An Unexpected Encounter

Luna's crimson eyes filled with curiosity as she question Rei.

"...." Rei remained silent, hesitant to answer.

"I see..." Luna sighed softly, her curiosity seem to be answered by Rei's silence.

"There say 'the more you know, the dangerous it can become' so i won't ask anymore"

Luna walks deeper into the forest, Rei and light orb follows.

They continue deeper without a single conversation until they reached a cliff.

Infront of them appeared a beautiful and magical sight.

A vast forest that expand to the horizon, a big mountain in the distant, birds flying in the sky and the gentle breeze of nature.

This wonderful scene seem to relax Rei, she forgot what they originally here for a moment.

"...is it just me? or that mountain just move?" Luna pointed towards a massive mountain in the distance.

Rei's eyes narrowed as disbelief washed over her.

"No way! How can a mountain moooOOOVVEEE" Rei's sentence was interrupted as the mountain Luna had pointed at seemed to be standing up.

"Holy shit! It's really moving."

The creature, once resembling a mountain, now stood as a colossal behemoth. Its back served as a thriving forest, adorned with towering trees, while various forms of vegetation wrapped around its enormous body.

Despite the awe and curiosity that had piqued Rei's interest, she remained resolute in their original objective—to find the source of the unusual presence.

"Lets go, Luna. we have to find what you're looking for"

Luna, still somewhat entranced by the sight of the colossal creature, snapped back to the task at hand.

"Oh right... but how do we get down?" Luna concerned, her eyes scanning the cliff's edge for a safe descent.

"Mmmm...." Rei thinking about solution, her eyes staring at the cliff's edge and down below.

"Lets fly down." Rei suggested.

"Fly dow- FLY DOWN!?!? YOU KNOW FLYING MAGIC!?!?" Luna exclaimed, her eyes widening in astonishment.

"Oh, I'm not that good at magic yet" Rei replied.

"But I have this."

As she finished speaking, a pair of wings emerged gracefully from her back.

"WHAAAT!?!? YOU HAVE WINGS!?!?" Luna's surprise grew even more, her astonishment evident in her wide-eyed expression.

"Um, Yep. i can get us down with this" Rei declared confidently, her wings unfurling with a hint of smugness in her expression.

Luna's eyes were filled with a mix of astonishment and admiration as she stared at Rei's wings.

"Alright, anyways. are you ready?" Rei asked, her gesture inviting Luna to hug her so they could descend down the cliff together.

Luna smiled warmly "Yes, I am ready."

She hugged Rei tightly, and before they jumped, Rei carefully placed the light orb in her hoodie's pocket.

Rei then leaped off the cliff, her wings spreading out, and together, they began their descent.

"Hahaha, seems like I can't carry another passenger while flying yet" Rei commented to herself as they glided down.

Luna chuckled, her voice filled with amusement.

"No worries, This is already incredible!" She gazed at the breathtaking landscape below, her eyes reflecting the wonder of the moment.

Finally, they reached the ground. Their landing might not have been the softest, but it was certainly manageable.

Luna released her hold on Rei, She grinned at Rei, her eyes shining with excitement.

"That was amazing, Rei! Thank you for the ride."

"My pleasure" Rei replied with a light smile.

"So... which direction will we go?"

"I am still sensing it, it's ahead," Luna said, checking her sensing.

"Alrighty, lets go then" Rei's smile remained as she gestured forward, her wings folding back gracefully and disappearing into her back.

"Lead the way, We'll be right behind you."

Luna turned to look at the colossal creature one last time, her eyes filled with awe.

She then turned back to look at Rei before setting foot off.

On the way, they noticed an unknown creature with an unusual appearance, resembling a giant lizard with massive spikes on its back.

It appeared to be hunting its prey, but its hunting method was far from ordinary, causing its victims to hallucinate and become easy prey.

"Interesting..." Rei murmured to herself, her curiosity piqued by the creature's strange and unusual hunting technique.

"Excuse me for a moment." The creature's behavior had captured Rei's interest, and she couldn't resist investigating further.

Rei's body began to shift, and moments later, she had transformed into a creature resembling the unknown beast.

Luna, though aware that it was still Rei, couldn't help but be frightened by Rei's appearance. Her instincts were screaming in response to the unfamiliar sight.

Rei, now in her new and intriguing form, began to investigate its capabilities.

She tested various aspects, such as the sharpness of its claws, the durability of the spikes on its back, and its unique abilities.

However, when Rei attempted to use this unique ability, she quickly realized that the only available target at the moment was Luna, who certainly wasn't an enemy.

Deciding to save this power for another time, Rei shifted back into her human form.

"You seem to have something on your mind, Luna?" Rei asked, noticing the surprised expression on Luna's face.

"Y-You can turn into that thing? How?" Luna asked, clearly perplexed.

"Ah, right, I didn't tell you... Well, you see, I have the ability to transform into things i seen." Rei explained with a grin.

Luna, although still curious about Rei's ability, decided to put her questions aside and continued on their way.

As they journeyed, they encountered various unknown creatures along the way, and the sun began its descent towards the horizon.

"Seems like we're here. I can feel it very strongly up ahead," Luna announced.

Rei looked around in wonder.

The place was incredibly beautiful and magical.

In the center, a small pond emitted a soft blue light, illuminating the area.

In the center of the pond, they noticed a blue creature that had spotted them.

It emerged from the water slowly, revealing itself to be a blue slime.

Both Luna and Rei remained on guard, uncertain of the creature's intentions.

"Ah! welcome visitors!" It communicated with them through telepathy.

Rei and Luna were taken aback by the sudden telepathic communication.

"Oh my apologies! I am Azure. I have been guarding this pond for a while, you see..." it introduced itself.

"And what business may you have?"

Rei exchanged a glance with Luna before responding, "Greetings, Guardian of... the pond...? I am Rei, and this girl is Luna. We've came here because she seems to be sensing something from here."

The slime's form shifted slightly as if contemplating, then it focused its attention on Luna's attire.

"Ah, this young one? Your clothes seem damaged quite badly. You should wear something more fitting."

With that, Azure flowed toward Luna, enveloping her entirely in its slime body.

When it retreated, Luna was adorned in a stunning Black and Crimson dress, adorned with elegant Moon-shaped decorations.

"Oh, you look absolutely lovely in that outfit," Rei complimented.

"Alright, that's done," Azure said with satisfaction before turning its attention back to Rei and Luna.

"Now, let's address your inquiry. You say you sense something here?"

Luna nodded, her newfound attire swaying with her movements.

Azure turn around and return to the pond to get something, it extend its body out to pick up a rock with a symbol etched onto it.

"Is this what you're sensing?" it asked, presenting the marked stone to them.

Luna got closer, and Azure placed the rock in her hand.

"This seems to be it," Luna nodded, examining the marked stone intently.

"But it's strange... Why do I suddenly feel like I have to give this to someone behind me?" She looked back at Rei.

"Hmm..." Rei pondered for a moment.

"Let me have that for a moment."

"Alright..." Luna handed the stone over to Rei.

As Rei touched the stone, a window popped up

|Core of the mana pond|

"Wha-" before Rei could say anything, another window popped up

|Abilities have been combined|

|System have been created|

[End of the Chapter]