Ruby tore through the sky in a straight, merciless line, her massive wings ripping the air apart as the pressure climbed beyond reason and the sound barrier shattered behind her, the speed crossing Mach one while the heavens themselves seemed to fall away beneath her shadow.
Dev was buried deep within her feathers, his body pressed flat against her back as if the wind itself was trying to peel him away, his fingers locked so tightly into her plumage that his joints screamed in protest, his mouth opening again and again as he tried to speak, yet no sound survived the violence of the air, every word crushed instantly by speed and force, leaving only breathless silence and burning lungs.
Time stretched until his arms trembled, his grip weakened, and his mind focused on only one thing descent.
Then the mountain appeared.
A peak that rose so high it felt as though it pierced the sky itself, its surface stained in deep crimson hues as if the land had once bled and never healed, ancient and watchful, waiting in silence as Ruby reduced her speed with absolute control, the roar of the wind dying down while she descended in a slow, deliberate spiral toward a cavern carved directly into the heart of the mountain.
The cave was vast beyond expectation, its ceiling lost in darkness and its width so immense that even Ruby one hundred meters tall could move freely without restraint, her form dwarfed not by size but by age and purpose embedded in the stone itself.
She landed.
"Get down," Ruby commanded, her voice echoing through the cavern like an order that had been spoken here many times before.
Dev dropped to the ground, his legs stiff, his breath unsteady, the lingering pressure of flight still crushing against his chest as he steadied himself and looked up at her.
"How are you connected to my grandfather?" he asked, his voice sharp despite exhaustion.
Ruby did not hesitate. "I was your grandfather's companion, bound by loyalty, until his end."
Dev's eyes hardened. "Then how did he die?"
Silence followed, heavy and deliberate, and for the first time sorrow surfaced on Ruby's face, not hidden, not restrained, carved clearly into her expression as she spoke.
"He died here, after the battle, at the entrance of the gate," she said slowly, each word measured, before uttering the ancient phrase with reverence and weight.
शान्तात्मा प्रविशतु।
"He entered the gate and returned only seconds later," Ruby continued, her voice steady despite the memory, "his body broken, his life almost extinguished, yet he carried something back with him."
Dev's focus sharpened. "What did he bring?"
"A fragment," Ruby replied, "its true nature unknown even to me, but your grandfather ordered that it be fused with your blood-soul."
She paused, then continued without softening her tone.
"He left one more instruction for awakening choose someone you yourself judge to be good, not someone recommended by others, because recommendations are meaningless and lead only to failure."
Dev clenched his fist. "Where is the fragment now?"
"Three hundred kilometers north, in the upper mountain range," Ruby answered, her gaze locking onto him. "From this point onward, you go alone."
Dev looked up sharply. "You won't help me?"
"No," Ruby said immediately. "If I interfere, you fail."
Her voice turned colder. "The ancestors' test cannot be cheated, and this Holo World exists so the dead may leave behind their will, their trials, and their chosen successors, meaning you must face every obstacle directly, without aid."
She continued, unyielding. "If you pass, you are granted the ability to wield
"And the fragment?" Dev pressed.
"I will guide you before your awakening ," Ruby said. "Your grandfather's grave is there as well."
Dev hesitated, then asked the question that refused to leave his mind.
"Why did he enter the gate if it was that dangerous, and why did he bring the fragment back instead of using it himself?"
Ruby's eyes sharpened instantly.
"When the time comes, you will know," she said. "For now, you are not qualified, and you are not powerful enough to bear the answer."
Irritation flared inside Dev, sharp and uncontrolled, but Ruby did not react.
"That irritation proves my words," she said. "Rest for a few hours, then begin your journey,
Dev pulled out the map he had looted from the Eternal Bloodline, and as Ruby pointed, an arc formed across the parchment, the route burned into his memory without hesitation.
Ruby studied him once more. "Do you possess a travel fragment?"
Dev searched his bag carefully, then shook his head. "No."
"Then take this," Ruby said.
She vanished deeper into the cave and returned carrying wings six immense white wings, three on each side, radiant and overwhelming, each nearly as large as Ruby herself.
Dev stared in disbelief. "You expect me to use this? I am nothing compared to its size."
"Pour your blood," Ruby ordered.
Dev drew the fragment short sword Derek had given him and cut his palm just enough for blood to fall, the crimson drops soaking into the wings, which reacted instantly as bones folded, feathers compressed, and the massive structure shrank until it formed two perfectly balanced wings suited for a human body.
Ruby spoke without pride. "They change shape according to the user, they evolve, and they require no blood energy, unlike fragments that drain the user to function."
Dev stood still, synchronizing fully with the wings.
"Go," Ruby commanded.
Dev paused, then took out a coin and flicked it into the air. "If it's heads, I hunt first."
The coin spun, struck the stone, and settled.
Heads.
Decision made.
Dev stepped out of the cave and looked up at the open sky, his expression calm, controlled, and void of fear, taking one deep breath before launching upward like a released blade, the ground vanishing beneath him as speed surged through his body.
Freedom flooded his senses.
And as he flew forward at full force, eyes sharp and instincts awake, Dev began searching for prey.