A Wolf's Howl, A Fairy's Wing

It was a strange feeling, stepping into another dimension like this. 'It feels kind of like what stepping through a soap bubble might feel like. Except it doesn't pop, letting you walk through it instead,' he thought to himself in wonder.

When he finally stood inside the circular hallway, the atmosphere felt strangely familiar, yet also different. Most of all, however, it felt ancient. Like the weight of thousands of years pressing down on him.

It was a strange feeling.

"Fascinating…" Elora's voice sounded in his head, full of wonder. "Whoever created this is a genius! I don't know what this dimension was like before Earth awakened, but at the moment, it somehow seems to blend together the atmosphere of the world outside with a far more aetherium rich environment."

"You mean…" Erik mumbled as he started to understand what she was talking about.

"Right, right!" she mentally nodded with enthusiasm. "In here, not only do you still get the enhancing effects of cultivating in an awakening world, but you get to do it in an environment that is as saturated with aetherium as Söl, or any other fully awakened world! Even my advancement would get a serious boost here!"

"So do you think they got the aetherium they needed to operate all those sigils and advance first rankers from this place?" Erik wondered.

"Maybe?" Elora shrugged without losing her sudden enthusiasm. "Add it to the list of things we have to ask that construct!"

Erik chuckled at Elora's sudden burst of passion for this place, although he had to admit to feeling some of the same. While he was already over half-way to the third-rank, his advancement was going much too slow for his liking due to the fact he had to cultivate two systems at the same time.

Perhaps this place would offer a solution of sorts.

First, however, he had to quickly make room for the women advancing from behind him.

He took a step forward, allowing the four others with him to step inside and marvel at the feeling of being in a aetherium saturated environment.

"Whoa," they all mumbled at the same time as aetherium nearly forced itself inside their bodies, improving their power. Even Alice and Astrid found their absorption rate increase despite not even training, as was usually the requirement for aetherium to permeate into Runebound bodies.

Before they could marvel more at this feeling, however, Eira floated up to Erik and beckoned enthusiastically to one of the doors. "Come, come! Let me show you around!"

It seemed Eira was barely acknowledging the other people in the room and focusing her attention on Erik. But perhaps that wasn't strange, considering Erik was the person she had been waiting 8000 years for.

Yet, Erik wasn't ready to explore yet. He wanted answers first.

So held up his hands and tried to temper Eira's enthusiasm a little. "Hold up, hold up. I appreciate your eagerness, Eira, but I'd like to ask you some questions first."

"I— uh, questions?" Eira mumbled a little dejectedly as her slightly dimmed gaze panned between Erik and the door she was floating in front off. "But… don't you want to see the place?"

Erik chuckled at the constructs easily readable emotions. Clearly, this girl had been looking forward to showing what was presumably her home to him.

Unfortunately for her, he remained adamant and stared into Eira's bright brown eyes. "Of course I do, Eira. What could be better than being shown around by a pretty girl like you?"

Immediately, Eira's eyes lit up again. Erik had quickly discovered that compliments were the way to this girl's heart.

"Hehehehe, I'm glad you understand," she chuckled a little bashfully. "So then why don't we…!" she began eagerly, but was quickly interrupted by a slightly smirking Erik. "It's just that, with all these questions distracting me, I'm afraid I might not be able to give your tour my full attention."

His interruption caused Eira to pout, but she did eventually sigh and approach Erik again. "Fine, fine… I guess that does make sense," she mumbled and ate up Erik's bullshit like a kid in a candy store. "What do you want to know?"

"Well, let's start with where exactly we are," he suggested.

This question seemed to fire up Eira once again as she smiled brightly and spread her arms. "This is my home! And now yours as well! It's a separate dimension that was created from a chunk of the world outside, back when it was still awakened! It is here to help the Harbinger in his mission!"

"Well, if we needed any more confirmation that Earth was once awakened, then there we have it…" Erik mumbled softly to himself, before asking his next question. "Okay, next question. Why do you call me Harbinger?"

Eira became a little uncomfortable as she poked her fingers together awkwardly. "Well, I… I mean, my mistress always refers to you, the firstborn during the awakening, as Harbinger, so…"

"So you do as well, but you have no idea why she calls me that?" Erik finished her sentence, slightly exasperated.

Eira nodded sheepishly, seemingly sad she couldn't provide him with a better answer.

"Well, can't you ask her? My mother's letter seemed to suggest you were in contact with your mistress," Erik wondered curiously.

This question only seemed to make her sadder, as small tears even appeared in her eyes. "N— No, I… When I woke up two years ago for my monthly check-in I couldn't contact her anymore… I— I don't know why…"

Yet, her tears disappeared as quickly as they came when she looked at Erik again. Now, a bright and hopeful smile appeared on her slightly transparent face. "But I didn't lose hope! And look! Everything will be alright now, because you're here! Mistress has brought you back, and now you can find her, and free her!"

Suddenly, her attitude towards him so far made a lot more sense to Erik and Elora. Sure, she was a bright and energetic girl whose sole objective for 8000 years had been to wait for his arrival, but now, he also somehow represented her best chance to reunite with her mistress? Read more adventures at m-vl-em-pyr

It was no wonder she felt so attached to him.