'Is the Hidden Eye still unable to return?' Inala thought while in flight, using his Secondary Nature to manipulate the surrounding air to generate lift on his being, using it to accelerate.
Hidden Eye; was the name of the mysterious eye that prevented all beings on Sumatra from being able to fly. Inala learnt of its name through the Brimgan Founder's memories. And as he slowly digested the information, he realised why it erased all means of flight.
It was to protect Sumatra from harm!
Sumatra Continent could be considered an island floating on a sea of grey sand. Its borders were occupied by the Sandy-Grey Void, making departure from the continent impossible.
However, it was situated at the bottom of a tunnel in the Sandbox Universe. Its actual name was unknown, but the Brimgan Founder called the sphere of grey sand containing all the Continents and the Transcendent Worlds the Sandbox Universe.
The existence of this tunnel meant that as long as someone could fly, they could theoretically leave Sumatra Continent and journey through this tunnel without having to face the Sandy-Grey Void. Light and sound existed in this tunnel, since it wasn't occupied by the grey sand.
Therefore, travel through the tunnel was possible. One could reach the Transcendent Worlds in this manner. But this was where the problem originated from.
Cosmic Beings!
They were eldritch in nature, capable of corrupting every single existence that dared see them. These Cosmic Beings came from outside the Sandbox Universe, primarily intending to consume the Continents.
Only the Transcendents could face them. To face a single Cosmic Being required efforts from hundreds of Transcendents. Even a Mystic Transcendent couldn't face a Cosmic Being singlehandedly.
If a creature from Sumatra becomes capable of flight, it isn't entirely an issue. After all, there exists a barrier around Sumatra, protecting the beings within from the influence of Cosmic Beings.
The range of this barrier was related to the Spirit Weapon range, after all, Sumatra Continent was the corpse of a Transcendent Mystic Tentacle who became bored with life and ended up dying.
As long as one was within Sumatra Continent's Spirit Weapon range, they'd be safe. This information wasn't known to the inhabitants. Even the Transcendents were generally clueless about it.
Maroppa claimed that the Sandy-Grey Void would become tremendously dangerous once they head deep in based on the Mudropper Race's inheritance. This was something they had confirmed personally, though not knowing the cause.
If they venture deep into the Sandy-Grey Void, there would come a point where they would cross the Spirit Weapon range of Sumatra. Following that, they would no longer be protected by Sumatra.
This meant that the influences of the Cosmic Beings could affect them, causing their emotions to spiral out of control and grip them with madness. Their bodies might mutate, they would transform into grotesque existence, etc.
Honestly, they were travelling within the tunnel. Since the Transcendent Worlds hover in the nodes between the tunnels, the influence of the Cosmic Beings wouldn't leak in much. It all depended on one's luck.
If any Continent at the end of the various tunnels connected to the node has a Major Treasure revealing itself, a Cosmic Being would enter. Leaving the continent in this time period would be the worst.
At least, if a creature is affected in the Sandy-Grey Void, they wouldn't be able to survive, since the grey sand would consume them eventually. So, it was never an issue there. Once someone became maddened, they wouldn't be able to return to the continent, since travelling through the Sandy-Grey Void wasn't easy. The slightest mistake could kill them.
But there were no risks with flying, since they were merely flying through the tunnel. And once they get affected, they'd no longer be sane enough to continue flying. Due to the gravitational pull of Sumatra, they'd fall to the continent.
This would be the start of a series of disasters. The Cosmic Being's influence would corrupt the creatures of Sumatra, spreading around like a disease.
Without a Mystic Grade Pranic Beast to defend the continent, the disease would spread uncontrollably until it engulfs the entire continent.
The Continents could be considered dead Mystic Transcendents. But in truth, only their sense of individuality had shattered. They still had Prana, which could act as their mind. Hence, once they get corrupted, the Continent itself would become an entity subservient to the Cosmic Being.
To prevent this disaster, all the Continents would actively pursue the creation of an Influenced Region that could restrict flight.
Hidden Eye was Sumatra Continent's equivalent of this effort to restrict flight. And until the day it finished forming, the Mystic Tentacles of every era were damn busy, trying to kill every single Pranic Beast that evolved to grow wings of other means of flight.
Life in Sumatra was the most dangerous back in those days.
As he flew, Inala became concerned, 'At present, I can fly, Resha can fly, Wittral can fly in human form, and every single Brimgan Royal with a decent stack of bodies could fly too.'
"If Hidden Eye doesn't return, things might take a turn for the worst." He muttered as he flew towards the Brimgan Empire, "First, I need to solidify the status of my staunchest ally."
As he flew, Inala soon spotted the female figure of Wittral walking along the wilds thirty kilometres away from the ruins of the Attributed Region, slow in his steps. He scanned the region and noticed Geugeu seated on a mountain five kilometres away.
Geugeu was gazing at the horizon where a large dust cloud was moving towards the Brimgan Empire. It was the group of Empyrean Snappers who were en route to the Empire.
The fact that Geugeu hadn't asked them to retreat meant that he had a plan of some kind, which was why he was patiently waiting atop the mountain and watched the group of Empyrean Snappers get closer over time.
It seemed Wittral was absolutely confused by Inala's actions in the centre of the Attributed Region, feeling betrayed and abandoned. Hence, in his state of confusion, he began to approach Geugeu.
'That won't be necessary.' Inala had no plans to allow Wittral to return to the Mammoth Clan, especially after the lengths he went to strengthen the latter. Even without maturing, Wittral was one of the strongest powerhouses in Sumatra.
Best of all, Inala could transform Wittral into a Gold Grade Zinger variant and strengthen the latter further. In order to ensure the continued growth of the Quip Clan, Wittral was an absolute necessity.
Currently, there are three Gold Grade Zinger variants, with each having strategic strength. Wittral would become the fourth variant.
Having four Gold Grade variants in a single race was unheard of. The Zinger Race was the only one with such a power. Their growth potential was the highest in Sumatra.
At present, the Wean Clan has better prospects due to their growth speed and Mystic Grade cultivation technique, but once Inala finishes his cultivation technique, his Quip Clan will be slightly superior to the Wean Clan.
Inala obtained an incomplete version of Mystic Sumatra Art through the memories of Brangara's children. So, he knew the Wean Clan's potential.
The Cooter Clan had already birthed a Supreme Snapper. So, it was just a matter of time before all Empyrean Snappers aligned themselves behind the lead of the Supreme Snapper.
If Wittral were to return to the Cooter Clan now, considering his three powerful Natures, he'd be superior to the Supreme Snapper. The Supreme Snapper could enter the Mystic Grade while Wittral had enough strength to fight against a Mystic Grade creature despite being a Gold Grade Pranic Beast.
His arrival would fracture the Cooter Clan into two camps, which wasn't good for their growth. They were generally apprehensive about facing Brangara, irrespective of the damage they faced. Inala planned to continue triggering them until they targeted the Wean Clan without reservations.
There were too many logical reasons to ensure Wittral doesn't return to the Cooter Clan. Moreover, there were emotional reasons too.
In the time they spent living together, Amita had developed feelings for Wittral. Though it was nothing compared to how hard Wittral fell for her, her emotions were genuine too.
At present, Wittral was a female. And thanks to the effects of Mystic Royalty, the emotions of Inala's female form were conveniently converted to his male form. This was a seamless conversion that allowed Inala to live in his two genders without collapsing mentally.
All the emotions, feelings, etc. gained in a form would be converted into their equivalent for the other form. This way, Inala would be able to operate in the same way through both genders.
One of the conditions to become a Royal Zinger was to surpass gender restrictions. As a result, Inala had no mental restrictions as compared to his Mammoth Clan and Cooter Clan selves.
"Wittral!" Followed by a shout, Inala retracted his wings and landed before Wittral, "There you are."
"Amita…" Wittral stopped speaking upon seeing Inala in his male form.
"Does this make it easier for you?" Inala turned into a female and approached Wittral, observing the latter's face evidently blush in response.
"Don't come closer!" Wittral screamed shrilly, "Do you think you could continue to manipulate me forever? I know everything now, the truth!"
"I won't be fooled by you any longer!"
"You think I wouldn't have picked up on clues and inconsistencies after we've been together for so long?"
"Heh! You've underestimated me too much. I'm telling you, I'm too smart for you to take on."
"Don't tell me you expected me to treat you as before…" Wittral continued to argue, not even realising that he had jumped into Inala's embrace and was now piggybacking on the latter.
'I had thought of many things to say, but this was beyond my expectations.' Inala was speechless as he began to walk through the forest, hearing Wittral's arguments blazing off right next to his ear. Wittral spoke as if he was against Inala while continuing to tighten his hold on the latter.
'I remember reading this a statement about this on Earth.' Inala adjusted Wittral's position on his back better as he picked up pace, 'If a woman loves you enough, she'll delude herself into thinking you're her prince charming.'
