With open hands, Felix shouted in the middle of the street.
"I wish to walk in the sky! I wish to fly!" As if hearing his words, a gentle breeze appeared, slowly lifting him up and allowing him to fly.
With a happy and excited expression, Felix flew into the sky, shocking all onlookers. His child-like laughter and pure, innocent happiness followed him as he flew above the city.
Stell's eyes shone. Following Felix's contagious laughter, he laughed. He wasn't sure why he laughed, but there was something in Felix's laughter that just made a person happy.
As Felix descended, Stell wiped tears from the corners of his eyes.
"Hahahaha! That was the best experience I ever felt!" Felix laughed joyfully. Ignoring the curious onlookers, Stell laughed. "It truly is marvelous."
Witnessing a person transcend a natural human limit and ascend to the skies was different from seeing it on a screen or hearing about it from someone else. It was magical.
"Can you fly forever from now on?" Stell asked Felix with excited eyes.
"Not for now. I guess that after I advance to higher Orders, I will probably be able to. For now, I can barely walk in the sky." Felix shook his head.
Stell's excitement hadn't dimmed. "You can walk in the sky as you wish?"
"Yes." Felix jumped, stopping in midair as if there was an invisible platform. "Although the wish did allow me to break the natural barrier, it was only for a brief moment." Felix explained to Stell, making him seriously nod, taking every piece of advice to heart.
"Oh yeah, I recommend wishing for an ability instead of a random phenomenon. Or at least wish for something close to an ability." Felix reminded Stell, almost forgetting.
"Why?" Couldn't Stell just wish for whatever he wanted? Why did it have to be an ability? He would gain an affinity anyway.
"I had a lingering suspicion earlier, but now I can confirm it. Epic Rank wishes aren't really that useful, so you won't gain much from it. On the other hand, if you wish for ability, you will skip an arduous process of learning it."
Felix's outstanding explanation left Stell speechless. A scene of Aaron entering his own shadow but not really using any other ability flashed through his mind. So that's it!
However, instead of praising Felix, he ought to mock him, as every true friend does. "Since when are you so smart? Seriously, what's with you these days?"
His remark earned him a chuckle from Felix. "Maybe you are the stupid one, unable to realize my own greatness."
'I am almost convinced that I am more familiar with your greatness than you yourself are.' Stell inwardly remarked.
"Maybe." With a chuckle, he approached the clear space, void of passersby. For some reason, all of them made a circle around Stell and Felix, looking at Felix curiously.
"Hey, young man!" A middle-aged man shouted. "Is that a Rare Rank Wish? It must be at least Mid-Tier! I ought to congratulate you."
His cheerful tone made Felix chuckle. People who cheered others in such depressing and challenging times were almost impossible to find.
"It is a powerful wish." Felix replied with a hint, earning a nod from the middle-aged man. "Ah, I am too old for this. Although my professor promised us eternal life and glory as long as we advance, I just want to live a normal and happy life."
Although the topic the middle-aged man brought wasn't called for, it left Stell pondering. He recalled the time in the restaurant while they waited for Aaron. A similar topic was brought up.
Felix looked at the middle-aged man silently. He didn't add anything, nor did he try commenting. He just waited for the middle-aged man to continue.
"Maybe I had dwelled too much on that topic. Young man, what affinity did you use such a strong wish for?" With a chuckle, the man said.
"Wind. A wish about flying, naturally, grants a wind affinity." Felix chuckled at the middle-aged man's curiosity. Stell wasn't sure whether he chuckled because he recognized himself in the middle-aged man or he simply felt like it.
The other onlookers, contrary to expectations, didn't disrupt the conversation. It seemed as if they were also curious about Felix and his choices.
"Why Wind? I heard that it's a common affinity. Shouldn't a strong wish be used on a strong affinity?" The middle-aged man was bewildered.
Felix's smile deepened, carrying a profound meaning. Looking at the bright sky, he explained. "It's because I want to fly. It's because I want to be free, just like a bird in the sky. It's not about the affinity but the wish."
His words left Stell wide-eyed. What Felix had just done was the exact opposite of his earlier advice!
Noticing Stell's doubtful look, Felix patiently explained. "I needed a Common Rank affinity anyway, right? It's also much better to start with a strong affinity, even though its rank would be lower. So, is there something wrong?"
His words made Stell realize that, indeed, Felix had actually followed his own advice. It just so happened that it allowed him to fulfill one of his wishes as well.
Chuckling, Stell nodded. Before any of the onlookers could start bombarding Felix with questions, Stell stood next to Felix.
Felix then stood a dozen meters away from Stell, patiently awaiting Stell's wish.
"I wish to be able to raise the ground with my stomps." Stell shouted. Then, he felt a part of him dissolve within, filling his entire body and more. It was truly a strange filling.
As his soul was filled with the achievement he wished to use, Stell felt the achievement forming an affinity inside him. 'No matter what words I use, describing the feeling is impossible.'
Full of energy, Stell instinctively stomped, sensing his achievement moving in a peculiar manner and infusing his affinity. After the affinity was filled, the energy left and followed a maze-like path before Stell felt a connection with the earth around him.
Following Stell's imagination and wish, the earth in front of him started rising, forming a wall. With the energy left to spare, Stell stomped harder, lost in excitement.
As an even bigger wall arose, Stell could feel his achievement seeping away, lost for all of eternity. 'Or it just accompanies me in another way.' He inwardly chuckled as he sensed an Earth affinity.
Felix's eyes lit up. "That's awesome! Is it Earth? Why Earth? How did you do it? What does it feel like?!" As he bombarded Stell with questions, Stell could feel a headache incoming.
"There's a show I watched as a kid. In it, there is a kid who controls four elements. Namely, Air, Water, Fire, and Earth. I always thought that Earth element was the strongest if we excluded special cases like a connection between blood and water and similar."
"I see." Felix's eyes sparkled. Full of questions, he began bombarding Stell. However, Stell didn't let him.
"There are too many people here. Let's go somewhere else." Stell said as he began thinking of how to break out of the encirclement without harming the innocent.
Grabbing Stell's shirt, Felix jumped onto an invisible platform before he started running in the sky.
"Why bother thinking?" He grinned, dragging Stell to a quiet area.