Chapter 8: Birds Nest
Soon the trio arrived at a large village that looked advanced. and also guarded by a person with wings and feathery hair.
They were holding large spears. "Bird people, they look interesting"
"Am i not interesting enough?" Kaelith asked.
Xixe chuckled, her purple eyes gleaming under the pink sky. Allen ignored the Baecho girl and answered Kaelith. "Yes you are much interesting than these people, you are actually unique"
Kaelith turned her head away quickly, her feather-like black hair swaying slightly as she tried to hide the faint pink tint creeping across her pale cheeks. "W-Well, of course, I'm unique! Took you long enough to notice."
Allen smirked, but before he could fire off another comment, one of the winged guards stepped forward, his sharp gaze locked on the trio. The towering figure's wings spread slightly, feathers glinting in the soft light filtering through the pink sky.
He stood in front of Allen and gazed him down, Allen locked eyes with him both of them were seemingly... glaring at one another. "What business do you have with Kaelith outsider"
"None of your business" Allen replied almost instantly.
The guard was obviously angered by that statement, The guard raised his spear and Xixe got defensive, her eyes glowed a strange purple and then a blue.
The atmosphere was getting heated and Kaelith interfered before something happens. "Hey all of you calm down, we don't need to fight"
Xixe hesitated for a moment but soon her eyes returned to normal, Allen roller his eyes but he did back off. "Fine I won't beat the living hell out of him"
"Allen it's not helping you if you talk like that"Kaelith said as she moved forward.
"Hey let us in" She said commandingly.
The guard raised an eyebrow and then raised his other hands and put it on Kaeliths hair. "Kid, how many times do I have to tell you to stop talking to me like that?!"
Kaelith froze as the guard's hand rested atop her head, her crimson eyes widening slightly before narrowing into an intense glare. Her feather-like hair twitched under his palm, almost like a bird fluffing its feathers in agitation.
"Kid?" she repeated, her voice dangerously low. "Did you just call me kid again, Lieran?"
Lieran, the guard, didn't seem fazed. His golden eyes remained sharp as he ruffled Kaelith's hair slightly, a smug expression on his face. "You might be a genius with machines, Kaelith, but you're still just a fledgling to me. Now, what's the deal with these two? Outsiders aren't allowed past the gate without clearance."
Kaelith slapped his hand away with a growl. "First of all, don't touch me! Second, these two saved my life—or at least helped enough to count as saving it. And third, they're with me, and I'm taking responsibility for them. So step aside, Lieran."
Lieran studied her for a long moment, his wings folding back slightly. His confident smirk faded into something more neutral as he let out a sigh. "Fine. But Kaelith, you know the rules. If anything happens because of them, it's on your head."
Kaelith crossed her arms, her posture defiant. "I'm aware. Now, move."
With a reluctant nod, Lieran stepped aside, motioning for the other guards to stand down. The path ahead opened, leading into the heart of the village.
As the trio walked past, Allen couldn't resist. "You've got guts, Kaelith. I'll give you that."
Kaelith huffed, her cheeks still faintly pink from the encounter. "Lieran's always been like that—a big feathered jerk. He thinks because he's older, he can treat me like a kid forever."
Xixe, walking with her usual detached calm, spoke up. "He respects you, though. The way he backed down wasn't fear—it was trust."
Kaelith blinked, glancing over at Xixe with surprise. "You… really think so?"
Xixe gave a small nod. "Yes."
Allen raised an eyebrow. "Huh, well, that's unexpectedly insightful, Xixe."
"Really? It's just normal observations and a simple conversation" She said with a smile.
"...You are a complex being Xixe but I am not too far from that myself" Allen smiled as they continued walking.
Allen was impressed by the architecture, the way they integrated the nature around them with these buildings almost seem as if it was made by a force of nature.
The people looked at the teo strangers, Allen could feel their suspicion and also…was it fear?. He ofcourse wouldn't know that, he isn't an empath but he does get that strange feeling of sensing other peoples emotions.
[You have began to discover WILL, points for unlocking WILL has decreased to 8.5 points]
"Oh?",Allen was suprised by the message, so he could learn WILL without wasting points, that's good.
Soon the trio arrived at a house nestled against the edge of a cascading crystal waterfall. The structure looked both organic and mechanical, with smooth metallic surfaces interwoven with sturdy tree roots and glowing veins of energy running along the walls. Strange wind-powered devices spun gently on the rooftop, and soft blue light seeped from the windows.
Kaelith stopped in front of the door, her crimson eyes scanning a circular panel embedded beside it. With a swift motion, she pressed her hand against it. The panel lit up, humming softly before the door slid open with a faint hiss.
"Kaelith, you finally came back after hours your makings your mother worried about you."Kaelith froze mid-step as a voice echoed from inside the house. It was soft yet firm, carrying a weight of both authority and concern. Stepping into view was a woman with sweeping golden wings and feather-like hair similar to Kaelith's, though streaked with silver. Her piercing crimson eyes locked onto Kaelith as she stepped into the light of the workshop entrance.
"Mother…" Kaelith muttered, her confident demeanor cracking slightly as she shifted uncomfortably.
The woman, clearly Kaelith's mother, crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. "Do you know how long you've been gone? And you brought outsiders here without prior clearance?"
Allen stepped forward and gave an exaggerated bow. "Allen, at your service, ma'am. We're the ones who made sure your daughter returned in one piece."
Kaelith's mother's sharp gaze flicked to Allen, then to Xixe, who gave a polite nod. Her expression softened—barely—but it was enough to ease some of the tension.
"Aye whatever, we are having a guest later ao get ready, take your friends to that messy room of yours." She waved her hand nonchalantly.
Kaelith rubbed the back of her neck. "It's my workshop…."
"Sure my little hatchling. Now go on before i change my mind about letting your friends stay." her mother said with a flick of her wings, turning her back to them and disappeared into the house.
Kaelith grumbled something under her breath. "Let's go."
As they entered the door closed behind them, the interior of the house looked impressive, vines were mixed with the walls,glowing with faint bioluminescent energy that pulsed like a heartbeat. Metallic structures intertwined seamlessly with the organic designs, and faint hums of energy resonated through the air. And then they entered her roo-i mean workshop.
Kaelith's workshop was a chaotic symphony of metal, glass, and energy. Workbenches were cluttered with half-finished devices, scattered blueprints, and glowing crystals pulsing with faint light. Mechanical limbs and strange contraptions hung from the ceiling, swaying slightly with the gentle breeze coming through a ventilation shaft. The faint smell of oil, ozone, and something sweet lingered in the air.
Allen whistled low, stepping over a pile of gears. "You call this a workshop? Looks more like an inventor's hurricane hit it."
"Yeah yeah, anyways when are you guys leaving this place, you did promise to help me before that though." She asked curiously.
Allen thoughr for a moment, he needed information about this world before he could make a plan. "What kind of people mainly live in this world."
"Oh, well the Avians make up roughly 80% of Festia, the other 20% are humans and Flightless Avians..." At the last words her expression turned a bit gloomy.
Xixe who hasn't talked that much spoke. "Interesting, in my past world only my kind lived there, not many races survive due to the harsh sound waves that occasionally happen at Echo Drift."
"huh really…maybe that's why it became a dead world." Allen nodded his head a he remembered the destroyed atmosphere and earth of echo drift.
"....I don't know what you're talking about and even though I am curious, I need to take off these mechanical wings and see how I can fix it." Kaelith moved to one of the workbenches, her feather-like hair swaying slightly as she picked up a set of tools. Her mechanical wings twitched faintly, emitting a soft hum as she carefully unclasped them from the harness on her back. The metallic appendages folded neatly as she set them on the bench with a clank, exposing her slender frame and her back.
"Oh~ it seems the bird girl is actually strong, how can your back handle that large set of wings" Allen mused as he watched Kaelith meticulously examine the mechanical wings. He had to admit, the design was impressive—sleek yet robust, the kind of innovation he could only dream of in his world.
Kaelith shot him an annoyed look without saying anything, but the faint blush creeping onto her cheeks betrayed her irritation. She didn't answer his question, her focus entirely on her task. With an expert hand, she began disassembling one of the wings, the whir of tiny motors and the click of precision tools filling the air.
"Allen I think we shouldn't distract her...while she is doing that should I teach you about WILL... uhm sorry I didn't propose that In the last three days when we were coming here"
Allen raised an eyebrow at Xixe's sudden change in topic, but the curiosity quickly got the better of him. "WILL, huh? You mentioned it before, but you never really explained it properly."
Xixe smiled. "WILL is the state of mind,body and soul where you impose your 'idea' into reality, Everyone's WILL is different but they all have one thing in common, WILL is a necessary ability in order to unleash the true power of an Artefact, an Artefact is anything created from 'Idea' it is the idea of a creator to create an artefact, and an artefact I'd used by the WILL of both the creator and the user, since both of us have natural [Void Bodies] our WILL is different from normal people's"
Allen's eyes narrowed in understanding as he absorbed Xixe's explanation. The concept was strange but intriguing—so strange that it almost felt like something from a different world entirely. "Wait, so you're telling me that this WILL—it's the force that lets someone shape reality or bring their ideas into existence?"
"Exactly," Xixe replied, her purple eyes glinting with a quiet intensity. "But it's not just about ideas. It's about pushing your mind and spirit into a state where you can truly manipulate the world around you, or at least influence it in ways that others can't. People without it are limited to the physical world—they work with what they can touch, feel, and see. But with WILL, you go beyond that. You mold and shape the unseen."
Allen was silent for a moment, his mind racing with possibilities. It reminded him of something close to magical stories he'd heard as a child, but this was much more grounded, and far more terrifying in its potential.
"So," he said slowly, "if you have this ability, you can use it to power things like… Artefacts?"
Xixe nodded. "Correct. Artefacts are objects imbued with a creator's idea and the WILL to make that idea real. These objects often hold great power, but they're nothing without the WILL behind them. You can't wield an Artefact properly unless you have a strong enough WILL of your own to connect with it."
"This is complex...but I do understand it a bit"
[Your understanding of WILL has increased, price has been reduced to 6.9 points]