Northern stood at the edge of the hill, looking over at the other side.
What he saw made his face pale, paler than usual; his eyes almost shuddered.
Towering rock pillars, covered in dense, green vegetation, rose sharply from the ground, piercing through a sea of clouds.
These pillars were characterized by their steep, sheer cliffs and varying heights, creating a dramatic and awe-inspiring view.
Some of the pillars were connected by natural stone bridges, adding a mystical feel to the place.
The entire place was bathed in soft, diffuse sunlight, with clouds shrouding their depths.
Terence also reached Northern’s side and slightly opened her mouth.
"How are we supposed to cross?"
Northern’s gaze was fixed on the daunting landscape as he responded:
"We fly... I guess?"
Terence looked at him,
"Northern, can you fly?"
"No..."
She averted her gaze and looked over the landscape, watching with a tender blink of her gorgeous eyes.
Both of them watched in silence. After a couple of seconds, Northern smiled and muttered,
"That’s it..."
But Terence could hear him quite well. So, she asked:
"What is that?"
"The pillars... they rise and fall at different intervals..."
Terence squinted her eyes and intoned slowly,
"I’m... I’m not sure I understand you."
Northern pointed towards the stone, "If you observe closely, there’s a slight movement upwards. Simultaneously, the one following that pillar goes a little bit downwards."
He looked at her, "It’s like a breath in and out. One pillar moves down, the other up, and vice versa. If we time our jumping to when the pillar is going down, we should be able to land on it..." he paused, and added, "at least enough to grab onto something."
Terence stared at the floating pillars, trying to see the movement.
"I get what you are saying but, Northern, I don’t see anything."
Of course, she didn’t! Not everyone had his eyes.
’Ah, I forgot...’
Just as he looked back to the hovering pillars, Raven climbed up and stood next to him.
She didn’t look surprised.
Northern glanced at her face,
’Of course she knows... she probably read about it in the diary.’
More than any of them, Raven probably knew the most about what they were going to face.
Eben Helena, who should have been their guide, was pretty useless so far... oh, she did guide them through the desert.
She was the reason why they had not walked off course, so she does deserve some credit.
"So how do you plan to cross?" he asked.
Raven extended her hand; white sparks began to fly out and soon materialized into a magnificent kite-shaped shield, tapering to a point at the bottom.
It had a black, lusterless surface that gave it a shadowy appearance.
And the centerpiece of the shield was an intricate depiction of a bird with its wings partially spread as if caught mid-caw.
The bird’s eyes emitted a faint, eerie glow, adding to the shield’s ominous aura.
Raven placed the shield on her back and jumped.
Terence reached out in haste, but the young lady had already dove down the hill.
Northern had a slight frown on his face, and Helena, who just climbed up, was wearing an unusually silent expression.
Finally, Raven came back up, long black wings fluttering behind her. She closed in on Terence and extended her hand.
"Would you allow me to take you?"
Terence looked at her and smiled a little.
"Sure."
Raven picked the Oracle up in her arms, looked at Northern and Helena, then flew away.
Northern gritted his teeth inwardly. He tried to think if there was any way possible for him to fly.
He didn’t even think he had any monster soul that could fly.
He shook his head in pity for himself, trying not to glance at the person standing next to him. He braced himself.
Carefully using Chaos Eyes, he watched as the stone pillar lowered.
Immediately, Northern leaped into the air, covering an outstanding distance.
He landed gallantly on the pillar, staggered due to its rough surface but managed not to slip off.
Seconds later, Helena landed on another pillar; it seemed like her entire weight and landing power had caused the stone pillar to wobble slightly.
Before he could take his eyes off her, she leaped away in a wake of splinters, landing on another stone pillar fiercely, with no fumble in her posure... unlike him.
’Damn it... the power of Sages...’
He sighed and shot into the air, swinging his legs wildly as he descended. This time, his timing was a bit off, but he was still able to grab onto the stone pillar and pull himself up.
Raven was long gone, and Helena was taking another leap.
Northern sighed again after pulling himself up.
Each leap was like his heart was leaping out of his body.
What was more difficult to handle was the curiosity about what lay in the depths. It was like a sea of clouds, but Northern guessed that something more was probably lurking there.
Something dangerous.
Something crude...
How else would Fagnur have e to a place like this and not return... unless the butler had met his end at the maw? Hands? Of a cruel monster.
He gulped, then made another powerful leap, landing sturdily this time around.
His confidence grew, and he continued forward, leaping over the stones one after the other.
With Helena jumping ahead of him like an elastic spring.
He envied her, but he reminded himself that he was only a Drifter rank.
One day, and hopefully soon, he would be a Sage...
Northern was in midair when he realized his timing was way off... he had been stupidly distracted when he took the last leap.
As he stretched his hand to grab onto the least bit of stone surface he could, his fingers slid across, and his entire body plunged into the clouds below, his hoarse voice resounding in the entire scape.
Helena turned, her eyes widened and shaking.
Northern had fallen off.
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