Chapter 118: First Flight

The old man took a few steps inside and stopped.

Light from the gap in the doorway formed a thin line behind him. From my hiding place, I couldn’t make out his face, only the beard beneath his hood and his silhouette in the darkness.

He didn’t turn his head or bend down to inspect the chains on the floor.

He simply waited.

I tried to breathe out as slowly as I could.

"Why are you hiding behind the wall?"

The stone against my back suddenly felt colder.

Had he seen me?

I watched him through the narrow slit at eye level. He wasn’t moving.

No. No, no... He had to be bluffing.

He might have noticed the empty cross. Maybe he’d heard me. He was talking without knowing where I was, waiting for me to give myself away.

Black matter separated from Umbrella and formed a bow in my left palm. I set the arrow I’d formed with my right hand against the string and took aim, careful not to scrape my elbow against the rock behind me.

I stared at the spot in the darkness where his chest should have been, waiting for a reason to let go.

The old man slowly turned his head toward me.

Toward the exact spot where I stood.

A shiver ran through my body.

I pulled the black wall back.

The moment Azure Flame spread over the arrow, I released the string. Blue light filled the cave as the bow melted in my hand and flowed into my right palm. By my next step, it had already become a sword.

I coated its edge in flames too and lunged at the old man.

But the arrow never reached his chest.

He had raised two fingers.

The black arrow stood motionless between them, surrounded by blue flames.

As I planted my foot and prepared to swing, the silhouette in front of me vanished.

My right hand was trapped.

My shoulder strained as my arm was pulled from behind. The sword slashed through the space where the old man had just been.

"Please calm down, Sir Henry."

His voice came from right behind my ear.

"You..."

As I tried to turn my head, I set Umbrella in motion.

Dozens of black spikes extended from my back, shoulders, and arm. I directed all of them at the man behind me, trying to drive them into him.

A moment later, I heard them snap.

The tips shattered where they reached him. Broken pieces flew past my shoulder and around my feet, scattering across the floor.

The fingers gripping my hand didn’t loosen.

As my fear grew, I made the flames grow with it.

Blue fire spread from my right arm to the old man’s hand, then engulfed his arm, body, and head. As the cave walls filled with light, I kept pouring my strength into the flames without turning to look.

Let go.

My knees began to shake.

Let go of my hand!

A strained sound rose from my chest. As the flames flared again, I felt something inside me draining rapidly. It was as though I’d been running for so long that I couldn’t take another step.

Eventually, I couldn’t sustain the fire anymore.

As the blue light faded, I bent forward. My breathing came in short gasps, and my legs struggled to support my weight.

With difficulty, I turned my head.

The old man was watching me with the same calm eyes.

His beard wasn’t burned. His hand hadn’t even reddened. The worn fabric covering him looked exactly as it had before my attack.

"Impossible..."

Even the Ice King had been hurt by Azure Flame.

I’d caught him off guard. I knew that. Still, my flames had managed to burn his skin.

Yet this man was still holding my hand as though nothing had happened.

I tried to wrench my arm free with all my strength.

But as I’d expected, nothing changed.

My gaze shifted to the door.

It was ajar.

Only a few steps separated us.

Then I looked at my right hand.

The old man’s fingers were wrapped around the hand holding my sword. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t pull it free.

I formed another sword in my left palm.

His eyes shifted to the weapon. He remained calm, as though expecting me to attack him again.

I looked at the sword too.

For a moment, I hesitated.

I knew I wouldn’t be able to do it if I kept thinking.

I gritted my teeth.

Then swung the sword at my own right wrist.

"Aah!"

Pain shot through my entire arm. Blood splashed across the floor and the old man’s clothes, and my vision blurred for a moment.

But I didn’t stop.

I pushed Storm Heart to its limit.

I rushed toward the door, trying to pour all my remaining strength into those few steps. Blood flowed from my right arm, and every movement sent sharp pain from my wrist to my shoulder.

I slammed my shoulder into the half-open door.

Rotten wood cracked. As the door swung aside, one of its hinges broke, and I stepped outside.

A violent gust of wind hit my face.

I lost my balance and stumbled sideways. I almost reached out with my right hand for something to grab.

Then I saw the empty space in front of my foot.

I stopped, unable to believe my eyes.

"Where am I?!"

A narrow rock ledge lay outside the cave.

Beyond it, there was no path.

No stairs.

Only open sky and a sheer drop.

As the wind whipped my hair across my face, I grabbed the rock with my left hand. Slowly, I looked down.

Through gaps in the clouds, I could make out the land far below. The trees looked like tiny specks.

I was thousands of meters above the ground.

In a cave inside a mountain.

I swallowed.

As Storm Heart’s effects faded, the trembling in my legs grew worse. I drew my right arm close to my body. A black strip extended from Umbrella and wrapped around my severed wrist.

It still hurt, but at least it was stopping the bleeding.

Hesitantly, I turned around.

The old man was still inside the cave.

He was holding my severed right hand.

For a moment, I could only stare.

The weight of what I’d just done made my head spin. My wrist throbbed. I couldn’t catch my breath, and even the rock beneath my feet didn’t feel steady.

What was I supposed to do now?

If I went forward, I’d fall off the cliff.

If I went back, I’d be in his hands again.

I still didn’t know why he’d chained me up, how he knew who I’d been, or what he wanted to do to me.

A bird swept past in the wind blowing against my face.

It tilted its wings slightly and glided along the mountainside. While I struggled to remain standing on the ledge, it moved easily through the open air.

My eyes followed it.

"I wish I could fly like you..."

My voice disappeared into the wind.

If I had wings...

My eyes widened slightly.

Wings.

I looked at my left wrist.

Wait. I can do that with Umbrella.

I could make a pair of wings. Their shape, their feathers, the way they moved... I could picture all of it.

But was having wings the same as being able to use them?

I’d never tried this before.

What if they were useless the moment I spread them?

What if I couldn’t fly and crashed into the ground?

The wind picked up again. A small stone came loose beside my shoe and tumbled down. I watched it fall for a few seconds before losing sight of it.

I looked back at the cave.

The old man was still there.

"Ahh..."

I closed my eyes and took a breath.

Whatever happens.

Umbrella flowed toward my back.

Two black structures extended from behind my shoulders. Folded sections opened and spread, covered in long, overlapping feathers.

As the wind caught the wings, my body was dragged sideways.

I tightened my left hand around the rock.

I tried moving them once.

My wings spread out on either side of the cave entrance. They were larger than I’d expected. I heard one tip scrape against the stone.

My stomach tightened when I looked down.

Then I let go of the rock and dropped into the open air.

"Ahhhh!"

Wind struck my face as my body tumbled downward, out of control. I tried to spread the wings. One opened, but the other lagged behind.

I began to spin.

Both at once!

I flapped the wings in panic.

A sharp pull at my back knocked the breath out of me. My fall slowed for a moment, then I was thrown to the right.

The mountainside spun rapidly across my vision.

"No, no—!"

I spread the wings again, trying to keep them more balanced this time. After a few uneven movements, my body began to turn less.

I was still descending.

But I was no longer falling straight down.

I flapped again.

As the air caught beneath the wings, my body rose slightly. When my left side dipped, I adjusted that wing. I wobbled once more, then began moving away from the mountainside.

My eyes widened.

For a few seconds, I couldn’t say anything.

There was nothing beneath me.

My feet weren’t touching anything.

And I was moving through the air.

"I..."

A disbelieving laugh escaped my lips.

"I’m flying!"

I laughed again as the wind cooled the sweat on my face. My arm still hurt, and my body was shaking. Even so, knowing the cave entrance was behind me eased the tightness in my chest.

I’d done it.

"Ahahah! Fuck off, you senile old fool!"

"I didn’t know you could fly, Chosen One."

My whole body froze.

"You really are amazing."

The voice had come from directly above me.

I forgot to move the wings.

"You’ve got to be kidding..."

Slowly, I tilted my head upward.

The old man was floating in the air.

He had no wings and wasn’t holding on to anything. The edges of his hood fluttered gently in the wind as he watched me with those white eyes.

"Kyaaaah!"

My body tipped sideways.

One wing folded, while the other caught the air at the wrong angle. When I tried to regain my balance, I only spun harder.

I was falling.

Falling again.

Pull yourself together, idiot!

I tried to spread the wings.

For a moment, I slowed, only to plunge downward again. I couldn’t even tell which way I was looking. The sky and the rocky mountainside kept trading places, and the wind drowned out every sound.

I moved my arms.

The pain in my right wrist stole my breath.

The wings flapped again, but their movements weren’t in sync. The rocks below grew larger. Ledges I’d barely been able to make out from a distance were beginning to fill my entire field of vision.

I opened my mouth.

Whether I screamed or said something, I didn’t know.

As the rocky surface rushed toward me, I closed my eyes.

Just as I was about to lose all hope, I felt a cold hand on the back of my neck.

My fall stopped.

My collar pulled tight. A muffled sound escaped my throat as my body was yanked upward.

The next moment, the wind was gone.

Cold, damp air brushed my face.

My feet touched stone.

Then the hand holding me loosened, and I was set down like a kitten.

My knees gave out under my weight, and I collapsed.

As Umbrella’s wings flowed off my back and withdrew, I braced my good hand against the floor. I tried to breathe, feeling a different part of my body tremble with every breath.

I was in the cave.

The bed, the table, the white roses...

A little farther away lay the chains I’d escaped from.

I was right back where I’d started...

With difficulty, I raised my head.

The old man simply stood over me, looking down with those terrifying, pure white eyes.