Logan suddenly felt the egg quivering against his back.
It pulsed strangely while flickering, as if it wanted to tell him something.
And yet, he couldn't take his eyes off the demon camp.
He needed to stay alert, ready to move if they decided to attack.
It needed attention, and now.
"Why are you acting up at this time… what is wrong with you…" He muttered, glancing over his shoulder.
Logan didn't know what to do.
He couldn't just leave the egg alone.
What if the creature hatched at the worst possible moment?
[I think the little stunt caught their attention,] Logan called out across the mental link.
[Some are even getting ready to teleport away… but there's a problem here. I need someone to watch the demon camp.]
[The dragon egg I always carry—it's starting to move erratically. I can't have the little creature hatch in the middle of battle. I need to check what's going on with it.]
[I think I can be there—and fast. Just wait… two minutes—no, wait… less. I can be there in one.]
Yui's voice replied immediately.
Logan heard Ren wanting to add something, but the boy remained silent.
For now, Logan focused.
He gently set the egg before him.
It continued to twitch and shift wildly, but showed no signs of cracking open its steel-like shell.
In a single pulse, more than fifty demons were brought into the camp.
They were clearly reacting to the shadow dragons, wanting to either mobilize or flee.
But this was a problem.
Those dragons… they were just shadows.
Probably only a third of the strength of a real one.
Logan's concern deepened.
The plan had been to lure them into saving their kin, not encourage them to double their forces.
Then he heard footsteps behind him—light, yet deliberate.
Logan didn't even look back. He immediately began pointing out the areas she'd need to monitor and keep track of.
"I think I got it. Go figure out what's wrong with the egg. I'll watch things over here."
Yui whispered while she nodded and slipped into position, settling into the spot Logan had just vacated.
"Just remember to use the terminal," Logan reminded her.
"If I go too far, the range of our mental link will weaken. The others might not hear you."
Logan warned Yui once more before heading deeper into the forest.
Now, he gave the egg his undivided attention.
He started by checking around it, carefully placing a few darkness crystals in a ring to calm it, but the egg still moved, twitching erratically.
"What is wrong…" Logan muttered as he paced, first to the left, then to the right.
He repeated the movement twice before finally noticing something strange.
When he moved to the right, the egg began to glow faintly.
He shifted farther to the right, and the glow intensified.
He stepped back a few paces—nothing.
"What is this?" he whispered.
He stepped forward again, then slightly off-center to the right.
The glow strengthened.
That direction pointed straight toward the plateau—the same one the demons were trying to reach.
"So that's it, huh… That's where the temple is. And you want to reach it… But why now? Can't you wait until after the battle?"
The egg trembled violently again, as if in protest.
"Damn it," Logan groaned.
"I guess I'll have to go, then."
He took off running, the egg glowing brighter with each step forward.
Logan moved swiftly, weaving through the trees, keeping to the edge of the demon encampment.
He didn't know if there were demons posted along this side—if they were waiting, hidden—but he couldn't stop now.
The egg was guiding him.
He couldn't leave the battle to the others either.
It was going to be dangerous—he knew that.
If things escalated too quickly, the demons might even summon a general.
The last thing he wanted was a repeat of what had happened to George and Jonathan.
There were already too many heroes in this region: Yui, Ren, Lisa, Silvia, and himself.
If the demons realized what was happening, they might try to capture another hero.
That was a risk he couldn't let play out.
Logan kept pushing forward until he reached a stretch he thought was safe—far enough from the camp, but still close to his path.
He took a deep breath.
Then, finally, he spread his wings—the wings that were part of Serana's power.
They were bat-like in nature but allowed him to be able to fly normally when paired with his wind magic.
They were also perfect for moving unseen.
He leapt into the air—silent, fast, and with a goal—to reach the plateau before the battle started and discover whatever truth the egg was leading him to.
As Logan kept flying higher, he realized the climb was steeper than expected.
He soared upward through the air with the help of his wind, finally reaching what he assumed was the end of the climb.
There, far in the distance, stood another altar.
Without wasting time, he pushed his wings harder.
The temple was at least a hundred meters from the edge, and he needed to get there fast.
It stood at the heart of the plateau, quiet and unmoving.
But the egg wasn't just shaking anymore.
By now, it was releasing a low miasma, reacting more intensely with every second.
As he crossed the distance, the egg pulsed with even more energy.
The air twisted around him, as if it were being pulled inward.
It felt like he was in the eye of a storm.
The further he flew, the worse it got.
His vision started to blur.
The fog thickened, warping everything around him.
The walls of the chamber faded away, and even the stone ceiling disappeared.
Above him, the blue sky showed itself once again.
It wasn't a chamber at all; half of the mountain had vanished.
"The entire place was… fake all along?"
After looking around, he could not do anything but accept that everything he'd seen was an illusion.
An illusion so perfect it once felt or even was a reality.
No wonder Marie was darkness-blessed.
"Just how many domains did darkness really control?" Logan muttered before thinking about all of them; there was illusion, death, shadow, deceit, charm, and so many more.
He couldn't list them all, but he would ask the spirit soon about this and all his questions.
At least, he hoped he would.