Soren and the others finally managed to reach their destination at the nick of time. A large stone platform that seemed fit for only a statue dedicated to the divine. And in a way, it did become their heavenly salvation.

Soren watched from the ledge as the hooves of a thousand Spirit Beasts marched in tandem across the snow-filled plains. Their every step shook the ground more and more, to the point that the birds perched on the sculptures high above began to panic and fly away…

But that wasn't the only surprising thing. From what Soren could see, the entire stampede passing by them was made up of a rather familiar Spirit Beast. He turned to face the two hunters and the mighty creature pulling their sled.

Standing by was a creature double his height—its white fur thicker than the snow surrounding its feet. Strangest of all were its horns that resembled wooden branches burnt to a crisp. Standing proud before them, the creature looked down at the swarm of monstrous bulls heading opposite of where they stood. They were its brethren, no doubt.

"The Ashari," Isha answered. "They roam these plains all the time. We just got unlucky this time."

"Why is that?" Soren tilted his head to which she replied with a sigh:

"The snowstorm. They tend to migrate further south whenever they arrive… It wasn't as bad in the last few days, but the winds picked up and raged… Bless the Serpent—we were fortunate to find shelter when we did.

"But now that it's over, they have migrated back to where they usually reside. It's just, their numbers seem a little high…"

Uruk scoffed. "The snow wyverns must not be hunting them as much. The usual decline… Damned Staterra."

Soren and Myrin looked at each other for a moment then glanced back at the colossal wave of creatures marching through Statue Town.

"They seem to be heading in the same direction, no? Shouldn't they be spreading out?"

Isha nodded. "Indeed… They enjoy the climate that's at the periphery of the Tolarian White Expanse—most likely, they are heading there. The temperature is even lower there, but not too cold—especially when the storms die down."

"Strange, though…" Uruk said while observing them from the ledge. "The direction they're heading… Isn't that?.."

His sister took a second or two to realize what he was saying. And when she did, her eyes widened in panic.

"The Tribe?!"

"What's going on?" Myrin asked with a slight frown. Uruk looked slightly nervous while answering, despite the fact that the person he was speaking to was an enemy just moments prior:

"We think the stampede might be heading for the tribe… It's North from here."

The young warrior looked at his sister, frowning. "What should we do?"

The group fell silent. In the meantime, Soren pondered about something else.

Shouldn't they have changed directions after sensing my Blood Amulet? Or could they not have sensed it?

This was indeed a mystery. The previous nights were all relatively safe due to its protection. It even allowed for Myrin to navigate the Avalon Ruins for a whole two weeks without a single confrontation… For such a powerful Sacred Treasure to now somehow fail gave him a rather ominous feeling…

Tazzith isn't answering either anymore… Is he busy?

As these thoughts raced in his mind, he heard Isha sigh.

"We'll worry about it when we get there. The tribe's barrier formation should be able to handle any accidents… If it doesn't, I am sure Elder Kaalan will come up with something. In the mean time, we should hurry back to the tribe."

As she said this, she turned to look at the pair of southerners. Her face twisting into a frown.

"I still haven't heard an answer from either of you—do you accept the terms proposed? Will you allow us to seal your anima when we get there?"

Soren looked at Myrin for a few moments—the Elven Songster also looked back at him with the same look. Eventually, they nodded.

"Yes, but only on the condition that the spellform contains an expiration mechanism. I must be able to tell when its control terminates."

Isha nodded, "That can be done fairly easily. Don't worry—we don't wish to keep you around forever either. Your stay will be limited to what you need for the journey ahead. You will also need to assist us with manners around the tribe as payment—or you can barter and exchange things of value to pay your debts."

Soren nodded.

Obtaining his answer, she looked at Uruk who still seemed slightly displeased with the arrangement and nodded.

"Let us hurry along then. These Spirit Beasts are neither weak nor are they few… The tribe will need as many hands as it can get!"

Hearing this, Myrin raised his hand. "Not to be pessimistic, but how exactly will you do that? We would have to somehow reach the tribe faster than the stampede…"

Isha glanced at the Soothing Bard and smiled, "I have a method—we will be flying there."

"Flight?!" Myrin's jaw almost dropped. "With all due respect—even we could have come up with that solution… But you do understand why that's a risky venture, no?"

Uruk crossed his arms—his lips sinking with every word Myrin uttered. "You don't have to teach us, foreigners. We know… The winds high above are extremely cold. And there is also the added risk of being attacked by the Snow Wyverns."

"Then—"

"But we have a solution to that," Isha interrupted. "My magecraft."

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While Myrin became even more confused, Soren perfectly understood what she meant. After all, he had thoroughly reviewed the affinities listed on her status page a bit earlier… The same with her brother, Uruk.

She was likely going to rely on her Shepherding magecraft in some way…

Soren decided it was best to not share what he knew. After all, at the moment, the pair still had no idea what abilities they possessed, and Soren wanted to keep it that way.

Seeing everyone await her answer, Isha nodded slightly to herself then closed her eyes. The scepter decorated with the skull of an ancient beast rattled slightly from the breeze as the woman before them expanded her Soul Realm.

Soren observed closely the invisible anima flowing in all directions, then likely coalescing somewhere close to her figure. The spellform was slowly shaping itself together. With a final shift in the wind, Isha opened her eyes and looked up at the skies—a single phrase uttered from her frosted lips in Scripted Runic:

"Wind Rider."

Silence once again returned to the statue platform as the pair of magi glanced at each other in confusion.

"It's coming." Uruk said plainly.

It wasn't until Soren heard the first roar that he understood what the young Sentinel meant…

Up in the skies, a large gaping hole was blown through one of the clouds. Emerging from within was a massive wyvern the size of a school bus. Its white scales shined under the glare of the sun as the snow danced around its flight path.

"A Snow Wyvern?" Myrin said in astonishment. He did not expect for the lady before him to call upon such a Spirit Beast…

Even the massive herd of Ashari seemed wary of its approach. Gaps formed in their march as they stared anxiously at the frigid skies.

Zaya on the other hand seemed unphased. Despite the creature approaching being its primary predator, it showed no signs of fear, as if it had seen it approach countless times before.

No doubt, a domesticated wyvern.

As it approached the statue's platform, Soren felt as if the raging blizzard had returned once again. He didn't dare to activate [Eyes of the Fairy] with the pair of hunters being so close, but he indeed craved the knowledge…

Is this how Tazzith feels? It seems my desire for knowledge is growing wildly…

He chuckled to himself as he watched the monstrous beast land before them. Uruk was the first to get on—his movements both fluid and experienced. Quickly, he helped his sister up as well then looked in their direction.

"You two get on quickly. We don't have much time!"

The pair of magi looked at each other again for the millionth time today then swiftly listened to his instructions. Swiftly, they watched from above as the colossal beast flapped its wings, hovering higher and higher.

Isha looked toward Zaya, who was still there with the sled:

"Stay here. We will come back to you in a bit."

Hearing this, the Spirit Beast puffed up its nostrils and roared. Isha smiled back, "We will meet soon again, Zaya."

It might have seemed like a normal gesture, but Soren saw through the facade. Clearly, Isha had used magecraft to communicate directly with the Ashari.

The Shepherding Affinity… Such an interesting set of magecraft…

As the group flew higher and higher, Soren found himself gripping the scales of the wyvern more and more tighter… Even though he had already experienced a bit of flight during his practice sessions with the Fairy Blades, this was his first time ever riding a wyvern… It was as if he was put into a roller coaster without the harness strapped…

Still, this is indeed thrilling…

He glanced over at Myrin, expecting a funny expression, but the Elven Songster seemed used to flying… He clicked his tongue in disappointment then turned to Isha who sat in front of him:

"Strange. Why doesn't it feel cold?"

She chuckled, "The Snow Wyvern can control the temperature around him. He is keeping it warmer for our safety."

It's that intelligent? But then again, it was a trained Spirit Beast—one that belonged to a person who possessed magecraft that allows them to communicate directly with Spirit Beasts. With its control over its pseudo Soul Realm, such an action should not have been that difficult.

It also explained why Isha wasn't worried at all about flying. With a Snow Wyvern of her own, why would any other attack them?

"I have to say," Soren smiled, "I am very impressed with your magecraft."

She laughed, "I am nothing compared to my grandmother. She taught me everything I know."

She stared up at the distant clouds. A few silhouettes could be seen—likely more Snow Wyverns observing the one outside their flock.

"In her prime, she could communicate with an entire nest of Snow Wyverns all together… In fact, the majority of the beats that called these snowy plains home knew of her warmth.

"Back then, the skies were filled with the roars of sky beasts. It's only now that their numbers have dwindled to such a few…"

Myrin looked at her for a moment then frowned. "You did mention something about that earlier… How because there are fewer Snow Wyverns, the number of Ashari has grown?"

Uruk answered without turning his head back:

"The Snow Wyverns used to hunt the Ashari all the time… More than fifty years ago, these flying beasts were seen as a pest for the tribe. Because of their unending hunger, even our own Ashari would sometimes be hunted without us knowing.

"But now that I am looking back on it, perhaps it was a blessing they were there… Without them, the number of Ashari had now become uncontrollable."

He sighed then continued with a tinge of salt layered in between his words:

"It's all because of those Staterran bastards. They continuously hunted down the Snow Wyverns to make armor from their scales until there weren't many left."

Hearing his answer, Soren couldn't help but chuckle to himself. Poaching exists? Even in this world?

He shouldn't have been surprised, but he still found it rather comical.

After a while, Soren looked down to notice nothing below him but snow. They had indeed beaten the Spirit Beast stampede and marched ahead of them.

Just when he was about to ask when they would arrive, he spotted something in the distance that left him speechless. A colossal beam of light shooting into the heavens. One that seemed fairly familiar…

A Beacon of Guidance?

Indeed, it was exactly similar to the one he had seen in Point Sylvia, back when was still chasing survival in the Feylith Forest.

The Beast of Knowledge had visited this place in the past…

Knowing what he knew now, he couldn't help but grow even more suspicious of the so-called 'pilgrimage' that deity once held. He wondered why it even occurred in the first place—what did He mean to obtain?

But those thoughts were cut short once again. Surrounding the heavenly light was a strange statue of a snake… One that spanned kilometers in length. It slithered across the snowy plains in a circular formation, almost as if to create a wall or barrier. Then, it coiled into the center and stood straight up, as if to challenge the heavens.

The massive python stared at them as they slowly approached. Fear rose within his heart for a moment—he glanced at Myrin who showed a similar reaction.

"Do not look into its eyes." Uruk warned. The pair of magi didn't argue—they immediately obliged.

Sighing, he looked down at where the colossal snake had coiled its body. Tiny buildings could be seen scattered around inside, as if taking shelter within the gargantuan sculpture.

Soren looked at Isha for answers. Sensing his gaze, she turned to face him and smiled:

"Welcome to the Nagashi tribe!"

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