Days passed by in the blink of an eye, and it was soon time for Lukas to leave. He'd spent most of his time doing alchemy as planned, but he'd also joined Calayis in tending to her gardens from time to time. He wasn't exactly what you'd call a green thumb, but he was happy to learn about the proper way to take care of magical plants.

Lukas still had approximately a metric ass-ton of ingredients and materials stored in his inventory, but he knew that one day he'd run low. He didn't like the idea of having to buy so many ingredients from shops or something, having always been rather self-sufficient. Instead, he wanted to learn how to grow and maintain a garden like the one in Sera's cave. He had no place to grow anything, but was certain that someday he'd look into getting a garden of his own, and learning what he could now wouldn't hurt.

For now he had everything he needed and then some, but he planned on returning to the cave at some point in the future. There were still plenty of herbs he'd left behind, most of which the goddess had implored him to leave so that more could be grown while he was away. The only thing was he wasn't sure when he'd be able to return.

Besides alchemy and gardening, Lukas did a lot of meditating at night. Each evening, after a dinner Calayis insisted they eat together, he had her take him up her tree. They'd sit on one of the boughs and watch the sunset, Sera popping in each time, unable to help herself.

When night came and the stars reigned, Calayis would leave Lukas to meditate, Sera sticking around to look out at the night sky. During his first session after gaining the ability that affected his aura, Lukas found that his aura control practice was slightly easier.

Upon asking Sera if his aura was easier to control due to the new ability, he learned some new things. She told him that while aura abilities weren't required to control one's aura, they did make it easier. She happily explained that Lukas was too dumb to understand the complex interplay between abilities and a person's soul. That being said, she did dumb it down enough to let him know that the ability gave him a stronger link to his soul, allowing for easier control of his aura, the expression of his soul.

Lukas also learned that while aura abilities were fairly common, not everyone had one, and those that did didn't all have the same effects. Lukas could've guessed as much, but after asking what other kinds of effects there were, Sera refused to tell him, using the same excuse that letting him find out on his own would be more valuable.

Once he realized he had an opportunity before him, Lukas asked Calayis for tips on aura control, since she was so much more powerful than he was. Lukas had yet to even feel a hint of the nymph's aura; all he could pick up was a feeling of power and connectedness with the world around her. Unfortunately, Calayis had to inform him that aura control for nature spirits like her came instinctively, rather than through training. That meant she had very little to provide him with, something she obviously felt bad about.

Despite the disappointing realization that Calayis couldn't teach him anything, progress was good during his stay. Lukas gained two more levels with his Combat Alchemist class, bringing him up to level 27, which earned him another level in his race. His aura control improved thanks to his new ability, even without guidance from Calayis. Even Lukas' potions and poisons saw a noticeable improvement, though it wasn't much more than his usual slow and steady pace.

He was still waiting for everything to come together so that he could make his first common rarity concoction. Lukas felt like he was close, but he wasn't likely to succeed anytime soon. He was expecting things to be uncertain for a while as he made his way towards where the city was meant to be. He wasn't sure if he'd find ruins or a thriving city, but it was unlikely that things would be quiet enough for him to dedicate some time to alchemy.

During his stay with Calayis, Lukas had only slept once, still slightly nervous about the idea Sera had planted in his mind. Waking up to find the nymph sleeping with him wasn't something he wanted, but after his time with her, Lukas was more confident that she wouldn't do something like that.

For the first time since leaving Sera's cave, Lukas pulled the bed out from his inventory and crashed, unable to resist the soft bed. When he woke up he was relieved to find himself alone under the sheets, even if Calayis was sitting nearby, sewing.

When the day for Lukas to leave arrived Calayis was understandably distraught. She did a good job of hiding it at first, but as the days dragged on it became more evident. The amazonian nymph tried a number of things to delay his departure, from making him wait so she could make fresh clothes for him, to making food for the two of them, or just distracting him in general. Lukas felt for the nymph; he truly did. He didn't like the feeling of leaving her all alone once more; it weighed on him, but he knew he couldn't stay forever. Besides, he'd be sure to return plenty of times in the future.

It was around noon on a warm, sunny day, with Lukas and Calayis strolling through the forest, heading southwest, towards the road Calayis had heard about years ago. The dryad had been adamant about going with him to see him off, a decision that Lukas was beginning to regret. Calayis was deliberately walking much slower than was strictly necessary, like a child forced to go somewhere they didn't want to.

Despite the comparison, Lukas couldn't blame her. While her aura was still a closed book to him, and he couldn't read her emotions that way, he could still read her body language. Lukas was no expert when it came to anything social, but he had enough awareness to see how upset and unwilling she was in the way she moved. They mostly walked in awkward silence, similar to when they first met, Calayis fiddling with her fingers and throwing him sad looks.

Lukas had a strong urge to comfort the fretting nymph and assure her that he'd be back. The thing was, he didn't know how to go about doing that, making him feel even more awkward and uncomfortable than he already was. Not to mention the fact that Sera would've used that against him in a heartbeat.

As they walked, Calayis' trees slowly became smaller as more of the large pines started populating the forest. Eventually there were no more of her trees before them, and their time together came to an end. Lukas stopped, knowing the dryad couldn't go much further, and stared out at the wild forest, the sound of roaring beasts audible off in the distance for the first time in days.

At his side, Calayis stood fidgeting, now finding it hard to look at him. "This is it, I guess," she said forlornly.

Lukas looked up at her, the sight of the tall and extremely powerful woman acting so nervous was weirdly endearing. He gave her a sad smile, forgetting about the mask covering his face, "Yeah. Thank you for letting me stay with you and for all you've done in that time."

"Oh, it was nothing. I just wanted to meet someone after being alone for so long."

"Still, I'm grateful."

Calayis nodded, before looking at him reluctantly. "You'll come back, right?" she asked meekly.

"Of course I will. It might be a while with me going to look for that city and all, but I'll be back. I know it's not easy for you, watching me leave after being on your own for all that time."

"Knowing I'll see you again helps," she said before sighing, "I just wish I wasn't rooted here in one spot, I wish I could see the world like you can."

"You might someday," Lukas said, trying to cheer her up, "In a world full of magic, who knows what's possible?"

"I like that idea," Calayis smiled sadly, "Though I don't think that day is close."

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"No. Probably not. I'll get going now. The sooner I leave the sooner I can come back, right?"

Before Lukas had a chance to turn away and head off, Calayis moved, faster than he'd seen her move before. Slightly startled by the sudden flash of motion, he found himself in the embrace of the tall nymph before he could react. She collected him up in her arms, squeezing him tight, and holding his head to her chest. It was a good thing he wasn't any shorter, considering where his face would've been.

Taken aback by the sudden hug, Lukas awkwardly put his arms around the nymph, patting her on the back. He found her to be warm and smelling of fresh soil, her body sinewy and packed with muscle and power that wasn't obvious to the naked eye.

"Don't take too long to come back. Okay?"

"Uh, okay," Lukas said, his words muffled by her chest.

Suddenly Calayis pulled back, her face a shade of dark green Lukas hadn't seen before. "Sorry, I—sorry."

Lukas, way more flustered than the nymph, stared at her for a moment. "It's alright. I get it. Don't worry about it. I'll see you around, I promise not to make you wait too long."

Taking his first few steps, he was really glad he was wearing his mask because he was certain his face was redder than a tomato. Turning back around, Calayis was watching as he departed. She gave him a sad wave and he gave one in return. Just when the large trees were about to obscure her, Lukas took one last look back only to find the nymph gone.

With a heavy sigh, Lukas turned back around and started his trek through the forest. It didn't take long for someone else to appear at his side though.

"I don't want to hear it," Lukas said, holding up a hand in a halting gesture.

"Oh, no you don't need to worry about me," Sera insisted, uncharacteristically serious, "That whole thing was just kind of sad. I actually feel bad for the little nymph. That being said, I could totally rip you to shreds over your face right now, the face you made while she was hugging you, and how you looked like a child because of how tall she is."

"Is there any way to remove or lessen her restrictions on movement?" Lukas asked, ignoring the latter of what she said.

"Maybe. I know a lot, but I'm not one of those all-knowing gods. I'm not familiar with the ins and outs of how nature spirits like her work, but I do know there's a balance with these things."

"Balance how?"

"As you know, the dryad and other nature spirits progress through a form of cultivation, instead of the way humans and the other races do. The trade-off for their form of progression, at least for nymphs, is that they're practically tied in place by whatever they're bound to."

"But why? Is their cultivation that much better that they need to be limited to that degree?"

"Could be. Or their nature is why they have such a good path of progression. Maybe they got their cultivation as recompense for being stuck. Who's to say? As for removing those restrictions? I have no idea. It might be possible if she reaches the very peak, or with some kind of branch of magic I don't know about. It's like you said though, in a world with magic almost anything is possible."

"Really? I kind of just said that to make her feel better, and I have almost no grasp of magical theory so it seemed like I was being genuine."

Sera rolled her eyes, "Don't you remember what I told you about magic?"

"It's mostly you telling me I'm dumb as mud before dumbing it down massively."

"Don't be a smart ass," she said haughtily.

"What? But—"

"Magic is mana, and the mana in you is pretty much raw potential. Remember?"

"Oh, right. Are you saying I could use that raw potential to free her?"

"Don't be ridiculous, you'd have to be extremely powerful for something like that, and need a firm grasp of magical knowledge before you could even begin to attempt to think about using free-form magic of that caliber."

"So you're saying that someone with sufficient power and knowledge could do it?"

"Potentially. I'm just reminding you that the mana that resides in you is raw potential. Usually, magic has rules that you'll learn about as you start studying, but nothing is really set in stone because of the way mana is. Again, it's pretty much raw potential when inside you and in certain other states."

Lukas nodded, "Okay, so while it's not necessarily doable, there's a chance that the impossible can be done?"

"Sure. Nothing is really impossible with magic, like you said. There would likely be a cost to freeing her though, or even just loosening up her restrictions. It could range from having her bound to you instead of her tree, to making her cultivation exponentially more difficult depending on how much further she can travel. Don't forget that she's already paving a path to that freedom though."

"Her other trees?"

"Yeah. It seems like she can plant and spread them around, allowing her to move further and further from her host tree. She's already been at it for quite some time, judging by the size of the area she covers and the size of the most central trees. I imagine each tree and sapling comes at a price though, and she's not able to spit them out at will."

"Do you have any recommendations or anything?"

She shook her head, "No, at this point there is nothing that can be done except for her to keep spreading her influence through her subordinate trees. Anything else would take a long time to figure out. Just keep visiting her, it'll make her happy, and you want to be on her good side."

"I know, but I'm not going to do it for the benefits or because she's strong. I'll come out and see her because I like her, and I don't want her to be alone like she was. I don't like the idea of putting on a show and using her because she's useful."

"So you like her do you?" Sera teased suggestively.

Lukas just shook his head, making her chuckle.

"You don't have to put on some show or fake liking her, just visit her frequently to maintain a good relationship. You do that and you'll be friends with who is probably one of the most powerful beings on the planet, and if you play your cards right you might be able to make her your wife."

Lukas threw his head back and let out a long-suffering groan, much to the amusement of the goddess, "I'm not sleeping with Calayis, nor am I marrying her."

"I'm not saying you have to do it now. Who knows what'll happen in the future? You might visit, enjoy your time with her and decide to stay an extra day or two, then a week, then maybe a month? Who's to say what will happen between a man and a woman who spend lots of time alone together."

"I don't see it happening," Lukas said, shaking his head, "I don't see a relationship with anyone happening anytime soon."

"And why's that?"

"You know damn well why. If I find this city and it's still intact and not just old ruins, then things are going to get complicated. I might be able to fly under the radar for a while, but I'm not naive enough to think I won't be found out eventually. When that happens, people are going to try to get to me and leverage everything they can, including anyone close to me. Considering my rank, it'll be smart to hold off on any relationship until I'm a lot stronger."

"Fair point, but you know how love is, you never know when it'll strike. Also, what's a radar?"

"Something used to detect things flying or in the sky. And I guess you're right about the love thing, but with all the pressure that'll be on me I don't think I'll be trusting enough to fall for anyone."

"Is it used to track birds or something? Or does it have to do with those flying metal things you told me about?"

"I think radar can pick up birds? It's used for a lot of stuff like planes and the weather. I'm not entirely sure how it works, but I think it sends out waves of some kind that hit something and bounce back to the radar. I think we're getting a little sidetracked here."

"Fine, just promise we'll talk about this later. Anyway, all that is assuming you don't fall for someone before people find out you're an outworlder."

"I doubt I'll have time to slow down and notice anyone before I find out. I'll have a lot on my plate once I find a civilization, from learning about the races, the cultures, the society, the magic, and all the other stuff that I don't even know about yet. I just hope I can take in as much as possible before I get swept up in events."

"I'm sure you'll be fine," Sera said dismissively, "You've got that shadowy movement power if things get sticky. You can run off to your pretty nymph and she'll protect you. You might want to make some friends before then though, if you're completely on your own you might find yourself pressured and fast."

"That's assuming that any friend I may or may not make doesn't sell me out for some kind of benefit. That's a possibility I can see happening, especially if my racial abilities are as good as you say they are."

Sera socked him in the shoulder lightly, "Don't be so negative! You'll probably just have women throwing themselves at you! What's the worst that can happen?"

Lukas gave her a look, "Really? Why would you say that?"

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