Falling Star

After our dinner, I retreated to the rooftop where there was a large open balcony. It was around 7.30pm, the world was being illuminated by the radiant light of the moon and the stars. Their captivating beauty was something I could take my eyes off. Simply staring at these luminescent balls of light lightyears away made me feel at ease. I could feel myself smiling like a fool.

Our parents are hanging out in the living room and drinking and laughing to their heart's content. I was legally allowed to drink now, but I was in no mood. "I thought I might find you here..." A familiar voice called from behind. That foolish smile I had only grew wider seeing Aurora behind me, walking towards me as gracefully as she could. When I looked at her, nothing else compared. No one was better. Not even the stars in the night sky could hold a candle to her radiance.

"Yeah..." I replied, looking back at the sky. "Looking at the sky sets me at ease. Anyway... what are you-" I could not finish my question.

"Before dinner, you tried to kiss me, didn't you?" She asked seriously and directly. Her bluntness caught me off-guard. I looked at her in shock, blood rushing to my head and my face. I could feel my face heat up from embarrassment. While I'm stumbling like an idiot, Aurora as always is calm and composed. She was staring out into the vast sea, not looking at me even after she asked. "Well?Did you?" She asked once more.

I hesitated for awhile, unsure if I really wanted to admit it. However, since we were in this position, I suppose there was no running from it anymore. "Yeah... I did..." I admitted, looking down at the wooden floor.

"Hmmm..." She hummed in response as if expecting that answer. "May I ask why?"

She was being oddly formal, it got me worried. Normally she would just yell "Why?" now she is asking properly. But then, I remembered that she wasn't exactly in a position to be so innocent either. "I... I could ask you the same question!"

Aurora smirked and turned her head slightly to look at me. She did not press further. "Actually," I started once more, which makes her give her full attention to me this time. "I've been meaning to ask..." Aurora tilted her head like a dog, waiting for me to spill it.

Before I could open my mouth again, I felt such a strong gust of wind, I thought that we had been caught in a typhoon. The wind caused my clothes to catch the air like sails on a ship and I had to use all my might just to brace myself and not get blown away. It seems Aurora felt it too, she had her hands in front of her, covering her face from the furious gale.

This wind howled into the night like a wolf, the umbrella on the roof began to sway and was almost blown away. I used my earth magic to root it to the ground and formed a barrier around Aurora and I. The wind finally no longer affected us. We both heaved sighs of relief and looked out the transparent crystalline barrier I formed. Trees were being bent like matchsticks, almost to he break point, the water in the sea also began to conform to the wind's demands.

"We escape one natural disaster and land smack dab in the middle of another one... seriously..." I said with immense exasperation. After a few minutes, the furious wind finally stopped, and the world around us went back to normal. I dropped the barrier and overlooked the beach. Surprisingly, nothing had changed. The benches despite not being rooted to the ground were still in the exact same place. Trees returned to their original shape.

"Wait! Look there!" Aurora pointed to the open sea. At first, I didn't see anything. Until I noticed a shadowed figure falling at immense speed onto the sandy beach. My eyes widened and something inside me snapped. "What is that?" Aurora wondered. Without hesitation, I jumped off the roof with all my strength, making a slope in the sand for me to slide gracefully. I then proceeded to use my speed and catch the figure just before it hit the ground, saving it from death.

I panted heavily, feeling heat course through my body as my bare feet dug into the sand. I looked behind and saw small fragments of glass left behind from the heat of the lightning. I sat down, feeling the exhausted by the effort I just put in. Less than a second ago, I was on the roof of the villa. Now, I was sitting 5 centimetres away from the sea, listening as the waves crash.

I peeked at the thing I just caught in my hand, it felt smaller than human. When I saw what it was, my eyes went wide. Brown and white feathers were the first thing I saw, followed by a yellow beak and clawed talons. It was a falcon. I felt like everything around me stopped. I examined the falcon further, realising that it's wing was injured. It was probably hurt from the wind, he would not be able to fly, causing it to fall like that.

I don't know how long I was just sitting there, but I could not help but just watch the majestic animal in my hand. I heard shuffling coming from behind me. I turned and saw Aurora jogging to me, wearing her windbreaker to cover her up. I smiled at her and showed her the sleeping avian in my arms, cradling it like a baby. It was a rather small falcon, only the size of an infant.

Her usually cold expression broke and lightened, a wide smile plastered itself onto her face. She bent down and carefully caressed its head. I stood, still smiling and quietly took the falcon to her room. I jumped up and through her window, while Aurora went downstairs to get bandages for the falcon.

I put a cloth on the table in her room and laid the bird there. Its eyes are still closed and it was lying still, unmoving. It appeared that only its right wing was injured. Its feathers were ruffled and it looked like it had been struggling for a while. Aurora slowly open the door and silently closed it. She softly walked over. She broke into another smile seeing the falcon resting peacefully.

To our surprise, my hand started glowing a warm brown colour. My eyes widened when I realised what was happening. Light burst forth like a shooting star, moulding itself into the shape of a woman. Gaia stood before us. She walked over and tenderly overlooked the injured falcon. "Gaia?" I asked. It was rare that one of the avatars would come out like this. This definitely surprised me.

Gaia did not respond. She reached out her hand, lightly touching the head of the falcon. Her curious expression slowly changed and a smile crept on her lips. She knew something. "Excuse the intrusion master. I was just so heart-warmed that you would take in this injured animal. Many would disregard it and leave it to die." She said, clutching her heart. Her face was now melancholic.

"You almost seemed surprised, Gaia. Why?" I asked. Meanwhile, I helped Aurora wrap up the falcon's wing.

"You could say so, master. The previous man who held this title was no where near as sympathetic as you were. In fact, because of his lack of sympathy, he was... forcefully removed." She said bitterly.

We let the falcon rest on the cushion, now our full attention was vested in Gaia. "Explain." I requested.

"The previous Progenitor of Dragons... killed one of his own avatars."