Out-> Of Safe [Zone]

Bonds Act 1

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"You have shitty stamina."

"Close your mouth or I'm going to cook you for dinner."

Saeko grunted, her right hand grips Yamato tightly. Her eyes locked on the training dummy that stood before her, it was stressful since there were barely any damages on the object.

The young woman knew she could not be as strong like the previous user. She was lacking the strength and agility. From his perch on a nearby lamppost, Griffon watched with amusement.

Her fox ears twitched as she sheathed her katana, drawing a deep breath before unsheathing it once more in a swift motion, attempting another barrage of rapid slashes.

A few seconds later, she collapsed to the ground, panting heavily as Yamato slipped from her grasp. "Don’t overdo it, kid. Training is fine, but push too hard, and that fragile body of yours won’t last much longer."

Griffon was right, she was pushing herself a bit too far. Saeko rolled onto her back, gazing up at the sky. The demon bird fluttered down, landing beside her.

"You stink."

"Not a single word of encouragement? Fuck you."

The bird cackled at her. "Okay, okay! You did well for a human. That’s what? 0.0001% progress?"

"Not helping." Saeko sighed and closed her eyes. The gentle breeze and the sounds of birds chirping (not Griffon) offered her a momentary sense of peace. Mmm, this feels nice.

After a while, she turned her head towards him. "Can you do something for me?" Her words caught the demon bird's attention.

"What is it?"

"I want to hear you chirp."

"Hell no."

-----

"I wonder where she went..." A blonde teen murmured to himself as he searched for Miyabi. But she wasn’t in her room.

Usually, she left a note on her door whenever she went out, but today was different. No note. When Yanqing asked the hotel owner, the only answer he received was that Miyabi had been seen leaving with a bird.

That was the last thing Yanqing expected to hear. As far as he knew, Miyabi was always alone—no pets, no familiars.

Well, she was always mysterious right?

He had been looking through the entire Luofu. Even to places like the scalegorge waterscape and the alchemy commission. She had no reason to be at the former, and had expressed little interest in the latter—unless summoned, of course.

But no one, not even the Cloud Knights, knew where she and her strange companion were. It was frustrating.

His final stop was at Cloudfort. As he was about to give up, Yanqing looked down from his place and spotted a familiar young woman, lying on her back. Far down from his location, with a bird who was lying on her stomach.

Yanqing leapt down, landing nearby. His eyes switched to the training dummy, which was scarred with slashes. Then he looked back at Miyabi, her eyes closed, her expression serene. She was tired, and the bird too.

Deciding not to disturb them, Yanqing stepped closer, bending down to place a note beside Miyabi’s head. Then he stood up, walking away with a small smile on his lips.