To fly on my own for the first time was nothing short of breathtaking. Ingram guided me through the process and I have never felt so free. Amongst the clouds, up in the great blue sky, I felt invincible. Remembering how I was before my birthday, I was weak, I was a coward. I was not that anymore, I never want to be like that ever again. It was all thanks to the people who helped me along the way.
We landed back down after about an hour. I landed at the door of Aurora's Villa, sliding the glass door open. Aurora turned behind and was stunned to see me there with Ingram beside me. I excitedly ran to her and held her shoulders and shook her. I could not contain my overwhelming excitement. "Aury! Look! Ingram can speak!" I said, shouting in her face.
"Um, master, I think you are the only one who can hear me talk," Ingram said with a tinge of regret in her voice. I instantly became dejected when I heard that. My face drooping and my grip loosening. Meanwhile, Aurora was beyond confused, looking back and forth between Ingram and I. Then, she said something that shook my world.
"Um, Ingram right? I can hear you too..." She said with an eyebrow raised. As quickly as I became said, my happiness was just as quickly restored. Ingram on the other hand was astonished.
"Wait!? You can!? Who are you!?" Ingram yelled out loud in disbelief. Aurora shrugged, giving no answer. I also had no answer. I could only guess it was because we both made a collective effort in saving Ingram, thus she also sub-consciously recognised Aurora as her master too.
The rest of that day was spent chilling with Ingram and Aurora, horsing around on the beach and her dragging me through studies so that I don't flunk the final examinations of this year. Seriously, when she said there was no training, she took advantage of it to give me a tutoring session.
That Saturday was bizarre. But things only got weirder from there. On Sunday, for the first time in forever, nothing tried to wake me up early. Upon opening my eyes, I saw the time. 1230pm, I have finally successfully slept in. However, there was a new problem I had to deal with. When I tried to slip off, I realised that I couldn't move my body.
At first, I thought I was just too tired, however, even after trying with a little more effort, I still couldn't budge. "what the hell..." I mumbled as I removed the blanket, only to see a pair of arms wrapped around my waist. My senses jolted to life. I don't remember sleeping in Aurora's room...
When I looked around, it was actually my room, and there was no chance in hell that Aurora would come here. I cautiously looked behind me, afraid of what I would find. When I turned, I saw a young girl, probably 16 or 17 at their oldest. She was adorable, her face was sharp and her hair was a bright shade of green. Her face was peaceful as she slept.
What the hell is this!? The girl groaned a little and shoved her face into my back, hugging me tighter. I froze. I had no idea who she is, although she doesn't look like someone that would hurt me. I called out to Ingram using telepathy, hoping that she can help me out. However, when I did, instead, the girl behind me got up. "Hmm? Is there a problem, master?" She said groggily while rubbing her eyes. Her voice...it's exactly the same as Ingram's. Correction, she is Ingram!
"I-Ingram?! What are you doing?!" I asked. She looked at me, her face still tired and groggy.
"I'm protecting you, master."
"By hugging me in bed?!" When I said that, she also seemed to have fully woken up. She looked down and at herself, realising she was wearing close to nothing. However, instead of being embarrassed about it, she only smiled at me and hugged me more. This is madness on a new level. I did not know how to feel right now.
"G-Gaia! Volt! Help!" I summoned both of them. They both appeared next to the bed, Gaia standing over it while Volt leaned on the headrest. When they both appeared, Ingram was still rubbing her face against mine like she would when she was a falcon. It was alright back then, but she is a human now! Things become way more embarrassing!
Meanwhile, my other 2 avatars were just looking at me, smirking. They were enjoying this! "Hey! Could you help perhaps?"
"No can do my lord." Volt was the one to answer. I looked at him in disbelief. " Sorry, master. That girl, Ingram, gets very attached. Ever since you saved her and nursed her, she basically swore to never leave you. You basically sealed your fate. Ingram is energetic, caring, spritely, a little naive, but most of all, extremely protective and possessive. But I wouldn't worry, I think she would make a good wife." Volt said, giggling at the end.
I looked between all 3 of my companions helplessly. Gaia was grinning widely, Volt was trying not to die laughing and Ingram was basically trying to kill me with her lack of distance.
Just when I thought things couldn't get worse, there was a soft knock on the door. It didn't matter who walked in right now, it was going to be bad. "Kale, I'm coming in." It was Aurora! I froze at that moment, I didn't know what to do. The door slowly swung open. I was running out of time, I had to stop her.
"Aurora! Wait!" But it was too late. When she opened the door and looked at me, for the first time in forever, she too was speechless. We stared at each other awkwardly for a few seconds, and I laughed nervously to diffuse the tension. "Heheh... Hey... Aury..."
"Who is she?" She asked sharply.
"Uh...which one?" I asked.
"There is only one person next to you... unless you are meaning to tell me that there is another hiding under the sheets." Her aura was beyond menacing, and her questions felt as sharp as knives. Wait... there is only one person next to me? I looked down and Ingram who was pouting and clcuthcing my arm the way a koala would hug a tree. I scanned behind me to see that Volt and Gaia had both left.
That makes things even worse... I looked back at Aurora frantically, I had to explain myself. "Wait! This is not what it looks like I swear!"
"Honestly... get dressed. Both of you!" She said, slamming the door as she left. I sighed heavily and looked at Ingram who was still pouting. It's hard to get mad at someone when they look like that.
"You heard her." I said simply.
"She's scary..." She said like a child, hiding behind my arm.
After that ordeal, I went downstairs to find Aurora sitting alone on the couch reading a book. We were by ourselves as our parents went to get groceries for dinner. I awkwardly took my place beside her. She paid no attention to me, still looking at her book. Guess she's still pissed.
"Who's your girlfriend?" She asked suddenly. It startled me, both her tone and her question.
"I'm sorry...what?"
"You know. The girl who is way cuter than me with the green hair and eyes." She said putting down her book gently and leaning closer to me. "The one who was in your bed. The one who was hugging you like a strippers pole. The one who was practically naked!" With each sentence, she drew closer to me, now our faces were a mere centimetre away. Even when she was angry, her beauty was undistorted.
"Woah! Woah! Woah! Back up, lady." I said frantically. Aurora grunted frustratingly and inched backwards, still staring at me with piercing eyes. "First of all, she is not my girlfriend. Second, she is actually Ingram in human form, she is the Avatar of the Wind. Third, I have no idea what she was doing in my bed. Fourth, she will be my trump card tomorrow."
After that explanation, Aurora seemed to have calmed down, but she still seemed a bit bitter, which I found extremely curious and somewhat cute.