I took a breath, releasing all the adrenaline buzzing in my body. The pyrefly's carcass bobbed on the top of the rippling water at my feet. I reached down and touched the carcass and accepted the System's prompt. The carcass turned into white shimmering light that faded away, leaving two drop orbs — a pair of pyrefly wings and a vial of pyrefly fire.

I couldn't resist taking the vial out and staring at the rainbow flame burning inside. Since when was this possible? I'd never once, in my whole life, heard of someone turning in a vial of fire. Magical water, yes. But fire? It should go out when it runs out of oxygen. But the one in my hand didn't. The fire kept burning bright and strong. Wait, what was it burning? It was a mystery I knew I'd never get a satisfactory answer to. The only answer was: the System made it happen. Somehow. It did the impossible and put ever burning fire in a bottle.

I put the vial back in my Items Bag and looked at the screen, displaying all my items in a picture grid. The pyrefly wings in there appeared to be okay, but I didn't know for sure. This pair got wet during the fight. They could be damaged somehow, but I didn't dare take them out to check.

The river pulled at the water under my control, trying to drag it along with the flow. Now that the fight was over, I slowly released my hold, so that it didn't cause a flood. The water gladly slipped away, free as before. The water level under my feet went down, and cattails emerged from below. Like flowers spouting on a sped up documentary, they grew higher and higher until they reached over my head.

Levi resurfaced and lifted his head in pride. Two water bubbles floated below the surface, one on each side, the bodies attached to the sides of the bubbles in such a way that the wings didn't touch the sides.

I grinned. "I thought you were going to eat one." I reached out and scooped a bubble out of the water and looked at the carcass inside. The wings really were completely dry inside the water ball. Impressive. Then again, I already knew that his water control was better than mine. He's had a lot more practice.

Levi tilted his head, disdain thick in our bond. The pyrefly wasn't as appetizing as he thought. Then he showed me a picture of fish swimming in river. Hhhhhh.

I nodded. "Sure. Be fast." I reached down and scooped the other water ball up.

Levi ducked back into the water, and disappeared into the river depths, hunting for fish.

In the meantime, I focused on the bubbles in my hands. The water spread open on top like flowers, then the pedals dissolved into droplets that fell through my fingers. The pyrefly I shot with an arrow never took water damage, but the other I peppered with water bullets. I couldn't see a difference on the wings, but it might not manifest until the smelting period. So nerve wracking.

I was careful to remove all the water in my hands before touching the pyreflies.

The System reacted. Ding! [Would you like the System to harvest the carcass for the optimal drop items? Y/N?]

I responded yes and a second later, two more pairs of wings and vials of fire appeared in my Items Bag. The fire still amazed me. Maybe Uncle could find a useful way to use it. He always enjoyed new and exciting challenges, and fire was his element.

A shiver went down my back as I felt two powerful auras close in on my right. I stiffened, my sword instantly appeared in my right hand, the water rippled under my feet, ready to respond to my command.

One aura reached out and gently tapped on my awareness, as if it knew I was freaked out. It was like touching someone's shoulder to let them know you were there.

I let out my breath as I recognized Terre's odd aura. No matter how many times I felt it, and knew it wasn't a threat, I couldn't seem to get used to his unusual aura. His aura just didn't feel human. But he didn't feel like a monster, either. It was that weird limbo that kept me on edge. Now that I think about it, Karmin's aura was unusual, too, but the difference was so subtle that I didn't notice it until now. I mean, she did actually feel human, just with a tweaked aura.

Since I knew it was safe to leave my cover, I dried off all the water and walked out of the cattails.

Terre and Karmin stood on the shore, waiting for me.

"You did well," Terre said. "In fact, everything that you've today was well done. The water against the stone giant, helping with the tower, fighting the pyreflies. Hell, you did a good job just staying alive until I found you."

My eyes widened in surprise. Pressure grew in my chest, tight and fizzy at the same time. I felt light as air, ready to float off the ground. To my horror, my eyes burned with tears that I refused to let manifest. I didn't know I needed to hear those words until they rocked my world.

Everything I did felt like one set back after another. I never felt good enough. And a small part of me worried that I'd never be good enough.

But Terre Noble said that I did a good job. The super powerful man who treated me like a glass figurine. There was no coddling, or empty praise in his simple words. He honestly believed what he said. It made me believe his words. For the first time since I came to Colorado, I did a good job.

Everything I did felt like one set back after another. I never felt good enough. And a small part of me worried that I'd never be good enough. But Terre Noble said that I did a good job. The super powerful man who treated me like a glass figurine. There was no coddling, or empty praise in his simple words. He honestly believed what he said. It made me believe his words. For the first time since I came to Colorado, I did a good job.

I looked down, a small smile wobbling on my lips. "Thank you." At least there was some solace that my voice was strong. A Hunter shouldn't cry from a compliment. I'd hate to ruin his positive opinion of me. Hopefully, I was one step closer to him telling me about the System.

Levi emerged from the river, his belly bloated. I could practically see the outline of the fish inside. Levi climbed up my body and settled on my left shoulder.

I winced as his slight weight sent another stinging pain from my burn. Thankfully I had Regen, so it would heal in time. Until then, every ache and burn on my body was very obvious. I moved him to my other shoulder, trying not to ignore the lump in his belly. Definitely a fish.

He tapped my uninjured shoulder with his tail, agitated by my tangled emotions from Terre’s compliment. He leveled a glare at Karmin, silently accusing her. You know, because he didn't have the guts to glare at Terre.

Karmin put her hands on her hips. "Are you sure you wanted to bring that snake into Mist Haven? It'll be more hassle than it's worth."

"I'm sure. He's okay," I insisted.

She shook her head. "If you say so. Just don't get sued."

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Terre motioned to the grove of cattails, the plants showing the wear and tear of my battle. "Is your task done?"

I nodded. "Yeah."

He nodded. "Good. No more delays. I have my own task to complete; getting you home."

I pressed my lips into a smile and nodded. Home. The house in Mist Haven was not what came to mind when I heard the word. It didn't feel like home yet, especially since I kept flip-flopping between there and the apartment over Uncle's shop. And then I got stuck in the wilds for so many nights. I mean, I'd spent just as much time sleeping in caves as I did in my bed in Mist Haven.

But as soon as I heard the word, a clear picture of my family appeared in my mind, bright and shining. I missed them. So much.

"Yes," I whispered. "I want to go home now." I helped Terre finish his communication tower task, so I didn't have that hanging over my head. And I had several pyrefly wings. I accomplished the original task I set out to do.

Now, I just want to go home. And hopefully convince Dad to accept me being a Hunter. As much as I wanted to go home, knowing that I was heading into a fight doused the anticipation with anxiety.

*****

The closer we got to home, the harder it was to sit still. I couldn't resist opening up the Guide map and watching the GPS miles count down. Now that I was on the back of a mist-running-and-not-flying tiger, the numbers shrank quickly.

As soon the distance to home dropped to double digits, I opened my personal messages and pressed Uncle's contact. Then I froze.

What should I say to him? Hi, how are you doin'? Did you throw any parties while I was lost in the wilds? Yeah, no. I think a better question would be, did you sleep at all while I was gone? Did you eat? Did Dad? Did he get sick with worry?

Yet, I didn't want to ask those questions. I wanted my return to be triumphant. To be a positive thing, not rehashing the terror of the last few days. And it didn't feel right to try to communicate all that over messages. I wanted to personally experience it all when we met again, face to face.

Only, now that I could finally talk to Uncle, something that I'd desperately wanted and strived for for days, I felt like a guilty runaway. My left hand tightened on the side of Terre's armor as I slowly started typing with my right. [Hi, Uncle. I'm on my way home.]

Immediately, a message came back. [When? When will you be here?] Those six words practically screamed with desperation. Every emotion he'd had the five days was felt in that brief message. Another one quickly followed. [Are you hurt? Are you okay?]

I pressed my lips together, feeling guiltier than before. I had the ETA from the GPS if I walked home — four days — but not for running through the air. I tapped on Terre's shoulder. When he leaned his ear towards me, I asked, "How long till we get there?"

"About three hours," Terre called back. He must have noticed how tight I gripped the side of his armor, but he didn't complain.

"Thanks." I turned back to the messages. [I'm not hurt.] That much was true. Regen already healed all the burns from my fight with the pyreflies. [Terre said about three hours.]

There was a pause, then Uncle responded. [Okay. I'll be waiting with your father and brother at your home. Love you.]

[Okay. I'll see you soon. Love you, too.] I let out a big breath, with the weight on my chest lifting just a little.

Levi leaned close to the screen, staring at the numbers. Each time he saw an E or H, he pointed to it and made the sound. Then he pointed to a Y and looked at me with expecting eyes.

I smiled bitterly, thankful for the distraction. "This one would be a better fit." I pointed to an S. "Sssss."

Levi focused on the letter and mentally tested it out. Sssss. His eyes brightened when it came so naturally to him and he started searching through the messages, pointing out every letter he knew and filling my mind with their sounds.

Terre looked over his shoulder at me. "Who are you talking to?"

"Levi," I responded. "He's a lot smarter than you think. Like, crazy smart."

"A lot of people say that about their pets," Terre commented.

"Yeah, but not like this," I commented under my breath. I knew exactly what he was talking about. Shiva and Ghost were obviously very smart. ChoCho and Chuck, both clucktrices, were less so. But none of them held a candle to Levi.

With his super hearing, I knew Terre heard me, but he didn't contradict me.

I wiped away the message screen and looked down, feeling complicated. Was it possible to be excited and full of dread at the same time? It was like a rock dropped into a glass of fizzy soda. With nothing to do for the next three hours, I looked down at the forest stretching out below.

The thing my gaze was drawn to wasn't the pretty green canopy, or the majestic rock structures peaking out, or the way the river snaked across the land below. No — was the huge cloud that clung to the ground in the distance. I say ‘cloud’ because it was hundreds of feet tall and so thick I couldn't see through it. But unlike a real cloud, this one laid on the ground, smothering everything it touched. And it was enormous, like tens of miles in diameter. I could see the barest outlines of five or six mountain peaks hidden inside. It was that big.

Hang on, that seemed familiar. I opened up my map and looked at the huge blurred section that took over most of the western part. Sure enough, the obscure parts on the map were exactly where the cloud covered the mountains. But that was it? The cloud didn't move, like it was anchored to that location. It wasn't a monster lair, was it? If so, that was a humongous lair. God, the strength of that monster would be astronomical.

Levi noticed my worry and turned his head, spotting the cloud. He tasted the air, but was as clueless as I was about it.

I tapped on Terre's shoulder. “When the update for the communication tower happens, will we finally be able to see what’s in there?” I pointed to the area, feeling him out. Technically, I wanted to know if a monster caused it and why was it so close to Mist Haven? I mean, the cloud started only miles from the edge of town.

Terre looked to where I pointed then shook his head. “No.”

My brows pulled together. “Why not? Nobody's ever explored that area?” That didn't seem possible, given how close it was to settlement.

The corner of Tara‘s mouth kicked up in a smile. “Oh, it’s been explored plenty. That’s private property. And the owner doesn't want it seen.”

My lips parted in surprise, then I pulled up my map again and used the key on the side to get a rough estimate of the size of the blurry area. It was roughly shaped like an oval and almost a hundred miles long. “All of that is private property?”

“Yes.”

“Who owns it?“

“I do.” He gave a lopsided shrug. "Well, my family does."

My brows rose high on my forehead. I knew Terre was rich. I just didn’t realize that it was owned-several-mountains-rich. Oh, it was said the world's only energy crystal mine was hidden in the clouds. So, it was somewhere in that cloud? No wonder the Nobles didn't want people to know what's inside.

“Wait, those clouds are there all the time, aren’t they?“ I didn’t wait for him to respond before I continued. “If they’re not made by a monster lair, is somebody casting the magic to keep the clouds in place? Oh, I mean, mist.“ Terre's power was mist, not clouds. So that was really thick mist resting on the ground. Was there a difference? Which one was politically correct? Either way, whoever cast that spell was very powerful. A lot of land that was covered in mist.

“I suppose you can say a person is keeping it in place,” he admitted, vague as ever.

“Who?” I gasped. Just imagine how much MP it took all day long to hold it in place.

Terre smiled, a gentle light growing in his eyes. “My nanny.”

I gaped at him. “What?”

Karmin cackled behind us, enjoying the conversation.

I was obviously the butt of the joke, but I didn’t know how. “The same nanny that made your armor?” I asked, trying to connect the dots.

He nodded. “The one and the same.”

I shook my head. So she was an excellent armorer and had that much magic power? Seriously, someone like that would be famous in the industry. I’d know her name at least. “Who is she?”

Terre just shook his head, smiling and not smiling at the same time.

With that hard shutdown, I blurted out the other question lingering in my back of mind, though I doubt he’d answer it. “What level is she?” How long will it be before I get that strong?

Terre snorted a laugh. “Oh, she doesn’t even have a level.”

Now I was really stumped. Everyone that had magic was a Hunter, and every Hunter had a level. The only way to not have a level was to be a human, but a human didn’t have magic.

My brain looped in circles, with no solution in sight.