Through Casildo's eyes, the raging storm wasn't the only chaos tearing apart the darkened horizon. Massive bursts of energy collided in the sky, roaring one after another.
A wave of black light rolled forward, swallowing up a dim, yellowish-brown glow. The golden hue flickered and faded as the black light slowly devoured it.
Thunder cracked across the sky. Wind lashed in every direction, carrying sheets of rain.
Then came the deafening roar of a tiger's spirit, his cry echoing across the vast sky.
The great yellowish-brown tiger spirit, striped in black, was trapped. His body was tightly coiled by a black dragon-serpent spirit.
"But… I don't see anything," Kairav muttered in confusion. All he could make out were flashes of white lightning in the distance.
"Tsk! Didn't I tell you you're blind?!" Casildo shot back, clearly done with his companion's ignorance.
Ignoring Kairav's scowl, Casildo kept his eyes on the battle above. "There are two strange things here," he said suddenly.
"First. The Silent Ghost Tribe rarely leaves the northern Lushwood jungle, let alone gets involved in a fight like this."
"And second. It's been ages since anyone's seen the Darkconians. Now suddenly, they're clashing with another Astral Conjurer clan after all these years."
Kairav's amber eyes narrowed in frustration. "You've been spouting weird nonsense since yesterday. Can you please explain it slowly so I can understand?"
But Casildo froze. His usual mocking expression hardened into tension. "It's too late, brother… The combined energy from both of them could..."
"Huh?"
Casildo let out a long, resigned sigh, shaking his head. "Pathetic. Instead of dying to a monster or from a Stellar Essence explosion, I'm going to end up meeting my end at fifty-five because the plane explodes!"
ROAR!
The tiger spirit's ferocious cry tore across the horizon again. This time, as his fangs sank into the dragon-serpent's coiled body.
The bite ripped deep, forcing the serpent's grip to loosen.
The tiger seized the chance to break free. But the dragon-serpent wasn't ready to concede defeat. He lunged after the tiger, both of them streaking through the dark sky.
Their chase ended in disaster. The two massive, energy-charged spirits slammed straight into a passing plane.
The impact triggered a chain of explosions, ripping the craft into fragments.
Boom! Kaboom!
Ping!
[System: First Side Mission Unlocked!]
Mission: Discover the Weakness of the Blue Jellyfish Monster
Location: Enigma Island
Reward:
• Stellar Essence Unlocked (Grants Access to Bond with the Unicorn Spirit and Use Radiant Soulforge Awakening)
***
Enigma Island
The storm was gone. The clouds thinned, though a steady drizzle still fell, merging with the violent waters of the Mystic Tides Strait.
Enigma Island, an uninhabited patch of land between Enchanted Island and Sapphire Island, was littered with broken branches, toppled ancient trees, and wreckage from the downed plane.
Cold waves washed over a motionless body sprawled on the shoreline.
A familiar chime pulled the man from unconsciousness.
Ping!
[System: Detecting Current Location...]
Scanning: 85%... 95%... 100% Complete!
Location: Enigma Island
Habitat: Blue Jellyfish Monsters
Side Mission: Find the Weakness of the Blue Jellyfish Monsters and Eliminate Them.
Kairav's eyes slowly opened. The first thing he saw was a murder of crows circling overhead.
Groaning, he pushed himself upright, his face twisted in pain.
In the dim moonlight, he saw his soaked clothes, torn and bloodstained from the wounds covering his body.
He froze, staring at the wreckage scattered along the shore. Bits of the plane. Mangled remains of passengers bobbed in the restless waves.
He didn't want to believe he was still alive.
Ping!
[System: The mission will begin when the Blue Jellyfish Monsters appear. Stay alert and avoid injury!]
The blue holographic screen materialized in front of him.
"This thing I thought was just a hallucination… It's real," he muttered.
"And earlier, Casildo was talking about Astral Conjurers and other weird things… The system says the same. Too much to be a coincidence… But where did this system even come from?"
"Failed Product, you're alive? I thought the fish had finished you off with the others."
Kairav's head whipped around, his eyes wide. "You're alive too?!"
"No! This is my ghost, haunting you!" Casildo snapped as he trudged closer.
Kairav rolled his eyes, annoyed.
"Look at that face, Failed Product! You look disappointed I'm still breathing," Casildo shot back, clearly offended.
Kairav sighed and ran a hand through his wet hair. "Were there any other survivors?"
Casildo dropped beside him with a disbelieving stare. "Are you useless and stupid? Look around! You think any normal human could survive that explosion?"
Kairav's gaze drifted over Casildo, at the blood, the torn clothes, the deep gashes.
He fell silent, then murmured, "Are we… actually different?"
Casildo folded his arms. "How do you even believe the stuff I told you before? Most people these days don't put stock in myths like unicorns anymore."
Kairav exhaled slowly. "As a cryptozoologist, I'm supposed to believe in things beyond logic, aren't I?"
"You're a cryptozoologist?" Casildo looked genuinely surprised.
Kairav nodded faintly. "Yeah… Because I'm looking for my younger brother."
His empty gaze fell on the waves. "Eleven years ago, back when I lived in the Kingdom of Bentala, my brother found a small statue of a unicorn, with a horn and wings, among our father's old belongings."
Casildo blinked in shock. "Wait... wings? A winged unicorn?! Bro, I've never seen or even heard of anything like that!"
"I hadn't either," Kairav admitted. "But after he found it… my brother vanished."
He paused.
"I don't remember the details clearly. But I know we were chasing our dog into the mangrove forest. Then… I don't know how, but I got separated from him."
"I woke up in the mud. My dog was lying next to me, dying. And then… a unicorn spirit with a golden horn appeared."
"Did it have wings?" Casildo asked quickly.
"No." Kairav shook his head.
"But golden mist poured from its horn. The mist wrapped around my dog… and the wounds just vanished. She was completely healed."
Kairav's eyes locked on Casildo, serious now, but still with a trace of confusion.
Casildo sighed and patted his shoulder. "That makes sense. Those born to host a Unicorn Spirit have special blood. It can heal injuries and illnesses."
"It can even add years to the lifespan of other Astral Conjurers, regular humans, or animals."
His brows furrowed as he added, "And I'm guessing… back then, you might've accidentally used the Radiant Soulforge Awakening..."
"The basic technique Astral Conjurers use to awaken their animal spirits… and to summon them into battle."