'So that's the one called Sky Mountain…'

Azel narrowed his eyes as the massive peak came into view again.

He had only seen it once during his overnight flight into Astra City, and even from a distance the silhouette had been unnerving… a towering mass of jagged stone and twisting crags that glowed under the moonlight.

Now, in the mid-afternoon sun, the mountain looked even larger.

There were no eerie lights this time though. His holy wings beat steadily as he glided forward, Sylus keeping pace beside him.

Sybil, however, trailed behind.

'This is how fast I can go without Windflow…' she thought with gritted teeth, feeling embarrassment and frustration coil together in her stomach.

As the Astra clan's prodigy of wind, she had always acted like she didn't need Windflow… that her natural affinity was so strong she could brute-force the gaps with talent alone.

And maybe she could have killed Velkin if she had just abandoned this pride and learned the forms of Windflow.

'I want to use the Second Windflow…'

She felt the wind brushing along her skin, pressure shifting around her ankles, her waist and her back as well.

The second Windflow was a technique that allowed one to move with the wind to achieve explosive speed.

Sylus would probably have already reached the mountain if he weren't holding back. Heck, even Azel…

She cut off her own thoughts and inhaled sharply.

'I'll just take advantage of everything handed to me.'

Her eyes opened and they were glowing. The wind surged around her, lifting her hair, tugging at her dress, and then…

BOOM.

A shockwave erupted behind her as the world blurred into streaks of color.

Azel and Sylus were completely unprepared.

"The fuck—?!" Azel spun backward in the air, his wings folding instinctively as he corrected himself mid-tumble.

A second shockwave slammed into them as Sybil shot past again, ripping through the sky like a fired cannonball.

The wind trail behind her formed a twisting ribbon that led straight toward Sky Mountain.

Sylus blinked, then burst into a grin.

"So the little fucker's finally using Second Windflow? It's about time."

Another detonation of wind kicked off his feet as he launched forward after her.

'I'm sorry for this, Brother-in-law, but you'll have to try and keep up…'

Azel's eyebrow twitched as he righted himself a third time.

'What the hell is wrong with this family?'

Still, he flapped once and shot after them.

When Sylus reached the landing spot, Sybil was already kneeling and panting lightly.

Her gown's entire upper section had been shredded by the sudden burst of speed… it was ripped clean off her shoulders and chest.

"Azel—" she began, but he was already next to her, placing his own shirt over her body, adjusting it gently.

"Idiot…" he muttered, lightly flicking her forehead.

She laughed nervously, hugging the shirt closed.

Sylus stared… not at Sybil, but at Azel.

'When… when did he get here?'

He looked back at the sky. Azel had been far behind moments earlier. There should have been a shockwave or a ripple in the wind but Azel had arrived without making so much as a breeze.

'Does that mean he can move at such a speed without creating a shockwave…? What a monster.'

With a sigh, Sylus peeled off the last of his bandages… his injuries were completely healed.

'Good.'

He would need his full strength for a Rank 3.

"So now we have to search for the Rank 3," Sylus said, finally regaining composure. "And we also have to find where Mother and the rest of them were attacked."

Azel nodded, rolling his shoulders as they walked.

Sylus kept glancing sideways at Azel's physique, unable to comprehend how someone could look sculpted by the gods yet still move so casually.

They headed left, weaving between jagged rock formations.

"How did it feel to use Windflow?" Sylus asked.

Sybil exhaled loudly.

"It felt amazing… like I had a lot of speed." She admitted reluctantly. Beneath her words, she could feel excitement.

She wanted to use it again… right now, even.

Sylus nodded knowingly.

"That's the Second Windflow for you. I'm sure you felt like you could go even faster while using it?"

Sybil nodded vigorously.

"Ye—"

"Great. Never try to dig into that feeling," Sylus said flatly.

Sybil froze.

"Eh?"

"As wind users, handling Windflow at extreme speeds isn't easy. It might not feel like much in the moment, but our bodies aren't invincible." He gave her a long look. "If you tap into that uncontrolled impulse, you risk ending up like Uncle Raji."

Azel couldn't help himself.

'These names… Why do they all sound like they were made up last minute?'

But he kept his mouth shut.

Instead, he asked,

"What happened to him?"

Sylus slowed his steps and his tone dropped.

"He used Second Windflow at maximum power to cross from the farthest point of the Aegis Empire to Sky Mountain in less than three minutes."

Azel nearly tripped.

Crossing an entire empire in three minutes was insane… even a Great Mage would struggle and they weren't even that fast honestly.

But Sylus continued calmly.

"Though… when he got here, he had already been reduced to a skeleton."

Sybil winced.

"That part's important."

"The displaced wind from his speed hit the mountain," Sylus added, raising a finger. "That's why there's a huge crater running along the side."

Azel looked up and sure enough, a massive scar tore across the mountain's face like a canyon carved by a god.

Sylus then turned to Sybil.

"So, I'm forbidding you from tapping into that power unless you want your fiancé to become a widow."

Sybil's cheeks puffed.

"Fine… whatever. But you have to teach me the other Windflows."

Before Sylus could respond, they reached the remnants of a caravan.

The scene was grim.

The wooden structure was blown apart, splinters covering the ground. Blood splashes had dried dark against the earth. Several bodies lay scattered, devoured or crushed beyond recognition.

Sybil covered her mouth and Sylus clenched his fists.

'How long was Mother here…?' Sylus felt his teeth grinding.

She had been trapped in this wreckage, unable to escape, while her guards were slaughtered or tried to protect her. The thought ignited rage inside him. He was glad his mother was back home but still…

Sybil swallowed.

"How do we find the Rank 3 now?"

Azel pointed to the top of the broken caravan.

"It's there."

A tiny black bird perched on the wood, tilting its head innocently.

Sybil blinked.

"That's… cute?"

Sylus wasn't fooled.

His hand snapped forward and unleashed a massive blast of compressed wind packed with the Fourth Windflow.

The attack ripped the air apart with a shriek, ripping the ground open as it surged toward the bird.

The bird hopped off casually.

The carriage behind it, however…

CRACK—SHRRR—

The wood twisted violently, condensing inward before exploding outward in a violent blast of wind.

Darkness enveloped the bird mid-air, shadowy feathers spreading and reforming.

Its small frame stretched and it's bones cracked making the wings expand until a massive, jagged-beaked monster hovered above them.

[Vile Heavenly Bird, Rank 3]

'Vile Heavenly Bird…?' Azel wondered as he stood his ground. 'Who the hell names these things?'

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