I Can Copy And Evolve Talents

Chapter 1228: The Vallithian Tribesmen [part 2]

They pursued relentlessly after Northern, wings beating hard against the sudden resistance. But to their surprise, their speed didn’t even come close. It was like the wind itself had turned against them, each wingbeat suddenly requiring twice the power.

Northern stared at the surface of the water as he scaled upward, rising with absurd speed.

’Too easy.’

He glanced down.

They were pursuing him, certainly, but at the same time... they didn’t look particularly bothered. No urgency. No desperation.

’Something is off.’

He twisted mid-flight and took a sharp fall, diving back down toward them. All of them startled—the lady at their forefront, the one who’d approached him earlier, frowned. The kind of frown that said ’this can’t be good’.

Northern shot toward them and suddenly curved at the last moment, angling into the rising waterfall.

”Ha! This bastard!”

The lady’s voice cracked with frustration, and all of them beat their wings frantically, immediately giving chase.

Northern found himself in a narrow cave lit by golden stars embedded in the stone—he had no idea how exactly they were generated, and frankly didn’t care. Either way, the passage was refreshingly straight, and Northern could already see light at the far end.

He increased his speed and blitzed through the cavern, stone walls blurring past.

Then he burst out into a wide and overflowing world of white light.

Northern stopped mid-air, straightened, and looked around. At that moment the other ladies emerged from the passageway behind him, but he paid them no attention. He just stood there, suspended, taking in the sight of the city.

The place was built amongst drifting clouds—mushroom-dome structures with circular apertures, floating gardens suspended on nothing, wooden bridges connecting impossible heights. Everything was built with curves, no sharp edges, as if violence itself could not take geometric form here.

An enormous river wound through the world of clouds, drifting in the opposite direction of the clouds themselves. On the river, boats made of solidified cloud carried people who flowed against the current, fishing and farming from the floating platforms. The surface of the river was decorated with market stalls, gardens, workshops—entire livelihoods built on drifting water. Each dome structure connected to the river by those impossible bridges, some passing over it, others diving beneath.

Northern stared in awe.

The place... it looked like—

’Heaven.’

”Hey! You cockhead!”

His awed state shattered. He turned back to the lady and her subordinates, who had now surrounded him in a loose circle.

”We will escort you back outside, you retarded birdbrain!”

The subordinates shifted uncomfortably with each curse that spilled from her mouth. Northern could tell she was the odd one out among them—her companions seemed almost pained by her language.

The one closest to her leaned in and whispered:

”Lady Judgment, the Keeper warned us against curse words. Aren’t they an act of violence?”

”Well, he started it.”

She glared at Northern, as if her profanity was somehow his fault.

Meanwhile, more people began to gather around them, floating in from various directions. They wore the same flowing apparel and shared the same general appearance—golden hair, golden wings. Though their hair varied in length and style, and their faces differed, of course. These new arrivals even looked older, more authoritative.

’Great. Reinforcements.’

Amongst them was a lady fully cloaked in golden armor, with a winged helmet that made her look somewhat like a valkyrie. She was the only one holding a spear of light instead of a buckler.

As she approached, the entire sky went dead silent.

The people on the river stared upward. From the domes, faces appeared at windows, craning to see what was happening above.

Northern watched as the armored woman drifted first to the lady who’d been cursing. Without a word, she gave the girl a loud knock on the head.

The girl recoiled, clutching her skull.

”Owww!”

The armored lady said nothing. She simply turned to Northern, her presence commanding absolute attention.

”Child of Prophecy... although this was not the way you were supposed to reach us. But I believe something is wrong—the constellations are moving. This must be the reason for your presence this early.”

Northern looked at her with a frown.

’Child of prophecy? Constellations...’

For some reason, this whole thing felt feverish, dreamlike. Plus that particular phrase—he felt like he’d heard it before but couldn’t quickly place how or when.

’Another prophecy. Wonderful.’

”You’re in search of the elven woman and the Creature of the Void, are you not?”

Northern raised a brow suspiciously.

”...Yes. And a few other people. A man with ashen hair, two other guys—one elven, the other with dark, rough hair and slightly weathered skin.”

The woman paused, looking sideways. One of her entourage flew closer, whispering into her ear.

Afterward, she turned back to Northern.

”Sael of the White Strings, you mean. He is here.”

Her expression shifted slightly, became more grave.

”The other two, however... only those with pure hearts can pass through the Golden Mist. They may be lost in the mist, trying to find their way. Until their hearts are clear, they’ll never see the path.”

Northern exhaled slowly.

’Pure hearts. What does that even mean?’

”So... my mother and the Nebulous Lord are here, along with my friend.”

She nodded, and her smile carried the gentle warmth of morning sunlight.

”Indeed, Child. Will you kindly follow me? I shall take you to meet her.”

Northern studied the armored woman for a moment longer. Then he shifted his gaze, surveying the surrounding guards before returning to her.

”I see.”

His expression was blank, revealing nothing.

”Alright then. Lead the way.”

The lady smiled and turned, her spear of light catching the ambient glow. The entire group drifted forward with her, forming a loose escort around Northern.

The air hung silent as they flew. Peace seemed to permeate the atmosphere itself, and the people below—on their cloud boats, at their windows—wouldn’t stop staring. Their gazes tracked the procession across the sky, even as Northern and his escort approached the silhouette of a massive dome structure rising from the clouds ahead.