That night I had trouble sleeping.

Instead I laid awake watching the fireflies perform their captivating dance over the inky waters. It has been a few days since I've seen them last, not since the storm has came and gone. While the fireflies nightly ritual is charming, I miss the relaxing ambiance of the driving rain. The deep bellows of the storm were wondrous in their ability to put a halt to my wayward thoughts The same ones that currently run rampant throughout my mind, demanding my attention like a spoiled toddler intolerant of patience. Tomorrow is the big day after all. Naturally I have a plan ready, but what I fear is the unexpected.

Ignorant to my insomnia inducing plight, Koko sleeps soundly against my chest, both of his frontal paws wrapped snugly around the opal at my neck. Where his tiny fingers meet the face of the gemstone, a nearly invisible trace of jade-touched light is drawn out and flows towards the slumbering figure. With every deep inhale, the flow waxes, only for it to wane to nothing more than a faint existence as he exhales. The lifelike quality the force displays is nothing short of uncanny, and is the exact sort of unknown phenomenon that I feel wholly unprepared for.

Every time I have seen Koko display his abilities, I have done my best to keep a careful eye on what was about to happen. However, no amount of deliberate observations have any hope of uncovering his secrets, as each instance has rudely disobeyed any sort of practical basis of fundamental reason. More troublesome than this, is that this unknown force is surprisingly abundant in this new world I find myself in. It's just that Koko is the only one I have seen so far that manifests this force, this energy, into something actionable. If I were to spend enough time down here, I would bet that my fellow inhabitants of this cave have similar capabilities.

Point being, chief among them I'm worried about is Big Jonas. I can't help but feel like I am making a fatal gamble in underestimating him. While I don't like using this word, my experiences thus far haven't eluded to any closer definition, and I am worried that he is capable of magic similar to Koko. The fact that he might also be able to conjure up similar, innately mysterious and unpredictable forces, terrifies me. And to think, Koko is just a child. What would someone of his, no doubt ancient stature, be capable of? Could he bring this entire cave down upon us if he really wanted to?

I ruffle the crown of long, sleek feathers that adorn the back of my head with my claws. A habit I have developed from all the anxiety and stress I have been piling up.

Should I resign to my fate and survive long enough for my wing to heal? It would be the safest option, and my previous guess that the lake didn't have enough fish to warrant my stay has so far proven false. To think that my escape from this dull underground world was so close, yet so far.

Is it even safe out there?

There's a thought I haven't spared any time to consider. So far in terms of dangerous creatures, there was that two-headed demonic looking eel, and obviously that tyrant that guards the exit. While I don't know what Koko will look like as an adult, I can fully imagine what his species might be capable of thanks to their air magic. Thinking on the other species I have encountered reminds me of that strange lizard's existence, and I'm not talking about his questionable behaviors.

In disturbing detail, I vividly remember his last moments, and his peculiar change of appearance from when he stole my opal, compared to after I retrieved him from the lake. In that less than 24 hour span, he developed brutish scutes along his back and those two long whiskers… There was also the matter of his mysterious death. As far as I could tell, there were no marks on him and I remember checking inside his mouth to see if he maybe choked on a fish or something, but that was not the case. And lest I forget the gruesome discovery of that flesh sac that developed around my stone, the fleshy veins pulsing with azure life force not unlike the jade light Koko is drawing out of my opal right now…

My heart beats faster as the pieces fall into place.

Then the lizard was nothing but scales and bones within a few hours. Another mystery I dismissed for fear of wasting time back then. But then I think of my own body, how during my experiments with the fungal creepers I discovered that I am somehow a source of this energy, this essence I'll call it. I recall when I tried to go back to the cavern I felt crushed and sapped due to some invisible force. Thinking back on it, was it my essence being drawn out of me? After all, I haven't seen any other opals that absorb the essence I radiate unconsciously. I did wake up in a chamber absolutely filled with them after all, I just didn't think it might be because of me.

So there is a strong possibility that my essence can create physical changes in my surroundings. If that is the case, is it possible that the lizard ingested too much and that's why it died? If it is a catalyst for energy in Koko's case, then I don't see why it can't cause spontaneous growth, which would explain the physical changes the lizard went through. It would also explain how these blasted mushrooms never seem to dwindle in number, as I look at the growing number of fungi making their nightly ring around me. But they always keep their distance, never directly touching me… Never touching me… The feather!

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Back then I thought the mycelium roots that reached out to it drained what essence they could out of it before realizing there was more energy in the stone. Considering what happened with those roots and the lizard, is too much of it poisonous? That has to be the reason! As for the reason why only bones and scales were left, perhaps its body was flooded with too much essence, I mean the veins themselves were pulsing with what looked to be a liquid version of it. Considering that vacuum I left behind from the cave of my origins… the lizards remains must have been completely absorbed by whatever thing was feeding off my essence.

I shudder thinking about them, those giant rapacious roots pulsating lively with azure life. Whatever sort of plant it is, it must have been feeding off my residual energies for quite a while. And if I were to make a guess based off the ruins, I would surmise a long, long time.

But none of this explains why I give off this impossible aura or how every creature in here seems hellbent on getting a taste of it. I have no knowledge of this in my past life, absolutely none. While I can't access any of my memories, I know at least that magic was a fallacy. Illusions and trickery, not something as real as I find it right now!

Sigh

For now I pluck away Koko's paws from my necklace, taking my conjectures into immediate consideration. I thought about picking him and moving him elsewhere just to be safe, a lonely thought for sure, but I don't see him drawing out any light while he is curled next to me. So I think he's fine for right now. Taking a long look at his figure doesn't reveal any changes as well, none that I can notice for at least. If I discover otherwise, I resolve myself to keep him away before it gets any worse.

So what does all of this mean with my new theory?

If I'm connected to all these mysterious occurrences, it would mean that the essence I give off can either cause physical changes or growths, or manifest itself into magic. If that is truly the case, then maybe I have a chance against Big Jonas. If I'm lucky, and I'm not wrong about my theory, then perhaps he got so freakishly huge because that's how his body processes essence. But now that I'm thinking along those lines, is it possible that Big Jonas swings both ways with essence? Regardless of what he is ultimately capable of, I am far more relieved compared to earlier when all of these factors were completely unknown.

Speaking of, if I'm the source of all this nonsense, shouldn't I be able to manipulate it in some sense? Thinking of how Koko does it, he always holds his paws out in front of him and his face scrunches up in forced concentration. Is he literally just willing air into existence?

Suddenly I'm curiously eager and excited to put my hypothesis to the test. I focus intently on a small brown pebble that is less than a foot away from me. Ignoring everything else that could serve as a distraction, I focus intently on just the pebble. For now lets try pushing it. I'm not exactly sure what I should be doing at this point, so I sheepishly decide to try imagining wind first. I picture in my head a gust of wind similar to what Koko always makes and imagine it carrying the pebble away.

…

Imagining a pebble flying away!

…

Nothing.

Alright so now that I feel a bit silly, lets try something else.

O' humble wind, I beseech thee! Come forth and display upon this earthly rubble your tempestuous gale!

...

Please?

…

Now I feel extremely ridiculous. How the hell does Koko do it? I guess he always puts his paws where he wants magic to appear, maybe if I position my wing thusly…

Once more, I focus on the rock and imagine a gust of wind carrying it away. When that fails I try to force my will upon the rock, forcing air into figurative existence.

Again, nothing.

Caaaw! I let out in the spur of my frustration.

Startled by the sudden noise, Koko jumps up, his back arched and hairs standing on end. He looks around surprisingly alert for someone sleeping so peacefully mere moments ago. I just pat him with my wing which elicits a very confused and delayed reaction from Koko. What, have you never been pet before? Come here you cute little squirt!

I topple him onto his sides with my claws and proceed to tickle his belly, which earns me a surprised mewing sound out of him. I swear you make the strangest noises little dude. Encouraged by the precious sounds he is making, I continue my assault on his chubby little belly. At first he tries to resist my playful attack, even sending out blasts of air that I suppress my jealousy for. Pretty soon he gives in and allows me to scratch his back, and soon after the secret area behind the ears. The raw joy he radiates when I scratch that last spot is practically infectious. The mild bitterness I felt earlier from failing to figure out the secrets behind his magic are now completely gone.

What do you think Koko? Should we stay here for a month or two until my wing heals or should we risk it all to go explore this wild world?

He just looks up towards me with an expression of "Why did you stop?" In complete disregard to my one-sided mental conversation, he stands up on his rear leg and tries to aim his head towards the claws at the end of my wing, quite obvious what he has in mind.

Yeah, yeah, I hear you pal. I lower my wing over his head and scratch his new favorite spot.

With no danger to respond to, he lets out a big yawn and returns to his spot against my soft feathery chest. It doesn't take long for sounds of slumber to come from his direction once more.

Now I'm envious of his magical abilities and his capacity to fall asleep instantly.

Oh well.

I let out a long, drawn out yawn myself, and finally feel weariness creep up on me. The warm, content, feeling I have from playing with Koko is enough to shoo away those bothersome thoughts from earlier that denied me a well-earned rest.

At last I am able to put my head down, using Koko as a very comfortable pillow, and allow my consciousness to float away towards the world of dreams.