49.2. Preparations - Part 2

"So," Fefnir is bumping his huge scaly fingers against the table.

"So," I'm staring at my feather lying on a tray as if it was a relic. "One was found?"

"That idiot tried selling it on eBay," Fefnir rolls his eyes. "We contacted the legal authorities and they apprehended him for an assault. As for the other two... we tracked one being auctioned on the dark web but it slipped between our fingers. I'm afraid a new owner has it now. The third one didn't emerge yet."

"What will you do with it?" Ingri is longingly eyeing the ripped feather.

"I don't know, shove it into a wardrobe?" I shrug. "It's just a feather. We wanted justice for the principle, not for the object itself."

"Could I have it then?" she smirks and stretches her hand towards the tray.

"What for, dear?" Liana purses her lips and softly slaps her assistant's hand because she suspects Ingri would use it in her creative fashion projects.

"How much was it worth anyway?" Erik asks curiously.

"The bidding started at 10 000 Euro but who knows how much it would make in the end," Fefnir says.

I wrinkle my nose. Seriously? They're making me into a collectible? Are humans nuts? I get it that my white feathers are unique but aren't they taking it too far? It's just a feather, an equivalent to hair or fur. It's not like it still contains mana or...

I take the feather into my fingers and caress it. Strangely, it feels too lively. Is it not just a dead body tissue in its essence? What is that vibrating feeling I'm getting? Wait a second... could it be... that my torn feather still contains some of my mana?! But that's impossible, it was proven already that while mana does get out of a Celestial's body through wings, it's being generated in our spine.

But then I remember that moment when I was angry at Liana for limiting my freedom. I didn't have time to think about it after that but I did feel mana filling my every cell. I levitated by body without activating a spell. I just let mana out of my pores.

"Are you listening, Aefener?" Liana nudges me. "Do you want to donate your feather to Julia or not?"

"No, it's mine," I say quickly, maybe too quickly, and hide it into my sleeve.

I need to experiment to find out more but I don't have the nerve to tear another one from my wings. I don't think any Celestial is able to tear their own feathers. Erik raises his eyebrow, sensing that I have an ulterior motive with the feather, but he doesn't say anything.

*****

I know that I lost my privacy but it seems I still underestimate the extent of the problem. Now that I actually need a few minutes just by myself, I discover how difficult that is. If I'm not working, I'm with my friends or I'm with Erik. Even when I'm in our apartment, my guards are always present. They don't go into the bedroom but Erik never leaves my side during our leisure time because for him leisure means being together.

Not that I mind but I really need some alone time to analyse my ripped feather properly. It takes one whole week to finally find an opportunity and seize it. I finish my magic training a bit earlier and I know that Erik is still hitting the gym at this time. I go home as quickly as possible without raising suspicion that I'm up to something and, once inside our apartment, I tell my guards that I want to take a nap.

Just two weeks ago they would be nervous to leave me without supervision in a room with a window but since I'm behaving nicely at my flying sessions, they let me have my tiny privacy. God! I didn't realise how I miss some quality me-time when the door closes and I'm finally alone.

I let out a happy shriek and spend a few moments just rolling over on our huge round bed. It's tiring to act always so serious and dignified in front of people because that's expected of the Emperor. I stretch my wings, envelope myself in them and continue happily rolling over and cuddling my feathers. I thoroughly enjoy being ridiculous.

Then I remember my mission and, too lazy to get up, I open the wardrobe with telekinesis. I hid the ripped feather under my spare night robe and I feel it's calling me somehow. Normally, Celestials need a visual contact with things we want to levitate or have a very concrete image of where it is and how it looks like but I don't need any of that. I just feel it because it used to be a part of me.

The feather slips from under the night robe and lands safely on my palm. Ok, so how do I go about it? How do I analyse it? I'm no Earthborn. But the Earthborn can't sense Celestial mana anyway. I need magical detection of some kind.

I close my eyes and try feeling the mana inside of the feather as if I would with Celestials when they ask me about their mana capacity. Oh, I wasn't mistaken, it's there! Despite being torn from my wings weeks ago, the feather still contains a tiny portion of my mana.

But what does it mean? Is my magical energy being generated differently from other Celestials? Is that what makes me the embodiment of magic? I switch my focus to my own body. I try to feel what I felt during that incident when I was angry with Erik and Liana.

From Liana's point of view, it must have looked like I used a normal levitation spell because she didn't press me about it afterwards but I know I didn't. I somehow poured mana out of my pores and that's what made my body float. But how?! I envelop myself in my wings again and fall on the side. How? How? How?

I feel Erik's telepathic imprint approaching long before he opens the door so I manage to hide my feather back into the wardrobe and pretend that I'm napping. I'm not ready to share my discovery yet. I want to find out more first.

"Tired?" Erik pokes my wings because I'm unwilling to open my cocoon. "What about taking a shower?"

"Too tired for that," I grunt.

"Come on, I know you Celestials don't sweat much but you skipped yesterday," he pulls me out of bed for my sake.

"I just don't like bathing when I can't spread my wings comfortably and the shower booth makes me claustrophobic," I complain but I'm already in the bathroom and Erik is taking off my robe.

"Liana assured me that they'll be remodelling our apartment during the conference," she says. "With Emi leaving, we should get more rooms."

"They can manage that in a week?" I'm doubtful. "What are they planning to do anyway?"

"Well," Erik smiles mysteriously. "I saw the blueprints and helped them choose new furniture. It'll be marvellous, trust me."

"When did you manage that?" I tilt my head.

"I was pretending to attend a meeting with officials while I was secretly meeting designers," he smirks. "It was possible only because we try to be separated more often and you don't examine me telepathically that much lately. But I'm saying no more, it's supposed to be a surprise."

*****

"Why are you nervous? You should be excited!" I don't understand why Liana starts trembling the moment we step outside.

She's dressed in a Celestial flight robe and ready to go. Her body is definitely ready to go. She woke up this morning and I sensed it right away. Her transformation is finished. But she doesn't seem that thrilled about it now that it's actually happening.

"Li, what's wrong? Are you afraid?" I hug her because she flinches when the wind blows into her feathers.

"You're the embodiment of magic so you can't know," she retorts a little. "It's not as effortless for the rest of us."

"Effortless or not, it's in your genes and innate instincts," I comfort her. "Besides, you have me. Should you lose control, I'll catch you."

"I know you will," she sighs out deeply to calm her wildly beating heart.

"You're more excited than scared," I assure her. "Your over-analytical brain just can't tell the difference."

I push her away, smile mischievously, stretch my wings and fly up.

"Catch me if you can," I mock her.

It works like a charm. She can't resist seeing me flying and she can't resist a challenge. Her instincts kick in, she spreads her mighty black wings and with a few flaps, she's in the air.

"I'm flying!" she lets out a joyful shriek.

"Come and get me then," I wink and do a sharp turn.

I'm not going full speed on purpose so she's able to follow me. She might not be as natural at flying as me but she's still managing without problems. After a few minutes, she finally starts to trust her body and stops thinking so hard about every movement.

She's much better than me at handling the adrenaline rush, though. I don't think I've ever felt such pure happiness from her but she stays rational and fully in control. I guess we've pretty much confirmed that it's only me who gets crazy. Oh, well.

"Aefener, it's so... so...!" she shouts at me joyfully. Even the dignified Viceroy can't keep her act when flying.

"Trust your wings and try some acrobatics," I suggest.

I fold my wings and start falling. After five hundred meters or so, I stretch my wings again and perform a flip. Liana tries to copy me but she stretches her wings after just a few seconds of free fall. She doesn't have the nerve... yet. But she will.

We fly around, Liana testing what her body can do, me mostly watching over her. She panics one time when her flip doesn't work out so I create a soft airy cushion around her.

"Thanks," she appreciates when she stabilises herself.

"You wouldn't fall either way, your wings would always react, but I know it's unnerving," I say. "Do you want to experiment a bit more? Try whatever you wish, I'll be watching you and be prepared with a safety airy net."

"Okay, I trust you with my life then," she smiles and continues testing her flying abilities while I hover in a safe distance.

Her words are heart-warming. She trusts me with her life. I do, too. And it's beyond amazing to be able to fly with someone. To share this moment of pure happiness and relaxation. Too bad I can't share it with Erik but Liana's presence is just as valuable to me.

After she tries everything she can think of in the moment, we test for speed. We're extremely fast already but I'm sure we'll become even faster when our wing muscles grow stronger thanks to everyday exercise.

"Damn, are we that far so soon?" Liana grumbles because our bands vibrate.

"Now you can see how it feels," I comment.

"I know, Aefener, I know," she sighs. "But we have to limit you somehow or you would fly away who knows where."

"Will you reconsider now?" I ask, hopeful. "Two kilometres are nothing to us."

"We will," she promises. "But wait until more of us are able to accompany you, okay?"

Liana gets exhausted after forty minutes whereas I'd be able to fly for much longer. I'm happy to see that I developed some stamina but I land with her because it would be weird not to. Now that I tasted what flying with someone feels like, I can wait to enjoy it again tomorrow.