An Owl's Rise

If she had been alone, it was quite possible that another monster roaming the maze might finish her off, but luckily one of her companions had found her during her time of need.

Swiftly Aralee had flown down to Evelyn's side and began frantically asking her questions about her health and what she might need.

"I am sorry to show you this side of me. I wanted to be a big sister you could rely on." Evelyn said, beveling herself to be a failure.

She had rushed around though the maze in search of her friends and siblings since she felt it was her job to protect them, but in the end it had been Aralee that had rescued her.

If Aralee had not shown up, it was very possible that Evelyn would have sunk into her perfect fantasy and never awoken to reality. Part of what allowed her to overcome the allure was because of the people that she cared about and in return cared about her.

"It is fine sister. We all help each other out, right? "Aralee said, a smile on her face despite her fears and concerns.

Watching her little sister put on a brave front made Evelyn feel pathetic for feeling so down.

"I may not have been able to help you the last time, when you, Verrader, and our parents were captured, but this time for sure I will be here for you." Aralee said, pulling Evelyn up onto her back and flying off in the opposite direction from where Evelyn had come from.

However, Aralee was around the same size as Evelyn, being actually a little bit smaller, making it difficult for her to fly with Evelyn on her back.

She was using her wind and momentum magic to stay airborne, but without these two magics she would not have been able to properly carry Evelyn.

Still, it was not easy for her, and Evelyn could see that Aralee was struggling. Especially while having to be on the lookout for threats.

'I can't just let her do everything. I have to help in some way.' Evelyn thought.

Unfortunately, she could not move her body well enough to fly at the moment.

In the end all she could do was use her gravity magic at a low output to make her weight around fifty percent less.

Though this seemed liked just a small gesture it helped Aralee immensely and after around an hour they reached an actually safe area within the maze without encountering any other monsters.

As soon as they landed within the crystal dome checkpoint that had a warp pad that could take them back to the first floor, Aralee set up a comfortable area for Evelyn to rest and told her to leave everything to her.

"You seem to know this area pretty well. I am surprised you could find this safe area. This is the first one I have come across." Evelyn said while Aralee prepared some food for her.

"Really?!" Aralee said, surprised. Apparently, this was the third one she had come across since their arrival in this place nearly a week ago.

Yet, it was Evelyn's turn to be surprised. Last she could remember, they had come to the second floor of the Verdant Warlord's Domain only three days ago.

"No, I am sure that it has been seven. I have been keeping track of the time." Aralee said, pulling out a timepiece she had.

Hearing this Evelyn realized that she had been under that dream flower's spell for longer than she thought.

'That must be why I feel so awful. That thing was sucking me dry for almost four days.' Evelyn through, grimacing at the sad end she had almost met.

After waiting for a couple of minutes, Evelyn was given a large quantity of food that Aralee had on her, and her stomach growled loudly, and her instincts took over as she ate.

Barely conscious, Evelyn ate everything put in front of her, and when she had finished, she felt a strong sense of fatigue come over her.

"Feel free to sleep sister." Aralee said, seeing that Evelyn was fighting to stay awake.

Unable to hold out any longer, Evelyn closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep. This time she did not have any dreams and was able to rest peacefully.

When Evelyn woke up, she found that Aralee was nearby and had a large, unfurled piece of parchment before her.

Feeling that her strength had returned after eating a large amount of food and getting some rest, Evelyn raised her head to look at the parchment.

'It's a map!' Evelyn thought in surprise.

Unlike her just brazenly flying through the maze, Aralee had been taking her time and properly exploring the domain.

However, looking closer, Evelyn realized that this map was no ordinary piece of parchment. The lines on it were expertly drawn and where they currently were had two blue dots displayed on it.

"Oh, sister, you are awake!" Aralee said excitedly. Absolutely elated to see that Evelyn was up.

This made Evelyn feel a bit warm and fuzzy on the inside, seeing her little sister react this way.

'You know, this world is not so bad.' Evelyn thought as she approached Aralee.

"Thanks for helping me out, Aralee. I would be in a real bind without you. I pushed myself too hard and dropped my guard. Had I been more vigilant I never would have been caught in that dream flower's trap." Evelyn said, bowing her head and expressing her upmost gratitude.