CHAPTER 122: THE SKY-DWELLER’S SANCTUARY

Earlier...

Eirin groaned, a low, rasping sound that scratched at her dry throat. Her head felt fuzzy, a dizzying whirlwind of disorientation, as she lay on her back. She slowly forced her eyes open. Streaks of blurry light, then patches of deep, soft shadow, swarm before her vision.

It felt like everything was shaking, a constant, gentle tremor, and she couldn’t keep her eyes open for more than a few seconds due to the sickening dizziness that made her stomach churn. A distant ringing echoed in her ears, not like a bell, but a high-pitched hum.

’Where am I?’ The question echoed in the vast, foggy extend of her mind. She brought a trembling hand to her head, pressing her fingers against her temples, trying to clear the haze, to force her eyes fully open, to make sense of the fragmented images.

As soon as her eyelids opened, a monstrous, elongated shape filled her entire field of vision. A huge beak, a terrifying curve of polished bone and gleaming, sharp edges, loomed directly in front of her. It was colossal, larger than any bird she had ever seen, its scale overwhelming. Her eyes widened, a scream tearing itself from her throat. She immediately threw her arms up, crossing them over her face, curling into a defensive ball, bracing for an attack, for the crunch of bone or the tearing of flesh. The monster, whatever it was, was surely about to strike.

Eirin’s heart hammered against her ribs, a desperate bird trapped in a cage, thumping violently she felt it reverberate through her entire body. She panted, her breath coming in ragged, shallow gasps, her eyes squeezed shut, bracing for the inevitable. The silence that followed was unnerving, broken only by the agitated beat of her own pulse.

Cautiously, Eirin risked a peek through the narrow slit between her fingers, her gaze falling to the ground beneath her. It wasn’t solid rock, nor was it a smooth floor. It was a chaotic, tangled mess of thick, woven branches, soft downy feathers, and disturbingly, the faint glint of what looked like smooth, bleached bones – bones that were far too large to be from any normal creature. A bird’s nest, but on a scale that defied all logic.

When she finally dared to look up, her arms still partially shielding her face, the huge beak was nowhere close to her anymore. The immediate threat had receded. She lowered her arms, her forehead creasing in bewilderment, trying to piece together the pieces of memories: The Cavalry battle, Shade’s sudden fury, the shattering barrier, the monstrous birds, the talons...

Hovering above her was a humongous bird. It was not the horrifying miasma-twisted creature that had snatched her. This creature was magnificent. Its feathers, thousands upon thousands of them, shimmered with great, almost ethereal lavender hue, catching the ambient light and refracting it in soft, glowing waves. Each plume seemed to pulse with an inner luminescence. Its eyes, vast and beautiful, were the color of the deepest ocean blue, ardent and intelligent, staring down at her with an unnerving intensity.

Eirin, still reeling, tilted her head, trying to comprehend the surreal situation she was in. But as she moved, the majestic bird tilted its head too, mirroring her motion with an almost playful exactitude, its vast, intelligent eyes never leaving hers.

’Wait... didn’t a monster caught me earlier? A black, distorted thing with burning red eyes?’ The memory, though hazy, was distinct. That horrifying creature had looked nothing like this splendid being.

The thought immediately made Eirin check her body, running her hands over her arms, her legs, her torso, desperately searching for any bruises, any scrapes, any lingering pain from what had happened. But oddly, there was none. Not a single mark.

’What is going on? How could I have been unharmed?’ Eirin thought, her mind a tangled knot of confusion. She pushed herself up, attempting to stand, to regain some semblance of control, but the strong, relentless wind that whistled around them caused her to stumble back to the ground. Her body crushed against some of the large, smooth bones that formed part of the nest’s structure, causing her eyes to go wide, her screams muffled.

Eirin looked around again, her gaze sweeping the impossible landscape. There was nothing else but clouds. Thick, swirling banks of white and grey, stretching endlessly in every direction. Above, the sky was a deep, unwavering cerulean blue, clear, unmarred by the miasma that had choked the academy.

"Where is this place?" Eirin muttered, her voice thin, swallowed by the immense silence, broken only by the whistling sound.

"You’re in my home."

The voice, deep and resonant, yet undeniably feminine, flowed into her mind, not through her ears, but directly into her consciousness, a telepathic whisper.

The teenage girl’s forehead creased in confusion as she glanced behind her. There was no one there. No human form, no other being. She looked again in front of her, her eyes fixed on the mysterious, huge bird. It was calmly grooming itself with its colossal beak, running it through the shining lavender feather on its wing. As Eirin watched, it paused its preening, its beautiful ocean-blue eyes meeting hers once more.

"What are you looking at, child?" The same voice echoed in her mind, laced with a hint of amusement.

Eirin fell on her bottom, a startled yelp escaping her lips. Her heart gave another violent plod. "D-Did you just speak to me?" The bird tilted its head again, its motion slow and deliberate, its gaze unwavering.

"You hear my voice, child?" The mysterious female voice, which Eirin had heard earlier yet dismissed as a product of her dizziness, asked again. "Wonderful. It has been a long time since one of your kind could truly understand me."

Eirin gulped, a dry, painful swallow. The bird began to move towards her, its immense form shifting, each step a gentle tremor that ran through the nest. Eirin instinctively scooted backward, her back feeling the end of the place where they were. Her hand stretched out, finding nothing but empty air. When she dared to peek behind her, she saw nothing else but the sheer, dizzying edge of a high peak, a scarp of rock jutting out into an endless sea of clouds. Below, swirling mists concealed an unimaginable drop.

’Oh my god! Where am I, for real?’ Eirin panicked, her heart thumping so loud it rang in her ears, vibrating through her skull. Her breath caught in her throat.

Suddenly, with a majestic sweep of its wings, the bird showed its full, breathtaking array of beautiful lavender feathers. The sheer size of its wingspan was astounding, blotting out the sun for a moment. With an effortless grace that masked its immense size, it soared into the sky, launching herself off the edge of the nest, flying freely, spiraling higher and higher, a living jewel against the sapphire sky.

Eirin watched it, her fear momentarily forgotten, replaced by a great sense of awe. She was smitten by how beautiful it was, by the sheer, unbridled freedom of its flight. It was a sight that transcended fear, a pure, ethereal beauty.

When the bird descended back to the nest, landing with a gentle tremor that disguised its immense mass, it presented itself, its head bowed slightly, almost as if bowing to Eirin in respect. Its ocean-blue eyes, no longer merely curious, held a deep gratitude.

"My name is Leva, and you, dear child, have saved me from eternal suffering."

Eirin blinked many times after hearing it say that, her mind scrambling, wondering what she could possibly have done to save such a majestic, powerful creature? She was just Eirin, a new Flair user, a student. What power did she possess that could save a being like this?

Leva’s feathers started shining even further, a brilliant, internal luminescence that intensified with her words, causing it to be blinding for Eirin’s naked eyes. Eirin shielded her face, turning her head away from the dazzling light.

"My kin are in trouble," Leva’s voice, now imbued with a deep sorrow, echoed in Eirin’s mind. "The miasma, the dark corruption, is giving them an internal nightmare. It twists their minds, consume their souls, something we cannot escape on our own, for it feeds on our very essence."

The telepathic plea was soft, yet carried an immense weight of despair, an emotional plea for Eirin to help. But Eirin was confused. She didn’t even know how she had helped Leva herself, let alone an entire race of magnificent sky-dwellers.

Eirin bit her fingernail, a nervous habit. "I... I might have helped you unconsciously, Leva, but I genuinely didn’t know how I did it."

Leva turned around, her massive form shifting, and walked to the edge of the nest, her voice low, almost a whisper in Eirin’s mind. "I almost devoured you, child. When the miasma twisted in my mind and turned me into a mindless beast, I attacked your academy. I seized you, driven by the corruption. If it wasn’t for your ability, your presence, I would have lost everything there was in my sanity, become nothing but a monster."

Leva looked Eirin in the eye once again. "With you here, close to me, the miasma that clings to me vanished. Your presence purifies it."

Eirin’s forehead creased, a surge of bewildering revelation washing over her. ’Do I have another Flair? Is that even possible?’ The idea was ludicrous, yet an almost forgotten memory back in the hidden village of Dalry flashed in her head.

That tragic memory filled Eirin’s head once again, but it was starting to give her a vague answer. Why Scarlett Jenkins decided to let her stay.

"Are you saying that I might be able to cleanse the miasma?" Eirin asked, her voice breathless, the implications of such a power suddenly dawning on her.

Leva did not answer, her immense head tilted, her ocean-blue eyes fixed on Eirin. "You have to answer that for yourself, child. Your journey of understanding has only just begun." Her words were both a challenge and a prophecy.

Eirin’s forehead creased deeper, frustration mingling with her awe and confusion. She needed guidance, a voice of reason. A desperate thought flashed in her head, a familiar presence she always relied on. "Feya!" she called her pixie’s name, her voice rising in urgency. "Feya! Where are you! I need you!" She called her name again, and again, her voice growing increasingly frantic.