"So that is the Valley-Riders notified, have I missed anything, Secretary Kurid?" I asked one of my many gathered members of staff. And as they went about checking, I made a point of seeing if any had any hidden objections.

"No, that would be everyone, Founding-Lord Brewbrt." she gracefully answered back as she finished compiling all her notes. So, with a firm nod, I rose to my feet and headed over to my piled-up gear. I had practically emptied the armoury, so I had to ensure it was all safe and secure. And with a few small, but potent spells, I tested their anti-theft measures.

The mild blast it caused shocked most of those behind me. Although, their gasps and twitches brought a brief smile to my face. The more concerned looks, however, made quick work of that smile. And I had to prepare myself to put up with any criticism they might've had.

If only so it could be put on record...

"I can't say I particularly endorse this behaviour, Founding-Lord." one of them had to say.

"I don't need your approval, only your awareness of what I choose."

"Yes, I am aware, but as an advisor and hopefully a good friend, we have to insist that you stay here. Your adventuring days are long behind you and you want to set out with some girl!?"

"That girl is the daughter of one of my closest friends. A friend I have spilt blood with for many years. I will not leave her alone to wander this wartorn continent."

"It's one girl versus the entire settlement you helped create! Generations have lived here and you know it!"

"And I still owe more to this girl I have met twice than the entire town." I tell them all coldly before I hoist the large bag onto my back. Easing the weight being put through me with a counteractive spell. Then, I walked off.

"Well, either way, all the best, Founding-Lord Brewbrt." my secretary bid.

"All the same, you have your improved guards, constabulary and walls and all manner of new defences. You'll be fine." I tell them with a lighter tone before I made a brief gesture to indicate my departure. Yet, as the girls were not gathered up at the entrance, I instead lumbered my way towards the room they had moved on to sharing.

"Somebody is decked out..." Vadei commented with a clear measure of awe as my armour came to a clanking halt in time with myself.

"Only the best for Einervaene." I answered as the girl in question stepped out with her own equipment. However, that was all she stepped out of the room with. My distaste for it, though, was only shown via a slight expression. And my contingency rested within the large bag on my back.

"Morning, Brewbrt." she greeted anxiously as she tried to breathe out some of her worries.

"Morning, now, off we go." I tell the pair as I swiftly turn around. And once we made it to the entrance of my manor, I blew open the doors and let them go out first.

"So how are we...?" Einervaene began to ask me as she took hold of Vadei's hand for whatever reason.

"Leaving?" I think I finished correctly for her as I started to rise effortlessly into the air. Albeit, it felt strange to do so with this much luggage. It really has been a while since I have done something like this... Yet, when I rose into the air, lightning struck up.

And in the sky above, laughter echoed down.

"Oh, so it is like that?" I asked them even if they couldn't hear me. I would not be able to compete like this, though. So I touched the ground again and felt out for my magic. In a way, I felt like I was dusting an old memoir.

It was all so clear to me but I needed a moment to take it in. Then, with a boom greater than the thunder trailing the girls. I rocketed skyward and parted clouds as I gave chase. And I did so with an even greater smile on my face as Einervaene rubbed in her talent.

Gone was the girl who had stumbled into the pitfall of blood magic. Instead, I saw someone who has trained and honed her skills. Maybe not in battle and travelling as I have. But she has grown tremendously.

So casually was she converted to and from this lightning bolt form of hers. And to do so with an attached passenger? It was a very impressive sight I had to admit. Almost made me want to go even further with my own speed.

But, I also wanted to show off a little, so, when we reached a valley with cliff-like sides. I dove straight down the cliff face. Grinning as the world blurred before I used a powerful blast to carve myself a route. And with the power added on by that blast.

I went straight back up into the clouds. Even going so far as to interrupt the duo by parting the clouds they were heading towards. Yet, as I turned around. Einervaene couldn't help but make a casual taunt.

"Would you like me to go-" she started to say before she suddenly appeared next to me, "-slower?"

"How about... YOU KEEP UP!?" I started to say back to her before I shot far ahead of her. Yet, even though I did not know which way we technically had to go. She was more than happy to give chase and she quickly caught up.

"Slow!" she quipped as she briefly appeared once more.

"Only because I am carrying more." I remark with a knowing smile before I notice her suddenly stopping on a freshly formed flat peak. So, I whirled about the mountain and disrupted its snow-belt before I finally arrived in the air near the pair.

"So is it more that way?" Einervaene asked her friend as she held down one of her braided tails.

"I could not really say... I don't come up here often." Vadei nervously laughs as her feet press about the charred mountain top.

"Which landmarks are there in particular?" I decide to ask as I use my magic to bring out a very useful artefact of mine. A very old but well-restored map of the globe. An ancient device that showed our entire planet in such detail that I could zoom in and we'd see ourselves.

How it worked... I had no clue. But I really appreciated its existence, it had led me on so many new adventures! Just sit back and let it spin in your hands!

"There! About there!" Vadei exclaimed after I had altered the map to show us somewhat.

"So that would be that way, then." I tell the pair as I shoot the device back into storage before firing another spell to lead their eyes.

"First one th-" Einervaene began to speed out before she vanished. And I huffed in amusement.

"Very well." I answered back as I shot after her. Replicating my trick from earlier a dozen times over before I just let myself drop to the ground. A distinct feeling of exhaustion now overtakes me as I realise the distance I just had to travel.

"Tired already?" Einervaene asked me, clearly tired herself after she struck the earth.

"Okay... Bit over here... No? More this way?" Vadei asked herself quietly as she clearly got to work trying to find a scent.

"You travel with little friction, you know?" I point out to her. Striking up some conversation as her friend did whatever it was she was doing.

"I..." she huffed, "Have had a lot of practice against something that pushes back against me."

"Right, right, Thrurstradtur's security systems." I remark as I recall the environment that created. Flying was already a hard-to-learn skill. But that neighbouring city made the students who did fly at Suhurlodst all the better. A situation I am sure they appreciated quite a lot.

Personally, I learned to fly away from the city. Oddly enough, it was one of the first things I learnt now that the thought came to mind. But, I also have had a consistent, deep appreciation for those who could soar across the skies. There was something so beautiful about it that drove me the way it did.

The part it played in my eventual nickname was also certainly clear.

"It feels so weird travelling out here, I have to admit. It only gets easier even as I grow tired." she explains.

"Yeah, but if you headed a bit further south, you'd get caught in the returning winds." I tell her as I start to recall a greater force than Thrurstradtur's pride. The power of Jhroungijherammujhernosumonaterikra itself. With so much magic being called back to the mountain... It created an odd way of things.

Normally, magic got weaker as you travelled away from that great mountain and the dense population centres. But, with how the winds returned to their stone mother, it meant the strongest areas also existed far, far away. Dragons loved it, of course. So it was nice that most of these places existed in the skies above.

"I wasn't travelling too fast for you... Right?" she then nervously asks me all of a sudden.

"Maybe, I had to pull out a few old tricks to keep up with you." I tell her as I give her a reassuring pat. And I revelled in the pride-induced embarrassment that covered her face then after.

"I'll... M-Make sure to take it slower." she comments as she tries to hide behind her braided tails.

"Don't worry, once we get where we need to, I can unload my gear and I can show you a real race if you are up for it."

"The old need to rest..." she remarked with an innocent expression before I flashed some magic in front of her.

"Respect your elders, Einervaene." I playfully tell her as her friend finishes up with what she needed to do.

.

.

.

"Hm, back here sooner than I had hoped..." I comment as I take the final step up the hill before I look down at my home. Yet, while I was upset by the circumstances that led to my return. I couldn't help but smile at how much my home had grown.

It was like a town now! All the stuff that the others had built years ago was in use and it was so crowded compared to before! It made my heart light with delight and I couldn't help but get excited. So, once they caught up, I ran down the hill giggling like a child.

Much to the confusion of those near this end of the village as well. But I did not let that stop me from dashing all the way into the centre of the village. And, with a final jump, I came to a halt and looked about with a bright smile. A smile that only grew when it became clear that many recognised me.

"Hey! Vadei is back!" someone let out before a crowd started to form.

"Unexpected..." I laugh awkwardly as I try to greet as many as I could before a different feeling set in. Though they were being careful with all that magic, it was clear the others felt it.

"Who are they...?" one concerned voice asked as I stared off at my friend.

"They're with me!" I confidently declared with a puffed-out chest and a little teehee.

"Woah!" one of the pups let out as their tail wagged in excitement. Yet, even amongst all the people I had to smell, one smell in particular stood out.

"Welcome home." Mom greeted me from the edge of the crowd. And, as if there was never any distance between us. I was soon holding her tightly.

"Hello, Mom!" I greeted back as she quickly got over the shock and hugged me back.

"I admit, I haven't prepared enough for three, but, I can certainly make a point of changing that now." she joked as she jingled her well-stuffed purse.

"There haven't been many problems...?" I ask her as I started to worry about their economic situation. Dad was the one who worked after all...

"No, all the buildings you and your friends built had no official owners. So, the village went to the courts over the matter and they ended up in my possession." she informs me.

"Well, look at you, Landlady!" I laugh out happily as I hug my mom once again. Keeping it up as my friend and her guardian arrived in the village. Yet, to my astonishment, they all still showed more interest in me than them.

"I feel very awkward here..." I comment as the pressure of fame got to me.

"We best head out back, then." Mom whispered as she guided me towards a quiet, garden-like path. Einervaene, however, did not lose me because of that, and she arrived again.

"Long time no see, Wastla." Einervaene greeted as Brewbrt came lumbering in behind her. And, I had to admit, he did look quite intimidating when I saw him from this perspective. At the end of a narrow back path, that is. Felt strange suddenly imagining him charging down at us.

"Oh! Einervaene...?" Mom tried to recall before she smiled at her nod. However, she knew full well that she did not know Brewbrt.

"That's Brewbrt." I tell her before she suddenly reacts in a way I did not expect.

"Sky Bomber Brewbrt!?" she exclaims, much to the surprise of us all.

"Now that is amusing." Brewbrt laughs as Mom suddenly moves closer to him to get a good look.

"My husband brought back quite a few stories about you when he went out of town..." Mom explained before she straightened herself out.

"Hi." Brewbrt said.

"I'm Wastla." Mom nervously told him as Brewbrt nodded in acknowledgement.

"The one and only," Brewbrt said before he elicited the strangest of reactions from Mom by tickling one of her ears.

"Mom!" I bark at her as she backed away with a distinct, schoolgirl blush.

"Not sorry." Brewbrt mocks me with before Einervaene steps in front of him.

"Is it alright if we stay the night, Wastla?" Einervaene asks Mom as I start to smile at the thought of one more night with my friend.

"Of course! What kind of woman would I be if I let one of the witches who saved our village and my daughter stay out in the cold? Come, come!" Mom answered as she reversed course and took us home. To my increased delight as well, I saw a bee.

"You restored my garden!" I cheer as I laugh at the bee before it dove down at one of my flowers. Mom even went the extra length and replanted the flowers I got for Dad specifically before it all went bad...

"Somehow, even as the village's first noble, I had a lot of time on my hands."

"Noble?"

"Yes, Vadei, I am now officially a title-holding lady as otherwise I wouldn't legally be able to have all this property."

"But.. H-How...!?" I exclaim as I was pretty sure being a noble required inheritance and a family to go with it!

"Don't you worry about a thing." was all Mom had to tell me as she pinched my cheek before she brought us through my garden.

"Is that...?" Conquei squeaked as she peaked her head out from the house's entrance.

"You want to come here and greet me properly?" I asked my sister as I grinned and held out my arms. But, unfortunately, it was not to be and she shirked away at the sight of Brewbrt. So, instead, I headed on up to her and did it on her terms.

"I missed you..." she quietly muttered against me as she tried to hide something as well.

"You won't have to worry about missing me ever again now. I'll be staying here now." I tell her before I heard Mom come in.

"Are you all done with your studies, then? Did the others not want to visit again? Even Nin would've been wel-"

"Mom, no. It's a bit complicated but... I'll explain when Einervaene and Brewbrt have gone."

"Oh, alright." Mom responds, she then nods in understanding.

"I got something to show you..." Conquei whispered into my ear before she began to desperately pull at me as the others came in. And, with a slight smile back on my face, I picked up the pace. Slipping into our old room before I stared at my side.

"Aw, you left my side." I joked. But, who knew, maybe that is what she wanted to show me! I would've cackled a bit if so.

"No... I... Look what... Look what I have managed to do!" she nervously declared as she shakily held up a drawing for me. And I smiled as I looked at it. I could clearly tell one of them was her, but the others were...

"You made some friends?" I asked her as a sense of pride filled me. It was strange, but I remembered well the promise I had her make. Yet, I could not understand why she was seemingly starting to cry as she nodded.

"Y-Yeah... I made some... Some good friends." she admitted as a big smile dominated her face.

"Well done." was all I could really think of as a response before I hugged her one more time.

"N-Now that you're back! I can go get them and show them all the sister I am proud of!" she explained, her shaky voice full of excitement.

"I would like that." I tell her before we both catch onto a scent wafting into our room. So, I opened up the door and looked back at the main room of the house. Mom had clearly started cooking but what was it? It smelled so unfamiliar yet it had a potent... Welcomeness to it.

Whatever it was, it smelled delicious.

"What's this?" I asked as I reached the end of the bedroom hallway.

"I was going to cook some mutton stew for dinner but Brewbrt has sort of..." Mom tried to explain as I finished coming out into the central room.

Then, as I briefly looked over at Einervaene, "Sorry, he just dove into his bag and pulled something out and now..."

He was rambling as he went about cooking.

"He better not ruin dinner." I complain as I cross my arms before I look back at my sister. And for the moment, I tried encouraging her to come on out. She was safe with me and my friend.

"Long time no see, Conquei!" Einervaene chirped as my sister hid. Some parts in my shadow, other bits just behind the furniture. Which, had noticeably improved since I was last here. The house had clearly been renovated since we were last here.

"Now... Hm... I think I can find some of that up in the mountains... That one should do." Brewbrt mumbled as he suddenly got up and went out into my garden.

"HEY! NO FLYING OFF NEAR MY FLOWERS!" I angrily snap, breaking him out of this careless trance he seemed to have put himself in.

"My apologies." he said to me before he scooted over the wall before he blasted off. And, regardless of if it was intentional or not, the blast of wind that came my way angered me.

"GODS DAMN YOU!" I scream up at him before I made a point of making sure my flowers were all safe. Though, I suppose, these were all Moms as I had not played a part in their growth at all.

"I know you probably had a plan for them, but, I tried my best to fix it up for you." Mom tells me as she comes out to help me with the precise cleaning.

"I would already be idiotic for expecting more than this... I honestly didn't even expect it at all. So, again, Mom, thank you."

"I h-helped as well..." Conquei called out from inside the house.

"Which ones did you do?" I asked her as my ears and tail perked up. To hear that made me happy. If only because it was an issue long before that I had to guard my flowers against her.

"I... Brought in the bees..." she tells me as she flinches away from the sight of the active house.

"Wow..." I let out with some awe knowing how skittish she had become since I saved her.

"She did, she had a little help but she and her friends went on a little adventure and helped some bees move in."

"The Tale of Conquei and the Empty Beehouse." I laughed out, much to her embarrassment.

"However, I hope you don't mind me helping out a little more with the garden from now on, Vadei. I've grown quite attached to all of this." Mom told me.

"That's fine, I need to make up for lost time anyway." I tell her with a smile before a distant bang grabbed our ear's attention. It came from the mountain and whatever it was, it was bringing a lot of mess this way.

"This is a first." Einervaene commented as she glanced at the disturbed snow as it fell down on us from the mountain.

"Yes, Brewbrt coming here is a first..." I grumble before I found myself flinching when a snowflake hit my nose. I haven't been beside snow often. The most I have ever seen it was when I was with Vapooliar travelling up to Suhurlodst...

And, when I thought about it, I was amazed by how long ago that was. It was three years or something. Maybe more, but it was about that long, I think. It feels weird acknowledging that I have been without the warmth of my home for nearly as long.

When I was younger, I could have never conceived it... I had been on quite the adventure since the fateful night those slavers came. And to even know that there was someone who has been doing this for centuries... And he was right up there.

Heading straight back to us...

"You better not..." I growl before he impacts in the woods beyond our garden wall. Yet, I was fine with that landing. So I smiled in relief and watched with curiosity as the human came stumbling out of the trees.

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

"What did you go to get, Brewbrt?" Einervaene questions as she steps back alongside the gate she had just opened.

"Roots, only ones that grow under the snow."

"There are edible roots up there...?" Mom let out in bewilderment as Brewbrt went about bashing the frozen soil all over the place.

"You don't want the roots, though, you want this!" he exclaims as he revealed a strange gemstone-like object.

"What is that?"

"Amber-rich ice." he answered before he carelessly flicked it into the pot. A loud crash then came as he dropped down onto his bottom.

"Can the roots be used?" Mom asked as she went about picking them all up before sniffing them. She then sneezed all of a sudden.

"Bless you."

"Thank you, Vadei, so, well?" she thanked first before she put them down on a tray near Brewbrt.

"I guess if you wanted. But they are a very tough thing. Not good for much other than long-cooked brew." he explained as Mom did a little bit of testing with one of her knives.

"I see what you mean..."

"Do you want to go for a walk or something?" I then decided to ask Einervaene as she came back to the house. Mom would probably be occupied perpetually by our newest chef at this rate. I didn't bother asking my sister, though. Because she had gone back into our room even having heard that.

"Sure, I would like to see how the stuff we built is doing." Einervaene answers.

.

.

.

"How come you are out here so late? You need to rest, Einervaene." Brewbrt asked me as he approached me from behind.

"Sorry, I was reminiscing." I told him as I stared out at the fields before the mountain. I was glad to see that the signs of our victory were all still here. It clearly worked at serving as a warning in our absence. But the presence of oxfuinei guards indicated a general change of fortunes for this place.

I was glad about that, Vadei would not be shouldering her new burdens alone.

"I take it you were thinking about the last time you were here?"

"Yes, yes I was."

"Mind telling me?" he asked as he placed his back against a thick stump of wood.

"It hadn't been long since we crossed the great canyon eastwards to save Vadei's people." I start to explain as I look back at the village.

"You went beyond Redstone? Impressive given what is going on in that direction." Brewbrt lets out.

"Vadei piloted our airship around the larger ones... Though, at Nin's behest, we did try our best to get a closer look." I explained further before I found myself annoyed at how the topic went.

"It must've been quite the sight to see Thurn's Forge from that angle. I've only ever seen it from the roads leading up to it from the south."

"You've never been there yourself?"

"No, this war between them and the Seven-Peaks Union has been going on for a long time. A very long time. Unless I went in with the appropriate mark, which would've put me under their draft, I would've never got in. So, I never did."

"I see... So, we went across and back, obviously." I said before I carried on explaining. And I giggled slightly at that comment.

"Jealous, I have to admit, seeing that view twice." he comments with a bemused expression. And while I focused on the scar near his eye. My mind slowly got to work remembering the journey.

"Which then brings us here. It was empty, completely. But, it wasn't because everyone had been abducted. At least, not by slavers."

"Osibindah were here." he said as he caught on quickly.

"Yes, so we went into their hive looking for them..." I say as I moved ahead to find the signs of our efforts more directly. And I gestured for Brewbrt as I did so.

"You didn't leave that hive particularly bothered, did you?" he then asked me.

"No, despite seeing what I did. I don't think about it much."

"Atta girl, I know it is not pleasant within those earthen halls of theirs."

"No, it wasn't... Especially seeing what they do..." I uncomfortably comment as some feint memories come back to me. Of children's bones and broken adults. The sudden hand I received on my shoulder, though, made me jump.

"Relax, I am not one of them." he tells me before he starts to tug at my posture.

"But, yeah... That was the adventure we had here before we ended up going back to Suhurlodst with Vadei once again. Smiles on our faces with no idea what lies ahead..."

"You should make a point of desperately clinging to those happy memories. Life is often filled with bad moments. I know it is a fresh, open wound for you. But, try to think of the times you were happy with them all. Rather than the history that has decided your current present."

"This is not wisdom I can quite use at the moment." I tell him with a sigh as I watch him nod.

"I know, but make sure to heed my words as well as you can. Now, let's head back to the house. We have a long road ahead of us and if you forgot, I am old." he told me before I smiled a little at the end.

"Don't give me that... You are nothing alike most old people."

"A matter of perspective." he chuckles out as we headed back into the town.

.

.

.

"So this is it, huh?" Vadei asked me as we sat around the cast iron pot at the centre of their house. Although, I was kneeling in a more traditional manner as it was more comfortable for me in these clothes.

"Please don't word it like that..." I say with the full knowledge that this might really be it. This might actually be the last time I ever see my dear friend. One who I have grown to love dearly over the years.

"Then, promise me this. Again if we already talked it over. Come and see me, will you?" she said to me with a saddened expression. Even with those words, she knew that it was probably not meant to be.

"Of course." I tell her with a smile as I finished the tea they had made for me. It went well with the filling breakfast that had been made as well.

"I wish I could go with you... So, you will just have to take all the luck that I can give you." Vadei tells me as she puts down her stuff.

"And I graciously accept every bit of it." I tell her as I receive the hug she suddenly rushed around to give.

"You know, I once told my sister that she could not share you lot, for her own good as she needed her own friends. But now... I might need to go to her for that same request." Vadei explained as tears overtook her.

"Vadei... I promise... Do you hear me? I promise." I tell her as I keep whatever tears that I had out of this.

"Alright, Einervaene, are you all set?" Brewbrt asked me despite clearly seeing what I was up to. But, I suppose he only did it out of respect for Mother's situation. It may have been a long time since I left her and our homeland.

But that did not mean I had the right to waste time...

"Yes, one moment." I tell him as I enjoy this final hug as much as I could. I even made a point of accepting Vadei's dear gesture which was her offered up tail.

"Now, you go save her before I chain you in my garden..." Vadei tells me as she pulls away from our embrace.

I smile, "You don't have to remind me." I awkwardly chuckle.

Picking up my stuff once I was unfortunately free of our hug before I stepped out into the garden. However, out of respect for their home, I did not go up into the sky. I instead waved at my dear friend as we went out towards the woods.

Then, as we disappeared into the darkness provided by the trees. I couldn't help but finally let my tears out. I even started to find it hard to walk. So I stopped by one tree and held my hand against it.

"GO! DO YOU HEAR ME! GO!" Vadei screamed from beyond the trees before magic projectiles began to fly at us.

"Come on, let's go before this gets a little out of hand." Brewbrt told me with a careful tone before he began to hover.

"R-Right..." I said with a sniffle before I shot out of the forest and into the sky before crashing right down again not that far away.

"Einervaene, I understand this is difficult, but, come on. We have a lot of ground to cover." Brewbrt urged as I wiped my eyes clear.

"I know the urgency of this, but please... Just a little bit of time." I plead as I start to feel overwhelmed by an urge to rush back to her. To rush back to them all, really. I know and could plainly tell that I wasn't alone... But, it felt like it regardless.

My last friend had just left my life, possibly forever... I just didn't know how to take that. This was really it. I had no one I truly knew by my side anymore...

"Einervaene!" Brewbrt urged as he moved to pick me up.

"ONE MOMENT PLEASE!?" I screamed up at him as lightning shot out of me in all directions.

"Your mother, my friend! Might not have that one moment!" he countered with before I sighed in the prelude to my tears coming back.

"Please... Just wait... Everyone I have known is gone... Either something bad happened to them or it's too dangerous for them to come along..." I whimper as I try to hide my face.

He then sighs, "I am sorry for getting angry with you."

"N-No... It makes sense... How could it not..."

"If it's any consolation, you can just get some of that anger out by attacking the land about you."

"NO!" I suddenly shout as I recall the part that kind of behaviour played in Nin's rage.

"You need to figure something out, then."

"Everyone is gone, Brewbrt... I have to leave them behind willingly or our relationship just collapsed or... You never met her, but I had a friend called Larishazza. Cheerful as anyone could possibly be... But she was attacked and then Nin, who loved only her, became a rage-filled monster. And everyone else I have just had to leave behind because I can't bring them along he-"

"It's alright, Einervaene. Just let it out." Brewbrt interrupted as he pulled me against his armoured chest.

"I... I d-don't want to be alone, Brewbrt... I want my friends to be here with me... I want to see my mother safe... B-But... But I can't!" I whimpered as I squeezed him as tightly as I could.

"Your mother will be saved. You will see your friends again. I know this might be cliche to someone as educated as you. But, there is a light at the end. You just need to keep going." he tells me as his hand tries to reassure me with rubs and pats.

"Ok..." I tell him as wipe my eyes before I start to wander.

"Slightly to your right." he then says as he brings out that map of his again.

"R-Right..." I repeat and acknowledge.

"Would you prefer me to carry you if you aren't up for zapping across the skies?" he offers.

"Sure..." was all I had as an answer as I tried to figure out how to climb onto him. Only to be picked up into his arms before he shoots upwards. Surprisingly as well, his magic protected us from any winds that might blow against us.

It also felt odd, though, there was a strange familiarity but it was foreign as well. I have flown before, faster than most and all through the clouds as a lightning bolt. But, here I was flying without so much as transforming. I could actually reach out and touch things as well!

Like, I know that I could just transform back to my normal body and touch them. Yet, I could both fly and experience the sky right now! It helped distract my sorrows for a moment as well. But I also realised that I needed to be a little more active to distract my mind right now.

I needed to do something!

"Careful." Brewbrt cautioned as he tightened his grip on me. Yet, against that idea. I put my finger near him and smiled.

"Race you." I told him as a small but potent zap lashed out against him. And while this led to me screaming for a moment as I was suddenly thrown out into the sky. I quickly got the hang of it and returned to his side.

"YOU IDIOT!" he roared angrily before he started to smile.

"You win races by moving." I reminded him before turning back into lightning. And without Vadei by my side anymore, I could go even faster! Or maybe it just tired me out less. I was familiar with my speed yet not.

Walking a lot probably helps with that confusion.

"Try not to go too far ahead! I have the map!" his voice boomed out across the sky. Though, when it finally reached me, it had dampened quite a bit.

"Hurry up!" I said to him after briefly returning to his side. Yet, I started to slow down when I saw that he was heading down below the clouds. Then I realised what it was he was trying to do when that map lit up above him. It made me smile a bit too.

For all the distance he was trying to make, though, I was still faster. And I had to slow myself down drastically by performing a few tricks. When I saw a large dip in the earth, however, is when I decided to stop completely. And I did so by landing on a plateau.

"Redstone Canyon." I recalled as I stared down at the vast landmark. Even from up here as well, I could not see either end of it. Far beyond the horizon it went. And I had to admit, Brewbrt landing near me did not help me see.

"It's quite the sight, isn't it?" he asks me as his loud footsteps come to a halt.

"Standing before it is a lot different to just flying over it..." I remark as I could've sworn that the gap was bigger.

"We'll probably have some trouble flying over it as well." he then comments as his arm rises towards something.

"Hm, true. I need clouds to use my spell."

"Interesting to hear, but no, those." he corrects as he points towards nothing.

"What am I looking out for?" I ask after failing to see it.

"Sense the wind." he clarifies but it did not help. I was not attuned to the winds like him.

"Still need help..." I start to say before overwhelming pressure seemed to push down on me. Then, I felt it, a massive force of magic was coming from the skies ahead of us.

"Royal airships." he comments before he decides to slide down the mountain. I instead chose to shoot down ahead of him before I sighed at the lack of clouds before us. I felt trapped in a strange way.

"Now what?" I ask as I notice how severe his expression had become.

"We need to find a place that is safe for us to cross if what you are looking for is truly beyond this canyon."

"It is." I tell him with a reaffirming nod.

"Wonderful, we just have to travel in the winds."

"Literally?"

"No, it's just a saying. Now, while I am not too sure about the capabilities of those warships. I am very sure about the witches they have patrolling along with them."

"You can tell that there are people in all of that...?"

"Unfortunately, in a way, I would've preferred blissful ignorance."

"They're that strong?"

"Yes, and unfortunately, it may be the case that we have to go as far north as Thurn's Forge just to sneak past them."

"But then we are..."

"Yes, at the nest of the most famed warriors on the continent. Occupied as they might be... I am sure they're plentiful enough to notice and interrupt our crossing."

"What about the other way? Heading south towards the coastline?"

"Remember what I said before about the wind?"

"Dragons?"

"Indeed."

"I don't understand... We got across twice before without issue on our airship!"

"You said yourself that that was a couple of years ago. The war has not gone well for Waionr's chosen Theocracy. Rare as it was, news has been coming in that the Seven-Peaks Union has broken through the Seventh Line."

"What's that?" I ask, being unfamiliar with the concept. And the geography of this land in general. And I could tell my usual excuse of 'it's a lot to take in' wasn't going to cut it here.

"The supposedly impenetrable semi-circle with Thurn's Forge at its centre. Seven paths, seven fortress cities." he explains before I start to look around.

"We are on one of them?" I ask, somewhat scared we would now run into a Valkinvar patrol and be killed.

"No, look to your right."

"Mountains."

"With no gaps in them at all. You wouldn't be able to march an army here. This route just heads to the coastline. Which, you know to have dragons and the Jupirochi."

"They're just colonies, though. Not strong enough to fight off a grand army from an empire on its doorstep."

"The answer to that is more politics than anything. But, know that we are safe on this path so long as we suppress our aura."

"No... I recall seeing an army marching along this route before!" I suddenly recall as some memories of our journey to Tobaballe returned. On our way away from the continent, we definitely caught sight of an army!

"Theocracy troops, then, probably their border guards. Which just cements my point more. The war is not going well for them if they are willing to risk their backside to the dragons of the southern coastline."

"So what's the plan?" I ask as he was the one with the experience and knowledge.

"I want you to make it." he then decrees as he turns around to face me.

"W-What!? Stop playing around!" I nearly shout as confusion flushed through me almost as anger would.

"We're here for your sake. So that means we will soon be returning to your homeland. I need to make sure you are able to go on ahead even without me should the worse happen."

"N-No, don't speak like that!"

"Einervaene, this is the sort of life I have lived. Trust in what I am trying to do for you."

"Okay... What do I do!?" I ask him frantically as I honestly had no idea. So many things that I have done have been impulsive in how it played out. Me saving Nin from that wyvern years ago, my recent fight with him. Even meeting him.

There's just been so much that has happened and those were just some of the most memorable things I did alongside one person!

"First off, taking into account what you know so far. Explain the risks."

"Right... Risks. Well, uh, there's a war going on. Powerful magic users in all directions." I repeat as if I were a simpleton.

"Anything else?"

"We would be relying on your magic to get us across because I can't move without clouds..." I explain to him. Almost humiliated and ashamed by such a limitation.

"Yes, now how would you propose that I get across here?" he asked before I threw my hands up in the air in frustration.

"I don't know! I barely know you!" I remind him as he tapped a finger on his chin.

"Very well, follow me." he tells me to which I just squeeze my hands to keep my anger in check. He wanted me to do all of that and he was just going to do it anyway!? What was the point!?

.

.

.

"Now, once again, Einervaene. Give me an idea of how we could go about this." Brewbrt asked me out of nowhere as I finished packing up some things. And, with a roll of my eyes, I walked on over to him to gaze out at the vast plain-like space between the city entrance and the mountains.

"I don't understand what you want me to say. Soldiers are coming in and out ceaselessly and that is it. And we can forget about flying as there is a shield!"

"Try thinking a little more to the left."

"There's nothing there!"

"Exactly. An open space where there is no one and there is nothing. Our magic would be masked by our proximity to the city and we'd make it to the other si-" he said before I struck him with my staff.

"If you are just going to do it yourself, do it yourself!" I told him as I let out the frustration these strange choices of his built up.

"It's the experience and familiarity that counts." he tries to tell me before I childishly dismiss him.

"Now how are we supposed to make it across the... This?"

"We just go for it." he shrugs nonchalantly.

"There are gathering armies to our right and witches you yourself have shivered in fear at! How can that be your solution!?"

"Just hop on." he orders as I roughly put all the stuff back in his oversized bag.

"Alright, on." I tell him once I secured myself at the top of the bag.

"Excellent, now, Valkinvar, let me see your strength!" he comments with adrenaline-fueled madness.

"W-Wai-" I started to say before I started to scream as he shot ahead far faster than any other time before. All this talk of suppressed magic and he just rang their alarm bells for them!

"Nearly, nearly, nearly, nearly, YES!" he repeated again and again before he made a final cheer as we skidded along the shield's edge. But this cheering of his was quick to end when an armoured warrior who happened to be flying across the bridge at the time saw us.

"MOVE!" I screamed down at him when this powerful warrior suddenly boomed behind us. Their sword point at the ready before the sky exploded from the force of their pursuit.

"HOLD ON!" Brewbrt cautioned as rolled us out of the way of incoming magic blasts and sudden thrusts. I was struggling to see the Valkinvar as well and I didn't know why. They were just breaking the sound barrier repeatedly but I couldn't follow them. It was as if they were imitating erratic lightning without actually becoming it!

And then, one thrust came all too close to me and I slipped from my previous position. Then, with panic and fear filling me as the witch closed in, I gripped my staff and filled it with magic. Only for Brewbrt to oppress it with his own magic. So I looked up at him for answers, my fear seemingly removing my ability to speak.

There was too much... I had to hold on for dear life and take into account what was chasing us!

"NO! IF YOU ATTACK, IT'LL ONLY ENCOURAGE THEM TO PURSUE!"

"THEY ALREADY ARE!"

"ONLY BECAUSE WE ARE NEAR THE CITY!" he roared back as he pulled off a manoeuvre to put me into his arms.

"NOW WE HAVE NO IDEA OF HOW CLOSE THEY ARE!" I screamed before a trail of magic and exploding air suddenly appeared below us.

"LOOK OUT!" I screamed as my arm pointed downwards. Then, a loud clang suddenly filled my ears and I also found myself suddenly surrounded by winds. And I realised too late that I had been knocked out of Brewbrt's grip. And with no clouds...

"EINERVAENE!" he roared as he suddenly dived after me while competing with the also-diving Valkinvar.

"HELP ME! HELP!" I couldn't help but scream as I tried to feel out for anything that was cloud-like.

"YOUR STAFF! HOLD IT OUT!" he told me before the Valkinvar collided with him again. Sending him spiralling towards the canyon face. And there I noticed sparks come from his armour.

"Steam..." I muttered in a brief moment of clarity as a water bottle rattled as the Valkinvar kept him against the cliff. So I cocked my arm back and focused on that water bottle. And I shot a lightning bolt at it, making it burst into a cloud of steam.

"GRAB ON!" he then roared as the bolt had freed him from the cautious warrior. And he shot his own magic up at the steam and sent it skyward. When our hands then briefly touched, lightning formed.

And we reappeared far above the Valkinvar who suddenly changed course!

"How..." I let out in despair as the warrior suddenly switched directions so gracefully.

"AND DONE!" Brewbrt cheered of all things as stopped flying so we could crash against the barren earth on the other side.

"WHAT'RE YOU DOING!? THEY'RE RIGHT...! There..." I started to scream at first before I saw how the Valkinvar had come to a complete stop. Almost as if they had become spontaneously frozen. Yet, I could also see how they seemed to gaze off into the distance. I also felt a distinct lack of magic from Brewbrt...

"Good idea..." the sweating old man breathed out before he suddenly collapsed onto the ground. Nervous laughter soon spilt out of him as the Valkinvar disappeared back towards the city. His laughter was contagious, though, and I caught it.

"Never. Ever. Do that... Again!" I tell him slowly, making sure he understood it all as he continued to laugh.

"Enjoy staying on this side of the canyon, then!" he cackles before his gaze settles on the hovering Valkinvar. A knowing smirk then appeared on his features while I prepared for a potential fight. Oddly enough, though, I felt a built-in terror come forward as I stared at this warrior. However, they went on to do the opposite of what I was preparing for.

And they sharply gestured from their head to their upper chest three times. The holy gesture of the Thunder God. Did that mean she was aware of what was within these wastes? Or was it because of something else?

"Why are they heading back to the city? They just tried to kill us!" I asked Brewbrt with a loud hiss.

"Oaths..." he sighs out in relief.

"Why would an oath stop them when they were that close!?" I demanded to know before he shook his head disapprovingly.

"Don't debate or question it, Einervaene. Just be glad that she chose to leave us alone and let it be bygone." he tells me as he gestures at me dismissively.

"Alright, okay." I stammered uncertainly before I looked back at the city. It was quite a large one even before you accounted for how it was a two-part city. With one side dominated by a grand structure that had many of what I assumed to be Valkinvar flying about it. That half of the city had a very strict style to it.

Regimental like the armies we saw marching out of it. The side we were closest too, might as well have been a garden paradise. Even with the massive wall protecting and surrounding it. It was still easy to see all of the decors as the many different towers and skyscrapers rose above it.

Yet I had to admit, I questioned the point of a wall that grand for a wasteland like this...

"Are there any stories of barbarians or something out here?" I decided to ask Brewbrt as I briefly looked his way. And as I did so, I saw how entranced he was by the sights. I then heard him mutter a quiet prayer to the Guardian God. He must've feared for the city?

"No, that wall is to keep the people of Thurn's Forge in, not to keep anyone out. I mean, look at this, there's nothing." he explains before his wild arm swing brings our current environment to the fore.

"There are many things out there." I correct as I look in the direction I assume Tobaballe's ruins were along with the Anvil-Peak. Our destination...

"One of which, is where you want to go. But, we will need to be graceful and steadfast if we want to cross this distance." he explains, a comment that was surprisingly knowledgeful despite him having never been here.

"How do you know this?" I ask him, somewhat disappointed I couldn't be the one to guide him. I felt a little like a knowing child with a parent who was bemused but dreading what they were smirking about.

"I can feel great power in these lands... The wind does not blow this way, making it easy to tell that something is beyond here. Is Troecvol nesting down here?"

"The Lightning Emperor!? No!" I let out after hearing him say that name.

"Well I don't know many things out there this powerful with a lightning-familiarity about it." he mutters as he clearly feels out my aura.

"You will see when we get there. But, despite this power you feel, we need to be careful. Keep your magic within you. So I hope you brought plenty of tool in that bag." I explain to him as I recalled the blue, fireball-like explosions I once had to put up with. Back when I was last travelling through this land.

"Oh, right, my bag..." he mumbled as he unhooked it and slipped out of the straps. I then watched nervously as he inspected the damage my plan caused to his stuff.

"Sorry..."

"No, don't be, your choice got us to safety. Besides, the Valkinvar avoided cutting our stuff for whatever reason. I guess it makes sense when I am the better target." he comments before he tapped his armour.

"Are you alright, by the way? That was quite a solid strike from what I heard."

"This armour has stood up to worse. But, damn... She hit hard. Yet, that's a Valkinvar for you." he says as he drums his fist on the solid plate again.

"That magic isn't going to cause problems, is it?" I worried out loud as I saw the glowing lines coming from the grooves and engravings on that dark steel.

"It's all internal, so, I can't imagine it would. If it does, well, I will just have to mark an easily seeable spot and dump it there."

"I hope you don't have to." I say as I look up at his face once again.

"Understandable, having just seen what it can do." he proudly tells me before he hoists the bag back onto his bag.

"Can you get your map out? So we can at least point ourselves in the right direction?" I ask, and sure enough, he did it. Only for the map to act strange and refuse to follow through with its purpose.

"Whatever it is, it's creating a blind zone." he comments familiarly.

"This has happened before?"

"Yes, certain landmarks and individuals have so much magic about them that the map can't define the area. And this blind zone... I am in awe." he explains as he zooms the map out towards a more complete picture of the globe.

"I can see why." I comment quietly, eager to see his expression when we finally find it.

"Though, having said that, your homeland has a lot of blind zones." he starts to say before I see my homeland for the first time in years. And even though this was just all a magic projection. I longed for the collection of landmasses that I saw drifting in the sky. I could even see clearly where my home was.

The lands my family ruled over... Or did at this rate.

"Can you just..." I interrupt as he started to zoom in on a random part of the continent. As for why I interrupted him, I just wanted to stare at the landmarks I could eagerly remember. The Derheniyo, a grand temple resting at the edge of my family's main island; Croneht. There was just so much that I wanted to see again but all I had was this reminder of it all.

Then, all of a sudden, he moved the image so that it was showing my family's home. The extravagant castle known as Consoyotin, my home... The home I grew up in. A place that was once the only place I ever really knew.

"Forgive me if this bothers you, but... I feel like a nostalgic reminder might help." Brewbrt explains as he seemingly starts to get uncomfortable.

"No, no... It's fine. Even if I am not gazing upon it all again. I am just glad to have been reminded of what it all looked like."

"Glad to have helped, now," he comments, having perked up at my words, "as you can see, your homeland is full of blind zones because of what is holding it all together."

"Except for that bit, apparently." I quietly giggle even if it was a disturbing sight. To just watch a large piece of my homeland suddenly drop from the sky and into the All-Coast below. At the very least I could keep my conscious clear knowing that this wasn't as sudden as it appeared.

The signs of its departure to the southern coast of the continent we just left would've been clear years before. Mostly, all that would've been lost is memories for those who might've lived on that island. But, I still made a point to pray for those who might've stayed on that island. There were many stories after all of the adventurous men and nostalgic fatalists that went down with them.

"But, enough about the science of this relic. Let's get going."

"Of course." I answer back with a firm nod. Then I quickly help him with the last of his check-ups before we start to walk.

"Out of curiosity, do you think you could reach those clouds over there if you tried?" he then asked me after some quiet walking.

"I wouldn't even be able to make it to the clouds back there." I tell him as I gesture back in the direction of the city. Both lying and being honest about my situation. I probably could reach them as well, being a lightning bolt meant I covered distances quickly. So I could probably actually launch up and try to reach for it. But, with the strange power in the storms we were approaching...

I knew that I would not be able to, lest I get swatted away once more.

"Do you recall any landmarks or how this land works?"

"It's dry and eventless. At least, until we get deeper into its depths. However, you won't have to worry about much else other than boredom." I huff, somewhat amused in hindsight.

"You are very lucky then that I have the experience I do with travelling. There's some boardgames in there that we could play."

"Are any from my homeland?" I ask, hoping he might've snagged something during his time with Mother.

"I got something from the colonies. Picked it up about the time your mother met your father, actually."

"What game is it? Maybe I have heard of it." and while I had some doubts about it. There might've been something that I honestly knew!

"It was called... Tch, what was it? It involved dice and required lightning magic to play."

"Oh! I know that one! Asaminra! You roll dice to set up a board and then you gamble on how the arc will look with only one player knowing the effects of the board pieces!"

"Might be difficult to play that, then." he remarks.

"Yes, you do need to be able to use a specific kind of magic, after all." I smugly comment knowing that I would be able to rig the game completely in my favour.

"That's fine, I brought a game I could rig myself." he smugly retorts.

"I just won't play that game then." I say with a shrug.

"Then I guess we'll never play asaminra..." he sighs.

"Fine... I'll play it fair." I huff, pouting at the attempt he made to deny my nostalgia-fueled catharsis.

"At the very least, we have plenty of time to figure out how we can overcome the difficulties my lack of sparks creates."

"We'll have plenty of time to talk and deliberate if we have to walk this distance." I sigh as I remember how short the airship made that journey feel. But, I also remembered how we only started to feel magic issues later on. We got quite far before the land started to erupt.

"Hey... Hey!" Brewbrt called out as I suddenly started to run with the help of my magic.

"We should be fine for a bit!" I call back to him before I started to run again.