With the "gift" given by Sora, the two of them didn't spend much effort to find a home belonging to Lin's "kindred family".

It is the top of the snow-capped mountains in the southeast of the mainland, more than thousands of feet high, and people have always been rare. Lynn chanted softly in the language of the dragon, magical words that dispelled the illusion that enveloped the mountains, revealing the vast cavern behind them.

They walked inward, through an unusually wide corridor, to a hall tens of meters in circumference. It is located in the upper part of the mountain, and the rocks above it have all been removed, revealing thin clouds and the sky. A transparent force field shrouded the top, making the place warm as spring regardless of wind, frost, rain and snow.

A tall woman in a long silver dress stood up to greet the two of them, showing no signs of detachment. When asked what they meant, she readily agreed to take them across the ocean to a continent where no legends remained.

Yuffie also asks about Boyan and the successive emperors of Inis. Similar to what the two had guessed, every dragon who had high hopes would go to the realm of humans and serve as an emperor for thirty years. The performance and evaluation during the term of office will determine who will become the new leader of the "Dragon Council" in the next 150 years.

Judging from Yun Yue's tone, Bo Yan's handling this time was obviously excellent. As for why the dragons formed a unified council, rather than as the girl remembered, there was little contact between the various races, and the other party did not respond positively. She told the two that by the time the journey was over, their doubts would be answered.

Then on the second day, the two set off with Yunyue.

Flying in the wind under the warm sun is a pleasant experience at any time. Yuffie has done this more than once. Using secret techniques or tools made of them, more often than not, they sit behind Grace.

But this is the first time we have done it this way.

The silver dragon's broad back was large enough to seat dozens of people, and its scales were narrow and crystalline, like gems that had never been seen before, and there was no difference between each one. The dragon flapped its wings slightly, and the mana whipped up the air, propelling her swift and steady forward. A magical barrier envelops the surroundings, insulating against the invading cold winds and making the environment as comfortable as the surface.

"Speaking of which, that time in the Far Eastern Wasteland, did His Highness Bo Yan ask you to follow us?"

The blonde girl asked curiously, stroking a scale longer than her palm. The scales were as smooth as a mirror, but they were slightly soft to the touch, and they fit the body of the silver dragon perfectly.

Yuphie remembered that only dragons old enough possessed such qualities. The magic soaked their bodies, altering the physical properties of the scales. These seemingly "soft" dragon scales have unrivalled protection, both physical and magical.

For Yunyue, or Ilhara, the king of the Silver Dragon clan who has survived for thousands of years, that is the proof given by time.

"Nope." The dragon let out a melodious whisper, "Bo Yan told me, and I'm interested in someone's "family." Her slender neck swayed slightly, "Dragon-vein warlocks are quite common. Turning into a dragon by bearing the blood of the golden dragon, as far as I know, there are less than one hundred people who succeed. As for those who have mastered transfiguration since childhood, I have only seen you. ”

"Hmm...... Dean Collens was very helpful, and Yuffie was with me. Lin seemed a little embarrassed and quickly changed the subject, "That, Uncle Araksha...... Did you promise him? ”

The silver dragon was silent for a moment, his voice slightly low, "Yes, but for him...... That's not timely enough. ”

The magic that shrouded the silver dragon was a little suppressed for a moment, and the blonde girl covered her mouth, feeling that she had asked an inappropriate question. But Yunyue soon regained her composure and continued to fly across the vast blue sea towards the continent far to the west.

"In your day, you must have heard the name 'Sea of Storms.'" A few minutes later, the silver dragon spoke again.

Yuffie nodded—the dragon's sense of magic was as sensitive as its vision, and it was impossible to see the movements of the two without looking back. "Located on the edge of the magical network, the storm created by the magic of chaos is constant all year round. According to the records of the Wizarding Federation, the width is about one hundred and forty kilometers...... Are we going to teleport over? ”

"It's true, for the old days." The silver dragon stretched its wings, and the barrier of magic that enveloped her slowly dissipated, "The Sea of Storms no longer exists. ”

It was still blue, but Yuffie was keenly aware that the landscape ahead was merely a reflection of its surroundings, a vast illusion that enveloped the entire ocean.

"Five hundred years ago, the dragons used all their strength to set up a barrier at the edge of the Sea of Storms. It prevents all spread to the Far East and protects the lives of the daring explorers. Basically, they are all Guerno. Yun Yue recounted in a low voice, "The moat that now separates the El Continent from the Far East is called—" She took a soft breath, "the Continent of Tranquility. ”

The moment the words fell, the silver dragon flew through the invisible barrier, revealing the truth hidden behind the illusion in front of the two of them.

- It was an incredibly calm ocean.

The surface of the sea was as smooth as a mirror, but it could not reflect the figure of the dragon, but only emitted a soft gray light; There was not a trace of wind in the air, and the barrier of magic had already dissipated, but it seemed that there was still something around everyone; Overhead, the sun, moon, and stars were invisible, and it was not even possible to see what was blocking them; In the dead silence, a faint tremor pierced through the space, formless, insubstantial, irregular, but not yet stopped—

Like the heartbeat of a dying person.

Despite her preparation, Yuffie couldn't help but take a breath—and so did her friend. The girl grabbed Lynn's hand hard, trying to calm herself, "It'...... How wide? ”

"Four thousand kilometers all the way to the edge of that 'continent'." The silver dragon whispered, continuing to fly forward at a rapid pace, "Try to adapt to the environment here, before we arrive." ”

Yuffie nodded silently, calming down, trying to feel the tremors coming from all around. It slowly strengthened and became clear as it moved forward, but the nature of the madness and disorder did not change in the slightest. It is a deadly chronic poison for any living being, and is far more potent than most of the items in the Academy's laboratories marked "dangerous".

Fortunately, she is a witch.

In the Far Eastern Wasteland, she learned how to perform her secret arts in the Wild Magic Zone. What needs to be done now is somewhat similar, but instead of building spells in the body, to using magic to keep the body functioning properly. The difference is that it only takes a split second to cast a spell and keeps the body from being damaged...... It's a long-term task.

Lynn is better at doing that than she is. Her transformation back into a human would be a similar one, with a little tweaking at most. Under the guidance of his friend, it took Yuffie three or four hours to finally establish a stable defense. She opened her eyes and looked back into the distance, to find that there was solid earth beneath her.

"I'm ready, Ms. Yunyue." Yuffie whispered.

The silver dragon responded with a low roar and landed smoothly to the ground. Yuffie took Lynn's hand and walked briskly down the dragon's right flank, looking around at the desolation around him.

There is no other color in front of me except the endless gray and black. The only light source came from underfoot, igniting from the gray soil. The shadows all around, tangible and indispensable, like black pages, "things" wander back and forth aimlessly. They twist and distort, decompose and devour each other, larger and smaller individuals more than a thousand times apart, but none of them can make out what they belong to.

A black 'wall' several meters high swept past the crowd, and Yuffie smelled what looked like a charred corpse, then transformed into a spicy sweetness. A pinprick of pain swept across the skin, and the 'wall' left from the other side, leaving only a bone-chilling cold.

She shuddered, crouched down, and held a handful of dirt in her palm. They jumped in her palms, glowing dimly, quickly turning to ashes and drifting away.

"Mana Deposition." Yuffie muttered that she had only learned about this scene in books. That's unique to the inner realm – energy and matter can be freely converted according to certain rules," ...... But this is the material world. ”

"There are also elemental creatures living in the inner realm, and I heard that there are many fish in the water elemental realm." Lynn used her fingertips to draw patterns on the ground, and they vanished in an instant, returning to nothingness, "There are only shadows here. ”

Yuffie discovered this when he was still at sea, and now it's even more thorough. There are no beasts, no insects, no plants, no fungi here...... Of course, there are no humans either. Even the most resilient tiny beings cannot thrive here.

Even with magical protection, the inhaled air continues to burn the whole body. In the current environment, she could only hold out for a few days at most, and then she would weaken and die. Lin and Yunyue may be longer, but it is also impossible to live for a long time.

"How long will it take for it to get back to its original state?" Yuffie pressed her palms to the ground, trying to find a hint of her homeland—but she failed.

The low whistle came again. "Thousands of years, or more. Maybe...... It will not be reborn until everyone has forgotten this history. ”

She looked up at Yunyue. The silver dragon looked at her, and so did Lyn. She suddenly knew the origin of everything in front of her, maybe it was intuition, maybe it wasn't.

"A war, right?" The girl straightened up, silently reciting the familiar names in her heart, "Happened ...... the gods," she shook her head, "between the oracles." ”

A gentle clapping of her hands came to her ears, and she turned her head to see a familiar figure that she hadn't seen for a long time, standing in front of her without warning.

It was a slender and elegant woman, like a Kamal, dressed in a light tunic and long hair tied back in a ponytail. She was about the same height as Yuffie and wore a wonderful bracelet on her right wrist, like a flipped paper ring, which glowed softly. Although the surroundings were dim, Yuffie could still see the gentle and beautiful face of the woman, the hair of the same color as hers, and the bright red eyes with a smile.

It's the same as I remember seven years ago, no difference.

"Long time no see." Alicia whispered, "Welcome back." ”

The girl took a step forward, held out her hands, and buried herself in her mother's arms. The cold and desolation dissipated in an instant, and warmth and courage returned to the body. She exhaled slightly, feeling a little misty in her vision. So she closed her eyes.

She didn't know how the other party had arrived or how she knew she was coming. But if it were her mother, everything seemed to be taken for granted. No matter what the scene in front of you portends, as long as you stay by the other person's side, it seems that there are no difficulties or challenges.

But Yuffie knew that wouldn't work.

She is no longer the child she was seven years ago. Her mother sent her to Eagle College, and led her all the way there, not to stop her here. Escaping may solve a temporary problem, but someone has to choose to face it in order to avoid the worst.

The silence around her was eeri, reminiscent of the night at the academy before she met Lynn. At that time, she didn't know anything about adventure, and every day except for studying secret arts, she just read her favorite books. The library in the College Tower is equally tranquil, with a myriad of books of all kinds, each large enough to spend a few nights.

She originally thought that the search for her mother was just a short but beautiful trip. After that, whether she returned to the academy as a tutor, joined the wizarding federation to participate in research, or opened a store with her friends, it was more suitable for her to live a stable life.

Now, one of the goals has been achieved, and the other ...... become more distant.

Probably my mother had foreseen all this. The girl had a little complaint in her heart, but she was not the slightest dissatisfied. Before she knew it, her mind was changing. Maybe it's the insights that travel brings her, or maybe it's Anya's determination that infects her. In a word-

That's growth.

Yuffie opened her eyes, letting the mist in her pupils clear, then took two steps back and looked at her mother's face again. This time, the eyes interlaced with her were warm and soft, and there was a clear expectation.

"Have faith?" Alicia curled her fingers and gently supported her chin, "My daughter? ”

The girl shook her head.

"I don't know." Yuffie said calmly, as usual in gossip, "After all, I can't predict the future." But—"

She raised her arms, grabbed her mother's hands and Lin's hands respectively, and led the two of them towards Yunyue.

"Let's get out of here first—and then, back to where this journey began."

……