It was definitely the soil hearkening to the command of Jedd and Osris, not actually the shrubs. Arthur strongly believed he saw that clearly. But he was still far from making a conclusion yet.“So, what can you two manipulate?” Osris asked with pride.“Why are you looking like that, Arthur? Do you sense something strange about them?” Ysolde asked softly, having noticed Arthur's ponderous look.And that question made Arthur remember his nose. Nothing smelled evil about these fellows, no repulsive spiritual foulness despite their soiled physical state. Their spiritual scent wasn't repelling; instead, it was quite the opposite.“No, actually. They don't seem harmful to me,” Arthur answered.“You are not answering?!” Jedd called out.Ysolde refused to take her serious gaze off Arthur. Then she whispered again, “Why then do you have that onerous look?”Arthur smiled.“I think the guys are confused about what they really are,” he replied.“What are they?” Ysolde asked, suddenly excited.Ar

The following morning brought with it a cool sensation. Arthur woke up right from where he had been seated the previous night. His buttocks hurt so much that the pain extended all the way to his waist. Even attempting to stand seemed difficult, as though his body had been glued to the chair. But the chair only jerked slightly when he finally rose.He looked through the forest again. The morning breeze was already howling through the leaves.Arthur could not deny the fact that the air was indeed pleasing. It felt remarkably good.At the same time, the thought of the tormenting growl slipped back into his mind. That thought slowly pulled his attention away from appreciating nature. He wondered what could possess such a dangerous roar.It never sounded like a human, nor like any ferocious beast he had ever come across. It sounded too unreal. The vibration alone had felt destructive. That voice by itself had taught him a little about the science of sound. And of course, not real music, bu

“Why are we running away from it? Can't we merge as we did back at the walls of the priests?” Arthur asked while running alongside Ysolde. “Then you will be testing the anger of this thing. Do you know what this is?” Ysolde panted. The Veyrath slapped the earth violently behind them. Arthur fell, followed by an uncontrolled roll, but he sprang up again and resumed running. Ahead of them, Osris and Jedd were fleeing as though their lives depended on it. Of course, their lives depended on it. “Ysolde, just tell me what this thing is!” Arthur cried behind her. “It's a powerful creature known to be extinct. I can't tell why we found one here. And it shouldn't be after us,” Ysolde stated. “Then why is it after us?” Arthur demanded. “I don't—” The Veyrath's muscled and jagged fingers struck the earth again. A turbulent burst of wind exploded outward. Arthur and Ysolde were thrown off their feet before crashing into the ground. Even Osris and Jedd had lost their footing long ago

Just before the sun exited the sky, Arthur saw his reflection in the waters. His eyes were totally amber. With the cold wind whizzing through the woods, Orisa's image flashed through his mind. He immediately shook his head and looked at the Veyrath again.The creature refused to lower its head. Every one of its roars continued blasting through the water alongside the freezing winds sweeping across the region.It was a very wise choice that Jedd and Osris refrained from attacking. The Veyrath was demonstrating something terrifying. Its roars were manipulating the atmospheric conditions.Arthur repeated the Flames spell again and the fire around him flared higher despite the violent winds. Behind the beast, the others remained where they were. They looked equally disturbed by the sight overhead. Every fog gathering across the sky had darkened into something unnatural.For several moments, the Veyrath's roars gradually reduced in volume. Then the darkness truly arrived.The sky became s

The speed at which Ysolde bolted toward Arthur was beyond prediction. One moment she hovered before the Veyrath with those crimson eyes burning strangely beneath the storm, and the next she was already upon him. Arthur barely saw the movement before an unseen force struck his chest. The impact hurled him backward through the floodwater. He tumbled violently, rolled beneath the current, and sprang back to the surface immediately. Ysolde rushed again. This time her tiny frame crossed the distance between them like a released arrow. Her palm struck across his chest with enough force to stagger him several paces through the rushing water. Arthur managed to remain upright, though the shock of the blow rattled his bones. Anger surged through him. For a fleeting moment, he wondered whether Ysolde had been leading him toward this fate all along. Perhaps every conversation, every warning, every journey they had taken together had been part of a larger deception. Perhaps she had been rais