Since the griffin had joined their group, navigating their way out of the treacherous forest became almost effortless. When they stumbled upon packs of wandering zombie beasts, Leon and his companions barely had to lift a finger. The griffin, now a towering presence behind them, made short work of any threat. With a flash of its razor-sharp claws, it shredded wolves, bears, tigers, and leopards as though they were mere nuisances.
Despite its serious injuries, the griffin, as a creature at the pinnacle of the food chain, wielded its massive size as a decisive advantage. The sheer difference in bulk alone was enough to crush any normal beast that dared cross its path.
Leon couldn't help but wonder what this fearsome creature would be capable of once fully healed. If it ever faced the dreaded Dinocampus, he was confident the griffin could hold its own. The ability to fly gave it the upper hand. It could attack from above, dive in for quick strikes, and retreat before the enemy could even react. The giant bear, even with all its ferocity, wouldn't stand a chance against an aerial predator.
The ruler of the skies pitted against the king of the forest, Leon mused to himself. In his past life, he could almost imagine the heated debates that would erupt online over such a match-up. How fiercely people would argue about which beast would win.
The griffin sauntered ahead once again, casually tearing a zombie wolf apart with a swipe of its claw. Lowering its head, it sniffed the shredded remains, then recoiled in disgust, its large beak twisting as it shook its head. Clearly uninterested, it moved on, repulsed by the scent of the undead.
Leon chuckled softly at the sight. He remembered an earlier encounter when he hadn't stopped the griffin from devouring a zombie beast. The aftermath had been catastrophic—violent diarrhea and hours of retching. The griffin had clearly learned its lesson since.
With the griffin at their side, their journey became smoother by the day. The once-perilous forest now seemed much less daunting. Leon began to notice something curious: the light from the spirit lamp in his hand had stabilized. Their path no longer seemed to shift unpredictably, and fewer detours were required.
"Are we finally on the right path?" Leon muttered aloud, almost as if he needed the reassurance.
"Yes," came the girl's soft voice. "We're nearing the edge of the spirit-like field."
Her voice had an edge of finality to it. "Once we're out, as a spirit, it will be harder for me to speak with you like this. Don't forget what we agreed on."
Leon felt a pang of responsibility. "I won't forget," he promised, though the words came silently from his heart.
"But you know," he added, his tone becoming more solemn, "the Holy City has fallen to the Kantadar invaders. It's not like I can return easily. Still, I swear, if the chance arises, I'll keep my promise to you."
His mind drifted back to the girl's original request. She had asked for something specific, something significant.
She wanted to visit the place where Ilaril's coffin was buried.
The name struck a chord deep within Leon. Ilaril wasn't a stranger to him, he knew the name all too well, thanks to the original owner of his body. The Holy Sun Church had mentioned the Prophet countless times. Brandon and Liam, two devout clerics, had recited his name over and over during their prayers, to the point where Leon felt he could recite their litanies in his sleep.
The Church of the Holy Sun, or the Church of Saint Sol, as it was also called, believed that Mosera Sol, the Holy Sun, was the one true God. And Ilaril, their revered prophet, was the sole spokesperson for the Holy Sun on earth throughout history.
The burial site of the Prophet wasn't a mystery. Everyone in Serian knew that Ilaril's grave lay beneath the Great Temple of Rolandar. The issue, however, was access. For someone like Leon, a commoner, entering the sacred crypt was impossible. Even before the war, only the senior clergy and the most devout nobles were permitted to make the pilgrimage to the Prophet's resting place.
Now, in the aftermath of war and occupation, gaining entry was not just difficult, it was nearly inconceivable.
The city of Rolandar had already fallen, and with it, the Holy Sun Church's sacred land now lay under the heavy hand of the Kantardar army. Even if the opportunity arose to return, Leon knew that sneaking past the occupying forces to get anywhere near the temple would be nearly impossible. The risks were too high, and survival too uncertain.
Yet, despite the overwhelming odds, Leon couldn't shake his promise. The girl had saved his life more than once, and the weight of her kindness far outweighed the difficulty of her request. Giving up wasn't an option.
There's always a way, Leon reassured himself. One step at a time. Opportunities will come, just need to be ready for them.
"Wait," he interrupted his own thoughts, glancing around as if she might appear in the mist. "After this... after we leave this place, we won't be able to talk like this anymore, right?"
"That's right," the girl's voice echoed softly in his mind. "Right now, we're in the spiritual land, where I'm free from the laws of life and death that govern the mortal world. Here, I can communicate with you just like the wandering souls you've seen. But once we return to reality, I'll have to focus all my energy on keeping my soul from being dragged into the Dead Sea. I won't be able to spare enough strength to keep talking to you."
Leon frowned. "Unless...?"
"Unless," she paused, her voice carrying a hint of reluctance, "unless you can walk the path of magic. If you became a wizard, someone who can harness the natural forces of this world, I could borrow your surplus magic to keep my spirit stable."
Leon's eyes lit up. "Do you really think I could become a wizard?" He leaned in, eager. The idea of mastering magic in this strange, dangerous world was not just intriguing, it was downright thrilling to someone like him, a former Muggle from Earth.
The girl's voice softened, as if deep in thought. "You're certainly smart, and your natural talent isn't bad either. In fact, I wouldn't have minded taking you as my apprentice in the past. But," she hesitated, "I did make a small mistake when I used your body to cast Isha's Arrow."
Leon's curiosity piqued. "What mistake?"
"You remember passing out afterward, right?" she asked, her tone apologetic.
Leon nodded, still confused. "I thought that was just part of the cost of casting a spell."
"No," the girl explained, her voice tinged with regret. "Isha's Arrow is a minor elemental spell. It shouldn't have knocked you out. But since you'd never learned magic, I was worried you might not have enough energy to complete the spell. So, I... um, borrowed some of your life magic to compensate for your lack of experience and energy. I didn't expect you to have such strong mental control, it nearly drained you entirely."
She paused as if weighing whether or not to continue. The unsaid words hung heavy in the air: I almost killed you.
Leon blinked, trying to piece it together. He didn't fully grasp the idea of "life magic" or "mental control," but he caught enough to understand that she was responsible for his near-death experience. He could practically hear her subtle bragging about her mental prowess, though, which made him chuckle.
"So," he asked, a bit more cautious now, "you can teach me to become a mage?"
"Unfortunately, no," she admitted, her voice tinged with disappointment. "Teaching you magic requires time and energy, both of which I don't have. Not unless you're willing to stay in the spirit-like field without food or water for a year or two just to cover the basics."
Leon sighed, but he wasn't ready to give up just yet. "Is there really no quicker way? No shortcuts? Maybe something like magic secrets, a spell meditation, or a breathing technique? You know, just the practical stuff?"
He could hear the amusement in her voice as she replied, "Quick methods? You mean, a way to master something as intricate as magic without learning the foundation? Magic isn't something you can rush, Leon. It's not a set of tricks you can pick up and use without understanding."
Leon scratched his head, realizing just how naïve his request sounded. But still, in a world full of dangers, learning magic fast would give him a serious advantage. If only there were a way to skip the grueling study sessions.
"But," she added after a moment, "if you're serious about learning, there may be ways to start small. Small enough that you can apply it in time... if you're willing to work for it."
Leon grinned. "You just let me know where to start."
"Secret manuals? Really?" the girl's voice practically scoffed in his mind. "I could recite over 200,000 volumes of magic books from all disciplines and subjects if you want, but without a solid theoretical and cognitive foundation, none of it will make any sense to you. Meditation? It's just a technique to calm your mind, nothing more. And breathing methods? Exhalation techniques?" She paused, sounding genuinely puzzled. "Never heard of them."
Leon couldn't help but shake his head in disappointment. So much for stumbling upon a mystical manual that unlocks untold power. He had always imagined magic as something you could just pick up, maybe a dusty old tome with hidden secrets. But apparently, it wasn't that simple.
"Tsk tsk, this world may be full of wonder, but I guess it's not that kind of fantasy," he sighed. No secret shortcuts, no instant power-ups, just hard work and study.
Sensing his disappointment, the girl's tone softened. "Don't be discouraged. Just because I can't teach you everything directly doesn't mean you can't learn magic."
Leon perked up at her words. "Wait, what do you mean?"
"Have you forgotten about the crossbow you carry? The one imbued with a spell of manipulation?" Her voice carried a hint of teasing. "It's not like I'm the last mage who'll ever walk this world. There are other spellcasters out there. With your talent, any halfway competent mage would be a fool not to take you on as an apprentice."
Leon scratched the back of his head, a little embarrassed by the compliment. "So, what you're saying is... I might be in demand?" He tried to sound casual, but inside he felt a twinge of excitement at the prospect.
"Of course," she said matter-of-factly. "Just don't let it go to your head."
But then something she'd said earlier caught his attention. He paused mid-step, frowning as the realization hit him. "Wait, did you just say you're dead?"
The girl sighed, clearly unimpressed with his delayed response. "If I were still alive, do you think I'd be stuck sharing a body with you?" she said, her voice tinged with annoyance. "Besides, you're technically dead too, so why act so surprised?"
Leon opened his mouth to protest, but quickly closed it. She wasn't exactly wrong. He couldn't remember much from before he found himself in this world. For all he knew, he really had died. And honestly, compared to everything else he had been through, the idea of dying once didn't seem all that outlandish anymore.
They walked in silence for a moment before a thought struck Leon. "I've been so busy trying to stay alive that I never asked... Miss Mage, what should I call you? Do you have a name?"
The voice chuckled, a little softer now. "You can call me Lola, if you don't mind."
"Lola," Leon repeated with a nod, getting a feel for the name. "That's... nice." Then, before he could stop himself, he added, "What about you? You do know my name's Leon, right?"
There was a pause, followed by a skeptical hum. "That's the name of the boy whose body you now inhabit, not yours. What's your real name?"
Leon couldn't help but smile at her suspicion. "Believe it or not, it's Leon. Might sound strange, but it's true."
"Hmm," Lola replied, clearly still unconvinced. "Fine, I'll take your word for it, for now."
The conversation quieted as they walked, the rustling of the wind through the dense forest filling the air. Eventually, the trees thinned, and they found themselves standing on a high cliff. The vast expanse of the sky stretched out above them, blue and endless, dotted with soft clouds. For the first time in what felt like ages, Leon could feel the warmth of the afternoon sun on his skin. It was peaceful, almost too peaceful.
He glanced at the others, their faces lit by the same sense of relief he felt. It was as though they had woken from a long nightmare, the horrors they had faced now fading under the calm light of day.
But the massive griffin by Leon's side reminded them all that it hadn't been a dream. Everything that had happened, the battles, the danger, it had all been real.
"Leon, look down there," Liam suddenly said, his sharp eyes catching something in the distance.
Leon and the others followed his gaze to the foot of the mountain. Far below, wisps of smoke rose gently from behind a cliff. A village lay nestled in the valley.
"A village," Leon murmured. The sight of it brought a strange comfort, a small sign that the world outside still existed, untouched and waiting for them.
"Well," he said with a faint smile, "looks like our next destination is calling."