He honestly should have guessed it from her hair and eye colours. They screamed ‘Nature’ at him.

The girl got so excited that she lost her composure again and stretched her hand out for a handshake.

“I am Aura Sylvancrest. You didn’t tell me your name yet.”

Ragnar looked at her hand that hung in mid-air and demanded in his casual tone.

“You can call me… Lord Ragnar”

Aura awkwardly retracted her hand as she gave a forced smile.

“Okay… Ragnar.”

She got a reply instantly as Ragnar continued in his casual tone.

“I will allow it once since it was the first time. But if you don’t add Lord next time you say my name, then we will have to take another trip to the underground.”

It was only fair since he does not consider her to be his equal, how could he allow her to call him directly by his name. Shouldn’t it be something reserved for people that he recognised.

Aura looked pitiful right now. She felt like she was walking on eggshells whenever she opened her mouth to speak. So, after calculating for a few seconds, she said hesitatingly.

“Alright… Lord Ragnar. Should we start heading back to HCR now?”

Hearing her calling him as such, Ragnar felt like it was only natural. It didn’t feel awkward in the slightest. At least for him. He said after some deliberation.

“How far are we from the HCR?”

Aura had her doubts about why he wouldn’t know that but she thought she would be better off not asking.

“About 700 kilometres, I would say.”

Ragnar had a feeling that it would be like this. It was still doable though, so he was not mad about it.

“How long did it take you to get here?”

Aura thought for a bit before she replied.

“About a day. If we start now, we should be there by tomorrow evening. We will have to spend one night in the Evergrows though.”

One day didn’t sound too bad. Ragnar was ready to go but he needed to retrieve his prize.

“Hmm… You can start heading back. I’ll be right behind you.”

Aura didn’t seem to think too much about it as she prepared her ride for the journey ahead. The dinosaur like creature had already calmed down by now and was looking energetic. It had a saddle on its back but there was only space for one person on it. If someone was really desperate then they could technically fit two people on its back. But they would have to be completely stuck together with no space In between them.

After readying the mount, Aura looked back at him with an awkward expression as she inquired in a meek tone.

“Umm… There is only space for one person here… So…”

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Ragnar looked at her with confusion apparent in his eyes.

“I can see that. I asked you to start heading back. I can travel on my own.”

She did not inquire any further as she got on her mount with haste that still managed to retain her elegance. As if the mount would leave without her if she didn’t hurry.

“Alright, I will be going then.”

She did not bother to deal with the corpses of her late comrades as she directly headed in the direction of the Rift.

Seeing her leave, Ragnar also disappeared into the ground, appearing at the spot where he had left the Queen. Taking her body with him, he started following Aura into the lush jungle.

He had a feeling he was forgetting something but it probably wasn’t anything important if he couldn’t even remember it.

She was fast but it was still manageable for Ragnar even while underground. His body floated inside the Earth as he followed her like a shadow.

She seemed to know her way around the jungle. Her mount wasn’t very fast but it covered the terrain with such agility like it was his own backyard.

After travelling for not more than 10 mins, Aura seemed anxious. She kept looking around as if she was looking for something. She only travelled for another minute like that before she stopped.

‘Why does it seem like she is actually scared that I might have lost her?’

She just stood in place, looking around for a few seconds with a worried face before she made up her mind and spoke.

“Rag-… No, Lord Ragnar? Are you there?”

Before she could speak again, she saw a giant purple Ant emerge in front of her.

Her body suddenly jolted into action as she held out her hand. A shimmering orange sabre appeared from empty air as she prepared for battle. But before she could take any further action, she noticed Ragnar emerge from behind the massive Ant.

He had a slight grin on his face as he inquired.

“What? Wanna fight?”

Aura hurriedly made the sabre disappear as she noticed the gaping holes in the body of the massive ant. It was quite clear that it was dead. She spoke with a hint of panic.

“N-No, of course not. I was just worried that I had lost you.”

After speaking it out loud, Aura realised how her words might suggest something she did not mean. But before she could correct herself, she heard Ragnar speak.

“Just keep moving. I will be right behind you.”

She forgot about her previous blunder as she felt the need to reply to his words like a soldier getting orders from their lieutenant.

“O-Okay”

After hearing her reply Ragnar disappeared back into the Earth along with the massive Ant, as Aura’s mouth hung open. She really wanted to inquire about the Quaraxi he was carrying but she could only sigh and leave it for next time.

She knew that it was one of the Quaraxi since she had seen their depictions before. However, the ones she had seen only came in brown and black colour. Never had she heard of one that was purple. A wild thought had crept up her mind about the purple Quaraxi’s identity but she rejected it as soon as it came. It couldn’t be possible.

They travelled through massive leaves and even through fallen tree trunks. The path seemed to have formed naturally, but at the same time, a human touch was visible in some of the regions.

Aura knew exactly where she was going as her movements showed no hesitation. She changed directions at random places but they somehow weren’t interrupted by a single Shifted on the way.

She did not speak after that as they continued silently through the dense foliage. Ragnar could not have spoken even if he wanted to, unless he came out of the Earth.

As they moved further and further towards the HCR, Ragnar started noticing a pattern In the Jungle. The huge trees as well as the flora surrounding them, appeared as if they were getting smaller.

The trees, the leaves, the vines, the weird looking plants that covered the jungle in a mysterious colour of red and violet, all seemed to be getting smaller at a fixed rate. The further they moved, the more noticeable it became.

Previously, if they were large enough that their top wasn’t even visible, now they were as huge as skyscrapers back on Earth. They still weren’t anywhere near the size of normal Jungle trees but they were getting there.

By this time, the Jungle had already started to dim a little as darkness seemed to be encroaching upon the unsuspecting flora.

But it was only with darkness that the real beauty of this Jungle was revealed to Ragnar.

The leaves, the vines, the multicoloured plants, all started radiating an ethereal glow as the Jungle got more and more picturesque with the growing night. If Ragnar had to guess than they were all flowing with Raw Essence, just like the viridescent crystals in the Quaraxi Nest.

But the Jungle looked like it was out of a fairy tale. In fact, no fairy tale could ever capture the beauty that darkness brought out from this menacing Jungle.

***