The Swift Flight Home
The mountain range flowed rapidly beneath me. At first, it was only slightly faster than my usual flight, but as the wind whipped through my feathers, the intervals at which mountain peaks appeared and vanished in my field of vision grew shorter and shorter. I poured more mana into my wings. The sound of my feathers slicing through the air changed; what began as a whistle sharpened until it was nearly a scream.
I could feel the air parting at the tip of every feather. The scenery at the edges of my vision stretched into long blurs. The mountains ended, a plain unfolded, and then the plain vanished beneath me just as quickly. Beyond it, mountains appeared once more. The boundary between the plains and the peaks blurred into a single blink of an eye.
My core released a deeper, denser flow of mana. It began to spread across both wings. After flying for some time, I caught a familiar trace of mana. 'Wait... already?' I felt the faint signature of the mana I had left in my territory. It meant the nest was close. I had expected it to take days, but at this speed, I would arrive in a matter of hours. 'I didn't know I could go this fast.'
Since settling at the World Tree, I had never once flown at full power. Not when following the diplomatic delegation, not when returning from the Divine Realm, and not when organizing my territory. '...Why didn't I?' I thought about it for a moment, but no answer came. 'Well, whatever.' For now, I was enjoying the flight too much. I had a few hours left, so I decided to enjoy the ride.
I released all the mana I usually kept suppressed deep within my core while at the nest. It surged out in a single breath, even the flow that had been resting in the deepest parts of my being. It felt as if the mana had been stifled, trapped in silence for too long, as it roared violently through my feathers. My chest felt open, and I had the sensation that my body had grown even larger.
'Oh.' It was a sensation I had never felt in my entire life. Every beat of my wings narrowed the distance in an instant, and the mana flowing thickly at the tips of my feathers pushed my speed even higher. The landscape below rushed past. The massive mountain ranges, the plains, and the lakes all flowed by as if scattering beneath me. 'Wow, this is refreshing.' It felt like a weight had been lifted from my chest.
At that same moment, in a field somewhere in human territory, farmers were working. It was the middle of the day, with the sun high in the sky, when the clouds overhead suddenly rippled. "…Huh?" One farmer straightened his back and looked up at the sky. The others followed suit. High above, the clouds were being split into a long, straight line. Through the gap, the silhouette of something massive flashed for a moment. It looked like a bird, but it was large enough to cover the entire sky above the village. Before the entity could even be fully perceived, it had already vanished toward the horizon.
A moment later, the sky split once more. BOOM. The sonic boom followed belatedly. The farmers covered their ears in unison. A typhoon-like wind swept across the field, and the crops bent and straightened in a single, unified motion. In the sky above, a blue lightning bolt streaked through the split clouds before dissipating.
"W-what was that?" One farmer fell to his knees, staring blankly at the sky. Nearby, the livestock lowered themselves and trembled in unison. Even the village dogs couldn't bark, lying flat on the ground. In the sky, the lightning scattered once more, and the split clouds began to slowly mend. The wind also began to die down. The farmers remained frozen in place for a long time.
"...What was that just now?"
"...I don't know."
"We need to tell the village elders."
Dust rose from the road, only to settle moments later. A massive shadow had cut a long path across the human realm. Beneath it, in a mountain range, a pack of magical beasts lowered their heads in unison. The high-ranking ones bowed their heads first, while the lower ones simply hid deep within their burrows. The entire pack remained frozen, unable to move for a long time.
The shadow swept over them at high speed. Not a single one dared to look up at the sky. In the direction the shadow passed, the trail of split clouds stretched long. The plains and farmlands of the human realm quickly receded beneath it, and beyond them, the mountain ranges and forests of the World Tree region drew near. The dense mana, as if released from a long suppression, reached the outer barrier of the Elf Kingdom first.
At that very moment, the mana flow of the Elf Kingdom's outer barrier became entangled. The mage at the barrier control tower jumped to his feet. The light of the mana-measuring crystal ball was changing into a color he had never seen before. Something deep and massive was approaching rapidly from outside the barrier.
"What in the world..."
The light of the crystal ball grew even more intense. The mage looked to his side, his hands trembling. His colleague was already reaching for the emergency bell.
Ding, ding, ding—
The bell rang. The sound echoed from within the royal palace as well. The royal guards grabbed their swords and scattered to their posts, and the mages gathered on the outskirts of the throne room. Usually, this would be a deployment in preparation for an invasion, but this time, the barrier itself was trembling minutely, unable to bear the weight of that mana.
Caelion stood up from his seat in the throne room. The glass on the desk where he had been working was vibrating slightly. He, too, recognized that mana. It was a very familiar presence, but it had never been this dense or this violent. '...Nox.' A royal guard rushed in from outside the door. "Your Majesty! Outside the barrier—"
"I know," Caelion replied curtly. He didn't even bother to grab his coat, walking across the throne room toward the balcony.
"Do not close the barrier."
"Pardon?"
"Nox does not care for such things. If you close it, it will be shattered in an instant."
The guard hesitated, then straightened his posture and obeyed the order.
Stepping out onto the balcony, he saw that one side of the distant sky had turned dark. The silhouette of a giant bird was approaching rapidly, and the clouds around it were faintly splitting. Liandrea stood beside him, dressed in her diplomatic attire.
"...This mana, it's different from usual."
"Yes."
Liandrea watched the approaching shadow.
"We must prepare to welcome him."
"Lower the formality a bit. If the formality is too heavy, Nox will only find it stifling." Liandrea nodded briefly and signaled to the Chief Chamberlain.
The wind whipped violently through my feathers. The Elf royal palace came into view. It was a familiar sight, nestled in the mountain foothills beside the World Tree. Sunlight fell in long beams through the branches, and the spires of the palace shimmered softly under the light. As the World Tree's mana drew closer, a deep sense of relief washed over me. My chest slowly warmed. 'Almost there.' 'I'll ask Caelion about the dwarves first.'
However, the atmosphere was a bit more chaotic than usual. The mages at the barrier were moving urgently, and I could see royal guards taking up positions at the entrance to the palace. '...Huh, what is everyone doing?' I saw Caelion standing on the balcony of the throne room. Liandrea was standing next to him as well. 'Oh, perfect timing.'
I folded my wings and lowered my altitude toward the balcony. The mana release was still active. The flow pouring from within my chest felt refreshing, and mana flowed thickly at the tips of my feathers. It was a sensation I had lived without noticing until now. As I drew near, the hem of Caelion's coat whipped to one side in the strong wind. Liandrea's hair was swept aside as well. Both of them stiffened for a moment before regaining their composure. I landed in a garden a short distance from the balcony. The grass was pressed down in a circle, and the leaves of a large garden tree nearby fell in a flurry. I turned my head toward Caelion. "Caw." (Caelion.)
Caelion bowed his head briefly. "It has been a while, Nox."
"Caw." (Yeah. It's been a while.)
Liandrea also straightened her posture and gave a short greeting. "Welcome."
"Caw." (Yeah.)
I wanted to get to the point quickly. I had flown a long way, and I didn't want to waste time on pleasantries.
"Caw." (Are there dwarves here?)
Caelion paused for a moment. "Dwarves, you say?"
"Caw." (Yeah. Dwarves.)
Caelion's gaze drifted toward Liandrea for a second. Liandrea nodded lightly. "Yes. Deep in the mountain range, far to the north of our kingdom, there is a separate territory for that race."
"Caw, they're actually here?"
"Yes. However, they rarely interact with the outside world. They are a race that stays holed up deep in the mountains, guarding their mines and forges."
'...Oh, so they really are dwarves.'
"Caw." (Show me the way.)
Caelion hesitated. Liandrea spoke up instead. "...Are you planning to go right now?"
"Caw." (Yeah.)
"..." Liandrea's eyes twitched slightly. Though she quickly regained her composure as a diplomat, her agitation was visible for a moment. Caelion took a short breath.
"Nox. Dwarves rarely accept outside guests. If you go suddenly, they might not receive you."
"Caw?" (Really?)
"It would be better to make preparations. At the very least, we should inform them of who you are beforehand."
"Caw." (Hmm.)
Thinking about it, he was right. If a giant crow suddenly appeared, they would probably be startled. "Caw?" (Then what should I do?) Caelion thought for a moment. "We will send an envoy first. We will convey your intention to visit and receive their response. In the meantime, you can rest comfortably in your nest." "Caw?" (How long will that take?) "At the earliest, it will likely take about a month." "Caw..." (A month...) It was a bit long. Wouldn't it be faster if I just flew there myself? '...Well, since Caelion said he'd take care of it.' That was fine. "Caw." (Alright. I'll leave it to you.) "I will send the envoy immediately." Caelion gave a light instruction to the attendant beside him. The attendant disappeared into the throne room immediately.
The fact that I would be able to meet the dwarves made me happy. Only then did I notice the surroundings of the garden. The leaves of the garden trees were scattered everywhere, and the grass was pressed down in a circle from my weight. Several royal guards were frozen in place, lowered in a bow from a distance. Caelion and Liandrea were unable to enter the garden and remained standing on the balcony. 'Well, whatever.' I slowly withdrew my mana. As the flow locked back into my core, the remaining leaves of the garden trees finally stopped trembling. The mana flow at the tips of my feathers also subsided. The royal guards slowly relaxed their shoulders.
Caelion stepped down from the balcony into the garden. "Nox. Would you like a cup of tea?"
I activated Polymorph. Black mist swirled, and I shrank into my human form. "Yeah. Sounds good." I had been flying for a long time, and I was a bit thirsty.