Summoned with an SSS-Rank Portal Skill

The cave wasn't that big. It had enough space for one nest.

There, they found the flying beast sleeping above some vegetation that it had gathered.

It was an owl, a big one. Its feathers were blue and white, and its beak was black.

A marvelous creature. William first sensed the owl's aura. The flying beast was much weaker than William, meaning that taming would be easy.

He gestured for Geneva and Rebo to stay back and let him deal with the creature alone. They did as he told them.

William approached the sleeping owl, his footsteps making no sound. He was like a master assassin. Geneva looked at his movements, and she wondered where he had learned them.

The owl didn't even see it coming. William had a small dagger with him. It was more than enough to give the owl a small cut.

When the owl suffered the attack, it opened its eyes and was ready to strike back, but it was too late. William's demonic energy was inside the owl.

A mental battle started. It was William against the owl. Who had the stronger mind? Who would be victorious?

William was. The owl tried and tried to keep control of its body, but no matter what it did, it didn't work.

The whole process took about one minute. When William returned to speak with Geneva and Rebo, the owl was already following him.

"Done," he said, "now we have a flying mount to get there fast. Impressive, isn't it?"

Geneva praised him. "I've never seen anything like this before. You're full of secrets, aren't you?"

Rebo now looked at his master with shining eyes. Every day, William surprised the kid.

They left the cave. Both Geneva and Rebo were excited to mount the beast.

Rebo couldn't contain his smile. "I can't believe we're going to fly. This feels like a dream."

He was not the only one feeling like that; Geneva was too.

"This will be exciting."

William helped them mount the owl. The beast was big, so it wasn't easy to get on it. Geneva could do it on her own, but William still helped her.

After the two were on the back of the owl, William climbed too. He was the one in front.

"Are you ready?" he asked.

"If I am being honest with you, no," Rebo said, "it looks scary. But let's go!!!"

The owl flapped its wings and started flying. William was used to it, so he wasn't shaken at all. But Geneva and Rebo were looking at the horizon with their mouths wide open.

"This is incredible," Geneva said, "the view is gorgeous."

Seeing things from above gave a different feeling. William remembered the first time we flew on a beast like that while looking at it.

"Hey, Geneva," William yelled, bringing her back to reality.

"Am I going in the right direction?"

She was the one who knew where Kali's lands were, so she had to lead. But Geneva was too busy seeing the scenery that she forgot about them.

"Oh, right, sorry. Turn a little to the left," she said.

The view from above was, in fact, beautiful. William could control the owl's movements with his mind, which allowed him to freely observe his surroundings. Each kingdom William visited was unique. From up high, he could see the small villages scattered across the realm—people working in simple but honest ways.

"Is there a chance we'll be attacked by another flying beast along the way?" Geneva asked.

William wasn't entirely sure of his answer, but he didn't think so. "The chance is pretty low, but it's always possible. Can you tell me if the path to Kali's lands is particularly dangerous or just average?"

Ideally, they needed to know whether they'd pass through any 'forbidden' part of the kingdom—a place known for harboring many magical beasts. Every continent and kingdom William had visited had something like that.

"As far as I know, no. But it'd be smart for us to get off the owl a little before we arrive," Geneva said.

That much was obvious. Even though they were flying high, powerful mages could still sense their approach through the skies. For safety's sake, traveling by land would be best. That way, their attack would come as a surprise.

Even though they were traveling on a magical beast—much faster than a carriage—it would still take several days to reach their destination. So, when night fell, they decided to stop and rest. It was the smartest thing to do.

With a flying magical creature, they could reach places that would be difficult, or even impossible, to access by land. Mountain peaks, for example. Despite the cold, they were among the safest places.

"Let's land," William said, helping Rebo and Geneva down.

As the three of them set up camp for the night, William's owl flew off into the distance.

"Hey, she's flying away," Geneva said, a little concerned.

"Relax," William replied. "I just sent her off to hunt. She'll also bring something back for us."

"Seriously? That's amazing—it saves so much time."

This way, William could conserve energy during the journey. Nothing was more valuable than that.

Eventually, they pitched three tents, one for each of them, and lit a campfire. By the time everything was ready, the owl had already returned—carrying a deer.

"I think this deer is going to last a good while. Maybe even the whole trip," William said.

The deer was a big one, more than enough for three people. Geneva was the one who cleaned the deer.

"Let me do it," she said, "with one arm it will take you a lot longer."

William didn't see that as mockery. It would indeed take him longer because he only had one arm. There was no shame in that.

"No problem," he said.

While Geneva cleaned the deer for dinner, William and Rebo sat close to the fire, warming themselves.

"Do you think we'll find her there? And is this Kali really my mother?" Rebo asked.

He was restless—desperate to finally understand what had happened. Why his mother had chosen to flee and leave him behind.

"I'm not sure, but everything points to it being her," William replied. "Don't worry, we'll find out what really happened."

That eased Rebo's mind. He saw William as a powerful mentor who could accomplish anything. That gave him a sense of comfort.

It took Geneva a while to clean the deer they'd hunted. She only prepared the part they'd eat that evening. The rest, William stored in his magical pouch.

"This should be enough for tonight," Geneva said. "So… who's going to cook it now?"

William grinned and said jokingly, "Well, I've only got one arm—not great for cooking. And Rebo's just a teenager who's never even touched a stove. Do you think you could do it, Geneva?"

He said it with such shameless charm that she couldn't say no.

"Alright, alright, I'll make dinner too. You two are useless," she said, shaking her head.

They didn't have many tools for cooking. Because of that, Geneva decided to make a stew with the deer meat. After all, all she needed was a pot and the campfire. To round out the stew, they used some ingredients they had stored, and Geneva gathered a few herbs from the forest around them. She knew which ones were safe and good for eating.

Meanwhile, William and Rebo continued warming themselves by the fire. The owl lay beside them, fast asleep.

"Because of my ability, the owl now sleeps at night, just like we do. Cool, right? I can alter the behaviors in her mind," William explained.

Rebo was always fascinated by everything William said. "That's amazing. Do you think I'll ever learn an ability like that?"

It was a complicated matter—William could do it thanks to his demonic lineage. But he didn't want to discourage Rebo. And who knows? Maybe someday Rebo would be able to learn it, too.

"Of course you can, eventually. But that's a very difficult skill. Right now, we're using the beast just for travel, but what if I wanted to use her in combat? Or control more than one at the same time? Can you see why it's a tough thing to master?"

"Yes, Master, I understand."

And it truly was. William only controlled one or two beasts at a time—more than that would be far too taxing.

Geneva was finishing dinner using the campfire. As she worked, she couldn't help but overhear their conversation.

"You two sure love to talk," she said. "I've never seen anyone come up with so many things to chat about."

"And what else is there to do?" William said. "After this, we'll have dinner and sleep. Tomorrow's going to be a full day of travel."

"Speaking of our journey—at the speed we're going, I'd say we'll arrive in three or four days, tops. That'll definitely catch them by surprise!" Geneva said.

"Let's hope so…"

That night, they enjoyed the dinner Geneva had prepared—it was delicious. Everyone ate until they were more than satisfied.

They chatted a bit around the campfire, but it wasn't long before they each turned in for the night.

William gathered extra firewood to keep the flames going until morning. Then they all headed to their tents to sleep.

The next day, they resumed their journey. And just like that, four days passed.

At last, they arrived in Kali's lands.