An Owl's Rise

Lucia nodded in understanding at Evelyn's concerns.

"Yes, you are completely right. With your current power I can surmise that throughout the entirety of the Tyrannis Union that there are several thousands of people stronger than you. Even I would be helplessly outmatched against those in the upper echelons of the Union. Still, there are things that we can do now and ways that we can grow our power. Everyone starts out at the bottom of the ranks before rising up. Who is to say that we cannot catch up to our enemies that seem out of reach now and crush them in the future?" 

An expression of absolute confidence was clear to see on Lucia's face as she assured Evelyn that they could fight the Tyrannis Union.

For a century Lucia had been growing stronger and preparing to take her revenge against those that had destroyed her home. She was not going to stop at anything after having come so far.

'We are going to have to deal with them in the future one way or the other. Those bastards want the Aethersphere inside of me and I do not doubt that they will chase me to the ends of the world to get it. As much as they seem insurmountable today, my ultimate goal is still far loftier. I cannot forget what it is I am truly after. The Tyrannis Union will simply be a stepping stone for me.' 

Now that the majority of the negative thoughts that had plagued her for so many days had receded Evelyn was able to assess her situation better.

Currently she was weak in the grand scheme of the world. She had witnessed plenty of entities in this world demonstrate unbelievable power. 

However, looking at herself objectively, she knew she had the potential to join their ranks.

The reason so many were after the Aethersphere in the first place was because it was an item of unparalleled owner in this world. 

Along with her heavenly flame, Evelyn could easily become one of the strongest beasts in the world. Minerva, the Leader of the Roost, had even personally recognized Evelyn's potential.

Then there were her friends and siblings. Each of them was strong in their own rights, having attained powerful evolutions above the normal curve. 

'It may not be a year from now. It may not even be a decade from now. But one day we will all reach the heights we need to avenge Otis.'

With her resolve steeled and her mind made up, Evelyn looked towards Lucia resolutely.

"We will join you. No matter how long it takes, we will see our vengeance through together."

Lucia smiled at Evelyn's response, a smile both brighter and more sinter than anything Evelyn had ever seen.

"But what will our first move be?" Evelyn asked.

She figured that Lucia must have had something in mind.

"Hm, there are a few minor disruptions we can cause that would inconvenience the Tyrannis Union. Such as attacking their lower ranking gathering squads or destroying less protected faculties in remote regions. Unfortunately, anything we can do right now will amount to little more than an annoyance. But once all of you have made it to the tyrant rank, our options will multiply drastically." 

Lucia went on to explain that with humanoid forms they would be able to infiltrate human settlements without rousing suspicion.

While beasts typically did have distinguishing features that set them apart even in their humanoid forms, there were plenty of magic tools that beasts employed to disguise themselves. Lucia herself had obviously wolf-like ears and a fluffy tail. But with the use of a magic item, she had these features disappear.

"These disguises are not foolproof, but most humans will be completely fooled."

Evelyn marveled at the magic that was hiding Lucia's wolfen features. No matter how hard she tried to detect what should have been there, all she could see was a normal looking person.

She even tried using her wind magic to interact with the space where Lucia's tale should have been, but she felt nothing out of the ordinary.

'This magic does not just turn her bestial features invisible, but actually separates them into a different dimension!' Evelyn thought, a surprised look on her face.

If they all used items like these, sneaking into and sabotaging bases within the Tyrannis Union would be completely possible.

Nevertheless, in order to utilize this strategy, Evelyn and her compassion would need to reach the tyrant rank first. Something that was still far away for all of them.

'We do have some advantages though. With the stable magic spring we can accelerate our growth, and the Verdant Warlord's Domain has a massive cache of rare items. Surely it should only take a few years at most for us to reach the next step.'

With the gears in her head turning, Evelyn began formulating their next course of action. 

For a few moments she thought about hiding certain things from Lucia, but quickly decided against doing so.

Evelyn was normally reserved and kept her secrets to herself unless she truly trusted someone.

'I am sure that Lucia is not going to simply betray us. Her emotions were too fierce to be faked and if she just wanted greater power, she would have let me kill myself and taken my heavenly flame.'

Confident that she could trust Lucia, Evelyn told her about the magic spring that lay within the burrowing owl's home, and the Verdant Warlord's domain.

A mix of emotions came over Lucia's face when she heard about the magic spring. Going from ecstatic at first to disappointed when she heard that it was only powerful enough to accelerate the growth of awakened or lower ranked beasts.

However, what shocked her more than anything was hearing about the entrance to the Verdant Warlord's domain within the Forest of Giants.

"You are not just messing with me, are you? You truly found another entrance into the domain of one of the greatest entities to ever exist in this world!"