Aaron glanced downward at his wristwatch, which he had purchased on his last day in the Bay of Thorn.
Eight forty… I still have some time to kill before that lecture.
Crouching down, he smiled and whipped his head skyward, launching himself high above the cityscape.
Landing on the roof of a nearby building, he continued hopping from place to place, the magical castle fading in the distance as he travelled.
Blackport Ridge was built in the center of a river delta, the various ebbs and flows of the natural terrain shaping the city.
On the western front of the island, the Floriam Mountains broke the clouds, towering beyond sight into the darkness of space.
At one point, they were believed to be a portal between heaven and earth, the highest peaks in the world—until the Dendrali range was conquered.
When claims disputing their connections were produced, the records reported a voyage in an attempt to prove their authenticity.
The researchers never returned, not once in the two hundred years since their departure from the basecamp.
Aaron had read about the various things related to the city in a book he had bought around the same time as his wristwatch.
When one sits on a Ghostship for days at a time, the idea of reading sounds like a miracle to one so bored.
In the present, he turned his eyes away from the massive mounds of rock and dirt, instead, enhancing his vision and staring into the East.
Two more rivers drained out into the sea from underground reservoirs, allowing habitable regions to form around them.
The Minearu Oasis, which housed the largest shipbuilding site in the world, and the Firioidis Lookout that provided optimal access to the drilling patch off the coast of the island, each earned the city enough exports to survive.
Far to the North, away from the main city and any port, the barren wastelands were said to swarm with sand serpents that drilled into the depths, hunting for prey that walked across their territory.
The blond-haired boy would've once laughed at such words; however, after he had witnessed a Wraith emerge from the ground beneath his feet with his very own eyes, he could no longer make light of such stories.
Never again…
He shivered, remembering the fear that had settled into his heart as the beast lunged at him, its grotesque mouth slobbering for flesh.
With that image in his mind, he remembered another thing he had planned to do that day before finding the lecture.
I'll go see Raphael… Cam said he only leaves his room at exactly nine in the morning each day to buy food.
Lunging from skyline to skyline, he felt the winds of freedom rush against his flesh, a bright smile stretching his mouth.
Closing his eyes as he glided through the polluted cityscape, he embraced the feeling of unshackled life.
The embodiment of liberation itself, flight, was only held away from his grasp by the lack of a fitting core.
Winged terrors were nearly impossible to come across; the only known ones that still lived were those of Dragon lineage in the Sea of Ancients.
Aaron himself sought for nothing at the moment but that ability, infinite possibilities unlocked from a simple upgrade.
After this, the first place I'm heading is back to Cam's homeland. But if I'm going to fight high-level terrors like Dragons, I'll need some more training.
Reaching his targeted location, he dropped down into an alley, landing next to a homeless man who stared at him with utter shock.
Throwing him a coin and leaving swiftly, Aaron entered the main street, his hand grazing over the hand of a child.
Whipping his head backwards, he memorized the important physical features, swiftly snapping his fingers.
His hair drooped, streaming down into long, thin strands of white, his eyes pulsing and popping until they became a deep blue, unlike his normal turquoise.
Wrapping a barrier around his general vicinity, he blocked the sound of his bones crunching and breaking to fit his height into the body of a young girl.
Finally, as he grazed his hands around his clothing, it shifted into what the kid was wearing at the moment of his last sighting.
The ability to alter his own clothing was a newer advancement, a benefit of the cores that Akari had paid him with for saving her life.
He had tried to resist; however, her orders were absolute, a threat of a groin kick making the boy accept them with open arms.
Aaron's clothing would not truly change; only their appearance would become that of another, unless they got damaged.
One rip, and the illusion would burst, revealing his normal-sized clothing on his regular-looking body that was attached to a child-like head.
It was quite a disturbing discovery for the boy as he tested it with Akari's appearance, her head attached to his normal, masculine body.
Let's not rip it this time… That was horrifying beyond belief…
The male version of the pink-haired girl aside, he set his gaze on a coffee shop ahead, the sight of a white-haired boy sitting in the window catching his eye.
He looks better than before.
Noticing the eye bags around Raphael's eyes, but not much more, he walked toward the cafe entrance, pulling open the door with his small, pale hands.
As he entered the building, he was given odd stares by the adults who sat inside, each one individually wondering why such a young child would be walking around alone.
Sighing and ignoring their gazes, he walked over towards where the white-haired boy was sitting, his golden eyes fixed on the horizon.
"Big brother!"
Putting up an act for the surrounding guests, Aaron watched them visibly relax after they realized the young girl was there with her brother.
However, Raphael himself turned over slowly, his neck craning to the side as he examined the tiny white-haired child.
Within his head, Aaron felt a piercing stare dig through him, attempting to locate his deepest secrets.
Before he could react, a barrier made by something divine caged his mind, a splitting migraine humming to life.
Ack!
Groaning and sitting down in the high chair, the little child heard a question come from Raphael's mouth.
"How are you doing that?"
Furrowing her brow in confusion, Aaron spoke aloud in a childish voice.
"Doing what?"
Squinting slightly and awaiting the response, she noticed the white-haired boy's vision narrowing, his hands tensing into tight balls.
"You're Aaron. I'd never forget your mana. Now tell me, how are you doing that?"
His cold reply made the child freeze, her expression going blank as she tried to figure out how she got caught.
"H-How did you…"
Isolating himself in a sphere of mana and snapping her tiny fingers, Aaron released the ability, his bones snapping back into position.
The white-haired noble only sighed as he stared at his fellow challenger, a dark look coming over his face.
"An artifact, I assume? Perhaps a trait of that mystical blade you have attached to your back. I can sense a powerful aura emanating from it that seems to be alive."
Attempting to stir the sleeping sword, the Prince of Sunlight launched an array of illusory mana shocks into the hilt of the blade.
However, much to his surprise, the bolts were deflected back at him, stinging his very soul as he felt a presence wash over him.
The world itself faded into pitch-black darkness, his pupils widening as he stared into the shadows, a figure appearing in the fog.
He could not make out the exact form, yet he recognized a female figure with long braids of flowing red hair.
Unable to see her clearly, he took a step forward in the mystical world, only for a single string of words to bombard his mind.
『Chosen of the God of Sunlight. You are not welcome here.』
His vision went blank once more, his consciousness returning to his mortal form, where only a second had passed, a worried look plastered across Aaron's face.
Shrugging his shoulders and cracking his neck, Raphael spoke again, disregarding his previous question.
"No… Perhaps that was the wrong thing to ask…"
Taking a deep breath, he stood up, staring at the blond boy straight in the eye.
"You shouldn't have come to see me before the exam finale. I told the proctor that I wished not to be disturbed."
Beginning to walk away in a rush, he was stopped by the turquoise-eyed boy's hand gripping his shoulder.
"Wait! C'mon man! I'm worried that you aren't fine for the exam, and I was just trying to check up on you."
Spouting the real reason for his appearance in front of the noble, he watched as his fellow challenger's face hardened.
"Listen, Aaron. You are the only person I will ever tell this to, and the only reason I am is that I owe you more than my life."
He paused, taking a deep breath.
"I'm not going to lose this exam. Even if I do, I'll still win in the end. You'll see. Whether it be on the victor's podium or the loser's altar."