'The thought of your face nothing but a whisper of my imagination, since the day you took your sword and left for the war, I've been hooked carving your touch, and smell, you left me incapacitated. My mind is empty, with my heart full of the pain of waiting. The ever-fading memory of your whisper torments my heart. The soles of your feet no longer come to my door, your hands that carried me flowers, that cupped my face so intimately. Those hands that fought in vain alongside our countrymen. Your loss is mine, my dear, for your suffering lives on me.' —Memory of a lost lover

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Who would have thought that shark meat tastes like chicken? I certainly did not. I did not realize how much of an appetite I had worked until the flattened corpse was no more.

I had dragged it above the water where I ended up devouring it whole. I didn't feel any sort of special powers, or effect from eating the meat which was quite disappointing honestly. Glancing at the sky above, I reckoned a few hours had passed already since my descent from the mountain.

I was feeling strangely tired, and sleepy. I squinted my eyes as I tried to spot Green's figure, though I failed in doing so. 'It's about time father brings food to the mountain, I guess I must have missed it when I was underwater,' I inwardly mumbled.

The floating mountain was still visible in the sky, as it cast a large shadow on the land. A yawn escaped my mouth as I found myself struggling to keep my eyes open. 'That's strange,' I frowned.

'Well no matter, it's time to call it a day and head home anyways,' With that thought in mind, I was about to reach out for the mana to create a water column that would launch me into the air, as I still faced problems with a normal take-off from the ground.

It was then that an idea occurred to me, I glimpsed at the giant body of water below my feet, and then back at the mountain in the sky, before a wide grin formed on my face.

I closed my eyes as I reached out to the mana, when I opened them water slowly rose to form a large stairway that extended from the lake, all the way to the edge of the mountain.

The lake stirred as the water stairway rose. As I raised my head to see it touch the rim of the mountain, my mother's large figure suddenly appeared as she glanced at me from above.

Feeling proud of myself, I was about to take my first step when a sudden gush of wind from above collided with my stairway. I could sense the clash between both my water mana and my mother's wind mana.

Her sudden attack caught me by surprise, as she used her wind mana to cause my stairway to collapse sending water splashing downwards. I was momentarily baffled as I stared at her in confusion.

'Why the heck would you want to do that for?!' I inwardly protested when her voice suddenly reached my ears.

"Fly!" She said in an authoritative voice that left no choice for any further arguments.

Suppressing my annoyance, I rolled my eyes as I called for a water column, asking the mana for its help. It instantly complied sending me flying to the air.

With the take-off problem out of the way, I flapped my wings as I approached the mountain. Mother's figure remained standing at the edge as she watched over me. It was then that I could sense her wind mana gathering in the air, I was surprised but thought nothing of it.

'Maybe she's making sure I'm safe in case I fall?' I wondered.

And I couldn't have been more wrong, the wind suddenly picked up as It forced me backwards, the sudden surge in intensity caused my body to spin for a couple of seconds before I regained my balance.

I steadily flapped my wings as I stayed still in the air, the mountain was still a distance above yet mother's mana surrounded it, making it hard for me to continue my climb.

'What the hell is the problem now?!'

Mother was probably able to sense my annoyance as I glared at her, her mouth curved upward as she stared back before she spoke. 'What's wrong? Use your magic,' She said with a hint of playfulness.

'Use my magic?' I mentally frowned. As I willed it, the water slowly rose to form a pillar upon which I stood as I stared back at my mother.

Just then, a sudden wind blade was sent flying instantly cutting my pillar in half and throwing my mana into disarray as the pillar collapsed completely.

Luckily I was able to remain in the air, yet my confusion and annoyance only grew. My mother let out a snort as she shook her head. "Weak," she said almost in disappointment.

"Use your magic to climb!" She growled, a dangerous aura suddenly surrounded her as the wind intensified causing it to become harder to stay in the air.

My spirit rose in defiance at my mother's cold disappointed glare. This time, I did not ask the mana for help, no this time I ordered it! And as If it was delighted, the mana complied once more with even increased vigor.

A large transparent water dome suddenly appeared in the air around me, shielding me from my mother's wind blades. I flapped my wings with determination as I made my way to the mountain.

Seeing that her previous attacks were now useless against me, mother increased the intensity of her assault, causing my water shield to slowly but surely disperse.

"Is that the full extent of your power?" Mother's voice boomed in my head even louder than before.

I roared back in defiance as I reached out to the mana using every fiber of my being, 'If the water shield is not going to make it the way it is now, that just means I have to strengthen it!'

The lake turned and churned as a massive water wall suddenly rose pushing against mother's wind blades. The wall was massive! It appeared to be able to easily flood the mountain if I so wished.

Not wasting the opportunity it provided me, I abruptly rushed in the air like an arrow as I made my towards the floating mountain. The water made way allowing me to pass with ease yet also protecting me from my mother.

I almost made it to the edge when a storm suddenly blew all the water away, causing my massive wall to collapse as if it was nothing but a mere child's play.

I had no time to be surprised, the land was within an arm's reach. I extended my claw as I flapped my wings against the wind current, refusing to back down. Wind blades cut my scales as a few scratches appeared, yet I preserved as my claw finally touched the mountain edge.