"How do you feel?" Paige asked as Levi stood up awkwardly, each movement slow and deliberate.

  She had distracted him momentarily, but he had returned to staring down at his body, examining each limb carefully. His new, faintly glowing white eyes scanned over every inch. He cocked his head from side to side as he took himself in.

  Then his gaze drifted up to Paige and he began examining her in a similar way. "Not quite the same. But I still see something," He said shaking his head.

  "Levi!" Paige yelled, drawing his attention from whatever it was he was focused on. "How do you feel?" She asked again.

  Levi jerked when Paige yelled, his eyes finally meeting hers. "I feel incredible. It feels like I'm boosting myself by 100% right now, but I'm not. It's a little different, though... it's going to take some getting used to." Levi looked down at his hand again before his eyes snapped back up to Paige. "But more importantly, I can see the energy following through me. I can kind of see it in you, too, but not as well." Levi looked around. "I can see energy everywhere. At least a little. But my Go..." Levi looked back down at his hands and body. "It is as clear as day to me."

  "Can you..." Paige hesitated, trying not to sound like an asshole. The truth was that the glowing white eyes were kind of creeping her out. But she'd feel bad if she actually said that, especially considering her own cat-like pupils. "Are you able to turn it off?"

  "I don't know." He answered. He immediately corrected himself. "Well, yeah, I guess I can."

  Paige relaxed as she watched his eyes slowly lose their glow and fade to normal, not just because the white glow had been creepy, but because it gave her some reassurance that he was the same Levi. "You really feel okay, though? You feel like you?"

  "Yeah, like I said, I feel incredible. Why do you seem so worried?"

  "Just something Big'un said while you were upgrading your Core. It kind of made me feel a little anxious." Paige admitted.

  Levi's brows furrowed and a frown formed on his face. "What did he say?" He looked around to find the white buffalo, but Big'un had apparently already done his disappearing act.

  Paige turned away from Levi and waved a hand dismissively. "Nothing. It really wasn't that big of a deal."

  "No, seriously, what did he say that had you worried?" Levi reached out to grab Paige's arm and felt a flicker of Go flood the limb, entirely unbidden. His hand shot out like a rocket and his grip formed way too tight right on Paige's arm. He immediately released her arm, but it was too late.

  "Oww. What the fuck Levi?" Paige hissed, spinning to face Levi. Her pupils were tightly slitted as she glared, her bared teeth were sharp, and she was tensed and ready to strike.

  Levi took a step back and raised his palms toward Paige. "I'm sorry. That was an accident. I swear. This Core upgrade... My movements... I have to learn how to control it. I swear, I didn't mean to grab you like that. I just wasn't expecting to move with that much speed or strength."

  Paige's eyes narrowed and her pupils stayed slitted for a moment before she finally relaxed and rubbed at where he'd grabbed her arm. "Damn. And that's at normal stats, no boosting? That fucking hurt."

  "I don't know." Levi relaxed a little and let his arms hang to his sides before shrugging. "I felt some Go flow into my movements, but it was a really small amount. If it was boosted, it was entirely unintentional. I am sorry."

  Paige nodded and relaxed. Her pupils didn't quite turn into orbs, but they relaxed from the tight 'killing intent' slits they had been. "So we're definitely not sparring until you get that under control." After a moment Paige huffed. "Damn. I really thought I had gotten a decent lead on you, too."

  Levi laughed softly. "I think you still have a good lead. There's a chance, and that's a big maybe, that I can trounce you in a spar now, but only if I go all out from the beginning. But I'd be entirely useless and out of Go afterwards. Don't think I didn't realize how easy you took it on me last time."

  A grin slowly and reluctantly spread across Paige's face. "Oh. You noticed that, huh?"

  "Yeah, I noticed. And your build and kit are way more sustainable than mine. You barely even consume stamina or mana, unless it is for heals. So even if I can beat you now by going all in immediately, if you can draw the fight out long enough, I'm pretty sure you can beat me."

  Paige looked down at her arm where Levi had grabbed it. "Yeah. It did hurt, but it would have barely registered if we'd been sparring. Just kind of surprised me in the moment. I don't even think it will bruise." Paige looked up and met Levi's eyes. "Congrats on upgrading your Core, by the way. Guess I should have told you sooner."

  Levi started to smile, then his face grew serious again. "Thank you. But you can't get out of answering the question that easily. What did Big'Un say?"

  "Ugh," Paige said turning away from Levi again. "It was just a small comment. He uh... he said you might have a hard time adjusting to it, is all."

  Levi eyed Paige with suspicion. "That doesn't exactly sound like a reason to be too worried. Is that what he really said?"

  "Yup," Paige answered.

  A flutter of wings broke into the conversation as Grumpy found a perch on a nearby limb. "She isn't telling you the truth of it, Master Levi. The oaf insinuated that you may no longer be human after the change," the crow interjected in his squawking voice.

  Paige turned to gawk at the crow. "Really?"

  Grumpy ruffled his feathers in a shrug and shifted his feet back and forth along the tree limb. "Well, he deserves to know, Miss. I've had enough with you dodging around business to last me my lifetime, I have."

  "Did he really say that?" Levi asked somberly.

  Paige slowly turned her gaze to Levi. "It was more of a hint, really. But it wasn't clear."

  Levi nodded and spread his arms in response. "Well, guess he was wrong. Here I am. Human. But I will definitely ask him about that the next time I see him."

  Paige gave a guilty nod in response. "Maybe you should. I don't know what he meant, but it had me on edge." Then Paige swiveled to Grumpy. "And you're a traitor, by the way."

  "Not traitor. Am Master's special boy," Grumpy cawed in a mocking tone, imitating Hemlock, Grace's familiar.

  Levi snorted, despite the seriousness of the situation. "He'd be offended if he heard that."

  "Mate's head is so far up the Witch's ass I doubt he hears anything that hasn't passed through her first, and he's too dull to understand the joke even if he did," Grumpy answered.

  Paige straightened with a sudden enthusiasm. "Hey, is he the one who was always getting yelled at for saying stupid stuff when we first became friends?" Paige sagged a little as she continued. "Still... he is technically one of my beast friends. I kind of feel bad for making fun of him."

  Grumpy cocked an eye at Paige. "Aye, Miss. He's the one. And you don't go feeling too bad for poking fun."

  "Well, he is supposed to be my friend..." Paige said reluctantly.

  Grumpy cocked his head the other direction. "Aye Miss. Tis true, tis true. But you're a friend to all us crows aren't you, with a closer bond to me, to be sure. And I'll tell you true, there isn't a proper crow in the world that couldn't see that he's a dozen kernels away from being a cob, if you get my meaning."

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  Paige's serious face slowly spread into a smirk. "Well, I'm not the one who said it, but I did always wonder if his mother was mid-flight when she laid that egg."

  'Hahaha,' Grumpy bellowed with loud caws. "Now that's a right crow joke if I ever heard one."

  ----

  "Are you sure you can glide down without crashing into a wall?" Levi asked with an eyebrow raised.

  Paige shrugged. "I mean... I'm sure that if I do smash into a wall I will either be able to recover before hitting the bottom or the fall won't kill me. And there's no wind, so I really only have to worry about the fog throwing me off. Once I make it through that...smooth sailing."

  "I don't know, Paige. It seems like a huge risk."

  Paige shot Levi a stern look and huffed out a breath.

  Levi raised his palms in surrender. He felt like he'd been doing that an awful lot lately. "Okay. Damn. Sorry, I'll trust you. I just worry about you. Is that such a bad thing?"

  "It is when you aren't trusting me." Then Paige put her hands on her hips and cocked her head. "And remind me, what's your plan to get down there?"

  "Oh come on..." Levi argued through a guilty smile.

  "Right. So, of the two plans, yours is definitely the dumbest. So maybe stop questioning mine."

  Levi laughed. "Fair enough. But I know it will work."

  "I say you're both idiots," Grumpy squawked from behind the two. "I think you'll both make it down just fine, but how in bloody hell do you plan on getting back up?"

  Paige and Levi both glanced at the crow and then back to each other. They shrugged simultaneously.

  "We'll figure it out." Paige said.

  "Yeah, pretty sure it will be easier to find a path from the bottom. Worst case scenario, we climb the rocks. Hard but easily doable for both of us." Levi added.

  "Yeah, see, we do have a plan," Paige argued. "You're just being grumpy, Grumpy."

  The crow cocked his head to eye Paige. For a few long seconds, Grumpy only stared with one eye. Then he ruffled his feathers. "Guess I'll start scouting for paths, again." Then, as he took flight, Grumpy spoke to Paige through telepathy. 'Not enough corn in the world for this. Gonna lose every feather I have, I will.'

  'I'll have Grace... I'll find someone to make a potion if you start losing feathers. You're the best, Grumpy,' Paige sent across their bond.

  The crow only squawked in annoyance as his glide sent him into the canyon.

  Paige turned back to Levi. "You ready to do this?" She asked.

  Her body was already shifting as she triggered her Ability Formed by Friendship, taking on the form of a crow, and shifted her Share Traits to Crow Wings and Avian Instincts.

  It had actually taken Paige a while to even realize she could use a second Share Traits slot for something other than Avian Bone Density. She'd been using it because her body was normally too heavy for the wings. It had taken her a while to realize that her bone density decreased when she used her Ability for the crow form. Once she had, it had been a game changer.

  Paige still couldn't fly. But, she could glide like it was second nature. She also had the feeling that if she could just unlock a third Share Traits slot or upgrade her Ability, she just might be able to tackle flight. Paige was also hopeful there were Abilities or Skills she could unlock that hadn't become available yet. Worst case scenario, she could gain wings as a permanent physical manifestation. It would be inconvenient in combat, but she could make it work.

  Levi stared back at Paige, brows furrowed and mouth slightly open.

  "What?" Paige's voice came out raspier and higher pitched than normal, more how a bird sounded than a human.

  "Not going to lie, that's probably your creepiest form. You do realize your lips get all hard and pointy like a beak and your eyes kind of... drift apart. You look like the unfortunate offspring between two siblings of some terrible experiment."

  "Rude." Paige squawked.

  "Hey, I'm just shooting you straight. I swear, we're getting a mirror as soon as we get to a safezone," Levi joked.

  "Awhhh. No kissess for me then?" Paige asked, purposefully stressing her bird-like voice. She leaned toward Levi and tried to make kissing noises, but the clacking of her beak-like lips drove Levi's point home even further.

  Levi gave a small chuckle as he leaned away from her and stuck a hand out to block her advance. "Celebratory kisses at the bottom, after you change back and we heal up anything we end up injuring on the way down."

  "Awhh. Does Levi not love his special girl?" Paige asked, clacking her beak again.

  Levi suddenly stiffened and scratched at the back of his head. "I mean I...I-I..I don-"

  Paige quickly realized what she'd said that had put Levi on the spot and tried to recover. "I'm joking, obviously," She cut in, pushing his shoulder with a hand that looked more like a bird's talons. It came across as forced, and she knew it, but it did what it was meant to do.

  Levi instantly relaxed. "Yeah I know..." He gave one last scratch at the back of his head before shifting the topic. "So, race you to the bottom? Last one down heals the other one... I mean good chance we'll have to, at least." He said as he leaned over the cliff and stared into the fog below.

  Paige suddenly grew serious. "No race. Let's just get down there safely, and then we both win."

  Levi turned back to her, face tightening into determination. "Yeah, probably for the best. Be safe," he said, before leaning forward and giving her a peck on her cheek. Then Levi ignited.

  His energy, what he called 'Go' and Paige was determined to rename, engulfed his entire body. White wisping flames danced across his skin, accompanied by sporadic crackles similar to electricity. The energy shifted and clung to his muscles with even the smallest movements, responding even as he shifted his weight, as his diaphragm pulled air into his lungs, with every subtle change of his expression... even when he blinked. Paige honestly thought that part was kind of hot.

  But his eyes took on their eerie, inhuman white glow. It wasn't just the glow, Paige realized. What made them truly eerie was the way emotion drained from his face, replaced by a pure, almost clinical, examination of everything they fell upon. She didn't like the way it felt when those eyes looked at her. It was like watching someone who'd always seen her suddenly look right through her. The thought that it could ever be permanent terrified her. She didn't know if she'd be able to handle it.

  As if to drive her thoughts home, Levi gave her a long look, his gaze staring emotionless as he examined from her feet to her head and back down again.

  "Interesting," Levi said as his eyes scanned over Paige. "I can see your Ability and Skill at work, now. It is faint. I will have to spend a lot of time to see it properly. It's beautiful. Elegant in a way my own Core, and even the deeper Core, could never be."

  Part of Paige really loved that he'd called her, or the way her Abilities and Skills worked, beautiful. Another part of her felt like it came across the same way a serial killer said someone's skin was beautiful. It was disturbing.

  She didn't think Levi would harm her, even when he was in this state. Yet it sent a shiver up her spine when she saw his empty, expressionless face and emotionless white eyes examine her, see through her, on a level she couldn't even understand.

  "You know what, maybe a race isn't a bad idea, after all," Paige said trying to twist her beak-like mouth into a smile. "Ready, set, go!"

  Then Paige leapt from the cliff's edge, spreading her wings and finding her way into a quick, spiraling descent.

  ----

  Levi used a small amount of Go to boost his perception, watching Paige as she leapt into her glide. It felt like minutes passed as he watched her stabilize in the air. She hated when he activated his sight. He knew it. Even in her crow-form, her expressions were obvious.

  But knowing was not understanding. That frustrated Levi. Why did his new abilities bother her so much?

  After a moment, Levi took a deep breath and settled his thoughts. He'd try to find a way to talk to her about it. It would be delicate. He had to make sure he didn't sound accusing when he brought it up. But, he would find a way to slip it into conversation. He couldn't ignore it. It was who he was, now. He hoped she'd understand that and still be happy with him.

  Suddenly Levi's stomach knotted. As he stared over the cliff and watched Paige, he was forced to straighten and take another deep breath to stop himself from throwing up.

  'It must be a mild fear of heights,' Levi lied to himself. Then he followed Paige, and jumped.

  As he fell, he straightened his body, keeping his legs together and his arms tight at his sides. The air rippled around him as he plummeted. Yet, Levi didn't try to slow himself until he had passed Paige. A glimpse of black in his peripheral vision and the sound of her wings were all he needed to know he had taken the lead.

  Levi immediately began pushing barriers out beneath his feet to slow his fall. The first made his knees buckle under the resistance, so he used less Go for the next two. Then he was through the fog and still moving far too fast. He tried to trigger the barrier beneath his feet faster, in a rapid succession, but it seemed to barely slow him down more than the speed he gained between each burst. And the ground was approaching fast.

  In desperation, Levi triggered a more potent barrier. It was too strong. As he felt his feet impact and his knees buckle, he instinctively rolled to take less damage. He felt the shock through his legs, even as he rolled off his barrier into a tumble. His mind went blank for a moment as his world spun and he tried to recover. The ground was coming too fast.

  Unable to get a grasp on what was up and what was down, Levi boosted his mind to regain his control. As the world slowed down and Levi's mind oriented itself, he realized the ground was already way too close. Out of pure reflex, Levi pushed out another barrier. As he felt himself slam into it with bone breaking force, he wondering if it wouldn't have been better to just hit the ground instead. Then everything went black.

  When Levi awoke, the ringing in his ears was slowly giving way to the sound of a roaring waterfall. He knew Paige was the one healing him, unless the buffalo decided to show back up for a random act of kindness.

  As his head cleared, Levi rolled to sit up, only to find Paige glaring down. Her buffalo horns still glowed golden, which meant she was still healing him.

  "I thought you were sure you could do it without getting hurt. You did say that right?" Paige growled.

  Levi looked up sheepishly, before trying to shrug. A sharp pain shot through his shoulder, making him immediately drop his arm back down. "Well... You're the one who turned it into a race."

  Paige glared at Levi for a few more seconds before turning away. The glow from her horns dimmed, and then the horns shrank and disappeared altogether. "Well, congrats. You won, I guess."

  As Levi pushed himself to his feet, the lingering pain in his shoulder informed him that Paige hadn't quite healed him completely.