"Nice going, Silis. You're now officially one of my strongest creatures," Logan said with a grin.
The massive dragon lowered her armored snout beside him, and Logan leaned in to give her a solid hug.
[Will get stronger. Just wait,] she replied through the Empathic Link, her tone steady, her will unwavering.
Logan chuckled. "Damn it, you're just as big as before. At least you didn't get any larger—I don't even know what we'd feed you if you had…"
He conjured a gust of wind and let it carry him up to her head. From here, nearly four meters above the ground, he could see the full scale of her transformation. Her once-long, serpent-like body had condensed, becoming denser, more muscular, more efficient. Where there was once a sprawling, fifty-meter basilisk, there now stood a 26-meter colossus of stone, amber, and might.
She had four limbs now. A full torso. A powerful waist and tail thick enough to crush siege weapons. Her new body was a fusion of dragon and beast—still grounded, still earthbound, but honed for war.
And there, embedded in the center of her forehead, shimmered a crystalline jewel, cut like a royal crest.
It pulsed faintly with mana.
It was the same color as the bead she had ingested before becoming a primordial of Earth.
Logan recognized it immediately. That crystal, infused with condensed elemental power, had no doubt altered her normal evolution. It was comparable to Wyver in the amount of power; the frost dragon hadn't become a primordial, but he was a chosen of the Water Spirit. The power was comparable, though different in shape.
[How is your family doing, Silis?] Logan asked through the link as he rested a hand on her massive, spiked neck. [I didn't get to know them well… I hope they're doing okay. And… hopefully they didn't grow as fast as you have—]
He paused, remembering the last true conversation they'd had. Back then, she was still watching over a nest—dozens of eggs buried unground. With how dense the energy was around here, those eggs had surely hatched long ago.
[Children gone,] Silis replied, her tone calm but proud. [Went to seek life. I helped them reach the first evolution. They will do the rest.]
Logan smiled. She wasn't like humans—there was no sentimentality in her words. But there was a sense of responsibility and respect. She had done what was required of a mother in her world: protect, empower, and release.
He spent the next few minutes examining her new form up close. Silis's control over earth was masterful. Watching her move was like watching someone swim through dirt and stone—her claws carving channels through the terrain with zero resistance. Every step felt deliberate, every breath drawn from the land itself.
"Alright," Logan finally said, stepping back. "The teleportation array is stable. We're ready to go."
"I'll be relying on you and Terra. We need to find the Temple of Darkness, and I can't do it alone. It is within a mountain, we will need you both to dig your way through."
He reached up and patted the amber-etched scales of her neck. Silis's tail swayed gently in response, her excitement showing through the Empathic Link.
Logan then closed his eyes, focusing his mana to open a portal.
The teleportation gate flared to life.
In a flash, they passed through.
—light ceased to exist once again.
Only Logan's Blessing of Darkness allowed him to see clearly in this abyss.
The corrupted land beyond the gate was blanketed in a thick, ever-churning fog—dark, heavy, and clinging like oil. But it didn't reach far into the camp. Thanks to Kryst and the others, the fortified mana crystals kept the haze at bay. The effect was stable enough that even torches burned clearly within the barrier.
Logan stepped forward, surveying the dark plains beyond. At times, distant sounds echoed—low cries, scraping movements, the unsettling growls of creatures trying to enter the fort.
But Silis cared little for what dangers lay ahead.
Darkness was nothing to her. Underground had always been her true domain. And there, light had never existed to begin with.
Without a word, the amber spikes lining her body began to glow softly. Their light pulsed through the mist, forcing back a portion of the oppressive air in a radiant burst. It was brief—only a few seconds—but in that window, she saw everything she needed.
Logan reached up and patted her head, then leapt down from her back with practiced ease.
[Keep an eye out, Silis. I'm going to check on Silvia—she should be arriving soon. Also, sleep well tonight. We're moving out first thing in the morning.]
[Understood,] she replied simply, then turned to face the darkness with a calm demeanor.
She let out a quiet roar as if challenging all those creatures out there. A clear warning to any creatures that dared approach during the night.
Moments later, Scorch lumbered over, his own massive frame crackling faintly with heat. He let out a matching roar in response—louder, deeper, but not threatening. They were companions now. A far cry from the first day in Elris, when he'd snarled at her for even approaching his small hut in the Rosengard Estate.
Logan smiled faintly at the memory, then turned back toward the center of the fort, where a soft hum signaled the activation of the teleportation array.
The formation flared with mana as Lisa, Rubina, Victor, Yui, and the others worked without pause, sweat beading on their brows despite the cool night. Even after Silis's arrival, they had kept channeling power into the array—no one had rested.
"Sorry to have you all working so hard," Logan said, stepping forward. "Let me help."
He still had half his mana pool untouched. Channeling it through the anchor points, the array pulsed brighter. The light intensified, then split open.
A massive creature emerged, tearing through the earth in a powerful, spiraling motion. The ground cracked as the enormous form descended, carving a wide tunnel into the camp floor.
Silvia stepped through the veil next, nearly collapsing from mana exhaustion.
Logan was there in seconds, catching her before she could stumble.
"You okay?" he asked, supporting her weight against his side.
"Yes, I am fine…" Silvia replied in a hoarse voice.
"She really got huge, huh?" he muttered, glancing toward the burrow. "I had it easy. Silis got shorter after her evolution."
"Yeah, I know," Silvia said between breaths. "But don't worry—I wanted to bring Terra. She's helped me more than you know. And after your class change… I think she'll grow even stronger."
She looked up at him, tired but determined. Then, without warning, she wrapped her arms around him in a firm hug. The others couldn't see it clearly through the fog, and even if they could, she didn't seem to care at this moment.
Logan returned the embrace, arms steady around her.
They stood there for a moment, resting, breathing, and waiting.
And from deep within the freshly torn earth—
Something massive stirred; Terra was on her way up.
And Logan was ready to greet her and check out her new form.