Chapter 228: Ana Likes Strong Dudes

His talons stretched wide as he grabbed the beast by the throat, lifting it into the air with raw force. Bark exploded from trees as the Abomination’s body was dragged upward and smashed through several trunks before Silver finally let go.

The beast tumbled to the ground with a heavy crash.

I raised my hand again and pointed. Another beam sliced across one of its legs, just enough to stop it from escaping or fighting back properly.

Ana and Steve stared at me, speechless.

I turned to Ana and said, “Go ahead. We don’t have much time.”

She nodded and stepped forward. Her wings spread wide behind her, and with a graceful leap, she took to the air. There was almost no sound as she glided downward toward the first crippled Rhino.

She landed beside it with barely a rustle. A sword materialised in her hand, glowing faintly.

Without hesitation, she stepped forward and swung.

The blade sliced clean through the creature’s neck. Its head rolled to the side, lifeless.

Her wings flared again, carrying her across the clearing toward the second Rhino. She repeated the motion—another clean cut, another fallen beast.

And then, with a beat of her wings, she returned to Silver’s back, landing beside me with a satisfied smile on her face.

“I’m good to go,” Ana said with a grin.

I gave her a nod.

Without needing a command, Silver beat his wings and took off once more, this time soaring higher into the sky.

The wind howled past us as we rose above the treetops and continued to climb. I could feel the air grow thinner as we pushed higher and higher.

Silver kept ascending, clearly avoiding any Holt patrols that might still be searching below. I glanced down one last time at the vast forest spreading endlessly in every direction before shifting my gaze to the distant mountain range. That was our next destination.

The more I looked around, the more I realised just how massive this pocket realm really was.

Bigger than any training ground. Bigger than any city I’d seen. It might even have been larger than my home city back in the Empire. And that thought alone was hard to believe.

Soon, Silver pierced through a thick layer of clouds. The sun’s rays filtered through, warm and golden, painting the sky in soft light. I leaned back slightly and let the breeze hit my face. My thoughts started to drift.

I wondered about my grandmother. What was she doing right now? Was she worried sick about me? She always put on a strong front, but I knew her well.

I knew she’d be pacing back and forth, demanding updates from Edgar, scolding someone over the delay. I smiled at the image. Yeah… she was probably driving everyone crazy.

I decided that once we landed, I’d contact Edgar using the communicator he gave me. I’d tell him everything I’d seen here—about the Holts, the Abominations, the strange realm—and ask him to pass a message to her. Let her know I was alive and doing fine.

And then… my thoughts circled back to North.

I remembered her face and her smile—the awkward moments we shared, the conversations we used to have, and the meals she lovingly prepared for me.

I had told her to wait for me.

A quiet chuckle escaped me. That line had sounded cool at the time but thinking back, it was kind of cringe.

“What are you chuckling about all by yourself?” Ana asked from behind.

Before I could answer, Steve sat down beside me and replied for me, “He’s probably thinking about North.”

Ana tilted her head curiously and came over, sitting next to us. Her wings folded in and adjusted neatly, which honestly impressed me. Those wings looked sharp and heavy, yet she moved them so effortlessly.

“North?” Ana asked.

Steve nodded. “You could say she’s his crush from back home.”

Ana’s eyes lit up with interest. “Oh really? So… does she know?”

I shook my head. “No. I didn’t get the chance to tell her. Things moved fast, and then I ended up here.”

Ana smiled kindly. “Don’t worry. You’ll have time after all this is over.”

I nodded slowly, appreciating the encouragement. Then I turned the question on her.

“What about you? Anyone special?”

She blinked, then said, “Umm… I used to like someone. But he ended up falling for someone else.”

That caught me off guard. I wasn’t expecting her to open up like that.

“I-It’s okay,” I stammered. “Life’s long. You’ll meet someone else for sure.”

She smiled again, this time more warmly. “Yeah. It was just a crush. I’m not heartbroken or anything.”

Steve leaned forward, curious now. “What did you like about him?”

Ana didn’t hesitate. “He was strong.”

I coughed awkwardly, glancing at Steve’s shoulders, which had tensed just slightly.

‘You’ve got a tough road ahead, Steve,’ I thought to myself, hiding a smirk.

Silver kept flying, his powerful wings carrying us higher until the first mountain peaks began to pierce through the clouds. I focused ahead and gave him a mental command to find a peak that was free of Abominations and land there.

We soared past several more peaks before Silver suddenly tilted his wings and dived down. A towering mountain came into view, its summit wrapped in thick mist and shadow. I immediately spread out my perception to scan the surroundings. Once I was sure no Abominations were nearby, we descended and landed in the middle of the peak.

The entire summit was covered in dense trees. Vegetation grew wild and thick, carpeting every inch of the ground.

We dismounted from Silver’s back, and I recalled him into my core. Crimson mist surged from around his body and funnelled back into the core, vanishing in an instant.

Steve watched with wide eyes and commented, “That’s so convenient.”

I shrugged. “How about we carve out a cave here and complete our evolution inside?”

Ana nodded in agreement.

It took me only a few minutes to shape a cave into the side of the mountain using focused bursts of elemental pressure. I camouflaged the entrance with grass, vines, and fallen branches. The cave was large—roughly twelve by twelve feet—enough space for all three of us to stay inside without cramping.

Once we stepped in, each of us took a corner to rest.

Steve was the first to speak. “What do you think is going on with the Holts right now?”

I exhaled slowly. “They’re definitely searching for us. By now, the entire realm could be locked down. If things are bad enough, the Grandmaster himself might come looking.”

Ana’s eyes widened. “Why? What happened?”

I told them about my encounter with Abe Holt—the battle, the outcome, and how it escalated everything.

Steve rubbed his forehead, a grim look on his face. “This just got a lot more dangerous. They’ll probably think someone helped you. No way they’d believe you took out someone at that level alone.”

I nodded. “Exactly. And if they think we have allies, they’ll be even more aggressive.”

Things had definitely turned more serious. We needed to get to the ruins as soon as possible. If it turned out to be a dead end, we’d have to come up with another plan fast.

I waved my hand and pulled out the communicator Edgar had given me. I wasn’t sure if it would work from this realm, but I had to try. I activated it and began transmitting everything I could.

I told him this realm was created by the Nagas and filled with humans, Ferans, and Nagas being kept as prisoners. I explained the Contractors, the bizarre experiments, and how Hugh Holt was leading the entire operation. I made sure to mention that the number of Holt family members here was unusually high.

After adding a few more important details and asking him to inform my grandmother, I turned the device off and put it away. Edgar had told me it could only be used three times—I’d just used the first.

I let my thoughts settle and finally understood why Arkas had been so confident the Holts wouldn’t kill us.

It was the experiments.

My eyes narrowed. There was something darker going on, something bigger than I’d realised. I opened my system interface and pulled up the evolution notification.

It was time.

Creation is hard, cheer me up!