Late Afternoon - Late Fall : Sky Above North Sirathan Mountains

*Fwooosh* "Hehe..." I couldn't help but let out a happy chuckle as I zoomed across the sky and sipped on a barrel of Piótita. -I'm so glad I decided to get alcohol there... This is literally perfection in the form of a drink...-

Although I wasn't too sure why, something about it was simply addictive. There was just some kind of subtle taste in the drink that was indescribable yet heavenly. -Whatever it is though, it's making me reluctant to share...-

Not long after that, when I eventually finished the barrel I got for myself, I looked towards the horizon and noticed a large opening in the canopy. -I'm here already?- Quickly realizing I was a few days early, I tried to think of ways to kill time until I glanced down at the large mana core still in my grasp. -Well.. I guess I could just focus on you for a few days...-

After taking another moment to think through some other options, I turned around and flew away until the city was back on the horizon.

-No one will wander out this far towards the mountains, right?- Quickly thinking back to the town map I got from the guild in the city, I double-checked to make sure there weren't any paths nearby before diving toward the ground.

*Crash-Crackle* I smashed my way through the canopy until I finally got to the underside and slowed down. -This should be a fine place to land...- *Fwoosh-Thump*

As my paws sank into the soft soil, I looked around for anywhere with decent cover and found some dense 10-meter-tall brush around the base of a nearby tree. -Perfect...-

Quickly making my way over to it, I padded down some of the weeds, set down the extra alcohol barrel, and laid myself down.

*tap-tap-rustle* As Ilios hopped off my back, he walked straight into the brush and disappeared, but I didn't think much of it at the time.

Finally getting moderately comfortable, I shifted all my focus to the mana core. "Haah..." -This is going to be an uncomfortable few days...-

Although it was already considerably smaller than it was when I first got a hold of it, the core in my paw was still a tad too big to fit in my mouth. -But even if I can't absorb it all before the pilgrimage, I can try!-

As I finally shifted the rest of my mental capacity away from everything but my reserve and the mana core, the rate I absorbed mana increased several-fold.

Before I knew it, my attention was even pulled away from my surroundings, and time started to tick by faster and faster until finally... *tink* A satisfying noise permeated the air as the core crumbled in my mouth.

"Hooohh..." As I let out a deep breath and took control of my aura once again, my surroundings were washed by a blanket of visible mana. -To think my aura has gotten this excessive...-

Although I didn't really pay much attention to it when I visited Lassar's settlement, now that I was actually carefully controlling it, it was apparent that my aura was starting to get out of hand. -Even with my reserve as thick as it'll go, my aura is still more than it used to be at its thinnest...-

But those thoughts quickly vanished when I idly asked myself how long I had been lying there. -WAIT, IT'S BEEN A WEEK?!-

Immediately hopping up off the ground, I looked around for Ilios, only to find him laying right next to me.

He tilted his head as if confused about why I was in such a rush, but without explaining anything, I leaned down and threw him up onto my back. "We're late!"

Not wasting a single second, I picked up the alcohol barrel, spread my wings, and threw us up through the canopy. *cr-r-rack-RUMBLE* The instant I got above the dense branches, I blasted thrusters and closed the few dozen kilometers to the city in a matter of seconds.

As Morva Asari came into view, I changed to my humanoid form and got ready to slow down and land quietly, but noticed there wasn't a single person out on the streets. -They must have all left already. But if that's the case...-

*RUMBLEEEE-tap-tap* Finally landing and setting down Ilios in the middle of a wide street, I quickly got my bearings and got ready to dash around town to check for anyone's aura, but I noticed one before I even moved.

"Talk about a loud entrance." The woman's voice carried a familiar warmth.

"Haha, I figured a loud landing would get your attention if you were still here." Relaxing my nerves, I turned to see Amara leaning up against a nearby building. -She got stronger...- Her aura was considerably larger than last time.

"Well, it worked. In any case, you've changed quite a lot, haven't you?" She looked me up and down as if she wasn't sure what to think.

"Haha, is that not to be expected after 3 years of training?"

"I guess you have a point, but..." Vanishing from where she was, she instantly closed the distance between us and threw a kick at my chest.

*tap-CRACKLE* The ground behind me shattered as I nonchalantly caught her foot.

"Isn't that a bit excessive?" She looked at me with a mix of fear and awe, as if she didn't believe it.

It was an expression that nearly made me laugh. "I told you I was out of the norm, didn't I?"

Finally noticing my playful expression, a smile returned to her face and she pulled her foot away. "Hah. No kidding."

We continued talking casually for a while after that, simply getting me caught up to speed on everything that had happened while I was gone, and giving me a decent understanding of our plans going forward.

The main idea was to get to the outskirts of the capital and meet up with Bjørn and Yolanda before trekking another few days to get to the 'Tree of Prayer' at the center of the city.

It was a decent plan that I had no complaints with, so we managed to get on the road quite quickly, but it didn't take long for Amara to ask a certain question that reminded me of something I had nearly forgotten about.

"So, how was the place I grew up in?"

My idle thoughts came to a screeching halt the second she asked. "Ah, right. About that..."

Seeing my awkwardness, she got a little nervous. "Could you find it alright? Was it too dusty? It wasn't weathered or damaged too badly, was it?"

"N..no. None of that. It's just..."

"Just what?" She tilted her head with innocent nervousness.

"I, uh.. found a dead half-breed kid in it when I arrived."

Immediately losing all joy in her expression, she gave me a deadly glare. "That isn't something you should joke about-"

"You really think I would joke about that?!" Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out a small, dirty-bronze scale sitting next to my ID. "I sent off what was left of its body already, but I kept this around to show you."

She stared at the scale in complete silence for several minutes.

"Of the other things I found, there was a bag left by the hunter that killed it with a journal in it." I continued as I handed it to her. "I also found an adult dragon skeleton in the water down the mountain. I'd assume it was the kid's parent, but it wasn't a totally pure dragon either."

It wasn't until I glanced at her that I noticed her oozing bloodlust. "To think my brother's only friend would follow him to the afterlife..."

Immediately realizing I made a mistake by just dropping the information on her, I zipped my lips and stayed quiet. -Sh*t... Maybe I should have.. eased her into that...-