One could say it was a great migration. Masses of Exalt Beasts spanned over the sky, casting large dark shadows on the lands below, almost as if night descended during the day. More Exalt Beasts stampeded and trampled around under the shadows of the flying beasts, zipping from tree to tree, rock to rock, and mountain to mountain.

Flying through the sky, Oscar stuck close to Erden and Avril. It was easy to get lost within the hordes of Exalt Beasts flying alongside them. Some glared at Oscar and growled, clearly adverse to humans being amongst them. Erden growled back with a dangerous glint in his eyes, and the others backed away.

Earlier before, Hons had given Erden a strange authority in his voice that would deter any Exalt Beasts from making trouble on the way. Once again, Oscar owed much more to the Gorilla King Exalt, a gracious host. They continued their journey undisturbed by other beasts looking for trouble.

Exiting the blue forests surrounding the great tree, Oscar beheld wide plains of red grass, bright as blood, soon trampled by the stampede of Exalt Beasts, leaving not a single red plant to be seen. While he knew the wildlife and flora of the Lands of Zeret were stubborn and durable, it was still a shame the great migration choked stamped out so much.

After the red plains, many more interesting sceneries came to view. Great mountains of silver that resembled someone's hands as if they were digging out of the earth. Tall trees of pink, reaching even the height Oscar flew in, scattered petals along with a sweet honey scent, making his stomach growl. The Lands of Zeret was truly a wondrous place.

"Look over there!" Avril pointed her finger out at the horizon, her face caught in awe with her mouth gaped open.

Flowery hills surrounded a perfectly circular lake, thousands of feet across. Oddly, the lake had waters of blue, red, and yellow, all mixing and swirling but never combining into other colors. Rather than a lake, it was like a bundle of strings and threads of the three colors, intertwining and crossing. Staring at this lake, Oscar felt a tingling along his skin, the ends of his hair standing from a mysterious power in the air, permeating from the lake below. His heart thumped as a yearning groaned from within. 'Is this the special Ein the Pools of Ascension contain?'

Hons pounded his chest, thundering drums that overwhelmed and quelled the raging hordes gathering around the lake. He roared a single time, every beast bowing as the shockwave of his voice reached every corner of the hills. Strangely, the pool's surface was unaffected by the force of a King Exalt, the tides waxing and waning as usual. Dropping from the sky, he landed softly on one of the hills.

A mass of crows and other winged Exalt Beasts perched themselves along the beaches along with others. Ness swooped in, dark winds spreading from her jet-black wings. Her large talons dug into the hill as she spread her wings fully. All the winged Exalt Beasts bowed to her, and she cawed louder than Hons's roar.

On another hill, Almos squealed loudly, snorting in huffs, seemingly competing with Ness to be the loudest. Their caws and squeals came one by one, louder with each rotation. It finally ended when Hons roared the loudest, stopping the other two from continuing. Oscar and Avril made their way to his side while Erden continued toward the pool's shores. Spotting his friend thanks to their connection, Oscar nodded and prayed for the best, anxious for Erden.

Revealing his canines, Hons addressed the hordes of beasts. "To all gathered here. Today, the Pools of Ascension have awakened. There is only one rule, dive and rise anew. Let the festival begin!"

At the point when the two suns reached the highest point in the sky, the pool started to glow, a font of Ein rising from the surface. The Exalt Beasts rampaged off the shore and began their trek into its depths. The waves were finally disrupted by their flailing movements. In the skies, the Knight and Marshal Exalt Beasts, who had never had their chance before, flew deeper in.

Crude, but the rules were somehow still upheld in this mess. Oscar wondered how exactly the beasts maintained control during this chaotic time. The blood had already spread within the pool from the Apprentice and Elite Exalt Beasts fighting in the shallower waters.

They were kept from killing each other by the King Exalts' decree, somehow. Only through this brutal mess of a fight would some emerge victorious and claim the larger part of the special Ein needed for their evolution. Oscar felt it was unfair because anyone could try to lie in wait and intercept the prize at the last moment when everyone else was tired.

However, Hons and the others believed it was all up to destiny. He didn't think it was justified to leave it to destiny, but as an outsider, he didn't say anything. After all, this system had worked for the beasts for countless thousands of years before his birth. Erden had a harsh battle ahead of him. Oscar glanced over at the hill where Ness perched herself and the crows flying toward the pools from her side. He gripped his fists, cursing at how he couldn't fight alongside Erden.

The Marshal Exalts started their battle in the center of the pool, followed by the Greater Knight Exalts close by, and finally, the Middle Knight Exalts. Each realm of Exalts had its own layer of the pool, not daring to intrude on the higher realms and deigning from taking from the weaker. Peering between the murderous beasts, the burst of elements ever in flux, Oscar could not spot Erden despite feeling him, closed his eyes to watch from Erden's view, and was immediately face up against a wolf.

…….

Erden wrestled the snarling wolf in the air, and his antlers were stuck in its jaw as it clawed his body. The wolf underestimated his tough skin and only caused shallow wounds. But the damage might worsen if he let this go on for too long. A sense of relief relaxed Erden despite being in the throes of battle. The wolf possessed no elemental powers, nor did it have a powerful bloodline. Admirable that his adversary made it this far, but a pity it ran into him.

His large frame pulsed with great physical power, and he shoved a hoof into the wolf's exposed chest. Hearing the wolf's forced-back yelp of pain, Erden spun around, flying through the air until he tossed the wolf onto another Exalt Beast. Yet, the wolf stubbornly refused to let go, its teeth digging into his antlers. Annoyed, Erden struck his hoove again and again. He continued several times until the wolf finally had enough and let go, splurting blood on Erden's face.

Like hell, he would let his prey go! Erden was about to swing his antlers on the wolf when a dark blur came from behind. Its talons gripped the wolf's neck and tossed the helpless beast aside. Alarmed, Erden retreated, staring at the newcomer, a crow.

The large crow flapped its wings, gusts kicking off from its swings. It stared at Erden with pale white eyes, the kind that could suck out one's soul. In a single caw from its wide-open beak, its meaning came through, a snarky tone full of pride. 'I am Ruvin, foremost of the flock. Hello to you, Outsider. What is your name?'

Erden groaned in a deep voice. 'I am Erden. I know of you, Ruvin. It's about time you arrived.'

'Hoh. You know who I am?' Ruvin's high-pitched crowing reverbed with power, his eyes narrowed sharply, a deep strength welling inside. 'Then you know why I have come.'

'At the behest of your King Exalt, you are to stop me and drag me out of the pools. I must ask if you're ok with this. We fight for our chance but not to target others to stop them.' Erden stood firm in the air as the battles grew fiercer around him. None of them approached Ruvin, only a few flashes of fear across their eyes. The threat he felt from Ruvin surpassed his many other experiences. And he was all alone in this one.

'I do as the Great Mother wills. If you want to claim your right, then take it for yourself.' Ein scattered around from his feathers' ruffling. Ruvin rose higher and stared down at Erden. 'They say you can barely count as one of us, having been in a human's arms for so long. I will remind you of what a true beast is!'

Dark mists and tendrils curled and danced from under Ruvin's feathers, swelling and swirling around his body. It carried hints of a charcoal scent, choking the fresh air around him. As the darkness weaved, Ruvin's appearance changed. He appeared not as one of the physical world but as a shadow caught between the rays of light, ever-shifting and obscure to the naked eye. The haze surrounding him seemed delicate, like a dying flame, as if it was about to be snuffed out.

Erden commanded all of his power, his Ein raging out of his white body, his crystal hooves and antlers shining brightly against the dark mists that were Ruvin. Staring at his ethereal-like foe, Erden shouted and shot straight up, filling the tips of his antlers with Ein.

Ruvin dove against him as well. The beak and antlers collided, the air itself trembling from the impact. As their opposing powers sought to devour each other, Erden and Ruvin turned, meeting talons against hooves. Their battle had begun.