The lady in red streaked through the sky effortlessly. She moved as though she was one with the wind and wind pressure didn't seem to affect her. For the speed they moved at was beyond anything Mane had ever experienced. If it wasn't for the green barrier, neither Mane nor the Heavenly Nether Beast would have been able to travel so comfortably amidst the strong winds that tried to bombard them from the outside.
The Heavenly Nether Beast had long halted its actions. It wasn't trying to resist anymore. After constantly striking the barrier with all its strength for several minutes without end, it had exhausted its power. What it was doing now was recovering. It was lying on the ground with its eyes closed, seemingly sleeping. But the Edict that gathered outside its barrier and permeated it to get to the large cat proved that it was doing anything but sleeping.
As for Mane, he was still lying prone on the ground. The bleeding had stopped, and the large hole in his chest served as evidence that everything that had happened thus far was no dream but reality.
Muddled, yes. But it was still reality. Streams of Edict rushed into his body and nourished him. And though his injuries remained, the pain was minimal and he was now capable of movement. Of course he still chose to lie down as though he was helpless. Hildegarde the fairy sat on Mane's back. The panic that had washed over her at the early stages of their capture had been largely swept away as they travelled. Now she was a lot calmer than before, but that didn't mean she wasn't nerved by what was happening. After all, they had run into an Ascender. This was an Ascender who could see her! It was no trivial matter.
"How much trouble are we in right now? Write the answer on my back" Mane requested Hildegarde via Lock-On. Hildegarde nodded her head and proceeded to use her tiny fingers to trace out a reply on Mane's back. Mane focused on her actions and was able to pick up her reply.
*A lot*
Since Hildegarde could be seen by The Lady In Red, there was no way she could not be heard by her. So this was the only way Mane could come up with for them to communicate privately.
"Do you have any idea who she is?" Mane asked, hoping that although the likelihood of it being possible was slim, the fairies had some information on this strange woman.
*No. Not a single clue. Even Ascenders shouldn't be able to see me*
"Unless…" Mane started, before his voice trailed off.
*Unless what?*
"Unless she's a Scholar as well" Mane smiled bitterly and sat up. He didn't pretend to be unable to move anymore. He tore a piece of fabric from his shirt and ignored the blood stains on it. Then he tied the cloth around his eyes like a blindfold. He sat up and positioned himself in a way that had him facing the back of the Lady In Red. Using nothing but his other heightened senses, Mane was able to do this pretty easily.
"I was wondering how long you were going to pretend," a smooth voice that made Mane a lot more relaxed than he should be found its way into his head. And Mane smiled wryly.
From his knowledge, Scholars could see things that weren't when they reached the level of a Scholar King/Queen. And any Scholar could intercept the skills of another scholar as long as he/she was at least a full level above the latter. This basically meant that Mane's conversation with Hildegarde had been monitored from the very first word. There was no need for him to come with such an elaborate way of communicating between the two because the Lady In Red had intercepted his Lock-On.
So she heard everything he said. And as if to confirm that she was indeed a Scholar, she spoke to Mane directly – sending her voice into his mind. She didn't use Lock-On. Rather, she was a Telepath, just like Lily. Albeit being much stronger and more experienced. Mane who didn't think there would be any Scholars in this world was not expecting this.
"Shocking huh?" the pleasant voice of the mysterious lady traveled into Mane's ears once more, and the young Supreme nodded his head reluctantly. Before this woman he didn't seem to have any advantages.
"You didn't possibly think that only the True Universe had Scholars, did you?" the lady said, and Mane felt a small explosion go off in his head. His eyes behind the blindfold were bulged in disbelief, and his mouth was opened wide. He shook all over. For fear and doubt greater than anything he had ever felt in his life gripped him by his groin and held him captive.
Not only was this world not part of the True Universe, it belonged to another universe entirely. The people here knew nothing about the other worlds in this universe for they were much farther apart – with much distance between them – than the worlds of the True Universe. Yet this lady here not only knew about the True Universe, she seemed to have some understanding of it. After all, she knew that Scholars were in the True Universe as well. She couldn't have learned this from a Tested because if she had, then the fairies would have had information on her. So how did she know this? Who was she really?
"Just as you want to know more about me, I also want to know a great deal about you," the lady read Mane's thoughts pretty easily. She wasn't shy to express her interest in him.
"After all, not many people have seen a fairy before, much less have one as a personal guide," the lady had her back turned to Mane the entire time as she flew through the air, with her captives suspended in the green spheres. When she spoke this time it wasn't to just Mane in particular, for Hildegarde heard her as well. But even in the midst of the strong winds and the great noise that drummed up all around them, her voice could be heard in perfect clarity – word for word; tone for tone.
Hildegarde swallowed a large gulp of saliva, her anxiety apparent. Mane only frowned. This woman was dangerous. Although she seemed forthcoming and nice, Mane could feel a dangerous presence around her. To him she was scarier than the Barbarians. For she was very much like Ivor. She hid her intentions and appeared calm and kind on the surface. She looked like she was easy to get along with and that one could glean knowledge from her if they tried. But like a rose – pretty yet covered in thorns – her knowledge was not to be easily plucked. Neither were her ways readily discerned.
"When we get to my tower I will find out all I want to know," she added before increasing her speed and the speed of the green balls.
They had been travelling for about an hour. They had passed over several cities and towns, villages and forests. Mane had lost count of how many human civilizations they had moved past. The speed they travelled at was enough to move around Zandor in a dozen minutes, yet they hadn't reached their destination even after an hour. This showed that this world was much bigger than Zandor.
"Don't be inpatient. We are almost there." The lady turned and said to the blindfolded Mane. Mane nodded politely, although he didn't really care about that. Honestly, Mane wished that they would never get to this lady's tower. After all, there was no way he was going to drink tea and eat cakes when he got there. Not being 'brutally' tortured was the best case scenario for him.
However, Mane wasn't the only one wondering about how long it would take them to get to their destination. A certain Nether Beast was none too pleased that it was taking so long to get there. The Heavenly Nether Beast didn't share in Mane's logic however. As a beast that had the talent to reach the Heavenly Beast Level, it was very proud and usually got whatever it wanted. Although it was being held against its will, it knew its rarity and level of talent. So it was confident that it wouldn't be mistreated. And that was why it still had the guts to have opinions.
"And as for you," the lady turned to face the Nether Beast and flicked her finger. A small green light was shot from the tip of her finger towards the sphere that held the Heavenly Nether Lion. The green light easily passed through the green barrier and struck the Heavenly Nether Beast squarely on its large paw.
*Bang*
The beast struck the walls of the sphere as it was sent flying after it was hit. If it wasn't for the sphere, it may have possibly been sent flying several hundreds of meters away. It released a feeble roar as a gaping wound appeared where the light struck. Blood poured out in large amounts, and its eyes were filled with panic.
"Speak again and I will take your head next," she coldly remarked before turning away. Mane felt a cold hand gripping his heart when he saw how decisive she was. That was a Heavenly Nether Beast! A rare and talented creature. Yet she didn't even hesitate to injure it. And Mane could feel that her threat was real. She wasn't joking when she spoke of killing the large cat. If it provoked her once again, she was going to do just what she said she would.
"I'm sorry," Mane sighed in apology. The beast was in this mess because it tried to save him. If it were not for him, it wouldn't have been captured.
*Purr*
The large cat didn't dare to roar anymore, but it did communicate with Mane. Mane was stunned upon realizing that he could understand what the beast was saying.
"You owed me because my hair increased your bloodline purity?" Mane remarked with a stunned expression on his face. It was amazing enough that he understood the Heavenly Nether Beast. But its words were even more confusing.
"Oh? You can speak to Magical Beasts?" the lady in red observed with a small smile on her face. "You are becoming more and more interesting."
The Heavenly Nether Beast was just as surprised that Mane understood what it was saying. What it said was too random for Mane to have correctly guessed its interpretation. Like it had forgotten about its wound, it hobbled over to the side of its sphere closer to Mane and purred.
"I don't know how," Mane shrugged in reply. The Noble Beast was asking how Mane understood it. Maybe it was because of Silver that Mane could understand intelligent beasts now.
"Wait a bit," Mane suddenly said and activated the Fairy System he hadn't been dependent upon for a long while.
"Status"
Name: Mane
Age: 15
Current Setting: Healthy
Energy Level: Earth Realm Stage 1
Test Difficulty: Chaos
Testing Ground: Chaotic Era
Daily Quest: Find Revival Grass [Completed]
Tomorrow's Daily Quest: [Not Applicable]
Goal: End Goal – Become Chaos
Completion Rate: 15.17
Skills: Speedy Chaos [Active skill] – You have caused chaos after only one month of entering the testing grounds. You run towards chaos, and it runs towards you. Run Wild Supreme. Be Chaos! {Permanent increase in Agility stats by 1.5. Additional 10% increase in speed when activated}.
Devour: You have been blessed by the powerful Selfish Titan King with the ability Devour. You can now devour Edict unscrupulously from the living and the dead; from elements and from nature.
*Beast Language: You have been blessed by the Beast Gods who appreciate your eagerness to see beasts as equals. You can now understand the speech of intelligent beasts and find favor in their presence.
Soul-Body Integration: 85%
"Well, that explains a lot." Mane murmured, and Hildegarde who was watching the Stats Window next to him nodded her head in agreement.