Several rounds later, Skye’s body had turned into a canvas painted with shades of purple, red, and yellow, all courtesy of Rico’s leathery brush. Flat on his back, tasting blood and feeling numb from head to toe, he finally admitted what should’ve been obvious from the start: playing stormball against an experienced channeler was a terrible idea.

  “Sleeping already?” Rico teased, effortlessly bouncing the ball above him. Evidently from his pristine feathers and easy demeanor, he’d had much more fun than Skye. “Get up, it’s only sixty-one to three. I promise I’ll go easy on you.”

  Skye groaned. His hands felt like cold sacks of leather. “I need a break,” he said, sitting up and channeling to remove the Breath of the Mountain from his wrist. Slowly, the silver iris slid off, falling into his lap. “I think I’m out of charge.”

  “That can’t be right. We’ve barely practiced anything draining,” Rico replied, landing beside him. “You’re probably just a bit contaminated since this is your first time channeling.”

  Skye yawned, loud and deeply. Above, the sky was tainted yellow, with Erillea half-hidden behind the trees. He felt famished and utterly spent, yet over the moons with joy. His time had been productive, and he’d done things he’d dreamed of for so long.

  After what he’d been through during the last few days, he couldn’t believe that this was his new reality. For the first time since losing Gideom, he dared to believe things might turn for the better. That there could be a happy ending to his situation.

  “You do realize that wishful thinking only invites misfortune, right?” Redeyes asked.

  Skye ignored him as he’d been doing throughout the day. He wouldn’t let an imaginary voice poison his happiness. “How long does your meat last?” he asked.

  Rico sat beside him, cleaning his feathers with his beak. “It depends on my usage and the amount I eat. If I don’t use it, my body digests it, and it goes to waste.”

  “Does your family have the same power?”

  “I don’t know my parents,” Rico said, voice softer. “I hatched inside the treehouse and I’m not allowed to leave the nearby forest. You don’t know your parents too, right?”

  “No.” Skye shook his head. He summoned the bell, relieved to see it still dormant. “But I do have friends. Although they don’t remember me.”

  Rico perked up. “Can you tell me about them?”

  Skye smiled, thinking of the time before the bell, before the Deeps. “Rierana is the best chef in Troqua; she’s kind and funny, and I can never be too full of her cooking. Lyonel’s a bookworm; he spends all his time reading at the library.”

  He closed his eyes, surrendering himself to memories of their exploring and laughing together.

  “I like worms too,” Rico said brightly. “Never met a bookworm, but the forest ones are delicious. Don’t worry, I won’t eat your friend.”

  Skye craned his head to glance at Rico, chuckling despite himself. “Lyonel’s not… never mind. Where are you from, Rico?”

  “Oh, I… I don’t know.”

  “How about the other birds?”

  Rico hesitated, glancing around. “I’ve never asked them.”

  “Really?” Skye frowned, finding it hard to believe. “And the master? What sort of creature is he?”

  “He’s human; his people are called Fu… something, I forgot.”

  “That withered monster is most definitely not human,” Redeyes insisted.

  “Are there different races of humans?” Skye asked, ignoring the interruption.

  “I don’t know,” Rico said, sounding oddly defensive. “I’m only a bird!”

  “Okay… Can you at least tell me why the master seems like he’s about to keel over one moment, then leaping around doing flips the next?”

  Rico perked up at this. “That’s easy. He uses a fleshmaster’s powers to channel energy into his body to strengthen it. But it leaves him exhausted and contaminated after, so he needs a lot of rest.”

  “Why can’t you leave the Treehouse?”

  Rico shot to his feet, feathers ruffled. “That’s enough chatting for now! Get up!”

  Skye wanted to ask more questions, but Rico insisted on resuming their game. With a sigh, Skye channeled into his astrum, merging with it, its song pulsing through him like a second heartbeat.

  “I don’t want to play anymore,” he admitted. “You strike like a mad smith with a hammer and move too fast for me to hit. I want to try something different. I want you to teach me how to fly.”

  Rico tilted his head. “Flying might be a bit hard for you right now, but you should at least be able to launch yourself up. All you need is enough turbulence under you to lift your weight. Like this.”

  With one powerful flap of his wings, Rico conjured a miniature tornado that whirled beneath him, launching him into the air. He rode the spinning column with ease, flapping periodically to keep it steady. “See? Now you try.”

  Closing his eyes, Skye focused on the flow of fantasia within his chest, and the steady hum of his astrum. He summoned all his vigor, condensing it in his arms, piling it up until his head swam and his muscles trembled with strain. In one explosive motion, he released everything, aiming downward.

  The blast sent dirt flying in every direction, throwing him backward, landing unceremoniously a few feet away. Flailing, he barely managed to catch his balance. “Coals! I really thought that’d work.”

  Quickly, he assumed his position to try again, but Rico landed beside him. “Wait. I don’t think it’s your technique,” the parrot-griffin said. “If you can’t generate enough wind to lift yourself, it could be a compatibility issue with your astrum. Or maybe the astrum itself is too weak, and not suitable for flying.”

  Skye’s eyes widened. “You mean all this time I didn’t stand a chance against you?” His bruises throbbed in pain all at once.

  “It makes sense if you think about it. The master wouldn’t give an advanced astrum to a newbie.”

  “Void!” Skye cursed again. He’d been considering using this astrum to go to Kastrala and even fight the wardens if needed. I’d ruffle their cloaks at best.

  “And maybe kill them with laughter,” Redeyes added.

  “Is there another astrum I can use? Oh, can you lend me some Golden Ray meat?”

  Rico drew a sad face. “It was my last, sorry. I’d need to hunt more in the forest, but we’re not allowed to leave.”

  “Not even a feather?”

  Rico shook his head.

  They sat in silence, each lost in thought. Skye considered taking one of Rico’s feathers to merge with, but the ability to mimic cosmic creatures’ powers was something he already had. It wouldn’t solve his problem.

  Rico perked up, eyes gleaming. “I have an idea! Let’s get another astrum from the garden.”

  “We were told to stay here,” Skye pointed out.

  “They told us not to go into the forest. The garden is technically part of the yard,” Rico countered.

  Skye frowned, unconvinced. “Can we go in there alone? Won’t the master be angry with us?”

  “Master put Luccello in charge, and Luccello put me in charge, and I think it’d be good for your training to test another astrum,” Rico said, nodding to himself. “Therefore, we’ll go!”

  Skye narrowed his eyes. “Are we doing this for my training, or because you think it’d be fun to explore the garden together?”

  “What? No! Why would you think that?” Rico asked indignantly, his tail shaking furiously.

  “Just a hunch.”

  “This is a brilliant idea,” Redeyes chimed in. “If you don’t get killed in there, you’ll definitely get caught and expelled on your first day. I’m sure you’d be setting a new record.”

  Rico pounced around, unable to hide his excitement. “Come on, let’s go!”

  Despite Redeyes’s grumbles, a part of Skye wanted to go exploring in the garden, so he caved in, following Rico to the garden’s entrance.

  Astra were marvels of magic, their creation a blend of art and science. Each weapon carried unique strengths and weaknesses, suited to different specialties. But compatibility varied wildly between individuals; even the finest astrum could falter in the wrong hands. This meant that the easy-to-make, non-specialized, mass-produced astra were rarely used to their full potential. And that the wealthy, who could test as many astra as they wished, often held the upper hand.

  This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

  With access to the master’s garden, Skye was richer than any baron with their gemfarms. The raw components here were so potent, they didn’t need crafting or combining. Somewhere in this vast expanse, he’d find his perfect match.

  “Again with the overconfidence?” Redeyes chided, marching beside them. “Haven’t you learned not to hope too much by now?”

  Skye stiffened for a moment, but the sheer immensity of the space inside stole his mind, and made him stare in awe.

  They walked past the burning sunflowers and singing mushrooms, underneath the floating lilies, and away from the banyan with its glaring eyes. Above, red light filtered through the foliage as the sun sank below the horizon.

  Eventually, they came across a tree with bark the color of midnight. Rico flew ahead, while Skye walked captivated by its leaves that glistened like polished glass. As he stepped over its shadow, his feet sank into the ground like quicksand.

  “Don’t panic!” Rico swooped down and hauled him free. “Whatever happens, try not to feel fear.”

  “I almost drowned in a puddle of shadows!” Skye protested.

  “Keep calm,” Rico insisted. “The master can sense if we get too agitated, and we don’t want to bother him.”

  Skye had forgotten about the master’s mark. “How far is his range?”

  “A few miles only. Beyond that, he has to reach out deliberately to sense his students.”

  So, if I were attacked in Troqua or deep in the forest, he wouldn’t know, Skye realized grimly.

  “Maybe tomorrow you’ll pass the trial, and we can go into the forest!” Rico said brightly. “I’ll show you the monkeys, and the tree that eats birds. I used to explore all the time, but it’s boring alone. Luccello and Ka’ib never join, and Pairi just always ends up hexing me. Last time, he made my second head itchy, which felt pretty annoying, since I only have one head!”

  He plucked a yellow and white flower with dagger-like leaves and handed it to Skye. “Here, merge with this. Maybe it’s the one.”

  Tentatively, Skye did. Its song was a shrill shriek that made his head throb as if it hated him. When he channeled through it, the air condensed into a blade-like gust, slicing feathers from Rico’s crest and severing a tree branch.

  “It’s not for you,” Rico said, taking it back as Skye nodded in agreement.

  The second astrum they tried had a song like booming thunder. When Rico also complained about the noise, they discovered that they weren’t testing a windrider astrum, but one that controlled sound.

  They pressed on, reaching a barren, floating tree, tethered by blue, slender roots burrowed deep into the ground, making it look like a giant balloon. Violent winds repelled Rico as he struggled to pluck a fruit, forcing him to counter with his own. When Skye merged with the indigo fruit, it emitted a single, ominous note, then drained the air from his lungs, attempting to choke him.

  At once, he undid the merge, coughing violently. “Can we please try something that’s not trying to kill me?”

  The next astrum was a milky stalk of wheat. After some hesitation, Skye merged with it, but its output barely ruffled his hair.

  “I need something stronger than the iris, not weaker!” he grumbled.

  Afterwards, he tried an orange, cabbage-like flower, light despite its size.

  “This is one of the strongest aero astra in the garden,” Rico explained. “I heard some army once used it as the core of a cannon astrum in battle.”

  Excited, Skye merged with it, grinning at the rhythmic chant of BUM-BABUM-BAMBAM-BAMBAM. But as he channeled fantasia, a tempest so violent erupted, hurling him and Rico into the air. Luckily, Skye landed on a bush of soft lilac flowers.

  “It’s strong,” he groaned, “but maybe a bit too strong for me.”

  They continued testing astra, but nothing suited Skye. One hardened the air, while another made it bouncy and stretchy. Some were too heavy, others useless, too stubborn, or venomous. As the garden darkened, disappointment settled over them like a shroud.

  “That’s what you get for being a hopeful fool,” Redeyes said.

  “Check this out!” Rico called, leaping through Redeyes, dissipating his phantom form. The parrot held a small black mushroom dotted with green spots, raising it to his beak. “Hello, my name is Rico!” he said.

  “HELLO, MY NAME IS RRRRIIICCCOOO!” the little mushroom repeated loudly.

  “Shh! It’s too loud! We’ll get caught!” Skye hissed.

  “SHHHH! IT’S TOO LOUD! WE’LL GET CAUGHTTTT!”

  As the garden swallowed the echo, a chill washed over them. Shadows gathered unnaturally, creeping into spaces still lit by the sun’s fading light. Skye shivered, the hairs on his neck rising, searching for the source of the gloom, but it seemed that it was coming from nowhere and everywhere all at once.

  “Oh no, oh no!” Rico cried, looking terrified. “Run!”

  The black fungus thudded loudly when he dropped it. Rico bolted into the air on a gust of wind, and Skye scrambled after him, heart pounding. Reaching into his pocket, he retrieved his iris and strained to merge with it.

  “What’s happening?” he called. Too late, he remembered that they weren’t supposed to panic as his heart thumped in his chest, and he was about to soil his pants. The shadow seemed alive and angry, chasing after their steps.

  “Just run!” Rico shouted, vanishing ahead.

  The shadow gained on Skye’s heels, too fast to escape. Here and there, thin stalks budded from the darkness, writhing like snakes before thickening into grotesque fingers. They clawed the ground, reaching for him. That’s when he remembered where he’d seen them before: the nightmare world with the giggles and the riddle.

  “Thieves die!” Ka’ib cawed. The raven soared after them, his smoky wings spread wide, yellow eyes glaring through the shadowy membrane.

  Skye’s heart lurched in terror. He pushed his legs harder, jumping over the hands that twisted unnaturally to catch his feet. Not again, not again! He summoned winds around him to gain some momentum, but a large protruding root caught his foot, sending him tumbling.

  The shadowy hands seized him, nails biting into his skin, leaving thin trails of blood. He screamed as they pulled him into the darkness, thrashing against their grip, but it was like they were made of steel. When he tried to channel again, they shredded his iris to useless pieces, leaving him powerless.

  “Do you still think you’re ready for Kastrala?” Redeyes asked, calm despite the chaos.

  Skye summoned his bell, but it was too late to ring it. There was no telling what Ka’ib would do if a boy suddenly appeared under his clutches. Not to mention that Skye would have to restart his relationship with the master from scratch, which would consume time he didn’t have.

  Yet he had no other options. Ka’ib was about to kill him, anyway.

  He braced himself to activate his curse when a violent gust of wind tore through the shadowy arms, scattering some and dissolving others into mist. Rico swooped down, clawing and tearing at the remaining limbs with talons and beak.

  “We were just testing astra for Skye!” the parrot shouted, glaring up at the looming yellow eyes above. “It’s part of his training under the master!”

  “You lie!” Ka’ib boomed. “You enter without permission. You steal!”

  “Please! We didn’t mean to do anything wrong!” Skye yelled.

  Rico shook his head, frustration etched on his face. “He won’t listen. He never listens!” He tore the last arm from Skye and crouched low. “Get on my back, quick!”

  Skye climbed onto Rico, wrapping his arms tightly around the parrot’s neck. They were nearly the same size, making the position awkward. With a mighty flap of his wings, Rico launched them high on a spiraling tornado. Skye shrieked in terror, clinging tighter as they soared over the reaching shadows. Rico panted hard, obviously strained by their combined weight, yet the storm carrying them didn’t falter. Skye wondered how long he’d have to train to become this proficient.

  Red sunlight leaked through the garden exit. With a final burst of effort, they cleared the threshold into the open air, almost colliding with Luccello, who was perched outside atop his light pole.

  “Luccello!” Rico cried in panic. “You have to stop him! Ka’ib has gone mad!”

  “Help us!” Skye shouted over him. “He tried to drown me again!”

  “Enough squawking!” Luccello yelled in response, shocking them into silence. “Ka’ib was punishing you under my orders.”

  “What?!” Skye yelled, voice charged with indignation. “Why would you do that? He could’ve killed me! He-”

  “If you’re scared of dying, why were you strolling through rows of deadly magical flora?!" Luccello interrupted sharply. “You embarrassed me in front of the master! He was busy with a guest when he sensed you two frolicking in his garden!”

  “We were looking for a better astrum for Skye,” Rico said sheepishly, his head drooping. “It was my idea. I’m sorry.”

  “The master gave Skye the Breath of the Mountain for a reason,” Luccello snapped. “He’s trained thousands of windriders before you. Do you think you know better?” Rico opened his beak to speak, but Luccello waved his wing sternly. “No, Rico, that’s enough. I don’t want to hear any more excuses. I’m deeply disappointed in both of you. Especially you, Rico.”

  Rico visibly wilted, his vibrant feathers dulling in shame.

  Skye bowed his head too. The idea had been Rico’s, but he’d participated eagerly. He couldn’t let his friend take all the responsibility. “Rico was trying to help me,” he said. “It’s my fault because I couldn’t channel properly.”

  “It’s noble of you to step up,” Luccello said with a sigh, “but don’t worry. There’s enough blame to go around for both of you.” He paused, his voice softening. “The flora in the garden can be deadly. Even the master treads cautiously there. What’s wrong with your astrum, anyway?”

  “It doesn’t produce enough power,” Skye said. “And it’s hard to control delicate streams with it.”

  Luccello clicked his tongue. “The Argentum Ventus, better known as the Breath of the Mountain, is the finest flora for training a novice windrider. Its fantasia distribution is perfectly balanced. Its use teaches finesse and dexterity, skills you’ll need to handle advanced astrum later. Besides, there does not exist an astrum that’s suitable for every task. Each has its own strengths and weaknesses.”

  He turned to Rico. “For instance, you’re still struggling to create a perfect calm bubble, isn’t that right?”

  “I’m making progress,” Rico said defensively.

  “You may still improve, but you’ll never reach the master’s level. Not because of your lack of skill, but because of the astrum you’re using. The Golden Ray bird has adapted to always be on the move, and has no need for defensive skills. Therefore, it does not have the fantasia range to create a perfect calm bubble. What’s more, the limitations of your astrum shaped your learning, and now they’re shaping your struggles to adapt.”

  “Don’t you feel utterly stupid right now?” Redeyes asked.

  Luccello sighed again, deeper this time.

  “The master spent last night reviewing every astrum available in the garden and the nearby forest, evaluating their abilities, drawbacks, formulating a plan for your training. And he didn’t stop at windriding; he prepared for every element and denomination you might choose, including etherealist and naturalist ones. He did all of this so that when you finally decided, he’d be ready with exactly the right astrum to guide you.”

  This time, Skye did feel stupid. His throat tightened, and he couldn’t meet Luccello’s eyes. The master had done so much, sacrificing his health to prepare for his training. And here he was, sneaking into the garden like a fool.

  Sensing his disgrace, Luccello let out a sigh. “The master is taking your training seriously. He’s not guessing or experimenting. He knows exactly what you need to succeed. For the second time, I tell you this today: trust your tutors, Skye. Like he trusts you.”

  Luccello’s words pierced Skye’s heart. His eyes stung as he blinked back tears.

  “We all know you don’t deserve this much kindness,” Redeyes said. “It’s such a waste.”

  Then and there, Skye resolved to take this training more seriously. No more playing or complaining. His goal was to save everyone in Troqua, including his friends, and he’d start acting like it.

  Scrunching his face, Skye wiped his eyes and turned to Luccello. “I promise to do better from now on. Please give me another chance.”

  Luccello rolled his eyes. “Oh, Lahūtum save me! I’m not expelling you. I’m telling you this so you’ll take better care tomorrow.”

  “Oh.” Relief washed over Skye. Beside him, Rico straightened, his tail wagging with newfound cheer.

  “Now, I hope you are hungry,” Luccello said. “Pairi made a stew that is supposedly ‘good for a growing boy who’s learning to channel’, but I have my doubts about some ingredients he’d added, and I’m so not relishing eating it alone. Come.”

  ?????Days until Green Eve: 19?????