Eryn's scream of exhilaration was lost in the rush of wind as he soared above the windmill. The crowd below him was a tiny, upturned sea of faces, their mouths agape in shock and wonder.
Arin's voice was a distant shout, barely audible over the roar of the wind. "Eryn, come down! What's happening to you?"
But Eryn couldn't respond. He was too busy marveling at the sensation of weightlessness, of freedom. He felt like a bird, like a winged horse, like nothing he'd ever experienced before.
As he flew higher, the windmill and the crowd grew smaller, until they were just tiny specks on the landscape. Eryn felt like he could see for miles, like he had a hawk's-eye view of the world.
And yet, despite the thrill of flight, Eryn couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. He felt...tethered, somehow, like there was an unseen force guiding him, pulling him upward.
He looked down, trying to see what was holding him aloft, but there was nothing. No strings, no wires, no visible means of support.
It was as if he was defying gravity itself.
Eryn's mind reeled as he struggled to comprehend what was happening. He felt like he was trapped in a dream, like he was floating above his own body, watching himself soar through the air.
And then, just as suddenly as it had begun, everything stopped. Eryn felt himself plummeting toward the ground, his stomach lurching with a sickening sense of weightlessness.
He flailed wildly, trying to right himself, but it was too late. Eryn crashed to the earth with a bone-jarring thud, the wind knocked out of him.
As he lay there, dazed and disoriented, Eryn saw a figure rushing toward him. It was Arin, his face white with worry.
"Eryn, oh gods, are you okay?" Arin exclaimed, dropping to his knees beside his friend.
Eryn nodded, still trying to catch his breath. "Y-yes, I think so," he stammered.
Arin helped Eryn sit up, brushing dirt and debris from his clothes. "What just happened?" Arin asked, his eyes wide with wonder. "You were flying, Eryn! How did you do that?"
Eryn shook his head, still trying to process what had just occurred. "I don't know," he admitted. "I just felt...lifted, somehow. Like something was pulling me upward."
Arin's eyes sparkled with excitement. "That's amazing, Eryn! You're a flyer!"
But Eryn just frowned, feeling a growing sense of unease. He didn't know how he'd flown, or what had caused it. And he had a feeling that this was only the beginning of a much stranger, much more complicated journey.