Melvine stepped into the bubble first, gait rigid and steps barely stable. Jared shook his team, patting them on the back and whispering until they were back to the present, finally realizing that they were alone again.

  One by one, they stumbled into the bubble before it took flight, swiftly returning to the carts. Surprisingly, or perhaps unsurprisingly, not a single monster had targeted them while they battled for the treasure, for all of the monsters were finished off by the Masters. Lev was also keeping half of his aura unrestricted, which attracted them all towards him in the first place.

  We're alive still. He sighed for the tenth time as Melvine left the bubble first. She took her usual driver's seat, shoulders slumping after finding solace in the comfort of normalcy.

  They had indeed survived.

  One by one, all of the Masters jumped off, leaving Lev alone in the bubble. Making a decision, he also parked the bubble on the last cart and tied it firmly before getting out. A few hops later, he stood on top of the first cart and called out to Melvine.

  "Are you going to stay awake?" Lev asked once she turned to him. "I can keep watch if you need to rest and recover."

  She shook her head and replied in a barely audible whisper. "I'll be fine."

  He nodded and didn't press her. Instead, Lev jumped inside the cart and spoke to the non-combatants inside.

  "Can you guys vacate this cart for a few hours?" he asked bluntly. A few glances were shared, and before long, he was alone in the spacious transport. It was a good thing, too, for the moment he summoned a comfortable bedroll for himself, Lev wasn't even aware if he was on top of it or not before passing out.

  ****

  Lev rarely dreamed. He didn't know if it was because his sleep was never deep enough or if his memory was bad at remembering them, but dreaming was something he didn't experience often.

  That was why he looked around in surprise after realizing he was currently dreaming. All around him, the vast, endless majesty of the cosmos was laid bare, all for his extremely enhanced eyes to drink in.

  Wherever he looked, stars and planets shone in the distance, mere dots on the horizon. Even then, each stood out in stark clarity, painting a scenery that he could spend hours, if not days, appreciating.

  Where the hell am I, though?

  The thought was muted for all the wrong reasons. A slight alarm pierced his psyche when he realized his brain was sluggish. Eyes darting around, Lev realized that he could no longer move, either.

  Stuck and powerless, he could only wait for something to happen, but nothing changed. Seconds elongated, and when every moment felt like eternity, warning bells started ringing in his mind with startling intensity after he felt himself freeze even further.

  It felt as if time had stopped completely and reality itself was holding him in place, constricting him.

  What's happening?

  Colors were slowly becoming darker as his gaze nervously flitted around. The range of movement was also gradually shrinking, and within instants that felt like years, he could no longer move his eyes and could only stare ahead.

  Finally, there was movement. Something approached, something he had no business ever laying his eyes on. It was too fast, too strong, and so unbelievably beyond him that a single brush of its existence shattered the dreamscape, throwing him back to reality.

  ****

  Lev woke up with a start. Rapidly blinking, he pulled back his aura that was fully unleashed, displaying hints of terror and desperation. The emotions faded quickly when he regained consciousness, and even the nightmare was swiftly fleeing his memory.

  Within seconds, he could only blankly stare ahead, unable to remember a single detail of why he was feeling so worked up and rattled.

  … Weird ass dream. What did it show me to evoke a reaction like that?

  Like everything else on that cursed planet, there were no answers. He could only sigh to himself and fly out of the cart's trapdoor, noticing that more than three hours had passed based on the sun's location.

  "You alright?" Melvine's shout reached him. Lev walked to the edge and showed her his face, confirming that he was fine.

  "Just some weird dream," he replied and sat down at the edge. "Don't even remember anything. Is Jared's team still sleeping?"

  "They required a lot more time than you to calm down, and even more to fall asleep. Those guys don't exactly compare to us in terms of mental fortitude."

  Mental fortitude, huh?

  Lev wondered how strong his mental fortitude was, as well. He understood that life was one misstep away from coming to an end. The eagle could've taken offense to the way he breathed, and that would be it.

  No number of Exalted would save him. Not even Hakim.

  Yet, here he was, still alive and carrying on the mission assigned to him. It made little sense, but it also made a lot of sense. He had come close to dying way too many times now— it was almost second nature for him to survive by the skin of his teeth.

  His hands still trembled, though. The memory of looking up to find a fourth-threshold being instead of empty air was never going to be forgotten, and the accompanying emotions were also never going to lose their intensity.

  A new scar had been carved on his mind, one that would serve as an excellent reminder of his mortality going forward.

  Neither of them spoke after that, too lost in their memories. Jared's team gradually woke up over the next two hours, the mages requiring more rest than Rosy, who was up earliest.

  She also hopped over to the first cart and sat down at the edge, legs dangling. A nod was sent towards Lev and Melvine, both of whom absently acknowledged her before returning to their musings.

  A few minutes later, Lev stepped back into his bubble that hovered above the cart. Notifications were waiting for him.

  The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

  [

  Arcane Barrier Authority has reached 4th Level 4

  Superior Senses has reached 4th Level 5

  Consistent Mana Channeling has reached 2nd Level 10

  Advanced Mana Perception has reached 2nd Level 9

  ]

  Not bad… I guess.

  With a deep breath, he closed the screens and waited for Drakys or Sherron to arrive. They were sure to know what had transpired, and the fact that they hadn't come to see them meant that there was no more danger, or at least, none that could compare to that eagle.

  The humans were still out in the open, however. Monsters continued to assault from all sides, and this time, Lev simply decimated them with waves of arrows. Stargazer's regeneration was funneled into the projectiles to let his own mana pool regenerate to full.

  [

  You have slain [Direbear - Level 255]

  …

  You have slain [Troll Warrior - Level 191]

  …

  You have slain [Galeworm - Level 130]

  ]

  Killing monsters from afar with such ease was oddly therapeutic. While he was often reminded of how weak he was and how little he mattered in the grand scheme of things, a lot was going well for him, too. All of his advantages let him decimate waves of monsters without any trouble, and the power displayed on his status was nothing to scoff at, either.

  What a shit day. Lev eventually concluded with a tired sigh. The suns were close to setting, and given the lack of action, he detected Sherron's approaching presence a few seconds before she stopped above the carts.

  This time, she was more mindful of how she stopped. The hunters had just gone through a traumatic experience, after all. Lowering, she landed on top of his bubble first and jumped inside when an opening formed for her.

  Lev was already standing and waiting for the hug that came with heightened fervor. Sherron didn't speak at first, content with letting him sort through the mess that was his mind.

  "I'm still alive," he eventually said with a small chuckle. Some amusement appeared on Sherron's face, who shook her head.

  "Guess I can say the same, then."

  Lev blinked. "What?"

  She summoned a chair for herself and waved for him to sit down. "The eagle found me on the way here. Turns out, its feathers let it interact with light and turn itself invisible. Hidden inside a sphere of those, I couldn't detect it until the eagle was right in front of me."

  He only stared at her, waiting for the Exalted to continue while mentally preparing to make an enemy of a powerful creature if it had dared to hurt her-

  "Your aura is leaking," she said, flicking his forehead and bringing him back to the present. "Nothing happened. She just looked at me and left."

  "She?" Lev echoed, sighing in relief.

  "Mhm. I got that distinct impression from a brief introductory pulse of its aura. That was quite the thing to experience."

  "So… she just happened to find you on the way?"

  "Maybe?" Sherron shrugged a shoulder. "Can't say for certain."

  He changed the topic. "Why do you think she took the original feather, and where is Drakys?"

  "He was busy dealing with all the other stronger monsters that wanted a piece of you or the feather. As for the feather, I'm assuming she took it for her hatchlings. Treasures like that are great for practicing your skills, so it's safe to assume that they do more for beasts and their growth."

  Lev took a moment to digest that. Both feathers radiated clear auras that focused on specific concepts, such as wind manipulation or mana control. Sherron probably meant that the influence helped with matching skills and somehow made them better, which begged the question of whether he could ever find a barrier treasure.

  "So, what now?"

  The Exalted didn't need to consider the answer. "Straight to the Deadlands. We will drop off the non-combatants and hunters at the planned location, do a thorough combing of the surroundings, and then take you to that location."

  "Wait…" Lev stared at her, unblinking. "That wasn't the event Mara predicted?"

  "Nope."

  "… What? What do you mean? I was standing mere meters away from a fourth-threshold monster. Surely that counts as something inherently safe but unbelievably dangerous?"

  She sighed, storing her chair and getting up. "I asked Mara if you're in the clear, and the answer was a very clear no."

  Lev made an exit in the bubble for her, and they both jumped down on top of the first cart. No one else was there except Melvine in her usual spot.

  "Just life being life again," he mused with a tired smile, somehow not even bothered. "Is it bad that I'm sort of excited?"

  "Very."

  "Huh. I think I need to sleep more."

  "Maybe," she replied, taking Lev's usual corner spot. He gave her a flat glance before sitting next to her, a bit further away from the corner. "Or maybe you're just getting used to being pushed into extraordinary situations. It has been that way since your birth."

  "Hmm," Lev voiced absently, staring at the darkening horizon. "How is everyone else doing?"

  "Alec is on another break," Sherron answered with a smile. "He's actually overlooking your team right now, guiding them with only tips and nudges. In the short time I was there, they probably asked a hundred questions about you."

  "That's… not surprising, I guess."

  "Orianna is still stationed in Whitefall. She pushed herself for once. The last few weeks have resulted in her gaining another level, and I think she plans to leave for the forest in the upcoming months."

  Melvine was listening intently by then, too. Lev leaned forward after pushing himself back a bit until he could pull his legs on top of the cart. Hugging them, he rested his head on his knees while thinking about the implications.

  Orianna was strong, probably one of the strongest Masters currently alive. If she were to become an Exalted, humanity would see an immense boost to its chances of survival. Unfortunately, her demons were just as haunting, and given her kind nature, it was understandable why she didn't make the decision to leave lightly.

  The walls she always protected had fallen more than just once or twice.

  "You know," he began slowly, tossing the idea around in his head. "What if I go with her?"

  "I won't allow that," Sherron replied immediately. "Neither will Alec."

  "Why?"

  When no answer came, Lev thought it over. Putting himself in Orianna's shoes, he wondered what it would be like to have someone as precious as a little brother accompany you to a dangerous expedition.

  Not to toot my own horn, but I am quite strong. It's not like I'll be a burden.

  That line of thought yielded no plausible reasons, so he tried to analyze her psyche, even if it felt so wrong. Orianna found comfort in being present close to the Grand Forest, ready to act at a moment's notice to prevent history from repeating itself.

  Even then, he couldn't quite find a reason that would make Sherron refuse him so adamantly. It boiled down to either his presence making things go wrong at the best of times or the same presence requiring Orianna to make some form of choice. Both of which he would rather avoid, too.

  Breathing out, he changed the subject. "How's my team doing?"

  "Great by most standards," the Exalted answered, not questioning the change. "Exceptionally well when compared to average hunters. You're gonna have to keep Amelia in check."

  "I'm assuming she's discovering just how strong her class is."

  "That, and just how rewarding it is to risk her life."

  "And the other two allowed that?"

  "They're not much better than her, Lev. Your abrupt departure after something so traumatizing left a scar on them, too. They want to be next to you as soon as possible."

  That evoked mixed feelings. He didn't want them to put their lives in danger and rush the levels. Growing into the rapidly improving skills and attributes would be for the best, as would be taking their time to mentally adapt to their rocketing strength. Levels in their rank came quickly, after all.

  On the other hand, Lev missed them. More than he would ever admit. The part of him that refused to show vulnerability in front of people he barely knew put on a strong front, keeping his distance and focusing on training, but that didn't change the truth.

  The last few weeks had been so terribly lonely.