One month truly passed in the blink of an eye once one reached my age.
As for how I knew that a month had gone by, beyond my usual habit of keeping track of time, it was evidently through Solaena's return.
I possessed many means of detecting intrusions, some far-ranged, some close-ranged, and to date, she had only managed to evade two of them when she did her best, both specialized in close-range non-[Stealth] detection.
Making my way through the familiar corridors of the castle I had helped design, build, and shape over the years, I went to welcome her.
She reacted to my greetings as usual, staring at me like I did something wrong.
She truly disliked whenever her [Awareness] failed her, though at least she possessed the wisdom to treat every successful infiltration as another opportunity for [Cultivation].
One of the many pillars that made her so [Worthy].
Guiding her to the room where I had already gathered everything she would need for her journey, I proudly started introducing her to the equipment I had prepared.
First came a new suit of armor, accompanied by a backpack designed specifically for long-distance flight, both of which had been woven from an ultra-fine black metal-thread fabric.
Light enough not to burden her, yet durable enough to endure well over a year of travel through multiple Sectors and ever-changing environments, including the Violet Radiance Sector.
The helmet was the centerpiece that completed the set, its translucent visor allowing it to seal her entire head, even preventing air from entering or escaping if she tightened it enough using the correct fasteners.
The armor I had initially designed for her was intended to operate under the same principle of being a complete environmental seal, but unfortunately...
Without a Grand Frame branch to take care of the [Craft]ing, such a combat weave could not be fashioned to a satisfactory level, so I had to give up and lower my exigencies.
"Heat won't dissipate naturally," I explained. "You'll have to vent it through your [Cultivation] from time to time."
She nodded, offering no objection to wearing this sort of flawed combat weave few would dare to actually use given all the restrictions it came with.
I then moved on to the next item, her four replacement needle swords, each of which had been forged from the same black metallic alloy I had taken out of my personal vault.
"Each of these can withstand forces that would shatter your current body sixty-four times over," I said. "So don't hesitate to use them as parrying blades. Better to be sent flying with shattered hands than discover what would've happened had you failed to block."
She flew toward the nearest one, picked it up, tested its balance, then executed several quick thrusts before giving a small nod. "Good."
"It cost me a fair amount to have them forged," I continued, "but that's one advantage of fairy-sized equipment. It requires so little material that the overall cost remains modest."
"The expensive part lies in acquiring quality materials and finding someone with sufficient [Craft]ing expertise to work on such a fine scale."
After putting down the sword she had picked up, her attention naturally shifted to the remaining supplies.
A map.
A box of emergency paste.
Medical supplies reserved solely for catastrophic injuries.
"You already know the principles of long-duration travel," I reminded her. "Travel light, but prepare for the absolute worst, like losing a limb, or worse, your wings."
With everything explained, she didn't waste time and immediately started getting changed.
Still, having learned conventional etiquette, she at least had the decency not to change in front of me, even if she herself remained entirely indifferent to exposing her body.
I assumed it would either come with age or... never.
Once she had finished adjusting to her new equipment, fitting everything so that it tightly hugged her body, she carefully stored every supply inside her backpack, systematically arranging them so that she knew where everything was.
Only the map remained, as I had unfolded it across the table while she was changing.
"Drawn entirely by my own hand, specifically for you," I told her, allowing her eyes to wander all across my pseudo-masterpiece.
Though I had to admit that without explanation, it must have arguably looked incomprehensible.
No matter, that's what I was here for, after all.
"This." I pointed toward the upper-leftmost segment. "Is Red Sand Rift City."
"And this." My finger slid across the parchment. "Is the route you'll be taking."
Her gaze followed every movement.
"You'll cross the Red Desert before entering the rust wastes. From there, ascend the Strata through this passage, then follow these marks until you emerge within the Crimson Hollow Sector, where you'll find yourself in the crimson wastes..."
The map had been filled with annotations.
Safe places to rest.
Regions frequented by aerial predators.
Settlements worth avoiding or visiting.
Landmarks visible even from high altitude.
Finally, my finger came to rest on the lower-leftmost segment.
"The Everwell Sector."
She silently continued examining every note I had written.
"For your information," I added, "this is neither the shortest nor the safest route. It is, however, the one best suited to you."
She gave a small nod but otherwise didn't bother replying.
"As for the matter of your escort..."
The instant I breached this topic, however, her indifferent iridescent eyes found mine.
"I've decided against assigning one."
She rolled her eyes, as if what I just said was only to be expected.
Though, frankly, considering everything I taught her, I would have been surprised if she hadn't already reached that conclusion herself.
Between the [Cultivation] regimen I imposed and the [Knowledge] I deliberately provided, the signs had hardly been subtle.
"With your endurance, your speed, and the itinerary I prepared for you, another traveler would only slow you down."
She accepted my explanation without comment.
I then went over the finer details of the journey.
"This stretch should be crossed at high altitude. Most predators remain close to the ground."
My finger shifted farther along the route.
"These regions are different. Several species there actively hunt airborne prey, so don't mistake the sky for safety."
Another section.
"This area attracts more than its fair share of unsavory individuals. Avoid descending unless absolutely necessary."
By the time I had finished explaining every noteworthy location, there was little left to add.
"I believe that's everything."
I folded the map and handed it to her.
Wordlessly, she accepted and tucked it away inside her backpack, fastened the final clasp, then stepped back before lowering herself into a flawless formal bow, wings folded neatly as her head, hands, and knees touched the floor.
"I thank Elder Stavros for illuminating my Path. May your wisdom never be squandered."
After rising, she even went on to perform a second bow.
One reserved for departures from which there was no guarantee of meeting again.
"May our next meeting stand as proof that your teachings were not misplaced."
Getting back on her feet with practiced elegance, she secured her backpack one last time, then walked toward the exit.
She didn't look back.
And just like that, without another word, she leapt.
Within a single heartbeat, leaving an iridescent trail of remanence, she had already climbed dozens of meters into the air.
Then she accelerated.
Faster.
Faster still.
Until she became nothing more than a tiny silhouette swallowed by the crimson afterglow emanating from the distant Red Sand Realm Rift.
Or rather, she would have, had one of my Aspects not made losing sight of her nearly impossible, beyond any of my other means of detection, and this one was unaffected by distance.
My [Worthy] Aspect.
For years, I had observed countless Essence Entities through it.
Leaders.
Warriors.
Prodigies.
Monsters.
Very few had ever left a lasting impression on me.
Solaena did just that.
She did not merely shine.
She blazed.
A radiance so overwhelming it bordered on painful to perceive.
And it was no static brilliance.
With every passing day, her radiance only blazed brighter.
Bearing in mind that my [Worthy] Aspect did not judge against some universal [Truth], but rather reflected my own [Comprehension] of what it meant to be [Worthy], making visible how closely others approached that [Ideal]...
Solaena was, in every sense I could perceive...
Something extremely close to what I considered an [Ideal] [Worthy] being.
Ambitious.
Relentless.
Entirely devoted to advancing her Path.
Even her flaws—for no being could truly be perfect—were so peculiar that I scarcely knew whether they deserved to be called flaws at all.
Like how there had always been something subtly... off, with her mannerisms.
Never enough for most people to notice.
Sometimes not even sufficient for me.
But every now and then, when she believed herself entirely alone...
She would stand with her knees oddly bent.
Twist her wings into strange positions.
Rotate her feet in ways that looked unnatural.
Continuously adjust her posture through minute skeletal rotations and microscopic shifts in her muscular tension...
Every movement, taken individually, appeared perfectly ordinary.
Together...
They formed something that never quite resembled the unconscious movements of a sapient being.
Not because they lacked intelligence.
Quite the opposite.
Because they lacked instinct.
As though every motion had first been consciously understood, then deliberately reproduced.
Her sociability followed much the same pattern.
I was no psychologist, unlike those she would one day encounter within the Mind Palace if she ever visited one of their branches, but the longer one spent around her, the more obvious it became.
Much, if not all, of her social behavior was constructed.
Observed.
Copied.
Refined through countless successes and failures.
She smiled because smiling produced favorable outcomes.
She adopted certain tones because they encouraged cooperation.
She paused at particular moments because experience had taught her they felt natural to others.
Strip all of that away...
And beneath remained only an extraordinary rationality.
No cruelty, no kindness, no likes, no dislikes, simply...
Apathy.
Even the emotions she gradually developed, now that her physical vessel was finally given both the time and environment necessary to mature properly, were not unfolding in ways they should have.
They became objects of study.
Experiences to dissect.
Opportunities to obtain new [Insight]s.
And somehow...
That only made her more [Worthy].
Truly, the longer I reflected on what I glimpsed of the being who named herself Solaena after some inane children's tale...
The more difficult it became not to attain a single, increasingly absurd conclusion.
She was not merely pursuing an [Ideal] of relentless growth and progress.
She was embodying one.
One step at a time, incarnating what an Essence Entity stripped to its purest pursuit of growth could become.
Only remained to see how high she could soar before her own blaze proved itself too much.
After all, a senseless concept as absurd as perpetual growth could not truly exist.
Right...?
◇ ◈ ◈ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◈ ◈ ◇
Commencing on a journey projected to last at least a year, as it turned out, echoed as a different form of freedom than the one I experienced within the Red Sand Realm.
It wasn't one expressed through the ability to go wherever my whims might take me.
Neither was it one free from obligations or constraints.
It was, however, one carrying such promises of what I might uncover along the way and at its end that every other limitation seemed insignificant.
And I guessed there was also the fact that I had wrapped up all that still tied me to this Sector except one, which I was presently heading toward resolving.
I published my first [Faith] text, "The Nascence Of Solaena".
I encouraged everyone I knew whose Path had a statistically low probability of amounting to anything to contemplate forming the [Faith] Aspect and dedicating it to me.
I brought every bond of pseudo-friendship I maintained to a proper close.
I arranged for everyone who had helped me throughout my stay, from the team of harvesters I first encountered, to the Seekers and Sentinels who occasionally taught me things or helped me train, to receive their due rewards.
I released all the findings I made in the document repository.
I successfully struck a lethal blow against a Sentinel Warrior during an official duel.
I then immediately healed him before the eyes of every Sentinel present.
Comprehensively, I did everything within my power to induce as much [Inspiration] as I could.
Though whether it would ultimately be enough for me to form the [Inspiration] Aspect remained to be seen...
Other than that, I obtained a letter of recommendation for the Faith of the Aspects branch in Everwell, which may or may not come in useful depending on where my thoughts took me during the ensuing year of travel.
A year during which I would be outfitted wholly with Stavros' new gear while following the itinerary he personally designed specifically around my circumstances.
Such a clear-cut departure, preceded by months of preparation and an already determined destination, was what made this freedom feel so different.
Soaring above the Red Desert, Red Sand Rift City gradually turned into nothing more than a distant beacon of crimson light.
Unlike the first time I beheld it, however, when my wings had yet to mature, I now knew exactly what everything I was looking at was.
The crimson radiance originated from the Red Sand Realm Rift leaking through the hazardous frame upon which a city had been built.
And all the red sand, all the gusts of scorching wind, all the relentless heat...
All of it ultimately originated from the same Red Sand Realm Rift.
How fascinating it was that [Knowledge] could transform how I viewed the world to such a degree that two identical sceneries could end up inspiring completely different [Insight]s.
Immersing myself in that [Clarity], I simply allowed my thoughts to wander for the remainder of that short detour.
To everything I had learned.
Everything I had become.
Everything I still wished to accomplish.
And to how I had, paradoxically, never truly changed.
Then, some ten hours or so later, having long since left the Red Desert and its crimson shimmer behind to soar above the rust wastes and the rust abominations that populated it, my destination finally entered my sight.
Volow's ruins.
My birthplace.
Not intending to stay long, I immediately started revisiting the various places I had once used as refuges, retraced my old routes, and unearthed several of the hidden stashes I left behind oh-so long ago.
Several were pillaged, including the one containing the majority of the coins I scavenged back then.
Not that I cared.
Ultimately, I descended once more into the depths of the tower through the very passage I had once escaped them from.
Some corpses still lingered in partial decay.
Most had become nothing but bones.
I felt nothing.
No nostalgia, no longing, no particular feelings.
For it all belonged to the past.
No different from the entire chapter of my life I spent in the Red Sand Sector that I was now leaving behind.
And with that final detour to where I had been born, where I first became aware, and where my Path unknowingly began...
I believed I had resolved every remaining hidden regret and every lingering defect that might have still remained from this past.
Still, to elevate that certainty into an absolute, I sought the very conduit hub where my body had once lain broken in the wake of the ceiling collapse event and sat down to meditate within.
I relinquished my thoughts to my [Harmony] Aspect, allowing it to gently align my mind before gradually bringing every remaining Aspect to bear.
[Clarity], [Awareness], and [Insight], to elevate my cognition to its limits.
[Will] and [Ambition], to push beyond those same limits.
[Cultivation], to sustain the effort.
I even drew upon some facets of [Secrecy], recalling the years during which I scurried unseen through the [Darkness], unknown to all.
And of course, [Guided].
It did not directly empower any of the others.
Instead, it quietly guided their interplay, sparing me the impossible task of consciously managing so many Aspects simultaneously while allowing each to remain at its brightest, most effective state as [Harmony] wove them—and my thoughts—into a single, coherent whole.
Under this harmonious convergence, memories long forgotten resurfaced.
The other children from the refuge ignoring and isolating me because I was born different.
The bloody brawls over scraps of paste.that I witnessed all while I was starving shortly after leaving the refuge.
One of my forays into an exhaust pipe from one of the paste furnaces that nearly turned to disaster.
All those forgotten memories returned with such [Clarity] that I even relived the thoughts I had back then.
Fighting off hunger.
Persisting through pain.
Ignoring exhaustion.
True to my Path, even before I understood the very concept of a Path that encompassed every action taken with the intent of striving for something, throughout those years I wandered the [Darkness]...
I never wavered.
Unsurprisingly, there were [Insight]s to be uncovered in those early memories
The [Will] to endure.
The [Ambition] to take one step every day.
The [Harmony] of realizing that my Path had never fundamentally changed, only deepened.
The [Purity] of remaining true to myself.
The [Clarity] of knowing exactly where my Path was heading...
None were yet ready to unfold into an Essence phenomenon capable of furthering my Path, but, as ever...
It all amounted to taking yet another step forward.
As my meditation naturally came to an end, I navigated back through the [Darkness] and returned to the place from which I had first gazed upon a settlement reduced to ruins beneath massive panes of rusted metal.
Having synthesized my [Perception] Aspect into [Awareness], my ability to peer through the [Darkness] had diminished considerably, but it proved little more than a minor inconvenience as an unsophisticated [Will]ing of my eyes to be able to peer through utter [Darkness] solved the issue.
Simply from that, how far I had come wasn't even something that bore reflecting on.
Everything had changed.
My fundamental truth of [Exertion] had evolved to become my fundamental truth of [Cultivation], which had yet to prove my decision wrong.
Hunger had become nothing more than an archaic [Cultivation] method.
I no longer needed to breathe.
I didn't even count heat and cold as part of my concerns anymore.
I learned how to leverage every advantage available to me in combat and possessed both the training and equipment to do so.
Pain had never truly been an issue.
And exhaustion would soon become equally irrelevant, as I intended to make exhaustion resistance [Cultivation] a core of my [Cultivation] routine throughout the journey ahead.
Viewed from an external perspective, I was certain most would judge my foundation to be beyond exceptional for what was but a three-year-old fairy born in a desolate and barren Sector.
But the [Truth] of such evaluations and comparisons hadn't changed from the first time I discovered them.
For whether others considered me a prodigy or a fool, it did not matter in the slightest.
Only my past self was [Worthy] of comparison.
And to this day, I had yet to fail my past self.
Reaffirming that Path-defining [Insight] such that it briefly felt as though it resonated throughout my entire Essence, I took flight once more.
Behind me, the desolate ruins of my birthplace were soon swallowed by the [Darkness], but I spared it but a glance as I adjusted my heading to rejoin Stavros’ itinerary.
The past was the past.
And it would remain so... until my Path carried me to such heights that I could grasp [Time] itself within the palm of my hands.