Birthday Gift of Immortal Wings (Preview) (Patreon)

“What's this?” Petra pulled out a large poster from the cardboard tube she was sent. Unrolling it, her cheeks turned rosy-red. “Oh, it's her!”

It was of a familiar, golden bird. It was the Phoenix from an old school manga that was far before her time. She had a happy look on her feathery face, wings spread open, the image of her at an angle on a red background. It was a simple but loving image.

For Petra though, it was an interesting choice for a gift. She only really knew the bird from pictures her friend, Jessie, had sent her online. She never read the manga or even knew much about it beyond what her friend said, saying it was about karma, immortality, and morality. Interesting stuff, but not usually her cup of tea for manga.

Still, a good bird is a good bird as far as she was concerned. She didn't expect this as her birthday gift from Jessie, but she wasn't going to say no to something like that.

Where to hang you though… She looked around her living room and shook her head after a moment. Not here… oh! You'll look great in my room!

The long-haired woman hurried into her room and looked at the wall near the closet. It had been empty for a while. She hadn't decided on a good poster to go there after taking down some old, smaller, faded ones. This will work just fine!

Grabbing some tape from her desk, she stuck the Phoenix poster up carefully, trying her best to make sure it wasn't crooked. There we go… She took a few steps back, nodding at her work. Perfect! …I probably should get some more birb posters up to go with this.

But that was something Petra could think about later. Suddenly, the clouds outside finally parted after a long day of rain (not the brightest day she had for a birthday). The sun began to shine, pouring into the room and lighting things up.

In particular, the light's rays fell upon the poster. The wings of the magnificent firebird began to sparkle, the eyes lit up. Petra’s eyebrows rose, taking in the sight. Oh! The poster has some nice reflective stuff on it! Jessie really went out for something like this. She's so sweet.

She started to take out her phone and text her friend a thank you when she took one last look at the poster. The sight made her turn away. The poster was glowing now, more than what should've been possible with simple reflective elements in it.

Also, there was something warm. It felt as if heat was radiating off the poster now, everything wavy and blurry around it.

What the hell? Petra raised her hands in front of her face, trying to shade herself further. She could feel the heat on her fingers, like it was penetrating her skin. Why is this happening?

But as soon as she thought about it, the light began to fade. She turned forward and opened her eyes again. Seriously, what was- “EEP!”