of Terra, specifically in the Kingdom of Nara. In this kingdom lies magic users who can manifest battle armor using their magic and soul. Jean expresses heightened excitement upon learning this revelation, while Mai promptly documents Rune's story on her laptop. Nakao comments that the Nara Kingdom is strictly off-limits to everyone else in the world due to its extreme dangerous environment for regular humans. Simbad affirms this and clarifies that Rune's story predates the time before the Nara Kingdom became a dangerous place. Mai takes a brief pause and recalls that the Nara Kingdom used to be a peaceful place, but that was a century ago. Rune, feeling embarrassed, closes his eyes and covers his ears with his hands. Kiren then shockly points out that Rune must be over a hundred years old. Simbad acknowledges that Rune indeed hails from the Nara Kingdom during that time period and urges everyone to reserve their questions, assuring that he will address them all at the conclusion of the storytelling.

Adam, showing a mild interest, ignores Simbad and questions that if Rune is from such a potent family, then why he appears relatively weak now. Rune, turning away from the group, admits discomfort with the topic. Simbad, with a serious voice assures them that he will delve into that aspect but urges them to hear Rune's complete story first. He tells everyone to get ready for a long story telling. He then shifts his chair closer to the campfire, ensuring that everyone except Rune is facing him. Clearing his throat, Simbad puts on his old glasses. Assuming an air of utmost seriousness for storytelling, he gazes into the flames of the campfire and commences the tale of Rune. Disclosing Rune's full name as Runica Silver.