"You know we could all stay back. You don't have to be alone," Audrey said in a soft voice filled with concern.

I shook my head. "But I'm not alone. I have my Bond, Aika."

Audrey went quiet for a moment.

I knew that was not what she meant. And even with Aika, it was bound to be dangerous. It would be a different case if I was maybe sneaking through the territory or just passing through. But this time, I'm actually hunting and will be fighting the monsters.

So I could understand her worry.

But the truth was, I wanted to do it alone. Gaining exp to grow my level was one thing. But I also needed to train. I needed to be better at dodging, at reading my opponents, and at reacting under extreme pressure when it was just me and Aika without anyone to help us.

I needed to push myself to the absolute limit, so that I would not just grow in level, but also in actual combat skill.

So I added, "This is something I need to do… just me and my bond."

Audrey looked away. "I understand."

Then, after a moment, she looked back to me and asked. "Will you be fine on your own though? And… how will I know that you are okay?"

I looked to her then asked, "Do you have my feather with you at the moment?"

Audrey blinked in surprise. "Yea. Uh, hold on." She reached into her haversack and took out a black feather.

"Here it is."

At that moment, the feather dissolved into wisps of smoke that solidified into a small, pitch-black raven.

The little bird alternated gazes between Audrey and me.

Then I stroked its head and muttered, "Her name is Kuro."

I looked away from the raven to Audrey who was staring at it with wide, sparkling eyes. "Anytime you want to check that I'm fine, just call her and ask her."

Audrey gasped softly, her hands reaching out as if she wanted to touch it. "Really?"

I nodded and the bird ruffled its feathers and let out a raspy, playful caw.

All my ravens were extremely intelligent.

I had been studying them all this while and found out a few things about them.

For one, they could hear and understand everything a person says. They could also mimic human languages and had a mind and will of their own.

I noticed that these birds could even come out on their own without me needing to call them. For instance, I could just be walking, and a feather would appear, change to a raven, and hover around me or land on my shoulder.

I was startled at first, but then I noticed that my ravens do that because they just loved hanging around me.

I could tell that all these ravens were the ravens from my inner sanctuary and it seemed like from time to time, they loved to pop out to be with me here, since I could not yet journey to my inner sanctuary on my own until I'm a grade three.

They were also very watchful of my mana. They didn't dare act on their own when they know that I'm low on mana. They only acted when I'm full of energy, and even then, they tried to use very little.

Sometimes, one might appear for a few minutes, then go back to my inner sanctuary and swap with its friend.

By now, I've named so many ravens, and I've begun to recognize them individually even though many look almost the exact same.

That aside…

Audrey and I dissolved into our late night conversation and when the chill of the night grew too heavy to ignore, I left to sleep while she stayed awake, as it was her turn to take the first night watch tonight.

***

By the time morning came, I was the one keeping watch.

The others got up when the light started to break through the clouds.

Audrey was a good cook, so Ino was relieved today when she took over making breakfast with her bond, Toki.

An hour after breakfast, everyone then set out to the Saurian Outskirts.

Along the way, the obsidian boulders became so spaced out that the horizon finally opened up. Then by the time it was almost noon, the stony plain gave way to a field of pale, waist-high green grass, and then… we heard the first roar in the distance.

It was like a heavy engine revving in the distance.

We all halted, but then resumed walking shortly after. Everyone immediately summoned their bonds and got into a defensive stance.

Leon's weapon this time was a long halberd and he had summoned his regalia. His regalia was a suit of light, golden-tinted armor. It was light fitting and flexible, looking more like a second skin than a heavy metal casing.

A scale of justice was etched across his chest plate, representing his role as a judge of the battlefield.

Audrey had also summoned her regalia. On her waist was a pouch filled with meat jerky. As her feet lifted off the floor, she dipped her hand in it, took out a strip, and took a bite. Then she armed herself with her bow.

Meanwhile, I was carrying Celeste's dead body on my back. She had killed herself some minutes back and I had been lugging her along, waiting for the transition. When her body began to grow hot, I dropped her on the floor and then, not long after, she caught on fire. Her form then began to expand until a tall demoness towered over me.

I stood up, and looked away from her towards the sky where I could see three of my ravens flying in a circle. Then, one dived down with insane speed and changed into a katana that buried itself in the ground in front of me.

I reached out and grabbed it, then unsheathed it. The sheath then vanished into smoke as I looked to the others and nodded.

…Now, we were all ready.

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