The Exalt [Cultivation Fantasy]

The exit. Oscar expected a road, a portal like in Ashen Grove, a damned ocean, anything other than what was right before him. Just what the hell was he looking at? Pieces of earth were floating around like the islands of Edin, streams of water flowed like rivers without a base, floating in midair, and roads of stone were laid down but winded, twisted, and stretched anywhere. Up, down, left, right. There was no sense of direction.

"She feels nervous, standing here again. Seeing it made her nauseous. She remembers the last time she tried to enter." Avril shivered. "Keeping track of yourself and where you are is hard once you enter. Sometimes you go up and eventually realize you went down further from where you began."

"If it's that confusing, how did you escape it and return here?" Oscar asked. He stared down at the edge and saw nothing but more of the same, even more bubbles and rivers of molten lava far deep into the void of floating debris. Where was the flat ground? Was he truly on Talos?

"I didn't get too far away. There were too many beasts in the way at a certain point, and I couldn't fight too many of them at once." Avril slumped forward in shame, then straightened her back to stand tall. She pointed at Oscar with a wide smile. "But now, we have three of us. With the strength you two showed, we might have a chance."

"Is that so?" Erden stepped ahead. "To ensure that we don't split up and lose track of each other, both of you get on my back. We will go forward together."

"Wait! What about my home? I left behind all the fur and mattresses there. Some walnuts too." Avril pointed toward the direction of her home. "I have most of everything with me, but I feel bad. It's mostly what you gave me."

"I have more, so don't worry," Oscar reassured her, seeing her ashamed expression. "Those aren't worth much anyway. You'll have good bedding no matter where we go. Now, do you want to come along?"

"Her heart thumped loudly from the call to adventure. What will she and her friends encounter down this path? With a single step, she fearlessly enters the exit!" Avril laughed and jumped forward into the strange exit.

"Wait!" Oscar and Erden chased after her. Leaping from the edge, Oscar tried to resist the strange pull that entrapped his body, making him unable to control himself. His body crashed into the road on the right. He should have slipped off the road and fallen further down. However, when he stood up, he saw his previous location was shifted at a right angle, and the two suns were in a completely different location.

"I told you," Avril poked Oscar's forehead. "This place is strange. Right now, what was down is to your left. See?" She pointed to his left.

Oscar turned and saw the mess of debris, floating lava, streams of water, and more. It was the same view he saw when he stared down from the edge earlier, but now it was to his left. It wasn't that the world shifted; he was the one who shifted. In such a place where the directions and perspectives could change at a whim, no wonder Avril mentioned how terrifying it was.

Speaking of Avril…Oscar smiled at Avril coldly, and she chuckled while fidgeting with her side hair, darting her eyes away from Oscar. "Can you tell me why you went off on your own when Erden said we should go together and not separate?"

"I was too excited and went off. I'm sorry." Avril bowed her head low.

"As long as you know. You need to be more careful." Oscar sighed. "Now get on Erden's back. We might have a long journey out of here."

Avril nodded and swung herself around Erden's neck. She sat comfortably on Erden's back, patting his head with a gleeful smile. Her gloved hand reached down to Oscar, a kind gesture.

Staring dumbfoundedly at the gloved hand, Oscar recalled all the moments he had to pull himself up on trees, vines, and mountains during Ashen Grove, struggling through the rain with Erden and Gol-4. For the first time in many years, he found someone to talk to, although a strange one, and someone who reached their hand out to him.

With a bright smile, lifting his cheeks, Oscar grasped Avril's hand and pulled himself up to sit behind her. His hands let go quickly, and he maintained some distance from her. The last thing he wanted was to be improper toward his new friend. Erden's back was large enough to accommodate both of them, with some extra space.

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"Let's set out, Erden!" Avril lifted her arms high and pointed directly ahead. "Pierce straight through this cluttered mess of an exit."

Erden exhaled, huffing and puffing. He broke out into a sprint, traveling down the wayward road. Midway through the path, a gap existed, and Erden tried to leap over it. However, the moment Erden jumped, the same force pulled on Oscar.

"I got this," Avril activated her spell, creating roots and trying herself and Oscar to Erden. Oscar noticed how the forces were different for each person. He was being pulled one way, Erden another, and Avril the opposite. Hurtling through the air due to the conflicting forces, Oscar and the others finally landed on a floating piece of rock.

"This place is far more complicated than the Floating Islands of Edin," Oscar said.

"Floating Islands of Edin? Where is that? It sounds interesting!" Avril raised her voice and turned around, her one gold eye glowing with curiosity. "Is it similar to these rocks and roads?"

"No, the islands are way larger. I can tell you know later. We should focus on finding a way out of here." Oscar answered.

"Eh?" Avril droned in disappointment. "I want to–"

A deep rumbling drowned out her next words, and the pair focused forward. The piece of rock they stood on with Erden had no signs of life, only a wasteland of stone and dirt. Yet, several strange creatures erupted from the ground, munching on rocks with glee. They had large round heads of rats, standing upright on two feet with the body build of gorillas. Their long claws and bodies were completely hairless with coarse, rocky coal skin.

Each one was a Lower Knight Exalt and weaker than the rhinos from earlier. However, their numbers were staggering at ten.

"No time to waste!" Avril raised her hand, and a wave of roots and vines extended outward. All of the rock mice were caught by this wave and entangled. Their sharp claws weren't just for show and easily tore apart the roots. Avril exerted herself, and more entangling waves spread to re-entangle the mice.

'All of her spells are grade three. However, they are all to impede an enemy. Even the spell with two hands seemed more appropriate for holding something in place.' Oscar watched as the mice struggled from the mass amount of entanglements. So far, Avril had showcased a single control spell, a widespread control spell, and a semi-attack control spell. Strange. There should have been some good attack spells for wood element Exalts like the ones Eleanor used.

"Erden, run through them." Oscar summoned his deer anima and melded it into Erden. Avril yelped as the soft white transformed into cold sapphire metallic plates all over Erden's body. Completely encased in blue armor, Erden swung his head, enlarging his antlers and sharpening the tips of each branch. Oscar empowered the antlers with Eirin, and they swept through the mice men.

The mice hung down like bloodied fruits on the tree of Erden's antlers. Their tough rocky skin was no match for the fantastical metal of Oscar's Meld Stage. As the antlers returned to normal, the mice men fell with a dull sound, lifeless and outmatched.

"Was that the Meld Stage?" Avril asked, her hands shaking close to her chest. "How on earth did you do that? The average to achieve it is in the Greater Knight Exalt realms."

"It is? Haha. Would you be surprised if I told you I know someone who learned it when he was only a Lower Elite Exalt or even lower?" Oscar didn't know when exactly Orden learned the Meld, only that it was the most dreadful thing he had ever faced personally in a person.

"Is that possible?" Avril lost her voice from the shock.

"I've been through a lot. What about you? I'm sure you have many things to say. It's not often someone gets to the Knight Exalt and ends up in a place like this." Oscar asked. He collected the materials and cores from the mice men and went back to Erden.

Leaning down on Erden's head, her hands holding onto the base of his antlers, Avril rubbed her cheek against the cool sapphire metal, sighing in relief. "Erden's armor is nice and cold, perfect after feeling hot from using my Ein. As for what I have to say, not much. I don't have much to say."

"I see…." Oscar leaped on Erden. "Well, if you ever want to say anything, just speak away. I may or may not listen."

"That's funny. Even if you don't listen, I'll keep yapping away when I want to." Avril puffed her chest with a proud face.

"You shouldn't be so proud while saying those words," Oscar scoffed.

The rest of the trek was a fantastical journey that he could only think could have come from pages of a story. Bouncing around from rock to rock, riding on fractured roads, killing Exalt Beasts, and floating around with the other debris was not even the tip of the iceberg. Sometimes, Erden would be pulled into one of the floating rivers, and they would ride the streams of impossibility like children on slides.

Even in the midst of being stuck in an unknown place where everything made no sense, Oscar enjoyed the journey. Avril did as well, her laughter was infectious, and Oscar joined the symphony of joy with Erden. The man, woman, and deer laughed their way through.

However, a fearsome and oppressive Ein spread and bore down on them. Oscar lost his smile and stared out at the towering figure. It was a Middle Knight Exalt.

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