Explanation

At Heat's command, gigantic snakes with their mouth's wide open, bearing large fangs emerged from glowing purple patches beneath each amaroq, swallowing them whole and continuing to move in an upward trajectory until they were as tall as the tallest trees. The serpents then just as quickly, disappeared back into the ground. Heat fell to his knees, panting heavily.

Mel was shaken to the core, she slowly dragged herself away from Heat.

"The Sons of Apep? How?"

As she moved, her fingers healed and her spine fixing back into place; she immediately got up to run.

"Wait! Don't go!"

Heat spoke differently—his tone was different, he sounded more like the person she spoke to the day before.

She froze, frightened by the thought of being dragged into nobody knows where by a giant serpent.

"There's a trap waiting for you when you take your next step. I can feel it in the ground."

Mel picked up a stick and put in the where Heat pointed out; several arrows hit the stick. Mel turned to the exhausted amen. He tried to kill her just some minutes ago, and now he saved her life.

"The trap was probably set by the person in that tree." Heat pointed to a girl hiding in a tree not too far from them.

Another arrow headed straight for Mel; she dodged it and quickly pulled her knife out of the tree. Mel then picked the other knife while dodging the arrows raining at her. She threw her knife at a tree halfway to the girl shooting arrows. It stabbed the tree and Mel leaped towards it by pulling the thread attached to the knife. Midair, she threw the other knife where the girl was hiding repeated the same move, leaping to her destination. However, just before she got to the girl, an arrow grazed her shoulder, managing to alter her direction. Mel landed back on the forest floor and waved her fingers—the knife close to the unsuspecting attacker spun and sliced her neck.

After killing the amaroq, Mel went over to Heat, who was weak and resting against a tree.

"Why did you help me?"

"I don't have to answer," he replied.

"Considering the power you used to kill those packs of amaroqs, you could've easily taken down that shooter. But you alerted me and enjoyed the show."

"You call watching a knife go through someone's neck a show? I bet the Saw movies put a broad smile on your face." Heat tried to stand up, but fell back to his feet.

"Unfortunately, I haven't seen any yet but thanks for the recommendation." Mel moved closer and sat next to Heat. "You seem too tired and weak to move. I'll take you home if you answer one question."

"You tried to kill me, now I'm weak and powerless. You have your two weird knives in your hand and yet you're offering to take me home?"

"Honestly, I really wanted to ice you after that girl, but then I sensed something different about you."

"Sensed what?"

"Do you remember the technique you used to kill the amaroqs?"

"Yes. It was…" Heat paused for a while. "Wait, kill which amaroqs? You're the only one who killed today."

"What? You even tried to kill me!"

"I don't kill!"

There was a sudden silence.

Mel drew closer. "Do you remember us fighting?"

"Yes, I do."

"Do you remember attacking me with my knife?"

"I think so."

"Do you remember an arrow knocking it out of your hands?"

"What arrow?"

"HAHAHA!!" Mel burst into laughter and laid herself on the ground. "Immense power which depletes your memory of using it after you use too much of it at once…that explains everything! So that's why you said you didn't remember trying to kill me. You were not joking. It all makes sense now, how you summoned the sons of Apep."

"Oi! You seem too happy! What's wrong? What's happening to me?"

"There's just something about hopeless causes that makes me smile. You wanna know what's wrong with you? Tell me something; what exactly do you know about the spa you're harboring within you?"

"I only know that it's from Lord Hebi."

"Oh, that makes sense then."

"Oi, you still haven't told me what is wrong with me."

"You? Oh yeah, you're cursed."

"Cursed? I thought having the spa of the most powerful amen is some kinda blessing," Heat said as he finally stood up.

Mel also rose to her feet and the two of them walked together. The two who were fighting against each other a few minutes ago, were now walking together like nothing happened. To Heat who remembered nothing everything was normal. To Mel who remembers everything, it was kind of weird.

"Most powerful? A blessing? Ha! I guess it can't be helped; you are surrounded by the wrong people. Lord Hebi was never the strongest amen. True, he was regarded as the first amen with the knowledge of spa, but there were others whose powers rivaled his, even surpassing. Like Sennin, or Shinigami, Hebi was pretty much a second tier in terms of power. Secondly, having that spa in you doesn't mean it's a blessing. Do you have any idea how many years it starved? It lacked a host, and now it has you."

Heat did not say anything but kept silent as they walked.

"By the way, it's getting late; shouldn't you be at home with your little siblings?" Mel asked.

"Summer hut in Togo!"