59th of Season of Fire, 57th year of the 32nd cycle

  Newt dodged a split second before the stegosaurus launched a volley of icicles from its tail. The frozen javelins whizzed by harmlessly, but rather than being happy with his success Newt felt frustrated.

  Now that I’ve confirmed it, I can see that attack coming before my danger sense warns me, and I can’t use it for training. Newt rushed towards the dinosaur’s head. The dash was mad and suicidal, but his newfound sense warned him that the stegosaurus would try to smash his head with its tail.

  He ducked under the attack, then jumped when he sensed the backwards blow coming, and speared the dinosaur’s neck with his glaive. The weak shield of water dissolved while a flash of fire exploded directly inside the mortally wounded stegosaurus’s neck, finishing off the beast.

  Come on! The previous two had intact cores. The sixth dinosaur of the day, unfortunately, did not leave a core behind. Newt was fine with that. Based on the number of spirit beasts he had slain since entering the area for fourth realm cultivators, he should have found three to four cores, but finding two in a row in three hours helped improve his mood. He just had to keep searching.

  More importantly, his danger sense had advanced by a grade. Newt was partially aware that calling his precognition danger sense was wrong, but he liked the name better and chose to stick with it, at least until his master told him the official term for it.

  With the advancement, he could occasionally sense attacks directed at him, but there were limitations. Throwing himself into harm’s way caused no reaction, acting recklessly without intending to allow a certain attack to land on him did trigger it. If his mind could find a pattern for the attack, his conscious mind overruled instinct.

  There were other minor details and guesses. For instance, Newt believed he could detect attacks coming from his blind spots with greater ease, and chaotic, split-instant happenings also seemed easier to foresee, but those were guesses. To infer any sort of rules from a handful of encounters was stupid, and relying on those conclusions suicidal.

  I thought tracing was safe, and it nearly got me killed. Newt reminded himself not to rely on his conclusions, but to observe and discuss his findings with a knowledgeable senior once he left the Valley of the Lost.

  And with the development of his danger sense came a potential direction for leaving the valley. As his danger sense grew sharpener, Newt could distinguish between different grades of safety and danger.

  The change implied two things. He could sense opponents even if he headed in the “safe” direction. The stegosaurus he slew was his experimental victim. The second, more important implication was that Newt could in theory search for the exit on his own without a compass. He did not know what exactly he was looking for, but he believed he would recognize it, if he got close enough.

  I think my danger sense needs to be a lot better for that, but I’m improving by the hour.

  Newt could not estimate the time he needed to reach the level of proficiency required to find the way out, but he knew he could get there. It might take days, weeks, seasons, or years, but he would find the exit.

  And when I do, I’ll have a ton of misterium and cores.

  He had already decided he would tie up his sleeves and fill them with valuables. He might take the upper portion of his robe off altogether and turn it into a giant sack, but he would not worry about rich-man’s problems of not knowing how to carry his treasures until he became the said rich man. Until then, pockets and his sack would do.

  Besides, geysers did not seem to register to his danger sense, and stumbling across one while wandering an unknown area after he had left the previous field was something Newt believed required more luck than he had.

  Wandering a danger zone beyond your realm with no clue how to leave is such a chore. What if I end up stuck here for years? What if I wander into the fifth realm area and get stuck there?

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  That thought terrified him. He remembered how powerful the frostworm was, and he knew he stood no chance. For all he knew, a fifth realm shroud deinonychus could shoot those wind scythes at will and tear him to shreds before he got to blink.

  Newt stopped dead in his tracks. He turned around, away from the feeling of safety, and headed straight towards danger.

  Don’t tempt luck. I know where the next realm zone is, but not how far away it is. It should be miles away, but why take foolish chances?

  There was absolutely no reason to tempt fate, and Newt focused on hunting in the direction he was fairly certain should be the periphery of the fourth realm area.

  ***

  Obsidian wanted to go to Newt’s master as soon as they returned, but Senior Apprentice Sister Hazel insisted they visit the Chamber of Instruction first and submit their mist crystals to complete their mission.

  “I know your friend’s eldest sister, we can ask her for advice.” With the misterium delivered, and merit noted, Hazel led the way to the core disciple residences.

  Obsidian never dared imagine owning one. His talent was too poor. What he hoped for his future was reaching the fourth realm before aging out of being a disciple and remaining in the sect as an outer elder rather than a laborer.

  The resources outer elders received were worse than those inner disciples received, but he would still have access to the library, knowledgeable seniors, and with enough effort, he might one day become a master blacksmith and reach the status of an inner elder.

  I would definitely help a promising disciple if I was an inner elder. Even if he’s not my disciple.

  Hazel knocked on the door. “Senior Apprentice Sister Deeproot, are you home?”

  “I’ll be there in a moment.”

  Hazel took a deliberate step back as Obsidian and the girls fidgeted while waiting. Rose was popping her fingers and knuckles, Newt’s disappearance hitting her the hardest for some reason.

  Several seconds passed before a brawny woman with brown hair and sharp eyes opened the door.

  “Hazel, what a surprise.” She eyed Obsidian’s group. “It looks like this isn’t a social visit. What’s up?”

  “Your youngest brother got separated from the rest of his group in the Valley of the Lost. I don’t believe he’s in any serious danger around third realm spirit beasts, but he is wandering the danger zone alone with no means of leaving it.” Hazel paused to let Greenbow process the information before continuing. “Do you think we should notify your master?”

  Greenbow’s lips twisted, her face ugly. Then, she nodded, her muscular neck as thick as a triceratops’s.

  “That little troublemaker; thrice in one season,” she grumbled. “Tell me what happened. How did he wander away from his group? Did the mist suddenly contract?”

  “No, Senior Apprentice Sister,” Jasmine said. “He was searching the geysers for misterium, and we took precautions. We tied him around the waist with ropes, each of us holding one end…”

  Jasmine explained what happened, and Greenbow’s face turned ugly.

  “Are you certain that’s what happened?”

  “Yes, Senior Apprentice Sister.” Jasmine lowered her gaze, they all knew Greenbow would say aloud what they knew all along.

  “The only way something like that could possibly happen is if a dino snatched him and yanked the ropes out of your hands.”

  Nobody gasped or made any show of surprise. They guessed the same, since the moment Newt disappeared. Instead, they lowered their gazes, standing in silence. Greenbow’s glare burned through the top of their heads, then she drew a deep breath and exhaled, her nostrils flaring like an angry longneck’s.

  “I need to report this to Master immediately.”

  The woman stepped out of the house and closed the door, taking a step forward as if she intended to trample her visitors.

  “Senior Apprentice Sister, may we tag along, if you don’t mind?” Obsidian tried to stand his ground tall, but his shoulders drooped.

  Greenbow looked at him for a moment, before nodding again. “Master will probably want to hear what happened. She might have more questions.”

  The group moved deeper into the island, passing the outer elder residences, and reaching the inner elder housing. Obsidian walked by the buildings without noticing their charm and the fact that each was unique, some humble cottages surrounded by the jungle, while others were sprawling mansions, each built on same-sized plots of land.

  Elder Alabaster’s abode was made of white marble, its thick walls gleaming in the sun. Greenbow moved with purpose, her stride quick, but not rushed. She reached the door, and shockingly entered without knocking. Inside a spacious entrance hall, an aged outer elder sat behind a desk.

  “Uncle Freshshine, is Master available?” Greenbow inclined her head respectfully, despite her status being above that of the outer elder.

  “Elder Alabaster is busy reading, she said not to disturb her unless the matter is important.” The white-haired man glanced at Greenbow’s company. “Is the matter important?”

  “That trouble-making little brother of mine caused trouble again. He got separated from his companions in the Valley of the Lost, and we need to go find him now.”