Chapter 2: Die or Fly

Day 15.

The bird woke up with a protruding bump. Its unfateful encounter from the day before made it sleep throughout the night.

"Today is the fifteenth day," murmured the little bird as it tried to jump up to the hazel grass nest and fill its empty stomach with the membrane of its siblings on their hollowed shells.

However, the moment the fledgling hit the dried-up aerie with its fragile legs, its sore head felt a pang—so hard that it cried to the top of his lungs and filled its dark lair with a high-pitched echo.

"Ugh! That hurts!"

The bird chirped and chirped like a symphony to welcome the morning. But, it was a wail of pain for itself, as it could barely stand.

"I hate that snake! Someday, I will kill it!"

The bird's concerto went along. It was a masterful song from a sorrowful soul, with a hint of hatred for its vile antagonist.

Nonetheless, this rowdy morning of the bird didn't go unnoticed, as the serpent lying low heard, 'Dinner is ready'—a very different tune.

So the slithering snake looked up at the bird's dark nest as daybreak started to show him his missed-out dinner. Yesterday, it tried to follow the snake, but there seemed to be a barrier locking it from getting close to the entrance. That is also the reason why the serpent stayed low. It only observed the nest from afar and prepared whenever the bird left.

Seeing the bird starting to move, the snake went away.

Unaware of the coming enemy, the bird flapped its wings to get closer to the eggs. However, the moment it went close enough, the bird smelled a strong smell of its best meal from the days before.

"Bad luck! These rotten eggs! These rotten days! This rotten life!"

The bird shouted and chirped. 

To him, it was a wrathful rant, but for others, it was the return of their usual messengers of the morning sun.

So the bird, with nothing to eat and a churning stomach, started its hop outside.

Jump. Ouch. Jump. Ouch.

Every hop for the bird was a disaster. Every jump was a pain in its head.

After a few minutes of skipping, the fledgling was outside, tired, in pain, with nothing to eat.

Then, it saw something in the distance, a red berry ready for the picking.

Immediately, the bird hopped to the berry floating among the branches to sate its hunger.

The red berry was ripe and ready for the fledgling's empty stomach. The sweet and delicious fruit was a heaven-sent to the hungry bird and instantly became a favorite.

'This is the best fruit ever!'

The bird chirped as it became addicted to its tasty find.

After finishing up the red berry, the fledgling scanned its surroundings again and saw another one nearby. So it hopped and went. The fruit was an instant hit for the bird that it was now on the sixth one! Each fruit was heaven on earth as it became more aware of the world outside its window.

'Sometimes, the best things are left outside to explore.'

The bird thought as it jumped and pranced on top of the canopy of leaves.

However, on his seventh one, unknown to the innocent bird's festive atmosphere was danger lurking behind the darkness.

The serpent positioned for ambush hid within the covering of brown leaves. It made sure to stay far enough from the barrier. So, it could initiate a series of attacks without being stopped by the force surrounding the nest. Seeing the bird with reckless abandon prancing towards the snake, it became happy.

The snake's sunshine eyes grazed excitedly. Its meal was coming. The young bird hopped recklessly on the thick branches while the serpent coiled for an ambush.

This time, a bizarre encounter was trying to take place inside the Weathered Forest—the snake preparing for the feast and the bird walking straight to death.

Time seemed to slow down for the predator, but it was all normal for the cute little bird—as it pranced and hopped towards another fruit to fill its belly.

Then suddenly, the play began!

The snake's massive and wide-opened mouth welcomed the bird with two distinct fangs.

"What!?" 

The bird shouted and immediately jumped to the side.

The snake missed the bird as it extended its body to the trunk of a nearby tree, but it didn't stretch. Instead, it pulled back as its tail gripped the branch and prepared for another attack. 

On the other hand, the bird jumped towards the space between the branches and instantly fell as gravity pulled it down.

"No!" 

The bird chirped with a sense of defeat and hopelessness.

Nonetheless, the fledgling tried to flap hard, and a miracle happened! The bird was able to fly and glide in the air.

For a while, the bird glided and hovered in the air. But the snake saw it as another opportunity to eat its mouthful and struck again.

The bird was caught off guard by the quick response of the snake and got its feathers touched by the serpent's fangs, though this was unharmful to the feather-covered bird. It was still frightening. The bird, overwhelmed by the fear of becoming dinner, forgot to flap its wings and fell back into the ground!

The fledgling fell for a second time under the canopy of leaves like a shooting star—falling brightly into the night. Although inside the leaf-covered forest, it was not shining at all.

Then the bird hit the ground, but it was not soft grass. Instead, it was in the middle of a pack of resting wolves.

"What!"

The bird chirped loudly, and all the lazy wolves heard it. They looked towards the origin of the sound and saw their breakfast before their eyes.

"Oops!"

The bird chirped again and flapped its wings fast as it saw the nearby wolves rushing towards it.

"This time, I'm going to die!"

The pack of wolves surrounding the bird jumped at the same time. However, only one claw touched its tail—one minor difference from living to dying.

With an excited heart, the bird flew fast. 

The fledgling was aiming beyond the canopy of leaves. It wanted to leave the forest! Its greatest desire now is to leave the darkness and welcome a new life of good things—so the bird flapped hard.

The snake from earlier saw the debacle but couldn't make itself fall into the ravine of claws and fangs. 

Not for one instance did the snake want to become a second-choice meal for the ravenous wolves, who started to howl as they saw their meal flying fast.

"Yes, I did it!"

The bird excitedly chirped as it flew farther from the pack, who wanted it for breakfast or snacks.

The fledgling flapped hard and pushed itself beyond the covering of leaves. After that, the bird saw the blue sky and the orange daybreak.

The low life of being another creature's meal was far behind it. The bird now felt genuine freedom through its wings—it became a new man or perhaps a new bird.

***

A Cave in the Western Beaches of Weathered Forest.

Lord Bow and Duke Kilron fought off against the Demon Lord and its minions for the last fortnight. However, Duke Kilron had a wound on his arm due to the previous attack by a Demon General-rank monster. 

"Duke Kilron, can you still fight?"

Lord Bow asked as he watched his companion for the last few days, getting weaker by the day. The light of their camp flickered as Duke Kilron groaned due to pain.

"I think I can hold off a few, Lord Bow. But, I think I cannot afford another damage."

Duke Kilron replied while leaning on a rock.

"I've already asked Master Hyun and Master Fertolin for help, but it seems like the demons also devastated some parts of the sea, making this whole Demon Lord Army a threat to the Holt Empire."

He added as he touched his left hand to comfort it. He couldn't raise his arm any longer. The harpy paralyzed it through its demonic energy. The corruption was getting worse, and the elder was fighting off the poisonous corruption as he helped Lord Bow.

"I think. You need a Fable-Class Bishop of Isa to heal your hand. Or either a leaf from one of Tarion's bodies—Hopefully, we can ask Blades for that."

Lord Bow said as he looked at Duke Kilron, bearing with the corruption and pain, with a hint of sadness. His companion, for many days, had his left hand paralyzed, but he persevered for many sleepless nights. Ordinary people couldn't do this, but both could go on for many days due to being overpowered by Hum. The mysterious energy allowed them to make tornadoes and produce lightning. 

They called it "Hum" because it creates a hum deep within someone's soul. Through this mysterious energy, people could learn to harness the elements, make their bodies powerful, and keep them younger.

However, for Duke Kilron, his wound was causing too much pain, which drained his concentration to use the energy. In this way, he cannot perform to the best of his abilities. Instead, he can become a liability for Lord Bow, which made him give up this fight. Nonetheless, he couldn't leave the Legendary Fighting alone against a Demon Lord that needs at least four Legendaries to defeat.

They were caught in the middle, especially Duke Kilron, since the Demon Lord was building its army near his duchy, the Napsaki Duchy, which could become a hurdle for his rule if ever people learned he didn't help the Legendaries against the Demon Lord.

"I think I should leave, Lord Bow."

Duke Kilron said as he pleaded before the Legendary Being.

"I think you should, but I can't fight this Demon Lord alone."

Lord Bow replied outright. His chance to defeat the Demon Lord would be largely curbed if he fought off the Demon Lord's Army alone. Suddenly, a device inside his sleeve sounded.

"Bow. Come in."

A harsh young female voice sounded from the rectangular gold device with a mysterious cloudy crystal underneath.

"Staff? Is that you?"

Lord Bow replied as he pulled out the hand-held device and saw the cloud in the crystal move to portray a white image of a woman wearing a hood.

"Yes. Anchor is coming with the void bomb. He left Satony earlier and should be arriving there in an hour."

The girl in the sheet of crystal said.

"I'm also picking up Blades since the Demon Lord's Army is no longer attacking the Zipang Republic. Please wait for us. I'm out."

The girl added as she disappeared from the device.

"You heard that Duke Kilron?"

Lord Bow uttered as he put the device back inside his robes. However, even before Duke Kilron could reply, another Demon General-class monster appeared inside the cave. It was an undead monster with the head of a bird, the body of a lion, and a pair of massive wings. It was surrounded by a corrupted energy.

Immediately, the two men stepped back and prepared to attack, but the undead monster made the first move. It pushed its beak towards the weakened Duke Kilron.

"Run, Kilron. Leave this place."

Lord Bow said as he summoned wind blades from his hands and poured them onto the monster. This, in turn, made the undead monster attack Lord Bow.

"Duke Kilron, please leave and heal up. However, please ask for help."

Lord Bow commanded as he fought off the undead monster. 

On the other hand, hearing his dismissal from the Legendary being retreated in full force. He became lightning as he fled the area.

***

Weathered Forest.

The bird glided in the air and enjoyed its gravity-defying skill to travel through nothingness.

'This is life,' the bird thought.

However, after a few minutes of flying, the fledgling noticed the Weathered Forest was never-ending. 

The weathering forest was vast.

The bird was already flying for an hour but couldn't see the ending.

The sprawling hazel trees below were never-ending. The distant lands were still the forest. It was an endless sea of dying thicket—so far as his eyes could see.

Another thing that he noticed was the absence of birds, as well.

The bird didn't see a single bird. 

Whether inside or over the forest, the bird was the lone flyer. 

What an unusual happening since birds should be typical inside woodlands. And, seeing a bird should be as usual as viewing a cloud from a distance.

"There's something wrong with this forest."

The bird suspected, so it tried its best to leave the forest quickly while going east.

Nonetheless, another half an hour passed, but the bird still couldn't see the end. It was as if it was moving inside a treadmill of trees.

However, the bird persevered, and an hour later, it saw the vast forest's end!

"Yes!"

The bird chirped.

But even before the bird could touch the edge of the area, it saw a dot in the distance. The weird dot flew towards the bird faster than it could ever soar. 

Then, the bird saw it grow, but then it got confused as the dot got closer. What the bird saw as a blue dot earlier became a massive creature, like a rough mountain, with gigantic eyes.

What he saw was a mammoth white whale swimming in the air. Every move of its tail created a gust of wind in the forest under it. It was a flying disaster.

Its movements were not different from the usual whales it knew from its past life as a man. But this gigantic whale commanded the wind and would create random sonic booms as seen by its white umbrella-looking aura.

Furthermore, this whale had colossal tentacles attached to it, six golden tentacles, to be exact!

"This world is bizarre!"

The bird chirped as it looked at the whale with curiosity and dread.

But this is not the only bizarre thing about this expanding dot. The bird also saw a man sitting on top of the whale. Another ridiculous fact was that the tentacles came from the man and the whale. This burly man sat on the whale, looking like a hybrid. The man, with massive tentacles protruding from his back, didn't look around but was looking at a distance.

The man's four tentacles held onto the whale, acting like his fasteners due to its supersonic speed—while the other two were doing something else.

One of his tentacles held a massive golden anchor on his back. The anchor looked heavy, but the tentacle kept it like a weightless spoon.

On the other hand, the other tentacle lifted a red box filled with some unknown substance. It was purely out of this world. The man looked out of place, surrounded by these peculiarities and mind-bending realities.

Yet the whale was not holding back for the bird. As the whale closed in, the bird felt the extreme turbulence. Air pushed the trees around, as clouds often disintegrate before the duo. They were a natural calamity in itself.

Their flight through the forest created a massive disappearing line of wind pressure as formidable trees bent before the supreme.

So, the bird, thinking about his life, went down into the forest.

However, he was too late. The moment the flying whale and the man went past him, he felt an extreme wind pressure that seemed to destroy every part of him.

The torrential wind plucked some of his feathers as he couldn't bear the extreme strength of the flying whale, and he fell into the forest. This time, he plummeted from a higher place, not only from the branches of the trees but from the endless sky.

"As they said, you can only skydive once."

The bird chirped as he accepted his fate of maybe dying because of this disaster—the disaster of being weak.

His descent was fast. He was like a drop of rain gaining speed towards the ground. But, by some mysterious luck, something caught him.

What caught him was a bed of silk as he fell into the hazel sea of trees.

"Am I dreaming?"

The bird chirped as he started to exit from the trance of accepting death.

However, before he could realize what was happening, he was already stuck inside the white crystal webs of spiders.

'I'm stuck inside a spider web!'

The bird groaned as he thought of becoming dinner over again, this time by the spiders.

Nonetheless, he noticed that not a single spider came.

So, he tried looking for any predators awaiting their meal, but he couldn't find one. Then, the bird slowly moved and tried to free himself, but to no avail.

'I think I'm stuck for now.'

The bird thought in agony while the image of a flood of spiders troubled him.

***

Western Beaches of Weathered Forest.

Lord Bow summoned five tornadoes as he attacked two undead monsters. The first one was the monster from earlier, while another monster popped into the picture. It was an undead cobra with wings. It was fifteen meters long and was at least two meters thick. It had a bone blade on its tail as it breathed poison gas.

"I hope Duke Kilron's safe."

Lorb Bow uttered as he fought off two monsters on the rocky beaches of the Western Holt Empire.

"I should've become a Legendary Being."

He said as he fought off the poison gas by summoning a powerful gust of wind through his arrows. Nevertheless, the two monsters wouldn't leave him behind. They were pursuing and trying to kill the man.

Lord Bow, or Grandmaster Juvan, was an infamous assassin from the Kingdom of Azhadena. He was the son of a baron from the countryside. But became an orphan after the Vacian Empire attacked their city. 

He was brought up by the Zulto Federation's Shadow Cult and taught by the Assassin Squad in the art of assassination, and he became skillful in it. He was masterful enough that he became a dreaded name within the continent. People call him "Midnight Killer" as people wouldn't even know about the assassination since he would use the wind to kill people.

However, right now, the Grandmaster of the Shadow Cult was on the verge of dying. 

Then, suddenly, a massive anchor flew before him into the face of one of the undead monsters he was fighting against.

"You're here!"

Lord Bow said as he watched the man with six massive tentacles stand on a flying whale hovering a few meters from the land.