Falling from an incalculable height, Rylan felt the cutting wind against his skin as he was swallowed by the dense mist. His eyes could barely make out any shapes around him, and the cold was relentless. The further he descended, the more his body seemed to freeze.
Suddenly, as the mist's veil tore apart, a vast, infinite white field appeared in his vision. He felt a tightness in his chest: if Yell failed, his life would end there, crushed against the ground.
Panic began to take over his thoughts, but before he could succumb to despair, something appeared in his vision like a ray of hope: a bird with green plumage and bluish feathers was flying towards him.
It was Yell, now evolved into a second-stage Spirit Beast. With a swift movement, the bird advanced with impressive speed, adjusting its wings to glide. In an instant, Rylan felt the soft impact as he fell onto Yell's back, which stabilized the flight with strength, saving him.
Letting out a sigh of relief for being alive, he touched Yell's head, grateful for the great rescue.
"Yell, fly towards the ice castle," Rylan ordered, lying on the bird's back. He trusted Yell's large wings to keep him safe.
Yell didn't respond, only continued flying over the snowy field at a speed even greater than before.
After flying for twenty minutes, following the snow, they arrived at a busy area. There were more than a hundred people there, all exuding a powerful aura, watching a gigantic ice castle, which appeared larger than a volcano.
Gliding into an open area with fewer people, Yell landed softly. Rylan dismounted from the bird's back and looked at the castle, fascinated and curious. 'Why did this building appear out of nowhere? And what's inside it?'
Looking away, he began to observe the crowd, searching for familiar faces. To his delight, he found Lucy, who was standing confidently and upright.
'What happened to this guy?' thought Rylan, seeing Lucy act like a boss.
Feeling someone's gaze on him, Lucy turned toward Rylan. He was surprised to see him there. 'Did this kid manage to get here?' After thinking it over, he was even more shocked: Rylan had reached the Final Stage of the Human Spiritual Realm in such a short time. 'He's only twelve years old and started cultivating just a few days ago!'
'What talent! Even with my newly acquired physique, I can't be sure of surpassing him in cultivation. Life is so unfair...' Lucy huffed and walked toward Rylan. When he got close, he patted the boy's head and noticed that he had grown a bit. He sighed again. 'If this continues, he'll surpass me in height... Well, it's over.'
"You seem to have gotten stronger. You're even acting like a boss. Did you get something good in this test?" Rylan asked, patting Lucy's shoulder. This time, the height difference between them was smaller.
Before hearing Lucy's reply, Rylan felt Yell send a desperate message to his mind.
"Primogênito... Don't get close to this woman! She's a crazy demon, a psychopath, and terrifying. Don't say I told you this, I don't want to get roasted."
Rylan was confused. 'Is my familiar crazy? Lucy, a woman? And a demon? His name is feminine, but he's a man...'
'What are you talking about? This guy is a man. There's nothing about him that resembles a woman. A woman wouldn't be as clumsy as this guy.' He replied telepathically to Yell.
"I'm not kidding! Everything I said is true. How she hides her appearance, I don't know, but one thing I'm sure of: if you get close to her true personality, you're doomed. I recommend keeping your distance to avoid unnecessary problems."
With each new piece of information from Yell, Rylan furrowed his brow more. He knew the bird wouldn't lie, but he still had doubts. 'Is this woman really that crazy?'
'You seem traumatized, Yell.'
"If you saw what I saw, you'd be too." Remembering his memories, Yell shuddered. Lucy was not normal.
"Why are you so stunned, little boy?" Lucy asked, seeing Rylan standing still without saying a word.
"Ah, nothing. I was admiring how much stronger you've gotten... that's all," Rylan said quickly, trying to reason. He felt strange now that he knew Lucy was pretending.
Lucy, hearing this, said nothing. She simply looked at the bird, which lowered its head and left shortly after, with the same speed it had arrived.
Left alone, Rylan cursed his familiar. 'In this situation, what should I do? I have no idea...'. He just looked at Lucy with a forced smile.
"Hahahaha! Well, you're right, I got stronger," Lucy laughed, bragging, and continued with the same personality as when he met Rylan.
Rylan stood there admiring him. 'Lucy is a master at pretending.' Smiling, he decided to act as usual, showing his laid-back personality, typical of a boy who had just left the village.
"Just try not to meet your natural enemy, the four-legged one, so you don't get thrown again," Rylan teased.
"Shut up! That happened because I was still learning animal taming! Now, I'm a professional," Lucy replied, with an irritated expression. He then leaned close to Rylan's ear and whispered, "Why don't you call that bird? I'm sure it won't run from me," he said, briefly changing his voice from masculine to feminine, in a terrifying manner.
Upon hearing this, Rylan felt a slight fear. 'That voice is terrifying. Of the three women I've met so far—Helena, Cleon, and her—I can say that this is the only one who truly terrified me.'
He wanted to leave right then, but thought: 'It was him... or her? Who taught me to cultivate, explained about the sect, and has been my only friend since I left the village. I can't run away.' So, he took a deep breath and stood firm. "You can call Yell, but don't mistreat him. He's already quite traumatized, you know?"
"Oh? You don't seem scared," Lucy said, surprised.
"Why would I be afraid of my savior? I'm very grateful to you. If it weren't for you, I would have died in the Wandering Desert."
"Interesting," Lucy smiled and continued, "But you wouldn't die. You would just be disqualified and transported out of the Infernal Realm."
Rylan nodded and looked at Lucy for a few seconds. "How did you fail the Elven Woman's test?"
'Elven Woman...? He's already starting to call the leaders that? No wonder he caught that old man's attention...', Lucy thought, then replied, "I really failed. My human body is weak," he murmured quietly, so only Rylan could hear.
"I see. I hope you pass this time. The castle is open... Shall we enter?" Rylan pretended to forget the subject and walked toward the castle.
'This is getting problematic... My life is becoming more and more complicated. I still have to fight against the tritons. About Lucy... If she wants to tell me the truth, she can. I won't force anyone. To me, right now, she is just Lucy, the man who helped me and whom I consider an older brother... The rest doesn't matter.'