Chapter 551: A realm of wonder (1/2)

“Can you open a path?” Ilea asked.

She watched the ground shift, her wings keeping her afloat as a tunnel formed.

Ilea blinked down and reached the Meadow.Not particularly deep anymore, they were close.

“Remember, my power will be vastly reduced in this form,” Meadow said, quite literally folding in on itself. The grass rolled up and the tree cracked and shattered. The water from the creek dripped out as the mana density first increased and then lowered.

“Perfect. Then I can get my four mark kill early,” Ilea said and displaced herself towards the basketball sized chunk of stone. It looked simple enough, perhaps a last ditch playing dead kind of spell.

“You’ll find this nut difficult to crack,” Meadow said.

“Damn, you’re heavy,” Ilea said when she grabbed the creature.

“Of course. I’m a prime specimen after all,” Meadow said.

Ilea displaced herself and the being out into the open, finding the task manageable now that it was weakened and small. She assumed it didn’t resist anymore either, maybe even helping the spell work.

The space outside was distorted still. A massive crater had formed where the portal had been previously. Debris, ice, and pieces of flesh floated around in the space magic related aftermath that spanned farther than the destroyed city walls.

Ilea couldn’t help but stare at the massive Daughter of Sephilon floating a few hundred meters above, its body shredded, barely a husk now. Its many eyes looked lifeless but she saw the surrounding mana float upwards.

“Where are the Michaels?” she asked.

Two notebooks appeared in front of her.

“They managed to bury them far away enough before they perished,” Meadow said. “Oh… one of them has survived. I’ll lead you there.”

Ilea raised an eyebrow.

She sped up, her wings carrying the two of them out of the ruins, any spirits that arrived now were focused entirely on the corpses and whatever mana had remained from the closing gate.

A howl resounded in the distance, echoing through the lands.

Ilea looked towards the distant creature, antlers of ice visible even from kilometers away.

“Thank you, friend,” she thought and charged her monster hunter.

“Anything you’d like to say to the Elemental?” she asked.

“There is no need. My gratitude has been conveyed,” the Meadow said.

Ilea once more imitated a wolf’s howl, ignoring the spirits of death that would surely look for her now. She waved with a bright smile, seeing a blizzard form around the Elemental as it turned away.

What a fucking beast.

She sped up and left the few death spirits her call had summoned behind.

The remaining Michael was limping through the frozen desert, clutching the book with his one remaining arm.

He went all this way?

Ilea landed nearby.

The man didn’t react.

“Michael,” Ilea called out.

He shuffled to a stop, turning towards her before he collapsed.

His skin had been burnt, several deep wounds adorned his whole body barely held together by his blood magic.

One of his eyes was gone, the other one bloodshot.

Ilea extended her ash and started healing.

“There is… no point,” he said in a strained voice. The man coughed a few times, blood and gold splattering onto the ice.

“I am, a construct. My resources… are… spent,” he said.

Ilea noticed it too. The wounds did close but the man was dying either way. There was nothing she could do.

His one eye widened. “The… book,” he tried to look down but failed to find the notebook he still clutched in his arm.

“I have it,” Ilea said and knelt down next to him, placing Meadow on the ground.

She grabbed the notes, gently but firmly releasing his grip on them.

“Is that… Meadow?” he asked, looking at the spherical stone.

The man started cackling, coughing again before he calmed down a little. “You… you’ll bring it back… you figured it out?”

He laughed again. “That is… wonderful.”

“She will. Your original might find me at one point or another,” Meadow said.

“Fuck him…,” Michael said. “We were… close… you know?”

“To what?” Ilea asked.

“Long… range… teleportation,” he said. “But if you bring… it back. There will be… another chance,” he said. “Don’t… waste it… humanity… requires, its power.”

Yeah I kind of have that covered already, Ilea thought.

“You did well to survive this long,” she said.

“And what… a… spectacle, it was,” he said and smiled to himself.

He died in that moment, his body dissolving into blood and gold.

Ilea sighed as she stood up, grabbing Meadow and charging Heart of Cinder.

“Will the spirits follow us at this point?” she asked.

“Your mana output is too small. I may attract mundane spirits but… the Daughters will return to Sephilon,” Meadow said.

“We killed one of them. But they can’t exactly die, can they?” she asked.

“Perhaps. I do not know,” Meadow admitted.

“What is it? You sound contemplative,” Ilea said, aiming her spell at the remains of Michael. There was quite a bit of gold but it didn’t feel right to take it.

Instead her fire engulfed the remains, flare of creation adding to it until little remained.

May you find rest, clone number four. Or more accurately, Michael.

She closed her eyes for a moment before her wings spread again.

“I was wondering,” Meadow said. “What he said about power.”

“If I’m doing this just for that?” Ilea asked.

The creature remained silent.

“You know me better than that,” she said. “Though if you’re willing, I’d love for you to meet a few enchanters working on some long range teleportation.”

“You know I wouldn’t refuse you,” the Meadow said.

“You can, you know? You don’t even have to come to Elos if you don’t want to. I just think it’d be more interesting for you. And I’d like to be able to visit you from time to time,” Ilea said with a smile, reaching another mountain range.

She looked for a cave somewhere, checking for spirits briefly before she settled down on a peak outside, summoning a meal.

“You wish to wait?” Meadow asked.

“Just a last meal. And a last look at this marvelous hellscape,” she said.

“Hmm,” the Meadow said. “Many peoples have come and gone. Cities built and withered away.”

They remained silent for a while.

“I would like to come with you. To discover what your realm holds for me, if you will have me,” Meadow said.

Ilea finished her meal and grabbed the sphere.

“It would be an honor,” she said and displaced them both into the cave.

“Now don’t flip your shit if you can’t breathe. The mana is VERY thin in my house. I’d like to keep it intact,” Ilea said.

Meadow didn’t reply.

“Ready?”

It sent a confirming thought.

Ilea activated her third tier of blink, feeling the power manifest, runes form, and space distort.

When it activated, she connected the Meadow to her long range teleportation ability, both of them leaving Erendar without a trace.

Ilea appeared within her home an instant later, in her hand a ball of stone.

She shook it lightly.

“Hey, you alright in there?” she said. “We’re here.”

“Yes… yes… I can feel it. Finally… I can take over your realm. You fool!” the Meadow exclaimed. It sounded distracted, joyous.

“You’ve been sitting on that one for a while, huh?” Ilea asked, stepping out onto her balcony, closing the door behind.

“There is… so much life… so many… creatures,” Meadow exclaimed.

Ilea felt deep reaching emotions exude from the being, invading her mind with joy and relief.

“It’s alright. You’re safe now,” she said and silently stroked the stone.

The ball shivered but Meadow didn’t say anything else for some time.

“To see this place,” it said, its voice quivering lightly. “You have no comprehension of what it means to me, Ilea.”

“It’s a pretty nice realm. Maybe we can keep it from collapsing a little longer, with your help,” she said.

“You face an eclipse then? Or an enemy?” Meadow asked.

“Not to my knowledge, no. But you never know what’s out there,” Ilea said. “And time moves differently for an ancient creature like yourself.”

“I’m… sorry. I am a little… distracted,” Meadow said.

“Take your time. The flight is long. How’s your body looking?” she asked, unable to see any issues with her healing.

“Any adverse effects shouldn’t come for another few days. Two suns… magnificent. Something is… missing? Peculiar,” the creature said.

Ilea flew up and charged her wings, aiming northwards.

“There were three suns a few thousand years ago. Or we think so at least,” she said.

“A sun taken from the skies… it seems I have much to learn,” the Meadow said.

“Yeah, if you can find a few Ascended. I’m sure they’d be interested in meeting you,” Ilea said.

“You do not sound fond of them,” the being said.

“I’ve only met one. Nearly killed me. I’m sure I’d fare better now,” she said.

“You survived a battle involving Daughters of Sephilon,” Meadow said.

“Yeah but I didn’t exactly kill them, did I?” Ilea asked.

“No. That is true,” Meadow said.

They continued for a while in silence.

“Trees,” Meadow said when they passed the southern mountains.

Ilea nodded.

“Can… can I see them?” Meadow asked.

“Of course,” Ilea said and descended.

“Should I make you touch one? Or can you expand here?” Ilea said.

“It would be… appreciated. And yes but I can only use it every so often. It would be foolish to do so in a place I do not plan to stay at,” Meadow said.

A little weird but okay, Ilea thought, touching the tree with Meadow’s rock ball.

She checked her few messages from the last battle while the Meadow hopefully didn’t commit an act of sexual harassment.

‘ding’ ‘Your group has defeated [Larinis – Daughter of Sephilon – lvl 1740]’