The group stood near the edge of the wall, looking over the vast land of enormous trees that covered the night sky, clouds flowing through the branches of the ancient trees. Ash knelt down, grabbing onto the rope tied to the hook on the wall and leaning over the edge.

"Guess I'll be going first." He said with a focused gaze, taking a deep breath as he held on tightly to the rope.

The others watched with anxiety flooding over them as Ash slowly descended the wall, moving one foot down at a time as his back faced the distant ground beneath him. He kept his gaze up, looking at the others as they watched him descend, all he could was the wind rise against his back. After a few minutes, he got far enough down so that the next person could begin descending as well.

The look of anxiety in Ash's eyes gave the other's hesitation for this part of the escape. Watching as he had to blindly descend with his back turned to the world below him.

"I'll go next," Mavis said as he wiped the sweat from his hands off onto his trousers, walking up to the edge of the wall.

"Are you sure you're alright? I can try and go down with you." Tristan offered, with a look of desperation in his eyes.

Mavis looked up at him with a smile that contrasted the dull look in his eyes before kneeling down and grabbing onto the rope.

"I'll be fine," Mavis replied, getting into position as he planted his feet up against the side of the wall, holding onto the rope.

He looked over at Abigail, who was still clearly shaken up from what had previously transpired and gave her a warm smile. She only stared at him with those eyes full of sorrow before turning back to sob against Misha's shoulder. With a sigh, he began to descend, staring at the stone wall in front of him as he felt the cold air begin to pelt against his skin.

"It wasn't my fault, I didn't do it, I didn't do anything," Mavis repeated to himself in a whisper as he slowly moved one hand under the other on the rope.

A strong breeze blew, pulling him to the side as he dangled in the air, holding tightly onto the rope. Panicked, he looked down to see Ash still holding on as well as the air settled back to normal. They exchanged nervous smiles before eventually reaching the bottom in the next few minutes. Mavis' hopped down from the last few feet of rope, his feet landing against the grass below as his eyes widened with wonder. Standing next to Ash, he looked around to see an abundance of trees and nature, covered with the darkness of the night. Everything seemed to be of a higher scale than within the walls.

"This is it, we made it," Ash said as he stared off in wonder.

"We can't celebrate yet, we will once everyone is here," Mavis replied with an intense gaze as he took in the scenery.

The smell of nature flooded their noses, the trees, plants, and all giving a freshness they had never experienced. The walls contained a barrier spell that broke off the outside world completely, filtering even the air. Mavis felt a tug on his shirt from Ash as he turned to look at him, only to see him pointing at something near one of the trees.

"Look." He said quietly.

He was pointing towards a small rodent-like creature with green fur and white glazed over eyes. It had razor-sharp claws that chipped away at the bark of the tree with incredible speed. The creature then turned towards the two boys and let out a hiss-like noise.

Ash reached down and picked up a pebble, tossing it at the small creature to scare it away, only for the pebble to hit it and do nothing.

"What the hell?" Ash said, confused at the durability of the creature.

"Hold on, I've seen this thing in the journal." Mavis opened his pack, pulling the journal out and flipping through the pages before stopping on one.

"Mezzis, small creatures that primarily hunt small insects living inside the bark of trees. They won't attack humans unless provoked, but they are fierce creatures for their stature. Their claws are easily able to tear trees apart and exhibit incredible ferocity. Flames seem to work best to scare them away." Mavis read from the journal, running his finger across the page before closing it and returning it to his pack.

"Fire magic, huh? I can use a bit." Ash said with a drop of sweat travelling down his temple.

He closed his eyes and focused, pointing his index finger towards the hissing Mezzis, quietly chanting an incantation.

"Inferno Minor," Ash spoke quietly as a small flame conjured in front of his finger, shooting it towards the Mezzis, causing it to scurry away into the dark forest.

"Nice, that's one thing we will have to look out for already." Mavis let out a quiet chuckle.

"The outside world is no joke, even small creatures like this are a threat." Ash sighed and set his hand back down by his side.

"The bad news is.." Mavis began to say, crossing his arms.

"Bad news? Already?"

"Well, we are right outside the walls."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ash asked curiously, raising an eyebrow.

"The barrier that the wall has, I read in the journal that it emits that same force throughout the nearby area. That spell causes creatures to subconsciously avoid coming near our civilization, but small creatures like the Mezzis aren't really affected since they don't have much mana themselves." Mavis answered, looking around.

"So what you are saying is, there isn't much to worry about while we're still in this area?"

"I wouldn't say that. I mean, just that small Mezzis could seriously injure or even kill one of us, who knows what else is lurking around. You have to be cautious now, the outside world is unforgiving." He answered, glancing back at Ash.

Ash clicked his tongue then turned his gaze up towards the wall, checking on the progress the others were making down.

"They're certainly taking their time." He remarked, kicking up some dirt as he put his hands in the pockets of his trousers.

"I'm guessing they had a little chat about what happened," Mavis said, coughing a bit to cover a choke in his voice.

"Right, I don't know what there is to discuss though, it was an accident. Right?"

"Yeah." Mavis gazed up at the tall trees, counting the branches to pass the time as the others descended from the wall.

"Be honest with me, Mav. I've known you forever." Ash narrowed his gaze, staring at the back of Mavis' head as he watched him.

"I am. Do you really think I'd do something like that?"

"I don't know anymore. I don't want to think about it, but you know." Ash brushed his hair away from his eyes, his silky black bangs moving with the wind.

"Know what?"

"Michael seemed close to Abigail, and I know how you feel about her."

"Do you think I dropped Michael on purpose to get rid of him, so I could get closer to Abi?"

"I'm just stating what I know, I personally don't think you did it, but I can't speak for the others. You're our leader, if they start doubting you now, this can all go downhill quick"

"If they choose not to believe me, then you'll be the leader." Mavis turned to Ash with a confident smile, giving him a thumbs up.

Ash's eyes widened as he let out a small gasp. "W-what? Now isn't the time for your little jokes."

"I'm not joking, you're the best fit for the leader role. If I'm gone, that is." Mavis smirked and patted Ash on the shoulder.

"Whatever, it's not like I want to be a leader anyways. I'm not cut out for that kinda thing."

Mavis chuckled and waved his hand, "Whatever you say, anyways, keep an eye on the others and help them out if anything happens."

"Where are you going?" Ash asked as he turned back towards the wall and looked up.

"Just going to take a peek around the area, make sure it's safe." He answered as he rolled his sleeves up.

"You're just impatient, aren't you? You just want to get a look at what's out there right away." Ash smiled, leaning against the wall next to the rope.

"I'm that easy to read, huh?" He chuckled and brushed his hand through his grey hair, taking in the cool air around.

"Not at all. I've just known you for so long that it came naturally. You're the one person I can't really read in this group, Mav."

"I'll take that as a compliment." Mavis waved as he began to walk into the tree line, disappearing in the darkness of the night.

This is it, huh. It may not be quite there yet, but this is still the outside. Very few people have ever returned from expeditions outside, and those who do are usually lacking their sanity to give any proper reports. We are some real cocky kids to think we have a hell of a chance out here, but with this journal, we have an advantage nobody else has ever had. Knowing what lies ahead of us is the key difference between life and death. It isn't just the monsters out there that will get you, even the plant life is out to get you.

The outside world is truly amazing, for people like us that yearn to be tested, hardened by the trials that the world gives us. This world is magnificent, what other meaning could somebody hope to ask for? Right in front of us, we have the very essence of victory. Through conquering this land, humanity can once again remain supreme. The layers of knowledge that await us out here, the lost magic of the old humans and their ancient weaponry, we will find it all.

Mavis knelt down, brushing his hand against a faintly glowing flower, emitting a soft blue light.

"A Roswell flower, this was in the journal too. If mixed with water, it has properties similar to a mana potion." Mavis said quietly to himself as he plucked the flower from the dirt, carefully placing it in his pack.

Standing back up, he ran the palm of his hand against the bark of a large white tree. The tree released small grey particles into the surrounding air, as Mavis gently touched them with his hand and smiled.

"Styx trees, a type of tree that harbours lesser spirits. Almost like an inn for the dead, nature can be truly fascinating." He smiled as he watched the grey lesser spirits float in the air.

He brought his palms together, closing his eyes as he chanted an incantation. As he chanted, a faint blue aura surrounded him, lighting up the nearby area as the lesser spirits seemed to dance about around him.

Hadus Comminus. A spirit magic spell that allows the user to communicate with nearby spirits. For those who practice spirit magic, it is common courtesy to commune with spirits when visiting a new area. More often than not, these spirits are overjoyed to get a chance to talk with a living human, and may even sometimes guide them to treasures or safety. Such an experience calms my heart, talking with such happy spirits soothes my worried mind, showing me that death may not be so dark and lonely as it is sometimes made out to be.

Mavis wore a warm smile across his lips as he felt the warmth from the spirits as they fluttered around him, chattering.

"Tell me, spirits, am I a bad person?" He asked hesitantly, clutching his hands together.

He had suddenly come to the realization of what he had done atop the wall. The feeling of guilt rising up his body and spreading throughout him.

No. Good. Good. Nice person.

The spirits answered him, their response calming his heart as he let out a sigh of relief than nodded his head to thank the spirits before ending the spell.