Leaving the Ashen Burial Grounds, Kyto and Elizabeth hiked a steep trail surrounded by woods.
Kyto remained quiet, gazing down in thought, contemplating everything up till now.
Elizabeth glanced at him from behind, visibly worried, but supportive of her childhood friend. Even though she didn't agree with his actions, she wouldn't leave him behind, that much was obvious...
"Kyto, maybe you should rest, you look tired."
The Cyrodel marched onwards, ignoring her advice.
Elizabeth pouted before crossing her arms.
"I know you hear me! You can't be both deaf and dumb!"
Kyto grunted in annoyance, steadily ignoring the Rozenheart.
"No need." He mumbled.
"Huh? Whaddya mean 'no need'? We didn't get a chance to rest back at camp."
"I don't need any sleep—I'm fine the way I am."
"Dumbass!" Elizabeth ran up behind Kyto, kicking him in the calf.
"Agh! Hey!"
He fell forward on his knee, but Elizabeth chopped at his neck, paralyzing him from the waist down—
"D-Damnit... my... pressure point... Liz, what the hell?!"
"You're gonna get some sleep, whether you like it or not."
Kyto struggled to move a muscle, even flowing his mana throughout his body to break the paralysis, however, there was no effect.
"Tsk..."
"Don't bother—I implemented some of my antimana inside your body—you won't be moving any time soon."
"Damnit..."
Liz crouched down and picked up Kyto like a bag of potatoes before tossing him over her shoulder.
"Off we go, My peerless paramour!"
Kyto sighed.
"I hate you so damn much..."
"Pwa Ha Ha! I'm just doing what's best for the both of us!" Liz glanced around her on the trail, seeing nothing but forest all around them. "Now then... where can we make camp?"
"We are so close to Mythical Valley... why does sleep matter?"
"Caww Caww!" Vedrfolnir badmouthed Kyto on Elizabeth's other shoulder.
"Huh?" Liz glanced at Vedrfolnir, confused.
"Caww Caww!"
"What is… she saying?" Asked Kyto, dazed out of his mind.
"I dunno… this is the first time Vedrfolnir said something on our venture."
The eagle flew off Liz's shoulder, heading into the forest without delay.
"Huh? Vedrfolnir, hold on!"
Elizabeth sprinted to the right, leaving the trail to chase after the eagle with Kyto on her shoulder.
"Where are you going?"
"H-Hey, woah! I'm gonna fall, slow down!" Shouted the Cyrodel.
Elizabeth managed to catch up with the eagle, her speed constantly increasing.
"How can you do all of this in high heels, like seriously?!" Questioned Kyto.
The eagle led them into an open spot, filled with apple trees, berries, oranges, and even a riverbank with crystal blue water.
Deers were shown drinking out the river as the moonlight shone upon the tranquil landscape.
A beautiful melody echoed throughout the forest, with the sound of pixies singing in the distance, surrounding a beautiful Siren that was sitting atop a rock on the river.
It was truly a wondrous sight…
Elizabeth couldn't help but gasp in awe, however, Kyto was quiet.
"Wow… this is surreal… are you seeing this, Kyto?"
There was no response.
"That's a Siren, sitting in the middle of the river, singing. But what's it doing all the way out here?"
Still no response…
"Hey, are you listening—"
"…Zzzzz…"
Elizabeth widened her eyes, realizing he dozed off to sleep.
The singing of Siren's released powerful magic. It was able to put anyone to sleep, except those with Antimana.
"…Ah, that's right, I heard about sirens being able to put people to sleep from their voices…"
Elizabeth squatted down, gently placing Kyto on a pile of leaves.
"Hold on a second, I'll be back… I promise!"
Elizabeth winked at the sleeping Cyrodel, marching over toward the riverbank.
The heavenly singing got louder until Elizabeth could finally decipher the lyrics.
"Singing in the moonlight, until the stars fall, dreaming in the sunlight, until the earth's call! O' mighty Wizard, let me be your thrall! O'mighty Wizard, may we dine in the Grand Hall~!"
The beautiful creature, akin to that of a woman in appearance, halted its singing, glancing upon the Kaizamei that approached it from afar.
"A human girl? It is a pleasure to meet you."
Elizabeth widened her eyes, unable to believe what she was seeing.
"Uhm… hi, my name is Elizabeth." She gazed at the pixies surrounding the Siren, smiling. "Your voice must've attracted my Eagle, Vedrfolnir, so I strayed off path…"
The siren nodded her head, tittering as it flapped its caudal fin in the water.
"Yes, it attracts many. It is a pleasure to meet you, Elizabeth… I've waited so long for us to meet."
"Ehh-?"
"Your friend must remain asleep while I speak with you. We have important matters to discuss, so please, come forward into my river." The siren extended her hand.
"Uhm…"
Liz looked behind her at the sleeping Cyrodel.
"I don't think it's wise to leave Kyto by himself in such a vulnerable position."
"He'll be fine." The Siren nodded with a smile. "Come… I don't bite."
+
"Dang it! Still no sign of Grimhild anywhere." Jean was steadily flying through the sky, exhausted from burning through so much energy. "I'll have to rest, it takes up a lot of mana using Flonta."
He slowly came to a stop, sweat pouring down his forehead.
"Maybe I'll rest here for a bit since I haven't had any sleep yet." Jean slowly descended toward the ground, standing in a field of grass.
"…If I knew where Grimhild was, I could easily cast Rulmedia to teleport to her, but that's not happening anytime soon."
He huffed a deep sigh, falling to his back with a yawn.
"I'll take a small nap—long as Ebony watches over me—I should be fine."
Jean slowly started closing his eyes, until a small figure appeared in the sky.
"…Huh?"
He shot open his eyelids, seeing an owl overhead.
"What the?"
It had great magical power radiating off of it as if it was begging to be spotted
Jean focused mana into his eyes, bestowing himself enhanced eyesight.
He could see the owl in all its glory.
There was no doubt. It was Zarutha; Grimhild's Delivery Owl.
"Ehhh?? I'm definitely not dreaming, that's Zarutha, for sure!"
Jean rose to his feet, feeling the lack of mana, but pushed on anyway.
"Flonta!"
He cast flying magic, soaring through the sky to catch up with the owl.
"That Sadistic Mage and her secrets! Just who the hell does she think she is?? Going to the Village of Goliath all nonchalant as if she owns the place! Gah, she makes me angry!"
"Heyyyy, Zarutha!!"
Jean yelled from below, trying to catch up with the animal, but there was no use.
The owl was in his own little world.
"When I find her, I swear I'll peck at her forehead until I see red!!"
Jean lifted his brows, using up more of his mana to accelerate his speed.
"I have to catch up, he can't hear me from this far…!"
Zarutha dove down, heading towards a foggy forest.
"Hmm, my clairvoyance magic is leading me here."
Jean followed suit, trying his hardest to catch up with the speedy owl.
"…Darn, I'm about to run out of mana!"
He tried his hardest to push forward, but there wasn't enough energy to sustain him.
Thus…
"Crap!"
Jean fell.
"Uwoooaaahhh!"
Unable to use Flonta anymore from the lack of mana, his body was hurtling toward the ground.
No more magic could be cast.
"Ebony-!!"
He called out to his Champion, but there was no response…
"Ebony, a little help here!"
15 feet from the ground…
10 feet…
5 feet—
"Haaah!"
Before Jean could crash into the Earth, Ebony manifested at the last second, destroying his momentum.
Jean's velocity reached zero, causing him to halt in place. He was a few feet away from possible death with his life saved by his Champion once again…
"That was a close one… thank you, Ebony."
"It is my duty, master!"
He nodded at the creature of willpower before facing the delivery owl.
"We have to go after Zarutha, we don't have any time to waste! He's definitely seeking out Grimhild, there's no doubt about it!"
Ebony nodded.
"Leave it to me, master."
Picking up a rock, the champion arched its arm back.
"Eh? E-Ebony, don't kill him!"
"I shan't. I'm only getting its attention."
Thus, the Champion threw the rock at great speeds, transferring the momentum from Jean's falling into the rock.
"Uwaah!?"
The youth stepped back, seeing his transferred momentum being infused into the rock, shattering the laws of physics.
Zarutha kept flying, unaware of the incoming projectile until it flew past his head, knocking him off course—
"Waaaahhh!! What in the fiery Muspelheim was that?"
His feathers fluttered around in the sky and danced in the wind.
Zarutha came to a complete stop, turning around to see Jean and Ebony from afar.
They were staring him down.
"Hey, hey! What's your problem?! Huh? Wait a second…" Zarutha flapped its wings, gliding towards them from afar. "Oi… Oi! I know you! You're one of Grimhild's friends!"
Jean huffed a sigh of relief, happy to get their attention.
"Heyyy, it's good to see you again!"
He waved his hand at the delivery owl with a heartwarming smile.