“Nonsense!” The bird replied with a hint of dismay. “Listen up, young lady. Do you really understand the situation you’re in? Alive or dead, those people will never think any differently of you. In fact, if you disappear, I bet they’ll just be glad to be rid of you,” he spat.
She stiffened.
“If you stay here, you’ll be alone forever—never see anyone, never speak to anyone—until the day you die. Is that what you want?”
Alone forever? Until I die?
She had never truly believed she would one day be allowed to leave the tower, though she might have hoped it. And yet, when she heard that same cold, hard truth from someone else, she was suddenly struck by how much it terrified her. Chills rushed through her from head to toe.
“I…” She took a step closer, her legs shaky and unsteady.
“If you’re that worried about being useful to people, there are all sorts of things you could help out with in the outside world!” the bird raised its voice, trying to persuade her. “Aren’t you curious?”
If he’s telling the truth, and there really is someone out there who wants me…
Pure curiosity welled up inside her, overflowing from the depths of her heart.
“Sir Bird, I…!” she began, but as she reached out to touch the bird’s wings, an invisible force blasted her away, leaving her on her behind. When she raised her head, the bird in front of her was different from the one that had just been sitting there.
“Uh-oh, I can hear some sorta commotion outside. The guards must’ve noticed me somehow. …Oh, my bad,” he said when he noticed the girl on the floor. “I guess I knocked you away when I changed back into my original form.”
The bird used his beak to help her up. There was no doubt in her mind that this bird was the same owner of the low voice, however he was now so big that he could probably carry the girl’s whole bed.
“Come on, we gotta get out of here. You can ride on my back. You are coming with me, aren’t you?” the bird said as he bobbed down politely, drawing his wings in so it would be easier for her to climb up.
“…Yes. Please take me with you, Sir Bird.”
In reply, his black, round eyes narrowed, and he smiled—or at least, looked like he did.
The bird’s feathers were soft and fluffy, which made sitting on his back surprisingly comfortable. She wasn’t quite sure what to hold on to and grabbed some long feathers sprouting from his forehead. Apparently he didn’t like that, because he promptly instructed her to wrap her arms around his neck instead. Just as they were about to leave, she realized there was a glaring flaw in his plan.
“But, how are we going to get out?” A sudden worry hit her. “The doors are locked, and they said there’s a barrier around the tower—”
“From Master Charlie’s perspective, you can’t even call that thing a barrier. Now, are you ready? Hold on tight!” he warned her before spreading both of his wings out. Their huge span seemed to envelop the room entirely, filling the space with a whirl of feathers. Where her body was flush against his, she could feel his muscles shifting beneath the plumage.
“Here’s how you do it!” he grunted as he took off.
He kicked the floor to gain momentum, then leapt toward the tiny window. Surely, there was no way they would fit. The girl squeezed her eyes shut and braced herself for impact—but it never came. What greeted her instead was the embrace of wind and dying sunlight on her skin.
The setting sun blazed above her head. There was no floor, no walls, and no ceiling. Somehow, her body felt far lighter than it had a moment ago.
“W-We’re flying!” she exclaimed in amazement. The wind was blowing in her face, but she didn’t dare close her eyes again.
“Hahaha! That’ll give ’em something to clean up,” the bird laughed.
Sure enough, when the girl looked behind them, she saw that there was now a hole where the window had been, and the walls of the tower were crumbling down. Far below that, there were soldiers on the ground rushing around its base in a blind panic.
“The criminal’s getting away!”
“Wh-What’s with that huge bird?!”
“Is that—a roc?”
“Like the one from legend? It can’t be.”
“Never mind that! The tower’s collapsing!”
Both the tower and the soldiers’ voices faded away into the distance. The bird flew past the town and the castle before she even had a chance to process what she was seeing, until the endless blue of the ocean overtook her entire field of vision.
“This is wonderful…! I completely forgot what the outside world was like,” she marveled. She drew in the biggest breath she could, and salty sea air filled every cranny of her lungs.
“This is nothing. I mean, if my body were the world, your country would amount to no more than a single feather,” he said.
The girl had been living in a minuscule room in a tiny country; for the first time, she truly understood just how small her existence had been.
“Thank you for this, Sir Bird. I always wanted to see the outside world again.” She smiled.
“Don’t go thanking me just yet. You see that magic circle?”
Straight ahead, she saw a glowing, golden, circular pattern floating in the sky.
“That’s what a magic circle looks like?”
“Yup, and we’re gonna dive into it. It might feel a bit strange, but only for a few seconds. As it’s your first time, you’d better close your eyes,” he warned.
He began to fly even faster, and she squeezed her eyes shut as advised. The moment they plunged into the glowing ring, a most bizarre sensation overcame her. It felt as though gravity was fluctuating, or as if space itself was warping around her.
“You can open them now,” the bird said.
When she opened her eyes, she saw a vast expanse of green flourishing beneath them. The forest was so magnificent that she had to wonder if it was just as boundless as the ocean they had been flying over a moment ago.
“We’re here. There’ll be a sudden drop, so hold on tight,” the bird announced.
They landed in a clearing. She looked around to see a lovely wooden house, a little annex, a snug kitchen garden, and a well. It was a scene from a picture book, come to life. Then, she saw the slender, golden silhouette of a man standing peacefully amidst the trees, as if he were being embraced by their boughs.
The bird lowered himself so she could slide off his back. The ground was pleasantly cool under her bare feet, but completely different from the chill of the stone flooring she was used to. The soft yet sturdy feel of the earth was an entirely new sensation.
“Is this where that man you mentioned lives? Master Charlie?” she asked curiously.
“That’s right. Hey, Master Charlie!” the bird called out toward the golden silhouette, and the man turned to them.
He was tall, and young, with long, golden hair. The strands fell to his waist and shone brightly in the sunlight. He wore a long, white robe, which trailed across the ground, and looked at them with kind, jade-green eyes.
He was a strikingly beautiful man. The girl was instantly captivated by those mesmerizing eyes. For some reason, however, he also had a very familiar air about him.
“Welcome back, Ark. Is that girl…?” He gestured toward her.
“Yup. She can use magic, and she wants to help out. Just what you asked for,” the bird said, sounding pleased. At some point, he had transformed back into his smaller form, and was now perched on the man’s shoulder.