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Chapter 47
🕑 Added 2024-12-03 19:00:01 +0000 UTCCheat Original Protagonist Understanding Compilation
A case of taking a 9-year-old boy out into the midnight sky
(author: It’s the narrative thread this time.)
(tl note: it’s time for volume 4.)
It was a stormy day.
A year ago, he had fallen from the sky in an accident and sustained serious injuries.
Since then, the young birdman boy Ross had been unable to fly.
The healer had told him, “Just being alive is a godsend.” The circumstances of the accident had been that dire, a true brush with death.
It was a miracle that he had no lasting physical impairments. In fact, afterward, he was able to live his daily life without any issues.
However, the emotional scars still lingered.
It was scary.
Now nine years old and completely well, Ross couldn’t help but feel an overwhelming sense of fear whenever he tried to fly.
When he panicked, it was as if he forgot how to use his wings, like someone forgetting how to swim. His movements became erratic, and he would veer off course, eventually being forced to land on the ground.
This was caused by the psychological trauma—the trauma of the accident.
But things couldn’t stay like this.
The birdmen tribe were a race that live in the skies. Even five-year-olds were soaring freely these days, and for a nine-year-old to be unable to fly was a disgrace to the entire tribe.
Especially since he was healthy, with no issue with his body at all. Yet the apologetic looks his parents gave him were causing agony to Ross.
『It’s okay, it’s okay…』
On top of a lighthouse a little ways from the town.
Standing on the roof of a facility overlooking the sea of clouds, Ross took a deep breath and repeated the words to himself.
He had undergone enough rehabilitation and had been given the seal of approval from the healer. He could physically fly. It’s just that—he just became paralyzed with fear whenever he reached a certain altitude.
I’ll be fine. I can do this. I was originally one of the best flyers in my generation. Ross closed his eyes, recalling the him before the injury, made up his mind, and opened his eyes.
Then he stepped forward, leaping from the rooftop of the lighthouse in order to fly into the sky.
The wind was blowing at just the right strength.
Though it was dark, it was the ideal weather for flying.
In the air of El, Ross struggled to flap his wings. His small body caught the wind, and he glided. As a birdman, Ross instinctively felt his spirits uplifting.
I can do this… If it’s like this!
His wings moved without issue. Feeling confident, Ross climbed higher and higher, soaring above the lighthouse from which he had leaped from──and at that moment.
『──!』
Suddenly, the scenery changed.
Lightning bolts striking within heavy rain.
Losing control of his wings in a state of frenzy.
The ground approaching.
Every second of the memories of the accident played out in his mind in slow motion.
It was a vivid flashback of how he had become afraid of the sky.
『Ahhh… AHHHHH!』
Ross, his thoughts consumed by flashbacks, became frantic and let out a scream.
It's no use... No matter how many times I try, it always becomes like this.
The sky that was natural for birdmen was so far away and terrifying for Ross.
Flailing his wings as though drowning, he descended toward the ground. His survival instincts sensed danger in flying further, and with trembling legs, he returned to the rooftop of the lighthouse.
Ross was unable to think from the stress and couldn’t even understand how he had managed to return.
『Gah... haah... haa... haa..!』
His breathing became extremely irregular, and as soon as he landed, he collapsed to his knees.
Struck by frustration and despair, Ross slammed his fists against the ground, as if to point at himself.
He felt only misery in his heart, and he felt so frustrated that he wanted to cry.
He could fly, but he couldn’t. The sky he yearned for was impossibly distant.
It was a few beats later that he suddenly noticed the worried eyes that had been staring at him from before.
“Are you okay? Should I give you treatment?”
At that moment──under the moonlit lighthouse, Ross met an angel.
The black-haired woman who called herself "T.P. Eight Olishua" was known among the island of El’s inhabitants to be an angel disguised as a human.
Unfurling ten wings on her back, matching those of the king (Keter), she purified all the poison that the Qlippoth of the abyss, Adishut, had scattered from the skies. Such a feat could only be accomplished by the Holy Dragon or one of the Ten Archangels of Sefirot. Her compassionate heart and radiant appearance at that time bore a resemblance to Chesed, the lord of the island.
Therefore, Ross did not believe she was human.
Respecting her as if she were an archangel, Ross stiffly maintained formality, and perhaps noticing his unease, the woman called Eight gently rubbed his back to help him relax.
The thin, bright and beautiful attire she wore, resembling their native dress, made Ross's heart skip a beat. However, the pleasant, aromatic fragrance emanating from her gradually calmed his nerves.
Encouraged by her, Ross opened up about himself—about how he couldn't freely fly in the sky despite being a birdman and about the accident that had caused it.
Throughout, she never took her eyes off his downcast face, nodding empathetically at each word, her attentive attitude offering Ross a small measure of solace.
"I see… That must have been difficult."
"…Yeah."
Before he knew it, the two of them were sitting side by side, gazing at the full moon in the night sky, sitting while hugging their knees atop the lighthouse.
When Ross finished talking, Eight gazed at him with sorrowful eyes, lowering her gaze gently as she patted his shoulder.
The soft sensation conveyed through her fingers felt as though it expressed her kind heart.
What am I saying to an archangel… thinking that, Rose felt even more ashamed of himself.
『I'm no good… Being afraid of the sky… I'm a failure as a birdman…』
He spat out those words from the bottom of his heart.
No matter how many times he tried to take flight, Ross could not soar into the vast sky.
To fly gracefully like her was a dream within a dream──he cruel reality overwhelmed Ross, and the fierce self-loathing caused by the loss of his identity as a birdman struck him hard.
Eight spoke to him, gazing at the moon in the night sky.
"There’s no such thing as an unending night."
Illuminated by the moonlight, she whispered in a soft voice.
"The moon in this world is so bright and beautiful. But as time passes, it will eventually set, and the warm sun will rises. Everything is the same."
With a nostalgic expression, T.P. Eight Olishua smiled gently.
Meeting Ross’s gaze again, she continued as if teaching him.
"Even if it’s painful now, if you don’t give up, a time of salvation will surely come. Whether or not you can seize that opportunity is up to you, but… you’re a child who worries about the future and works hard to overcome the sufferings, aren’t you?"
A hand gently patted Ross on the shoulder.
They were the words he wanted to hear deep down.
“Not bad, kid.”
『──! Ah…』
His face turned red with a mix of happiness and embarrassment.
He was praised. By an archangel.
『Heheh.』
He hasn’t accomplished anything yet, but a smile naturally crept onto his face.
He hasn’t gotten any result and remains the flightless incompetent he is.
But being acknowledged for his efforts by someone like her filled him with more than just a sense of guilt.
Ross lowered his flushed face, and beside him, Eight stood up, stretching with a sensual “Mm, hmm….,” arching her back charmingly.
It looked like she was having a hard time moving in her outfit, but it seemed she was simply stretching. The excess fabric of her sleeves flapped lightly in the wind.
Ross’s eyes accidentally caught sight of below her knees that was slightly lifted up, and he hurriedly averted his gaze before standing up.
“Hm… So, It's not like you've come to hate the sky or anything, right?”
『N-no… It’s just that when I go too high, my heart starts pounding, and it becomes no good…』
“Fumufumu… Alright, then. How about starting by enjoying the sky?”
『Eh?』
With those words, Eight raised a playful index finger, flashing a mischievous smile.
There was something about that expression that was different from the fleeting expression he had had earlier, and it had the atmosphere of a bad friend.
『Wah…!』
────And now, Ross was looking down at the island from high up in the sky.
Much higher than the lighthouse.
He was flying.
But not with his own wings. Holding him tightly from both sides, T.P. Eight Olishua spread her ten wings wide and took Ross on an airborne journey.
“How’s my escort?”
『It’s the best! I've never been this high before...!』
“Fufu, isn’t it nice? A flight through the night sky."
『Yeah!』
At first, Ross felt embarrassed by the sensation of being held like a baby, the warmth pressing against his back. However, Eight’s curious expression as she looked at him quickly dispelled any improper thoughts, and Ross decided to accept the flight.
And Ross was truly glad he took her suggestion.
The view of the island from the sky was breathtaking and nostalgic──It made him realize how much he truly loved the sky.
Ross’s eyes sparkled as he gazed at the world below, and Eight smiled at him warmly.
"It’s pretty high up, but do you feel scared of the sky now?"
『No, not at all. I wonder why... Maybe it's because angel-sama is here with me. It’s not scary at all! If anything...』
"If anything?"
『I-it's nothing.』
Avoiding her puzzled gaze as she tilted her head, Ross’s face turned red once more.
What was I about to say? Why did I stop my words?
Ross himself couldn't understand his suspicious behavior toward her, and he returned his gaze to the scenery of the island while wondering about it.
No, no, no, no, no. Angel-sama has done so much for me. I shouldn't think of anything weird.
Like how she’s more modest than mom and yet feels so soft or the sweetness of her breath in my ear!
For a holy beast, nine years old is generally an age at which it wouldn't be strange for someone to start showing interest in the opposite sex, although they are still young, but Ross persevered. He persevered through force of will.
Still, it was undeniable that the warmth of her embrace as she held him close from behind was what dispelled his fear of the sky.
If anything, he felt peace of mind... and that was Ross’s unstinting emotion at the moment.
They enjoyed their journey through the sky for about ten minutes before returning to the lighthouse.
By then, Ross’s once-broken spirit had recovered.
『I’ll do it.』
He faced forward and declared firmly.
It was not the face of a boy who had given up on flying but that of a “man” determined to pursue his dreams.
Seeing this, Eight nodded in satisfaction.
“I’m already onboard the ship. I’ll stick with you for another hour or so. If it gets dangerous, I’ll catch you. Give it your all, boy."
『! Yes!』
And thus, Ross’s challenge began.
The feeling of flying in the sky… Ross wanted to overcome himself before he forgot what he had felt when Eight had taken him there earlier.
In response to his courage, Eight stayed by his side, assisting with his secret training.
The flying training that followed was riddled with failures.
As soon as Ross reached a certain altitude, his wings would stiffen, causing him to plummet, only to be caught by Eight’s invisible power──telekinesis, and sometimes she even caught him directly in her arms.
The latter occurrences, in particular, fired up Ross’s fighting spirit. He would fight to return to the skies with a desperate expression. If she caught him like that again, he felt he might lose his mind. He was still little, but Ross’s heart was maturing into that of a splendid young man.
And then──
『I did it! I did it, angel-sama!』
On his thirtieth attempt.
Ross finally succeeded.
Even soaring over 1,500 meters above the ground, there were no flashbacks, no palpitations. His wing movements were smooth and free and he could flap them freely like limbs.
Flying alongside him, Eight celebrated his innocent joy.
"You worked hard. You're amazing."
『It's all thanks to you, angel-sama! Really, truly, thank you so much! If you weren’t here, I...』
"I just meddled a little, that’s all. The reason you could fly again is because you love the sky... Besides, you know, I used to be just like you."
『Eh?』
Eight's response to an excited Ross left him tilting his head in confusion.
Angel-sama, the same as me?
Perplexed by the meaning behind her words, Ross watched Eight speak, who seemed to be fondly remembering a distant past.
"When I was little, I fell so many times and got scolded. They told me I had a weak body and shouldn’t push myself."
『!... That’s...!』
“Fufu… it’s a secret, okay? So don’t go around telling anyone."
『Y-yes!』
"Good."
Even the magnificent archangel had struggled with flying in the past.
It must have been a story from so long ago, a past that he couldn’t even imagine coming from her ──But as she smiled shyly, Ross felt as though he had glimpsed an unexpected side of her.
And knowing this fact made him feel a little happy, as if he had become a somewhat extraordinary existence.
“Even so, I loved it. I always loved high places… so I never wanted to give up on that feeling."
That's why I felt sympathy for you, she said.
Her words, reminiscing about her own inexperienced days, gave Ross courage.
Even someone as amazing as this older sister had gone through such times. If that was the case, then perhaps he too could become admirable if he kept working hard from now on.
And then, at that time──he would express his gratitude once again.
He knew she wasn’t an angel one could meet easily.
But even so, Ross vowed in his heart.
No matter how many years it might take, he would surely use these wings to go meet her.
—This was one act in the boy’s growth.
(author:
Eight: “In the past, I used to fall a lot (from climbing trees…”
Shota: So even angel-sama used to fall (while flying)…
)
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