I started focusing on the environment, not sure what to expect after the recent revelations and overall worries.

But, none of those mattered. My ability was as good as it was before, and it didn’t even take me a minute to spread my awareness through the whole structure next to me and a good chunk of forest as well

Aand…

-Nothing nearby - I announced.

-What’s “nearby”, can you be a bit more precise? - asked For.

-Not in the building and about a hundred meters radius around us. Is that enough?

-That’s… a bit small, isn’t it?

I honestly couldn't believe what I was hearing.

Last time I did something like that they were in amazement that I was able to sense that far, and now they were disappointed…?

I think Kon felt my animosity, because she immediately added:

-I mean… That’s good to know, but didn’t last time you did that you managed to reach much further…?

I forced myself to not curse at him and only said:

-I am just starting. Give me a moment.

Okay, sure, I was holding back a little bit. But that wasn’t much. I was unsure if without Il I was able to reach as far as I used to.

Without even mentioning that to her, she realized what was going on and placed her hand on my shoulder.

-Let me help.

-You don’t have to, I mean…

-I know. But it’s going to be faster…

-Hm.

When I thought Il, I meant ILMA, not her, but I was not going to tell her that. Besides, I was not sure if the AI would be more potent in this situation.

Nor did I have a choice.

My worries were pointless, because the moment she joined in, I could tell that her power was something else.

In a span of a second, she managed to attune herself to my own senses and was already helping me reach further and further.

Yet still, it was not enough. We managed to double our range, but still we have not found anything interesting.

-I have an idea…

-Hm…?

-Don’t worry. I am not trying anything weird. I just want to change the way we are looking…

-Sure… be my guest.

Even though I said that, I was not sure what she meant by that. As far as I knew, none of us were really in control more than the other, so I just withdrew as much as I could without completely dropping my concentration.

-Here goes…

What she did was simple, yet so effective, that I couldn’t really understand why I didn’t think of that before.

What I alone was doing, and how we started, was just me spreading my awareness regularly through the whole area I wanted to search.

Seemed logical and I have been doing that pretty often, just to get my bearings and all that stuff.

But what she did was a bit different.

Instead of looking at the whole image, she concentrated her, or rather our, aura in a singular line, which she sent as far away as she could, reaching out like some weird magical amoeba, snaking through the area.

What she made was just some scuffed radar: by moving the aura, she was feeling out whatever obstacles she could and passed through them.

It had its downsides.

It definitely did not give us a live-image I was used to, instead we were left with just spots that we found more concentrated mana spots or anomalies.

Those were plenty, but none of them were interesting to us, being just trees or other different enhanced creations of nature.

But, what it lacked in clarity of image, the method definitely was making up in the distance covered.

Since we didn’t have to use a large circular area, the whole thing was slowly getting converted to almost a line that was just briefly passing through stuff

The hundreds of meters turned to more than a kilometer, and soon I was able to tell that we were reaching the edges of the bowl.

The moment we felt that, she stopped, and instead fully converted the aura to an actual radar, turning it one way, going clockwise through the whole area.

-Why didn’t I think of that… - I thought to myself, annoyed.

-Because you tend to overthink stuff.

-Pff.

-And besides, your method is definitely more useful in combat scenarios. Especially when you don’t have eyes.

-I guess…

I am not sure if she was just trying to make me feel better or really thought so, but I didn’t care.

As long as it worked.

And, it did.

Maybe not instantly.

At first it seemed like “The Bowl” was clear of any weirdness. Well, that is if you don’t consider the whole area being infused a weirdness.

As we were about to finish up our search and were getting to the last part of the area… I felt something.

A person.

It was so unexpected that we both jumped.

It was clear as day, no mistake: that there was someone other than us in here as well. And even the identity was clear.

-Ilma!? - she yelped right inside my head

It was hard to miss: even for my lackluster ability, I could tell that whoever was there, certainly was similar to me.

A bit too similar, to be honest.

-Let’s calm down - I said, trying to assess things clearly.

-It has to be her! It’s almost like you!

-I can tell, but let’s first get an expert’s opinion.

-Expert?

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-What’s going on?! - asked For, unnerved by our sudden reaction. - Did you find her?

-I think so, but we need a second opinion. Can one of you look through me and check?

-Look through you? You are the only one who can do it! I have no idea how! - she replied instantly.

-Kon?

-I… I don’t know how!

-Great.

I pulled out of the vision, getting back to my own senses.

-I’ll stay for a moment. I’ll try tracking her… - said Il.

-Okay.

-How’s your range on that ability of yours? - I asked.

-Er… maybe hundred meters… that’s when I have a good day even - admitted For, seeing that I was serious.

-Kon?

-Maybe twice as that - he said.

For gave him a curious look, but did not comment.

-Hm. Not enough.

-Not enough!? - she yelped. - Where is she then?!

-At the edge of the mountain range, opposite side to where the exit is. Or at least the exit that I found last time.

-I thought there’s only one way to leave here…

-So did I.

-Maybe she’s just confused… or lost? - proposed Kon.

-Possible.

-That is, if it’s really her.

-I can tell, it has to be her. I can feel both his and mine mana in her - said Il, still trying to follow her.

-I thought you cannot distinguish other people mana…? Either of you…?

-I think… I am getting a bit better at it - she replied. - So does Mor.

Do I?

I mean, maybe a little bit.

I was giving that to the fact that it was just myself that I was trying to feel, and since my mana, thanks to the crystal, was unique, I was able to perceive it without much of a problem…

But that was also a problem.

-To be precise, we can feel our own mana there. Meaning that whoever that is, has something that belongs to both of us.

For squinted a bit, hearing that.

-That sounds suspiciously similar to Origin Crystal.

-Yeah, I am worried about that too. - I agreed. - It might be taking over.

She opened her eyes even wider.

-Fuck, I didn’t think about that. I was thinking that it might be Axelrod that we were following, since, you know, Crystal…

I was about to retort something, but she had a fair point.

It might not even be her in that sense.

I was just thinking that we’d have a problem with a rogue AI that went berserk, but having rogue Mike on top of that…

Not good.

-I thought he died…? - asked Kon.

-Well, after what Mor did, I am not sure that I believe that those things can be so easily put down - replied For.

-What do you mean, “those things”? - I said grinning.

-I…!

-Yeah, yeah, I know, I am just fucking with you - I interrupted, sighing. - Il, how’s the tracking doing?

-She’s still in the same spot. Seems like she’s walking towards the edge for some reason - she replied, still in the trance.

-How far is it? - asked Kon.

-They are almost at the edge - I replied.

-Fuck - mumbled For. - That’s a lot of walking.

-Yeah. That means we should hurry and meet them.

-Do we need to hurry though? - asked For while we started trekking through the dense forest. - It’s not like they have a way to escape.

-And who says that she’s not able to portal away again, huh?

-I mean…

-She is weak - said Il. - I could tell. I am not sure if that’s just because of the earlier fight with… whatever ILMA is now, but she might just not have mana to do anything.

-Well, there’s a reason she’s here - I said. - At least I want to think there is.

-You think she’s trying to recuperate here…? - asked For. - If that was the case, she’d stay in the center, the mana there was the densest, right?

-The whole area is dense with magic, she doesn’t need to stay anywhere.

-Couldn’t she just absorb mana with her crystal? Like you?

-Not all the crystals work the same. Look at yourself.

-Right…

-And besides that - cut in Il - we are not sure if she is even aware of that power.

-Fair point - agreed For. - I wasn’t aware for a long while… and that is an understatement…

-Hah.

-So what’s the plan then? We follow her and hope she doesn’t retaliate? - asked For. - Cause I kinda doubt that’s going to work.

-I mean, none of us are intending to harm her, so why not? - asked Kon

-And how is she supposed to know that?

-So we sneak up on her? Nah, that would be even worse… - he mumbled.

-And on top of that it wouldn’t work at all - she said. - Did you forget that we have two shining beacons with us? Any person that at least has some capability to detect mana is going to notice us. Hell, maybe even those who can’t could notice too.

I hated to agree with her.

Whenever we wanted it or not, we did stick out like a sore thumb. Maybe it wasn’t that bad when we were next to the leyline, we could just pretend to be a renewed rupture and all that, but a moving rupture? I doubt that.

To be honest, we were probably also the cause of her picking up the pace, because Il soon informed me that she’s changed direction and was now moving faster.

-Changed direction? - I wondered out loud. - What, is she hoping to lose us between trees or something?

-Well, that would work on a regular person - agreed Il. - She’d just try to blend into the magical environment.

-But we can read mana - said For. - We can distinguish the difference.

-But not that far, right? - I pointed out. - You said it yourself, you only have a couple hundred meter range. If she is out of it and manages to confuse us, it would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.

-True…

-But, to our luck, we have a magnet for that needle - said Il, smiling. - As long as she doesn’t leave this valley, I can track her. I found her once and I am not going to let her get away.

-There you have it. We should be fine - I said, nodding.

-But still, what’s our plan when we finally reach her? - asked Kon after a moment of thought. - Are we going to fight her?

-I would like to avoid that… - I instantly said. - Same goes for you.

-Well, if I am going to be attacked, you bet your ass I am going to defend myself - said For. - I am not like you who can just take spells head on and only get a rush from it.

-I don’t get… Okay, scratch that, I do get a bit of mana from it.

-”Bit”.

-That’s besides the point. That’s why I don’t want you to fight. I am going to deflect all the spells, like you said, “head on” and we’ll go from there.

-Brilliant plan. - sighed For. - And what if that is not going to work? That you slip up? Do I have to remind you that we have a very fragile wooden…

She stopped mid-sentence, because Il, realizing what she was talking about, instead of trying to explain herself, just conjured a fireball larger than her head.

-What the hell are you doing?! - yelped For, not expecting the sudden firepower. - Stop, we are going to be discovered, she’s going to feel your magic!

-She already knows she’s followed - shrugged For. - And besides that, we are rather larger source of mana than just this small ember.

-Okay, but still, why?!

-You think me as fragile? Then look at this.

For flinched, expecting her to throw a fireball towards her, but she did something completely opposite.

Hell, it even took me by surprise.

She took the fire and slammed herself right in the head with it.

-Il!?!

-What?!

I honestly was worried. I mean, I knew she was made out of Origin Crystal, but hers was definitely… unique. I expected it to have a weakness to fire, or at least not be immune to it… But nope.

She was fine.

As soon as the flames reached her skin, they just vanished.

Seeing with my other senses, I could tell that she was just absorbing it passively, just like I was usually doing.

-A… Okay… Right.

For was at a loss for words.

Same as Kon. He didn’t say a word, was looking at the spectacle without even trying to interrupt, knowing better that it was pointless.

-See? - said Il, smiling happily. - I am as resistant as Mor. Hell, maybe even better.

-Let’s not get too overzealous - I said, trying to calm her down. - We get it, you are not a delicate flower, just stop.

-What, come on, a little bit of experiments never hurt anybody. I still don’t know if I can regrow my parts just like you can.

-And let’s hope we don’t have to find out!

But that was going to have to wait. We still had to get to her first.

And it looked like that would take a good while.

She was quite skilled. After the first change of direction, she picked up the pace and started behaving a lot more erratically. Going deeper into the forest, trying to maneuver between the trees in a way that would be hard to follow, but of course, she didn’t know who she was dealing with.

We didn’t have to follow her footsteps directly, it would be enough for us to just track her from afar. We had people for that.

That wasn’t our goal, though.