—- Hikari —-
[Physique : 817 -> 873]
[wyvern heart: 100 -> 120]
[Height : 5.0 metres -> 5.2 metres]
[Weight : 2900 kg -> 3300 kg]
[Rune word : 0 -> 1]
[Telekinesis -> Telekinesis + Rune word]
—-- Ella —---
[Physique : 415]
[Mana : 792]
[Mind :784]
[Defense: 834]
[Arcane proficiency : 412]
[Wyvern heart potency : 420]
[Wyvern scale potency 412]
[Rune word :
Hikari woke up.
She was in the wyvern's cavern.
The warm light of the glowing flowers. The howling of the wind outside. The dripping of water.
She was covered in sweat.
Her breathing was heavy and her body felt stiff.
"That dream… Not the first time I've had it. But I'm sure the pink flowers are just my imagination."
Pushing down on the stone with her arms, she managed to stand up.
She raised both arms and stretched. The tip of her fingers touched the ceiling, crushing the brittle vines that grew there.
"I got taller? My stomach hurts a little. How much of that meat did I eat?"
She began waving her arms and legs, doing various stretching exercises to get her blood flowing.
She pulled her arm back, flexed her biceps and squeezed them with her other hand.
"My muscles are fine. My mana levels feel more normal now. Still feels a bit like I might get mana poisoning."
Bending down, she reached for a boulder and grabbed it in one hand.
Then, she squeezed. The stone cracked and crumbled under the pressure from her fingers.
She flipped her hand and shook, scattering the pile of debris.
"Not bad. Not bad at all"
She checked her body. Rubbing her hands again her abdominal muscles, and then down to her thighs.
"Ahh.." She moaned. Being strong feels good.
"Look, Ria." She blurted out, turning her head.
The cavern was still. Only the sound of the howling wind outside.
"How long was I out here? I really need to get back to Ria."
She checked around the cavern.
Her gear piled up in one corner. Her living armour, lying dormant in a puddle. Her handcannon, its barrel deformed. Broken pieces of her old swords. Just a single throwing dagger left.
She picked up the sword she salvaged from the demon she defeated in the mana vein.
It was still intact.
"Finally a sturdy sword. I wonder what it's made of. Too bad it has poor mana resonance with me. I can't seem to activate the runes."
The handle was just short of allowing her to hold it with both hands.
She began drilling. Basic swings. Slightly wobbles for just a brief moment.
After several sets, she put down the sword and stretched.
"This will suffice for now. I could have sworn this sword had more weight."
Her nose twitched.
She turned around and found several pots of meat. They were cooked but had gone cold. There was also a pot of fresh water melted from the snow. A layer of sediment had formed at the bottom.
"Ah, that half wyvern. She didn't do anything while I was asleep. Maybe I should wait for her to get back."
She took a gulp of water.
Putting down the pot, she placed both hands flat on the ground, straightened her body in a plank and began doing push ups.
Then squats. The cavern shook as she did her high knees.
Repeat. And Repeat. And repeat.
Huff* Huff*. Hikari wiped off the sweat on her forehead.
It was several sets short of what she usually does.
Her heavier body drains her stamina quicker than what she was used to.
But a decent workout nonetheless. It made her feel much better.
She sat down, wolfed one pot of meat after the other. Once done, she drank most of the water in the last pot.
She stood up and dipped her finger into the pot. The last bit of water moved on its own, spiralling up her arm, and then around her entire body, scrubbing off the sweat and grim with its whirling momentum.
"I feel clean. I don't recall my telekinesis being this strong."
Holding out her hand, she focused her power onto a stone formation protruding from the roof of the cavern. A crack appeared down its center as Hikari squeezed, crumbling into dust the next moment.
"My magic has definitely gotten stronger."
She studied her hand as the mana dissipates.
Cough! She felt a sudden eruption of nauseousness.
"Mana poisoning? Haven't had that in a while. I might have absorbed a little too much. No matter, it's not too serious."
She sat down and meditated. Her mana flow gradually stabilized.
Swoosh! Ella emerged from the opening below the cavern. A giant green caterpillar hanging from her claw. She flew to the ceiling, doing a back flip, threading the caterpillar onto a hook hanging from the ceiling before landing on all fours.
Hikari opened her eyes and saw Ella in a submissive position before her. Her chin touching the ground. Her wings folded and her tail wagging.
"(Mistress, did you have a good rest?)"
Hikari felt her ears ringing as Ella's words echoed through her head. She was hearing it in the common tongue used throughout the RazenHeir territory
The syllables did not match her lips. And yet, she could decipher their meaning.
"You speak?"
"(Yes, Mistress. While you rest, I awakened your rune word)"
Hikari felt nauseous again.
She stood up and took several deep breaths. The ringing in her ears fades after a while.
"You understand me?"
"(Yes, mistress)"
Hikari paused.
"Bring me an empty pot." Hikari asked.
"(Yes, mistress)"
The half wyvern crawled to the pile of empty pots that Hikari cleaned up earlier. She picked one up with her jaw, crawled back to Hikari and placed the pot at her feet.
"So you can understand me."
"(Yes, mistress, of course)"
Hikari stared at the half wyvern. Her tail wagged enthusiastically as she scanned her.
"(Mistress, your feet are sweaty again. May your servant lick it clean for you?"
Hikari tilts her head and looks at her. The tail wagged even more excitedly.
"Oh? You wish to lick my feet?"
"Yes mistress, may your servant Ella lick your feet clean?"
Hikari tilts her foot backwards and checks it. It was indeed quite filthy. Her trick with wrapping the water around her body with her telekinesis wasn't good at cleaning her feet.
"Do you know what that means?"
Ella gave her a curious look.
"(Yes, mistress. Beta Wyverns cleans the alpha wyvern's claws to show their submission. They get to eat part of the excess scale and claw tooth to strength their own.)"
"Where did you learn those words?"
Ella tilts her head.
"(How do you mean, mistress?)"
"Alpha, beta. Those are contemporary words."
"(Ah, Ella has spent time in the human realms)"
"Interesting."
Hikari bent down and lifted the half wyvern by the chin.
She felt a cooling sensation on her finger tip.
Their eyes met.
"I'm your mistress?"
"(Yes, mistress. Without a doubt you are. You said you would return. Ella has been waiting for you.)" Ella wags her tail.
"What was my name?" Hikari asked.
Ella paused. Then, her lips moved but the words were silent.
Her voice rings in Hikari's head and yet she hears nothing.
Hikari felt a sudden sharp pain in her head, as though a nail was hammered into her skull.
Her vision blurred. Her ears were ringing.
She blacked out.
Huff* Huff*. She breathed heavily as she opened her eyes again. Her vision was blurred for a brief moment.
"(mistress? Are you alright?)" She heard Ella's voice inside her head again.
"I'm fine. What was that?" Hikari rested her hand on her temple.
"(it appears that mistress is not yet fully awakened. Ella will follow mistress and help her awaken.)"
Hikari looks at the half wyvern. Her tail seemed to be perpetually wagging away happily in her presence.
"So you want to serve me?"
"(Yes, mistress, always)"
Hikari paused. She studied the half wyvern.
Her eager expression. Her submissive position, chin on the ground. Her wagging tail.
Then she shuffled her feet, standing legs spread out over her.
She folded her arms. She stared down the golden abyssal of the half wyvern's eyes.
"Kiss… my foot."