Finding himself above ground, Daneel first took a moment to adjust before seeing that Faxul was running ahead in front of him.
Opting to follow before asking any questions, Daneel also took off at a run.
In the dark forest, everything looked the same, making Daneel wonder how his friend had managed to find something in this place that looked like a maze.
After 15 minutes of running, Faxul suddenly stopped in a spot that looked no different from any other.
After waiting for Daneel to arrive, he grasped his shoulder again before launching another teleportation.
This time, as Daneel opened his eyes, he rubbed them with disbelief, unable to believe that what he was seeing was real.
They were on a flat, round surface which was barren except for the bones of various animals that could be seen lying all around. Beyond the surface was a boundless expanse of s.p.a.ce which Daneel stared into for a little while before getting dizzy.
They were at one end of this rock which was apparently floating in s.p.a.ce, and as Daneel turned around, he instinctually moved forward seeing the endless drop below him.
GGGRRRAAAA
That step forward turned into a step backward hearing this sound filled with rage and desperation.
Turning back around, Daneel saw that there was actually another living thing on this rock that was accompanying them.
It was a Raven larger than he had ever seen in his life. Standing at around 5 feet tall, it had its wings outstretched and he estimated that its wingspan was at least double its height.
Its feathers were much more glossy than all the other Ravens, giving it a faint hue of multiple colors which was incredible to behold.
Yet, its eyes were red and bloodshot, as if all the sadness and anger in the world was trapped inside it.
Seeing him step back, it folded its wings but took a single step forward after observing Daneel turn to Faxul.
WHOOSH
With an almost imperceptible sound, the Raven covered the 20 feet distance between them in a second as Daneel"s eyes widened feeling the strongest sense of danger since he had come to this world.
At this moment, he didn"t even know what he had done to infuriate the Raven further. Yet, it seemed that he would be impaled with no chance to ask why.
"Stop!"
SIICKK
With a scream from Faxul, Daneel felt a sharp pain at his neck before seeing one of the most terrifying scenes in his life.
His vision was covered by a gigantic talon whose sharp edge was digging into his throat, explaining the pain and the rivulet of blood that had just started to flow from it.
Not daring to turn his head, Daneel slowly moved his eyes up to see the Raven frozen in place in the air, as if time itself had stopped.
The scene was so illogical that Daneel didn"t know what to think. How the h.e.l.l had such a huge body managed to stop in mid-air like this? And how was it staying in the air right now without flapping its wings? In fact, how had it even reached him at such a blinding speed in the first place?
"He"s a friend. Go back."
As Faxul spoke again, Daneel"s vision blurred as the pressure at his neck vanished, replaced by the stinging pain of the wound opening further.
Clutching it with his hand and ordering the system to deploy a simple healing spell, he asked, "What-what the h.e.l.l is that?"
His other hand raised up in the air shakily, the finger pointing at the Raven which had returned back to its original place with the same blinding speed but was still looking at him with suspicion in its eyes.
"That…is the protector Raven of the Black Raven Kingdom. Haven"t you wondered why there is no Warrior Level individual in the Kingdom, but there is no one threatening its existence like Lanthanor before when the ex-ex-King died?"
Daneel only nodded, as he had also observed this peculiarity when he was going through the dossier about the Black Raven Kingdom.
The a.s.sumption had been that the formation protecting the Royal Palace was weaker, making it so that a Warrior Level individual wasn"t necessary to control it like the Kingdom of Lanthanor.
Daneel hadn"t gone into the matter too deeply, as the presence of such singular support for the Throne in the Black Raven Kingdom made it so that any force like the Church would find it impossible to sway the people towards their side.
Yet now, hearing Faxul ask the question, he wondered if there was a different answer.
Seeing Daneel nod, Faxul sighed before walking forward to the Raven and stroking its head which it stretched forward.
As it closed its eyes while clearly enjoying the feeling, tears dropped from its eyes which fell the ground with an audible sound.
"Meet the Protector Raven of the Black Raven Kingdom, an existence at the Warrior Level which has been sealed as one of its duties is to ensure that the ruler of the Kingdom has rightfully earned his seat."
SQUAK
As if agreeing with Faxul"s proclamation, the Raven opened its beak and made a regretful sound.
A Warrior Level…Raven?
Daneel couldn"t believe his ears. The fact that such a powerful beast could even exist…was something he couldn"t wrap his head around.
The Protector Raven was actually well known to be the companion of the King, but it was always touted to be at the Exalted Human Level.
Since when had it become a Warrior?
Sensing the unspoken question in Daneel"s eyes, Faxul continued his explanation.
"It says that its power is always kept a secret to surprise enemies in case the Black Raven Kingdom faces dire circ.u.mstances. It is also the one which controls the formation of the Palace. At least, it was, until the old man came and sealed it in this place."
"Wait, you only said you can sense a Raven"s thoughts…how are you getting all this specific information?"
"That"s because it can speak with me. While I was waiting for you, I heard it calling for me and instructing me about what to do to reach this place. According to what it says, the old man actually showed the strength of a 6th Grade Warrior Mage to seal it here after controlling it for a period of time. But, he apparently had a backlash after that due to some sort of injury on his body which lowered his power by a large scale. Sadly, my father was already…"
Faxul"s voice broke at this point, as tears also flowed from his eyes just like the Raven"s/
"My father was already killed by this point, and the new King connected with it when it was under the control of the old man. This made the people believe that it was a legitimate victory, when it actually wasn"t. He has been waiting for me to come back ever since. I can"t take him away unless I truly connect with him, but I can"t do that unless I get the trinket. Even then, his power would be sealed. He hasn"t seen the sun in decades. I just wish I could… set him free."
Hearing the pain in Faxul"s voice as he said the last sentence, Daneel imagined what it must have felt like to live in such a place for so long with no company and nothing to do.
Any lesser being would definitely have turned insane, so he was actually very impressed by the mental strength of this Warrior Level beast which had almost just killed him.
"I get the gist. Let"s go get the trinket, then" he said, making Faxul nod with determination as he patted the Raven one last time before walking towards Daneel. They were, after all, also running out of time.
After reaching him, the two teleported back into the forest before running towards the point which separated the two forests.
An awkward silence ensued, which Daneel had no idea how to break. Faxul was clearly overwhelmed by whatever he had felt from the Raven which had definitely even accompanied him during his childhood.
After a few moments, he asked one of the questions that had been bothering him since the incident in that ground.
"How did that Raven move so fast and stay in the air without flapping its wings?"
The answer made Daneel stumble, making him rethink everything he knew about the beasts of Angaria in general.
"Oh, it can use magic."