"Cheers!" Oscar clinked his cup against Avril's, the preserved fruit juice spilling slightly on the floor. Downing the entire cup, he sighed in satisfaction, wiping his lips. Avril did the same, her eyes shining with clarity and purity, not a single blemish within those golden pupils.

"Do you not wish to…." Oscar awkwardly pointed and circled the left side of his face, centered on the eye. He knew Avril didn't like her scars to be exposed hence the mask and cloth covering every inch of her body.

"Mmm." Avril placed her cup on the floor and rubbed her scarred face. Her voice was soft and low, like a hum. "It's only you and Erden. The beasts here don't seem to mind or be concerned about it. In a way, it's refreshing."

"I see. That's good." Oscar refilled their cups, glad for Avril, who found comfort here to be free. He observed her scar-ridden hands as they reached to hold up her cup. A Grade Four Supreme Healing elixir was powerful enough to undo all those scars, but the issue was the price. 'If I can get the golden sap for Marshal Exalts from this tree, perhaps the price will be far more reasonable.'

The issue remained on whether or not the King Exalt Beasts would let him take some. Frowning and concerned, Oscar gulped down the remainder of his juice. He didn't want Avril to see him unhappy in this joyous moment. Right now, she was bugging Erden, raining down questions like arrows.

"Hey, Erden. Oscar probably knows because of your Soulbond, but what exactly are the Pools of Ascension?" Avril undid her braids and let her hair flow freely down her shoulders and back. "She pokes Erden, wanting a response. The feeling of being left out makes her very anxious."

Erden dipped his head into the golden sap, rubbing his injuries to get the substance in deeper. The remnants of lightning seeping into his wounds fizzled out like dying candles, and the wounds started to close. After it was all done, Erden licked the remainder off his face and rested on the floor. "Tort told me years ago that the Pools of Ascension are located on each continent of the Lands of Zeret, ten in total. Exalt Beasts gather around the pools every few years and swim into their depths. No one knows why or how, but a special Ein enters their body, and their blood starts to change, entering a state of evolution."

"Evolution?" Avril tilted her head, scrunching her eyelids in thought. She took out a book, a dictionary he had given her a while ago, and tapped on a word. "Oh, it's like transformation, change, or in this case, ascension, right?"

"Right. An Exalt Beast undergoes this evolution process. They can awaken to the hidden potential of their bloodlines like dragons who awaken to many different forms or powers. Or they can become a new species, the first of a new race of beasts. In fact, Tort mentioned that at the beginning of the world, the Mythical Beasts were the first of all Beasts, and from them came all other races." Erden said, much to Avril's gasp. "Then they spread around, rooting themselves in all lands and other realms."

"So it's possible you can evolve into a Mythical Beast?" Avril beamed a flashy smile, her shoulder shivering.

"Perhaps. The originator of deer-kind is the Mythical Beast, Prielapos. They have antlers protruding from their backs like wings and even small pairs of antlers near their hooves." Erden chuckled.

"That would be amazing to see!" Avril turned to Oscar. "Wouldn't that be amazing? Those Pools of Ascension are incredible. I wonder how such a miraculous thing can exist?"

"Well, considering it's from one of those Ancients we saw, it's not impossible to think about how those pools were created." Oscar looked at his shield, cracks covering its entire surface. The earlier encounter with Okeanes had demolished any semblance of its previous form. Oscar put it away and patted Erden. "It all depends on Erden's performance. He still has more battles to come."

"That's right," Avril clapped her hands. "Why do you need to fight?"

"The Pools of Ascension can only be used once in a beast's lifetime. The degree of evolution can depend on how deep one can swim in the pool. The waters of the pools only churn with the special Ein once every few years, and there is a limited amount. So the prospects must fight for the right to a deeper spot. I have to fight to gain a better advantage." Erden explained.

"Why can't everyone just swim to the deepest part together? How nice would that be?" Avril sighed and dropped her head to the soft pillow she had placed earlier.

Oscar and Erden laughed dryly at her question and shook their head in unison. How great would it be if that was the case? Oscar prepared his bedding and lay down. The thick trunk of the great tree blocked any view of the stars and moon, leaving him to stare only at the grooves and veins of the tree. Erden and Avril slept soundly in their places, and he, too, fell into the lull of peaceful rest.

His eyes opened again, Demon's indifference dulling the once bright obsidian pupils. Demon stretched and cracked his neck. "I suppose I'll train for a few hours. The body needs some rest as well."

…….

"Almos and Hons. Those two blunderheads….They favor that human and the beast so much." Ness recalled the faces of the two human intruders and the deer, her black hair rising from the Ein she released. The small crows ran away from her shoulders, and she returned to her senses. Smiling bitterly, she called out to them. "I'm sorry, my dear children. Did mommy scare you? Sorry. Sorry. Mommy's had a bad day."

The crows returned to her embrace, perching themselves along her head and shoulders. Ness smiled and stroked the beaks of each of her beloved children. Walking through a series of chambers, she exited the great tree, the moonlight glistening around her jet-black hair. Exhaling softly under the bathing light of the stars, Ness transformed into her crow form.

On a large branch, withered trees, husks of bark, gnarled branches, and dry great leaves were bundled into great nests where many black eggs rested on soft blue leaves. Crows flapped their wings, circling Ness. They were all of varying sizes, small and big, spanning their wings up to twenty feet in length.

Ness patted several eggs with her wings and continued walking. Perching herself on a great throne built into the nest, Ness gazed at her family who had gathered. Many had come, but many more were not here. Satisfied with this gathering, Ness spread her wings and said, "Ruvin, come here, my dear child."

A large crow strode forward, his talons scrunching the dry leaves under. With his head lowered, Ruvin, her beloved child, cawed out, 'I am here, Great Mother.'

"The Pools of Ascension are awakening. Out of our Mythical Yatscrow race, you have the most potential amongst the Middle Knight Exalts." Ness laughed. It was always good to see her progeny prosper and become strong.

'I am aware. I will fight for the pride of our race. I will not let you down.' Ruvin replied.

"Good. Your other brothers and sisters will work hard, but I have a special task for you." Ness scraped her talons almost like a human snapping their fingers.

'Say it, Great Mother, and I will do it.' Ruvin lifted his head, his white eyes brimming with the resolve she loved to see.

"A deer has come, bringing two humans with him. Though Blood Transmutation binds them, I cannot trust those humans. I will not go against the Ancients, but I can still stop them from gaining anything from us, beasts." Ness gripped her left talon. Memories flooded her mind, her forests burning and her brothers and sisters killed or taken. Her anger brought all the crows to their beaks, touching the ground. Quickly, she quelled her anger, allowing her children a moment of respite. She turned to Ruvin and said, "That deer can barely be counted as a beast. He is more human than he is one of us. He's of far-devolved blood. Make sure he never gets the chance to enter the pool."

'Yes, Great Mother.' Ruvin bowed.

Ness sent her children away and rested on her throne. She glanced at a certain and shouted, "You can come out now, Almos! Your stench is making my nest rot."

"As if it wasn't rotting already from all the dead twigs." Almos stepped out of the shadows in his human form, his face as irritating to see as always. "You're too hasty and prejudiced."

"They hunt us and use our bodies and cores for their concoctions and weapons. I would understand if they simply ate our cores to get stronger. But this is beyond humiliation and downright abhorrent." Ness screeched.

"That is the way of things. We have killed humans on many occasions as well. Beast tides swallow up entire cities. Many die from entering our homes on other continents." Almos grunted. "I slaughtered an entire city myself once."

"What? Are you here to preach to me? Or are you here to stop me?" Ness couldn't figure out what Almos was thinking. His thoughts eluded her despite their many years together.

"Nothing. I want to see what exactly they'll achieve here. I wonder what the Ancients have in mind." Almos sighed.

"That was nothing but an accident. You believe too much in fate and destiny." Ness scoffed.

"Accident or not, they were led here. So…I believe." Almos chuckled once and faced his back toward her. "Perhaps you doing this is also just an accident that should happen."

"You!" Ness had enough of his mocking, spreading her feathers all over the nest. However, Almos was gone. Ness cawed out into the night sky. How dare that damned boar mock her!

…….

Oscar groaned, his eyelids barely lifting as the light from the spores seeped through the cracks. Oscar's eyes slowly widened as his vision focused, a strange sight. The wide face of a gorilla stared down at him. Sweat covered his body in an instant as his heart stopped.

"Lord Hons?" Oscar gulped.

"Follow me. Little human." Hons transformed into his human form and waved his hand over.

Oscar got up from bed and slowly followed, softening his footsteps not to awaken his friends. Where he would be going, he did not know. He could only follow Hons outside.