The dog responded with a hoarse bark and advanced slowly, each movement charged with aggression.
That's when she noticed something even stranger.
A shadow passed briefly on the floor.
She looked up.
The maid: "HUH?"
Above her, floating awkwardly in the air, was Venti.
His arms slightly outstretched, his body rigid, he seemed as surprised as she was.
FFFFFFFFFFfffffffffffff
A light aura of wind surrounded him, making his clothes and hair ripple.
He tried, his voice hesitant.
The maid's mouth dropped open.
The maid: "You... you're flying?!"
Venti: "Technically... yes."
"Practically... not really."
He replied with a nervous smile.
The dog barked again and attempted a jump, but landed heavily, unable to reach his target.
WOOF WOOF
Taking advantage of this distraction, the maid regained her composure.
The maid: "Back off, you beast!"
She shouted, searching around for something.
She grabbed a small garden shovel that had been abandoned near the flowerbeds and brandished it in self-defense.
The dog hesitated, growled, then took a few steps to the side, uncertain.
GGGGGGgggggggggggg
The maid: "Mr. Adventurer!"
She called out to Venti, never taking her eyes off the animal.
The maid: "Can you... do something?!"
Venti swallowed hard.
Venti: "Yes! Well... I'm mostly trying to figure out how to get back down!"
Meow
Despite the tension, Aster meowed softly, as if reassured, and snuggled closer to the maid.
She glanced fondly at the cat, then worriedly at the dog.
The maid: "The important thing," she murmured.
"That the young master's cat is safe and sound."
FFFFFFFFfffffff
The wind blew slightly harder around Venti, as if responding to his nervousness.
The situation was far from over, but one thing was certain:
Aster had been found... and the peace of the manor had just been shattered.
Venti: "Go!"
"Now!"
Venti shouted, his voice firmer than he thought possible.
The maid looked up at him, surprised by this sudden, authoritative tone.
The maid: "Huh?"
For a split second, she hesitated, clutching Aster tightly as the dog barked more and more violently, leaping again and again in a desperate attempt to catch Venti in the air.
Venti didn't want the maid to get hurt because of this angry dog.
The maid: "But… what about you?"
Venti: "Don't worry about me!"
Venti repeated, flailing his legs clumsily to stay aloft.
Venti: "Get away from here!"
As if to emphasize his words, the dog used a rock as a springboard and jumped higher than before. His fangs snapped in the air, just inches from Venti's boot.
The beast's warm breath brushed past him, and his heart skipped a beat.
Meow
The maid: "Hey, calm down..."
he murmured, instinctively backing away.
The maid didn't wait any longer.
Realizing that staying would be even more dangerous for the cat, she turned on her heel and started running across the garden, Aster nestled tightly against her chest.
Meow
The cat meowed one last time, as if hesitating to leave Venti, then buried his head in the young woman's apron.
Even though animals sense danger, some remained perplexed by it.
The maid: "Help!"
She shouted toward the manor.
The maid: "The cat has been found!"
The dog, hearing the movement behind him, hesitated for a fraction of a second.
WOOF WOOF WOOF
But his attention immediately returned to Venti, still hovering above him.
The animal's eyes shone with a wild gleam, and he began to jump again, over and over, thumping his paws on the ground with a dull thud.
Venti: "Well…" Venti sighed.
Trying to hide his nervousness.
Venti: "Looks like I've become your new favorite toy."
FFFFFFFFFFffffffffffffff
He tried to climb a little higher, but his control was still unsteady.
Each movement caused an involuntary ascent or descent, as if he were floating on an invisible, choppy sea.
The wind around him picked up, whipping up leaves and dust.
Venti: "Okay."
He thought.
Venti: "Flying is great."
"But maybe we should learn how to land without getting eaten."
Venti's flying skill was only level 1, so his mastery left much to be desired.
WOOF WOOF WOOF
The dog leaped again, more violently, its claws scraping the air.
Venti felt a pang of panic tighten in his chest, but he took a deep breath.
FFFFFFFFFFFfffffffffffffff
The anemo energy responded immediately, swirling around him like an instinctive shield.
Venti: "If you insist."
He murmured.
FFFFFFFFfffffffffffffff
A gust of wind suddenly descended toward the ground, forcing the dog to back away, whimpering, surprised by the sudden gust.
It wasn't a controlled attack, but it was enough to create some distance.
In the distance, Venti saw the maid disappear inside the manor.
A weight immediately lifted from his chest.
Venti: "Good… Aster is safe."
He then turned his full attention to the dog, which was growling even louder, shaking its head as if trying to ward off the wind.
GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGgggggggggggggggg
Venti: "Now…"
Venti added in a low voice, his eyes fixed on the beast.
Venti: "We'll have to deal with you… and above all… get back down alive."
Suspended between heaven and earth, his heart pounding, Venti realized that this seemingly simple mission had just turned into a new ordeal, yet another test of his skills… and his ability to keep his cool in the face of danger.
Pap pap pap pap pap
His heart still throbbing with adrenaline, Venti focused his mind despite the chaos. The dog continued to bark and leap, its paws clawing furiously at the ground, but an idea had just flashed through his mind like a sudden breeze.
Of all his skills, there was one he had never truly tested in a real-life danger situation.
Illusion Creation
He muttered to himself.
Venti: "Hhhhmmmmmm."
He briefly closed his eyes, letting the Anemo energy flow through him while searching for another, more subtle, more fragile form of energy.
He immediately sensed the limitations of his skill:
At level 1, he could neither create a complex illusion nor maintain it for long.
At best… a simple image.
A decoy.
Something convincing enough to fool an animal spirit.
When he opened his eyes again, a blurry figure materialized a few meters away, just above the ground.
It was an imperfect copy of himself:
- The outlines trembled slightly
- The colors seemed faded
- And the illusion flickered like a flame exposed to the wind.
Despite everything, it was there.
The dog froze.
His ears pricked up, his gaze shifting from Venti floating in the air to this new presence that had appeared silently.
GGGGGGGGGGGGggggggggg
A deep growl escaped his throat, a mixture of confusion and aggression.
The illusion moved clumsily, as if trying to flee.
Venti: "That… that should be enough…"
Venti thought, holding his breath.
The next moment, the dog charged.
He completely abandoned Venti to pounce on the illusion, claws extended.
FFFFFFFFFFFffffffffffff
His fangs snapped shut on the void just as the image dissipated into a light, greenish mist, carried away by an invisible gust of wind.
The illusion was gone.
Venti: "Already?!"
Venti exclaimed in a low voice, surprised by how quickly his creation had vanished.
Venti: "I didn't think the illusion would be so fragile."
But it had been enough.
WOOF
The dog, now disoriented, began to spin around, barking in all directions.
He was searching for his target, unable to understand where it had gone.
His movements became erratic, less precise, less dangerous.
Bbbbbbbbbrrrrrrrrrrr
Venti's adventurer's crystal vibrated slightly against his chest, almost imperceptibly, as if registering the use of the skill.
Venti: "So that's it..."
Venti murmured, a faint smile appearing despite the tension.
Venti: "Fragile illusions... but useful ones."
Taking advantage of this brief moment of confusion, he gently tried to descend, unconsciously adjusting the wind flow beneath his feet.
FFFFFFFFFFFFffffffffffffffff
This time, his body responded a little better, as if it was finally beginning to understand how to float... and how to stop.
He landed awkwardly behind a bush, rolling slightly on the grass before righting himself.
His breath was short, but he was safe and sound.
Venti: "I need to be careful."
The dog, still searching for its imaginary enemy, gradually moved away, drawn by a distant noise or simply bored.
Venti remained motionless for a few seconds, then let out a sigh of relief.
Venti: "Small illusions… short… but effective."
He concluded mentally.
Venti: "If I want to survive longer… I'll have to improve this one too."
Even though Venti's skill was difficult to use, he still had to practice it in case he encountered an enemy capable of flight or to dodge projectiles like the Ruin Guard's missiles.
He cast one last glance toward the back of the garden, making sure the danger had passed, before standing up completely.
One thing was certain:
This simple mission of finding a cat had just proven to him once again that even the most subtle skills could make all the difference… especially when used at the right moment.
WOOF WOOF WOOF
As the dog continued to spin around, barking frantically, its claws digging into the earth and its muzzle searching the air for a nonexistent target, a thought crossed Venti's mind.
A skill.
Just one. He had never used it before.
Intangibility
The mere thought of it sent a slight shiver down his spine.
Becoming intangible meant letting attacks pass through him like the wind… but also experiencing something he didn't yet truly understand.
And in such an unstable situation, testing an unknown skill could be more dangerous than helpful.
Venti: "No… not now."
He told himself through gritted teeth.
Instead, he chose caution.
He preferred to reinforce what he already knew, even if it was imperfect.
His gaze fell once more on the dog, still trapped in its confusion, and Venti gathered his energy once more.
FFFFFFFFFFFFFffffffffffffff
This time, he tried to better control the flow, not simply to create a random illusion, but to give it a clear direction.
A second illusion appeared, smaller than the first, almost translucent.
It took the form of a humanoid shadow that darted to the side of the garden.
The image trembled more, threatening to vanish at any moment, but it was moving.
FFFFFFFFFFFFffffffffffffff
And that was enough.
The dog abruptly turned its head and began chasing this new target, its barking changing tone, becoming more excited, more aggressive.
GGGGGGggggggg
Venti immediately felt fatigue creeping in.
Creating successive illusions required more energy than he had imagined, especially at such a low level.
His breathing became uneven, and a slight pain throbbed in his temples.
Venti: "Just a little longer… hold on, just a little longer…"
He thought.
The dog continued to follow Venti's illusion as Venti continued to concentrate.
He created a third illusion, even simpler:
A simple movement, a blurry silhouette that briefly appeared behind the dog before disappearing. The result was immediate.
Completely disoriented, the animal began running in circles, barking into the void, unable to determine where the real threat lay.
Brrrrrrrrrrrrr
Venti's adventurer's crystal vibrated again, more clearly this time, as if acknowledging the repeated effort and ongoing learning.
This surely meant his "Illusion Creation" skill.
Venti, leaning against a tree, silently observed the scene.
He understood now.
Even though his illusions were weak, temporary, and imperfect, their true strength lay in the confusion they sowed.
He didn't need to strike.
He didn't need to hurt.
He simply needed to divert, to deceive, to guide the wind in the right direction.
FFFFFFFFffffffffff
Venti: "Intangibility can wait..."
He murmured with a faint, weary smile.
Venti: "Everything in its own time."
WOOF WOOF WOOF
When the dog finally moved away, drawn by a distant noise or simply exhausted from its own commotion, Venti slowly slid to the ground.
His heart was still racing, but this time it wasn't just from the danger.
It was from the excitement.
He had just grasped something essential:
Even without raw power, even without perfectly honed skills, he could survive… and evolve.
Each of his skills had a use that he managed to discover.
And as long as he continued to experiment, learn, and listen to the wind, every situation would become a new lesson.
A few minutes later:
A few moments later, voices rang out at the garden entrance, followed by the heavy thud of boots striking the stone slabs.
Two, then three guards appeared between the hedges, weapons drawn and eyes alert.
They had clearly been drawn by the repeated barking and unusual commotion in this part of the manor.
Guard #1: "There!"
One of them shouted, pointing at the dog.
WOOF WOOF WOOF
The animal, still excited and disoriented by Venti's successive illusions, turned sharply toward them and growled, baring its teeth.
But this time, it was no longer alone against a fleeing target.
The guards moved methodically, forming a semicircle around the beast.
One of them threw a reinforced net, which fell heavily on the dog, immediately restraining it.
Another stepped forward and, with a precise movement, slipped a restraining stick around its neck to immobilize it without causing further injury.
WOOF WOOF WOOF
The dog struggled for a few more seconds, barking furiously, before finally giving in, exhausted.
WOOF woof
His movements slowed, then almost ceased completely, emitting only faint grunts.
Woof
Guard #1: "He's been restrained."
One of the guards announced firmly.
Venti, still slightly out of breath, slowly sat up.
The tension that had weighed on his shoulders since the beginning of the incident was suddenly released.
He watched the scene in silence, realizing he no longer needed to cling to his illusions.
They vanished instantly, like gusts of wind carried away by the air.
The maid cautiously returned to the garden, still holding Aster close.
The maid: "I hope the adventurer is all right."
The black cat with golden eyes peeked out from under his arms, observing the scene with an almost insolent calm, his tail swaying gently.
Meow
When he spotted Venti, he let out a soft meow, as if recognizing the one who had helped him escape.
The guards then turned their attention to the young adventurer. Their gaze shifted from his dusty clothes to his bow, then to the marks left by the impromptu fight in the garden.
Guard #2: "You're the one who held the dog?"
One of them asked, visibly surprised.
Venti lightly scratched his cheek, a sheepish smile playing on his lips.
Venti: "Let's just say… I mostly bought myself some time."
He answered honestly.
The guards exchanged a glance.
Guard #1: ".............".
Guard #2: ".............".
Guard #3: ".............".
Then they nodded.
Without him, the situation could have escalated much more seriously.
And even if they didn't understand exactly what he had done, one thing was clear:
This young adventurer had prevented an accident.
Chapter 25: Chasing after an illusion
The End