The scent of wood and grass filled the air as Maeyurai reached the cherry blossom tree that Kaienley once led him to.
The flashing light cast a sharp shadow underneath the tree, its crown glowing a radiant shade of pink.
"I should be near the treehouse now," said Maeyurai as he turned to his right, the direction where the treehouse was.
He then followed the path that Kaienley once paved a decade ago. Not long after, he reached the treehouse that was mounted 80 meters up.
"The sight still manages to amaze me," Maeyurai muttered under his breath as he let out a dry chuckle.
With a huff, he climbed up the rope that Lucia lowered down earlier in the morning, making climbing up such a tall tree almost effortless.
He reached his hand out and held the edge of the platform, pulling himself up right after.
Maeyurai stepped foot inside the treehouse, looking for his longbow and quiver.
"If I remember, I placed them underneath the bed. If not, I must've left them on the terrace above."
His eyes searched around carefully, looking for the possible signs of his one and only companion, as Wuyo called it.
Crouching down to look underneath the bed, Maeyurai traced each corner and side to find his bow. But there was none.
"Strange, where did I put it?" he asked himself, gathering his things from last time.
With the bow nowhere to be found near the bed, Maeyurai decided to look up at the terrace. He climbed up the ladder and peered above.
And just like earlier, his bow and quiver were absent.
The puzzled Maeyurai returned downstairs, staring at the wooden flooring in deep thought.
Afterwards, he decided to double-check everything. He looked above the cabinets, inside them, in and on the drawers, near the table, and even at the platform outside.
Then, he gave one last search around the bed. He pulled over the sheets, looked under the pillow, and even lifted the bed to scour near the frame.
A glimpse of a thin piece of wood caught his attention.
"My bow!" he exclaimed in excitement as he had finally found the one item he had been looking for. "It just fell off the bed on the side of the wall and got stuck on the frame! No wonder I couldn't see it underneath the bed."
He immediately took the bow. Then, a few seconds later, he realized one thing he'd overlooked.
"Right, now, where's my quiver?"
Maeyurai let out an exasperated sigh. While he did find his longbow, his quiver was another issue.
If a quiver were filled with arrows—just like the one he used—it would be easy to spot. But the situation stated otherwise, as the quiver was completely missing.
Not inside the treehouse, not near the terrace, not anywhere near the furniture.
Maeyurai searched intricately, but it led to nothing.
He froze, seemingly deep in thought.
I can't seem to find it. Maybe I accidentally left it somewhere last night.
A certain afterthought, followed by a spark of realization.
"The platform!" he exclaimed loudly as he ran out of the entrance of the treehouse.
His eyes searched around as he stepped onto the platform.
He expected the quiver to be in sight. But then again, it was nowhere to be found.
There was a moment of silence as Maeyurai grieved the loss of his quiver.
Fwish!
A large object flew around the large tree, passing by the treehouse dangerously close.
Maeyurai's eyes watched it carefully. How its large wings flapped to increase its velocity, how there were flames that burned on its wings and spine—as if it were a part of it.
But the most distinct detail he saw was his very own quiver—carried by the large, winged creature on its feet.
Examining the creature closely, it resembled a combination of a crow and an eagle.
"My quiver! That damned thing stole it!" he exclaimed in surprise as he ran towards the edge of the platform, looking over to see where the creature went.
What was now gliding nearby the treehouse is an Elite-Level HS, a Winged Lighter.
Maeyurai leaned over the platform, searching for where the Winged Lighter would be. A second later, it appeared on the other side, completing a full orbit around the tree.
Maeyurai strapped his bow to his back. "A chance," he said as he leaped forward, landing on top of the Lighter.
His momentum forced the Lighter to lower its altitude. In response to him, it wiggled around to try to shake him off.
With gritted teeth, Maeyurai gripped its humerus, his eyes locked on the quiver tightly held by its feet. The fire around the Lighter was strangely warm, a contrast to the flames that once engulfed Maeyurai's arms.
The Winged Lighter continued to flap around, trying to shake Maeyurai off its back.
But of course, Maeyurai didn't let go of the Spawn underneath him. He gripped even harder, forcing its left wing to be immobilized.
The Winged Lighter drastically slowed down and fell straight to one of the tree's large branches, the momentum throwing Maeyurai off its back.
"Crap!"
Maeyurai reached out and managed to take hold of the branch. It was around 50 meters up in the air, a height too dangerous for anybody.
He glanced over his shoulder and saw the Winged Lighter, trying to regain its balance in the air. With his Sense Boost, he looked closely at its feet and saw no sign of his quiver.
An indication that it released the object, and that the quiver may have fallen somewhere.
Immediately after, Maeyurai's eyes shifted to the ground underneath him, searching for the quiver.
Hanging, his hand held the branch tightly so he wouldn't fall to his death. A few seconds later, he noticed a familiar shape on the ground—which was his quiver, lying flat on the grass.
"I see you, my dear quiver!" said Maeyurai, his voice as enthusiastic as a blazing cheetah.
Without second thoughts, he pulled himself up and climbed the branch he was hanging onto. Afterwards, his eyes wandered around in search of the Lighter's presence.
It was flying around at a low altitude. It managed to regain balance after crashing into the large branch. It flapped its wings, the flames on its back and spine intensified, a portrayal of its agitation.
Maeyurai conjured a longbow and a fire arrow and shot it towards the Winged Lighter.
The arrow flew past its neck, barely grazing it.
"So close!"
The Winged Lighter shifted in the air, and suddenly, it charged forward with surprisingly fast velocity, the flames on its back continuously growing along the way.
Maeyurai's instincts told him how dangerous it was, and he stepped back.
The Lighter's wings turned to flames and sliced the branch, cutting through the thick wood like butter. Its flames burned the afflicted wound on the branch, inducing a fast-spreading fire.
"Oh no, the tree!" exclaimed Maeyurai as he realized what was about to unfold.
A burning, broken treehouse. Such a majestic and tall tree would fall apart and turn to ash. Years of progress would be lost, and Maeyurai absolutely didn't want that.
Maeyurai tentatively conjured a lightning axe. He then settled it to his side and followed the motion he was taught back at the assessment in Gangumen.
Fwack!
The lightning axe penetrated at least halfway into the branch, but Maeyurai didn't have enough strength to go all the way through.
To follow up, he retracted the axe and repeated the same motion, finally chopping down a large branch of the gigantic tree.
However, the Winged Lighter wasn't done yet.
It brought its momentum forward and flew up in the air, spreading its fiery wings right after. It glowed so brightly it resembled a miniature version of the sun.
Maeyurai's eyes widened at the sight.
"Whoa..." he muttered. He found it majestic how the Winged Lighter could intensify its flames and shine brightly like the golden sun.
But that would all change soon.
The Winged Lighter flapped its wings and delved down at a great velocity, attempting to tackle Maeyurai off the branch.
Maeyurai managed to respond accordingly, stepping to the side and dodging its attack.
Immediately after, Maeyurai struck a pose. One hand stretched forward, with his rear hand carrying the lightning axe.
He threw the lightning axe with great strength, its trajectory heading straight for the Winged Lighter.
Though it was completely missed due to Maeyurai's lack of training in throwing. Not to mention the fact that the Lighter's velocity kept growing.
"This is going to be dangerous for me," whispered Maeyurai under his breath. "I need to get off this branch as soon as possible, but how am I going to do it?"
"Tsk," he clicked his tongue.
"I can't just let it have its way with me."
He took one step forward.
"Come on, you big, fiery bird! Is that all you've got?! Come at me, attack me, dice me into pieces, slaughter me! I bet you'll never be able to tear me apart!"
Such provocative words that came out of his mouth were definitely not going to affect the Winged Lighter, since it cannot comprehend human language.
Fwoosh!
Its next action said otherwise.
The Winged Lighter flew forward, its beak sharply pointed forward to lunge at Maeyurai.
"Keep that up," said Maeyurai with a wide smile as he jumped forward—a great gamble—and flipped his entire body upside down.
As the Winged Lighter neared him, he immediately took hold of its wing, just like he had earlier. With great effort, he kept his grip on it and managed to stay on top of it.
However, the intense heat it emitted from its spine and wings finally burned him, unlike its warm, home-like sensation from earlier.
"Argh!"
Maeyurai hissed in pain, reminded of past experiences with fire. However, he persevered in his plan and kept his grip on its humerus no matter how hot it was.
He conjured lightning in his hands and electrocuted it directly with his palm.
In response, the Winged Lighter forced its way down, its back facing the ground, and mopped Maeyurai to push him away.
Of course, Maeyurai took the opportunity and immediately released his grip on the Lighter's humerus and rolled across the ground, suffering minor scratches from the harsh landing.
He immediately got on his feet and started sprinting, pulling his bow and conjuring a fire arrow while heading towards the Lighter.
The Lighter was immobilized, but it recovered soon.
Maeyurai immediately drew the bow and shot the fire arrow towards its head.
Bang!
It had no effect. The Winged Lighter was resistant to fire.
"Damnit!"
Maeyurai threw his bow forward to distract the Lighter and conjured a lightning bolt.
The bow struck the Winged Lighter's neck and caught its attention momentarily. It took a step back in surprise and flapped its right wing, sending a large wave of flames in Maeyurai's direction.
Maeyurai halted, both feet anchored on the ground.
"What is that?!" he exclaimed, staring at the flames that were about to reach him. He jumped to the side, the wave of flames barely grazing him.
He rolled on his back, his eyes never leaving the Winged Lighter. Anticipating another attack, he propped his elbow underneath and made sure to get proper footing.
The Winged Lighter hurled another wave of flames towards Maeyurai. To which Maeyurai dodged by running to the side again.
However, he couldn't move in time; his left foot was engulfed by the roaring flames.
Maeyurai ignored the flames and continued running. He formed a lightning bolt and turned it into an arrow. Forming a flaming bow, he drew the bowstring taut, releasing it immediately after.
The lightning arrow flew straight, but only for a few meters before bending its trajectory again.
"What?! Why does it curve? It doesn't make sense!"
The Winged Lighter was about to fly up again. Letting it do so would end up really bad for Maeyurai. Since it had resistance to fire, his fire mana wouldn't be effective. His lightning arrows wouldn't be used as well since the Winged Lighter would only have to fly at a high altitude, and the arrows would have zero accuracy.
He turned his flaming bow into a large fireball, throwing it in the Lighter's direction, hoping it would at least intimidate and slow its ascension.
The Lighter flapped its wings and glided to the side, though not to the point that it was flying.
Maeyurai sprinted immediately, chasing after it. "Stay down," he said in a firm voice as he infused his right hand with fire mana, increasing its power output. Then, he swung his fist and struck its neck, making sure to pummel it down in one strike.
"Rrgh!" he grunted.
The Winged Lighter rolled on the ground with a pained shriek, an indication that Maeyurai's physical attack had a little bit of effect.
Though the attack almost broke Maeyurai's entire hand due to how thick the Winged Lighter's skin was, and how hot the flames around it were.
"This stupid goddamn bird!" he yelled out, rushing forward as he shook his injured hand.
He hopped and kicked the Winged Lighter's neck, cutting off its air supply. Then, he took his injured hand and gave a backhand to the Lighter's face.
Whap!
"Ouch!" exclaimed Maeyurai. He didn't think that using an injured part to attack would hurt that badly. A dumb decision, it was.
After the Winged Lighter fell on the ground, it tried to escape by frantically flapping its wings around, sending waves and slashes of fire everywhere.
With a pained shriek, it lifted itself from the ground. "Rrhiee!"
Maeyurai had anticipated such action and created a bow of flames, alongside an overcharged lightning arrow. The flames passed him like the crash of waves at the shore.
It's just 5 meters. He thought to himself.
Every single time, whenever I shoot the lightning arrow, it goes straight for a second, then bends.
There's a reason, but I have no hypothetical explanation for it. But what I do know is that it bends after three to five meters.
At this distance, I can hit that thing.
Maeyurai pulled the bowstring taut and released a split second later. The thick lightning arrow crackled through the air, its trajectory straight towards the chest of the Winged Lighter.
It didn't bend.
However, the lightning arrow completely missed, passing through the Winged Lighter by a hair, its trajectory bending right after.
It was a miscalculation of aim and distance.
Maeyurai's eyes sharpened with clarity as he focused his attention, both surprised and confused at himself for missing. Not long after, he narrowed his eyes, his vision fogging up like there was a breaking out of mist.
A pang of pain jerked his left foot, and the burned wound he received earlier wouldn't stop bleeding.
"Argh! My... my head!" he exclaimed, the world in his vision rolling like a coaster. He saw stars despite it being day. "What's happening to me...?"
The Winged Lighter looked in his direction. It realized that Maeyurai was wide open and had no way to protect himself.
It raised both its wings, and the flames that coated it intensified with a gushing roar.
But it didn't swing its wings to send the same powerful waves of flames. It froze before looking to its left in the distant sky, as if something had called it.
Languidly, it lowered its wings before flapping them both to lift itself in the air.
Maeyurai watched in confusion at its sudden change of mine, his expression contorted by nausea. "W—what is it doing...? Agh!"
The Winged Lighter flew away from the scene at high velocity.
BANG!!
A loud noise came from the far left, echoing through the forest. There were, however, zero explosions that followed after the noise.
"Ah!" shouted Maeyurai, doubling over while raising his hand to cover his left ear. The sudden noise that ruptured the air woke him like an unbearable alarm.
Above, the Winged Lighter was struck by an unknown force, its head snapping and neck folding like a stick. Then, the Winged Lighter fell dead, and the wings that once raged in the air died down.
The fire is gone.
Maeyurai stood up, his movements wobbly and trembling. There was something in the Winged Lighter's flames that possibly poisoned his nerves, causing his mind and body movements to fog.
He stood still, uncertain of his next move. His arms were lowered and slack, but his head was spinning.
After a few seconds, the nausea was suddenly gone, as if it had a time-limited effect.
Maeyurai opened his eyes and straightened his body. "Huh?" he uttered, looking around the place. Then, his eyes landed on the dead Lighter. He immediately approached it to examine its body.
"How did it die? Did something happen in the air?" he asked himself, turning the Winged Lighter's body around to look for the injured area.
Upon inspection of its head, there was a large hole in it. Its heart was located on its head, and was struck precisely by something powerful.
"Such a wound from afar cannot be caused by something weaker than Lord-Level individuals... Is there somebody strong around? Miss Lucia?"
"No," he said to himself, shaking his head. "It cannot be Miss Lucia, she's currently in Tahaktasu. And if she's really in here, she would've shown herself much earlier."
Maeyurai turned his body to the right, his eyes searching for his quiver on the ground.
After he spotted the quiver, he immediately started walking towards it.
"Finally complete," he said with a soft tone, strapping the quiver on his back.
"The issue here is done, but I'll have to be careful," he said as he started to walk forward, his movements slightly awkward from being conscious of something.
Something's watching me, he thought to himself, discreetly looking at the dark forest in the corner of his eye, trying not to pique its attention. Human or not, he couldn't ever risk provoking it.
After a while, Maeyurai sighed and said, "Hah, it's time to head east of Yugihanata."