Chapter 392: The little monster

Mother and Grandmother had settled into a conversation inside the cave, and it seemed like they wouldn't be joining us anytime soon. So, our group of siblings found ourselves at the edge of the floating mountain, overlooking the world below.

Breta, sitting there, her fingers idly tracing the lines of her spear, caught Immy's attention. Immy approached her and took a seat beside her. "Long time no see, Breta," she greeted.

Breta nodded in acknowledgment and replied, "Indeed it has. How have you been?"

Immy sighed, her gaze briefly shifting to the rest of us. We had all changed in our own ways. The massive lake was still there, and parts of the forest were still destroyed, but we changed. "I've been alright," she answered, but there was a hint of something deeper in her tone, something she wasn't saying.

Silence descended upon our group once again, leaving us lost in our thoughts. After a few minutes, Sidus surprisingly broke the quietude. He turned his attention to little Essie, who was snuggled under my wing, and asked, "Speaking of which, what did you learn from Grandmother?"

His question piqued my curiosity, and I leaned in closer, as did Ynos, Immy, and Breta. The collective focus on her made Essie initially shy away, burying her face under my wings.

But she quickly regained her composure and peeked her head out, responding with enthusiasm, "Ah, I learned a lot!"

Ynos, ever the inquisitive one, tilted his head and asked, "Oh? How come you're still as tiny as ever?"

Essie, displaying a newfound confidence, stood her ground and ventured out from under my wing. She replied boldly, "Size does not matter! That's what Grandma said!" Her voice resonated across the mountaintop.

Ynos chuckled and, with a playful grin, moved his massive head closer to her. "Okay, okay, no need to shout," he said, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

I couldn't help but smile at Essie's newfound assertiveness. Using my cosmic mana, I gently patted her head, reassuring her that she was just fine the way she was.

Ynos's curiosity was piqued, and he couldn't resist the temptation to see a demonstration of Essie's newfound skills. "But why don't you show us a little bit of what you learned?" he asked.

Essie's eyes sparkled with enthusiasm, and without hesitation, she jumped up, displaying an unexpected grace as she landed on top of my head. Her excitement was palpable. "Oh! Do you want to see? Hehe!"

"Ye-" Ynos's response was abruptly cut off as an absurd amount of wind mana suddenly surged from seemingly nowhere.

I watched with widened eyes as Essie, perched atop my head just moments ago, levitated into the sky. It was as if she had transformed into an entirely different being. The clouds parted, and the wind intensified, causing our entire floating mountain to sway.

Squinting, I tried to focus on Essie's form, but it was as if she had become one with the wind itself. Her physical presence was nowhere to be seen.

Before I could utter a word, Ynos leaped into the sky with a savage grin, his massive form forming a stark contrast against the rapidly forming tornado above.

"Good! Show me what you've learned, little sister! Come at me!" Ynos's roar reverberated in the wind.

"A-Are you sure? I don't want to hurt you!" Essie's response came from all directions, her voice seemingly woven into the very air around us. It was as if the wind itself was speaking.

"Oh? Look at this, you've grown so much that now you're afraid of hurting me? Come at me!" Ynos's challenge resounded through the skies once more, his enthusiasm matching Essie's.

This time, Essie didn't respond with words but rather with action. The colossal tornado, which could have easily obliterated a small kingdom, shifted its course toward Ynos.

Ynos, in all his confidence and enthusiasm, flapped his massive wings in an attempt to maintain his balance, but it was a futile struggle. The moment the tornado enveloped him, his colossal form resembled nothing more than a child facing off against a monstrous force.

"Wait! Wait! What is this? Come fight me!" Ynos cried out, his voice filled with a mix of bewilderment and frustration, but all he received in response was Essie's mischievous giggles, her laughter echoing from all around him.

Immy couldn't help but chuckle at the spectacle. "That child, she's playing with him," she remarked with an amused shake of her head.

"The amount of mana she's using is ridiculous," Sidus added, his tone a mix of astonishment and admiration.

"Yeah, she's causing the whole mountain to move," I chimed in, unable to contain my awe.

"Stop! I said stop!" Ynos's desperate pleas continued to echo through the skies as he floated about like a ragdoll, his futile attempts to resist the powerful winds making it clear that he was well and truly trapped in Essie's playful grasp.

"Ah! Enough!" Ynos suddenly released a powerful surge of mana, forcibly pushing the winds away from him. This granted him a few precious seconds of respite before the tornado reappeared once more, as relentless as ever.

"Ah! This is not fun!" Ynos grumbled in frustration, his massive form still struggling within the swirling tempest. "Stop dragging me around and attack me!" he exclaimed, his enthusiasm undiminished.

"A-Are you sure?" Essie's voice carried a hint of hesitation.

"Yes!" Ynos's reply was filled with enthusiasm and determination.

"O-Okay!" Essie responded, but her tone shifted suddenly. A sense of seriousness filled the air.

My heart skipped a beat, and my instincts kicked in before conscious thought could catch up. I teleported myself in front of Ynos, my cosmic mana shielding him from an invisible wind blade that was aimed directly at him.

"Ah! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!" The entire tornado abruptly collapsed, and Essie's small figure came flying over, her face twisted in panic, tears brimming in her eyes.

My heart still raced in my chest as I dismissed my cosmic mana and slowly moved my claw to touch the side of my face, feeling the warm, sticky sensation of blood. It seemed I hadn't managed to block all of it.

"That was amazing!" I laughed, despite the trickle of blood. Gently, I picked Essie up and placed her on my head, her tiny form now curled up against mine.

"I'm sorry, big brother! I-I didn't mean to!" Essie's voice quivered with regret.

"Haha, what are you apologizing for? You did great!" I reassured her and then turned to look at Ynos. He had an extremely serious expression, his scales now shining with a bright yellow hue. "But let's end this here for today, shall we?"

"Hmm, yes, big brother," Essie replied, her earlier panic replaced by a sense of relief as she laid her head on mine.

"Ynos, stand down," I instructed, addressing the seriousness of the situation.

'Fuck, that was a bit too close for comfort,' I thought to myself.