Wings of Change (7)

"Ah... I can't move..."

Anaise muttered under her breath, her body completely stiff, her muscles screaming at her.

She raised her emerald eyes to confirm that the Wyvern was defeated.

Anaise beheld the frame of the Wyvern still rising into the air due to the force of her magic, blood ceaselessly gushing from where its snout used to be.

She too was still rising into the air, but she knew that she would soon lose all her upward momentum.

And what awaited her beneath the clouds was a plummet to her death.

But strangely enough, she was content with her fate, if it was for Berkah, she would give her life over and over without a drop of hesitation.

Slowly, gravity wrapped its arms around her being, maliciously pulling her into its embrace.

In the midst of her plummet, she glanced toward her nest and saw a tiny figure screaming something, but she was so far away that her ears could barely make out what was being said.

"Thank you so much for being born, my beautiful baby."

Tears gushed from her eyes, her voice cracking.

"... you have... shined a light in our dark world.."

"... please listen to your father... he may be a little rough, but he loves you so much..."

"My only regret is that... I will never see you all grown up..."

"Goodbye.... my little Berkah..."

Her body seeped into the clouds.

//

"Haha! Kick that damn gecko's ass!"

Berkah balled up his little fist and cheered for his Harpy mother.

"Magic is so damn cool! She's literally sky walking!"

He shouted, his eyes shining brightly with awe at the sight of Anaise stepping on thin air.

[Woah! her wings are glowing green! Is that a power up??]

Berkah wriggled his tiny wings and continued cheering, from his perspective Anaise was clearly winning the fight.

*POW!*

The sound of the Wyvern whipping Anaise with its tail made Berkah's tiny frame shudder.

[!!]

He watched as her body violently crashed into the clouds beneath them.

"Nooo!"

He shouted in anguish.

[Is she okay?!]

[I have to save her. But I can't fly!]

Berkah bit his nails as he hesitantly walked to the edge of the nest.

[Fuck...Fuck...Fuck...]

[She's fighting to save me and yet here I am hesitating!]

He spat inwardly, a feeling of self-disgust rising up from his bowels.

"She won't survive a fall from that height..."

"...should I jump?"

"But then what? What if we both just die?"

His voice trembled under his breath.

*SCREEEEEECH!*

[!!]

The familiar sound of her call rang in his ears like a smooth melodie washing away all of Berkah's fears and anxiety.

Since he gained the ability to utilize mana he naturally became sensitized to it. He could sense Anaise's powerful mana radiating through the air, it was so thick that Berkah could almost touch it.

But...

[Something is wrong... I don't know how to explain it, but I feel like she's draining her life force.]

Indeed she was, in order to make up for her lack of mana she used her life force as a substitute to forcibly increase her mana pool.

This is a technique that destroys the mana veins as well as one's internal organs.

The large Wyvern spat a pillar of flames in the direction of her call.

Berkah beheld the mighty form of his Harpy mother enveloped by a bright green light.

Rising with her was a tornado-like sharp wind that forcibly dissipated the clouds.

"No! Stop! you're killing yourself!"

Berkah shouted, tears welling up in his azure blue eyes.

[I don't know why or how... but I can feel it... It feels like she's dying...]

■■Peregrine Clutch!■■

Her knee violently connected with the Wyvern's chin and blew it apart, blood, teeth and its tounge scattered through the air.

"She won..."

"But... she'll plummet to her death."

"No... she may even die before that."

Berkah muttered, tears streaming down his round cheeks.

[To think she would give her life to save me...]

[No one has ever shown me so much love before...]

[Fuck...I'm so happy that I can't stop crying!]

[I have to save her....]

[I have to save....]

"MOOOOOM!"

He cried out with all the air in his lungs.

"I can do it!"

He grit his teeth and covered his legs with mana.

*BANG!*

He applied tremendous force to his legs and leaped toward his mother who was rapidly descending.

Berkah spread his wings to adjust the direction and the angle of his descent.

His small frame descended rapidly toward his mother.

But...

Since he was so small, his body could never catch up to his mother's in a free fall situation.

"Damn it! This won't be enough to catch up!"

Obviously...

*Crackle!*

Berkah unleashed his mana, enveloping his entire body with its blue hue.

[Come on! Come on!]

He continued to draw more power, the bright hues of his mana crackled like a raging flame, effectively increasing Berkah's weight as well as the speed of his descent.

The distance between him and his mother rapidly decreased. His mother was atleast 3 meters below him.

"I'm almost.... There!"

His arms could barely even touch a single one ot her feathers.

Berkah glanced behind his falling mother and saw greenery and rocks.

[We're gonna crash soon!]

Seeing the ground beneath him riled up his determination and filled him to the brim with urgency.

"AAAAHHHH!"

He roared, drawing more power from within his deep mana pool.

*Crackle!*, *BZZZZZTTT!*

Lightning much thicker and more vibrant than what he had earlier enveloped his being.

*Bzzzt!*

His body rapidly descended, and finally... Berkah caught Anaise.

"I've got you mom!"

He exclaimed happily, his tiny arms barely holding onto her.

[She's unconscious...]

"..."

"I wonder if I can do it?..."

"...Stepping on thin air like you?..."

*Fwosh!*

The addition of his weight to Anaise's rapidly increased the speed of their plummet.

[From what I've read, magic is all about imagery right?]

[... I hope so...]

Berkah mused, focusing within himself and filling his mana veins with mana.

[... I can do it ...]

He began to imagine the output of his mana as clearly as he could whilst taking steady breaths.

■■Thunder Step!■■

*Bzzt!*, *tap*

A sturdy string of lightning appeared beneath his feet, giving him balance and releasing both him and his mother from gravity's embrace.

"Hahaha! Fuck yeah, it worked!"

*Bzzt!*,*tap!*

*Bzzt!*,*tap!*

*Bzzt!*,*tap!*

*Bzzt!*,*tap!*

He steadily climbed down using the strings of lighting beneath his feet.

They reached the ground, which was made of a bed of bright green grass and wild flowers.

The sweet scent of nature gently tickled his nostrils, he had been so accustomed to the cold air above the clouds that he had forgotten what nature smelled like.

Berkah gently placed his mother on the bed of grass, his eyes trembling with worry.

"... Her presence is growing feint..."

He muttered under his breath, his voice laced in despair.

"... Please stay with me... We just met you know? I want to spend even more time with you, so please don't die. *sniff!*"

Tears gushed from his eyes uncontrollably.

*BOOM!*

The earth trembled.

[!!]

The large Wyvern crashed on the ground close to them, creating a crater on impact.

Berkah turned his gaze to the Wyvern and audibly gnashed his teeth.

"..."

What made him angry was the rugged breathing of the Wyvern.

Because Anaise blew its snout apart, it breathed through its mouth causing it to gurgle its own blood.

The sound produced from its labored breathing and gurgling was extremely unpleasant to the ears, further fueling Berkah's rage.

"... you're still alive? You fucking lizard?"

Berkah spat through gritted teeth.

"After all the effort she put into fighting you with her life on the line, you dare to live whilst she slowly dies?"

Berkah slowly walked toward the struggling "Lizard".

*Bzzzt!*

Lightning crackled and enveloped his being, the grass beneath his feet turning to ash with every step he took.

[Let's see...]

He drew a clear image in his mind of what kind of magic he wanted to produce.

*BZZZZT!*

■■Thunder Lance!■■

Lightning crackled and condensed on his right arm, creating a literal lance made of lightning, which was three times the size of Berkah's body.

"DIE, YOU PIECE OF SHIT!"

■■Thunder Step!■■

*Bzzzt!*

Berkah created a string of lighting and lunged toward the Wyvern.

The almost lifeless crimson eyes of the Wyvern reflected the bright blue light of Berkah's lighting.

*Stab!*

Berkah stabbed the Wyvern through its eye and out the side of its temple.

*BZZZT!!"

"*KRAAAA!!!!!*"

The Wyvern cried out, the agonizing pain of being electrocuted from the inside out proving unbearable even for such a resilient creature.

The "Gecko " drew its last breath.