Once preparations were complete, I mounted my wyvern. Riveria and Ais shared one wyvern, Alise and Kaguya another, and Asfi and Ryuu took the third. I handled Tank and our supply cargo. All of us were ready to take off.
"Be careful and remember you guys only need to hold off the dragon if it tries to leave the Great Wall," Finn advised, "And don't do anything reckless, Arin. I beg of you."
"What the heck?' I said, bewildered. "Why am I being called out like that? I've been a good boy all this time. Shouldn't you say it to Alise, Kaguya, or maybe Ais?"
"Hey, I heard it!" Kaguya called from behind Alise on their wyvern.
"Yes, you won't find someone more patient than me in all the known world, Arin! Ahem!" Alise puffed out her chest proudly.
"What Finn meant to say is just be extra careful, lad," Gareth stepped forward. "You will be fighting something that comes from beyond the seal."
"Yes, we will be careful," I replied, understanding his worries.
"Arin! Arin!" Tiona bounced forward, waving enthusiastically. "Don't die, okay? That would be really bad!"
"I'll... try my best not to," I replied with a weak smile.
Raul stepped forward next, looking nervous but determined. "Arin, everyone, please be safe. We'll join you as soon as the preparations are complete." He bowed deeply. "We're counting on you to hold the line until we arrive."
"We've got this, Raul," I assured him. "...Just don't take too long with those preparations."
"We won't!" he promised, putting his hand on his chest.
"Now it's time to depart," Finn said, raising his hand in signal. "Advance team—move out! We'll see you at Dragon Valley within three days. Hold the line until then!"
"You got it, Finn!" Alise called back cheerfully.
With that, the wyverns began to move, their powerful wings unfurling. One by one, they launched into the sky, the great beasts catching the morning wind and lifting us above Orario's walls.
As we climbed higher, I looked back one last time. Everyone was waving. The distance increased until they appeared like small dots, and Orario's huge wall grew smaller and smaller until everything vanished from sight.
I turned forward, toward the north, where our mighty foe awaited. "We have a long way to go, don't we?" I asked through the communication device we'd all been equipped with for easier conversation.
"Yes, we will be crossing almost half of the abandoned lands, rest there for the night, and cross the rest of the abandoned lands, the black desert, and reach the Dragon Valley." Asfi revised our planned route for everyone.
"It would take us an estimated two to two-and-a-half days," Riveria confirmed.
"Shouldn't we be pushing ourselves a little more to get there sooner?' Ryuu questioned—which, I admit, was reasonable.
"It's fine," Kaguya replied bitterly. "The wall isn't left unsupervised. It's the duty of the guards to hold off stray dragons for as long as possible. If they can't manage that for a day or two, they should be fired.
"You never hold back, do you?" I responded with a bitter smile, "But I guess you are right." After all, if they couldn't stop those calamities, the resulting damage would be catastrophic. Just thinking about that gives me chills.
The morning wore on, and the terrain below changed gradually. Forests replaced abandoned farmlands, their canopies thick and untouched. Hills rose and fell like waves in a green sea, stretching endlessly toward the horizon.
By midmorning, Asfi reported, "We're making good time," checking what looked like a magical compass. "At this rate, we'll reach the midpoint by late evening."
I glanced back at Riveria's wyvern. Ais sat behind her, silent and focused, her golden eyes fixed on the northern horizon. She'd barely spoken since we'd taken off. The anticipation—or should I call it obsession?—radiated from her. "Everyone holding up okay?" Everyone holding up okay?' I inquired. A chorus of affirmatives came through the comms.
"Arin, how are the supplies secured?" Riveria asked, looking at the baggage behind me.
I glanced back at the cargo secured to my wyvern. Packed tightly in containers were potions, food, camping equipment, and emergency gear. "Everything's stable. This big guy is handling the weight well."
My wyvern, a massive red-scaled beast I'd mentally nicknamed "Tank," let out a low rumble as if acknowledging the compliment.
"Don't get too attached," Kaguya warned. "We're returning these to the Ganesha Familia when we get back."
"I can still appreciate him while I have him," I countered, patting his back.
The sun climbed higher as we flew, and the abandoned lands revealed their secrets.
"So, this is the abandoned world, huh?' I commented, gazing below. I spotted several structures: a collapsed watchtower here, a vine-covered shrine there, a stone bridge leading nowhere.
"Depressing, isn't it?" Kaguya spoke quietly, her gaze drifting from one collapsed house to another.
"It's been almost a decade since the tragedy struck this nation," Riveria said, gazing toward the wilderness reclaiming the abandoned lands. Ais stared down at the ruins with an unreadable expression, her jaw set.
"That's exactly why our mission matters; it's our job to stop that dragon from making another abandoned land," replied Asfi. Her fist tightened on the reins—from nervousness, determination, or fear. Or maybe all of them. Though no one could blame her. The enemy was vastly superior to us. For a moment, silence fell over our group. Below us, the ruins continued to pass—a graveyard of broken dreams and shattered lives.
"Which is exactly why we're going to kick that dragon's scaly butt black and blue!" Alise declared suddenly, her voice ringing with confidence. "I mean, sure, it's all scary and powerful AND probably has fire breath or whatever, BUT! We've got something it doesn't!"
"What's that?" What's that?' I asked, genuinely curious."
"The power of friendship and justice!" Alise announced dramatically. "Also, really pointy weapons. Those help too!"
"Captain, please," Kaguya sighed, though I could hear the smile in her voice.
"What? I'm being serious!" Alise protested. "Well, mostly serious. Like 70% serious. Okay, maybe 60%... but my point stands! We're not going to let what happened here happen anywhere else. That's what heroes do, right?"
Despite the grim subject, I found myself smiling. Trust Alise to find silver linings in the darkest clouds.
"She's not wrong," Ryuu added softly. "We may not be able to change what happened here, but we can prevent it from happening again."
"Exactly! See, Lion gets it!" Alise cheered. "So no more gloomy talk! We're going to face that dragon, contain it, and then celebrate with the biggest feast Orario has ever seen! I'm thinking roasted boar, hearty stew, fresh bread..."
"You're thinking about food already?" Kaguya asked incredulously.
"I'm always thinking about food! But especially when I'm being heroic. Heroism makes me hungry."
"Everything makes you hungry, Alise," Ryuu observed.
"That's because I burn so many calories being amazing!"
The lighter mood helped ease some of the tension that had settled over our group. Even Ais, who had been silent for most of the journey, seemed to relax slightly, her grip on Riveria's waist loosening just a bit.
The afternoon wore on, and gradually, the sun began its descent toward the western horizon. The light took on a golden quality, painting the endless forests below in warm hues of amber and bronze.
"We should start looking for a suitable landing site," Asfi suggested. "We need somewhere defensible with access to water, if possible."
"There," Alise suddenly called out, pointing ahead. "I see a clearing by that hillside. Could be a good spot to camp?"
"We've been flying for nearly 11 hours," Asfi confirmed. "The wyverns could use a break, even if we don't need one."
"Agreed," I said. "We'll land there and set up our camp."
We angled our wyverns downward, beginning a gradual descent. As we drew closer, I could make out more details. The meadow was covered in tall grass that rippled like waves in the breeze. A small stream ran along its eastern edge, bubbling over smooth stones. The surrounding hills were covered in mixed forest—oak, pine, and other trees I couldn't identify from this distance.
The wyverns landed one by one with heavy thuds, their riders dismounting quickly. I patted Tank's neck before sliding off, my legs slightly stiff from the long flight.
"Finally," Kaguya groaned, arching her back. "I thought my rear would be permanently molded to that saddle."
"Such refined language from the Far East princess," Ryuu teased.
"Oh, shut it."
I walked over to my wyvern, loaded with most of our supplies. The beast huffed softly, its reptilian eyes watching me as I began to unbuckle the harnesses. After unbuckling the cargo, I led Tank to the stream. The wyvern dipped its massive head into the water, drinking deeply. Its red scales shimmered in the fading light, still warm from hours of flight
"Good job, buddy," I said, patting its scaled flank. "You've earned it, big guy."
"Let's set up camp before it gets dark," Riveria instructed, taking charge. "Ryuu, Kaguya, scout the perimeter. Ais, help Arin with the supplies. Asfi, gather firewood. I will start the preparation for our dinner."
Everyone moved with practiced efficiency and coordination. I watched Ryuu and Kaguya head into the tree line, their bickering already audible. "This branch is too small!" "Then find a bigger one!" "I'm trying, but someone keeps taking all the good ones!"
"All clear for now," Kaguya reported. "But we should set watches throughout the night."
"Agreed," Riveria said. "We'll rotate. One-hour shifts. Asfi first watch, then Kaguya, Ryuu, me, Arin, then Alise at dawn," Riveria organized.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, painting the sky in shades of purple and deep blue, we gathered around Riveria's fire for our meal. She had prepared a simple but hearty stew, trail rations enhanced with herbs she'd gathered near the stream. For a while, we ate in comfortable silence, the crackling flames and distant night sounds our only company.
I stared up at the sky and thought about the dragon we would fight. A high Level 7, huh? Despite my level-up and my strength equalling that of a level-7, I knew it would still be a brutal fight. And with Ais's dragon obsession, keeping her in line might prove even harder. With that thought, I glanced at Ais. She ate silently, and although tension still showed on her face, she mostly looked normal. Maybe I don't need to worry too much. I thought, smiling at her as our eyes met.