The sun had just shifted into its golden sheen, bathing the world below in a soft, radiant glow. Its warmth didn’t scorch—it highlighted. Every curve of the land, every tree and stream, now shimred as if touched by sothing divine. The sky was clear, the light gentle, and the world underneath seed to exhale in peace.
Adyr didn’t rush.
He soared high above, wings steady, cutting through the air with silent grace. Below him, the world stretched out like a painted canvas—serene and untouched.
He passed over dense forests stitched together from a variety of greens, each tree unique in shape and hue. Between them, a clear stream twisted like a silver thread, reflecting the sky’s golden palette. Beyond that, the horizon rose into towering mountains, their snow-capped peaks catching the light like polished marble. The white at the summits glowed cold and clean, a quiet promise of biting temperatures above.
As he glided, his gaze fell on scattered villages. From up here, they looked almost like toys—simple structures nestled between roads carved long ago by carts, feet, and ti. The web of winding paths and well-worn trails hinted at how long life had endured here. Civilizations had risen, moved, lived, and faded, all beneath this sa sky.
After a while, his focus turned inward.
I should register the level-3 talent now, Adyr thought, and directed his consciousness into his Dawn Land.
At the center of his inner domain, a satchel pulsed faintly with violet light, brimming with condensed energy crystals. His energy-form approached it in silence. He reached out, pressing a hand against the pile, and began drawing power. A hundred energy units surged into him, absorbed without resistance.
He withdrew his awareness and returned to the sky, still flying, the wind brushing past his face. With practiced ease, he pulled up the system ssages and located the Observer level-3 notification. A single ntal command, and 100 energy vanished from his reserves.
In return, the system acknowledged the upgrade. His panel flickered. 20 free stat points were now his.
He didn’t spend them. Not yet.
He planned to wait until after reaching Rank 2. As a four-path practitioner, he couldn’t predict which Spark he’d evolve with next, and that ant he couldn’t risk scattering his stats blindly. Each path demanded sothing different. Precision mattered.
Adyr continued flying.
Though he wasn’t as fast as Malrik’s Frost Wyvern, the distance soon fell away beneath him. Far ahead, a cluster of tents ca into view—one massive white pavilion in the center, surrounded by smaller white tents like satellites orbiting a star.
He landed so distance away, folding his wings behind him. Then, he continued on foot.
Even Malrik, a Rank 2 practitioner, hadn’t flown directly into the market grounds. It wasn’t a rule enforced by power or guards. It was unspoken—a quiet tradition observed out of respect. No one flew over this place. And today, neither did Adyr.
He approached the periter slowly, eyes scanning the vibrant crowd.
Instead of heading straight for the main pavilion, he turned to the outer ring—rows of smaller tents set up by temporary vendors. According to Malrik, their inventory was more flexible. Prices could be negotiated. The quality often varied, but sotis rare treasures hid behind those cheap fabrics and makeshift stalls.
The area was crowded, buzzing with motion. Dozens of different races moved between tents—so over five ters tall, others barely reaching Adyr’s knee. Giants, dwarves, scaled beings with serpentine skin, rabbit-eared practitioners with soft fur and twitching noses. The world’s diversity pulsed around him in color and motion.
Adyr walked slowly through the organized chaos, weaving past hunched backs, brushing past swinging tails and twitching ears. He glanced into open flaps of tents as he passed, always observing, never stopping too long in one place.
Each tent was its own world.
One was entirely dark inside, with almost no visibility beyond the entrance. From within, a foul stench drifted out—tallic and rot-heavy. Another was bright enough to hurt the eyes, as if soone had trapped sunlight within cloth walls. A third exhaled thick, exotic aromas that made Adyr’s head swim after a single sniff.
In one, he heard screams—raw, human, and unmistakably real. Pleading voices, tortured gasps. It sounded like soone was being torn apart inside. But no one around him reacted. Practitioners strolled past without so much as a glance. No fear, no shock.
Adyr didn’t care about the screams or whatever twisted dealings took place inside the tents. He kept strolling, eyes scanning the bizarre tapestry of practitioners and vendors—until one particular tent caught his attention.
It wasn’t the tent itself. The structure looked ordinary enough. No strange light, no stench, no odd sounds.
It was the figure standing at its entrance that made him stop.
The man was around Adyr’s height, with short black hair and deep, obsidian eyes. His skin was a muted crimson, and his legs ended in clawed feet that resembled those of a lizard. At first glance, he seed like a typical lizardman.
But the wings were what caught Adyr’s attention.
Pure white feathers, smooth and immaculate. Just like his own.
It was likely that this man had also evolved with a Dawn Raven.
"Hello. Are you the owner of this tent?" Adyr asked as he approached, his tone polite.
The man gave him a strange look before replying, "Yes, I am."
Adyr was briefly taken aback. The response wasn’t in Latin, but in a version of ancient Chinese. He recognized it from Eren’s notes.
So the man understood Latin but had chosen to reply in another tongue.
Adyr adjusted quickly.
"I want to ask a question, if possible," he said, doing his best to pronounce each word carefully. His accent was slightly off, but nothing that couldn’t be smoothed out with a bit of practice.
The man looked him over with unreadable black eyes and let out a slow breath.
"Normally, I charge for questions," he said. "But it’s been a while since I’ve had a custor. You’re the first in days. One question—free."
He sounded reluctant, as if the interaction itself was a burden. But Adyr didn’t let the opportunity pass. He took a breath, weighing his phrasing, and asked:
"For soone who evolved with a Dawn Raven, what weaknesses and advantages should be considered for future evolutions?"
At the question, the man’s eyes widened slightly.
"So, you’re also an Astra-path who evolved with a Dawn Raven," he said quietly, more to himself than to Adyr. There was no need for further explanation. The profile was clear.
To him, Adyr was just another rookie searching for insight.
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