Page 80 of The Wind Dancer
“By the Heavens, this is amazing!”
I took just two steps back.
Too much, and I wouldn’t have enough momentum. Too little, and I wouldn’t have enough speed. Everything had to be perfectly precise.
I held my breath, clenched my hands, and rushed forward.
First step. Second... and push.
I flew up.
The world seemed to freeze. Everything went quiet, even my thoughts.
I was flying.
My body moved upward with unreal lightness. It was like jumping off a bridge into a river. No weight, or resistance. Just the power pushed into the muscles. I had my eyes on the goal — the bar.
I almost touched the hatch with the top of my head. Just a little bit more and I would’ve slammed my head into it. Heavens!
The cold, rusty metal held my weight.
I hung on, not believing what happened. My heart was pounding like a drum. My muscles were shaking from pain, but I held on. Just a bit more...
I pulled myself up, resting my knee on the remains of the ladder, and froze for a moment.
“Nine feet...” I gasped. “In one jump.”
My lips curled into a wild grin. No wall could stop me now. Being a dragonblood was awesome!
It was time to go up. Judging by the smell, it meant the sewer, but up nonetheless. Toward the sky and the blessed wind.
After wandering through the ancient catacombs, getting out of the sewers was trivial. Not even ten minutes later, I was out.
The air of Cloud City stank of smoke, sizzling oil, and human waste — and it was beautiful. I stood with my head thrown back and inhaled the scent while passersby avoided me. I probably looked like a madman: dirty, tattered, with bruises and cuts on my hands and blood on my lips.
The sun was setting over the city, which meant that more than a day had passed since we started the mission. I was certain Mei Lin was furious, at least I would be if I were her. This issue needed to be resolved, having the Secret Chancellery on your case wasn’t the best idea.
There was just one small thing — I was a dragonblood now. And not just any dragonblood, but one who was on the path of Ascension.
My lips curled into a twisted grin, which made a couple of street urchins immediately change direction. No one wanted to deal with a madman.
Mei Lin and the Secret Chancellery were important, but I had a much more pressing issue right now: Food!
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed the essence had dropped by nearly half. I immediately deactivated the Basic Enhancement.
The ability made me much more dangerous than before, but it had a limit. I’d have to check whether essence increased during peak loads.
While my brain was busy, my legs led me home. To where I grew up, the place where I lived with my mentor... I missed him so much. My world had changed so much, but nothing could break the bond between us. I had to find those responsible for his death. I swore to Heaven, they would pay.
Old instincts kicked in and I moved into a side alley, dodging a patrol Claw. Now was not a good time for a run-in with the guards. Honestly, it was never a good time for that.
Flags hung on strings between the roofs, paper lanterns illuminated everything, advertisements were stuck to the windows, and the scent of cheap food filled the air. The Tong signs painted on the walls were decorated with intricate paper ornaments, all of them announcing the same thing — tomorrow was the Heavenly Breath Festival.
I froze at this, staring at a girl who was decorating the entrance to the tea house with paper dragons. This festival was supposed to be ten days after we started the mission. And now everything was covered in garlands, paints, and decorations. People were haggling, laughing, and a bamboo flute played a cheerful melody in the distance.
Had the Sanctuary spent almost a week reforging me?
Demons. Mei Lin was probably convinced that I had ditched or betrayed her. And that meant I was in deep shit. My hand automatically clutched the amulet from the Sanctuary.
