On my way into the skies

Leila didn't almost even hope that the magical council would ever try to contact her like this again. As their rules went, those who would be deemed powerful enough that they could be considered seasoned magicians could no longer bear the title of Rising Star. As such, the girl lost her position and was clearly far too weak to claim her own place among the Wizard Saints themselves. As such, she had suddenly found herself with nearly no influence over the actual world of wizards, an outcast of sorts that had no real place and use for those in power. Naturally, something like that would make just about anyone think that the council now had new pawns it would rely on instead of the nature mage. And yet, she found a letter with their emblem adorning the white material once again. Reminded of the old days when this was a common occurrence, the council sending her urgent messages so that she could resolve their problems. But she could hardly hold that against them now. After all, she adored helping people with their problems. She loved this world and those that occupied it. In the past, she used to question morales of these so-called heroes... but she found out, that she had the desire to become one of them. And not to mention, it was precisely because she was called to the cursed village by the council that she was able to meet Jiyu. Without their interference in her magical career, she might have never gotten to know the canine, at least not as much as right now. She didn't even really want to think about something like that as she slowly backed away from the door, the letter still in her hands. She would knowingly trip over the bed of her room and gently fall onto the soft sheets, a sight escaping between her lips.

Everything was so different from the past, yet it all seemed completely same at certain moments. Those times when she was going on her adventures solo, not even a member of Golden Phoenix yet. She came to this land, to Fiore, alone as her father left her. And like a headless chicken, she would run around and do whatever she could to get by. From helping strangers with day to day problems to finding puppies, and then finally hunting down murderous little girls capable of slaughtering an entire guild. It was one wild ride, that much was for certain. And she was happy for it. The long road that eventually lead to her own death... but even that did not stop her, as she was clearly still there. Her feelings, strong enough to reach even the miracle demons. And as such, she was revived. Soon enough, back in action even despite the fact that nearly all of her power disappeared. But now, as she stared at the ceiling of this room, she realized just how grand her magical energy was right now. It all returned with the awakening... not only that, she managed to alter her body in such way that she could establish an even stronger connection with the Gardens of Eden than ever before! Yes, she was still getting used to the new appearance and especially the permanent addition of animal tail and ears. It easily reminded her of the time when she traveled the different nations as a part of her job, meeting Jiyu who was far more covered in clothes than she could ever be now. Only so that she could conceal the fact that her humanoid ears were replaced with pointy ones and that she had a dog's tail waggling behind her. It made the white-haired maiden chuckle as she turned to her side on the bed, closing her eyes for just a moment.

For one reason or another, she just wanted to stay in this moment for as long as she possibly could. Surrounded by the pleasant memories of the past while keeping all the nightmares at bay, the letter in her hands being the one proof of her still existing in this world on a meaningful level. It was honestly more surprising to her than anything, just how much one's thinking could change once they gather enough experience from the life. Be it good or bad one. The environment around a person is what shapes that person. So much she could confirm with her own situation. When she was wandering the continent along with her mechanical father, there was not much that mattered to her. Help people along the way to earn enough money for a bread that would fill your belly tonight. That seemed to be the order of nearly every single day. But it wasn't like she really struggled or anything either. The golem that was with her already had centuries worth of experience in traveling and would make sure that the girl grew into a fine woman, capable of taking care of herself as well as those around her. And she was always infinitely thankful. It was probably quite funny to some individuals, actually. Usually, it was people with tragic backstories or problematic childhoods that would grow up to be or to want to be heroes of the people so that they could make sure no one else would suffer the same way they did. But Leila was different. She had never really gone through any tragedy like that in her early life, but still desired to help wherever she could. Perhaps that was natural of spirits like her. Though it would also be unfair to say that she had never gone through anything tragic at all either.

"If you keep giggling to yourself like that, I will start thinking that you got a love letter."

Surprisingly, Leila was not alone in the room. There was another girl, sitting on a second bed that was in the opposing corner, her back against the white wall and an open book in her hand. Compared to the Eden's caretaker, this female was very small with a child-like structure, completely white shorter hair, crimson red eyes that would almost glow in the dark and above all, boasting a pair of blue dragon horns as well as a dragon tail covered in shining deep blue scales. Wearing a white yukata on top of that, she gave off quite the oriental feel. That was Yuki, the first child of Eden as she was often called and the second strongest spirit in Leila's arsenal. Though under certain circumstances, this dragon girl did actually possess strength equal to Libra, one of the Zodiac spirits. As such, it was no surprise that she was a summon that could easily force her own gate open and enter Earthland of her own volition. A scene like this was also very reminiscent of the distant past, as Yuki used to be capable of remaining in this world indefinitely. Such thing was no longer possible, but she was trying to spend as much time here as she could in order to extend the timer she was on. Though that timer also greatly relied on her summoner's remaining amount of Mana. Thankfully, the white-haired maiden had a specific pocket bell with her and would feel the power that it was giving her in order to maintain the connection Yuki had here. Finally trying to stop cuddling with the piece of paper, Leila would sit on the edge of her bed and open the envelope to actually read what was inside.

"It's from the magic council. Yet another contract for us it seems, despite everything. I was just thinking how nice this all was. Just like the old days."

The girl was all excited and she didn't even know why yet. But jobs assigned to her by the magic council were always pretty interesting anyway, so there was probably no real need to be worried that this would be something dull. And as she held the paper, she was also quickly reminded of something completely different that had happened in the past. Something that was far less exciting than this moment. On that day, she received a letter that was even more adorned than this one. Black with golden emblems and trims, that letter was perhaps the most beautiful looking one she had ever received. It was fairly shortly after she actually started her career as a mage, only having experience helping few people with very simple tasks prior to it. She was in a rented room much like this one when it happened and yet had to be acquainted with any other peers of hers. Without friends, family or anyone who would really care about her, it was very surprising for a guildless mage to receive a letter like that. The thought excited her at first, but that smile faded away as soon as she opened it and read its contents. It was written by her foster father, a very tall Machias that found her beneath Eden's tree when she was born from the shard of Aurora's soul. It was him who saved the girl and made sure she was safe, taking her with him on all of his travels. With the golem by her side, she felt like she was able to do anything and everything. But that one single letter from him tore her world apart in a single instant. A letter that he wrote only to inform her that by the time she received it, he was already gone. Dead in the true sense of a word despite being a machine. That was the one single moment when she truly started taking her new position in this world seriously. Shaking her head, she tried to chase away the memory and started the actual letter in her hands.

Dear Leila Vergious, We require your assistance once more. As we have informed you prior to this letter, you are no longer considered a fresh mage and instead have become one of the many pillars of the magical community of this world, a true magician that knows what they are doing. As such, we have removed the title of Rising Star from you to enable you the option of actually becoming one of the many stars that illuminate our way. Your help is still needed, now more than ever. We believe that you will give this task even more of your attention than those in the past, as we believe that it might be of a personal value to you. A new threat has appeared in the Phoenix Mountains, place where a portal to your guild hall is located. This threat can only be described as a titan, an ancient force that should have been eradicated from this world eons past. To put it into more familiar terms for you, it is a golem of enormous size, nearly unstoppable and incredibly powerful. We have already sent in numerous force task groups, but none have managed to succeed in stopping it. As such, have turned to you, dear magician. We know of your power and achievements. Please, lend us your strength once more and rid us of this monsters. We have not even been able to discover a single weak point of this creature, nor were we able to analyze it and establish what goal it could possibly have here. Do make haste before it reaches your guild or any of the nearby settlements. We have no more men to spare, so you will have to deal with it by yourself. But we firmly believe that with your expertise and experience, you will prevail once more! Sincerely, Magus Opus of the Magic council

Surely they could have chosen their words a little bit better. The girl knew Magus, he was a member of the council and one mostly responsible for calling the Eden's caretaker into the action. That said, the two of them had never actually met and only ever exchanged few words on a paper much like this one. But she also had to give it to him, he did make it sound like this contract was some right trouble. Funnily enough, they have already automatically assumed that she would comply and charge head on this approaching Titan. They were not wrong, she had no reason to actually refuse. But if they treated every single mage like this, then there was no wonder why so many people resented them. Using their standing as means to force others to do their business, that was how people commonly thought about the magic council. Just a bunch of shady individuals that would do nothing bur corrupt deeds. Of course, such view was a little bit exaggerated. But in every fable, there was at least a little bit of truth. When in the position of power, it becomes much more difficult to resist the sins and devious acts one can pull off. But they were hardly nothing but pure evil. If that was the case, then they would have not even bothered trying to call anyone into action, allowing this approaching threat to destroy anything and everything without a care in the world. But it was a little bit worrisome. They did not exactly provide any real information about the enemy, only making sure to convey just how dangerous this was. Another thing that worried her some was the fact that it was happening in the Phoenix mountains. As they had mentioned in the letter, the portal to the underwater city was indeed there, atop one of the peaks.

Though only those with the mark of a Golden Phoenix could ever hope to enter and not be torn into pieces by the guardian phoenixes all around the entrance. Worst case scenario, the titan would smash the gate and temporarily disable entering and leaving the guild space. Nothing that they would have to worry about too much, but it would certainly cause a good amount of inconvenience. Jumped out of the bed, the Eden's caretaker would stretch and yawn before looking at her companion on the other bed. Sunlight was pouring in through the open window, a gentle warmth caressing the both of them. It was a beautiful day outside, not even a single cloud trying to hide the blue of skies. Even on such days, the evil would not sleep, huh? No... it was wrong to call this titan evil. After all, Magus also mentioned in his letter that they did not even know what the goal of this creature was. Nothing in this world was inherently evil and even the worst of the sinners deserved a second chance to better their lives and start helping rather than harming. That was the girl's personal philosophy. She desired not to take away a single life from a sentient being, even if she was to battle the lord of all evil. That was simply who she was. A small witch among many that desired to make this world a better place, even if that seemed like an impossible task sometimes. But she had seen the results of her actions as a Rising Star, the inspiration she awoke in others. And her ideals rubbing off on other individuals that would try to follow in her footsteps and try to better this world with their own powers. Such was the nature of heroism she truly desired. She didn't have to be placed on the pedestal... as long as she was able to actually part the dark clouds and show others the light of a beautiful day such as this.

"What do you say? You heard me read the letter out loud, that's all the information we have on this. You in?"

Turning her emerald green gaze toward the dragon girl and asking with a smile, she already knew what the answer would be. But she had to ask anyway. After all, she had also sworn to never use her spirits as tools for her own goals. No, they were more than that. They were her comrades, her family, the residents of the world she originally created as Aurora and served as a caretaker of now. Sometimes her definition of spirits being used went a little bit out of her norm, but that was quite alright too. The girl was simply far too kind at times, trying to bear the entire burden on her own shoulders instead of sharing. And the spirits already learned to help her on their own in those situations, no matter what she would say or how hard she would try to brush them off. And so, Yuki would slam the book she was holding shut, making a mental note of where she stopped reading and placed it on the bed beside her. Their eyes would lock together, Leila's excited stare compared to Yuki's always stoic and bored expression. And yet, her summoner was somehow able to see past that facade and see what was truly happening behind those uninterested eyes of hers, the flames of passion and excitement that danced in union with her soul. The first child was created as a split image of the goddess Aurora, a very first creation. Despite having the most power, she was imperfect and left unable to properly convey her emotions to the outside world. But when it came down to these two, there was no need to even try. They already knew the other one far too well.

"You've regained all your strength by now, right? I'd rather not have you slow me down when the fighting starts. The monsters that attacked our Gardens were all strong, so-" "I'm good to go. Thank you for caring, Yuki."

With that warm and welcoming smile, Leila would give her spirit the reassurance it needed as she approached its bed and extended her hand forward, palm open and inviting. With a small sigh and a faint smile, the dragon girl would take the hand and allow it help her get up from the bed and onto her own legs. Their relationship was a wild one. After all, the spirit was originally meant to serve Aurora alone. But when the goddess' soul was split into two, she became stuck in this world with Leila. She and Aurora were the same, which created conflict in the poor girl. Unsure if she should love or hate the Eden's caretaker, she struggled through each and every day. She would help her new summoner but with a certain hint of distaste always there, present like a ghost looming over her at all times. It became much worse when the Eden's goddess actually perished after meeting Leila for the very first time, the two of them making a sort of a peace with one another. In her eyes, the one who gave Yuki life was forced to just give up. Of course she did not like that one bit. But now that Aurora was back, those conflicted feelings returned once more. At least until Leila's awakening in the gardens. Aurora approached the dragon girl on that day and asked her to do this. She officially gave Yuki the permission to serve Leila instead, at all times. Because the caretaker was there to care, after all. She loved all the spirits just as much as the one who created them.

Once upon her feet again, Yuki did something that Leila did not quite expect though. She took another step forward and planted her body right into the caretaker's. Something that she had never done in her long existence, be it with Aurora or anyone else. She hugged her summoner, her head buried in the girl's chest. It was so sudden that even the one being embraced took a step back but to no avail. The dragon girl would not budge as she remained in place and simply enjoyed the fact that she was so close to somebody else. Once the initial shock disappeared, Leila would just smile and narrow her body a little, placing her right hand atop that snow-white hair and caressing it as gently as she possibly could. Even if they were spirits created from magic rather than through normal means, it didn't mean they should be deprived of something as basic as love. This entire time, the ice dragon empress thought of the Eden's caretaker as a replacement for Aurora whom she saw as her mother. But that was not the case at all. While those two females were one and the same, their souls originally one, they grew to be completely different individuals that took on completely different roles within this world and their own. Once she finally realized this and even got the 'go ahead' from her mother figure, all that hate melted away to reveal the feelings that were there from the very start, but unable to escape from her body, to be shown. The affection that she wanted to give and receive from this one individual. Life was sometimes so cruel... this heartwarming moment could have happened such a long time ago. But Yuki was far too blinded by her own hatred, even if she never truly displayed it. In the end, both her and Aurora were fighting others to win Leila's attention and love, weren't they?

All those moments the dragon girl tried to help. All those moments when the goddess possessed her body in order to drive others away. In their own ways, they were attempting to steal the girl for themselves. But that was not right and they realized it all now. After the awakening, she showed them all just how much power she holds and how important she is to the Gardens of Eden. Something that was created as a undesired side-effect became so wanted by them all. Who could have guessed it would end like this... but it was not a bad thing. Quite the opposite really. Without Leila, the Gardens would probably no longer even be around. Not only was she their caretaker, their guardian... she was also their savior. In Aurora's absence, she took on the role of a goddess and even as the rightful ruler came back, she remained and cared for everyone around her, giving them as much love as she possibly could even if they gave her nothing at all in return. Kind by her very nature. It was most definitely right to say that from the view of Yuki and all the other spirits, right now, Leila was the greatest of all heroes that were present in this world. For them, she did not require any title such as the Rising Star or Wizard Saint. Because they could see how it really was. Yes, the girl herself desired to hold those titles officially as a little bonus... but she too realized how things were. The unseen heroes being truly the pillars holding this world up where the rays of warm sun would reach easiest. She was not the only person here like that either. There were many others too, both visible and invisible heroes that were doing their best for this world. They were the same. Finally, they understood Leila's vision and love for this place.

"Roots below the earth claim no rewards for making the branches fruitful. But sometimes, there are those who realized that without these roots, the branches would wither and die. So... thank you, Leila."

Finally separating her head from the summoner's chest, Yuki would look up at the other girl with a warm smile as she said those words. She didn't expect to see what she saw but accepted it without hesitation. Tears that flowed down those rosy cheeks without any restraint. They were not tears of sadness by any means. They were ones of happiness, as hearing those words managed to push Leila's heart past the breaking point in a good way. It seemed that out of nowhere, the two girls were embracing one another with one crying. Emotions like this, erupting out of nowhere... it was quite unfair, wasn't it? Being unable to help how one feels and sometimes even getting into conflict because of that. Even the spirit who wore nothing but a perfect poker face wasn't able to hide her emotions forever. They were truly the greatest weapon of all. After all, magic was largely born from these feelings. As ethernano filled their bodies, their emotions would give shape and form to their magic, sending it forth and screaming to the whole world what the person believes in. It was because everyone felt different than everyone became capable of holding their own unique magic. And while there were people that came to obtain their powers through different means, such as lacrimas or obtaining their magic from someone else, they still weren't out of that circle either. For even a borrowed magic would eventually become their own, as their own feelings would form it and give it a shape that suited the user best. Magic is alive. Well, Leila's entire existence was a proof of that, wasn't it? Born from nothing more than a cluster of ethernano in the void that became so condensed it gained a physical form and sentience... such miracles existed. With her small hands, Yuki would try to wipe out those tears and speak out in a low and shaky voice.

"Sorry... letting emotions escape from my body isn't like me at all. And to cause such a scene when we have a job to do..." But Leila would only grab that hand and squeeze it gently as she swallowed her uncertainty. "Thank you. For these words, and for your actions. They mean much more to me than you think."

And just like that, the two of them would separate, creating some distance between one another again. Leila had to turn around for a little bit, placing her hands on the window and peering into the outside world. It has been a while since emotions like these flowed through her... perhaps even as long as the job involving a girl in a crystal. It was then that she had confessed her love to Jiyu Kazehime, right in front of her lover even. Of course, she was refused then. But still, it was one of the most important moments for the girl to this day. The moment when she finally realized her own feelings and desired her needs and wants firmly separated from one another. She wanted things her whole life, even if she never properly realized it. The want to travel, the want to be with her foster father, the want to help others and even the want to love another. There was a time when she thought of these as actual needs, something that was required in one's life for them to continue. But as she fell flat on her face whenever something didn't work out in her favor, she gained one piece of the puzzle after another. And finally, she would piece it all together. Through her life, and mainly the last year and a half, she grew a great deal. She changed. And the change wasn't always just good or bad. It was simply that - a change. She was looking at the world with eyes that would not close whenever something unpleasant would show up. And she would stand tall, her experience serving as her shield and sword. Today marked yet another beginning, a new adventure. Even if there were things that sometimes didn't work out, she would never stop trying. Because these were not her needs, they were things she wanted! And she would not stop until she would finally get there.

That was the girl's determination now. Before, she often doubted herself and her abilities or even her wants. She didn't know if what she wanted was even good for her. Bringing herself down more and more... it all eventually lead to the two big scars that were present on her left wrist, hidden beneath a thin layer of bandages in order to hide them from the prying gaze of others. Those wounds were not going away, no matter what sort of healing magic would be applied to them. Even if the girl was to sever her own arm and allow it to regrow, those scars would remain. As Aurora called them before, they were mental wounds. Injuries caused to her mind so severe that they manifested on her body as deep cuts that would not go away. Part of her spirit and magic, they became one with her and a cruel reminder of this past of hers. All she could do was to actually accept them and finally move on. And with the support she just received from Yuki, and the love from everyone else in her life... she was sure that she could actually do it. Covering her mouth for a little bit, her tears would flow for few more moments before she tried to regain her composure. Taking in deep breaths followed by long exhales, she cracks her neck carefully and stretches. The dragon girl was right. While she wanted a moment like this to last forever, they actually had a job to do, a titan to defeat. Once they were done with that, they could continue with this for as long as they would please. And that alone was quite a warming thought that gave the Eden's caretaker back her energy and motivation to move forward. Turning back around, she was no longer crying her tears of happiness and instead bore a strong expression of confidence.

"That's more like it."

Such was Yuki's remark on this view, but it was painfully obvious that the young girl had awfully close to tears as well, her eyes glistening with the sun's reflection. Nodding to one another, the two of them would communicate without any further words spoken, once again approaching one another and holding hands tightly. A bond that could not be easily severed... it felt as if such thing was formed. No, rather than that... it was renewed to last forever more! Grabbing all the essential tools Leila always had with her while trying to get through her contracts, she would also pat Ori, her adorable pet who slept through that entire ordeal in his little blanket-filled basket. The tiny creature adored moving it to where the sun would shine most and then fall asleep in the warm embrace, sun's rays serving as the most love-filled of blankets for it. Letting out a satisfied purr without even waking up, the girl made sure that there was enough food prepared for him on the off chance that this job would take much longer than expected. If it was anything else, she would also consider taking the little creature with her, but it was far too dangerous this time. As such, Ori would remain left in his peaceful sleep, dreaming of who knows what. But his grin would suggest that it was a pleasant dream indeed. Opening the doors into the hotel's hallway, the two girls would set out on the beginning of this new adventure, as they had no idea what they would find and just how much would everything around them change once today was over. Giving the hotel one last look back, the Eden's caretaker would let out a barely audible sigh before running her hand through that snow-white hair of hers and growing a pair of wings. It was time to show the magic council that she was indeed the formidable mage they desired to use as their pawn!

And so the adventure would finally begin with the two girls soaring through the skies from the city of Magnolia where she has been staying and toward the Phoenix Mountains. Leila with her floral wings while Yuki with her wings of ice. It has truly been a while since they had to rush to a job like this, but it was somewhat pleasant feeling. The rush of it all. The world was in trouble and she was to help. That was what she always desired to do. To help everyone. But would she be able to do it? Her power was still somewhat unstable, so there was a slight worry filling her body. There was no time to let such things take control of here, was there? Taking a deep breath, she would only face forward. She was always confident in her own abilities and she had to remain that way even now! She always managed to pull through even in the situations that seemed completely unlikely for her to survive. She was the Eden’s caretaker! And she loved Earthland just as much as she loved her very own world. She would not abandon it in the face of danger! Clenching her fists, she would breath out and soar even higher with a confident expression on her face. Yuki followed soon after. The two of them had a very nice moment only minutes ago. It served to boost their morale and bond. Even if they were to face one of the most dangerous foes ever, they would not falter as long as they had one another!

Sure enough, they soon saw it too. There was no need to go all that far, was there? After all, they were going after a titan. Being that would easily cast it’s shadow over entire towns and cities. There was no telling how tall this creature actually was, it’s sheer size greater than anything Leila has seen in the past, making it difficult for her to compare it to anything. There was no wonder that the council was somewhat desperate, especially if a number of teams sent here already failed to defeat this being. With an audible gulp, the two girls would come to a halt some distance away from the creature, observing it first. Despite the seemingly brutal style they both had in combat, they also often heavily relied on strategy and some plan of action. Or at least knowing the enemy’s movements and their weaknesses. Such was the way of a treasure and monster hunter. Always come prepared to push your chances in your favor as much as possible! And this time, it was all the more important. Facing an enemy that was seemingly impossible to defeat. The creature was clad in very thick armor from head to toe, also wielding a rather crude weapon in one of it’s hands. Not only that, it seemed that lightning magic was somewhat surrounding it. It wasn’t all that powerful, but the discharge was there, sparks flying from time to time. Which meant it was not only physical creature, but also one that could probably control magic. Or at least had armor that was imbued with it.

This was a little bit of a problem. Lightning was somewhat of a weakness for Leila in her regular state. The ability to command nature itself, summon vines and trees to help her. There was no doubt that such ability was a powerful one. But it also came with a great weakness toward anything that would produce a large amount of heat. And unfortunately, fire magic was a very common one. Lightning also fell into that category. While it could not directly cause burning, it was definitely capable of doing so to some capacity. But as long as it wasn’t too powerful, Leila should be able to get past it and attack their enemy directly. That said, would something like that even do anything? After all, that armor looked way more sturdy than anything she had ever seen in her whole life. Facing something like that, would her abilities actually allow her to pierce it? And it’s size made it impossible for her to knock the enemy about in any way as well. The more she looked at the situation, the more desperate it seemingly became for the two girls. Such was the threat they had to face now, and defeat if they wanted to see another day. Like this, victory was impossible. Which meant they had to focus on a weakness of some sort. Exploiting this titan’s weak points was the only way they could win. But what exactly could be a weakness of such creature? They had to search for it carefully, yet quickly.

One would automatically assume the points in armor that had to move and thus couldn’t possess proper metal like the rest. But even if that place of the armor was weak enough for them to pierce, would that do them any good? Such large creature, their simple attacks would probably only tickle it. Covering her mouth with the right hand, the Eden’s caretaker narrows her eyes. She was trying to focus, but it was hard. Yuki was in a similar way. Her crimson red eyes were scanning the creature as well, her brain working at its full capacity. And yet, she wasn’t coming up with anything either now that they were seeing the scale of this situation with their own eyes.

“Yuki… think you could possibly freeze its legs or arms? It seems that we really don’t have that much in terms of our options. But if we can at least immobilize it and keep it from moving any further, we will give time to people to evacuate. We were informed that the beast is heading for a nearby settlement after all. Their safety should be our priority number one.”

“I can’t really say until I try… but if that armor is made from non-magical metal, then I should be able to do at least some damage. The ice probably won’t be able to get all the way through, but it should make it more brittle if nothing else. That will give us chance to shatter it in places.”

There was a problem, however. As the two girls were talking, the titan started turning toward them. Somehow, it caught a whiff of them and was preparing to face them. Or perhaps it was not so surprising, considering the fact that they were just floating there in the air without any cover at all. They were a fair distance away still, but that was clearly not enough looking at the situation now. Until this point, it’s movements were rather slow, taking it one small step after another. Well, as small of a step as a creature this large could make. But now that it has spotted them, it started actually running. Every single one of its steps would cause destruction to the mountains, leaving behind craters as it’s footprints with everything in the way being destroyed without any effort. Not to mention that every single one of those steps was causing small earthquake-like vibrations on the ground. This was not good at all. But at least it was loud enough for Leila and Yuki to notice him. At that point, it already managed to cover extremely large distance due to its sheer size, it’s hand with the weapon extended behind its form as it was preparing a powerful swing. And so it did, cutting the air with the crude and somewhat rusted weapon. It was large, but the blade itself was only so much thick. That allowed the two girls to dodge fairly easily, one flying down and the other up. Though the swing itself caused a powerful wave of wind that pushed them even further apart.

But as she was flung in this way, Leila noticed something. Staring at the titan’s body from a closer distance, there was a faint green glow in the center of it’s chest piece. It was barely visible and the feeling was barely there, but she recognized it! That time she went to Kyoka with Cirven, before her awakening… they were forced to battle magical constructs. Elementals made out of flames and only following a set of rules they had in their head. After defeating the main one, only it’s core was left. And that core still radiated with magical energy. Since they never actually reached the Heavenly forge, Leila kept the piece of machinery for the sake of nostalgia and maybe studying it later. But that was beside the point right now. Whatever was causing that green glow had nearly identical feel to it as that core. Which meant that it could have very well been the core of this titan, or at least it’s armor. If they were to destroy it, then their chance of prevailing would skyrocket in an instant! So that was what they had to focus at! Sending a mental lick to Yuki, the two girls were rather glad for their summoner and summon connection right now. So the action could start and they would most definitely not be backing down now! They had a titan to hunt down here.

First was Yuki’s turn, as the dragon girl was flung up after being pushed by the air created by the titan’s swing. Quickly turning her entire body down, she would dive with her wings suddenly shrinking only so that she could assume a better shape that would allow her to get down faster. She was aiming straight for the blade of that weapon which tried to cleave them in half mere moments ago. The titan seemed slow, but that swing proved it was capable of faster movements as well. In other words, they had to be careful when approaching it and make sure he would be as slowed down as possible. Her little action was a success, as the girl’s tiny body landed on top of the blade, both her hands on the cold metal. Cold would start spreading through it, white mist rising from the blade as its surface started being covered in a veil of ice. If she were to completely freeze it’s cutting edge, then at least it would not cut them apart right away. Though if they got hit, it would still be rather painful due to the force behind each swing. Instead of cut through their flesh, they would have broken bones and smashed organs. If that was really any better, they would see if they got caught in another strike. Though there was also another purpose to doing what Yuki did. The titan’s attention was completely shifted on the freezing weapon, it’s second hand extending toward it and trying to reach the dragon girl.

That was Leila’s moment to strike. While the enemy wasn’t paying any attention to her, she would flap her floral wings and start moving toward the beast’s chest as fast as she possibly could. If she only could strike the core, the tide would surely turn. And for a moment, it looked promising as the dragon girl used her small body and high agility to dodge the titan’s hand. But there was one problem. The lightning that was occasionally. Surrounding it’s armor suddenly started concentrating and out of nowhere, several lightning strikes would be hurled at the flying girl. Thankfully, her own agility was a fairly decent one, which allowed her to roll over and dodge most of them. But there was one lightning strike that managed to strike her right wind, creating a fairly decently sized hole in it as the vines and petals around it would be burned and shining with embers. Of course, this caused her to spiral out of control and miss her mark completely. Instead, she just hit a lower part of the titan’s chest armor. Suffice to say, this wasn’t exactly going according to plan. There was no other way to get to that core than a direct one. But it seemed that the lightning served as a defensive mechanism of the armor or titan himself. But how exactly can they get past something like this? Nothing was ever as easy as one would with it to be. Getting some distance between herself and the titan again, Leila would toss a look toward Yuki again.

This whole situation was getting rather complicated. If only Leila was able to use her magic to its full power… but that was still not possible as one would have it. The take-over forms she received, they were large alternation to her body. Ones that she was not used to. Such sudden change in her magic did bring her a great increase in power, yes. But she had to get used to it all first. Without that, it was nothing more than a burden to her body. She had the option to try and use one of these forms, but it would probably only end up with her being the one injured after it all. And this was the kind of fight where she could not afford to be on the losing side because of a stupid mistake like that. If this was a battle only for her sake, then she would probably risk it. But as long as lives of other people were involved, she would take utmost care to not fail them. Because right now, she was the only wall between this titan and that settlement. Taking another deep, yet sharp breath, she would start flying around, the prior broken wing now regrown and stable again. Yuki, on the other hand, was still trying to distance the Titan's hands and weapon by flying around as close as she could possibly be without getting zapped herself. It seemed that they would not be quite able to win on their own after all.

As much as the Eden’s caretaker didn’t want to burden her other spirits, she would probably have to. And this situation… she had a plan, but she didn’t like it in the slightest. But as she was thinking about it, a voice in her head would resound, reassuring her that it was fine. The spirits were there to help the girl and repay her kindness in actions. They wanted to be part of this battle, even if such horrid plan had to be put into action. Her eyes would be covered in a gloomy shadow as the caretaker hanged her head low, reaching into her kimono and pulling out a wooden key. Her hand was shaking as she would go against her own ideals for just a moment. Trembling and quivering, she would try to speak as best as she could.

“The beautiful gaze of a mother, sister, and daughter. The blind protection which shall stand tall always. The one who will guide you no matter your sins.
Open the Gate of Maiden of Pristine Eyes - Harpae”

The key would vanish and a cloud of blue light would surround the floating girl, another figure forming in her embrace. Harpae didn’t exactly have any way to fly herself, so this situation was somewhat awkward. But they would make it work somehow, right? The blind spirit would merely smile at her summoner, as if trying to reassure here without any words at all. She would get hurt soon… and Leila didn’t want it. But they had to do it for the sake of everyone else.

Trying to steel up her spirit, there would be one last breath before the Caretaker’s expression completely transformed. It would be a look filled with confidence and determination. With a little help from her, Harpae would jump up onto her summoner’s shoulders and in her arms, a beautiful silver bow formed from pure ethernano. She too would take a deep breath before using the other girl as a foothold and jumped up from her, quickly shooting a barrage of arrows at the armor. That was their plan. Because of the blind spirit’s unique ability, she would copy Leila’s own vitality. As such, she was by far the most durable of her spirits. She planned to take the hit while her summoner would be surely able to slip past the lightning and finally land a proper hit on their foes. And sure enough, even her puny arrows were enough to activate the defensive mechanism. Lightning would start concentrating and shot out right at Harpae, directly hitting her. Trying to ignore the pained scream, the Caretaker flew below that horrid scene as fast as she could and headed straight for the green glow. She didn’t want her spirit to have to endure a heavy hit like that again. In other words, she would only get one single shot at this. Getting ready to pour all of her might into the very next strike, she would grit her teeth and speed up even more as her skin slowly started transforming and being covered in the Eden’s corruption.

More lightning started forming, but most of it was still directed at the other spirit while Yuki was still performing her part of the distraction as well. With all of that in play, the white-haired girl was actually able to zoom past what little defense was left for her. And in mere moments, she would land on a round glass panel. It was not even properly visible until now due to it’s minimal size in comparison to the titan’s giant body. But it was right there, just sitting in front of her form. A small green ball that was slowly rotating and emitting faint power behind a glass panel. That was what the titan used as it’s core. And in order to regulate ethernano, it couldn’t have been buried inside of the armor itself. It had to be exposed to the outside air at least somewhat. This was it’s weakness! Screaming, Leila would punch the glass and create a spider web on it. Of course, that was not all. The glass suddenly shattered and it’s shards flew inside as her entire hand transformed, growing into a big trunk of a tree. It’s branches would start burrowing into the armor’s inside working and literally tear the core out with all of the girl’s might. And without the core connected, the lightning would immediately disappear, it’s movements slowing down. Injured Harpae would smile, knowing that her dear friend had succeeded and her body slowly disappeared into a golden light. Her job was done.

Without the core to keep it together, the titan as a whole started falling apart. Or rather, the armor did. It was soon revealed that there was actually very little beneath it. As one would have it, the giant creature was nothing more than a construct. Metal kept together by magic. Leila had no idea how something like this would even really work, but she knew that she finally did it. They won. Slowly separating her body from the falling chest piece, she would let her wings gently carry her down to the ground as she watched the titan crumble into pieces. It was almost sad… only her spirit had to suffer in order for this to happen. And as a result, Leila wasn’t feeling particularly sorry for the construct she had destroyed. It was a threat to her and many others. She did well here today. Finally, she would hit the ground and fall to her knee. Some distance away from her, Yuki did the same. Only hers was a more stable landing, as she remained standing on both of her feet. The dragon girl was strong, after all. She would soon rush over to her summoner, making sure that the Eden’s Caretaker was fine. And she was. Other than the burned wing, there was really no actual damage on the white-haired maiden. All things considered, this was a flawless victory where they were not even injured themselves. Though Leila just had to keep thinking about Harpae. this was the first time one of her spirits was injured this badly.

Gritting her teeth, she would take a sharp inhale and then calmly exhale. They were done here, so she was free to take all the time she needed to calm down and figure everything out. Only now she realized that there was something in her hand that was still partially transformed and still returning to its regular humanoid shape. Looking at it closer, she recognized a small rectangular shape of green color. Was this… part of the core she ripped out of the enemy? Must have been, how else would it get into her hand? She used her full strength for attack and this piece probably got stuck her her transforming body in the process, only now coming loose as she had her body turn back. Normally, she would have thrown the piece away like any other junk. But for some reason, this little tablet grabbed her attention. It radiated with magic and had a rather strange aura to it. As her hand became completely human again, she would bring it closer to her eyes and try to examine it. If it was part of the core, then it must have been something pretty important, right? If nothing else, perhaps she would be able to find a collector or merchant of some kind that would be willing to give her a good sum of Jewels for this piece. But somehow, it felt much more important than something she could just sell. How very curious.

And then it hit her. The reason why this item grabbed her attention in the first place! She recognized it’s shape and the engravings that were adorning its surface. The girl was leading a life of a traveler, and not only one that would walk the surface of Earthland. She also visited many different planets and dimensions. And the way she could visit them were the Wakusei Portals. They were mysterious, yet very useful constructs. And still, there was much they still had yet to learn about them. Leila herself tried to examine these portals herself one day. And she found a very curious slot in every single one of them. What would fit inside them? What would happen once this slot was filled? Many different questions were running through the girl’s mind. That was quite some time ago, but now she seemed to have the answer in her hand. But why was something like this inside of a Titan that appeared out of nowhere? Well, it actually made sense if this little tablet was connected to the portals. All witnesses claimed that the titan just kinda showed up out of nowhere, or fell from the skies. Perhaps this device was used by it to teleport from wherever it came from to the Phoenix mountains. While it was very interesting to speculate, it also meant that this little device could have been very dangerous to them all. If there was an army of titan armors that could just warp to anywhere in Earthland and destroy all in their path, then they had a big problem.

“There is still some work for us to do, Yuki. You can return. Report in my place. I’ll catch up with you soon.”

Rather than deciding to go back and report to the Council, the Een’s Caretaker figured out that it would be for the best to find out right now. Clutching the green tablet, she turned toward the direction in which the portals were as the wings on her back sprouted once more. Yuki herself wasn’t exactly all too happy with that decision, as she had no idea what what was going on in her summoner’s mind right now. But she was prepared to carry out her orders. With her own wings of ice and cold, she would fly into the skies and head toward Era. This was where they parted ways. Flying through the skies and observing as the terrain moved beneath her, Leila became absorbed in her thoughts. What was the Titan’s purpose? Was there more of them? Would that tablet even fit in the slot? They were all mostly pointless questions for right now, as she had no way of answering them with the information she held as of right now. She just had to push forward and see it all with her own eyes. Bracing herself for the worst possible situation, she finally found herself among the portals scattered around the area. Landing near one that lead to Kyoka, a world she was quite familiar with, she gulped and headed to it’s frame.

Sure enough, the slot was right there. Still completely intact and empty. Brandishing the tablet in her hand, she would harden her resolve and prepare for anything as she slotted it in. For a moment nothing happened. But after those few seconds that seemed like an eternity, the entire portal frame lit up like a Christmas tree, the markings that adorned it suddenly glowing in all manners of color. The normally green portal that leads to Kyoka suddenly vanished and a new one started forming. One that was made of all colors found in the rainbow. It swirled and swayed, a beautiful pallet luring one’s eyes to watch it intently. And soon enough, the veil of magic that could transport one’s body to a completely different place was formed and working. Walking in front of it in awe, the girl confirmed her theory that this tablet did indeed allow for teleportation. Or at least aligning a teleportation device to certain coordinates. Beyond the thin veil of magic, she was able to very slightly see what she could expect. A vast land of floating rocks and islands. Whether this was in Earthland or a completely different world, she had no idea. But she had to find out. Clenching her fists, she would close her eyes and start marching forward without fear. She had moved through these portals countless of times before. But this felt different. It was a new portal to a completely new place. An unknown. Anything could be waiting for her on the other side. Hell, there was even a chance that walking through would tear her body into pieces. Thankfully, she had the nice perk of immortality on her side, which was helping her remain brave much more than anything else right now. Her walk would quickly transform into a sprint as she held nothing back and jump into the portal itself.

And then, a completely familiar feeling of transportation. She went through a dimensional rift as if she went through any other of these portals. And her feet were touching the ground again. Opening her eyes carefully, she was met with a green plateau all around her and no signs of danger. Beneath her was a small crystal she landed on, shining brightly. An activation device that would open up a portal back to Earthland without a doubt. It was part of a bigger stone circle that designed the place for the portal. Some kind of civilization must have used these in the past, or even right now. Gulping once more, she looked around. In front of her was a mountainside going far up with a fairly small space she could crawl into and move forward. Behind her was… a cliff? Walking to it, she suddenly jumped back in surprise. She was in the skies! Far, far in the skies above a giant body of water. Hundreds if not thousands of miles for sure. Just how it appeared from in front of the portal, she was on some kind of land that floated in the skies. And below, just a sea? No place on Earthland that she recognized. In any case, she turned back and tried to squeeze through the small space between two sides of a giant cliff-side. And what she found on the other end, she would have never expected. An almost forever expanding land that consisted of different floating islands! Animals running around, islands that were nothing but beaches and lakes, volcano, frozen land, jungles… this place seemed to have it all. It was a new land and she stood on a giant open spot that would be perfect for a camp. This was… a new land that she had never heard about. A place that humans had to yet explore. From here, the Titan seemingly originated. This… was most definitely worth investigating. The wild spirit inside of the girl was shaking with excitement! Here, she could take on the role of explorer and treasure hunter again! And so started a completely new journey that would follow Leila for a long, long time.

The Floating Continent: