Death... and me



"So, Werin, does it mean you can use a map to find your path inside the Floating Island of Time?" Rean asked the Minokawa. "After all, you can't really get lost inside."

Werin nodded and shook his head right after. "That's the weird part. For most of the territory of the Floating Islands of Time, a map is more than enough to find one's way. Naturally, that goes for the area where the Minokawas' Nests are located."

"However," he continued, "once you get closer to the center of the Floating Islands of Time, things become... strange. It doesn't matter how much you try to go further inside since you will always find yourself back where you started. Other times you will notice that you appeared on the other side of what was supposed to be the center. Yes, you got past the Center of the Floating Island of Time and came on the other side without even noticing."

"It's not like you got lost," Werin spoke. "As I said, you can simply pick a random direct and fly straight until you leave the Islands. Still, you simply can't find your way to the center."

Werin then looked at Kentucky and the twins. "Yet, I believe that exactly the place you wish me to bring you, am I correct?"

The twins and Kentucky nodded. "Yes, that should be the place we are looking for."

"Do you at least know what you are going to do there?" Werin asked again.

The twins' group looked at each other but had to shake their heads in the end. "It's not like we don't want to tell you our objective. It's just that even we don't know what we are supposed to expect to do there. Of course, we know what we want, and we can't about it. But it is also true that we don't know how to achieve it."

Werin found that answer somewhat convoluted. But then again, it wasn't his job to know about that. They had a deal, after all. "Well, I will bring you there, and then you can decide what to do. Don't worry. I know this place better than you could ever do with any map. The only thing I can't prevent is some eventual meetings with other Minokawas. Our race likes this place very much, so when we are not in our nests, it is pretty common for us to fly around as there isn't that much danger here anyway."

"Then get closer to me," said Rean.

Werin didn't know what he wanted but did what Rean asked.

Right after, Rean activated his Light and Divine Sense Bending, making them disappear from sight... or so he tried.

*plop!*

Rean felt like his Light Element suddenly burst, causing the membrane of light that was covering the group to spread and disappear in specs of white light. "Eh?!"

He concentrated more this time, trying once again. Yet...

*plop!*

Once again, the Light Element he summoned burst away, disappearing as fast as it gathered. Rean could not use his Light and Divine Bending Skill at all. "What is happening here?"

Before Werin answered, Luan did so. "It's this environment, Uncle Rean. As I said, everything in my eyes seems messed up, and that includes the Light Element you gathered. I just didn't know that even our own elements wouldn't be able to keep form. During the two times you tried to gather Light Element, they lost the connection that initially brought them together and dispersed."

Werin truly found Luan's eyes quite impressive. "He is correct. This is another reason why no one cares too much about living here or taking this territory away from us, Minokawas. It is simply too hard to get any of our skills working. Of course, if you spend enough time in this place, you will eventually get used to these sudden changes and succeed in using your skills. However, that will take a very, very long time. For me, it took over two thousand years before I could properly use any skill at all in this place."

Roan took out his Scythe and then slashed through the air while using Space and Dark Elements fused. This time, a wave of Dark Element and Divine Origin Energy took form, cutting everything into the distance... It's just that this distance was only a few tens of meters. Seeing that, Roan narrowed his eyes. "Anything we try to use will lose its control in a moment. However, the initial usage of elements and energy is still working fine. That means we can give form to our skills but can't use them for more than a second before they break apart on their own."

Rean, Kentucky, and Luan nodded. "That is more than enough to protect ourselves, at least."

Still, Rean sighed. "Seems like flying under cover will not be possible then. It's not like I can keep activating my Light and Divine Bending Skill nonstop. Not to mention that every time it bursts, it becomes quite a big fireworks show in such a dark environment. I'm surprised that there is almost the same amount of Light and Dark Elements Concentration in this condition, though."

Werin couldn't help but ask. "What were you trying to do anyway? I've never seen that skill before, and we Minokawas have Light Element Affinity."

"It's just a concealment technique, nothing that impressive," Rean just brushed it off. Since he couldn't use it, he might as well not tell much.

"I see..." Werin didn't insist, either. Well, that he already guessed anyway. He just wanted to know more about it.

"Werin!" Suddenly, a voice came from the distance. When everyone looked in its direction, they saw a smaller Minokawa coming from behind one of the Floating Islands. 

Werin then looked at Kentucky, who simply nodded at him. Kentucky could now suppress his own Regal Bloodline, so he looked just like any other Minokawa. As for his Crown of Feathers, Rean just covered it.

Finally, the Minokawa arrived. "Werin! Where have you been?! You disappeared after the events in the Ruins of the Stars. The old geezers thought you were taken away with the Ruins."

Werin smiled in response. "Well, it is a long story..."