To their left, a large tree stood tall like a tower. If measuring, it was as tall as 80 meters. Near its crown, there was a large treehouse.
"Woah! It's massive!" Maeyurai exclaimed in awe. "That's where you stay?!"
"Yes, it's where I stay," answered Kaienley as he approached the buttress of the tree.
Maeyurai's eyes examined the tree; his gaze shifted up and down, trying to find something.
"Hey, Kaienley," he called. "How do we climb up? I don't see a ladder.
"Ladder?" asked Kaienley as he turned his head to look at Maeyurai. "We don't need those. There are little ledges we can use to climb it."
"Seriously?"
"Yeah, it's a part of my training. Light and accurate footwork saves you in battles."
Maeyurai shook his head incredulously. "Even climbing up to rest is part of training... Your master quite takes your training seriously. Not to mention that you're not even complaining."
Kaienley's head glimmered as the sunlight peered through the leaves of the trees, reflecting on his shiny golden hair. He turned around and replied.
"Well, I used to complain a lot. But... it's already become part of my lifestyle, so I'm used to it."
"Right," said Maeyurai as he nodded in understanding. "Do you mind showing me how to climb?"
"Of course," replied Kaienley as he turned to face the giant tree. "I planned to do so anyway."
With a flash, Kaienley ran forward to the tree's base and jumped up. With agile and pinpoint accuracy, he stepped on the ledges of the shaft and climbed up so fast Maeyurai couldn't discern which steps he took.
Within a few seconds, he reached the crown of the tree and stepped foot on the treehouse's foundation.
"Wh—" Maeyurai muttered. "How fast! You didn't even bother to show me where to take a step!"
"Just use your Sense Boost!" Kaienley shouted from the top. "It's easy!"
"Easy, my ass! It's only easy for you!"
Maeyurai's eyes studied the tree from the base, the shaft, and up to the crown. He could see the ledges, but they were so far apart that he forgot the position of the previous ones.
Okay, this is not simple.
If I focus enough, I should be able to use my Sense Boost like I did earlier.
But once it's activated, I have to move quickly, or my sight will be exhausted.
Maeyurai sighed, then started focusing his attention on the tree.
He focused his gaze intensely, trying to find a route he could take to climb efficiently. At the treehouse, Kaienley was observing his small movements, silently watching how Maeyurai would climb up.
Maeyurai took a step forward. He activated Sense Boost, and a vertical mark appeared in his left eye. He jumped up with all he could; his hand reached out to grab the nearest ledge.
After he managed to catch the ledge, he pulled himself up explosively. At the same time, he kicked the tree to propel himself up.
Then, he grabbed on to the next ledge. It was a process significantly slower than what Kaienley performed, but Maeyurai was slowly climbing up 110 meters. His eyes continued to focus on the tree, finding the nearest ledges he could grab on to safely.
After he reached the height of 50 meters, he almost slipped off from the ledge he stepped on.
"Crap!" he exclaimed, holding the ledge above him with all his strength. More stress was placed on his fingers as he tried to pull himself up.
Out of desperation, Maeyurai suddenly launched himself up, kicking the tree to further increase his speed. His hands gripped the tree tightly to ensure he wouldn't fall and that he could pull himself up higher.
He frantically reached the treehouse. He reached out to grab the very edge of the entrance.
But he was off by two centimeters. His fingers made contact with nothing, and he was going to fall 80 meters in the air.
"Oh," he muttered in realization. He knew that he was in great danger as his eyes slowly widened.
His vision blurred, tears seeped through his eyes, and he fell.
The vertical mark in his left eye disappeared, a sign his Sense Boost ended.
...
"Not on my watch," Kaienley said fiercely as he jumped down from the treehouse.
Kaienley's hand reached out and grabbed Maeyurai's. His other hand gripped the edge of the treehouse's foundation, and with great effort, he pulled the both of them up.
"Argh!" Kaienley groaned as he and Maeyurai rolled over the treehouse's platform.
Maeyurai propped his elbows underneath him as he sat up; his eyes shifted to Kaienley. A grateful expression could be seen in Maeyurai's face.
"Kaienley?" he called.
With a moan, Kaienley rose to his feet. "That was close, Maeyurai."
Maeyurai stood as well. "Yeah, thanks for pulling me up."
"You almost had it," said Kaienley. "It was your first try as well; that was impressive."
"Ah," said Maeyurai. "It would've been better if I had done it on my first try."
"Still, you did well."
After speaking, Kaienley headed inside the treehouse. As he stepped foot in, he turned his head around to look at the room.
"Well, this is where I rested after training," Kaienley said as he approached a table.
On top of the table, there was a candle and a box of matches. Kaienley took the match and opened it. Afterwards, he brought the fire to the candle and lit it up.
Maeyurai, who was standing at the cased opening, took a good look at the surroundings.
The four-meter-tall walls enclosed with a roof, the three windows in each wall adjacent to one another, and the several wooden furniture items like cabinets, tables, and chairs were present.
There was another ladder beside the table leading to the level above, which was the roof. There was a small balcony with two chairs and a single table on it.
It felt like home; it was peaceful. Not to mention the soft druidic smell of the leaves that enveloped the treehouse and the breathtaking view in three of the windows.
Below, the entire forest was visible. Even parts of Yugihanata could be seen, as well as the people walking through the streets.
The treehouse could serve as a watchtower for Yugihanata, as it could see the whole city.
In the distance, you could see how the edges of the horizon bent and how things disappeared into a thin line, a clear indication of the world's spherical shape.
The treehouse gave a distinct sense of comfort despite the acrophobic view due to it being 80 meters high up in the air. It was no wonder Kaienley used this place as a resting point after training.
Maeyurai, after gazing at the world, would turn his head to Kaienley. He opened his mouth and asked, "Kaienley, who built this treehouse? Your master?"
Kaienley paused as he took the candlestick in his hand.
"I did," he answered shortly after he turned his head to Maeyurai.
"Wait, you did?" Maeyurai questioned in shock. He didn't expect that Kaienley built such a treehouse 80 meters in the air.
"I built this treehouse 10 years ago, when I was 7 years old."
The treehouse darkened into silence. The cold breeze of the wind passed through the windows.
"7 years old. You built this at such a young age... That's... That's quite wild," said Maeyurai in disbelief, his hand covering his own mouth in astonishment.
Kaienley smiled softly.
"It's still my biggest achievement up to this day. I'm proud of my work," said Kaienley, his hand touching the walls of the treehouse.
"Hehe," chuckled Maeyurai. "You should be. I mean, this treehouse is amazing! How was the furniture even moved into this place?"
"Oh, about the furniture," Kaienley said. "My master moved them in. I wasn't even a teenager at that time, so they did it themself."
Maeyurai's head leaned back in understanding, his mouth opened in an 'O' shape.
"That makes sense," said Maeyurai. "It would've been child abuse if you carried furniture 80 meters up without anything to climb on to."
"Well, it is downright impossible for furniture to be carried 80 meters up. Not if you have the ability to fly, though."
"Does that mean your master can fly?"
Kaienley paused as he looked at Maeyurai.
"Technically," he answered. "My master has a technique called 'Sky Leap,' which can be used to leap great or short distances within a short time."
Kaienley proceeded to walk around the treehouse as Maeyurai was about to reply.
"Sky Leap? Sounds like a strong mobility technique," said Maeyurai as he nodded in admiration. Whoever Kaienley's master was, they are not to be messed around with.
"Yes, and I'm currently trying to learn it. I still don't know how to use it, but I'm going to keep on trying," Kaienley replied, placing the candlestick on top of the cabinet.
"I'm quite curious; what is your master like?" Maeyurai asked.
"My master? Hmmm... If I were to describe... My master is like a lion: fierce, commanding, strong, yet humble," Kaienley answered.
Kaienley shifted his gaze to Maeyurai and continued. "The master is strict but kind. They encourage me to keep on going whenever I feel like giving up in training. My master never left my side and patiently taught me everything they knew."
The curious Maeyurai nodded as he listened. His curiosity was piqued even further upon learning that Kaienley's master was such a person with great qualities.
"Not only powerful, but kind..." Maeyurai muttered under his breath. Then, his gaze shifted to Kaienley. "You're lucky to have such a master. They remind me of a person I know."
"Yes, I'm grateful to have met my master a decade ago," replied Kaienley with a gentle smile as he let out a chuckle.
"Oh, by the way," said Kaienley. "Do you have a place to stay in Yugihanata or Tahaktatsu?"
"A place to stay in?" Maeyurai said. "Well, no. I was looking for one earlier, but I stumbled into Sanrovina and met you."
"Ah, I see. You can use this treehouse as a place to stay in then," said Kaienley as he walked over to the opening of the treehouse. "I would've invited you to my house, but Grandpa Asideo wouldn't allow me."
Maeyurai's eyes shifted from the window to the lone house on top of a hill in the distance.
"That's absolutely fine," said Maeyurai. "I'm even thankful you're offering me this place for me to temporarily stay in."
"No problem," said Kaienley as he moved to the platform outside of the treehouse. "Just be careful at night; there are some dangers that lie around here since this treehouse is outside of Yugihanata."
After speaking, Kaienley turned around to face Maeyurai and continued, "There are some pretty powerful flying Hell's Spawns that linger in this place, so make sure you're ready to protect yourself."
Maeyurai's head bobbed in understanding. "Got it, I'll be sure to watch out for any of those."
"Okay, I'll see you in a while then. I'll be returning to my home to do something. You should probably explore Yugihanata in the meanwhile."
Afterwards, Kaienley lowered the rope that was on the edge of the platform and dropped.
Maeyurai was left alone inside of the treehouse with nothing to do.
And he left just like that.
So his sole purpose of bringing me here is so he could know more about me and so that I could stay in this treehouse?
Quite the small thing, if you would ask me.
But at least I have a place to stay in now.
Walking around the treehouse, Maeyurai examined each piece of furniture carefully.
The bed was soft. A little too soft for his taste. The cabinets had clothes, but they weren't exactly Kaienley's size. If comparing, it was a little bigger than what Kaienley wore.
"Probably Kaienley's master's clothing," Maeyurai said under his breath.
On the table, there was a thick piece of paper. Maeyurai took and opened it.
It was a map. A map of the Sailzlovaria Region, to be exact.
Huh, there's a map of Sailzlovaria.
Maeyurai examined the map carefully. Then, his eyes lit up in delight and interest.
"It's shaped like a literal 5-pointed star, like the ones that kids would draw!" he exclaimed to himself as he looked at the map.
No wonder it's called the Ocean Star.
Well, Kaienley does want to go in that region; it's normal for him to try to get to know more about the place.
Looking at the map, some names attracted his interest.
Ashen Dust... Why is it so gray? It's so different from the other parts of the map.
There's a smaller star. It's called Starfish Island, another land that looks like a 5-pointed star.
What's with this place and its connections to stars?
After a while, Maeyurai decided not to look at the map any further. He thought that it wouldn't be useful now since he still has to explore other parts of the Baofuming Region.
He walked out of the treehouse and stood on the platform. Staring over Yugihanata, he decided to explore.
Holding the rope, he dropped from the treehouse slowly to make sure that the friction of the rope didn't burn his hands.
Once he reached the ground safely, he followed the path and headed towards the city of Yugihanata.