I tell Vermiel to position the guards further away because I want to try my divine speed. Vermiel doesn't like it at first, but he has to admit that nothing could ever hit me when I'm flying that fast. I wink at Gotrid before I fully spread my wings, flap them mightily and use the air itself to propel me upwards.
It's chilly and tranquil when I emerge above the clouds, but my sporty robe is warm. I left the guards below me (I overdid it again), so I tell them telepathically where I am and wait. They catch up in a few moments, I get scolded by Vermiel and we continue our flight.
They took my yesterday's order very seriously and finally agreed that we can venture beyond the city. It would be impossible just two weeks ago but since then all the guards mastered the shield spell. Confident that they can protect me anywhere now, Liana okayed long-distance flights.
"Your Majesty, we're getting too far from Prague," the Guard Captain warns me. "We've been flying in the same direction for thirty minutes now, we should return."
I look down and realise that what I'm seeing under me are fields and greenery. My first thought is to ask Vermiel if we can land and enjoy some nature, but that urge disappears as quickly as it appeared. It was just a momentary whim, I don't feel like landing and I don't need to rest my wings just yet. I feel most comfortable here, up in the sky.
"Let's return, love, we will be late for lunch," Gotrid says.
I nod and we head back. I have no idea which direction we came from because I never pay attention to my surroundings when I fly. Strangely, it seems everyone in my flock is generally good at telling cardinal directions even without looking at their GPS. I really suck at it, no kidding. I once read that birds possess some kind of internal compass and the same is apparently true for Celestials as well, but I have literally nothing.
"Gotrid, do you feel where to go?" I ask my partner because he doesn't look at his navigation either.
"Yeah?" he answers. "You don't, hon?"
"Nope," I sigh. "How can you tell?"
"The north is there and we left Prague from north-west, so...," he starts to explain.
"Wait, how do you know so precisely?" I frown.
"I just feel it somehow I guess?" he shrugs and flies playfully around me.
"I don't feel anything," I bite my lip and try to focus more. Maybe it just doesn't come as naturally to me as magic does. Still, I get nothing even with intense focus.
"Where would you head if you didn't have us?" he tests me, intrigued that I'm not good at something for a change, especially because it's supposed to be natural to Celestials.
"There?" I point, uncertain.
"Why south?" he tilts his head.
"It just feels interesting," I say vaguely. "Like an adventure. Like a rift opening."
"You feel a rift opening nearby, Your Majesty?" Vermiel panics because he overheard part of our conversation.
"Our Emperor was just being imaginative," Gotrid calms him down. "Let's speed up, I'm getting hungry."
We head back, but I can't shake off that weird feeling that I would like to fly south. It's faint, but I even feel my body getting battle-ready. Maybe I just had too much coffee in the morning? An anxiety-prone person such as myself shouldn't overdo the caffeine.
We land on the balcony closest to the Royal Office. I feel a slight emotional disturbance in Draconians, so I go to the Royal Office straight away without changing my clothes.
"Hi, hon, sorry that I didn't wait for you, but we have a situation," Erik explains and is standing in front of Liana's computer.
"A serious situation?" I ask.
"Another monster attack," Liana announces, staring at the live streaming.
"Is it going to be okay?" I worry. Monster attacks are becoming a rather regular occurrence, but I still worry that innocent people will die each time it happens.
"Two heligorrs," she reports. "But local Draconians are managing. It's one of the professional battle units we established recently. They are doing more than fine."
"Where?" Gotrid asks eagerly.
"Austria," Liana says. "It's a country..."
"I know where Austria is, Viceroy," Gotrid gets offended. "I'm not your stereotypical American who sucks at geography. It's south of Bohemia. South!"
"So?" Erik doesn't understand why Gotrid is so bewildered about it. I'm starting to understand, but it has to be a coincidence. There's no way I'd feel it when it's so far away.
"It doesn't have to mean anything," I take Gotrid's hand, hoping he will drop it.
"It turns out that our Emperor lacks any sense for cardinal directions which should be innate to Celestials," Gotrid pushes it despite my efforts. "Instead, he can sense in which direction a new rift is opening, even if it's hundreds of kilometres away."
"It's just a coincidence," I insist. "I just told you the first random direction that came to my mind back then. Is it so hard to accept that I suck at something for a change?"
"Let's test it then," he grabs my hand and before I can do anything, he spins me several times to the point I get almost nauseous.
"Which way is the rift?" he asks me with urgency in his voice.
"Uff, you stupid, my head is spinning now," I whine and massage my temples. "Why would you do such a thing?"
"Answer the question, Aefener," Liana stands up and her emotional state changes drastically. She's dead serious and won't take any excuses from me.
"There," I point my finger and feel stupid because I'm pointing to the wall. I'm simply saying where I'd head if I could fly again.
It takes them a few minutes to asses precisely where my finger is pointing.
"That's exactly right," Erik exclaims in disbelief and hugs me. "If Ryuuto flew in that direction, he'd get to the rift eventually."
"But I had no idea south is that way," I say feebly. "I suck at telling directions."
"You don't have to know cardinal directions to instinctively point where the rift is, hon," Gotrid caresses my feathers to calm me down. "We've just discovered that you possess another super sense, why do you feel down about it? It's amazing, you're amazing!"
That takes me aback and makes me think. Why indeed? I used to be scared of my powers before because I desperately wanted to be normal, even though I was never human in the first place. When I changed, I hoped to be normal among Celestials at least and, obviously, that never happened either. It seems I'm still reluctant to fully accept my abilities because it alienates me from others.
"So every time Aefener got lost, it wasn't because he's just hopeless at paying attention while flying?" Liana ponders. I'm grateful that she can see my weaknesses and isn't afraid to talk about them. That's what friends do and something my subjects would never do.
"Not every time, he's still hopeless at paying attention when flying," Gotrid chuckles. I nudge him, but I'm glad that he's making fun of me. Nobody else would dare.
"If I may," Vermiel speaks up, "I think His Majesty's ability to feel rifts from huge distances might be interfering with his sense for cardinal directions."
"That would make sense," Liana agrees. "We'll be testing it from now on. Aefener, every time you feel even a little bit tense and yearning to fly in a certain direction, tell us, okay?"
I look at the screen again. Austrian Draconians just defeated the first heligorr and are decimating the second one. It's amazing what proper training and coordinated teamwork can accomplish in such a short amount of time. It gives me hope that we will be able to keep people safe. Stronger monsters might appear in future, but we are getting stronger with each passing day.
Naturally, everyone is excited about my newly found ability and there's zero chance it would remain secret by the end of the day. To be honest, I'd exchange it for the sense of general direction immediately if I could because that's useful in everyday life. But my subjects don't operate in the terms of common when it comes to their Emperor.
"I'll gladly be your compass, honey," Gotrid comments jokingly.