Pov: Kaelira
I unfurled my wings—delicate but strong—and took a running start.
My muscles coiled like springs, then I launched myself upward, catching the air with practiced ease.
The wind rushed past my ears as I soared above the treetops, spreading my wings wide to soak up the sun's warmth resting on my back.
Below me, the world stretched out in a sea of lush green. Tiny flowers poked through, opening their petals like little stars, glowing faintly in colours.
The scent of blooming wildflowers drifted up to me, sweet, grounding me in the moment even as my thoughts floated everywhere but here.
"I'm booorrreeedd" I announce aloud, though no one was near enough to hear.
Damian had been buried in books all morning. We were both trying to figure out what I really was, what I might become.
But he was too focused on books to play with me and my attention span didn't allow me to sit for so long.
While flying was exhilarating, it always felt hollow without him.
I loved learning, loved the stories and the secrets hidden in those pages. But I had too much energy to stay still for long.
I could spend hours reading, yes, but after a while, I needed to run, to play—to race. We hadn't played tag in days, and I missed it. I missed him.
I looked down at the forest below.
Birdsong drifted up from hidden nests, while strange little creatures—some with twisted horns and feathery tails—dashed between the trees, weaving over mossy roots.
The forest was peaceful.
Predictable.
This was home, and I loved it fiercely, but the pull to see beyond these trees burned in me like a quiet fire.
Damian had warned me not to open portals on my own. "It's dangerous," he'd said. "You could drain yourself completely. Or worse—send yourself somewhere deadly. Like straight into a volcano." I'd never seen one, but he described the searing heat and molten rivers with such vividness it made my skin prickle. Then he'd laughed, teasing me that I might be tough enough to survive it, but he didn't want me risking anything until we knew more.
I tilted lazily in a wide circle, scanning the forest with sharp eyes. "Maybe I'll go bug Damian until he races me," I muttered with a grin.
It didn't work the last time but doing that would at least bring me a bit of entertainment.
Just as I began turning back, the sky shook.
A bright flash of light tore through the clouds- sharp, golden, impossibly fast. It hummed with raw power, streaking toward the forest like a shooting start, then vanished with a loud echoing boom.
My eyes snapped wide.
"What…was that?" I whispered, heart pounding with excitement.
The shockwave wobbled my wings, but I didn't stop to catch my breath. I shot forward, eyes fixed on the plume of smoke curling up through the trees.
Something had happened.
Something new.
Something thrilling.
My pulse quickened- not from fear, but from a fierce curiosity that roared through me like wildfire.
I dove, the wind screaming past my ears as birds scattered below. The forest fell into a stunned silence, even the steady hum of life pausing, as if the planet itself was holding its breath.
But I didn't feel afraid.
I felt alive.
I hovered just above the treetops, wings flaring wide.
I searched the branches for a gap in the canopy.
My instincts murmured caution—but curiosity, as always, spoke louder.
I dipped lower, slipping between the tangled limbs.
The air shimmered, thick with electric, ancient magic. It pricked along my skin, sending goosebumps racing down my arms.
Something had arrived.
A swirl of familiar power tugged at the edge of my senses.
"Damian!" I chirped, spotting him emerging from the shadows. "Did you feel that?"
His eyes glowed faintly, reflecting the strange light. "I felt it."
"What do you think it was?" I asked, already drifting toward the smoke.
"I think I know, but I'm not sure," he said under his breath. "We should—"
"Investigate!" I finished for him, grinning wide.
I stepped forward, but Damian's hands landed firmly on my shoulders, stopping me in my tracks.
"Let me go first," he said, his voice low and tight. "I could tell you to stay back, but we both know that won't work. Just... stay in the shadows, at least until we know what we're dealing with."
I blinked up at him, Damian knew me too well already.
He growled softly, shifting. Smoke curled around his form, fur blooming across his skin as he stretched into his massive wolf shape. Claws gleamed sharply, eyes fierce and protective.
Whatever had fallen here—it had his full attention.
And my curiosity burned hotter than ever.
We moved like shadows through the trees. The air smelled ancient—thick with magic that hummed beneath my skin like a distant song.
I stepped into the clearing, bare feet pressing into the rustling carpet of leaves.
At the centre knelt a figure.
Steam rose off his back in soft curls. His armour gleamed, pale as moonstone, with runes that flickered gently, alive with magic. Symbols twisted over his chest and arms, strange and electric.
Light shimmered gold around him. His wings were huge—white, silver-tipped, alive with magic. Energy snapped across his body, balanced and dangerous, like a storm waiting to break. The silver helm masked his face, but not his eyes. They glowed—bright, golden, unblinking. Watching everything.
He looked like something out of the stories Damian reads to me.
"Celestial," Damian growled low in warning.
Before I could say anything, Damian moved.
One moment he was beside me, snarling, the next he launched into the clearing. A cloud of smoke exploded in his place, claws flashing like lightning. His snarl shattered the heavy silence.
"Wait!" I cried, wings flaring as I darted after him, but he was already on top of the stranger.
The man turned just in time. A pulse of golden light flared across his body. Shields of glowing runes erupted over his arms and shoulders, curling down his back in intricate, swirling patterns.
Damian struck hard.
The clash of power sent ripples through the ground, shaking loose leaves and whipping the air into wild currents.
The celestial didn't falter.
He moved like this was nothing new—like he'd fought monsters before. He drew a glowing sword from his back with fluid grace, each motion crackling with energy. Every step left glowing embers in the grass beneath him.
Damian vanished mid-leap, reappearing in a darker swirl behind the man. He struck again—claws and shadow moving as one. Each blow echoed like thunder, a storm of light and shadow warring in the clearing.
The man blocked every attack with silent precision, glowing symbols pulsing with each hit. The air trembled with force, wind screaming through the broken branches.
They were tearing my clearing apart.
The earth cracked beneath their feet, trees groaned and swayed, ash spiraled upward.
And I was growing angry.
A fierce spark of frustration flickered inside me, desperate to stop the fight before it consumed everything.
This was my home. And this stranger was making Damian angry.
Without thinking, I moved.
Wings folding tight, I dropped between them, feet slamming into scorched earth. I lifted my arms, voice steady and firm.
"Enough."
The fight froze.
Damian snarled behind me, shadows writhing through his fur, but he didn't strike.
The celestial's golden eyes locked on mine, still burning bright. He didn't lower his sword, but something in his stance shifted—a brief, uncertain pause.
I tilted my head, curiosity flickering to life.
"Who are you?" I asked.
Silence. His eyes dimmed just a fraction. His lips parted, voice rough and low.
"What… are you?"
I blinked, not expecting that.
Damian growled low behind me, shadows coiling like warning smoke—but I stayed still, curious. I stayed focused on the stranger.
"You need to leave," he said abruptly, tense. "That thing—he's dangerous. You shouldn't be this close to it."
I blinked again, then slowly turned to face Damian. He met my gaze with a sharp huff, his ears twitching in disbelief—like he couldn't quite believe what he'd just heard.
His smoke-shadow tail whipped back and forth behind him, slicing the air with quiet irritation.
Oops.
Damian didn't like that one.
Worried he might snap or do something worse, I moved fast—appearing at his side in an instant. Without hesitation, I wrapped my arms around his neck, holding him gently but firmly.
His muscles twitched under my touch, tense, but somehow the sudden hug seemed to ease the storm in his golden eyes.
The glowing man froze, his gaze flickering uncertainly between me and Damian—like a fragile flame struggling to stay alive.
I let out a soft giggle and gave Damian's neck a gentle squeeze.
"His name's Damian.". And I'm Kaelira. What's your name?"