'I thought you said it would not devour me because of my identity. But what you said just now makes me think it would have done that if I did not have enough magic energy.'
[Let me ask you a question: how would the vortex know your identity if you did not have enough magic energy?]
Meaning the vortex identified him through his magic energy.
'That's fair,' Kyran agreed with a slight nod. 'But... Do you have to regard that vortex as if it has a life of its own?'
Even as he said it, he paused and recalled how he would also refer to automatons as if they were alive after they birthed their own sentient. This made him want to retract his words. But before he could, Shaiha had already responded.
[Because that is the truth of The Realm.]
Kyran frowned again, not because Shaiha's statement could open the 'The Realm' topic again, but because of what they implied.
He had previously read a similar statement in the Ancient Magic book, which could only be read by Ancient Magic users.
The book's contents would depend on what Ancient magic the one reading circulated.
Kyran could read both the Draconic and Void contents of that book. However, he found a loophole that allowed him to read the Soul and Time magic content.
The loophole was quite simple: as long as Kyran roused a magic item or material possessing the magic energies of Soul or Time magic within the book's proximity, its contents would change. He only had to avoid rousing his magic energy to ensure the book would not detect it and change its content again.
The book's four introductions discuss how everything in the realm is alive and that it is the truth of all things. It then explained that magic in the realm is made possible because of the existence of the Four Ancient Magic: Chaos—that was how the book referred to Draconic magic—Soul, Time, and finally, Void.
In any case, Shaiha's words made Kyran recall the book's introduction and vaguely sense that they were related. Shaiha's meaning might even be the same as that of the Ancient Magic book.
Shaiha sensed Kyran's interest was piqued by her words. She intended to teach him more about The Realm because she believed if he knew more about it, he would come to accept his identity as the Realm Scion. However, telling him more about The Realm right there and then was terrible timing.
They were in the middle of nowhere in the Higher Realm, which could be considered The Emperor's territory. If they could not confirm their exact location and which plane was closest to them, they might get discovered by one of The Emperor's subjects. Kyran's appearance might differ from that of the lesser dragon, whom The Emperor was looking for, but their presence there was already suspicious.
His subjects would still detain them no matter what excuse they came up with.
Besides, Shaiha's knowledge of the Higher Realm needed to be updated. She needed to get up to date if she wanted to ensure Kyran's safety. Thus, the sooner they could find a plane and gather intel, the better.
Of course, they could not enter just any plane. That plane had to be neutral— neither belonging to The Emperor's court nor other independent groups. Shaiha might not be able to identify if a plane was the latter neutral, but she knew how to determine the former.
[Let us talk about that another time. Right now, we have to find a neutral plane to gather intelligence. If we stayed here any longer, one of The Emperor's subjects might discover us.]
Kyran did not need Shaiha to elaborate on her warning to understand that he would be in deep trouble if someone from The Emperor's side found him. Thus, he did not reject her suggestion. Besides, he was still injured. Not to mention exhausted. He might have recovered most of his magic energy, but it was not the case with his fatigue.
Just when Kyran was about to move, he recalled something, and his expression darkened.
'Shaiha... is there a way for me to... err... fly? I can teleport, but I don't think leaving residual Void magic energy around here is wise. The same goes if I use Dragon Steps.'
[...]
One of the perks of having Void magic was the ability to traverse through the Void. Because of this, he was incapable of flying or levitating without support.
Void magic's nature practically removes the 'wind' around its influence, allowing one to fly.
At the moment, Kyran could hover in midair because he was using the magic energies in the surroundings to hold him in place. Or, to be precise, hold his armor into place.
His first task was to create enough supplies until they found a place where he could rest and then gather intel.
Of course, before that, he would need an item that would allow him to move around in midair.
Kyran sighed inwardly.
To be honest, he already had a prototype of a magic item that would allow him to fly. But because there were far too many things he had to take care of, he had yet to test and improve it appropriately.
What was more, he left the prototype on Loar's ship.
Fortunately, Kyran still remembered the prototype's design, and the Higher Realms' magic energy was far thicker and complete than that of the Lower Realms. This allowed him to create the materials he needed with ease.
Shaiha felt a little restless as she waited for Kyran to complete what he was doing. She was prepared to make a drastic move if she noticed anyone approaching them, and she did not care if he got mad.
It turned out, Shaiha did not have to wait that long because Kyran managed to craft a magic item that would allow him to fly in less than half an hour.
As a matter of fact, it only took him more than ten minutes to complete it. The reason it took more than that was because he was simultaneously concocting potions and pills.
After completing the magic item, Kyran attached it to his armor. He then took out an off-white hooded robe and wore it over his armor to hide it and his face.
[Are you not going to use your mask?]
Shaiha could not help but ask.
Kyran shook his head, 'The face-altering mask only has a few saved faces in it. Even if The Emperor had not seen all of it, most of those faces are based on real people. Well... apart from Nar, but...'
[Right, he has seen you using Nar's face.]
'Yes,' he replied with a sigh. 'Besides, I don't think I'll be able to fool the inhabitants of this realm with it.'
[Hm... you have a point. Most mages in this realm are knowledgeable in Array, so your creations might be seen easily.]
'Yeah,' he agreed. 'So there is really no point in changing my look at this point.'
[... 'at this point'?]
Shaiha repeated, tilting her head questioningly.
'I first need to understand the different laws in this realm. Only after learning and understanding them can I attempt to create an improved version of the face-altering mask.'
Shaiha raised her brows in understanding. She nodded in agreement and said.
[That does make sense.]
'With that said, let's find the nearest plane.'
[All right. I will let you know if it is safe to enter that plane.]
Now, it was Kyran's turn to raise his brows, albeit questioningly.
Without waiting for him to ask, Shaiha explained.
[I can detect if a plane is under The Emperor's influence. This will lower our chances of crossing paths with his subjects.]