Chapter 515 - Disappearance

Before the girls made their way to the bath, as they were prone to do after morning training, Vahn explained his intentions while politely declining the participation of others. Since it was a mission outside of the City, it likely wouldn't be that difficult and Vahn could easily return with Fafnir if things became troublesome. He also wanted to give Fenrir the opportunity to vent while also doing a good deed for the people in The Plains region. There were dozens of small villages located about the region with thousands of farmers belonging to the Demeter, and a few other agricultural Familias, in the area. As the region was of paramount importance to the livelihood of the City, the Guild had posted the mission to every major Familia, including the Hestia Familia as a result of its relationship with the Alliance.

After returning Shirohime to Haruhime, Terra transformed into her dragon form and Vahn climbed up on her somewhat narrow back. He noticed it was much more comfortable than sitting on Fafnir and there was also a very pleasant aroma rising from her body that was very calming. However, since it would potentially demoralize Fafnir if he showed any preference for Terra, Vahn simply smiled as he held onto Fenrir and said, "Okay, let's go 'play' for a bit..." As Fafnir didn't like flying too slowly, it ended up temporarily returning to the shadows for the time being and attached itself to Vahn's shadow before taking a nap.

Terra's wings spread after hearing Vahn's words and she said, "This is very exciting~." before taking off into the sky. Vahn immediately noticed that Terra couldn't easily regulate the flow of air around her body so the wind battered against his face and hair as Fenrir's somewhat wild hair chaotically fluttered. Strangely, even though her hair was always unkempt, it managed to hold its shape in clumps instead of flying around in individual strands. Vahn thought was pretty interesting and wondered what kind of mechanic or law made it act in such a manner.

The Plains were located nearly 1,700km to the west of the City so it would take them nearly two hours even if Terra flew at her maximum speed. As they weren't in a particular hurry, she flew through the sky around 650km/h and it was a pleasant and refreshing experience for both Vahn and Fenrir. Terra couldn't reshape her scales to make a hold, so Fenrir got to be embraced by Vahn throughout the journey and enjoyed the feeling of the wind passing through her hair and ears. As for Vahn, he looked out over the horizon and saw the signs of spring beginning to appear in the surrounding regions as the world slowly came to life after the passing of winter.

Terra had felt like it would be 'fulfilling' to have Vahn riding on her back and, after managing to convince Fafnir to give her the opportunity, she was able to confirm this was indeed the case. She didn't know exactly why, but a part of her felt the need to try and please him and there was a strange 'link' that she could sense binding them. Just like Fafnir and Fenrir, she was very aware that she would continue to exist indefinitely, unless she died as a result of battle, so she was interested to see what kind of things she would get to experience at his side. After her first death, she had longed for the surface once again and wanted to see and experience many things she had been unable to previously. Vahn was a kind boy that was very considerate of others, so she felt very fortunate to have had the opportunity to meet him.

As he hadn't done so previously, Vahn placed his palm against Terra's back and began replenishing her energy as a gentle laughter cut through the wind. He could tell that Terra was enjoying this experience and it made him happy to see her in high spirits. She couldn't really speak during flight since she didn't have the 'telekinetic' abilities of Fafnir, but her laughter would occasionally reach his ears. Vahn had been worried that she would have been the type to never leave the Manor, but it seemed like this was an unnecessary concern and she appeared to be very curious and fond of traveling.

After topping off Terra's energy, Vahn was feeling especially tired and decided it would be a good opportunity to take a nap since it would take them around three hours to reach their destination. Though her back wasn't that wide, only around 3m, her overall length reached 14m and there was a nice and plush area between her wings that made for a comfortable bed. He might fall off if she performed any aerial maneuvers, but it wouldn't be a problem to rest during casual flight. Vahn stroked Terra's back and said, "I'm going to take a nap...I'll leave it to you, Terra." Though she couldn't hear him either, Terra was able to understand Vahn's words through their connection so she tilted her head to the side. Vahn could see an understanding contained in her sky-blue eyes as well as a glimmer he didn't quite understand before she turned back to the front.

Vahn laid back in the 'grass-like' feathers on Terra's back and snuggled up with Fenrir who used his body as her own bedding. She seemed to enjoy the feeling of the air through her fur, so Vahn had laid with his head toward Terra's so that he wouldn't get air running up his nose unexpectedly. To make things easier for Fenrir, since she was holding him somewhat awkwardly, Vahn transformed into a Vanargandr. As she had done so many times in the past, Fenrir seemed to get very happy in an instant as she began r