As Lyra bent over to inspect the dark blue blood trailing deeper into the forest, she was struck by a dense ball of green gas.
The mother Arcana Blossom hurled the condensed green gas ball at her, the one she had been looking for. She didn't notice it because it seemed that the beastial plant in question somehow camouflaged itself from her detection. That's why, as soon as she entered its sensitive area, the plant displayed its beastly ability.
As the green gas ball made contact with her, specifically with her magma shroud, it dispersed around it like a volatile gas. However, the armor's impervious nature nullified the effect of the condensed gaseous ball that adorned her body.
But it didn't end there. The gas, having dispersed, diffused its way toward her head, seeping into her facial orifices. Before it succeeded, a gust of wind brushed past Lyra's face, further dispersing the gas particles. It was Thorne's doing.
Just then, Lyra turned around as she stood up, only to be assaulted by several other condensed gaseous balls of the Arcana Blossom. She reacted quickly, conjuring up her barrier again to protect herself from the projectiles of green gaseous balls. Then, with a wave of her wand that sent out a ripple of ethereal energy, she found the hidden mother Arcana Blossom in its camouflage.
Finally, Lyra extracted the unique nectar from the mother Arcana Blossom. Its leaves were orange not the typical yellow ones, its petals were golden-red instead of peach-colored, and its nectar was purple instead of greenish-yellow, with a pungent fragrance so strong that she had to cover her nose while extracting it.
When Lyra was done doing what she had left the camp to do, she felt conflicted about whether she should return or continue following the trail of dark blue blood she had seen earlier. When she touched it, she instantly knew that it was not just any liquid, but blood. But it was really strange that she would encounter blood in a place like this, filled with beastial plants.
Her curiosity got the better of her, and she decided to pursue whatever had spilled the dark blue blood in the mountainous forest.
'Where is she heading to now? I thought she actually came to collect nectar from those plants... Does that mean there are more of those ahead?' Thorne thought about her safety with worry. He had no choice but to stealthily stalk her, just as he had been doing.
But when he arrived at the exact spot where Lyra had been attacked by the mother Arcana Blossom, he encountered the same blood trail. Thorne was instantly shocked. 'No, this is not good. She is pursuing the beast that shed this blood. She might be in danger… I have to stop her…'
*****
'I actually sensed a mysterious presence lurking in the forest in this direction. But now that I have used my Aura Scanning again, I sense three presences. What's going on?'
It was Drake. After sensing something strange in the forest with his aura, he left with Kael in the direction of the strong presence he had sensed. But as he got closer, he released his aura and delved deeper into the forest to scan for the mysterious entity he had detected minutes ago. He discovered that it wasn't just one presence anymore, but three.
That was why he had stopped and was contemplating what to do. Kael himself was beginning to sense a faint presence as he released his own aura, allowing it to ripple out. This time, he kind of understood why Drake had come here, but it was still unclear to him. He found himself wondering what the templar warrior was waiting for.
Drake concentrated more on his Aura Scanning, taking in every detail of energy fluctuations within the range of his scan. That was when he realized that there was a stronger aura of presence. It was actually the one he first sensed, and the other two aura presences seemed to be advancing closer to that specific one. Not to mention, those two aura presences were composed of energy he was familiar with, unlike the other, stronger aura presence.
This was one of the abilities of non-Aetherians who were trained in how to harness and manipulate Aura. The Templar Force, who train in this way, believe that everything in the universe, whether living, non-living, or dead, has a kind of aura lingering around it. It is like a trademark that sets living things apart from each other. Living things have different kinds of auras that contrast sharply with those of non-living and dead things.
Aura is simply a halo of a distinct form of pseudo-energy, completely different from life force. And just like in pantheism, everything is believed to have a spirit, which is how everything is believed to have its unique aura in this universe. However, manipulating aura is more challenging than manipulating ethereal energy because aura is not actually a type of energy.
Before someone can manipulate aura, they have to be able to feel and control their innate aura before the aura of their surroundings. The most challenging aspect is the ability to sense and feel the amount and intensity of aura emanating from other people and objects. Not to mention scanning a specific aura from a distance, amidst many other auras.
When Drake distinguished between the three auras he sensed, he turned to Kael. "I believe you could already feel the aura fluctuations that I sensed earlier. We need to go find out what has such a huge aura reserve." The two left and ventured toward the direction of the stronger aura presence. Kael already had his hand on the hilt of his sword, while a spear made of aura had materialized in Drake's grip. These two were on alert.
*****
Lyra continued to follow the blood trail left on the forest floor. She also had her guard up, which made pursuing something unknown truly terrifying. But since she had made up her mind, she was determined to uncover whatever had caused the dark blue blood to spill.
As she continued walking with deliberate steps, she began to hear a whimpering shriek ahead. It sounded as if something, possibly an animal, was in pain.
'Is it a beast? But we have not seen any around this area… I wonder how it got hurt,' she thought to herself as she drew closer to where the shriek was coming from.
When she was certain she was close enough, she pulled out her telescope mask and put it on. Then, using her hand, she shifted a thick shrub that was blocking her view. And there it was, a battered beast lying beside a boulder. Dark blood oozed from its wounds and saturated the ground below.
Sensing someone behind it, the beast turned and looked at Lyra with its fiery eyes. Unafraid, Lyra approached the beast, extending her hand as if she wanted to touch it.
Suddenly, she ducked as a spear of aura flew past her and the dying beast before disappearing into particles of aura.
"Drake!?" She exclaimed as she saw two men draped in the same magma shroud just like her, walking over.