Chapter 30: Wings of Beginning

  After Lily made up her mind, she stepped out of her mansion. It was still early in the morning, and the fresh air together with the sight of the lake made her pause. It was really nice here.

  She had summoned her mansion on a whim in the middle of the night because she had wanted a place far enough away from civilization when she and the cultists had arrived. But now that she thought about it, Lily didn’t really know where here even was. She also couldn’t quite tell how far [Town Call] had brought them when they first went to Tiara.

  So maybe the first thing she should do was get an overview of her surroundings.

  Lily was about to activate [Fly], but stopped. Hadn’t she just decided to fully arrive in this world as who she now was, Lilithia Nocturne?

  As someone who loved details, Lily had spent countless hours shaping her avatar to match her vision perfectly. When she went full roleplay mode, her Demon Princess had been flawless. And what belonged to a real demon princess? Right, wings. She hadn’t used them yet, because in Xantia they had only been cosmetic, just a fancy gimmick you could hide or show at will.

  “I wonder…” Lily murmured and opened her skill list, scrolling through it until she found what she was looking for. It was indeed there, the cosmetic skill she had acquired when she added wings to her character.

  She focused on it.

  By now, the sensation of knowledge flooding into her mind was nothing new, but she had learned something about it. She could use or cast any skill from her list, but to truly understand it, she needed to either activate it, recall it through in-game muscle memory, or consciously focus on it within her skill list. After using [Telekinesis] a few times, she could already describe how it worked on a deeper level, she could even imagine teaching it to someone, at least the basics. But before she had used it for the first time, it had simply been there, just another ability waiting to be cast.

  It was strange, yes, but then again, what wasn’t strange here?

  “So… let’s see,” she whispered. “Activate wings.”

  A tingling sensation spread across her back, followed by a heavy pull in her muscles. Something unfurled behind her, and her balance shifted slightly forward. She straightened up slowly, feeling the new weight.

  Her wings came out. The feathers were deep black with a faint metallic shimmer, catching red and violet hues when the light touched them. Near the base, they were smooth and full, but toward the tips, the feathers grew thinner and more jagged, as if scorched by fire or decay.

  For a moment, she could only stand there, the morning breeze brushing against them.

  It almost felt like she had grown a new pair of arms.

  Lily slowly moved her wings. The sensation was strange at first, like stretching muscles she never knew she had. Every twitch sent a ripple of movement through them, and the weight shifted slightly with each motion. But the longer she moved them, the more natural it began to feel.

  She turned her head to look over her shoulder and couldn’t help but smile. “Wow… they actually look really cool in real life,” she said quietly. The metallic shimmer caught in the morning light, and the faint red and violet reflections gave her wings a kind of living glow. For a moment she just admired them, fascinated by how they moved with her.

  Then she frowned a little. “Of course, now I’m outside without a mirror,” she muttered. Typical. She would have loved to see herself properly, but for now, the reflection on the lake had to do.

  Her gaze wandered toward the open sky. The thought came naturally—if these wings felt real, could she actually fly with them? They didn’t feel cosmetic anymore. The movement was too responsive. She stretched them once, feeling the strength in them, and then again, harder this time. The air pushed back against her wings, and she felt the pressure on her shoulders. “Alright,” she whispered to herself. “Let’s find out.”

  She flapped them once more, this time with focus, and her feet left the ground for a second before she stumbled forward, almost tripping. “Okay, not bad,” she muttered, regaining balance. Lily closed her eyes and tried again. This time she concentrated on the way the muscles reacted, how the air flowed around the feathers, how her balance shifted.

  A deep breath. Another flap.

  Her feet lifted off the ground again, longer this time. The wind brushed through her hair as she rose slowly above the grass. It wasn’t high—maybe two feet—but it was flying.

  Her heart jumped. “I’m actually doing it, without a spell!” she whispered, half in disbelief.

  A grin spread across her face as she flapped again, and this time her body reacted instinctively. The wind caught under her wings, lifting her higher until she was gliding smoothly over the edge of the lake. The surface reflected her shadow, a black shape outlined by faint red and violet light.

  The air was cool and clear. She could smell the forest beyond the water, the damp earth, and the faint sweetness of wildflowers.

  “This feels… good,” she said softly, her voice carried away by the wind.

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  It wasn’t perfect, of course. Her flight was clumsy, uneven, and she wobbled more than once, but each second in the air made her confidence grow. She could feel her body adapting, her movements syncing with instincts she never had before.

  Lily circled once above the mansion and then slowly descended, landing not gracefully but with a thud that made her laugh. “Okay… that counts,” she said, catching her breath.

  Her heart was racing, her wings twitched with leftover energy, and she couldn’t stop smiling.

  She was excited because she had experienced something completely new, something she had never felt in Xantia. There, when she had her cosmetic wings out during a roleplay session, they would move automatically, and to make it look like she was flying, she had to use the spell [Fly]. But now she could fly without any magic, and for real. The feeling alone made her forget her earlier doubts, at least for the moment.

  She spread her wings again and rose back into the sky to follow her original plan and check out the surroundings. Her flying was still a bit clumsy and by far not as fast or precise as when she used the [Fly] spell, but it made her little trip a lot more interesting.

  First, she flew in a wide circle around the large lake. From above, she could see that it was much bigger than she had first thought. The water shimmered in the sunlight, calm and clear.

  Then she flew over the house of the cultists. Outside, she could see the twins together with the big guy doing something at the shore. Lily went a bit higher so they wouldn’t notice her. The new building she had summoned yesterday didn’t look bad at all. It actually fit well with the style of her mansion, built from dark stone with faintly glowing runes along the walls.

  That gave her an idea.

  She could build her base around the lake. It would probably be a little larger than planned, but she already liked this place, especially at night when the flowers on the surface began to glow.

  She climbed higher and made a few more circles, but all she saw around the lake was forest, stretching as far as her eyes could see. She tried to get her bearings, but she couldn’t quite remember from which direction she had come when she discovered the lake. So, she decided to keep flying in wider circles for now and get a better overview of the area.

  After about an hour of flying in wider and wider circles, Lily had finally gotten the hang of it. The movement felt natural now, and she could glide smoothly without losing balance. From above, she had spotted several animals and monsters, some of which she actually recognized from Xantia, while others were completely unfamiliar. The line between normal animals and monsters seemed thin anyway.

  There had always been players who treated that as a kind of science, studying every creature and documenting them. Lily had once talked to a self-proclaimed ‘Xantiologist’, but even for her, a full-time nerd, that level of obsession had been a bit too much. So, her knowledge about the local fauna was rather basic, especially when it came to low-level monsters and ordinary animals.

  Still, she had scouted a few good spots where she could gather ingredients later.

  Since she hadn’t found anything else of note, she decided to fly back. Her new base was probably far enough from civilization.

  While flying back, Lily thought about how to best start her project, since she would need people if she really wanted to go through with it. Maybe she should first build a few houses and some basic infrastructure? At least that would make the place look less empty. But honestly, she didn’t feel like dealing with new people right now. Her cultists were enough for the moment, and even they already felt like a handful.

  Still, she knew it would feel hollow if she stayed alone for too long. Her mansion felt too big and too quiet for one person. Adding more empty buildings might only make it worse.

  She sighed. Why didn’t she have any NPC creation items left in her inventory? Oh right, because of the stupid raid…

  Wait—the raid.

  Lily stopped midflight, hovering in the air as the memory clicked into place. She had gotten a legendary drop from Mawdrath, the Endless Hunger. That one item she had wanted to show off to Lissy so badly, just to tease her for missing the run.

  “Oh yes,” she muttered. “Lissy would’ve gone crazy if she knew Mawdrath’s Maw of Creation dropped for me.”

  Her smile faded. Right… Lissy would never know.

  The thought hit her harder than she expected. For a moment, her wings faltered, and she drifted downward before catching herself again. She shook her head, trying to push the feeling aside.

  “Focus,” she told herself quietly and opened her inventory.

  After a short scroll through her inventory, she found it. The relic shimmered faintly in the list, its description unfolding before her eyes.

  [Maw of Creation] (Legendary Relic – World Forge)

  Effects:

  Forge Manifestation: When placed, permanently creates a Living Forge structure at the chosen location. The forge cannot be moved once anchored.

  Forgemind, the Eternal Smith: Summons a bound legendary smith who resides within the forge. The Forgemind crafts Epic to Mythic-tier gear when provided with rare materials and “Concept Essences.”

  Creation Resonance: Increases crafting speed and quality for all artisans within a 100-foot radius. Allied forges and workbenches gain a +20% efficiency bonus.

  Material Transmutation: Consumes items or resources to refine them into higher-grade materials or Creation Essence.

  Entropy Balance: Each crafted masterpiece drains life or vitality from the surrounding area. Overuse may awaken remnants of Mawdrath’s hunger.

  Permanent Anchor: Becomes a fixed world object upon placement. Only Tier-5 or higher destructive force can erase it.

  “A relic torn from the jaws of Mawdrath, the Endless Hunger. When offered to the earth, it births a forge that lives, breathing heat, light, and the hunger of creation itself. Within its heart toils the Forgemind, a molten craftsman bound between life and divinity, forever shaping the impossible from the forgotten.”

  Lily looked at the item and nodded to herself. “Yes… this would be perfect,” she murmured. At least she had a smith now. That was one essential for her base already covered.

  She didn’t need any high-level gear at the moment, but if the Forgemind could craft Epic or even Mythic items with the right materials, then he could surely make basic gear as well. She could have him start with low-level equipment for the cultists. They looked so under-equipped anyway.

  “Pfff, he won’t mind outfitting a few cultists with level fifty gear first… That should be enough for a while,” she said quietly to herself. Still, she really needed to find out why they were all so weak, and maybe even power-level with them a little. After all, she had promised them strength, hadn’t she? Another point on her growing list of things to deal with.

  Lily sighed and looked down at the forest below her. First things first. She needed to go back, place the Maw of Creation, and talk with the cultists about her plan to establish a proper base. After that, she should head to Tiara and check if things had gone smoothly with the auctioneer.

  Sadly, after she had established herself so well yesterday in her high-profile merchant persona, she couldn’t just disappear for an entire day. That would look far too suspicious.

  So, she started flying again in the direction of her mansion. The morning air was still cool, and the soft wind brushed through her hair as she gained altitude.

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