Cryst smiled in response to Naph's question.
'Cute kid. Except he is not that idiot.' Cryst turned back to face upward.
Another minute passed in silence. Everybody in their own thoughts.
Anaphol's current decision to go with these six to their supposed continent outwardly to even him seemed like was a ridiculous decision he had made without even getting any substantiate proof that he should go there or even trust them. His decision still wasn't made on a whim.
'That battle…huh, if Sevenren is facing something worse than this. Then…' He did not want to think his words next. He had chosen the decision without ever having the right to know what will happen if he chooses it so.
"…it showed me truths I needed to face." Naph mumbled.
Litto who acted as the rear end of the formation heard it. He still held his response back. There were many things he wished to say at times but chooses not to.
Clouds above began to appear nearer than ever. Naph's eyes fixed on it.
Azure and cream came and went as ways in the reflections that existed on everyone's eyes. Tints of gold held at times when they were not far above the island of Monite. But it could not be said so now.
The group had crossed the threshold far above that the setting sun is just one finger above the horizon.
Nert and Svnyo at times looked to their left and right very frequently. Naph noticed it too.
'What are they expecting?' He had no clue.
Naph had seen and heard of flying caestre. Even hunted one or two. 'But aren't they like rare? Yeah, they said beings but what beings other than caestre could be this high?'
"I did not say you could stay silent. Please, talk." Cryst without missing a beat generated a ball of blue light and tossed it aside to her right.
"Uh, what should I talk about?" Naph traced the blue ball by his eyes.
It kept going in the right direction. 'We are still in clear. The clouds haven't been reached yet-'
The ball of blue expanded instantly and then collapsed. Before it did, Anaphol noticed something. The blue ball expanded with arcs of lightning within it as it devoured a shadow of several wings with no body.
"Was…was that a caestre?" Naph felt reluctant to ask.
Cryst only said, "Yes."
The altitude of clouds above the island of Monite was fast approaching. Naph still did not feel any uncomfortable.
Having stayed silent at times and thinking about the fight before he had considered what questions to ask. Thus he began.
"What is a lesio?"
Nert keeping an eye out responded, "It is what we call the ability that is formed on the basic unit cata which interacts in one of the six categories cata interacts with each other, the world and the unknown."
"Huh?" Confused Naph was about to ask.
"What Nert meant to say," Litto broke in, "is that lesio is the name given to the so-called magic we can do using cata."
Nert continued, "Don't make him confused there's clear difference between what magic is in stories and what lesio and cata are!"
"Either way it is magic," Litto just stated matter-of-factly.
Taking that to heart, Nert quipped. "Hey, don't mock me!" Huffing he turned away.
Litto looking up at Naph, he shrugged. "Ask away!" He assured, "we will answer anything that we are allowed to. And we won't hide much unlike the rulers of nations of Tarna."
Naph's eyes slightly narrowed but it wasn't even enough to be registered.
"Then, what is cata?" His next question was simple.
Litto looked at Nert as if he was waiting for him to say. Nert puffed still vigilant in his watch for any beings that could have attacked them.
Feeling a little bit disheartened, Litto opened his mouth. Nert chose exactly that moment.
"Cata is a form of existence at an extremely minute level that connects itself to consciousness and thought." He snatched a peek at Anaphol and further said, "that's just one of the many definitions used for cata by teachers in Jhorime."
Naph's nod was in the middle of its motion as Nert continued. "There are many more definitions of cata and lesio both in Jhorime, Tarna, Regda and… some more continents not known to you or people from Regda and Tarna."
The last bit caught his attention. "There are more?"
Exactly then the group of seven were immersed in a cloud of heavy water.
Naph's skin and clothes wet themselves in an instant. He did not even understand how.
'Heh? Just how? We did not enter some water body!' Keeping his mouth shut, but he so wanted to quip. He had refrained from so not because he is not finding anything to quip about or on. Rather he was still processing what has happened within the last few minutes.
The scenic view from up in the sky only showed him how big the island of Monite was. He noticed it too that it was yet so small too for he was able to see the green and brown expanse of it from edge to edge. That still had a single spot he could still distinguish. A deep red spot. The one where they ascended from.
Now, all of that was hidden behind a sheet of grey. The same one extended in every direction. Cryst grabbed on Naph's hand.
"Are you ok!?" Her hand tightly gripped his arm next.
"Uh…yeah I am fine. Why are you screaming?" Naph was startled but he suppressed it.
Cryst's nod visible since she was near, but her eyes betrayed the sense of calm her nod was supposed to bring. They kept bouncing about looking in every direction.
Svnyo cut in real quick. "Guys, get ready! We have inbound caestre."
Naph immediately bent towards the nearest duffel bag in his ride. He took out six daggers. Pocketed four and held one dagger in each hand. One in forward grip the other in reverse.
"So much for a scenic route." Dykur sighed.