Fay felt the mist-like energy swirl in his hand as he began to manipulate it, drawing in the surrounding aether to strengthen it.

He needed to make himself disappear—something neither Mistwalker had mastered.

They were equally impressed by the boy's progress. It reminded them of their leader and how effortlessly he manipulated aether.

"I believe you've got it, kid," the Selra said. "To hide half your body like that... that's impressive. Alright then, get on Crowru's back. He's a little deviant, so you'll need to get him to follow your commands with a few taps…"

Selra looked slightly flustered admitting she didn't have full control of her summon, but the two guys simply nodded in understanding.

Then, Fay did something he had never done before—he took to the skies.

The sensation of lifting off the ground was terrifying.

He had climbed tall trees and seen large buildings back on Earth, but this... this was different. Riding a bird that could drop you at any moment was something else entirely.

Crowru let out a few sharp caws, sensing the boy's fear, especially from the tight grip Fay had around his neck.

Realizing the creature's discomfort, Fay eased his hold and shifted his focus to maintaining the illusion that cloaked them both.

He poured concentration into holding the illusionary aether he had prepared earlier.

As they soared, he saw the caravan clearly now, far below—so close he wished he could just land and release the dragon to tear through the soldiers.

But he knew better.

The creature wasn't stable, and if he lost control, it could just as easily slaughter the Eluwyn and Ravari captives in the chaos.

Instead, he flew past them and neared the fortress wall, where archers stood ready.

Their attention was fixed entirely on the caravan—they were so focused they didn't even notice Fay and the bird passing overhead.

Fay jumped down onto the gate's rampart, making sure no soldiers were nearby before signaling the bird to retreat. Crowru had only a few seconds before the illusion failed, but fortunately, it veered off and vanished smoothly into the darkness.

With the first half of the plan a success, Fay turned and ran to find a way inside. He soon spotted a spiral staircase leading downward.

A few soldiers were climbing up, which he had to avoid, but his illusionary magic still held strong.

He felt the drain.

His aether reserves were running low, and he would need to recover back to his peak before releasing the dragon.

But now that he thought about it—wouldn't it be better to summon the creature before the Ravari and Eluwyn even arrived?

The idea struck him, and he picked up his pace, hurrying to find a place to unleash it.

As he exited the wide, two-meter staircase leading to the barracks, he was greeted by a troubling sight.

There were far more soldiers than expected.

Hundreds, possibly thousands, already awake and training in the early morning hours.

This wasn't the right place. If he released the dragon here, it would likely be overwhelmed before it could even fully manifest.

He needed somewhere else—further from the main city, but close enough for him to escape once the chaos started.

That's when he found a spot near the gate. It wasn't ideal, but it was secluded enough.

If things went well, he could retreat through the outer wall's gate, summon Grin, and return with one of the wagons.

Grin could likely pull one by himself.

Fay took a deep breath, slowly in and the quickly out, questioning if this was truly the right thing to do. Many would die… but hopefully more soldiers than civilians.

They had it coming—for being slavers.

Still, he couldn't stop himself from thinking about the captives he might still be able to save.

"Damn it…" he muttered.

There was no more time to hesitate.

Fay began summoning his mind dragon—a creature forged from illusion, dreams, and the power to rule over consciousness itself.

He shuddered as a massive arm emerged from the spirit realm, covered in polished silver scales that gleamed like a blend of glass and metal.

Then came another arm, pulling itself forward as if dragging the rest of its immense body from the beyond.

That's when he heard someone shout—a lone soldier, likely patrolling near the gate.

But it was too late.

A massive face appeared, and a swirl of pale fog blanketed the area. All those nearby, including the soldier, were dazed or immediately put to sleep.

Fay closed his eyes, trembling as he felt his aether rapidly draining away.

The dragon, hungry for power, began draining the energy of everyone nearby. It didn't need their bodies to sustain itself—just their essence.

Finally, after absorbing enough, it emerged fully from the spirit realm for the first time. Its menacing form towered above Fay, who finally dared to look up.

The creature hadn't started small—it grew larger by the second with every soldier or passerby that fell under its influence.

Soon, cries and screams rang out through the quiet morning air. The six-meter beast, still growing, growled with rage as soldiers and summoned beasts lunged at it in desperation.

By then, Fay knew he couldn't stay.

He quickly debated whether he should search for any Eluwyn or Ravari captives nearby—or leave while he still had time.

But he had made a promise to free them.

He had to keep that promise.

Without looking back, he turned toward the city and ran, determined to release as many slaves as he could before his monster brought this kingdom to ruin.

The dragon didn't even seem to care about Fay's retreat.

It was far too consumed in its frenzy—unleashing illusions, plunging soldiers into chaos, and putting others to sleep while it drained them of their strength and aether.

Fay even sensed a flicker of gratitude from the beast—as if it was thankful for the freedom to do as it pleased.

He sprinted through the city streets, searching for signs of slave traders or owners.

No one paid him much attention.

To them, he was just another hum-looking boy fleeing the chaos.

He passed shops and stalls seeing entire families running to look for shelter, children crying.

Mothers clutching their infants.

Fathers shouting in panic.

And then he saw them—beastfolk, chained with metal collars, eyes hollow.

Fay drew his blade and, using what little aether he had recovered, began slicing the bindings. The wind itself seemed to aid him—responding to his will as he fed it more of his power.

Cries of alarm followed as the soldiers and slave owners realized what he was doing. They began to converge on him.

But Fay didn't stop.

This city deserved everything that was happening—and more.

There were too many demi-humans here, too many lives chained, and too many sins ignored.

He had no pity left for this place seeing what it was built on.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.