In the outskirts of the city, Thomas found a nice little lake hidden by a dozen tall trees and next to it was a large. The quality of the water in this pond was several times lower than the one he was found in before.
Thomas then turned to Nana and Gask, the two beasts he brought with him before focusing on Nana. "This seems like a fine place, are you ready?"
"Yeah!"
The little lioness fiercely nodded.
Waving his arms, purple water drops appeared around the him and Nana. Little by little, their bodies melted into the dark night and the forest as if they never existed.
Facing this scene, Gask who already expected this couldn't hold back his emotions. "Ries, Young Miss?!"
"We are here?"
Can't you see us uncle."
A pair of voices sounded among the shadows, immediately his eyes searched the source of the sound and then he could finally see the slightly hint of a presence. "Wow! This is really amazing."
Thomas was satisfied with the effects of his skill.
"What do you think, can you guide me to your sister without anyone finding out?"
Nana looked down on her body, still finding quite shocking how well she merged with the surroundings, she couldn't even see her own body!
"Nana, you said we don't have time."
"Ops, right." Recovering herself after Thomas' remark, Nana dashed forward with Thomas following right behind.
Running at max speed, both were able to see the city gate. Passing though the city guards posed no problem at hall and soon Thomas found himself entering the residence of the Earthly Core Lions.
The entire lion tribe was like a small village build in Aaron city's west border.
Eight narrow, square towers are spread out in a seemingly random pattern, all connected to each other by walls made of thick, dark gray stone and a huge gate to block outsiders.
The area inside was large and divided into the many families of the tribe with a huge stone castle as the residence of the main family.
The architecture followed a different pattern that was understandable given it was in another world with another culture and values.
Thomas and Nana had climbed one of the towers and watched the main lineage residence with surveillance.
In the garden down bellow, he could see the yellow lions doing the nighttime patrol with small torches fitted in a cleverly made backpack that looked pretty similar to a strap for dogs.
Thomas clapped his mouth.
In fact all those yellow lion guards dressed in this same backpack while doing their job made it all slightly adorable.
"You said the water Lions will feel an envoy in the morning so we must act fast. Where is your second sister?"
Nana observed the grounds as well as each of the buildings before pointing at a small wooden shed.
"I believe she's in there. It's where she had been the last time."
The wooden shed was not exactly far but not too much close to the stone house. Yet, The guards were lurking more around it than where the residence of their leader which could only mean there was something with that place.
Thomas and Nana were about to act when they saw a couple of lions leave the shed. Five big lions were seen waking out of the shed, they all looked the same with the exception of the one in the middle.
His size was at least twice of the other lions, with numerals yellow lines connecting its whole body. This one truly had the aura of a king among beasts, eyes filled with a savage yet noble air. Thomas had the feeling this Lion was stronger than the Ape King he met earlier.
'Dad!' Nana whispered and Thomas realized it indeed her dad, the strongest member of the Earthly Core Tribe.
The Early Core Lion Chief and his followers seemed to be talking about something, yet Thomas couldn't hear what they were saying. They continued while they walked into the stone house before closing the doors.
Sneaking into the wooden shed, Thomas noticed several small runes carved onto the floor, ceiling and walls.
These runes were nothing like the ones he knew and were filled with a mysterious power that for some reason made his heart slightly afraid.
"What are those?" Thomas asks as he pointed to the runes.
"This is the Sage's doing. I don't know, wherever my sister's sickness acts up she would go into a frenzy. Sometimes my dad and uncles had to suppress her and even so its hard to do it washout hurting her further. One time, my dad asked the Sage for guidance and the latter came here, he seemed pretty shocked when seeing my sister's state then he started carving these symbols everywhere." At this point, Nana didn't tell him that the only reason she was letting him see her sister was because he showed an aura similar to her sister when her illness acted.
"He told him it would slow the progress of her sickness then he passed a list of herbs and natural treasures and told my dad to collect them for make the medicine for her. This happened two years ago, ever since then me and eldest sis had been going everywhere to gather all the contents of the list."
"I see..." Thomas didn't tell her that ever since he's been here, he had a strange feeling. With each step closer he got to the room where Nana's sister was, he felt his heart was beating faster and faster.
"She's here, I will be really grateful if you have a way of helping her." Arriving at a curtain, Nana exchanged glances with him then pulled the curtain.
"Oh, no..." Thomas had a bad feeling, as the curtains were pulled back, the youth had his eyes turn wide when seeing the scene on the other side.
There wasn't much beyond a few buckets full of raw meat and a big bed of straw. There a lioness who just like Nana yet a little older lying down on the straw bed, unconscious.
The second young miss face on contrary to expectations was filled with pain but what surprised him the most was the red glow on her fur.
Her eyes which were closed suddenly opened and released a vicious glow.
"Draw back!"