Damien looked at his surroundings with clear curiosity.
At the moment, Damien's group was on the western continent where the Burning Sun Sect was located, as this was where Xiao Zhen and Yin Jian were headed. And just from the sight of the city in front of them, Damien could tell how much eastern influence this world contained.
Well, it couldn't necessarily be called influence since the two worlds were never related, but to him who was raised on earth, the sight of pagodas and eastern style architecture felt that way.
But he felt that something was off.
It wasn't the scenery itself that was different, rather there was something about the vibe that set the Cloud Plane apart from the other two worlds Damien had been to.
He could feel it in the air he was breathing, it was like this world contained a spirituality that Apeiron didn't, let alone earth.
Earth was new to mana and the new observable universe, so it didn't contain this type of uniqueness. As for Apeiron, he hadn't noticed the difference until he stepped into the Cloud Plane.
He had assumed it was just the increased quality of the ambient mana, but it wasn't just that. Apeiron's atmosphere gave a peaceful yet adventurous feeling that piqued Damien's interest. Meanwhile, the Cloud Plane's atmosphere felt more ruthless and thirsting for strength.
Something about this atmosphere enthralled Damien, making his blood boil. There was no way this entire world was in a constant state of violence, but he felt that the amount of conflict and pressure he could encounter would be leagues ahead of Apeiron.
Currently, Damien's group had already separated from Xiao Zhen, as their cooperation finished when they arrived in the world.
With Yin Jian holding a slight grudge against them and Xiao Zhen having responsibilities within the sect, they most likely wouldn't meet again for a while, if ever.
"So, does anyone have ideas for how we should proceed?" He asked.
"Hmm, judging from what we learned previously, we won't find any challenges on the 4 smaller continents, since we already qualify as elders in these mid-sized sects. It's best if we head straight to the central continent." Rose responded.
"Yeah, I also think we should go straight there. I won't get the chance to improve myself unless I experience some serious pressure." Elena chimed in with a resolute expression.
Out of the three of them, Elena was the one least in her element. Everything that had happened in the past few months was simply surreal to her.
Only during their extended trip to reach the Cloud Plane did reality finally sink in.
First, she met Damien again. When it comes to him, she always tended to subconsciously avoid any issues. She had built a strong determination to meet him again that almost bordered on insanity, and driving this determination was her feelings for him.
But when they met, he brought back a woman of his own. She was crushed but did her best to put up a strong front. She started avoiding her strong emotions for him as they slowly settled back into the relationship they used to have.
Yet, things weren't the same. Damien wasn't the same kid he was back then. He was always focused on something else, rarely ever having fun like he used to, and his entire personality seemed to shift towards something more indifferent.
She missed the old Damien, but she didn't say anything about it. Did she even have the right to? She had no idea what he had experienced in the 4 years they had been apart, but she knew it was extreme.
And so, she once again evaded the issue. She continued to live life like they did until the Niflheim infiltration. At that point, she felt both excitement and terror.
She thoroughly enjoyed the new feeling that came with entering danger with allies, but she also got the chance to realize the vastness and cruelty of the universe.
The scenes she saw that day still haunted her dreams sometimes, but she still ignored them.
And after that, she traveled to a new world, saw its sights, was given a new sword, and even dined with a being whose strength seemed unfathomable.
Throughout every ordeal, she just went with the flow. She decided not to think too deeply about things since she felt her brain would overheat if she tried.
That is until she ended up on a spaceship to another world. She was given 7 months to herself, where her only company was Rose and Zara.
During those 7 months, everything came crashing down on her. The reality she tried her hardest to evade finally caught up to her. As she looked out the massive windows of the ship and saw the glimmer of stars that surrounded it, she realized that in a simple 2 months, her life had flipped upside down.
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She wasn't okay with the fact that Damien was with someone that wasn't her, but could she complain? Frankly, she liked Rose too, even if it was just as a friend, she finally got to experience what it was like to have a rival.
Sometimes, she would wish that Rose was more arrogant and hateful so she could justify her intrusive thoughts, but she forcefully suppressed that emotion. She didn't want to become some stereotypical envious girl.
She tried her hardest to revert to just being Damien's friend, to be someone he could rely on, but was it ever a simple task to do so? Her crush on him had sprouted when they were still children. One could imagine how much those feelings evolved when she harbored them for 10 years.
She was also made painstakingly aware of her own weakness. Even though Damien and Rose never said anything about it, even including her when they could, their subtle actions made her understand the gap.
The fact that they almost didn't allow her to come with them on this adventure was testament to this. She was weak, and still in 2nd class while they were in 3rd.
She saw their power when they fought the dark imps of Niflheim, and she also saw how unhesitant Damien was to kill. She knew that her current mindset wouldn't cut it in the future.
She had only recently learned about mana circuits, and in a bid for strength, had created her own during the trip to the Cloud Plane.
While Elena was happy, she also hated her situation. And when she thought of how she could change it…
'Strength.'
This was the only thing that came to mind. If she was stronger, she could walk side by side with her friends, and if she was stronger, she could make her own decisions and be respected. Even if it was out of concern for her safety, Elena hated being patronized.
And so, she made it her goal to both catch up and surpass at least Rose on this trip to the Cloud Plane. She was aware that they'd be separating from Damien later, but she wasn't worried. All this meant was that she had to grow enough to impress him when they reunited.
And then maybe…
She shook off the thought, thinking it nonsensical. In the end, nothing else mattered until she could contend with the others.
Elena was firm in her resolve. Unlike their 4 years when she gained strength for Damien's sake, or to make sure she wouldn't end up in a similar situation again, this time she was doing it for herself.
Sure, she wanted to be recognized, and sure she wanted to be praised, but this was all secondary. She wanted strength so she could achieve what she wanted when she wanted.
It wasn't a grand goal, but it was a resolute one. It was a goal that she could follow until she reached the apex. And now that she finally had a direction, all that was left was to implement it.
"Elena, you there?"
Elena was snapped out of her thoughts by a large hand that was continuously patting her face.
"I'm here, I'm here! Stop being a weirdo!" She said as she slapped it away. The hand was naturally Damien's.
"Ah, sorry you were just spacing out for a while. It looks like we've finally reached the sea."
Only then did Elena notice her surroundings. While she was in thought, their previous conversation had already ended. They made their way to the edge of the western continent to reach the sea before flying, but Elena was only following them subconsciously.
Now that she was woken from her thoughts, she was finally able to appreciate her surroundings.
The rolling waves of the massive body of water brushed against the sandy shore of the continent. This was the Cloud Sea of the Cloud Plane. The body of water took up much more of the world than the continents, so it was named after the world itself.
Crossing this vast sea, the group would reach the central continent, where their journey would begin. Watching the calming scene in front of her, Elena only had a single thought.
'I will surpass everything.'
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