Chapter 32 — Warden of Skies
Sky Above the Northern Forest
As Aureon carried me through the sky, wind roaring past us, I finally found my voice.
“You really could’ve waited a bit before taking off,” I muttered.
His voice echoed casually through the link.
“I’ve had a busy day. Forgive me for lacking dramatic farewell ceremonies.”
…This bird.
But he wasn’t wrong.
Today was insane.
“Eloran seemed happy,” Aureon continued. “I knew he’d like you. My hunch was right.”
I blinked.
“Wait. Knew? The moment you saw me, you ‘knew’?”
He paused.
“…Forget I said that.”
“How do you expect me to forget that?! And don’t think I forgot—you acted like you were going to eat me earlier. You knew the whole time, didn’t you?!”
Silence.
Then—
A laugh.
Not mocking.
Genuinely amused.
“I wanted to see your reaction,” Aureon admitted. “It was worth it.”
I froze.
“You—You’re unbelievable.”
“I know,” he replied smoothly.
He slowed.
Then stopped.
In the middle of the sky.
“…There it is.”
His tone changed.
Cold.
Focused.
Predatory.
I followed his gaze —
and saw it.
A mass inside the clouds.
Not a creature.
Not a storm.
Something wrong.
The air hummed.
Lightning flashed through mist — not blue…
but black-tinged, jagged, unstable.
The clouds twisted unnaturally, spiraling into an expanding vortex of devouring mana.
A Devourer.
Aureon spoke without looking at me.
“Storm Devourer.”
The thing turned — as if it felt Aureon.
The sky went silent for a heartbeat.
Then it screamed.
Not a sound.
A tearing of reality.
Lightning exploded outward — violent, destructive, uncaring.
“Hold tight,” Aureon said calmly.
Wings beat.
The sky shattered.
Clouds erupted backward in a massive shockwave, splitting open like the heavens themselves were afraid of him. We shot sideways — lightning tore through where we had just been.
And Aureon kept accelerating.
The Storm Devourer chased.
More lightning.
More ripping winds.
Thunder swallowing sound.
But none of it touched us.
He wasn’t just fast.
He was absolute.
Then…
he stopped running.
His entire aura shifted.
Majestic.
Dominating.
Godlike.
“Aureon…?”
He didn’t answer.
He hovered in open sky.
Spread his wings wide.
The world obeyed.
Heat surged.
Pressure built.
The air itself began to burn.
His golden feathers ignited, streaking with blazing lines of molten light. The sky darkened — not from clouds…
…but from him.
Fire gathered.
Wind howled.
And with a single, terrible beat of his wings—
A tornado of burning wind roared into existence.
It swallowed the Devourer whole.
Lightning shattered inside it.
Clouds evaporated.
The storm screamed as reality burned away.
Then…
Silence.
Nothing remained.
No pieces.
No ash.
Just mana…
breaking apart into shimmering particles,
scattering through the sky like falling stardust.
Except…
it didn’t scatter.
It drifted.
Toward us.
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No—
Toward me.
Like it recognized me.
Aureon moved instantly, wings slicing the air as he shot away at impossible speed. The world blurred back into existence.
“…That,” he said casually,
“was the tenth one today.”
I stared in stunned silence.
Tenth.
Today.
And he said it like he’d just finished errands.
“What… exactly is happening in this world…?”
He didn’t answer immediately.
His voice finally came through the link,
quiet…
and far less playful than usual.
“That,” Aureon said,
“is what worries me too.”
Then Aureon began to explain.
“Just as Kael and the others defend their territories against Devourers,” he said, voice steady through the link,
“I defend the skies… and whatever land I have to cross.”
I stared at the back of his head in silence.
So while Kael guarded the forest…
Aureon guarded the world above it.
Maybe he wasn’t that bad after all.
“…So was that why you were heading north?” I asked.
He went quiet for a moment.
“No,” he replied.
“That is another matter. And I cannot tell you any more.”
His tone wasn’t dismissive.
It was protective.
“Alright,” I said quietly.
The wind changed.
The forest reappeared beneath us.
Home.
The moment I climbed off his back—
I was crushed.
Not painfully.
Just… tackled.
Grey rammed into me first.
Then Fenn.
Then Varya.
Then the pups.
All of them piling onto me like overly affectionate wolves who forgot I could suffocate.
I laughed breathlessly as fur, tails, and wet noses buried me.
Aureon sat nearby, watching, absolutely enjoying every second of my “suffering.”
But it didn’t feel like suffering.
It felt like home.
Eventually they let me breathe again.
Aureon finally turned to Kael.
“Been a while, old friend.”
Kael stepped forward.
Their eyes met.
No tension.
No hostility.
Just familiarity.
“Yes,” Kael replied quietly.
“It has.”
Cira greeted him next, tail flicking warmly. Umbra gave a respectful nod. Even Borin bowed slightly. The pack wasn’t just friendly toward Aureon.
They trusted him.
I didn’t waste time.
The moment I reached the farm, I planted everything Eloran had given me—seeds, roots, stems—carefully, respectfully. This wasn’t just food. It was a gift. Knowledge. Trust.
And I wanted to show them I deserved it.
I walked to one of the already-grown flower buds in the field.
Took a quiet breath.
Poured my mana into it—not to heal, not to attack…
Just to give it life.
The bud shivered… then slowly bloomed.
Petals unfurled in layers of soft color, glowing faintly under the sunlight.
Behind me, I heard quiet reactions.
Surprise.
Awe.
Silence.
That alone made my chest feel weirdly warm.
But I wasn’t done.
Today, I wanted to cook.
Properly.
Using what I’d gathered.
“For today…” I muttered to myself, arranging ingredients on a flat stone table,
“…five.”
Aurel Root – crisp pale-gold tuber, sharp scent, tasted like garlic mixed with faint sweetness.
Verdleaf Bulbs – layered green-white bulbs with a strong savory aroma, something between onion and leek.
Redflare Pod – thin crimson pod, spicy but not overwhelming, warmth instead of burn.
Mooncap Fungus – soft white mushroom with a rich, buttery taste.
Silkfruit – smooth pale fruit with refreshing sweetness, like apple with a hint of citrus.
Perfect.
I summoned controlled fire beneath a stone pan, not too strong, just steady heat.
Mana strengthened my arms for precision as I sliced Aurel Root, thin and even. Verdleaf Bulb followed, tearing the air with a fresh, sharp aroma. I sautéed them gently, letting their scent deepen while Mooncap pieces soaked into the mix, softening and releasing buttery fragrance.
Redflare Pod came last.
I added only a little.
Enough to give warmth, not punishment.
Finally, I sliced Silkfruit into thin strips and set them aside—not for cooking, but to balance the meal with something refreshing.
The smell spread.
Not just food.
Warmth.
Comfort.
Home.
Wolves began turning their heads. Ears perked. Tails slowed mid-sway.
Kael, who was speaking with Aureon through a private link, suddenly paused mid-conversation.
His ears twitched.
His gaze shifted.
Kael’s tail flicked faintly.
“Let’s see what new thing he does today,” he murmured.
I finished prepping the vegetables and herbs Eloran had shown me. Then came the final part.
The meat.
I carefully infused mana—heat, pressure, and gentle control. Flames flickered without burning, sealing juices, browning evenly. Verdleaf oil coated the surface, Redflare spice released warmth, and the forest herbs layered themselves into the aroma. I rotated it slowly, feeding mana gradually so it didn’t char.
The smell spread.
Warm.
Rich.
Alive.
I plated Kael’s first.
Then Cira’s.
Then Umbra, Grey, Lucan, Fenn, Borin, Varya, Icelan…
Even the pups received smaller pieces.
Finally, I made Aureon’s portion.
He watched curiously at first.
Then leaned closer.
Interesting.
We gathered around.
No one spoke.
They simply ate.
And kept eating.
Silence wasn’t awkward.
It was reverent.
Kael finished.
Then quietly went for another piece.
Cira’s ears relaxed.
Umbra closed his eyes while chewing.
Grey’s tail thumped uncontrollably.
Lucan tried to stay composed… and failed.
Even Borin slowed down like he was savoring each bite.
The pups didn’t even talk for once. Just happy whimpers.
Aureon finally swallowed his first bite.
Then stared at what remained.
Then at me.
Then back at the food.
He went for another piece.
Then another.
By the time everyone finished, plates were empty.
Truly empty.
For a long moment, no one said anything.
Then Aureon exhaled deeply.
“…Taking you to Eloran was the perfect choice,” he said, genuine delight radiating through the link. “I did not believe food could taste this good.”
His eyes softened — like someone experiencing warmth after living in storms far too long.
Eloran’s voice echoed faintly in my memory, but it was Kael who finally spoke.
“You have done well,” he said quietly.
No dramatic praise.
No loud cheering.
Just that calm voice.
That meant everything.
Aureon gave a satisfied nod.
“You have earned my favor,” he declared lightly. “For letting me experience something this divine. If you ever need assistance in the skies… call for me.”
The pups immediately started begging for more.
Grey proudly declared I was never allowed to stop cooking.
Cira just smiled.
And Kael… simply watched me with that quiet, unreadable gaze.
But this time…
He looked a little warmer.
Aureon spread his wings as if preparing to leave… then paused.
“Watch.”
Fire burst to life before him, suspended in the air — not wild, not raging, just perfectly controlled. Then wind gathered around it, silent at first… before compressing, tightening, accelerating. The flame stretched into a spear of burning force and shot forward, tearing through the air with terrifying speed.
I understood immediately.
He wasn’t showing off.
He was teaching.
Next, he conjured water — a floating sphere hovering between us. Wind wrapped around it in spirals, guiding instead of overwhelming. The sphere twisted, lengthened, and in a breath, it became a whirling torrent, spinning with focused violence.
“Wind is not simply an element,” Aureon said. “It is force. Direction. Intention. Use it to strengthen other elements first. Let it sharpen fire. Let it guide water. Let it carry stone.”
His golden eyes narrowed slightly, the sky reflecting in them.
“With enough discipline… you will create currents strong enough to slice boulders apart. And someday—”
His wings ignited faintly with burning light.
“—you may wield storms as I do.”
Before I could respond, he moved.
No warning.
No grand farewell.
Just raw speed.
The air cracked, and he vanished into the sky — only fading heat and a drifting gust left behind.
I exhaled slowly.
He really wasn’t good at goodbyes.
But his words stayed.
His demonstrations burned themselves into my mind.
Wind wasn’t just another thing to control.
It was the force that made everything stronger.
And I was going to master it.
The rest of the day was a blur of training.
Mana control.
Breathing.
Focus.
Over and over — refining what I already knew instead of recklessly chasing something new.
And then… wind.
I practiced exactly as Aureon showed me.
Not forcing it.
Not trying to dominate it.
Guiding it.
Letting it move, letting it carry, letting it shape what I did.
Slowly, my control sharpened. Wind wrapped around my movements instead of fighting them. It strengthened my other elements instead of scattering them. And for the first time…
I could actually attack with fire.
Not wild panic-flames.
Not unstable bursts.
Controlled.
Directed.
Real.
The same blazing strike I unleashed when Aureon scared me?
Now I could recreate it.
Not as strong.
Not as overwhelming.
But mine.
Chosen.
Repeatable.
Progress.
Small…
But undeniable.
Aureon vanished into the clouds, leaving nothing but wind and faint warmth behind.
But far above the forest, where no one could hear him, a quiet thought lingered in his mind.
“…Well, I did not lie when I told him I’d never seen anyone like him,”
Aureon thought, wings cutting silently through the sky.
“I truly haven’t. Not someone who carries both… a corrupted core and a pure one.”
His eyes narrowed slightly, a flicker of concern shadowing their usual confidence.
“Let us hope,”
he murmured to himself,
“that he truly never listens to that voice.”
And with that, the Guardian of the Skies soared onward, wings cutting through wind and cloud alike, heading toward the vast mountain ranges that waited far beyond the horizon.
