Looking at Han and Jin, who stared at the carriage with their eyeballs wide, I couldn''t help but sigh.


    Unfortunately, their names were not printed on this carriage but on the one next to mine.


    Before I could think of something to say to them, Jin walked over to me and wrapped his arm a my shoulder.


    "Looks like you''re finally moving up in the world, R..."


    A momtter, Han reappeared and wrapped his arm a my other shoulder with a somber expression.


    "Yeah... don''t forget about us wh you''re at the top, alright...?"


    Shrugging their arms on my shoulders, I replied.


    "Look, you guys are being way too over dramatic...it''s just a damn carriage."


    Putting his head in his hands, Jin replied.


    "It always starts with ''just a carriage,'' man."


    Looking at Han, I expected him to be the voice of reason as usual, but instead, he simply nodded his head, agreeing with Jin''s words.


    "You guys ever heard of overreacting?"


    Walking to their carriage, Jin screamed back.


    "WE''RE NOT OVERREACTING MAN...YOU''VE BEEN ACTING LIKE A CELEBRITY RECENTLY."


    "...I forget to reply to your s a co-"


    "PFFT"


    "PFFT"


    Looking at Han and Jin, who burst out inughter, I scratched my head and asked.


    "...what''s going on?"


    Shaking their heads while stillughing, Jin replied.


    "PFFT, we were just messing with you. Don''t worry, alright."


    Nodding in approval to Jin''s words, Han replied.


    "Make sure to get us some of those ''freeplimtary gift bags,'' alright?"


    Seeing the two walk over to their carriage, stillughing, I sighed for the hundredth time this week and finally mustered up the ergy to ter the courage.


    The carriage''s interior was gigantic as it could easily fit over t people, and as Jin and Han said, countless free items were lying a.


    On my right, Kevin, Liam, and Zach sat down, and on my left, Ire, Alya, Lily, and Ruby sat down.


    Feeling their stares, I chose to sit in betwe the window and Zach, directly facing Lily.


    Taking my seats, I ignored the ongoing conversations and stared out the window, admiring the in''s beauty now that the World Tree had be healed.


    Feeling an awkward atmosphere formed due to my sudd presce, I decided to try to sleep.


    Ev if they were technically my emies... I still felt odd intruding on their team bonding time, ev though it wasn''t ev my fault.


    Oping the window and allowing the soft breeze to ter the carriage, I covered my hands with my school jacket.


    Using my corruption, I created a crow much quicker than before and felt my body transform into a crow.


    As my body lifelessly slumped over, I decided to experimt as I raised the crow''s wings to my eye in an attempt to use my time-slowing ability.


    After a momt, I peeked out from under my jacket as the crow and noticed that it had actually worked as people''s mouths were moving in slow motion.


    Taking advantage of the time slowing, I slipped out of my jacket and escaped the carriage through the window.


    Flying into the op sky, I was once again an oddball, as my ck crow body stood out among the sun''s vibrant yellow and lush gre grass.


    Before continuing to experimt, I attempted to do some aerial tricks to familiarize myself with flying with two wings instead of one.


    From doing flips in the air to testing my reaction time by free-falling in the air and pping my wings to stop the fall right before I hit the g, I finally felt a bit morefortable flying.


    Using that newfound confidce, I flew ev higher in the air, above the clouds, and began testing out my abilities.


    Unfortunately, I couldn''t use corruption as a crow, but on the bright side, skills were avable to me, as I could use dash and time-slowing.


    My stats also worked as a crow as I could use my stealth stat to sneak a unnoticed in the shadows of the trees.


    As a crow, all my sses except eyesight were also hanced, and I could call other simr animals.


    *CA-CAW*


    At my sound, multiple birds flocked to me like a servant waiting for orders from their kings.


    I couldn''t speak or understand the bird''snguage, though, so I was forced to use visual signals tomand my small army of birds.


    At my cry, birds would gather worms and tree sticks before bringing them to me, in an attempt to please me.


    Feeling my corruption fading, I dismissed the crow and returned to my body in the carriage, immediately feeling a warm ssation under my head.


    Looking below, I realized that there was a pillow under my head, blocking out the carriage''s hard, cold wood.


    But, as I looked a the carriage, everyone else was asleep, with no pillows under their heads.


    Yet, in the back of my mind, I knew only one person in the carriage cared ough about myfort.


    Taking the pillow from under my head, I quietly and carefully slotted it under Ruby''s head before returning to my seat.


    While my body was ergized from the rest during my body transfer, my mind was exhausted, asmanding a bird''s body was exhausting.


    About to drift off to actual sleep, I ced my hand on my elbow and stared out the op window, observing the mountain range in the distance.


    Slowly closing my eyes, I was about to drift off to sleep wh I suddly recalled something.


    Peaking my head back out the window, I stared behind us... but no carriages were following us despite five carriages having left after us.


    Rushing to the driver''s carriage area, I was shocked to see that the seat waspletely empty.


    No mountain range was in sight wh we traveled to the Elv realm initially...


    *RUMBLE*


    As if confirming my worries, the carriage began to shake uncontrobly, causing everyone else to finally wake up.


    There was only one other ce near the Elv realm where a mountain range was located.