Chapter 221: The Mysteries of the Moon

Chapter 221: The Mysteries of the Moon

Mid Morning - Early Winter : Outside of Northern Valtivar

*thump-Thud* -This spot should be isolated enough...- *FWOOSH-CRACKLE* With a strong flap of my wings, I hurled Ilios and I through the canopy above us. *CrAcKLe*

*fwoosh* Quickly piercing through the ceiling of leaves and branches, I was met with a sudden wave of warmth from the morning sun and couldn't help but close my eyes and let out a deep, relaxed breath. "Haaah.." But as I continued to climb in altitude, I started rethinking my initial plans. -Today.. maybe I should take my time...-

Although I originally planned to take a trip through the void to get to Bahamut instantly, after feeling how nice it was to fly without being in any sort of rush, I decided to take my time and enjoy the flight. -It's not like Bahamut is that far, anyway...-

Leaning back and rolling over, I faced the horizon opposite the sun and finally started using my routine high-speed-travel spells. *tsss-fwoOoOOOSH* -If only it was still nighttime...-

But then, as if I started turning back the hands of time, the sun started to set below the horizon behind me.

Before I knew it, I could see stars, galaxies, and distant nebulas distorted by the atmosphere near the horizon, but no matter how beautiful the view there was, I couldn't pull my eyes off the moon. -W..woah...-

The moon, covered in its usual mountains, valleys, craters, and beautiful colors from the countless minerals composing its surface, was something I had come to memorize over the years. Yet, still, at that moment, I felt like I was seeing it for the first time.

-Did divinity.. really enhance my vision this much?- The details I could see on the moon's surface were simply incomparable to anything I'd seen before.

But although it made the view of the moon all the more enchanting, when I finally turned my attention to the all-too-circular crater with the web of odd, shiny cracks spreading from its center, my mind went blank. -W..what the...-

Although it was still challenging to distinguish exactly what it was, my theory that the cracks were natural and the reflection was from a liquid that filled them was immediately disproven. -That kind of reflection can't come from something in a crack...-

Although it could have been the atmosphere slightly distorting things, the ground around the dozens of cracks was abnormally well-lit, as if illuminated by the reflections right next to them. -But if that's really the case.. then the only plausible idea is that they're actually structures of some kind...-

Previously, I would have found that idea absolutely insane, but after stumbling across the Acardi Laboratory at the bottom of the ocean a few years ago, that outlandish theory became a very real possibility.

But I still had my suspicions. -Would the Acardi really have reason to build such a megastructure?-

Turning off my thruster magic while idly contemplating whether or not to let him catch me, I watched the man's serious expression turn aggressive.

-Does the mythril band around his ankle mean he's a prison guard?- Although it could have been a simple piece of jewelry, seeing that the other dragons scattered around the mountainside of the prison wore the same thing, I assumed that's what it meant. -And considering he's not trying to sneak up on me, he must just be trying to figure out who I am.-

It made sense since I was going to fly straight over them, but at the same time, I was a bit too high up for him to get up to me, and slowing down to meet with him felt troublesome. -It's not like he can recognize me from this distance anyway, right?-

Turning slightly and using light magic to make myself even more impossible to spot, I casually glided over him without so much as a sound.

"Haah..." Glancing back at him after a couple minutes, I saw him still frantically looking around and trying to find me before finally shooting off a blindingly bright fireball. -What the...-

Immediately responding like it was a signal flare, the dozen other dragons scattered around the mountain started frantically moving about, with half of them taking to the skies and starting to look around as well. -Are they.. trying to find me?-

At first, I thought it was simply them being cautious and raising their guards, but even after the prison fell below the horizon behind me, I still had to actively dodge the eyes of even different, armor-wearing dragons that took to the skies in front of me. -What the hell is happening?-

I tried not to think much of it at first, but after being forced to glide in silence for several hundred kilometers, I got sick of avoiding their eyes and jumped through a gate. *Vwoom*

"Haah..." I let out an annoyed breath as I hastily moved a mass of mana to keep the void away from Ilios, but I quickly got sidetracked when I noticed him moving around like normal. "Huh?"

Usually, creatures would look like they were 'frozen in time' when in the void, and while I knew Ilios was different since he could always move some, he was never able to move this freely.

-I wonder if the divinity he absorbed is what made the change...- Glancing back at him again after a bit of idle thought, I watched as he actively dispersed the mana I used to protect him from the void.

The moment he did, his fur started flowing as if it were underwater, and ever-so-slowly, a smile of satisfaction came to his face.

Before I knew it, the lingering anxiety about the troubles I accidentally caused outside started to fade away, all in favor of seeing Ilios's adorable smile.

"Haah..." -I guess.. I'll just ask Grandmother what it was all about when I get there...- Finally tossing away my last bit of worry, I looked around and quickly found the void marker I left in her estate. -Let's finally finish this flight, shall we?-