Chapter 40 - Return of the dragon (1/2)

Lily was happily skipping inside the sea of flowers when suddenly she felt the air turn thicker, and that the bright and sunny day got clouded by a gray miasma that was oozing from the edges of the gale, slowly surrounding everything. She stopped and looked at Granny with a face full of worry.

”Granny, what is happening? Wh-what is this?”

The elderly lady garbed in tattered red clothes has already left her previous spot in the middle and arrived at the edges of the flowerbed. She looked at the blonde girl with her gentle smile, and with her right arm stretched out, she motioned to grab it.

”Don't worry, just come to us, Aiden, and I will keep you safe. Come now, quickly!”

Meanwhile, Aiden was also next to Granny already. He noticed the newcomer a few seconds ago before it arrived, however, it was still a mystery to him how it managed to sneak up so close before the system finally managed to notice its presence.

'Enya, can you tell me how did this happen? Why couldn't I see the incoming danger miles ahead like I usually do?'

There was no answer for a few short seconds before the mature female voice resounded inside his mind.

[Unfortunately, I have no answer to that query currently. It seems like the target has some sort of cloaking that masked his presence and intent.]

'But the spy that keeps watching us also uses something similar, and we could still find it. What's different this time?'

[The person that is watching you is using a spell to hide. With that, we can still trace the lingering energy she is using and manipulating her will. But with this new presence, what it is using is not magic, it is a skill, most likely something it was born with. An Innate ability. As such, it is untraceable by any means.]

'I see... ' thinking Aiden realized something very important from Enya's reply 'Innate ability like my Dragon transformation thingy? If I could absorb some of the new enemy's life essence, could I get this ability as well?'

[Yes, however, most likely you would need most if not all of the body mass to have a decent chance to acquire it. For that, you will have to defeat it first, and at the moment, I cannot give you an accurate reading on the target's statistics, but based on this gray miasma it is radiating, it is probably very powerful.

It also seems to have intelligence, as it did not immediately rush in to attack like a normal beast, but it is keeping watch and letting its presence felt, to instill fear to all of you. Be very careful with this one, Aiden.]

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Number 3, who was at the far side on top of the tree branches, had a difficult decision to make. If she chose to intervene and save the kids, her cover would be blown and would be no longer able to continue the mission. She would receive new directives and depending on the Grandmaster's decision based on her report, the target would either be deemed too problematic to be left alive or someone would replace her.

However, on the other hand, based on what that old woman has told her, she never had any cover, it was just an illusion, they let her watch them. Most likely scenario is to decide her intentions and at the same time, show that they are not a threat, and there's no real need for monitoring.

'Aargh, why did I have to be the one to be placed here…' she cursed. For the time being, she decided to continue watching as the situation unfolds and will make a decision when the time comes…

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As Lily was making her way towards Granny, she felt worse by the second. This thick, grayish substance, something similar to smoke, surrounded her, and it started to block her senses. Her vision, her breathing, even hearing became a hurdle. It felt like the more she struggles against it, the tighter its grip around her became. After a few meters, she stopped and looked ahead but couldn't see anything anymore.

As her breathing became increasingly harder, she struggled her last few words out, which contrary to her usual tone, was almost inaudible.

”I… can't… he… lp… me... brother” with her last words to her beloved brother whom she only knew for a few short days but treasured deeply, lost her footing, and as her consciousness slipped away she fell forward.

However, before she could hit the ground and knock herself out for good, a familiar pair of arms, interjected her trajectory, and caught her. The soothing voice of a male, her most treasured person gripped her last strands of sanity.

”I caught you, big sis! Don't you dare leave us!” Picking her up in a princess carry, Aiden carried her out of the flowerbed, through the thick miasma that surrounded her.