Chapter 288: Adrift

Chapter 288: Adrift

With a long, drawn-out dragon’s roar, Maya suddenly spread its wings and reared up. Like a flawless piece of black jade, it formed a hazy, dark halo under the sunlight. At the same time, a burst of wind pressure blew the fine sand around it in all directions. The few people standing closest were immediately sent flying, and the others didn’t fare much better, all ending up covered in dust.

Maya looked down, surveying half a circle with an overbearing and domineering air. However, this half-circle deliberately avoided the directions of Zoya and Eileen, making it seem somewhat lacking in confidence.

Having vented some of the frustration in its chest, Maya pushed off with its feet and shot into the sky. The exhilarating feeling of being completely reborn, of soaring into the heavens, followed instantly, making it unable to resist roaring and shrieking excitedly. The dragon’s roar echoed between heaven and earth, then grew farther and smaller, gradually fading until it was almost inaudible.

On the beach, Eileen watched as Maya flew away without a backward glance, feeling deeply disappointed. Zoya was also gazing into the distance, her Short Blade emitting a series of hums, its sharp intent becoming increasingly apparent.

Carried by the excitement of breaking free from its shackles, Maya soon returned to that patch of woodland. Then, some unpleasant memories surfaced, and its swiftly moving form gradually became heavy and slow.

Too much had happened in just a few days—the fear of Death, the joy of new life—leaving it no time to carefully consider its own situation. Now, in this clear, quiet, and slightly chilly sky, it finally calmed down.

It circled slowly in the sky, its thoughts gradually becoming chaotic. The familiar feeling of dizziness and weakness assaulted it once more. Just moments ago, the joy of escape had sent it to paradise; and yet, still within those same moments, the gates of hell had opened wide.

Looking around, Maya suddenly realized that this vast world was still unfamiliar to it, while its once-familiar home was now beyond reach.

It slowly landed on a seaside cliff, straining its eyes to look towards the direction of home. The vast sea was simply impossible to cross alone.

‘I can’t go back.’ This suddenly rising thought turned Maya into a solemn Statue.

Only when the evening breeze whispered and stars hung over the sea did Maya wake from its daze. Everything felt like a lifetime ago. In the blink of an eye, it had inexplicably lost everything. It let out a mournful cry, the sound fading into the distance in the Night. As the last echoes vanished, silence descended once more.

Loneliness, helplessness, and a trace of panic also closed in with the silence, making it unable to resist getting up and fleeing. After wandering in the night sky for a long time, weariness gradually crept in. Yet, facing the pitch-black land below, Maya hesitated for a long time, not daring to land.

In the distance, a campfire flickered. Beside it, two girls sat quietly cross-legged, facing each other. Unconsciously, it had actually flown back to that same beach.

Under the cover of Night, Maya silently descended to a spot not illuminated by the campfire. Then it curled up its body and began inching its way towards them. When it had shuffled back to the side of the campfire, it started cautiously stealing glances at the two girls. Finding that they were indifferent to its return, it couldn’t help but let out a soft sigh. The campfire immediately stirred, sending sparks flying. Maya, the culprit, closed its eyes and played dead, as if it had been sleeping soundly there for a long time.

Following the sigh, a small hand gently stroked Maya’s head, making it feel comforted and at ease…

At dawn, Maya stretched comfortably, shook off the sand from its body, and began a new day.

Beside it, Zoya and Eileen stood side by side, watching curiously as it groomed itself. Faced with this completely unoriginal grooming routine, Zoya quickly lost interest.

So she spoke up to say goodbye. “Goodbye, Eileen. It’s yours now.”

Seeing the mix of surprise on Eileen’s face, wanting to refuse but unable to bear the thought, Zoya couldn’t help but smile.

Eileen fought back the impulse to agree immediately. “Aren’t you taking it back with you?”

Zoya shook her head. “I thought about it too, but it can’t go to Northland City, and definitely can’t enter the Northlands. Those Snow Falcons won’t allow a Wyvern into their Territory.”

Eileen corrected her. “It’s a Dragon.”

Zoya waved her hand dismissively. “It’s pretty much the same. If it gets beaten up, that’s one thing, but if it hurts a Snow Falcon, the consequences are hard to predict. If you ever take it to Northland City in the future, remember not to let it fly.”

“Thank you,” Eileen said, unable to resist stepping forward to hug Zoya.

“Go back and tell your clan this is my gift to you. They don’t get a say in it.”

Eileen nodded heavily. “Where are you planning to go? Let me see you off.”

“I’ll continue north along the coastline. When I reach the mouth of the Eternal River, I’ll turn back and head home.”

“Bran has already scouted it. You don’t need to go over it again.”

“It’s not about that. Before this trip, he told me to complete this part of the journey alone. I was just being willful and insisted on bringing Xialuo.” Zoya smiled. “When Bran went back, he could have taken me with him, but he didn’t. So you shouldn’t see me off either. The rest of the road must be walked by me alone.”

…

On a Lonely Island far from the coastline, two sea ships had been hauled ashore and hidden in the jungle. Jose sat in a tent, his face pale, unsure of what to do.

He began to think about everything that had happened recently, trying to figure out where things had gone wrong.

The great Dragon Maya had gone mad—that was the report from the two survivors who had escaped. It had killed Ruben and then started attacking others, forcing them to fight back in self-defense.

Two people—just enough to corroborate each other’s story—made Jose suspicious from the start. So he took a risk and sent out another squad, ordering them to bring back at least one corpse.

That squad set out cautiously and returned in a frustrated rage. They had over-fulfilled their task; Ruben’s charred body was among those they brought back.

The lacerated wound on the neck looked like a gaping mouth, silently mocking. Most of the fatal wounds on the dead came from the side or rear. Only two or three had actually died from the Dragon’s bite. Everyone’s faces were grim; such a Death was too humiliating.

During the retreat, everyone was on high alert, wary of being ambushed again. Perhaps their vigilance paid off, as the withdrawal proceeded very smoothly without any incidents.

However, right after they safely retreated to this island and concealed all traces, an incident occurred.

The Pool Water from the Pool of Foresight was gone. In Jose’s memory, he had been holding it one moment, and the next it had abruptly vanished into thin air.

That drop of Pool Water was key to his recovery. Jose hadn’t expected that, on the brink of death from severe injuries, that drop of water would slowly begin to release Mana. Not only releasing, but also gathering and absorbing it simultaneously. At that time, Jose saw hope and began to understand why the Priests had told him to bring a drop of the pool water.

For a moment, he felt boundless curiosity toward the Pool of Foresight. But the fantasy soon ended in disappointment. With his status, he wasn’t qualified to access deeper secrets. He was merely the small leader of this advance team, only responsible for his assigned duties.

The fastest sea ship had already returned, carrying the lessons learned from recent experiences. Those who remained behind would continue to use their flesh and blood to summarize new lessons.

Jose began to search frantically all over the island, adopting a reckless, nothing-to-lose attitude. Because he understood that whoever could take the Pool Water without a sound was definitely not someone they could contend with. However, the thought of facing Death actually helped him let go…

At the same time, he still clung to a sliver of hope.