Chapter Three

Jumping from one thick tree branches to another, Xavius came to a stop in a field of grass. The wind blowing the cold air had her clamping the skirt close.

"Brrrrr. So cold! Just how does people stand wearing this short skirt?" she grumbled.

"If not because I can't stitch one worth of clothes, I would have cut them to make pants." She grumbled in annoyance while her hands kept clamping down the hem of the skirt from being blown away by the breeze but that doesn't help her from not feeling cold.

Before leaving the manor perimeter, Xavius had checked the dress and inscribed defensive runes, cleanliness runes and healing runes on it. That way, the dress wouldn't get torn or dirty. After all, from the creatures that she had seen spying on her out of curiosity, there are a lot of them that seemed a tad bit dangerous for this fragile cloth.

And what's with the magic properties here are abundant, it would be weird if the creature that follows closely to nature of the world wouldn't know how to use it to their advantage. She really didn't want to streak around the world naked once the dress was destroyed beyond repair.

Glancing across the field, Xavius nodded with anticipation. "Ouh. Definitely a nice place to set a trap. I wonder if there is any creature that are lying in wait for me."

Taking a few step in, nothing seemed out of ordinary but from the corner of her eyes, Xavius saw something moved underground. She jumped six feet high in the air and dexterously evaded the scythe coming out of the ground and was aiming for her ankle. Unable to get her, the creature came out of hiding in the soil, looking like a cross species between a spider and a praying mantis with it's eight legs, one pair had scythe like legs, Xavius also saw the same small creatures scattered. They live in groups and hide it's breath underground, waiting for prey to step on their web of trap and are hard to escape alive with how many of them.

Obviously it was hot in the middle of the day but the thirsty sight from the hundreds of these creature would make other people's back go cold. For normal people that is.

Laughing out loud, Xavius snapped her finger and small purple flame lit.

"It's a pity but I'm sure there'll be some left after I burn you to ashes for me to use."

Throwing the small flame, it immediately engulfed the small plain in purple fire and the forrest was filled with the screeching of those creatures that were scrambling to run away from Xavius who was throwing that purple fire wildly and the breeze that allows the weird fire to spread faster. But unfortunately, none of them escaped.

The shadows hiding in the dark slowly retreated and left. Xavius smiled.

"This is really interesting. There sure are a lot of intelligent creatures in this place. I wonder if I should use them in my experiment?"

"No, no, no. The rules were made crystal clear that beings with high intelligence cannot be experimented with. No matter the fact that they haven't evolved." She suddenly slapped herself to snuff that dangerous thought back into the dark, no matter how tempting it is.

But still, as she made her way through the forest, although she didn't restrain her breath some small and big beings crept up to her with obvious curiosity. The bravest was a small baby blue with maroon at the end of the feather chick, tilting it's head this way and that way, as if making a decision. The moment their eyes met, the baby chick let out a joyful chirp and flew straight towards her.

Xavius couldn't help let out a small laugh and let the chick rest on her shoulder. "I guess this is what they meant when they say young blood are more curious."

Having a companion wasn't bad. But Xavius attention was quickly captured by all the herbs and weird looking fruits that she stumbled. Some of them were probably evolved by from what she knew and some were completely new.

Night had fallen and Xavius took a break high on top of a big tree branch for the night. She could have gone back to the manor but felt like it would only waste her time. There are more important things that she need to explore and pick whatever she found interesting. When it's enough, only then would Xavius go back as the manor that has so many rooms, she could put them into use for useful things. Like, an experiment room.

"Hmm, it seems that only those earlier beings that took the opportunity to attack me. Is it because they themselves are not on the top of the predator or is it because their intelligence isn't that high?"

Xavius pouted. "And here I thought I could play wildly as an attack mage."

It has been years since Xavius became an active attack mage. After all, the memory of being an instructor in Trueton pretty much had him stay away from that path for a while when unnecessary. And then, the Dark Mage made such a big trouble that involve life, they had to step in and clean the whole Tzekina from the wrong and set the world rules back to right. Long story short, he had less time as an attack mage, more official work as keeper of the rules and some idle time as an experimenter.

Thinking back on it, Xavius couldn't help but twitch her eyebrow, she was all but trapped inside a building for most those days and had little time to have fun outside.

Dazing of while reminiscing the past, she snapped back awake when a certain chick snuggled up her cheek as if asking if she was okay.

Xavius smiled. "It's okay, kiddo." Petting the soft feather, she said. "Even if all the things that are familiar with me are gone, isn't there still a lot of new things in front."

Her whispers was slowly brought to winds going through the lush forest. The night was getting deeper and only the gentle moonlight was lighting the way in the forest. Looking up at the two bright moon, Xavius sighed. she rested her body towards the trunk and slowly let sleepiness seeped in and took ginger away from her silent worry.

The unknown runes was the only evidence that Zoranian are still out there somewhere to her. That was her hope and her way to Zorain.

She just needs to find them, that's all.