Cool morning air filled Jun's lungs as he readjusted his pack straps. The dense forest behind him stirred with calls of birds and rustling leaves, and Riry Bomra danced beside him, her purple hair catching dappled sunlight; beside her slept her Sleeping Leviathan like a silent wisp of misty transparency, his form reflecting colors within the forest.

"You're unusually quiet today," Riry teased, glancing at Jun. "Planning to brood the entire trip?"

Jun smirked, shaking his head. "Just thinking. These space-time ripples sound like they're more trouble than they're worth."

Riry grinned. "Maybe. But isn't that what makes them exciting?"

The two had been instructed to record one of the many phenomena that were spread all over Gaia. Evergreen Falls was full of such mysteries, but the ripples were different. They were described as shimmering distortions in the air, remnants of ancient magic that could not be understood. Approaching one could lead to anything from mild disorientation to catastrophic displacement across dimensions. The prospect both intrigued and unnerved Jun.

"I still think we should've brought someone else," Jun said, stepping over a gnarled root. "What if something goes wrong?"

Riry shrugged, flashing him a confident smile. "That's why you're here, shadow boy. If things go sideways, you'll just pull us out with your void tricks."

Jun rolled his eyes but couldn't help smiling. Riry's energy was infectious, even if it sometimes bordered on reckless.

---

By midday, the two had ventured into the depths of the forest by following faint pulsations of mana that came on irregularly. They paused within a clearing, setting up their camp. Riry stretched up, her arms above her head. "Okay, lunch first. Then hunt. Can't face ancient anomalies on an empty stomach.".

Jun started piling woods while Riry opened the other stores. He heaped woods feeling her eye on him and making fun of him.

"What?" he asked.

"Oh, nothing. Just enjoying the scenery," she replied with a twinkle in her eyes.

Jun blushed red. He was busily fanning the flames of the fire. Riry's laughter rang through the clearing in a lighter, teasing manner.

After lunch, they moved further away, their hunt now to have a mana beast for dinner and supplies. The forest became increasingly quiet as they moved, from the usual wild chatter to eerily silent wildlife. Riry's Leviathan flickered in intensity as he detected nearby mana signatures.

"There," Riry whispered, pointing to a shadowed grove where a massive stag-like creature grazed. Its antlers shimmered with embedded crystals, and its eyes glowed faintly blue.

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"A Crystal Hart," Jun murmured. "Rare and dangerous."

"Perfect," Riry said, already nocking an arrow. She glanced at Jun. "You flank left. I'll take the shot if it bolts."

Jun nodded, and his shadow snake uncoiled a little as he stepped into place. The air tensed, the forest holding its breath. Riry's arrow flew straight and true, striking the Hart in the flank. It reared with a deafening cry, its antlers flaring with mana. Jun leapt forward, a shadow tendril wrapping around its legs to pin it down. Together, they brought it down swiftly, the creature's glow fading as it slumped to the ground.

Jun and Riry walked back to their campsite together, sorting the fish. Jun removed Hart's skin; folding its body to store until later use as he peeled, Riry obtained alchemical supplies from antlers and organs which she obtained through swift hands moving quickly.

"It looks like you've done this before," Jun said as she ground shards from the antler into a dust.

"My family taught me some things that way," Riry said her words surprisingly grave in tone.

Jun's eyebrow shot up. "Your family?"

She took a deep breath, let it out in a sigh. "Guess it's only fair I tell you. My full name is Riry Bomra. As in the Bomra lineage. One of the Dragonlord families."

Jun froze, knife poised over a cut of meat. "You're. royalty?

Riry laughed, the sound tinged with bitterness. "Hardly. I'm the hundredth in line. A glorified footnote in the grand Bomra legacy. The only thing I'll ever inherit is their expectations."

Jun studied her, noting the tension in her posture. "Is that why you're here? To get away from all that?"

She nodded, gazing away. "Evergreen Falls was the first place I ever felt like myself. No titles, no politics. Just Riry."

Jun rested a light hand on her shoulder. "If it's worth anything, just Riry is pretty great."

Her cheeks coloured and she looked down, a small smile playing at her lips. "Thanks, shadow boy."

As the sun set, they cooked dinner, and the smell of roasted Hart meat filled the clearing. Riry offered Jun a skewer, their fingers touching briefly. The moment hung in the air, unspoken tension crackling like the campfire between them.

"So," Jun said, breaking the silence. "If you could go anywhere in Gaia, where would it be?"

Riry tilted her head, thinking. "Anywhere with mysteries left to solve. There's something about the unknown that's. freeing. You?"

Jun stared into the flames. "Somewhere quiet. Peaceful. Where I can. figure out who I'm supposed to be."

She nudged him playfully. "You're overthinking it, as usual."

He chuckled, shaking his head. "Maybe."

That night, the forest seemed to pulse with anticipation. The Leviathan's glow brightened, and Yogundr stirred restlessly around Jun's shoulders.

"We're close," Riry said, her voice barely above a whisper.

They packed their gear quickly and moved through the darkened forest, their path illuminated by the faint glow of mana veins in the earth. The air grew thicker, charged with an electric tension that made Jun's skin prickle.

They finally reached a small opening. In the center of it, a rippling distortion hung out, as if heat waves are rising from a fire. The space-time ripple throbbed rhythmically, and its borders flickered between visibility and transparency. Colors that could not be described swirled within its depths, and faint whispers echoed through the air.

Jun and Riry exchanged a glance, their usual banter replaced by awe and trepidation.

"That's it," she said, as though the words contained some kind of sacred truth. "The ripple.

Jun came forward, a snake shadow clutching at his leg. "Now what?"

Riry was smiling faintly. "Now we see if it lets us in."

With tentative steps together, they crept forward one step, into the light spilling from the ripple, spilling into the mystery.