Witness to a Challenger

After they finished eating, Kayn proceeded to feed Lara as she had woken up before being led around the Villa and reshown where everything was once more so that he wouldn't forget.

Yvaris also entered the library and retrieved the notes he had made as well as the instruction manual that was originally written before giving them to Kayn so that he had them without having to search around the library. Even though the library was very well organized, it would still take one a bit of time to find what they were looking for as there were thousands of books.

Once Yvaris was confident that Kayn was set to learn more about the artifact, he exited from the Villa along with Kayn and Lara as his time was about up before the Ascension Tribulation automatically triggered.

Once they were outside Kayn inquired how he was supposed to turn the Villa into its small portable version.

"Just hold your hand out towards it and think about it becoming small and portable. There is really no keyword or phrase, just imagine how you would like to transport it and it will be so."

After the short response, Kayn was glad that he didn't leave his storage pouch inside the Villa so that he could carry it around in his storage pouch with his other stuff.

When Kayn raised his hand and did as he was instructed, the Villa suddenly shot towards him as it became smaller and rather than flying into and landing in his hand, it disappeared right as it collided with his skin.

Kayn could only stand there stunned, but Yvaris on the other hand blurted out his thoughts. "What just happened?! Where is the Villa, it should be in your hand as a small pebble!"

Without responding, Kayn refocused on the empty area in front of him where the Villa once was, and the Villa suddenly shot out of his palm, returning to its original appearance.

Yvaris was once again flabbergasted. "Just how are you doing that??"

Kayn proceeded to recall the Villa once more and just like before it vanished right as it made contact with his skin.

"I honestly don't know Elder Yvaris, but when it happened, I just instinctively knew that it was still with me and I could place it wherever I want whenever I want.

Kayn could only shake his head as when the Villa initially collided with him a plethora of information regarding the Wanderer's Villa entered into his head and he was still trying to digest it.

"I…I can't believe it. The artifact actually became a Noumenon Artifact and became bound to your soul. To think I would see a Noumenon Artifact during my time in the lower worlds. Thank you for blessing me with such an opportunity young Kayn." Yvaris gave a small bow towards Kayn before spoke once more.

"As much as I would like to stay here and question you as you experiment with the Villa, I need to separate from you. The pressure that appears could suddenly kill you or your sister as those within a few kilometers will also suffer from the tribulation's appearance.

"I suggest flying and watching from the skies as there are too many trees around this area. The pressure does not affect nature, so the trees would all still be standing. There shouldn't be any rune beasts nearby that would attack you even if you're in the open skies.

"Plus, when the tribulation appears, rune beasts will naturally flee as far as they can from it, so worry not and enlighten yourself as much as possible. I'm honored and so very happy that I was able to meet you, young dragon, for your future is limitless. I wish you the best of luck, see you when you get to the Celestial World."

Yvaris said his goodbyes as he began walking away to further separate himself from Kayn and Lara.

Before he could get too far, he heard Kayn's response, "Thank you for everything Elder, including saving our lives! I'll repay this debt when we meet again, I promise."

Saying what he needed to, Kayn protracted his wings before taking off into the sky in the opposite direction of Yvaris before he stopped where he estimated that it would be safe. Yvaris had initially suggested at least 10 kilometers away, but just to be safe, Kayn went 15.

Kayn didn't have to wait long as an overbearing presence suddenly appeared out of nowhere and a portal materialized high into the sky, shimmering with a golden hue. Within seconds of its appearance, golden stairs began appearing one by one in quick succession, leading somewhere into the forest below.

Within minutes, Kayn was able to witness Yvaris ascending the stairs one at a time with seemingly no effort on his part. At a quick glance, there had to be at least 500 if not more stairs, but even halfway to the portal Kayn didn't witness Yvaris appear to be struggling.

Kayn enhanced his vision with Eagle Eye so that he could get a better look at what was happening. As if Yvaris's initial climb was a lie, when he was only 25 or so stairs from the top his knees bent and sweat began to run down his face.

He could have ascended in his original dragon form, but that would have only made the steps larger and the portal so high that Kayn wouldn't be able to witness the tribulation.

Kayn let out the breath he was holding in as he watched Yvaris straighten his back and proceed to climb the steps steadily again, albeit at a much slower pace. While it only took around 10 minutes for him to reach the point where he began to struggle, it took him another hour before he finally reached the platform where the portal stood.

Kayn watched as Yvaris sat down and closed his eyes, but approximately 5 minutes later he stood up again before taking a single step toward the portal and stopping once more. With his enhanced vision, Kayn could see the struggle written all over Yvaris's face as it had warped into an expression filled with pain.

His struggle lasted for hours until Kayn saw Yvaris's body relax and his expression change into one of relief. He then proceeded to sit down once again and while closing his eyes.

This time he remained sitting for an hour before he stood once again and took his second step towards the portal. Kayn's eyes widened as he saw Yvaris's eyes suddenly roll into the back of his head as his entire body became rigid. However, within minutes he returned to normal and focus returned to his eyes.

All of the sudden Kayn felt an overwhelming aura wash over him that originated from Yvaris. Kayn observed as Yvaris's fists clenched tightly as if celebrating before he raised one hand. As if waving goodbye to Kayn, the portal moved on its own as it engulfed Yvaris.

As if Yvaris's existence was a lie, his presence vanished as the portal that consumed him disappeared just as quickly.

Kayn's mind worked at a rapid pace to try and understand what he had just witnessed, but deciding he would need more time and a suitable environment to ruminate on his thoughts, he returned back to the small empty area and placed the Villa back in its original spot before entering.

As he didn't want to lose the potential enlightenment from the images that were still vivid in his mind, he quickly approached the study before setting up a play area for Lara and placing all of her favorite toys inside before setting her down and sitting down inside the play area himself.

Kayn proceeded to ponder on what he had just seen for the next few hours, trying to get a glimpse of understanding towards the true meaning of the trials and what they were exactly. Even as he entertained Lara with light shows, he still continued thinking.

Unfortunately, even after a few hours Kayn still couldn't come to any better conclusions than what Yvaris had told him previously.

However, he did understand that the third part of the trial definitely targeted the soul. It wasn't as if he observed it happening with his eyes, but he just instinctively felt that Yvaris's soul was being attacked the moment his eyes rolled back.

Kayn was taken out of his thoughts by his sister as she began making noises of complaint because she was getting hungry. Shaking his head to clear his mind, Kayn decided to put his thoughts on hold until a time he was a bit more knowledgeable.

He was going to write down what he witnessed and the accompanying feelings in order to read through them again later.

Maybe when he was stronger, he could gleam something that he might have missed originally. For now, he was going to take a few days break and put his focus on his sister and relaxing his mind and body in the comfort and safety of the Wanderer's Villa.