Chapter 112 - Farewell

Early morning on the first day of the one week break, we headed out for Aqua's home.

It took about a day of fast flying before we arrived at Aquatic Lake, also known as Asrai Lake. The place was to the northwest of the Amphitheater of Dominance, and was home to the aquatic fairies known as the Asrai. It was early morning on the second day of break, and the powerful rays from the sun served only to make the place more majestic.

The Asrai Lake was a beautiful vision with interconnected lakes and a few waterfalls that were of the utmost quality of pureness. The water there was sweeter than anything water magic could make, and the flowers that bloomed around the lake were various types which I had never seen before. They would have been impossible to find in the human kingdom I was born in.

Furthermore, the large, interconnected lakes were in the middle of two stretches of forests, and would entertain many guests, including wild animals that would drink from them. The place where I met Aqua had been at an isolated lake where not one beast would come to drink from. This lake also had its own small waterfall. It was there, near the forests, that I had saved the clumsy Aqua from a rare wild beast leading a group of monsters.

“We are almost there,” Aqua said in an excited voice. “I haven't seen my sisters in such a long time!”

“True, it has been more than a month,” I said, landing at the exit of the eastern forest, which bordered the edge of the Asrai Lake.

“Verath, come here.”

At her words, I followed Aqua into the edge of the lake, where she was hovering just beyond. “Take that!” she yelled out.

Without warning, Aqua had splashed water on my face using her water magic.

“You are lucky I cannot use water magic, Aqua, else you would be drowning right now.” I smiled a little. “I can, however, do this!”

I summoned a small ball of blood and gently threw it at Aqua. It was a magnificent hit. She was now covered entirely in my blood made of normal magic.

“Wae! This is disgusting, Verath! How could you even do such a thing. Ack! It even has the smell of blood.”

“I guess you can call yourself a blood fairy now, instead of an aquatic fairy,” I said in a monotone voice.

“Ugh, it is going to take forever to wash this. Can you just manipulate the blood off of me?” Aqua asked.

“No, that is a bit hard to do since it is just blood made of normal magic covering you. Your magic territory, though weak, is still strong enough to interfere direct manipulation of magic near you.”

Aqua let out a small sigh. “Fine. Just let me quickly wash this off and we can continue onward to my home.” Her delicate, silk-like wings stretched outward, Aqua hovered on the surface of the lake. “Well,” she said impatiently, “stop staring at me, and turn around. I am going to get undressed.”

“Oh, right.” I had forgotten that Aqua, unlike dragons, actually cared about nudity. I suppose being a dragon has certainly changed some aspects of my mindset.

A few minutes later, Aqua was done with her cleaning, and we started flying above the surface of the water, moving toward her home which was located at the center of Asrai Lake.

The view was at once familiar and beautiful to the eyes. As far as the eyes could see was a sparkling lake of a majestic blue color, so faintly blue as to be almost a blinding white. This lake was then divided into sections by arches of rock upon which streams of water gently flowed downward into cascades and waterfalls. The Asrai Lake looked as if multiple giant, curled snakes had slithered out from the depths of the shimmering water.

That was not everything the Asrai Lake had to offer though. Many lands also rose out of the lake like giant mushrooms, and some of these lands even had a stream of water falling from a height of more than 300 feet.

Up above the skies, there were giant birds, of which only a few were carnivorous, flying in circles above these raised platforms of land. Down on the ground, near the edges of the interconnected lakes, where land divided the borders, there were also various animals, both large and small, drinking from the lakes.

It was a congregation of animals, prey and predator. Peace, however, was kept between these animals regardless of their hunter and hunted relationships when they came to the lakes. There was a sense of pureness to the Asrai Lake that could not be defiled by evil intentions or death, not even if the intention was out of a need for hunger and survival. And even if there was someone or some animal who chose to defile the lakes, the defilement would be met by an unstoppable force.

The force came in the form of the guardians of the Asrai Lake who did not welcome any troubles. They, the guardians, were the Kovani, one of the Greater Races.

With hair color ranging from blue to purple, the Kovani were a race of around twelve feet tall humanoids with elongated features such as their legs and eyes. With very light blue skin, ears that looked as if they were wearing shells, and dressed in robes or armors that were flowing in watery patterns, the Kovani were disconcerting, yet beautiful creatures. Their eyes were the most disconcerting. They were large, elongated, and almost unblinking eyes of a pure white with the barest hint of darker colored pupils.

In the seven major dragon territories, only one of the Greater Races, the Kovani, was allowed inside without permission from the Eldests. It was not out of kindness that the seven dragon Eldests condoned the presence of the Kovani inside their territories though. No, it was because the Eldests recognized the strength of the Kovani who guarded places of pureness such as the Asrai Lake. A few of the Kovani, after all, were as powerful as the Eldests!

“We are here, Verath!” Aqua said, tugging some top strands of hair on my head. Along the way, she had splashed some water at me in revenge.

“Quit that,” I said.

“Hehe, sorry. I was just a bit excited.”

Aqua's home, huh. Naturally, the Asrai or the aquatic fairies, due to living closely and having deep ties to the Asrai Lake (obviously named after their race), were quite close to the Kovani.

As one would expect from such a close tie, the Asrai lived near the center of the interconnected lakes, up atop a rising platform of land, where even a small forest grew at the top. The land defied every logic, with water even traveling upward the supporting pillars.

When I first came to the Asrai Lake, hearing about the place from Navra, I had sensed this aggregation of magic coming from the center of the lake in my tour of the lake. It was a powerful and beautiful magic that washed over me, making me feel at peace.

Serenity. There was only one word that could describe the purity of the magic I felt from the center of the Asrai Lake. It was no wonder the Kovani guarded it zealously.

In a way, I thought to myself, this was perhaps why the dragons who met Aqua, an Asrai with close ties to the Asrai Lake, did not make any troubles in regard to her. They either ignored Aqua or spoke with her briefly.

Flying closer toward the center of the lake, the pull of the pure magic became stronger and stronger. A great serenity settled over my mind.

'This is such a wondrous place,' Seraphine said from inside my mind.

'Indeed. It makes one wonder where the source of the magic comes from. It is a curiosity I would love to find out.'

'The water elementals back at home would love to come to such a place. The water is so concentrated and pure...' There was a sadness to Seraphine's voice. It felt as if her flames had dwindled, almost dying. It was a sadness that longed for her home, the Elemental Planes. I felt her strong emotion come through the bond, the strength of it enough to reach even me.

I was unsure whether I should say something, but I realized—I knew—that there were no words that could supplant her sadness. Seraphine would be bound to me until the day I died. She would never be able to go back home. She would always be stuck in this realm due to the mysterious Banishment phenomenon that sometime struck the elementals.