Time goes back to one day ago.
When falling off the cliff.
Allen and Sylphy fell from the air at high speed, without the support of Rudy's blowing magic.
The distance between the two was very close. How close?
The strong wind in the valley blew Allen's long hair. His glasses had already been broken during the first clash with the monsters. The hair tie holding his ponytail had been torn away by the fierce winds.
The roaring wind hissed like a battle cry, while his slightly rough brown hair and Sylphy's soft green hair intertwined and danced in a tangled waltz.
They fell together, tangled in the air.
In that moment of free fall—
The two, so close to each other, locked eyes in the darkness. Their breath touched each other's face.
Allen's eyebrows rose. He couldn't hide his shock. Why had Sylphy done this? Why had she grabbed his hand without hesitation?
Sylphy squinted her eyes into delicate crescents in the wind. Amidst panic, there was a hint of stubbornness. Her reddish-brown eyes on her young face stared straight into Allen's, just like how he always focused when observing someone.
There was no suspension bridge anymore.
But they had leapt from it together.
The wind howled in their ears.
Light and shadow blurred in their vision.
His heart pounded rapidly.
Allen froze only for a moment before reacting. He opened his eyes in anger, pulled Sylphy tightly into his arms, and roared subconsciously:
"You want to die?!"
There was no time to hear her reply. At the same time, his secret technique—Sensation Flow—was activated and operating at full speed.
Sylphy clung tightly to his bloody back. A hazy green light sparked and broke in her hand—her chantless healing spell failed to take shape due to her scattered concentration.
She frowned, abandoned the spell, and despite her fear, tears in her eyes, she stubbornly shouted something.
But the wind carried her long syllables away.
Her voice dropped rapidly into the wind.
"No!"
"Yes!"
"No!"
Allen couldn't hear clearly. His pupils, reduced to pinpoints, darted around rapidly. With his training in the perception of the Water God Style, a flood of environmental data surged into his brain like lightning:
'To the right, a void—an empty valley. The wind echoes strangely there. Same ahead. Behind, the wind flows smoothly. No resistance. But—'
'To the left, the wind is chaotic!'
'That's the sound of air scraping against rock! The darkness there feels thicker than anywhere else!'
'Cliff wall!!'
As that realization struck, Allen, still holding Sylphy, swept his free hand in an arc from over his head to his side. Dou Qi surged from his fingertips, pulverizing the gravel above them. With fine control, he swung his hand leftward, the Dou Qi dissipating just enough to brush the air beside him—
There—resistance!
A turbulent current pushed back.
'About two meters!'
His mind overloaded with data, Allen completed these deductions in under a second. He flung his hand outward and released a Dou Qi technique in the opposite direction—Avalanche Drop. The energy burst disrupted their fall, shifting their trajectory.
In that instant, he twisted and thrust his blade into the cliff.
The Dou Qi wrapped around the blade's tip, and sparks flared as it scraped along the rock, leaving a streak of light.
The blade caught in the cliff—suspending them for just a moment.
The inertia whipped them violently backward in the air.
The blade arched, sparks flew around Allen's wide pupils—
His face was dark.
The thin blade bent at a sharp angle... and snapped.
Allen's usual weapon—a long, thin blade—had pierced the cliff only because Dou Qi had reinforced it.
But Dou Qi also made it brittle.
He had expected this. He couldn't risk waiting until the very last second. What if the soil was too soft? What if the blade didn't stick?
So he'd stabbed early.
Luckily, it worked—just once.
Now, as their fall resumed, Allen's grip tightened. His face darkened as he judged the situation.
'We're still dozens of meters above the valley floor. A direct fall would be fatal!'
'The only option left is using Dou Qi's "adhesion" mode. My limbs will probably fracture, but I have no choice. Intermediate healing magic can help with that. As long as—'
'Sylphy survives!'
With calculations complete, Allen yelled:
"Hold on to me! Don't let go, hear me?"
"No!!!"
"You just need to—huh?"
Just as Allen was ready to land using his legs, a firm rejection came from Sylphy.
He had never been 'rejected' by her before. He instinctively glanced down—
And the wind changed.
Not from their fall—but from magic.
Sylphy had wrapped her legs tightly around Allen's waist, her eyes closed, emotions steadied, hands outstretched—
Blowing magic activated!
Magical power surged recklessly from her palms. The wind roared beneath them, fighting gravity's pull.
Allen felt her soft limbs press against his waist—an intense heat and sharp friction flared where their skin met.
But Sylphy couldn't hold his body any longer. As the source of the magic, she had no strength left to support him.
Allen gritted his teeth.
This wasn't the result he wanted—but there was no time to argue. Another delay and they'd accelerate again—ensuring injury or death.
He swiftly activated Sensation Flow, wrapping Sylphy tightly with his aura, blending the two of them into one cohesive unit.
Their bodies steadied midair—but continued falling!
Allen's estimate had been accurate.
From their suspended moment to the ground: 74 meters.
Free fall time: 3.89 seconds.
With the help of Sylphy's wind magic?
7 seconds.
In those 7 seconds, Allen shifted into the optimal landing posture.
Nearby, the sound of monsters crashing to the ground echoed—like bursting water balloons.
They had fallen too—turned into pulp.
Then—
Bang!
A blast of air exploded beneath Allen's feet. His knees buckled as they struck the earth. His joints groaned under pressure.
A faint green light passed by.
The injuries on his back and legs healed instantly.
Allen stood up. Sylphy's soft hair brushed against his face.
He could feel her heartbeat—fast and trembling—matching his own. He exhaled.
'Sylphy's magic slowed our descent. It felt like falling from only ten meters. Minimal damage. She really saved us.'
He patted Sylphy's head, took a step back, and looked at her face.
But what greeted him wasn't a smile of relief.
Tears streamed down Sylphy's cheeks. She stared at him with a wronged expression, lips trembling, unable to speak.
Her mouth opened and closed repeatedly.
Finally—confirming Allen was safe—she smiled through the tears.
She had been copying Allen's serious expression for a year. But now, the mask broke.
She looked like a child again—emotions raw on her face.
Allen's eyes widened.
His joy turned to shock... then awe.
Moonlight poured into the valley.
The dark clouds parted.
Silver radiance descended from the sky.
In Allen's shocked and dilated pupils—
Sylphy's green hair fluttered in the moonlight.
Snowflakes drifted around them like falling stars.
A halo of silver surrounded her.
Her hair shimmered—
Soft as moonlight.
Like the moonlight itself—
Bright and flawless.