ES - Chapter 119 (Patreon)

Chapter 119: Sudden Flight Training

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We returned home from Okinawa Island with only delight accompanying us.

I hadn't had any ominous feelings before coming here, but I was half expecting and ready for an attack from the Norse.

No such thing happened. If we ignore the tsunami and the hell storm it came along, nothing has gone wrong, and all has ended well.

Although after waking up in haste, Ai was having trouble walking. Because she was floating around without control; she had gained flight power this time. Her newfound abilities had to make themselves known in the most inconvenient manner possible.

We somehow pushed her into the car and fled the beach that was being drowned by seawater, but she had a hard time even just sitting in the car. She kept floating up and getting hit back and forth against the seats.

"Ow!" Ai exclaimed, wincing as her head slammed into the car ceiling once more. Cramped in the car, she was really uneasy, her body language tense. Her red face was a mix of confusion and embarrassment as she tried to anchor herself back to the seat, only to float up again, her limbs flailing in a futile attempt to find something to hold onto. "This is ridiculous! I can't even sit in a car properly now?!”

‘What is she doing?’ I felt embarrassed in her stead as I looked at her in the rear-view mirror.

“Blue, stop the car,” I told the driver who did as asked, and I stepped out of the car. The sky roared above me as rain fell, but a thin bubble of willpower kept me dry. I walked to the back door and opened it to find Ai and Ruby looking at me.

“Do you have a solution?” Ai asked, and I grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her out promptly.

“Get off,” I said abruptly, though by then I had pulled her out already. The bubble expanded to keep her dry as well. I looked at Ruby and then at Blue from a corner, "You two continue ahead. We'll catch up."

AI stammered in surprise. “H-hey, what-! Hey wait!” she called, but the car already skittered away from sight. “Oh, come on!”

If she was confused and annoyed by that, it only creased when I effortlessly lifted her into my arms, bridal style, without any warning.

“What?!”

“Hold tight.”

Her initial fluster at the intimate gesture soon gave way to awe as my feet tapped the ground and we ascended, leaving the confines of the earth below.

The ground receded rapidly as we rose, as we watched raindrops drum against it,  the night air cool and liberating around us. Ai, held securely in my arms, could only stare in silence, her earlier complaints died in her throat as she looked down at how small everything looked.

I was lifting myself with sheer willpower, and not my Path’s powers. So there was no technique behind this; as half a Sage, I had these benefits I could enjoy.

The rainy world below us was a canvas of darkness and light, the urban sprawl a faint glow against the vast, unyielding shadow of the night. But it was the sky above that captured our attention. As we levitated up, slipping through rainy clouds and going even above, Ai finally looked around us instead of the world below and gasped.

Above the dark clouds, a vast expanse of indigo blue blanket with stars, a celestial spectacle laid out in its full glory. Ai's eyes widened, and her breath caught in her throat at the sight.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" I whispered too close to her ears, my voice barely audible over the whistle of the wind.

“It is…” Ai nodded slowly, her gaze fixed on the heavens, the constellations telling tales older than time.

In front of this cosmic beauty, the car and its confines from earlier seemed a distant memory, irrelevant against the backdrop of the universe itself.

* * *

Several minutes passed in silence under the beauty of the night sky. But a mere sight shouldn't be allowed to distract us for too long. It was time to shift from mere admiration to action. I didn't bring her up here for sightseeing.

Ai's body was completely relaxed in my arms right now, a silent trust of assurance under the vast openness of the cosmos.

Sadly, it was time to give her a little thrill.

“I'm letting you go. Try not to die.” With a sudden movement, I released my hold around Ai, letting gravity claim her as she started falling backward with a theatrical yell.

Ai yelled and gasped, her eyes widening in panic as she reached out instinctively, her arms flailing around to grab the air and failing. Her shriek pierced the night, a mixture of fear and anger, as she spun and fell helplessly through the air.

Just when she thought she was about to plunge into the depths below, I dove down. I didn't want to take a risk by letting her fall too close to the ground. In a second's moment, I appeared beside her and caught her, halting her descent with a firm grip on her dress’ back collar.

In the form of a massive sigh, her relief was short-lived, quickly replaced by a barrage of scolding. "Are you insane?!" she yelled, her voice laced with fury. "You brat! Don't play these pranks on me!!"

I shrugged, an unapologetic smile playing on my lips. "Hey, it's not that deep, quit overreacting," I said, as if almost giving her a heart attack was nothing out of the ordinary.

Ai's glare could have melted steel, but I met it with a look of determination. "You need to learn, and fear is a great teacher. See for yourself.” I pointed at her feet and let go of her collar softly. She didn't fall. “You're floating.”

“....”

…..

As her breathing steadied, I explained the basics of flight. The way she accessed her flight wasn't through wind or willpower, but a single manipulation of her personal gravity field.

We were going with the Supergirl pack, and it was working. It started with her clip of cutting ships with her lasers; Superman and Supergirl are the most iconic people with that power. So despite there not being any direct naming of Supergirl, people had the idea in their heads. For that reason, her flight worked in a similar way to those two aforementioned Kryptonians.

When he's on Earth, Superman's physique can defy the planet's weaker pull easily, and that ability, enhanced by solar energy, allows him to fly. I'm not sure about the solar energy part for Ai, I didn't implement that idea since it'd weaken her, but she can manipulate her personal gravity and carry herself through the sky.

With that in mind, my focus was to make Ai familiar with this new invisible string, a sixth sense, that allowed her control.

I made a cloud basketball to play with her. She could remain afloat easily enough, so I was teaching her how to move around. She managed to gain a semblance of control over time, but her movements were clumsy, lacking the grace and precision required for a true flight.

I flew circles around her, demonstrating the fluidity and ease she should aspire to. "Relax," I encouraged. "Feel the air around you, become part of it.”

“I'm trying~” she whined.

Gradually, however, Ai's awkward floating gave way to tentative gliding, her initial sluggish movements were replaced by a growing confidence. She began to move with a purpose, her focus on mastering the skies rather than the fear of falling.

Hours later, I was a bit satisfied. "Good," I praised, watching her progress. "I'd have made you jump around like how Superman did in Man of Steel if you failed today, but looks like we don't need to go that far. Let us try something a bit more challenging."

Under the blanket of stars, I guided her through more complex maneuvers, each new lesson pushing her limits, and challenging her understanding of flight. It was a dance of sorts, a ballet above the clouds, lit by the distant glow of the moon and stars.

We had a fun time.

As the first hints of dawn began to paint the horizon, our training session drew to a close. The darkness retreated, chased away by the relentless advance of light. Colors painted the world for a new day. Below us, the clouds formed a soft, undulating sea, a bed of cotton illuminated by the emerging sun.

Ai hovered effortlessly beside me and watched the sunrise with a small smile and a sense of accomplishment. "I didn't like the entire thing. Especially when you went ahead and touched me with the excuse of training,” she admitted, her gaze lingering on the horizon, where the sun made its grand entrance. "But this... this isn't bad.”

I smiled my heart in agreement. I turned to her and lifted her to my arms again. She opened her mouth but I placed a finger over her cherry lips. "No, don't complain. Even if you now know how to fly, I'd still love to carry you through the sky. Count it as a payment for teaching you how to fly." I said, our eyes meeting in silence.

She sighed, her cheeks growing slightly rosy, as she looked away. Together, the two of us watched the sunrise, standing above the soft clouds, and letting the day break around us.

Soon, we returned home.

* * *

On the other hand, the chaos wrought by Aqua's unleashed will had left many Gods furious, and many pantheons stirred.

The gods who were rarely bothered over the mortal world, turned their gaze towards the storm and tsunami that Aqua had tried to shower the world with.

A large portion of Shinto Gods were not in support of this. They were more angry than other Pantheon Gods since their Lady Amaterasu didn't allow them to stop the tsunami, saying it was what it was.

From their divine vantage points, they found it ridiculous that a mortal had done all this through sheer will. They sensed the depth of power behind the storm, a force strong enough to send ripples through the ocean despite the culprit not being a Sea God. It's as if this was just another squall, born of the natural world's whims, even if it was so sudden.

Among these, the Norse Gods were quite bothered. But other than those old fools, this incident had rocked the opulent halls of the Olympus Pantheon too.

Here, in a space that existed between the tangible and the ethereal, where time and space bowed to the will of its occupants, the three main gods of the Greek pantheon convened in what could best be described as a virtual meeting.

The focus of their attention was the storm that had engulfed parts of Japan, one that would have spread across Asia and might even Europe if it wasn't for different Sea Gods acting in time to stop it. It was an event that seemed not that unusual at first glance but was anything but, because the one behind this was a Mortal.

Poseidon, the God of the Sea, Storms, and Tsunamis, sat in an ethereal form with his arms crossed over his chest. The ocean was his domain, so he knew more than anyone what it took to affect it without a divinity that focused on the Sea.

It was a clear sign of Aqua's surprising strength, proof that it was a good choice to take Aqua's side when Quetzalcoatl was trying to blast him to cinders, right after he had saved his granddaughter. The rescue had left a lasting impression on the sea god, one that time had not dulled, and he hoped the young human thought the same about his save too.

So today, he was in this meeting temple with the ethereal form of his two brothers, who sat on two throne-like chairs around a large stone table.

"Brothers," Poseidon began, his old voice carrying the weight of the oceans, "I've told you about the young man before, and now you’ve heard about him on a bigger scale. He has the potential to be an ally or a formidable foe. We should choose sides.”

Zeus, the King of the Gods, regarded his brother with a stormy gaze of his own. Lightning flickered in his eyes, a testament to his dominion over the skies. "We are aware of his capabilities, Poseidon. But the Norse pantheon's negative interest in him has not escaped our notice. In such time, to invite him into our fold, to extend an offer of alliance... it is a delicate matter. Norse is after his life, and we cannot afford to ignite a war over this."

Hades, ruler of the Underworld, nodded in agreement, his dark eyes thoughtful. "This boy's actions, while impressive, always draw unwanted attention. He's a trouble magnet, so we must tread carefully. The balance between the pantheons is fragile. A misstep could lead to conflict, and that is something we must avoid at all costs."

Poseidon frowned and his trident tapped against the marble floor, sending echoes through the hall. "I understand the risks," he admitted, "but I also see the potential. His strength could be a boon to us, especially with the threats we face. The Norse may seek his end, but what of our own interests? Since when has Olympus feared Norse's retaliation? Although he's in an alliance with Quetzalcoatl, he has yet to officially join the Aztecs. So should we not be considering him, given what he can bring to our pantheon?”

Zeus shook his head, his decision was final. "Not now, Poseidon. You're being biased because he saved your grandchild. If we are to Tele action, we need to wait. The timing is not right. Plus I'm yet to be convinced about his worth. Let us observe, let Norse play their hand and see how he’d react. We will not intervene directly."

After a heavy silence, the virtual meeting concluded with each God pondering the future of Aqua. Poseidon, gazing out over the vastness of his domain, felt regretful that he couldn't convince his brothers.

He wondered what he'd say to Shirahoshi. That girl had cried and begged him to lend a helping hand to Aqua after she learned the dangers he would soon be facing.

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