68. Birds of Prey

Jake spends several days practicing his upgraded Pride of the Malefic Viper, learning to infuse his presence with mana for far easier spellcasting at immense mana cost. He experiments with movement and considers testing the skill’s mental aspect, discusses his new teaching skill with Villy, and continues mass-producing elixirs while planning Vitality (rare) and Perception (uncommon) variants.

Mid-brew, Jake feels a dire warning tied to Sylphie. He halts alchemy, infuses presence, and innovates on the fly: summoning distant arcane platforms inside his presence to chain One Step Mile through the air, prioritizing speed despite the drain.

Meanwhile, Hawkie and Mystie face a Goldsun Eagle Prima far above them, while its mate and juvenile harry Sylphie. Recognizing the Prima is toying with them and using the fight to train its young, the pair enact their combined trump card, Myststorm Union, fusing storm and myst. They annihilate the mate and shatter the barrier but are immediately countered by the Prima’s solar breath, which breaks their fusion and leaves both gravely wounded. Sylphie attacks and is swatted from the sky.

As Hawkie faces death, a crushing presence arrives—Jake. After freezing the Prima at range, Jake lands on its back with the momentum of a thousand‑kilometer sprint, slamming it into the canyon. He immediately prioritizes the wounded: catching Hawkie mid-fall and administering potions to Hawkie, Sylphie, and then Mystie, calming Sylphie’s panic and acknowledging Hawkie’s effort.

With his allies stabilized, Jake turns to the battered but raging Goldsun Eagle Prima. His presence blankets the canyon as he prepares to finish the confrontation.