In the wild pool full of mud, four people effortlessly walked with no trouble. They all had a faint mana covering their feet. Especially the blue fairy at the front. She looked clean and beautiful. Her steps didn't create any splashes or ripples.However, there was one rugged man at the back of the group who looked grumpy. His clothes were covered in dirt and mud, splashed from walking through the muddy land.Yomp! Yomp! squelsh!Mud splashed his cloth. "Argh, this is so hard! Why is everyone else able to move so freely?" He struggled to walk through the mud."Faye, how are you able to walk on it like that?" he asked. While using his dirty hand to brush the mud off his pants, hoping to make them cleaner and move faster,"We use mana to coat our feet," Faye said. "In my case, I make my steps lighter, making it easier to traverse mud or squishy surfaces. It also allows me to minimize the sound of my footsteps, like an elegant lady should do." She lifted the edge of her skirt with her hand, mimicking the movements of a refined woman."Wow... that is convenient, as you can adjust your weight too." Rain's eyebrow raised slightly, impressed by her ability. It didn't mean she could fly, but mana was truly an exceptional thing. "And do the others do the same?"She smiled at Rain. "As I mentioned, this is solely my method, my style," she pointed her finger towards the princess ahead of them. "Take a look at Ella. She uses mana to solidify the mud she steps on, making it easier for her to walk."It was a clever technique, creating a stable platform for her to engage in combat, dash, and leap with ease. She was prepared for any situation.Then Faye pointed at Eeon. "I'm not sure what he's doing, but he walks as if the ground beneath him is solid. I can only sense a faint hint of mana on the soles of his feet."This one was more difficult to comprehend. Perhaps he was transforming the mud into normal ground, similar to Ella, but it still kept its appearance and texture of squishy mud. It was peculiar how he possessed that ability. However, I shouldn't think about it too much. After all, he was the chosen one, he capable of anything.Then, Faye glanced at me and offered a smile. "Regarding your beauty, dear lady with long hair, Lovely Rocky, she has the power to control water around her feet. Go through any water gracefully, like as she is the same way of water itself."Nervously, Rain looked at Aria and tightly held onto Rocky, conscious that her dark eyes might once again fixed on him. But nothing happened. She didn't return the gaze like before. Perhaps she was too far away or focused on her mana while walking. He could finally relax and release the tension in his shoulders.Little did he know, Aria had listened to the entire conversation through the wave on the surface of the mud. She whispered under her breath, 'Rocky needs to be eliminated.'"Hey Faye, could you lend me a hand? I really want to learn how to walk gracefully like you," He said."Aww, you wanna be a fair lady like me, too? Such a sweet boy. However, it's not very becoming for a young man to rely on a woman's help, you know. I can't extend a hand, as it goes against my principles as a lady. Perhaps you can ask Aria. She would suit you well, maybe even carry you like a princess, a delicate boy with a stone maiden. Oopsie! apologies for my impolite said," Faye said.Rain tilted his head to ensure that nobody could hear Faye's nonsensical talk. "Ok, ok, thank you for your advice, but I will figure it out on my own.""Yes, be like that brave young man. Everyone has their own way," Faye replied before returning to the rest of the group, leaving him all alone.How can I solve this? Maybe I should apply more force? So, he ran with full force.Yomp! Yomp! Squelch! Mud splashed into his mouth. "Yuck! Mud tastes awful!" Running forcefully through the mud didn't make me move faster at all; instead, it slowed me down.This time, he tried walking slower.Squelch, squelch, squelch, yep, this makes it easier to move, but my speed is slower. I need to find something to push me forward.I looked around and saw nothing but squishy, soft mud. I couldn't change or transform it like others, since I couldn't use mana at all.He glanced left and right, only to see a few wet twigs poking out after the water had receded. Some fish that hadn't swum fast enough were left alone, flickering on the mud. What a tragic life, always having a good life in water, only to be forced to stay on the floor like a land animal. Wouldn't it be nice if they could also swim in mud?Swim in mud!? How were they not drowning in it? Rain recalled Faye's words about Aria, "'go through any water, as if she is the same way as water itself.'"He swiftly turned to find something and spotted a rugged log stranded from afar. He smiled widely. "Haha, my style, right? Let's see, mine."
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Meanwhile, Rain was nowhere to be found among the group. The others were closer to their destination."We're almost there," Aria exclaimed, pointing to the island emerging from the muddy river."Finally, a land without mud! I'm so exhausted from constantly using mana like this. I really hope there's a water source on the island," Ella said with a relieved expression, glancing at Aria.Aria nodded, smiling to reassure her. "There's a natural lake on the island." It has already been a week that we not have good place to clean our body. It must be difficult for Ella here, she always being in a palace place."Has anyone seen Cursed Child? I could not detect his presence for a long time," Ella said. "Maybe he drowned in the mud. That would fit for him, returning to where he belongs."Not paying much attention to Ella's remark, Aria glanced at Red Witch, requested a word from her."I don't know either," Red Witch shrugged. "The last time I saw him, he was struggling in the mud, searching for something. Perhaps he was looking for materials to create his Roc—" Faye stopped herself mid-sentence as she noticed Aria's glowing eye. "Imaginary friend," she quickly corrected. Faye's face still wore a smile, but cold sweat ran down her back."Maybe he just ran away. That would also suit him well." Ella said."No, He does not.""He not gonna be like that, for sure!"Aria stared at Faye. Why did she so confirm and said like that?Ella continued, "We'll never know the truth about him. He was a prisoner, fleeing from jail. There's no guarantee he wouldn't do the same again. Maybe running is his best aspect.""I only agree with the latter part. He was good at running," Red Witch explained. "I saw him swiftly ran into the wilderness and gather plants along the way, but he always came back. I knew he would follow us. He was a lost child who didn't even know which direction to walk, despite knowing the word 'North' but never walked to the north."I also knew he wouldn't do that, he wouldn't run and flee again and He won't break his promise, He said 'he will follow me', or he wants to do it this time? No, he knows how to promise with us, and he knows it's recorded. "He will follow... us," Aria softly said.Ella walked to Aria. "Aria, but we haven't seen—""There's something following us from far behind, preparing for battle," Eeon interrupted. Especially, He looked at Ella, reminding her of the word 'Responsibility.'There it was, the eerie black creature slithering, attached to two hideous fins. Its tip had a dried, lifeless finger that waved and moved in an irregular motion, out of sync with the rest of its body. Slimy mucus covered it, allowing it to move swiftly, even in the muddy river."What, is that, thing?" Ella asked nervously, her voice trembling."I don't know. I can't detect any mana essence from it. Perhaps it's a rank six pentacle, capable of concealing its power from me," Eeon replied, gripping his sword tightly.Squelsh! squelsh! yomp, yomp, yomp. Monster slowed down."It stopped?" Ella said.The creature stopped moving. Its head tilted at an ugly angle as it searched for something. Finally, it found the group and considered them its prey.kawack! Crack! Crack! Strange crawling and cracking sounds emanated from within it. As soon as it sensed the group, its body shifted, its dark eyes fixated on them.Splash! Then, with lightning speed, it darted towards them, its grotesque fins synchronizing as it effortlessly slithered through the mud.Splash! Splash! Splash! It moved faster and faster!"What can we do? What is that thing?" Ella panicked."I also can't sense any mana essence from it," Faye said, "as if it has six pentacles level. Perhaps it's a Digby Dragon?... No, we should run, now! It is strongest in the mud. If it catches you, it will drain your mana and drag you deep into the mud," she shouted. "Only land is the safe place.""W—Why We just attack it with a spell!" Ella said."No! It will make things harder. It can swim in the mud. If we attack it, it will become more aggressive. And if that happens, it will be a horror for us," Faye said.Arwwooo~ Arwwooo~The group heard a dark and eerie cry as the creature moved closer. Its wide open maw made it clear that it was ready to devour them."Run!" Eeon guided everyone in the right direction.They all started running, except for the Blue Fairy, who remained calm and controlled the surrounding water.The monster seemed to understand the group's intentions and angrily cried out, slithering in an unusual shape. It didn't want to lose its prey.Arwwooo~ Arwwooooooolll~The cry sent shivers down everyone's spines. Ella noticed that Aria wasn't following the group, so she turned back. She saw Aria gathering mana in her hand."Aria! Stop! Even though you have water affinity, it's still a threat. We can find a safer path," Ella warned.Aria turned her head and looked at Ella.Ella's eyes widened when she saw Aria's face. She smiled at her. It's a fairy sweet smile that she never witnessed before."Ella, don't worry, he won't hurt me," Aria said."What are you talking about? That's a monster…" Ella said with confusion."Ella, it's him, Rain." Aria said.Splash! splash! The monster come closer to her but slowly when it arrived at her, then opened its mouth vertically wide. Inside there was a sloppy man that mud is everywhere, stand on the wooden board, holding oars made of wood sticks tied together with vines."Aria, have you seen my slides? I can do them too! They may look messy, but they can move through the muddy sea just like you. Look, even as a regular person, I can catch up to you with incredible speed," he said while gesturing with his hands, pointing to different parts of his mud slider board."Ahem! Aria, I am proud to present to you my greatest invention, The Fishman Slider. To tell you the truth, I learned from a fish that flickered in the mud, but this slider is not like that fish. Don't judge it by its shape. This one can move quickly in mud, maneuver easily, and even help people catch fish easier!" He rubbed his nose, making it even dirtier with mud.Aria simply nodded at him. The corner of her mouth lifted a little.In response, Rain smiled wider, his eyelids closing."Oh, by the way, why did you stop running? Aren't we racing to that island? Oh, I see, you don't want to take first place, even though you're the fastest runner. Ah, you're so kind, Aria. But I don't want to lose to the others. I'll keep going, okay?" Rain asked.He misunderstood everything, but she didn't correct him. Aria simply said, "Um… okay, have a good time."he smiled and crawled back to the board, swiftly taking off. He sang, "I'm a fish, a big heavenly fish that can fly across the sky~ My fin is the largest, even one flip can send me the length of a mountains~" He sang the entire way.Easily gliding through the muddy sea confirmed that the board potentially swiftly slithered past all people. Faye and Eeon were taken aback when they noticed this creature wasn't being aggressive towards them, but singing in a human language. They stopped running as it run past them, thinking to themselves, "What is that thing?" Only Ella stared back and noticed something strange in Aria.When Rain first set foot on the island, he turned back, raised both hands to the sky, and shouted with all his might, "Yeah!!! I'm the winner!!! I'm the fish king, the king of muddy land!!!" Then he waved his hand with the fullest swing to Aria.Ella was shocked, her mouth hung open in disbelief at what she saw.Aria smiled sweetly and even let out a little giggle. "Hi-he-he, who wants to be the king of the muddy land? He-he, maybe it's just only you, the one who loves it." Then she waved her hand at him.