Chapter 297: Sea Tide

Chapter 297: Sea Tide

Eileen leaned against Maya while reading the belated news in her hands. There wasn’t much of value, only the word “caution” brought her some relief. A type of sea creature never seen before had appeared here. To the Dragon Riders who had been on constant, nervous guard, they were nothing but piles of fat. Unfortunately, this fat wasn’t tasty. Neither she nor Maya liked it.

During the journey back, she figured some things out. As she was now, she was no longer suited to live with her clan. After returning, she firmly moved out, living far away from her people.

Every day, she patrolled the coastline with Maya. It was a simple and poor life, but also carefree. Her brother Aiman wanted to persuade her to return, but she remained unmoved. After several attempts, her brother lost patience and angrily said, “You are not Bran, you don’t have the ability to survive on your own.” And she, in turn, shouted angrily, “And I am not you, a coward.”

They parted unhappily, and her brother never came again. She knew her words had been somewhat harsh and had truly hurt her brother.

She began to envy the Northlands, envying the Trial there. A Trial that was almost like life and death separation made people strong, made people there accustomed to solitude and accustomed to a sense of distance. The bottom line there was such that even family wouldn’t easily cross it. But her brother didn’t understand and still wanted to interfere in her life.

Since moving out, Maya’s gaze toward her held an extra trace of trust. It seemed to enjoy this simple, peaceful life very much. When there was nothing to do, it would crouch on the beach like a Statue, gazing toward the other side of the sea. And she would silently keep it company, staring blankly at the ocean.

The Dragon Riders’ situation was not good, with more than half of their people still trapped in the Archipelago. Most of them were concentrated on the largest islands, preparing. The changes on the Southern Coast forced the Dragon Riders to be extra cautious, and the relocation work was therefore delayed. The Dragon Riders were now advancing on multiple fronts, making many things seem stretched thin.

To protect her people, she shifted the focus of her patrols to the south. First, the threat was greater there, and second, it was to avoid Maya’s former companions.

Those outsiders were still hiding on the Lonely Island in the north. Since Bran told her the exact location, the Dragon Riders had sent Wyverns to monitor the place day and night. Through the Wyverns, they knew that group was scouring the island looking for something.

Although there was no shortage of wild Wyverns near these waters, there were still some differences from the tamed ones. The latter were larger and stronger, so the Wyverns used for surveillance didn’t get too close, making it difficult for the Dragon Riders to get more detailed information.

What exactly was on that small island? What made it worth those outsiders searching so frantically? Everyone was curious and wanted to figure out the exact reason, but the current situation really wasn’t suitable for provoking them.

Moreover, Bran was also watching that place. Whatever those outsiders discovered, in the end, it would only benefit Bran. If not for the worry that those people might harm the Dragon Riders, the Dragon Riders wouldn’t have gotten involved in such a thankless affair. They already regretted attracting Bran over and offending those completely unrelated outsiders.

Fortunately, Maya provided them some comfort, however small. But it was also a tricky problem. How would those outsiders react when they realized Maya was with them? Since they were already enemies, there was no longer any hope for the other side’s mercy. The Dragon Riders knew that in this matter, they had become Bran’s pawns, and there was no room for second thoughts. So, they promptly reported the changes on the island to Bran.

Eileen didn’t know if this was Bran’s deliberate scheme or the natural result of how things developed. It troubled her, as if that carefree Bran was fading away, gradually becoming someone you couldn’t feel secure about.

What troubled her wasn’t just this. After she left her people for Maya and a trace of trust formed between them, her power had increased somewhat. She seemed to be drawing power from Maya, and she believed Maya had noticed it too. Because of this, their gazes when they looked at each other were full of questions and confusion. Luckily, neither side felt discomfort.

Maya felt comfortable being with Eileen. Apart from childhood, Dragons rarely lived together in groups, but they didn’t refuse the company of friends. Coming here with those called companions, what they saw it as, everyone knew deep down. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have been used and slaughtered so thoroughly.

There were too many things here that defied common sense. For example, why would Bran run around everywhere without any concern? Why would he appear before people so casually?

Back in its homeland, the Ancestral Dragons gathered in the Sacred Mountain year-round, rarely even acting alone. The few rumored outings, in Maya’s view, were more like being thieves—sneaky, afraid of being discovered.

What were they afraid of?

Similar beings among the various races were also elusive, only showing a scale or a claw before vanishing in an instant.

It wasn’t until coming here that many things taken for granted became different. It began to think about the various possibilities hidden within.

Maya liked listening to Eileen’s stories, especially the stories about Wizard Bran.

According to Eileen, in just a few short years, Bran had touched the divine realm. No such person had ever appeared in its homeland. In rumors, there were only a few lucky ones who gained the favor of an Ancestral Dragon, inheriting all its essence to become a new Ancestral Dragon.

Such a person, if placed in its homeland, would absolutely be a world-renowned figure. But the people here only saw him as a rather powerful person. And this recognition was earned through killing. It was truly baffled—how dare ordinary people provoke such an existence?

And the occasional resentment Eileen showed was even more incomprehensible to it. Couldn’t she see that the other was no longer a being of flesh and blood?

Thinking of flesh and blood, Maya looked down at the black scales on its body. For a few days, it had even felt smug about them. But when Eileen led it past Sandstone City, it felt a chill. The transparent figures of The Dead wandered about, making it remember the feeling when its Soul was leaving its body as it was dying.

That was no dream!

That small hand grabbed the departing Soul and pressed it back into the body. The Soul’s struggle and the various pains of having Mana forcibly poured in became vividly clear again.

For a moment, Maya didn’t even know what it was anymore. Alive, or dead?

Fortunately, Eileen was there. Those warm little hands gradually helped it suppress the panic in its heart.

It knew that without Eileen, its head would have become a trophy for someone else to show off. So, it had once thought of helping her for a while, then leaving on its own after becoming familiar with this place. But after going to Northland City, Maya began to hesitate. Wizard Bran was actually partners with a bunch of worthless little birds. The way he stopped the birds was so gentle.

According to Eileen’s explanation, many powerful Wizards were hidden in the Northlands. Bran even had a very powerful Sister. Following the tradition there, they all had similar animal partners. And that feeling of being natural enemies truly made Maya feel panic.

It did not want to be ganged up on when alone. With no one to break up the fight, its life would probably be in danger.

Looking at Eileen beside it, maybe this was fine. She had more or less some connections with those people. Although it didn’t know what had happened between them, those people treated her quite well. It could tell they still regarded her as a friend.

Patrolling southward, the restless Mana in the wind became more and more obvious. Looking from the air toward that direction, the line where sky met sea seemed somewhat distorted—an unusual phenomenon formed by gathering, rising Mana.

A gathering of Mana on this scale meant there must be some powerful existence behind it. Maya couldn’t help but remember some rumors among its kind, the various sorrows hidden behind the grindstones of flesh and blood. Those beings with long lives began, like snakes hiding in the dark, to lure and hunt each other. Some races declined because of this, while others flourished.

War was coming, and with it by her side, Eileen would bear the brunt of it first.