Void Evolution System

Longitude and latitude obviously weren't universal concepts. They were defined by earthlings to define Earth.

However, the concept of having coordinates to denote locations was widespread. It was important, especially when setting up teleportation arrays.

Without coordinates, arrays would have to be operated manually. That was a waste of spatial talents, wasn't it?

The system in Arulion was different from even what was used in the rest of the Heavenly World. Luckily for these three, Damien had learned it and used it for their convenience.

Still, it wasn't as simple as just finding coordinates and chasing them.

Melania immediately went to work as the other two gave her space, decoding the code she found in the clock's movement.

"Five…stop…sixteen…stop…twenty…stop…"

She said a total of forty-five numbers.

It was too many to form an actual destination by any means, but to identify those numbers, one needed to understand how to find coordinates.

'The actual task to accomplish with those numbers is different.'

In classic Damien fashion, the answer wasn't simple.

Melania stepped back, staring at the clock intently as she tried to figure out what she was supposed to do.

"The clock has to be relevant."

The Monument of Truth was important because of the time it had withstood. When they were transported into this space, they'd been faced with a clock that showed them the way.

"Maybe…?"

Melania curiously turned around and took a step forward. A slight yet noticeable "ding!" sounded as her step landed.

To her surprise, the ground below her foot glowed in a hazy blue color.

Ding!

Ding!

Ding!

Ding!

She took four more steps forward and the light continued to follow her.

However…

The second she moved once more, the lights disappeared, clearly telling her that she was doing something wrong.

"It's a pattern!"

Melania went back to the start and walked again, stopping when she'd moved five steps forward.

"Stop…"

There were pauses in the code she decoded. Were they there to denote how long she needed to move in each direction?

'If it's a clock, then the movements…"

Melania turned to her right and took a step.

As expected, she was greeted with a blue light and a ding.

Fifteen steps later, she'd already confirmed it.

"Guys, follow my steps. I found the pattern!"

August and Valerie smiled.

They'd already realized what she was doing when she took those first steps, but seeing her so excited, they let her keep the lead.

They didn't really need to ask anyone to know that Melania had some insecurities about her talent and power.

If she compared herself to the rest of the geniuses she was competing against, it was obvious for her to feel insecure.

However, August knew from the start that she had talents worth acknowledging.

With a display like this, Valerie was starting to see it too.

The two of them did as she said and followed her steps. They went around in a square pattern that ended up forming a strange rectangular spiral.

Their steps first took them wide, creating the larger parts of the spiral. At a certain point, they were led in a straight line that cut through the pattern so they could create the center.

And when the three of them stood at its center, seeing the entire, frankly ugly, pattern around them, the blue lights that denoted their steps combined into a single flowing stream.

The energy started to move, pulsating from the center to the outside edges, and subtly, the pattern changed until it was swirling at full speed.

The floor beneath them had changed.

It lost its permanence. The blue light became the entire floor, transforming everything into energy.

And naturally, an ethereal floor couldn't necessarily be stood on.

"Woah!"

"Ahh!"

"Don't reach out for anything! Keep your hands to your side and focus on landing properly!"

August warned the two, hoping to get through their surprise.

He had assumed the form he recommended. His attention was focused on his legs.

The three of them fell into the blackness of the space around them, but deep inside of it, August could see the makings of a city.

It was not within the space.

Rather…

WHOOOOOOSH!

The blackness was replaced by a clear sky.

The brush of wind against their bodies reminded them that they were back in reality.

However, instead of being at the Monument of Truth, they were in the sky around a thousand feet above the tallest building in the city.

'This is…unexpected!'

August's previous advice went out the window.

Usually, he would be dropped close to the ground somewhere, but this time was definitely different!

'We can't use our dragon forms.'

At a time like this, one would obviously default to the form with wings.

Unfortunately, it was illegal for commoners to transform unless they had received permission.

They had to find a way to land safely with their bodies.

Given their altitude, however, any sort of landing on the ground would kill them.

'The spire!'

August suddenly heard Valerie's voice in his head.

"Aim for the spire!"

His eyes focused on that building, the only one that was somewhat visible from this height.

He then looked to find Valerie and Melania's positions.

'Okay.'

He wasn't close to them but they weren't far away.

Melania was falling, unable to do anything about it. Meanwhile, Valerie had already started using her mana.

Vitality was birthed out of the air, and small vines immediately grew out of her hands.

There wasn't much Valerie could really accomplish without the ground nearby, since most of her power relied on the forces it contained.

She could still grow trees and forest around her body, but how could it spread without the earth's vitality?

If she was alone, she really would've been unable to do anything until she got closer to the ground.

In this case, though…

Combined with her message, August understood what Valerie was thinking.

He immediately went to work, summoning as much water as he possibly could.

WHOOOOOOOOOSH!

The ever-rushing winds made it impossible for him to transport his water to Valerie, but that was exactly where Melania came in.

An earth dragon, a water dragon, and a wood dragon.

Using their power together, why couldn't they replicate the properties of the natural earth?

Melania provided the soil, and August provided the vitality. With those factors, Valerie was able to root her power into theirs and let her vines grow into thickly packed structures that were stronger than tree roots.

They were falling fast. The more matter they summoned, the more their overall weight was, and the faster they fell.

The spire was approaching closer by the second, and what did they have to show for the time they spent airborne…?

Their waists were wrapped by thick vines that connected to a web of roots shielding them from the ground,

Cocoons of water enveloped them to dampen the force of impact and dense rock armor shielded their bodies to make sure they didn't jolt too much when they suddenly came to a stop.

The plan definitely wasn't to just hit the ground like this. Their preparations weren't enough to save them if that was their goal.

Instead, with eight seconds passing, this was the best they could do, and the spire was already upon them.

"Get ready!" August shouted out.

The three of them braced themselves, and Valerie especially made sure to concentrate.

Everything looked like a blur, but in that moment of truth, time slowed down.

Valerie made her move.

The instant before the spire made contact with the structure, the web of roots below them unraveled.

Like a predator catching its prey, they instantly wrapped around the spire's roof, flinging the three dragons within off to the side.

They swung down the side of the spire, almost crashing through its highest windows as their bodies were jerked upward by the abrupt stop.

Their shoulders met their jaws. Their necks were nearly crushed, but the many provisions they'd put in place protected them from certain death.

The three young geniuses kept their eyes closed and their bodies in position, trying their best to resist the forces acting against them until they finished bouncing and swinging from side to side.

Thud!

It took a solid ten seconds for their momentum to finally disperse.

Their bodies created a soft thudding sound when they hit the spire's windows, but for the most part…

"Huu…"

The water barriers crashed down to the ground below, giving the pedestrians who watched them pull such a stunt a complementary shower with the show.

It was quite a sight for said pedestrians, and had definitely alerted more than just a few people.

However, August, Melania, and Valerie weren't thinking about it at all.

They looked at each other with wide smiles on their faces.

Since they'd survived, they were allowed to admit it.

"That…was fucking fun! Wow!"

Valerie was the most crass of them, but she voiced their thoughts well.

It was an exhilarating experience, but it was nothing more than the solution to the first clue they'd found.

By August's experience, there would be at least two more.

And as he learned to expect from his father by now…

'...it really never gets old.'

…he was once again surprised by a thrill unlike anything he'd imagined.

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