Meanwhile, I closed my eyes and found myself back in the golden room with Shina. "Wait, tell me everything again!" I urged, my voice trembling with fear as I clutched my head.
Shina's breaths were ragged, and I saw raw terror in her eyes. "Dragon's Roost is a nightmare! The people there are ruthless—since they can't fly, they've spent centuries luring others in and tearing off their wings!" She panted, her voice thick with dread. "I can't even warn her because I'm too sick to breathe properly! If anything happens to any of them, I don't know how I'll keep myself together. Why can't we just have one day without someone trying to kill us?" I groaned and she tried to steady her breathing. "Okay, maybe we're overreacting, this is Zira we're talking about, she could handle herself. I hope." Shina trembled.
Meanwhile, Zira and Avol walked through Dragon's Roost, a western-like town that felt strange to her. "So, you never told me who exactly you are," Avol said, glancing at her.
Zira turned to him. "I am Zira of the Tigress race. I left my kingdom to travel with Gaian, the boy with the golden wings you saw earlier. We are the vessels of the celestial birds: Divine Owl Sagea is Gaian, Nocturne Raven of Darkness is Alden, and I'm the vessel of Zephyra, the Falcon of Speed. The striped owl is Gaian's archangel."
Avol's eyes widened in amazement. "Whoa, so that's why you're so fast. And that Gaian guy, he must be the strongest of you all? His wings are amazing."
Zira crossed her arms and scoffed. "Well, he may be the strongest of the three, but he's never beaten me. Granted, he was heavily fatigued, but it's not like he can't heal. I'm far faster than all of them!" She growled and pointed at her chest.
Avol shifted back a bit, clearly intimidated. "Sorry, ma'am, I didn't mean to suggest you're weak or anything. I never thought I'd see a tigress in real life, let alone one with silver fur and wings like an avian person. Hell, I don't think anyone in Dragon's Roost has ever seen wings before."
Zira's ear perked up as she saw a man in the distance waving at them and calling Avol's name. "Who's that?" she asked.
Avol quickened his pace. "That's my pa. Our farm is struggling, so he sent me out to find a herb."
She followed him. "What kind of herb?"
"It's called eternal nectar. Supposedly, it can cure anything in the world. Our crops need it badly," he explained as they reached the farm. His father holstered a gun at his hip and spat on the ground. "Son, who's your guest? She's a big one." He looked up, tipping his hat in acknowledgment.
Zira nodded and purred softly. "I'm Zira, former queen of Tigris Dominion and current member of the Celestial Vessels." She bowed gracefully. Avol's father whistled in admiration. "This is a mighty fine woman you've got here, Avol. A tigress with silver fur—never thought I'd see such a thing."
Avol rolled his eyes. "You can stop gawking at her, Dad. I couldn't find the nectar you needed." He sighed heavily. His father shook his head and crouched to feel the dead crops. "Well, shoot, these crops are gonna die."
Zira's expression softened. She knelt beside him and murmured, "Rapid Healing of Zephyra." As she spoke, the crops began to rejuvenate, transforming back into vibrant, healthy plants.
Back at the infirmary, the doctor loomed over our unconscious bodies, his frame covered in cuts and bruises. He gripped a chainsaw, breathing heavily, and made another attempt to cut my wings, only to be slashed by them. "GAH! What is up with these men?" he snarled in frustration. "Every time I tried to take the other boy's wings, he kept disappearing and reappearing in different places." He was referring to Alden's shadow stealth.
He stepped back, frustration evident, and picked up a worn book. As he scanned the pages, he muttered aloud, "Some say if you can get your hands on the wings of a celestial bird, you gain immortality. Yeah, that's easier said than done." He continued flipping through the pages, searching for a way to remove our wings.
His eyes lit up with a sudden idea. "Wait, what about the striped owl? She's golden, right?" He walked over to Ember's body, raising the chainsaw once more. But as he brought it down, the blade shattered into pieces. He gasped in shock. "AHHH! WHY DO I HAVE TO DEAL WITH THESE MONSTERS?! DAMN YOU, AVOL!" He cursed, his anger turning into despair as he collapsed onto the floor.
The doctor hovered over our bodies, his expression twisted with rage. "You think I'm afraid of you? You're just wings," he spat. "We, the people of Dragon's Roost, are descendants of the legendary Nightfox. Many, many generations ago—so many that I've lost count—there were avian people who sought to recreate the strength of gods after the celestial birds perished and the Shadow Flock vanished.
"Legend has it that a crow and a fox fell in love, yearning to merge their essences to create a formidable being. Knowing they couldn't naturally be together, they sought out a witch, pleading with her to forge a magnificent beast from their DNA."
He approached me with a needle, a sinister grin spreading across his face. "The witch complied, and the legendary Nightfox was born. Instead of the divine beast they had hoped for, it went wild, destroying its parents and massacring the village where it was created. Nowadays, people tell this tale to scare children into eating their vegetables. I used to think it was just a myth. But here I am, standing over two of the vessels of the celestial birds and one archangel, about to remove your wings because that person gave this village the opportunity of a lifetime. Though I don't have to say that person around you since you might already know who they are. So, I'll tell you: the vessel of Neraxis, the Corrupt Crow. I noticed the vessel of the Falcon of Speed is a tigress. Tell me, are all the vessels birds or can anyone be a vessel?" He injected the needle, and my heart slowed, my breathing growing shallow. "Now the only question is; how am I gonna remove the wing of a celestial being?"
Meanwhile, on the other side of town, Zira sat cross-legged on the floor due to her towering 10-foot height, joining Avol and his father at a table. Avol's father raised his glass and smiled warmly. "To Zira, for saving our crops." They clinked their glasses together, and Zira grinned.
"I really appreciate this meal. I haven't had starlight soup in ages. I was in a dungeon for nearly 20 years." She chuckled as she took another hearty bite.
Avol's father looked at her with a mix of admiration and curiosity. "A dungeon for 20 years? That's quite a story. You must have some incredible strength to endure that."
Zira nodded, her expression growing a bit more serious. "It was tough, but it made me who I am today. And now, I'm just glad to be able to help others and enjoy good company."
Avol nodded in astonishment. "So, how'd you escape?"
Zira smiled and rubbed her knees. "Well, this amazing, fearless, brave man named Gaian saved me and my kin. He's one of the sick ones you saw earlier. Oh, speaking of them, I should probably go right now." She began to stand up.
"NO!" Avol shouted, causing her to jolt. He began sweating, and she raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
His father quickly searched for an excuse. "Uh, the doctor has a problem with people interrupting his work. So, tell me more about this brave Gaian. He must be really fearless." He smiled nervously, and Zira sat back down before beginning. "Well…"
Back in the infirmary, I screamed, "HELP! PLEASE! HE'S TRYING TO KILL US!" I was in an empty, dark room, struggling to break free from the chains. My muscles were weak, and I couldn't use any of my powers. "Alden! Ember! Where are you?" Suddenly, a strong hand wrapped around my neck, choking me.
The doctor put his finger to his lips and made a shushing sound. "Shh, nobody can hear you. If you make another noise, I'll pluck out your talons one by one."
I nodded frantically, and he removed his fingers. "Good. Now, you probably heard what I said about needing your wings. But there's one thing—I can't seem to penetrate them. No normal blade can cut through. So, you're going to tell me exactly what I need to know." He held my mouth open as I struggled, then poured a purple liquid down my throat, forcing me to swallow it. "That there was moonberry serum. It'll make you spill your darkest secrets. This is my first time using it, so if your insides burn, I apologize in advance."
He watched as I stopped struggling, my eyes dilating, and my breathing slowed down once again. He smirked and angled a lamp over my face. "Now, Gaian, spill your guts and tell me your weakness."
I nodded, compelled by the serum. "I've only been in this body for a couple of months. The only things that have penetrated it were the flames of Nokturnia and the crystals of Ember's ark. Though, I don't know the whereabouts of the ark at this moment."
The doctor nodded, satisfied. "Thank you, Gaian." He was about to inject a needle to knock me out when he paused at my words. "Wait, what do you mean by 'in this body for a couple of months'?" he asked, intrigued.
"I died in my former life and was reincarnated as the divine owl's vessel, as you already know. I don't understand it, but for the past few months, I've been fighting winged knights, kings and queens, the vessels of the shadow flock, and trying to find the rest of the celestial birds." I answered and the doctor nervously stepped back and clutched his heart in fear. "Y-you're reincarnated?!"