The good news was that I improved my time from the start by using an ice field with anchor skating. Five minutes dropped from my time. The bad news was, I still wasn’t fast enough. My friends were already engaged in battle. On the plus side, I got to see Rocky alive. That didn’t last long, though. A light flashed, and he vanished into the ether.

On my fiftieth attempt, I reduced the resistance of my shoes by replacing the flat bottom with a sharp edge. I realized that my feet were no longer contributing to my speed, as it was the strength of my anchor pull that I relied on. With that understanding in mind, I found that my feet created too much friction. It took several days in my mindscape to get used to the new bladed shoes. Another five minutes dropped from my time.

Each minute shaved off my time and allowed me to watch more of the battle. I had no idea my friends fought for so long. My experience had been that they died quickly upon entering the field. The scenarios told a much different story. But how? How could they survive for so long? They were just templars, after all. More questions for later.

Three months passed in my realm; it was only a week outside. Every fifteen days, I’d take a break from my mindscape to care for myself and ensure I didn’t repeat my mistakes in my last life. The last thing I wanted was for an angry druid to attack me while I was running scenarios.

I honed my techniques over thousands of trials, improving my anchoring, sliding, and navigating through the forest. As I raced through the woods, trees were dodged at the last second so I could use them as a windblock. Double anchors propelled me forward, and the blades on my feet were long and thin.

I took a deep breath as I stepped out of the clearing. This was the first time I completed the race at my new speed. Another four minutes shaved off my time. I was still three minutes too slow.

Lana, Rocky, and Flint fought side by side, their strength bolstered by two light barriers. Dark mana had been released on the battlefield, creating a war between the opposing energy. My squad was in the thick of the battle, fighting for their lives. It seemed that the empire and flayens were targeting them. The fact that my friends could endure the struggle for so long greatly impressed me and stirred up more questions.

This last race was as fast as I could go. Only three minutes stood between my friends and me. It might as well be a lifetime. It wouldn’t matter how many times I simulated the process or changed my techniques. Any improvement I did in my mindscape would only shave off seconds. I needed to find another path.

“I’ve reached my limit,” I said to Cal. The flayen had returned from doing flight experiments. He had a rather mirthful look on his face. The smile was expected. It was no secret that Cal loved to fly—the flayen and bird had become one. He’d often whisper his name to himself when he thought I couldn’t hear: ‘Calypso Beaks of Thunder.’ However, this smile was more than the thrill of flight. The smile was a satisfied grin. It was smug. The Beaks of Thunder discovered something, and he was proud of it.

“I had a breakthrough.” Cal shifted into his flayen form and padded me on the shoulder. “Watch this.” Cal scooped up a fallen leaf, held it high, and dropped it. The leaf fell towards me, and I had to turn sideways to not block its fall. It hit the ground a second later, two feet behind me.

“There’s a slight breeze,” I said.

“Slight breeze?” Cal acted offended. “You are fighting a headwind.”

“You’re being dramatic. The leaf barely moved. Besides, I’m already using trees as cover.”

“We need to change your angle of approach.”

“I’m trying to go as straight as possible.”

“That is your problem.” Calypso’s smile widened. “Going straight creates too much resistance. You need to take this at an angle.”

“I’m already two miles behind. Increasing the distance I have to travel isn’t the solution.”

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

“But it is,” Cal said, excitement in his voice. “It is. I have run this simulation nearly as many times as you. Like you, I thought I reached the point where I couldn’t get faster. I thought it was a matter of skill, so I did the same thing repeatedly, hoping to get faster. My technique was not the problem. Then I thought it was my form. I focused on my shape and feathers. Things got worse before they got better.”

“You look the same.”

“My form was not the issue either. The blasted wind is the issue.”

I looked at the flayen, open to the idea, but hesitant to let my hopes build.

“Six and a half minutes,” Cal said.

“You cut off ninety seconds?”

“I think it will be more than that for you. I want you to increase my form by double, then stay close behind me.”

“OK.”

“The first few rounds do not count. This is going to take some practice and teamwork.”

“We’re gonna need more than a few rounds.”

“Just use that sharp mind of yours, and we will be fine.”

I did as Cal asked, adding more mana to his falcon form—allowing him to grow twice the size. Cal took flight immediately, swooping around close by. Hopefully, he was getting a feel for his larger form and was not expecting me to follow. I didn’t feel like running circles. He landed a moment later.

“Ready?” He asked.

I nodded, and we got to work. We spent every last moment training until my time expired.

I woke up to the sound of feet trampling through the forest. A mana-enriched breeze stirred the forest. Wild energy to the north had been unveiled. The rustling noises rapidly moved away from me toward the chaotic energy.

I closed my eyes, steadying my breathing and readying my body. This attempt was going to be the one that I won. This was no simulation.

Beaks burst into action as soon as he was summoned. The large falcon flew at a forty-five-degree angle from our destination. Banking and weaving through trees.

Ice blades formed under my feet, and a layer of ice paved a path that followed Beaks. I connected to a tree on my path using two anchors and slingshotted myself forward.

Cal dove lower, wings wide, catching the air and gliding effortlessly. I dropped behind him, aligning myself with his path. The pressure eased. The slipstream behind her cut through the air like a blade. I crouched low and stayed close to Cal, letting the falcon create a tunnel through the air.

We angled left back to the main path. Another two anchors shot out, latching onto a sturdy branch. I pulled hard, maintaining a tight form. Cal flew a few feet in front of me. He barreled through the air and guided us on our path that never stretched more than fifty yards before switching back.

The distance was longer, but we flew by trees. With less resistance, travel felt effortless. I was able to add more strength to every pull without fear of wearing out.

I hit the five-mile mark in record time. It felt like we were gaining on my friends. At two miles, I could hear them running clearly. When I had one mile left, I could see vague silhouettes of three people blazing through the forest.

Every last bit of will and strength was dumped into my technique. My body and spirit were tired, but I pushed on. We were so close. Each pull got me a little bit closer. Details of my friends were no longer vague. I could see them clearly. Only Five hundred yards between us.

“Lana!”

“Flint!”

“Rocky!”

Four hundred yards until I reached the clearing. My friends had half of that.

“Stop.”

“Please stop.”

Cal burst forward with tremendous speed, hoping to deter them for a second. I could see the back of Lana’s head. I could smell the faint aromas of her flowery perfume. Cal landed in front of my squad as a flayen, only to be blasted by a bright ray of light that disintegrated him.

I reached the clearing less than two hundred yards behind my friends. My squad kept their face pace towards the battlefield, crossing through the mana domains with ease. I couldn’t follow at my speed. The domains were tricky to navigate, and I didn’t have trees close by to anchor to.

We were so close. Just not close enough. My heart pumped wildly, and my breathing was out of control. I reached for a tree for support as I regained my breath, forcing myself to swallow. I wouldn’t watch my friends die this time. Snowpiercer formed in my hand.