Van felt a strange sense of exhilaration that was rare in him. There weren’t many times when he was young when he could just enjoy life as a kid should. So when that moment of wonder touched upon him a few minutes ago, the realization that he was truly free without anyone watching over his back, got his heart pumping and adrenaline running like nothing else could.

The only other being that could be said to be with him, was Azra who was resting in his shadow. But bare that, not Ren, or Anna, or anyone in or outside his soul realm, was with him. For all intents and purposes, he was completely… alone.

And so Van ran, and ran, and ran some more. Slowly speeding up faster and faster, jumping from tree to tree with glee and an adrenaline junkie's grin slowly forming on his face. With but a thought, he ordered Azra awake, and with a small “mrr?” Azra woke up, jumped out of his shadow, and sleepy-eyed started running alongside him.

Her form had grown larger and more regal since last time. The special connection they shared made it so that when Van went through his changes and became stronger, some of that power also flowed into Azra. strengthening her and their link, making it so that she too, went through some changes.

Now he sent his will through that connection, and almost immediately she obeyed. Clinging to his back as he used his shadow magic to create ethereal wings of darkness. Azra, in turn, amplified those wings of shadow, making them stronger than he would normally be able to make them, and last longer too.

He then jumped high into the sky and started gliding from treetop to treetop. Enjoying and taking in the beautiful horizon that lay before him. Its many greens, blues, reds, and a myriad of other colors. It made him think that those few memories that Ren shared of his world were pretty dull, as most of the plants were green and the wildlife wasn’t very unique. Though that was from an outsider's perspective, he was sure in its own way it was beautiful, and given time he would fall in love with it.

But at the moment… there were large towering trees… giant flying birds and lizards of many shapes and hues. The landscape glowing like stars in the night sky, with many bright and dazzling trees and plants and even a few animals that produced their own light. What other place could have a more amazing sight than this?

As he glided, he noticed a large mound of earth slowly rise up. Taking a closer look, he saw it was a Gargan. A large greyish beast with six legs and small trees still clinging to its back. It was the first time he ever saw such a creature in real life, though he had read about them and heard about them from others. None of them ever mentioned the creature growing to sizes that large.

Jumping off another tree to do another glide, he noticed that some of the birds had taken notice of him and that there were a few more above him than normal. So he decided to go under the canopy for a bit to lose them.

He gently landed on a tree branch, taking in the new unfamiliar setting. He saw a gem bunny hopping around and nibbling on some grass. Its beautiful and soft-looking fur just begging to be fluffed. Though he restrained himself.

Moving on he noticed another group of forest wolves, this time with young. They were playing together with the pups, one in particular that he deemed an older sibling of sorts seemed really into playing with its little sisters. Its back was to him from where he was hiding, it lifted its tail up real high, as well as its haunches while lowering its head near the ground to be at eye level with its siblings, wagging its tail as it did so as it barked and played with them.

Van’s heart throbbed and he swallowed, a weird feeling taking over him as the forest wolf exposed herself to him. He violently shook his head, terrified at the feeling. “I am definitely not into bestiality!” he thought with unsure conviction. “Gods damn it, is being an incubi going to make me horny for every female I lay eyes on?” he continued a little fearfully.

“But… then again… would it even be considered bestiality?” Now his thoughts taking a weird turn. “I’ve done my reading… and learned a lot of things from Ren and from the Lovers guild… I… Don’t think the concept of bestiality may even exist here… after all, any beast can evolve into a kobold. And some nations consider that to be enough to take them on as citizens… There are plenty of stories as well about people marrying beasts, and even having kids with them… in a world of magic, where everything is possible, and even common animals could hold more intelligence than the common person… is such thinking, that a human and a beast can’t love, marry, lay with each other and have kids… racist?”

“Now that I think about it… goblins are considered monsters… but no one seems to have a problem with having sex with them… and harpies as well, they were all once birds… or at least their ancestors were, does that mean I did bestiality by proxy?

Van did not want to think about this anymore. So he quickly snuck away to explore the forest and enjoy himself like he planned to. Taking the air once more, he glided over the forest until another interesting sight took his attention. “Are those… Foxbats!” he said out loud excitedly.

Gliding downward, he snuck onto a nearby branch and watched as a bunch of foxbats played around in front of their den. He heard about how cute they were and was very excited to see them for the first time in real life.

And it was true, they were indeed very cute! They were slightly larger than normal foxes, with larger and more fluffy ears, and two large leathery wings on their backs. Their fur was black in color, but their eyes were of many different hues. They played, nipped, and wrestled each other without a care for the world. Sometimes doing their weird fox-like laugh as they did so.

Van watched them play for a few minutes, letting his heart and mind heal at their cuteness. And when he felt like he overstayed his welcome, he moved on. But not before flicking a few drops of his blood their way. Something he had done to the forest wolves and the gem bunny before leaving them as well, as well as leaving a few of his man-made butterflies for good measure.

He did so so that he would be able to track them down again, in case he ever wanted to watch them again. Not to mention, considering their rarity, he would like to try and take them into his soul realm when it heals. And to do that, he would have to know where they were.

Moving on, he jumped through the air, Azra doing an amazing job of helping him, and also seemingly enjoying being out and looking at new sights. Soon though, they were both getting a little tired, so they landed near a spring to relax and take a drink of water.

It was a beautiful clearing, a small mound of rocks that was releasing a stream of crystal clear water. Van could literally feel the pure mana flow through the water, and with some water manipulation, he created a ball of the liquid and moved it in front of him and Azra to drink. Refreshing their bodies and savoring its surprisingly amazing taste.

But then they heard a rustling sound from behind, and quickly hid up on a far branch, using their great eyesight to see from a distance. Soon after, a couple of bunnies walking on their hind legs came into view. One, in particular, seemed to be an evolved version of them, properly walking on its feet without difficulty.

Small and cute, she made her way with the others to bathe in the waters and fill small jugs that they carried with them for later consumption. She had a womanly figure and a more human face compared to the others with petite breasts and a heart-shaped ass. And the way her little tail would twitch drew Van’s gaze and made him aware of how female she truly was.

Van swallowed for the second time today. “Kobolds… technically speaking, kobolds and harpies are the same… Now that I think about it… a lesser harpy would be mostly a bird with a woman's body and face… so perhaps, there really is no difference… after all… that kobold would look mostly human given another evolution...”

“Mreow?” Azra meowed next to him. Even without words, Van got the question that she was asking.

Turning to look her in the eyes, he noticed how dazzling they were, and how much her body had changed. He knew that if she so wished it, she could probably take on a more human form.

Azra tilted her head. “Mre-row?”

Van shook his head, mostly to himself. “No, I’m fine, thanks for asking though. I just… have a lot on my mind… is all...” then turned away from the group of kobolds, flinging a few flecks of blood their way, and made his way out.

Again they went on the move, gliding from treetop to treetop. This time though, Van wasn’t really paying attention or enjoying his surroundings like he was before. His thoughts were stuck on the kobold with the heart-shaped behind and how cute she was.

Angrily, he forced the thought out of his mind and tried to look for something else to see. Perhaps he should go back to the foxbats? They were so healing…

But then he noticed a small plume of smoke in the distance. Curious, he made his way towards it and soon came upon a small hut. Which was a bit out of place, because it looked like it had been lived in for decades, but was nowhere near any outpost or connection to the outside world.

Landing in its front yard. He noticed that someone was still living inside, and almost on cue, someone opened the door. Van almost had a little heart attack, it was not his intention to meet anyone in this strange forest. Who knows what kind of person was someone who spent untold decades here, or what secret dangers they might possess.

Preparing to jump back at a moment's notice, he paused when he found out the person who just left the house was a milf of a woman.

“Ara ara… how rare do I get visitors… Are you with the lovers guild? I’ve been waiting so long… my daughter and I have been expecting you, though that was a few years ago…” the woman in the black high slit dress said.

“Umm…” Van’s brow furrowed in confusion, taken aback by the sudden strange situation. Technically he was a part of the lovers guild, but he didn’t think that was important right now. But due to his confusion on how to continue, he was left just standing there.

The milf then looked him up and down, her expression softening. “Well, why don’t you come in for some tea. You must have come a long way, after all, you must be tired,” she said gently and then slowly reentered her home, leaving the door open for him.

Van hesitated, he then nervously, and carefully, entered the home through the door that was left open for him. Looking around, he saw many shelves filled with herbs and books. Dusty tomes and many strange elixirs. This place looked like it was straight out of what some would consider a witche's home. If it weren't for the fact that it was bright and airy, with some of the windows open to let the breeze and light in. There was also the smell of food that wafted from the kitchen and a person humming as they cooked.

“Mom, is that you? What was that about?” a young voice asked from the kitchen, perhaps the daughter the woman mentioned, maybe asking why her mother all of a sudden left and reentered the house.

But Van did not reply, feeling like he was rudely barging into someone's house. Instead, he looked towards the woman in black who was waiting for him and smiled mischievously his way before answering.

“It’s me, and I have a nice surprise! The lovers guild has finally sent someone over, you can finally learn what it feels like to have sex with a man.” the women answered.

There was a pause, then many thuds as someone ran on the wooden floor of the house, followed by a young woman with black and orange fire-like hair and green eyes sliding on her socks appeared in front of the entryway that connected the kitchen to the living room.

The young woman's eyes widened, she looked down on her body, realizing she was in nothing but her underwear and the apron she wore for cooking. Her face went white and immediately turned to flee and put on better attire. But with a flick of her mother’s hands, she froze in place and floated into the living room right in front of Van.

“Mom! No! Stop!” the young woman yelled.

“Oh hush now dear. It’s not going to matter what you wear, considering it’s all going to be taken off eventually.” the milf witch said. “Honestly speaking, I don’t understand why you even bother to wear those thin strips of clothes anyway, you could do without them.”

“They're called underwear mom!” the young woman yelled, trying to cover herself. “And I’m still not sure about having sex with a complete stranger! Do we really have to do this!?” She looked worried and panicked.

Her mother slowly shook her head and turned to Van. “I'm terribly sorry, she’s a brilliant girl! But sometimes holds the strangest of notions.

“Uhh… it's fine.” Van replied. “Though I would also like to mention… that I wasn’t sent by the lovers guild. In fact, I don’t think anyone even knows you two are here… the vespera bangles don’t get that kind of coverage. I just found you by happenstance.” he said, trying to diffuse this strange situation.

“Wait… does that mean you're not with the lovers guild?” the milf witch asked, looking crestfallen. Dropping her daughter on the floor.

“Ow!” the daughter complained, rubbing her butt.

Van hesitated, “well… not exactly…” he said, unsure of what to say. “I am… but…” he quickly shook his head. “That doesn’t matter right now. What’s more important is… Who are you, people? What are you doing here?”

The milf witch sighed, looking very disappointed, but properly introduced herself anyway, straightening out her back, and with some grace, told Van who she and her daughter was. “Sorry for the confusion. My name is Alecto, and this is my daughter, Agnès,” she said.

“You could say…” she then gave another mischievous smile. “That we are witches…”

Van’s eyes widened with a hint of fear. But he remained calm and collected. “What are witches doing in a place like this? So far from your home? Are you… fugitives…” preparing to fight at a moment's notice.

Alecto’s laugh was like crystal clear bells filled with mirth. “Oh, gods no! Or… not exactly…”

Van was just about to relax, her laughter strangely soothing, when she said that last part and he tensed up again.

She smiled at him and how he reacted. “Let’s just say I'm here because… of a mother's love for her daughter…'' She teased.

“You mean… because your daughter is a soul awakened? Do witches have something against people like that?” Van asked, curious, already putting things together.

Now it was Alecto’s turn for her eyes to widen, and so did Agnès’s as she got up from the floor.

Almost immediately Van found himself floating in mid-air unable to move. Azra popped out of his shadow and began to hiss at Alecto. But Alecto ignored the cat and stared daggers at Van.

“Who sent you!” she growled menacingly. “Which clan? How did you find us! How did you know she was soul-awakened!” and a barrage of other questions.

Van tried to struggle at first but was surprised by the skill and power of Alecto’s magic. Even as he got stronger, even as he tried to break free, breaking the mana that held him was like trying to swim out of a very viscous ocean. The way the mana flowed and moved was just too flawless for even him.

“I wasn’t sent by anyone!” he said, trying to calm the witch down. “I really found you by chance! And the reason why I know she’s soul-awakened… is because I am one too…” Van admitted. He then turned to Agnès, and with some hesitancy in his voice, began to say a few words he hoped she would know since he had no idea what kind of past life she might have. “Airplane, computer, car.”

Alecto looked perplexed by his words, but Agnès’s eyes widened further and she immediately turned to her mother. “Mom! Put him down! Put him down!” fearing that her mother might hurt Van. A little confused, Alecto complied with her daughter. Putting him down gently.

Agnès then turned her attention back to Van, “are you really soul awakened, Like really?” she asked, hope dripping from her every word. Still unable to truly believe that another was like her.

Van nodded. “While it’s true I don’t have a perfect memory of my past life. I still know enough to at least know a few names of the things that my past life consisted of. Though… it’s admittedly very shallow, I’m sorry, don’t expect me to know everything one hundred percent. Or even ten percent for that matter… but when I heard you complain to your mom about your underwear, I… remembered that being something that may be one of my past lives experienced seeing women wear. That’s how I knew.”

Agnès’s eyes looked like they were going to tear up. It was very hard to read her expression, but it was clear that she was deeply happy to finally meet someone who might be similar in some way to her. So much so she rushed to give him a huge hug, squeezing the breath out of him and pressing her ample cleavage against him.

“I thought…” she began to cry a little. “I was the only one.” she sniffed. “I can’t believe that there are other people just like me!”

“Umm…” Van did not really know what to do in this awkward situation, but oddly enough… he too began to tear up a bit. He didn’t think he would ever meet another person in the same predicament as him, a strange feeling of hope warmed in his heart. So… without really understanding what he should do, he just gently hugged her back as she sniffed into him.

Azra seemed to have calmed down and gone back into Van’s shadow. But Alecto had a thoughtful expression on her face. She then got the two’s attention, magicking a few tea sets and other sweets into existence, then sitting down on one of the sofas in the living room.

“Why don’t we all calm down a bit and sit down. I feel like we have a lot to talk about,” she said, motioning with her hands at the other seats they could take.

Now a little embarrassed, the two separated and sat down in the offered seating. Agnès completely forgetting she was still wearing nothing but her underwear and apron.

Alecto then steepled her fingers and looked at Van. “Now then… where should we begin…”