For hours, Selis cut a path through the dense jungle, her white cape with the silver embroidery of the Umbrax royal crest and snow-white hair billowing behind her as she moved effortlessly through the foreign terrain.
Moonlight bathed her in an ethereal glow, casting long shadows, Kazimir followed closely behind, walking in her shadows, his own steps silent as he moved in her wake.
They walked past gigantic plants in all shapes and sizes, Kazimir couldn't even begin to describe them.
She took the lead, clearing away the tangled undergrowth with precise slashes of her sword, severing overgrown vines and cutting through stalks of towering grass that rose past Kazimir's waist. Making sure to stump and cut it down so Kazimir could pass.
Every time he stumbled, she was there.
A steady hand. A firm grip. A silent reassurance.
Firefly-like creatures flickered between the trees, glowing softly, their golden lights shimmering like fragments of stars.
At first, Selis burned them when they got too close, wary of any unknown lifeform in this world. But as more and more of them swarmed around, flitting harmlessly through the air, she relented, letting them pass undisturbed.
Kazimir watched her in silent admiration.
No hesitation. No uncertainty.
She adapted to everything without pause, the gravity, the heat, the terrain, even the strange creatures. The world did not affect her the way it did him.
He could barely keep his balance.
The only reason he wasn't face-first in the dirt was because Selis was always there to catch him.
Then, at last, their destination loomed ahead.
The colossal mushroom.
It stretched far beyond the tree line, its enormous crimson cap speckled with white spots, towering above the jungle like a monolith. From here, it was even larger than the tallest tower of the castle.
Selis stopped at the massive white stalk, tapping the thick surface with her knuckles.
Then, she summoned two small white flames in her palms.
The flames flickered and shaped themselves into two gleaming daggers.
"Alright," she said, her regal voice unwavering. "Let's begin climbing."
Kazimir blinked, looking up at the sheer vertical ascent that stretched far into the sky.
"...Can't I just teleport up?" he asked.
Selis glanced at him, her pale silver eyes calm.
"You could," she admitted. "But it would consume energy, energy better saved for battle or escape. And teleporting without knowing it is safe is a risk."
Kazimir frowned, glancing up again.
The mushroom seemed endless from down here, stretching toward the heavens like a bridge to the moon itself.
A slight shiver ran down his spine.
He had never feared heights before, but something about this, this towering, alien behemoth, sent a strange dread curling in his stomach.
"You're sure climbing is better?" he asked, voice tight.
Selis brushed a few strands of snow-white hair from her scarred face, regarding him steadily.
"Yes. It will be a good training exercise."
She could see the hesitation in his eyes.
Her voice softened, just slightly.
"Don't worry," she said, "I will be behind you, to catch you if you fall."
Something in her tone, in the certainty of it, made the fear dull, just a little.
Kazimir exhaled.
Selis didn't wait for him to respond.
She turned toward the mushroom and drove her daggers into its thick stalk, the blades sinking in like knives through flesh.
With fluid efficiency, she climbed, using natural grooves where she could, and cutting holds when there weren't any.
"Luckily for us," she called down, "this is organic, easier to cut through. If it were stone, we'd need another method."
Kazimir watched in awe as she ascended with inhuman speed, her movements sharp, precise, effortless.
In a matter of seconds, she had climbed a high into the air, her cape and white hair billowing in the wind.
Then she looked down at him, and then, without hesitation,
She jumped.
Kazimir's heart stopped.
She plummeted toward him at frightening speed, the force of gravity dragging her down like a falling star.
Then, just before impact, white flames erupted beneath her feet.
And she landed in a crouch, the ground cracking beneath her as the force dispersed.
Kazimir staggered back, wind brushing past him from the sheer impact.
A small crater lay beneath her silver armor boots.
She stood, unshaken, turning to him with a rare, small smirk.
"Now you try."
Kazimir swallowed hard.
His gaze flicked upward.
The stalk stretched high into the sky.
Noticing his lingering hesitation, Selis took a step closer, her silver eyes holding his.
"I will be right behind you. To catch you if you fall."
The certainty in her words anchored him.
Kazimir exhaled and stepped forward.
He plunged a dagger into the mushroom's stalk,
It sank in smoothly, almost too easily.
Then, slowly, he began to climb.
Selis followed, close behind, instructing him when necessary, pointing out where to grip, how to balance his weight, how to move without wasting energy.
Fireflies drifted between them, casting an otherworldly glow over their ascent.
Kazimir's arms burned with fatigue, but he pushed through it.
"There's a crevice up ahead," Selis said. "We can rest there."
Kazimir glanced down to see where she was pointing at.
A mistake.
The world tilted.
The ground was far, far below.
He was higher than the observatory, and unlike the castle, there were no railings.
Just a sheer drop into death.
Dread grew in his chest.
But before the terror could consume him,
He saw Selis and met her steady gaze.
"Don't worry," she said.
Her voice was calm. Certain. Unshaken.
"I promise, I will always catch you if you fall."
And just like that.
The fear vanished.
Kazimir clenched his jaw, nodded, and kept climbing.
The crevice was near.
Kazimir reached for the ledge.
Then, the mushroom shook.
A violent tremor ran through the stalk, and in an instant.
His grip slipped.
And he fell.
The wind roared in his ears, the world spinning as gravity dragged him down at blinding speed.
His heart pounded.
He tried to cut a nearby shadow to teleport but there wasn't any in the air.
Then,
A silver blur.
Selis dove after him, white flames erupting beneath her feet pushing her away from the stalk, sending her hurtling faster than even gravity itself.
In less than a second, she caught him.
Wrapping one arm securely around his body, pressing him against her chest.
Her other hand unsheathed her sword, white flames engulfing the blade.
And then, she drove it into the stalk, slowing their fall, sparks flying as the sword cut through the organic surface, reducing their momentum.
By the time they came to a stop, Kazimir's pulse was still racing.
Selis's breathing was heavy, her grip unwavering.
She held him tightly against her armor.
"Are you hurt?" she asked.
Kazimir, still stunned, could only shake his head.
He hadn't been this close to death since the time he was being hunted in the Umbrax ruin, and just like that time, Selis had again saved his life.
Selis relaxed slightly, pulling him closer.
"I told you," she murmured, "I'd catch you."
Her arms tightened, holding him firm.
"And I always will."
Kazimir's heart pounded again.
But this time,
It wasn't from fear.