With extreme caution, Ard, Mirea, Milia, and Pyria crossed the suspension bridge toward the other side. The wind whipping through the deep canyon made the bridge sway, while the sound of creaking wood and tightening ropes made them even more careful. None of them dared to look down; below them was nothing but a void of absolute, unknown darkness. They walked in a single-file line with Ard in the lead, everyone gripping the ropes on both sides with both hands.

"This is... terrifying. Please, move faster," Milia said, walking right behind Pyria.

"Stop pushing," Pyria replied, glancing back at Milia.

"Stay calm and don't look down. Don't shake the bridge, either—you two are making it worse," Mirea added from the very back.

"Come on, we're halfway there. Just a little further," Ard called back.

"Is it... okay if I just hold onto you?" Pyria asked.

"No, hold the ropes," Ard replied.

Ard kept moving, occasionally glancing down to check his footing so the girls could follow him safely. While they were in the middle, a sharp "shrieeek" echoed through the air—the roar of a monster. Pyria, Milia, and Mirea suddenly went weak in the knees.

"That sound... it's a wyvern," Mirea said, panicking.

"Keep moving, don't stop," Ard commanded.

"Y-yes... come on, hurry up, Pyria," Milia said, giving Pyria a small shove.

"I told you, stop pushing!" Pyria snapped, her voice full of panic.

They picked up the pace while still being careful and scanning their surroundings. Suddenly, from the left, a monster resembling a massive red prehistoric bird with a long, dragon-like beak streaked through the air toward them. Ard immediately summoned Ace.

"Kaaak!"

Ace dived toward the wyvern, his body expanding into his giant form. Seeing Ace attack the wyvern with his talons, Pyria, Milia, and Mirea froze in place, mesmerized by the fight.

"Hey! Why did you stop? Get over here!" Ard shouted.

The three of them looked up to see Ard was already far ahead, nearly at the end. Terrified, they scrambled toward him, but then "crack"—Mirea's leg crashed through a rotting wooden plank.

"Waaaa... h-help!" Mirea screamed.

Milia and Pyria immediately turned back and pulled Mirea out of the hole. Pyria accidentally caught a glimpse of the plank falling into the darkness below and was instantly hit with a wave of vertigo. Seeing the girls in trouble, Ard rushed back to them.

"Kaaak!"

Ard looked up at Ace's screech. Ace fired a beam of black-and-white light from his beak, piercing through the wyvern's body. The bird then returned to Ard in his massive form. Ard ordered Ace to fly beneath the bridge to support them if they fell.

"Snap... snap."

As Ard walked, he saw several rope bindings start to give way. Without a second's delay, Ard grabbed Mirea and tucked her under his arm at his waist. He then turned and scooped up Pyria, who was turning paler by the second. Finally, he looked at Milia.

"Milia, jump on my back, now!" Ard shouted.

"Y-yes!" Milia replied.

As soon as Milia latched onto him, Ard spun around and sprinted. "Snap... snap... snap." The sound of ropes breaking multiplied. Ace continued to fly directly beneath them. Moments later, "crack... crack," the section of the bridge with the hole began to collapse. Ard was almost at the end, but the collapse was catching up to him. Just as he reached the very edge, he tossed Mirea across to the solid ground and threw Pyria after her; Mirea caught her instantly.

He then swung Milia around and carried her as he made a final run. He threw Milia to the ledge just as the bridge gave way, taking Ard down with it.

"Ard!" Mirea and Milia screamed as they crawled to the edge of the abyss, while Pyria could only watch, still dazed and dizzy.

The three of them panicked. Ard was nowhere to be seen. They kept screaming his name at the top of their lungs until, moments later, "clap... clap... clap." Ace the Garuda rose from the depths, carrying Ard in his talons. Ace dropped Ard at the edge of the cliff, and Ard immediately lay flat on the ground, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Ard!" Mirea, Milia, and Pyria cried out, piling onto him and hugging him tight.

"Hehe... sorry for making you guys worry," Ard replied, stroking the heads of Mirea, Milia, and Pyria.

Ard turned to see Ace, who had returned to his small size, perched beside his head and staring at him with a tilted gaze. Ard lifted his arm and stroked the bird's beak, then his head; Ace seemed so happy that he began flapping his wings.

"Thank you, Ace," Ard said.

"Kaaaak," Ace chirped cheerfully.

Ard turned his attention back to the three girls, who were still piled on top of him, refusing to move and clutching his clothes. He then glanced at the bridge's stakes and the snapped ropes.

"Haah... I wonder how we're going to get home," Ard muttered.

"Kaaaak."

Ard looked at Ace, who was still standing by his head with his neck tilted. Ace flapped his wings repeatedly, this time staring intently at Ard with that same inquisitive tilt.

"You mean... we're going home on your back?" Ard asked.

Ace nodded. He flew up into the air and—"boom"—suddenly transformed into a giant Garuda. He was three times larger than he had been when he carried Ard in his talons or fought the wyvern. Naturally, Ard, Mirea, Milia, and Pyria were stunned.

"Huh... you can get that big?" Ard asked, bewildered.

"Kaaaaak!"

Ace's cry echoed through the mountains and the valley. The beat of his wings generated a wind so powerful it swept across the entire area. Even the broken, dangling remains of the bridge began to whip around despite still being tied down, all from the sheer force of Ace's wings.

"Hey... that's enough! Get small again, Ace!" Ard shouted, shielding his face and holding Mirea, Milia, and Pyria close to the ground so they wouldn't be blown away.

"He... he's the size of the Garuda from the legends... the giant bird that terrorized the skies," Mirea said, clinging to Ard.

"Unbelievable... make him stop!" Pyria yelled, gripping Ard tightly.

"Yeah, we're going to be airborne ourselves if this keeps up!" Milia added.

"Ace... enough! Enough!" Ard shouted.

"Kaaaaaaak."

Hearing Ard's command, Ace immediately shrunk back down and landed on Ard's hand. He looked incredibly proud, his beak tilted up with a hint of smugness.

"Ok... ok... we'll ride you on the way back. You really are amazing," Ard said, realizing Ace was fishing for a compliment.

"Kaaaak!"

Ace looked instantly delighted and flapped his wings before circling through the air directly above Ard and the three girls still in his arms. Ard looked down at Mirea, Milia, and Pyria, who seemed quite comfortable resting against his chest.

"Hey, can you guys get off? I'd like to stand up," Ard said.

"No, stay like this for a second. We're still shaking," Mirea replied.

"She's right. I'm still a little dizzy," Pyria added.

Milia didn't say a word; she simply hugged Ard tighter. With the three of them pressed against him, Ard could feel the soft, supple sensation against his chest and arms. His face turned bright red, and he found himself completely stuck.

"Kaaaak?"

Ace landed back on Ard's hand, gripping his skin and tilting his head with a look of pure confusion. It was as if he were asking, "What's wrong with you, Master?" Finally, Ard gave up and let the three of them hold him. He tried his best to keep his thoughts from wandering because, regardless of the present, these three were the most intimate persons of his past lives.

After they had rested enough to shake off the tension from the ordeal on the bridge, they continued their journey. Mirea and Milia looked around at the thick brush, the stunted trees, and the grass lining the path; they still found it hard to believe they were currently walking on the body of a colossal dragon, despite the lush vegetation surrounding them. Pyria, on the other hand, seemed perfectly at ease, strolling along while clinging to Ard's arm.

"We really are standing on top of a dragon, aren't we? It's just so hard to wrap my head around," Mirea said.

"Doesn't the dragon feel us walking on him?" Milia asked.

"There's no way. To him, we're like fleas... or maybe even bacteria crawling across his skin," Mirea replied.

"What if someone stabbed him?" Milia asked, her hand drifting toward the hilt of her sword.

"Don't even think about it," Mirea snapped, shooting a sharp glare at the girl beside her.

"I'm just joking. I know the risks... though I really am curious," Milia muttered under her breath at the end.

A short while later, they began to descend a hill and finally emerged from the forest path. The eyes of Ard, Mirea, Milia, and Pyria widened at the sight of a breathtaking, vast lake stretched out before them. In the center of the lake stood a gargantuan tree, its canopy lush and sprawling. It wasn't an ordinary tree; it looked like a massive banyan with countless vines draping from its branches. Only half of it seemed to rise above the water, yet the width of the trunk was as vast as a mountain.

Dead roots and branches emerged from the lake or fell and gathered around the main trunk, forming a small island covered in greenery. Many of the arching roots broke the surface of the water, creating a natural path that allowed someone to reach the island surrounding the main trunk by jumping from one root to the next.

"We've arrived... the sacred tree of the elves... Gaias," Ard said.

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.