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They stood waiting, protecting Goldmi, while she used Vision Link to see through the goshawk's eyes. However, it was extremely difficult to find what they were looking for. It would have been easier to find a needle in a haystack.

All the trees looked the same now that they were corrupted, nothing like the variety of colors and life of the past. They had no leaves left, and their branches and trunks were blackish.

Often, some losts could be seen standing still among the trees, waiting for an order, or to detect a living being. Their existence had no other meaning.

The goshawk flew too high to be detected. She wasn't easily spotted, even if one was searching the sky. Besides, that wasn't the favorite hobby of corrupted beings. In fact, they had none. They just were there.

There weren't winged corrupted flying either, for they had no business in the sky. The corrupted beings didn't need to hunt to survive, they weren't even alive. They could be seen on some branches, motionless like the rest, doing nothing.

"It seems that there're more and more," Goldmi observed through the eyes of her sister.

"True. They're gathering in that direction. Let's take a look," the albino bird replied.

"Heh, heh, this's going to be fun," Jhinkro predicted.

It was the shadow in charge of that area. It had been gathering corrupted beings for weeks, and sending a few to the front. If the corrupted spirit concentrated, it could feel when those under its control died.

"Another has died. This is the best hour. After finishing gathering them, I'll launch the attack. I wonder how many livings I'll be able to finish off," it congratulated itself in advance.

Its intention was to launch its army to reach the border at that hour, attack as many of the living as they could, and come back. It wasn't the most effective way to use them, but it was safe.

The corrupted spirit was afraid. All the shadows were afraid. Goldmi had appeared from time to time to take down a few of them over the years, so they didn't dare get too close.

They may have attempted an offensive not long ago, but with the intention of retreating in the presence of any fairies. They were always making sure not to stay too long at the front. They didn't want to give their invisible enemy time to appear.

However, launching attacks from a distance was feasible. In the worst case, it would lose some corrupted beings, which were expendable. If it could kill a few livings, for the shadow it would have been worth it.

That's when a few losts acted strange, looking up at the sky. Following their gaze, it discovered an albino bird that was flying over the area.

"A spy? Mmmh. It could warn that there is danger. It's better to get rid of it. You, you, you and you, follow it and kill it," it ordered.

The goshawk carefully observed the terrain, the movements of the corrupted beings, and tried to inspect the trees one by one. If the general was there, her sister would be able to see it through her eyes. The problem was focusing on the right place. There was too much terrain.

"Come back, there're too many" the elf asked.

"They're slow and dumb, I can dodge them. The general must've seen me. It has to be close," the goshawk refused.

Four winged corrupted beings had taken off towards her. Their levels were between 5 and 7 above the albino bird, although they still had to pick up speed. They were circling her, gaining altitude to get closer to their prey.

"But..." the elf protested.

"Look carefully. The sooner we discover the enemy, the sooner we can act. If it's too dangerous, I'll back off," the goshawk promised to reassure her sister.

The lynx didn't say anything, but she was also restless. Standing there helplessly while her sister took a chance made her nervous, even though she did hide it.

Gjaki decided to clean up the area a bit while they waited, at least in the direction indicated by the fairy. She had blessings from Eldi and Goldmi, so they would share experience. Now, it was no longer the time to hold back, and she was the only one unaffected by the miasma.

She had two Bats scouting, while another kept an eye on the rest of the group. There, Eldi, Maldoa and the lynx stood guard around the elf, who was paying all her attention to finding the shadow.

It wasn't long before a corrupted falcon caught up with the goshawk, and loomed toward her. She Plummetted a few meters to gain speed, and passed under the corrupted enemy. That forced it to turn and follow her.

Two crows took advantage of the fact that she had descended to try to get closer. Their feathers were black as when they were alive, but they had lost their shine. For now, their speed was insufficient.

The fourth corrupted bird, a giant hummingbird that had lost its vivid colors, abruptly veered toward its prey, but it had a hard time matching her speed.

The goshawk continued to fly over the area, by making a wide circle around her pursuers. Only the corrupted falcon was picking up speed, and was getting closer little by little.

She moved away from the concentration of corrupted beasts, until she found the perfect spot to Plummet and Slalom through the corrupted trees. The goshawk left more distance than usual, as they moved slowly to try to catch her.

As she expected, the falcon followed close behind, true to its task. It was agile thanks to its high level, but at the speed the goshawk was going through the trees, it was impossible to chase her without a special skill.

The smartest decision would have been to follow her above the trees, but the corrupted being had to strictly comply with its orders. Therefore, it went after her through the trees, until colliding with a branch, losing control, and slamming into a trunk.

It didn't die, but one of its wings was broken. It could no longer continue the chase.

The albino bird rose and turned around. It didn't take long for her to face the crows, Plummet, and fly under them again. The hummingbird was simply ignored. Its flight was very agile, but it couldn't compete in speed. So, she passed some distance from it, and returned to the area with a high density of corrupted beings.

She had to find the general, but it was difficult. It was too big a space, and it could be hidden.

Nonetheless, the goshawk didn't give up. She decided to narrow the search to the area her pursuers had taken off from. She assumed that the shadow had sent them, and they were in its sight when doing so. She would widen the search circle if she didn't find it.

The bird didn't know if it was a good plan, but it wasn't worse than searching blindly.