Murai tried instruction segments from his and Pillage's soul memories. There were many ways to implement and touch magic, so countless variants were under specific or normal circumstances. Getting or growing familiarity was done with comprehensive exercises or even spells. In Heavenly Shaping's starting sequences, one of the better ones was a spell called Nova.

For the time being, it had nothing but basic purity because experimenting with his three Affinities wasn't suitable.

Murai sat down, ignoring the ride, or the surroundings. Lisa was flying aside, curiously looking at him. Then, mana moved and he began to sway his magic like always. His core was rather calm, but when he proceeded with his Conjuring, something snapped and mana flowed like a much quicker stream. What he essentially felt was comparable to an engine swap.

Mana flew from his core, moving under or from his feathers, going down, or escaping his hoodie. He clutched everything in his mind, compressing and embracing it. Smaller and smaller, in a blink, mana compressed and released, shuddering Murai's feathers and face. An explosive push of force pushed the air and mana around, shaking the part of the road, wincing leaves, and some trees.

It happened right above Bagus, who frowned and winced his head behind. “Oy, no playing on my back,” he shouted, angling his neck to look at Murai and Lisa behind him.

Murai laughed, so Lisa had to apologize to him instead.

“Arranging a spell before it fully forms and sending it out like a stream through the heavens,” Lisa whispered. “That is the form that Pillage was known for and many mages desire to master such magic across many skies. Some variants are under many races and cultures, yet implementing such rules is like becoming one with primordial energies. What does that make you, Murai Hisagi? This Nova you created was... difficult, wasn't it?”

“What am I? A beast with some... knock for odd mana. In fact, Heavenly Shaping is all about that,” Murai expressed without contempt. “Unfortunately, the force, delay, and timing are difficult. Every spell will use different fortes, so I've decided to do one thing alone: Focus on one thing at a time, which comes down to simplicity first. I also considered swordsmanship and completely omitted any Path. Don't need one of those, while the one is keen and wonderous.”

“Swordsmanship? You mean... swordsduckship? Oh, that doesn't sound great at all. Perhaps you should reconsider it and.... wait, you refused the swordsmanship promotion back then, didn't you? What changed your mind?”

“You mean that question in the Golden Room about some dubious swordsmanship adhering to my species or suitable choice? I refused it simply because my head and circumstances were greater than that, and I didn't want to listen to a single word for something this close to my soul. Perhaps it could've solved something, sure, but finding limits in that time... I've realized my choices and decisions hadn't been the most clever. You touched upon it a minute ago. I had suspicions, choices, and no regrets. Are you mad, hm?”

This time, Murai gazed into her eyes, but no staring contest went ahead. Lisa was far too busy thinking for herself to give him this privilege.

“Mad, huh? I am a lot of things but not that.”

“Than you have no qualms to give? How shocking. Too much stuff sounds like a nuisance, so I was thinking of something precise. Singular.”

“Good. Good for you. Good idea,” she nodded twice. “Work hard for me, will you?” She patted his hood and adjusted its parts after realizing that some of his experimental pure Nova messed up his beloved hoodie. His brief touch upon Nova was many times stronger than she had expected, considering she guessed it was his first experiment outside of that Manual.

She witnessed how Murai tried really hard and felt challenged because of it. That was far more than good; it was ecstatic for her because he should feel the impulse and challenges ahead. He was very proud, she knew. Perhaps more than herself, or her words, which might force him to try his best if she allowed herself between them.

Lisa recognized his pure Nova as a Force Spell, functioning as a powerful push of mana that could cause less destruction. It was good at pushing and making sudden shifts in fights, allowing sudden moves. It could almost become something much better thanks to his private learning. He could put it through some tests and make Sharpness Nova, Flame Nova, or Flame Nova because of his Heavenly Shaping and Affinities.

In a similar vein could be described his self-found spells, albeit the situation with them was a bit more difficult. So far, he was busy and paid little attention to them. Flame Shot, Mana Spear-Dagger-Arrow, and Sharpblade were his sole spells. Their efficiency and usefulness were still up to his Shaping, while their level was relatively small.

But that could change any day by now. His Affinity could touch most spells, although something like Flame Shot worked with his Flame alone.

Nova was unexplored for Murai and his Heavenly Shaping, and it was a rather nice exercise. Putting mana into the world before playing with it, exploding it in some parts, it was up to a mage to handle it with burdens, flow, aftereffects, or self-inflicted injuries. No one wanted to burst oneself or push mana into a terrible state, so it put a lot of sensitivity to what was essential.

Thankfully, Murai had good tools under his disposition: his hoodie, flesh, and feathers. He had no physical burdens thanks to them, but calling his internals calm right now was far from the truth. Lisa saw his hidden stress and pride, so she didn't tease him, so that might be a considerable growth on her part.

In Lisa's eyes, she noted how Murai had done his work. Mana moved from him like a small blast, to begin with, wanting to go away right away thanks to the wilderness. Then he clutched it without exploding it, compressing it while Conjuring, so that meant he was Shaping as well. The idea to do both wasn't very common, but it wasn't extremely rare either. Many mages thought of lowering some gaps and increasing efficiency in all kinds of manners. Catalysts or various equipment and artifacts were created out of them, but the body and minds were much more endless.

In some skies, many were perfecting the natural disposition between mana, soul, flesh, and magic. These were all different, so making them fuse and become closer was extremely difficult.

What Murai had done wasn't normal, but when he did his touches numerous times, Nova still exploded quickly and efficiently. It was kind of weak as it wasn't filled with much mana or density.

For a training exercise, it was enough to give her validation that she had made a great decision and that someone good read between the lines.

“Wanna hear something else that is no less important?” Murai asked, feeling good about himself.

Lisa winced herself from her reveries. “Again? What?”

“Mention of some expertise go far. You said your wonder and stated your truths, so I will add mine. I thought about what to focus on and some tricks and ideas came up with my memories. Twin Blades. Unofficially speaking, that is, it is an idea that focuses on everything I have right now. Originating from some distant swordsmanship and Paths, Heavenly Shaping, Sharpness, and my head, I will pursue it from now on.”

“Twin Blades?” Lisa wondered, thinking that his focus on previous Mana Blades was decent, but not too crazy. He was dominating their lack of power with his ridiculous mental Shapling, which created a large disparity between his actual level and power level. “Do you want to carry swords as a duck? Perhaps you should think of some Path first before going that far, but... swordsduckship is dreadful. It would do well for anyone good. This world does...well, it usually does plenty of good things for anyone who chooses some Path, so perhaps you should think twice rather than once. Why not go further?”

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“Path?” Murai frowned and shook his head. “I have no plans for one since these Twin Blades carry nothing close. It is more like an observation from some Paths and this life. It is like borrowing some ideas while hoping they will click together. Swords and mana blades work in a wide range of influence and Sharpness, and I have my feathers, wings, and body to consider. Like before, I mean.”

Lisa accepted such logic with silence, hoping he would get powerful more quickly. She was guessing that the worst parts were yet to start for him, so as long as his mood and mind were sharp, she didn't plan to put him under her words.

“Sounds good,” she said. “Want to show it off as well? That Nova gave me a small picture of what you could do. Can't travel with you there, to the Manual, so what else you can do? Wanna show some Arrows instead? I am all eyes!” She nodded once and appeared far too lofty and mysterious for no reason whatsoever.

Murai blinked and yed her body made of sona as if she was trying to make a point or a joke.

“Nah. I will not give you further privilege...”

This Nova was already enough to give him many shortcomings and restarts.

Lisa was happy that he wouldn't go far. It meant he wasn't stupid.

“I will think about what to do myself. You focus on this Gate.” Murai turned his head, focusing ahead.

“How generous,” Lisa reckoned and flew away.

The group continued with their journey into the Hellscape's Sectors, which included being cautious and thoughtful about the surroundings or nasty hidden dangers. Some could come from within, or even outside. Itrosh was very good, as her scouting and speed were exceptional. She discovered many issues ahead of time, letting the group go around them, or she or David would solve them in some other way.

David's sources included rumors over a new Anatidae, but also their overall team. Their Helper status was slowly being discovered, dragging the future down like their possibilities. It might be possible for many powerful Devils to make moves now because Ultium was nobody weak. Strangely, David proclaimed it would be no issue, and Lisa doubted it was simple. He didn't prove it enough because they hadn't met someone shocking so far.

However, that could change in a heartbeat. It could come without warning, guided as a sudden or personal opportunity of some Hunters or personal unhinged stakes.

Any Anatidae could fetch sky-high prices in most Hells alone, let alone in the Surface or the Sky. Lisa was worried about it because Murai was kind of weak and their team was strong. Some powerful fools could steal him under their grasp, so Murai always stayed close to Bagus, while Ultium was on the standby.

Bagus was too busy carrying Murai on his back, so he had no time to shine. Murai was the same; he hadn't had a single fight since entering this Gate. Either way, foes wouldn't be difficult. They would be impossible, so that was enough reason to put his mind somewhere else; onto his training. His Helpers were experienced killers, so he let them do their job.

The dangers were slowly creeping upward, hiding in the shadows or close to ceilings or walls. Jungles could be the same, if not worse. Discovering that a high-level company started to protect their target was soon evident. News always moved along this Gate quickly when greed was in the picture. It might go outside of the Network too, since living beings had their own heads, eyes, scoutes, or ears. It will change many decisions for many of them since the Lost Brothers made their move.

Everything was tense, lingering on for the Hunt to start.

But their group was powerful and didn't need any Hunt. Lisa was more confident than usual, so she moved forward without care, thinking that their path wasn't quick or slow. Frankly, they didn't have to wait for anything. For all that was right, Mindarch and Levandis can take their time so she could escape this shithole quicker.

Murai was glad he gave Lisa some slack. A bunch of Helper was a strong expansion to what he could do, and some elevated or changed Gate was secondary. After all, what would it be like without them, or how this Gate would even make sense? What was he supposed to do? Struggle to look for his portal alone with his little feet and Lisa?

He was no longer alone, hopeful to deal with every issue. That was no longer possible, for this Gate was much wilder than the previous ones. It turned out to be a bit... how did he want to say it? Empty? Dull.

Everything made his experience and mind filled with the past Gates weird. He was so hyped to carry his essence hunting toward this Gate, yet a change came and he couldn't do much about it.

Perhaps he didn't like it, or hate it. He didn't want to acknowledge that Lisa's ideas were correct and that he should be patient and deal with everything on top of Bagus's back.

It was time for his head to expect to train and travel to seek some experiments in other forms and leave potential troubles for others. It was opposite to most of his past days.

Nothing significant ever came across him other than Lisa's curious eyes, Itrosh's laughable demands, and Bagus's remarks if his feathers weren't too uncomfortable. David and Ultium hardly talked to him. The journey was long enough, and traveling through the jungle and forests alike was slow.

Aerial travel was also a possibility since Bagus could fly, but he couldn't carry everyone, and it might not even be a good idea. Thus, the groundwork was put forth and Murai found a nice spot on him. He sometimes kept his tiny legs on his back, sitting between his wings, or being on top of his head for better views.

Murai discovered that his feathers were less fuffy than his own; they held unnatural stiffness and sturdiness instead. At least he no longer had to walk, so he didn't complain. His hoodie and feathers were soft enough.

Surprisingly, Bagus cheered and gladly allowed Murai to keep his approach on top of his head or back. He also insisted on carrying him in his beak, pinching his hood or feathers, but Murai refused that idea, even though Bagus seemed dejected and very sad over it for some reason. It was terrible news. Carrying Anatidae in a beak was akin to a token of good luck for Griffins, or so it was said. In any way, Bagus was alone; he never grew up with any other Griffin or any families or tribes, so he had a less adherent culture of this significant Divine Beast species.

Murai took his ride for granted because it wasn't a bad idea. Itrosh became a bit angry over it, as he refused her every advance, but it was great to have a "mount", for once.

In this matter, the journey went on for many more hours, and the number of fights hadn't increased or lowered. Lisa wasn't bound to any walking speed, nor she was hindered by her physicality. She often flew quickly and her stamina was quite deep, if not unfathomable because she hardly went back into Murai's soul space.

Upon starting to realize the depth of her race, everyone besides David was up to this journey long before it started. David huffed and paused from time to time, often opting for rest on top of Bagus's back. There was enough space for a single person. Not more.

Lisa always followed them around, or high in the sky, looking around and scouting for better directions or enemies. Making sure that Itrosh was current and serious wasn't always working, so Lisa did her own stunts, knowing that very few beings could really catch her. And if someone would... well, she didn't want to imagine that.

Her flight was great like her sight, and some chasms or vegetation won't stop her either. It wasn't because she could grow vast wings, or see through things In some ways. She could. Her physicality was closer to a ghost after all. A lot of things didn't matter to Soul Renders, whose basic race could do much more than imaginations and eyes.

Some more hours later, at the closing time of the second day at this Gate, a message finally arrived. David stopped the group under the shade of a vast tree. They were quite far from the source of any light and heat, but it didn't matter to them. Lisa glowed like a sparkling gem, so David took her body for something surprisingly small, soft, yet useful. Murai would laugh if he Read his view in a normal situation.

David pulled a metallic construct from his pocket. It was undulating thin waves of mana, guiding many wires and various materials in small arrays. It was a special runic construct for long-distance communication that worked for hundreds of miles, if not longer, as long as two constructs were connected and moving in the same principles.

Murai was quite familiar with these kinds of things, as he was upon their creations at one point in a distant life on some planet and time. It was ancient, hidden in his memories, but not veiled due to some remarks. The technology of Epochs was vaster and everchanging since some worlds could grow different from others, while the Epoch themselves poised as a significant course of one thing: Divides and Chaos Cycles. It was about time, cultures, differences, and those who were beyond. The growth of the universe closely resembled that premise.

David activated this construct, which wasn't wild or complicated. It pushed out connecting waves like a sonar, connecting and finding the other construct. It was quick, effective, and usually impossible to eavesdropping. However, it was no Law. Some powerful people or greater constructs could find or hear their incoming conversation, but David didn't care. The purpose of this constrict was much more simple than what they planned for.

It wasn't anything major. Such constructs became popular across many planets long ago, thanks to many Gods who took it for their creation, spreading it far and wide. It was an inevitable course of talents and copying mechanics, which pissed Murai off a little.

However, it was far too late to think much about it. It was almost fair. There were barely any limitations to intellect across some Gods or space, so some stealing or spreading conveniences happened. And these things had a rather surprising factor of science and mana inside of them. It was about shimmering wavy and dust particles of mana, or were those its true Laws? Many thought and discovered what mana might be or not. It was once more about the size and numerous secrets. What one might see, one might not feel or see under a different light.

The construct let out thin waves akin to a sona, which then traveled to the second half of this construct across the regular air and space under a second. That was expected and effective. It was similar to the radio, but it worked with mana that was shaking and living in everything. Those were essentially endless, giving voice, tones, shapes, lines, and sizes to all most dimensions.

According to what Murai knew about this work, it was about mana frequencies, which was a thing closing on higher mana of different names, different worlds altogether. Either way, this simple trace of idea assembled lighting fast communications if the sequence of relatively simple runes were the same.

Murai wasn't their maker; he was just in their innovation, or past that felt like dreams or nightmares far distant to reclaim care from something like him.

Upon some back-and-forth soft tones, noises, and glitter of light, Marthosh's voice spread from the construct.

“Hello? Hello. Oh, on Hell, finally! He is here. The one Evil Lisa spoke about! Razmund!” Marthosh expressed his dread and his voice wasn't that calm. “He is terrifying as you've expected. Killing things and uncaring about the words or consequences, he already proved his words and... took the lacking Voice in craziness. He is crazy, boss! He proclaimed shit in no turns the moment he came to the city and turned many things down, or aside, or...bad. On Gods, this is terrible for me. Why?! Hey, are you listening?”

David was silent.

Marthosh spoke faster than Amelius, which Murai doubted was humanly possible. Murai sighted, figuring that their time was turning to a new leaf since Razmund had finally come.

Someone took this voice differently. David slapped his forehead with both fists, hoping to escape Lisa's piercing gaze.

“Oh, this is interesting. You told about me even to a little kid?” she mocked him. “What else? What is worth mentioning? Consider me not surprised.”