"By the way, what brought you all the way out here?" I suddenly recalled Ilan mentioning that Phantom Beasts rarely leave the forest depths. We were nearly at the edge of Rajeno Forest—running into Nia back then had been anything but normal.

Aefina carried me through the trees at breakneck speed, Nia keeping pace beside us. Wrapped in Aefina’s magic like during our escape from West Vira Island, I felt weightless. The journey was effortless—so much so I could chat with Nia mid-flight.

"Well… it started about eight or nine days ago. Nine days, I think." Nia shifted her movement to speak. As a Slime, she usually rolled, oozed, or bounced—headless creatures didn’t have much variety. She preferred bouncing.

When speeding through the forest, Nia ricocheted between tree trunks like a pinball. Fast? Absolutely. But the stop-start rhythm made conversation tricky. So she dropped to the ground, hopping alongside Aefina as she talked.

"I was just minding my own business at Lilith’s place that afternoon," Nia said, bouncing at Aefina’s speed. "Then I felt this strange, *overwhelming* presence near my home. I thought troublemakers at first—but it vanished instantly. Didn’t think much of it."

…She must’ve sensed Aefina chasing off those cats.

"I only got home yesterday. Mo Mo mentioned a Great Dragon’s aura had appeared in the forest days earlier. I confirmed it was still here, so I chased after it." Nia’s gelatinous body quivered with excitement. "Most dragons fled to Dragon Isle ages ago. I’ve never seen a real one—I *had* to check it out."

"*Dragon Isle*?" Nia’s mention of other dragons made me glance at Aefina. But the Silver Dragon showed zero interest in her kin.

"Yeah. How much do you know about the Great Dragon Calamity?" Another unfamiliar term. Was I really this clueless?

"Not a thing… Aefina?" I turned to my lifeline. She’d lived centuries—surely she’d heard of a dragon-related disaster?

"…Never heard of it." Well, there went that hope.

"*Neither* of you knows?" Nia’s exasperation was palpable. "I’ll explain later. It’s… complicated."

Bouncing while keeping up with Aefina *was* exhausting. Storytime could wait.

"Let’s speed up. Aefina—can you go faster?" Nia suddenly asked.

Aefina gave a silent nod. She rarely spoke to anyone but me. In all our days together, her words to others probably didn’t fill a single conversation.

The moment Aefina nodded, Nia coiled tight—then *sprang*. She slammed into a tree ahead, flattening into a U-shape against the trunk. Her split halves snapped together into an O, then the trailing end detached into an N-shape before launching forward again. Repeat.

Her usual tree-hopping was fast but required precision. This? Pure momentum. A straight-line blur.

"Luo Sa—hold on." Aefina’s voice sharpened as Nia vanished from sight. Competitive streak activated?

Before I could process "hold on," blinding light flooded my vision. Suddenly, I floated above an endless sea of treetops.

Rajeno’s trees stood thirty meters tall—ancient giants by Earth standards. And I was soaring *above* them. Thirty meters up?!

My scream died in my throat as a massive silver shape caught me. Aefina. Her magic cocoon had shielded me completely.

Like Earth’s mythical dragons, spines lined Aefina’s back. I clung to one now, straddling it awkwardly. *How do dragon knights handle these?* I wondered. *This isn’t just saddle sores territory…*

Thankfully, her scales were smooth and flat. If they’d been jagged, upward-curving blades… *Nope. Not thinking about that.*

Dragon-form Aefina was a different beast. Unobstructed by trees, she outpaced Nia effortlessly. What took days on foot, we covered in half a day.

We landed by a lakeshore at full dark. Only Aefina and Nia’s night vision spared us an overnight delay.

First order of business: feeding Aefina. She’d skipped meals since our argument days ago.

Once we’d eaten, Nia announced: "Let’s go."

"Go where?" I blinked. Aefina stayed coiled in dragon form—comfortable without human eyes on her.

"You didn’t think *this* was my home, did you?" Disdain radiated from her jelly-like body.

"Why stop here then?" We’d followed her lead.

"Open space. Safe landing for Aefina." True—the clearing had no trees to snag wings.

After five minutes’ walk, Nia halted. "Home sweet home."

"…" A colossal estate materialized before us. A mansion *inside* the deep forest? Even Aefina stared, unblinking.

One second: endless woods. The next: manicured lawns and stone pathways under an unnaturally bright night sky. Aefina’s light-sphere illuminated everything—yet neither of us had seen it approaching. The estate felt *pasted* onto the forest, like a glitch.

"Inside," Nia commanded, bouncing to the towering iron gates. They swung open silently. She hopped impatiently.

Aefina set me down and shifted human. The gate was too small for her dragon form. As usual, she slipped her hand into mine. I squeezed back, smiling. She ducked her head, cheeks faintly pink.

"Ugh—save the sparkly romance for daytime!" Nia called without turning. Slimes had no front or back. "And yes, it’s *always* this bright here. No lamps. Just… permanent noon."

The estate screamed luxury: emerald lawns, vibrant flowerbeds, a marble fountain, even a miniature mountain behind the manor. "High-end" didn’t cover it.

While I gaped, Nia reached the front door.

"Luo Sa." Aefina’s whisper pulled me back. A blink—and we stood beside Nia.

"*Holy shit?!*" Nia recoiled. True power recognized true power: that silent, motionless teleportation terrified her. I just found it convenient.

"*Holy shit*?" Aefina frowned, butchering the phrase adorably. "What does it mean?"

"It’s… a versatile emotional outburst," I explained. "Context defines it. Shock, awe, frustration—"

I failed to convey Chinese linguistic depth. She still looked puzzled.

"Wait—this whole place? Yours?" I gestured at the impossible estate.

"System points," Nia said proudly. "Started small. Upgraded slowly. Even the outer illusion barrier’s point-funded."

"Stop gawking. Inside." She pushed the door open. "I’ll explain the Great Dragon Calamity first. Mo Mo’s asleep—we’ll ask her tomorrow if needed."

"…"

The moment I crossed the threshold, something deep within me trembled. Something buried since my transmigration. Something I’d never shown anyone.