Hale Mountain.

Was it the tallest mountain of its kind in the Northern Ridge, those towering peaks that separated the lands of Aeternitus so severely from their neighbors on land?

Hardly.

It was just the tallest peak within a few weeks' travel from Nix City.

Despite the warmth of an early spring having allowed the buds in the city to bloom, Hale Mountain was still tipped with white. Its height was great.

Hopefully, it wouldn’t be necessary for Aureum to scale all of it.

It was probable that the mountain would have more wind than inside the city. The wind at such heights wouldn’t break against any trees or land for one. Still, nothing was certain. Nature doesn’t heed convenience.

In truth, Aureum couldn’t be bothered to wait, and there was more of a chance. All she needed was half an excuse.

So Aureum didn’t bother to double-check her sister’s choice. They left the same day they decided, allowing the other no room for second thoughts.

The letter sent to their parents was penned and planned entirely by Felixia. Who could only manage a few lines with Aureum interrupting her.

“Dear Father, and Mother,

I found Aureum, and she is in good spirits and health. But she is set to continue chasing after reforming her pearl. I’ve decided to accompany her in concern for her health. We’ll return within the week?”

Aureum turned the last sentence into a question. Felixia shrugged.

Certainly, the distance wouldn’t take that long for her. Felixia was quite skilled at reinforcing her body with mana.

Hopefully, that cloak works. And works well.

“Perfect then, fold it up and send it out, and let’s go.”

“Give it back! I still have to give my love!”

“They’ll be mad either way.”

Saying that Aureum offered the letter back with a languid hand. Felixia snatched it back and quickly scribbled out a few more words with an excessive motion for the signature. Aureum tapped her foot impatiently.

“Do you…

Felixia’s voice dropped off, the arm that held the letter out dropping at the same time.

“What. Do I look like I can send it off without mana? You want a miracle worker, not me.”

It had been convenient for Aureum to send nearby letters for the household.

Felixia held onto it instead. As they left, she gave it to a messenger outside the hotel.

Not everyone was a wind sorceress. And even wind sorcerers had different specialties from one another. Felixia had a wind pearl, but her training and skills focused on the physical. She could send it, but delivery wasn’t guaranteed. In fact, making it fly farther than a yard wasn't guaranteed.

The uses of mana were as varied as forms of art. Specific disciplines had different benefits. Felixia had no desire to control the wind outside her body, just the mana inside it.

The messenger nodded and started off as soon as the coins hit his hand. He and his compatriots were the daily runners of the city, as convenience demanded them. Mostly their lot was quick verbal messages, but they also got letters quicker than the postmen if it was within the city.

“Shall we be off?”

“Shouldn’t we get extra food?”

“Can’t we get it at the first stop?”

Aureum glared at her sister. Felixia smiled.

All right. What exactly is this pedantic twerp planning?

So they went to the North Gate instead. It was still open, and Felixia stopped. Aureum glanced at her out of the corner of her eye.

Felixia stretched.

“If we’re going to get back within the week, shouldn’t we hurry?”

Saying this, Felixia dashed forward. Aureum watched her sister with a deepening frown. Felixia was fast, dodging around the few passersby like a blur. It looked cool, but.

Sometimes those who trained their bodies forgot to consider those who hadn’t. Aureum wouldn’t have been able to keep up even if she still had her pearl.

Is she trying to get me to quit…?

As if this would change Aureum's mind.

Aureum shook her head and placed her luggage on the ground, rummaging through it in the middle of the gate.

The bag and items had been acquired yesterday with the money from the ring. Pulling out the burgundy cloak, she put it on.

Calling it a “cloak” might be a misnomer even if it was its proper name. It was a cloak firmly stitched to the vest underneath it. This helped would-be flyers from strangling themselves. The cloak also had large sleeves that connected with the majority of the cloak, and a thinner inner sleeve covering bits of the hand. Again, to distribute the weight a bit, and also help with control.

This was not the only intricacies the cloak had to deal with weight. The gift of flight was not mechanically made. The entire thing was embroidered with spells. This was why all Butterfly Cloaks had some sort of embroidery. Though it was not a requirement that embroidery be in the design of wings, it was the most common.

The entire garment still covered the full body, with the vest and sleeves being small deviations from the appearance of a normal cloak.

Aureum took her time tightening everything and checked the sky. It was sunny and clear.

“I hope this keeps up with her.”

She held onto her bag and took a running start in the direction of her sister. Felixia was long gone.

What is the point of your game if you don’t even look back?

There was nothing to do about it but leap. As the pawnbroker had directed. Her jump was normal.

Is this high enough?

For a moment, nothing. Then lift.

Aureum felt a little like a boat with full sails.

“Hah!”

Flying is great. Even like this. As expected.

She felt the wind, rushing against her face. Out of habit from last week, she tried to gather mana.

It still wasn’t enough.

She opened her eyes.

Maybe.

Maybe making a new pearl came with new challenges she couldn’t anticipate.

The doctor had said her condition was good. Aureum didn’t believe he lied. Then if the assumption was that he was correct... Hadn’t he also mentioned that all the excess mana in her body had been drained?

“The flow of mana didn’t go backwards, it just evaporated.”

Wasn’t that what he had said?

Just by living, all things accrue mana. Mana was a part of nature, perhaps the unseen essence of nature itself. Even a newborn baby has it, based on the mother and her environment.

Was she lacking even the amount that children had?

No wonder why her father had tried to pressure her into quitting.

Aureum shook her head.

If I lack mana, then I’ll just have to get more!

And if she failed?

Let's not think of that.

She could only try.

At least the wing cloak offered the option of jumping off the tip of Hale Mountain.

Beneath her, Aureum saw Felicia in the distance. Leaning forward, she felt on the edge of flipping over. It was annoying having to try and control her speed just by moving her arms. The entire process was awkward.

Despite its owner’s challenges, a shadow fell over Felixia. She looked up with a smile and waved.

“Don’t wave at me! Remember that I don’t have any mana to use to keep up with you! Be ashamed! Ashamed, I say!”

Felixia shook her head. Either she couldn’t hear her, or she couldn’t be bothered to reply. Aureum lowered herself. A wobbly, utterly inelegant procedure.

“Aren’t you here because you’re supposed to be looking out for me? How come you didn’t even look back?”

Aureum shouted down at her sister.

“What, were you unprepared? You’re fine!”

Felixia shouted up in return.

“I bought this, but I didn’t know if it would work!”

“Why did you buy it without figuring that out?!”

They were both shocked by the other’s attitude. But the distance meant they were incapable of fully expressing that displeasure.