Aethercross-Real Game，The Borderland of Reality and Fantasy

Chapter 35: Entering the Divine Realm

Sky, Lilianna, and Lumiya stood silently, captivated by the scene before them. Clouds swirled around the high cliffs, and a waterfall cascaded down from the thick clouds, its spray turning into a mist that filled the air. The roaring sound of the waterfall was thunderous, seemingly capable of washing away all the filth of the world.

After entering the valley, Sky and his companions could only proceed less than 500 meters before their path ended. On either side, sheer cliffs reached for the sky, and in front of them lay a deep chasm. They stood on a massive rock jutting outwards, suspended in mid-air, gazing at the huge waterfall plummeting before them.

Below the massive rock, the waterfall had to fall dozens of meters more to reach the valley floor, stirring up a great mist that merged with the fog in the valley, obscuring the view below completely.

Looking up at the cliff above, about 20 meters from where they stood, was the cave entrance they had seen earlier. "To reach the Goddess's abode, we must pass through that cave," pointed out Lumiya.

Sky recalled his first encounter with Lumiya, and the seemingly childlike stories she told on their way back to the castle: waterfalls, caves, glowing forests, ancient towers, Echo Valley, and fountain courtyards. Sky wasn't sure which parts were divine revelations and which were her own dreams.

Lilianna, who had transformed back into her human form from a swarm of bats, looked at the waterfall and commented, "That waterfall is strange. The amount of water is too much for this mountain to sustain. And from the water of the waterfall, I can faintly sense some sort of magical energy."

"If the Goddess is real, then I guess we can accept any supernatural phenomena," Sky remarked, looking up at the cave 20 meters above. "Shall we climb up?"

"Forgot I can fly?" Lilianna retorted. Spreading her large black bat wings, she extended her hands. "Grab onto one of my hands each, and I'll fly us up."

Sky grasped Lilianna's pale hand, feeling the same soft touch as he remembered from the night before, making his young heart beat faster again.

Lilianna, sensing Sky's quickened heartbeat, gave him a meaningful smile. Then they noticed Lumiya hadn't taken Lilianna's hand but was curiously staring at her back.

"What are you looking at? Are you curious about a vampire's bat-wing form? Don't you also have a werewolf form, and can probably transform into a giant wolf?" Lilianna asked.

Lumiya exclaimed in wonder, "It's amazing! You can grow wings without tearing your clothes, as if they are part of them. How do you do that? It's so convenient. Every time I transform into a giant wolf, I need a new set of clothes. Such a hassle."

Lilianna, slightly exasperated, replied, "Your transformation is a physical mutation; mine is magical shape-shifting. They're not the same. Do you want me to fly you up, or would you rather climb up yourself?"

"Oh, I'm coming," Lumiya said, extending her furry paw, or rather, claw, to grasp Lilianna's other hand.

With a powerful flap of her enormous bat wings, they soared up into the sky.