"There you are," I spoke with a sigh of relief. Ayona's voice was strangely muffled. It made me feel as if she was underground somewhere. 

"Master, is that you? Are you back?" The little fairy asked again to which I replied with a smile. 

"Yes, I'm here. Where are you?" I asked. For some reason, I was unable to follow the thread that linked our souls together to find her. Something was preventing me from doing so, interfering with our connection. 

"Master!" As if finally realizing it was really me, Ayona's voice called out to me in excitement. And for that mere second, our bond was strengthened allowing me to catch a glimpse of her general direction. 

'Somewhere east?' I noted before the connection weakened once more. 

"Master, I'm home with the great mother! I'll be coming to you soon! Please wait for me!" She spoke in an excited tone to which I nodded. 

'The great mother? That should be the queen of the fairies. Then the interference with the bond, should also be her doing?' I wondered. 

'If so, it seems like the fairies are not to be underestimated either. Still, Ayona was exiled from the nest, so how come she went back? Well, no matter. I suppose I'll know once she's back.' 

Pushing those thoughts to the corner of my mind, I lazily swam into the middle of the lake. "Yep, this place is definitely where I feel at ease the most." I smiled as the water mana kept circling me. Some of it went straight towards my soul space, while other parts of it were content in orbiting my body. 

Since I didn't know how long it would take Ayona to reach here, I should have some time for myself. Thinking so, I dove underwater with my eyes scanning the surroundings. Everything appeared as clear as day, before me. The water did nothing to obstruct my vision. 

I happily swam to the bottom, passing by a few strange schools of fish and some curious creatures. Most of the larger more intelligent existences, however, steered clear from my path. Along the way, I gobbled up a few fish, curious about their taste. Some were good, others, not so much. The problem was that they were too small for me. 

Seeing how the big boys avoided me like plague, I lazily swam back up to the surface where I remained floating with my back to the sky. I let the water move me as it pleased, and enjoyed the rhythmic sound of the small waves. It was very relaxing, that soon I found myself falling asleep. 

Sometime later, I dazedly opened my eyes with a yawn. The stars filled the sky, making me feel a sense of warmth springing from the cold breeze. As I floated there in the water, a feeling of yearning filled my heart. I found myself imagining swimming amongst the stars instead of here in the lake. My mind was drawn as I imagined all sorts of mysteries that were hiding far away. 

Different planets, different people, different creatures. The world was so vast, and I felt so tiny in the middle of it all. I didn't notice it at first, but a strand of cosmic mana silently descended from above. It gently swirled around me, joining the water mana. It never quite intervened with it, satisfied in being left alone. 

For a second, It was as if the cosmic mana was whispering to me. Tempting me to leave everything behind and take off. Soar beyond the veils of the plane, go as far as my wings would take me... No, as far as the cosmic mana would. I found myself entertaining the idea for a second before I shook my head with a smile.  

It was still too soon. I was too weak to survive out there, that I knew. But someday, I will go. With that silent resolution, I slowly swam back to the shore. I could sense Ayona's presence getting closer and closer. It was time to meet the tiny fairy. 

By the time I left the water, Ayona finally appeared in the distance. She looked exhausted as if she flew here without a stop. The second her eyes caught sight of me, however, a bright smile stretched across her face as she shot towards me with renewed vigor. 

"Master!" To my surprise, the little fairy lunged at my head and pulled me into a tight hug. Her tiny figure was unable to wrap her arms around me completely, making for an almost comical scene. After a few seconds, she quickly regained her bearings. 

With a gasp, Ayona threw herself to the ground and prostrated before me. "I-I'm sorry master, I couldn't help myself," She said, her voice ending in a whisper.

I gently smiled at the cute fairy and patted her head affectionately, "I missed you too." 

Hearing that, her eyes beamed with happiness as she replied with a grin, "M-Me too! When master disappeared, it felt as if something was suddenly taken away from me. I wasn't able to feel master's presence, but I knew you were still alive. Master's siblings were not here so I had no one to ask." She lowered her head before continuing in a pitiful tone, "And master's parents were too scary, so Ayona couldn't ask them..." 

Seeing the cute fairy fidgeting nervously made me chuckle, "Haha, it's okay. They are scary, that's for sure. But how come you were with this great mother?" 

As if finally remembering something important, Ayona spoke, "Ah! Ah! Ayona went to visit the great mother to ask her for help. The great mother is wise, so I-I thought she could help find the master." 

"I see. But weren't you banished for crippling some fairy of higher standing?" I nodded before asking, as I remembered about Ayona's past. Our sacred contract had made me able to see through all of her memories, which was how I still recalled that she couldn't head back to the nest. 

Puffing her chest proudly, the tiny fairy answered, "Ayona now has a higher standing!" 

"Oh, I suppose that's got to do with our contract?" 

"Yes! The great mother was shocked! She ended up exiling the other fairy." Ayona added with a happy smile. 

'She's too easy to please...Cute.' 

"There's one more thing, I couldn't sense your presence. How come?" 

Scratching her head, Ayona appeared to fall into deep thought before her eyes lit up, "The great mother! It's her spell!" 

"A spell, interesting," I mumbled before grabbing Ayona and throwing her on my back. "Lead the way, I want to meet this great mother." 

"Yes, master!"