(Kyla’s POV)

“What’s the big deal?” Pyro said, rolling his eyes. “It’s one fucking bird and it isn’t bothering anyone. We’ll deal with it if it becomes a problem.”

“That isn’t what the report said.” I pressed.

“What report? I didn’t see any report.”

I tossed a tablet with the information onto his desk. “It crushed a velociter, attacked students, and it has three eggs.”

Pyro glanced at the report briefly then leaned back in his seat and swiveled around to look out of his window. “Listen, Kyla, I admire your dedication, but being a hero doesn’t mean running at every threat. It means saving people when they’re in danger. That’s what they notice, that’s what they appreciate. You understand, right?”

I did. He only cared about glory and recognition. “So you want me to what; just ignore an ecosystem that’s been devastated until the eggs hatch or the mom runs out of food and starts raiding cities?” I asked as I walked around the desk so I could see his face.

He sighed deeply and shook his head. “Do you want to be a hero?”

“Yes.”

“Do you want people to love you?”

“Yes.”

“Then you want to leave this alone, at least for now.”

“Okay, I understand your position.” I said curtly.

With a quick pivot, I made for the door and left his office. I understood what he said, that didn’t mean I agreed. If we waited for a zephyr to attack before doing anything about it, thousands, maybe even millions would die. But if I killed it now, all of those lives could be saved. No amount of praise would convince me to delay, not with peoples lives at stake.

“Kyla,” Pyro called as I twisted the handle to leave. “We haven’t had a private session in a while, why don’t you come by this evening.”

I shook my head. “I already have plans.” Then I left his office and went to make my preparations.

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Flight was a perk of increased control and understanding. Spirit energy was everywhere, filling the atmosphere and flowing endlessly. Like being in a pool of water, one only had to manipulate the flow appropriately to propel oneself forward.

The actual process was different and done entirely with my core, but by moving the energy around my body, I could take flight as easily as a bird. The only limit to the ability was my own ability to stay focused.

Flying was significantly faster than a velociter so once I had what I needed, I stepped out of the school and took off. It wasn’t long before I reached the hallowed grounds.

The zephyr sat perched on her eggs looking out over the valley. She must’ve noticed me, but she didn’t seem to react to my presence.

As I glided closer to the beast and she only stirred a bit and yawned. She seemed completely relaxed which didn’t seem consistent with her behavior in the report I read. Something was definitely off. I considered that maybe the presence of the spirit reaper that day made her uneasy.

Whatever the case, I couldn’t just leave her here. Even if I didn’t kill her. I needed to make her leave the SAFE zone. I wasn’t exactly sure how to go about that.

“Hello, Ms… Bird—”

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The creature parted its beak with a shrill chirp that sent small ripples through the air. A month ago the force of her voice would’ve been enough to frighten me off, but now, I was confident enough to play her game.

“You need to leave!” I yelled, drawing on the ambient energy and infusing it into my voice.

Depending on how it was applied, the technique could be used for persuasion or to invoke fear. I didn’t think a beast would be persuaded by soothing words and kindness so I went with the aggressive approach.

As expected, mommy zephyr didn’t like it. Her feathers puffed out and she spread her wings to show off her full size. The beast looked larger than any creature I’d ever seen, but I suspected most of its girth was just puffed out feathers.

“You aren’t scaring me. Size isn’t everything you know.” As I spoke, a fist sized orb of fire appeared on my palm. I thrust it at a nearby mountain; the peak exploded, leaving a crescent shaped stump behind.

I bit my lip and winced with resignation. “Whoops! Guess I’m still learning my strength.”

Fortunately the mountain was probably uninhabited thanks to the zephyr’s presence.

My display of power proved enough to frighten the beast off. She leapt into the air, abandoning her eggs, as she raced away from me.

“That was easier than I expected.”

The way Pyro carried on about effort and reward, I thought getting rid of the bird would take more, but all I had to do was blow up a mountain. The eggs still had to be dealt with though, and they were entirely too large to move.

After a moment’s hesitation, I gave them the same fate as the mountain. The shells burst apart, sending liquid and shell fragments across the valley. The nest of dead trees and bushes made nice kindling; it caught fire in the explosion and burned away what remained of the zephyr babies' half formed bodies.

I should’ve gone straight back to Sky Haven, but I figured since I was here already, I may as well look for evidence of Virgil.

Finding the tunnel entrance was more difficult than I expected, even knowing generally where it was located. The deep dark hole in the cliff face was almost completely covered by vines and shrubs, almost as if someone had made an effort to hide it. I only noticed because my extra sensitive ears were bothered by the sound of whistling wind around the cave mouth.

I started to summon a blazing orb, but I recalled mention of a flammable liquid covering the cave. “Illuminate” I cast instead as I pulled out a CAD. “Didn’t think I’d need one of these again, guess it’s good I didn’t throw it away.”

The cave network was a thousand times more complex than I was expecting. Without a map or some way to navigate, it would be easy to get lost inside. I didn’t have either, but I could at least rely on sound as a guide. Deep inside the cave, there seemed to be something, tapping, or was it beeping? I couldn’t tell yet, but I followed the noise.

As I got closer, I realized it was both. There was a steady pattern to it, two slow taps followed three quick successive beeps. Tap… tap… beep beep beep, tap… tap… beep beep beep. The sounds repeated over again and again. They weren’t stationary though, unless maybe it was an echo? It didn’t matter. There was something far more interesting in the cave.

The cross hatched scrapes which covered the tunnels, smoother into a more purposeful flat surface. I didn’t notice any of the black liquid, but this part of the tunnel was covered in some kind of hard crystalline enamel.

Scattered remains of human looking machines littered the tunnels like guts poured over a battlefield. Further in, the dim glow of amethyst glinted on every surface. Runes carved into the walls, ceilings and floors, hummed with energy.

The noise was just around the corner now. Tap… tap… beep beep beep.

There wasn’t much that could pose a threat to me now, but my heart raced with anticipation as I peered around the bend.

It was a dead end. At the end of the hall a door on the right closed with a metallic tap. Then on the left, another door shut. Tap. There was a moment of stillness then three beeps and both doors slid open.

A fresh breath relaxed my tight chest. There was something inside the room on the right, but I couldn’t see what. It had a blue glow, like a holoscreen, but it was different, alive. I approached with caution, slipping through the door at just the right moment, but only after getting a better view inside the room.

There was nothing else of note inside the room. A few disheveled desks, a toppled chair, one broken glass, and a glowing blue…worm?

It lacked form or true substance, I could tell as much just looking at it. The way it pulsed, expanding and contracting like a muscle, warping the space around itself to move, seemed to confirm it was alive. Tentatively I reached toward it.

Something tapped my shoulder, it was sharp like a claw, but when I looked there was nothing and no one there. The blue glow disappeared from the room. Turning back around, I saw that the blue thing was gone, vanished into the air or teleported away; whatever happened, the creature wasn’t here anymore, and I wasn’t totally sure it ever had been.