Eve Story | Judgment Fable | Ella and Yoru | Episode 73: Flying
I was going to fly in the sky.
If I fall, it will probably hurt.
Even so, I stood next to Ella.
Ella and Yoru Episode 73
[Flying]
I finished my preparations.
There is nothing else I need.
I took off everything unnecessary and let out a deep breath.
Seeing me like that, Ella laughed.
"Oh, are you leaving Silve behind?"
She must have noticed that Silve was gone from my waist.
"Yeah. It would be a disaster if I dropped it from the sky, and besides..."
When I stopped speaking, Ella looked at me curiously.
"...If I leave Silve here, I can come back even if I fall."
"Yoru. That's mean."
Ella, having grasped the meaning, pouted in dissatisfaction.
"In that case, me too."
Ella took Shiro and Kuro off her waist and placed them gently next to Silve.
"Now I have a reason to come back, even if I have to insist on it."
Saying that, Ella gently stroked the two swords before looking at me.
――My guide is you, Ella.
The thought that was about to escape my lips was tucked away deep in my heart.
"Then, let's begin."
At Dike's voice, Ella and I looked at each other and nodded firmly.
Many residents were watching over us as we stood in the center of the plaza.
When Seize began the incantation, blue light spilled out from the dragon stone.
The radiance intensified rapidly, and in response, Ella's body began to glow as well.
A dazzling light enveloped the plaza, and people raised voices of surprise while shielding their eyes.
When the light finally subsided, the figure of Ella standing there had changed.
Long, dragon-like wings had sprouted from her back, and scales had appeared on parts of her skin.
Two curved horns grew on her head, and a long, magnificent tail swayed behind her.
"Ella. Your tail is cool."
San, who was watching nearby, had sparkling eyes.
"Sister. Is that what you're focusing on?"
Nico chimed in calmly.
Ella looked at her lengthened claws and widened her eyes.
"Huh? Something has increased quite a bit."
She touched the horns on her head, flapped her wings experimentally, and then looked back to check her tail.
That tail struck the ground, and the ground shook with a thud.
"Hahaha. That's a surprise. A magnificent lizard has been born."
Rose laughed while staring intently at Ella.
"I'm sure you understand, but if you find the river, please record the distance and direction as accurately as possible."
Dike handed me a small memo tied with a braided cord and a pen.
I hung it around my neck and nodded.
"Ella. Please don't drop Yoru!"
When Oto called out brightly, Ella flapped her wings vigorously in response.
A fierce wind whipped up in the plaza, and the residents covered their faces from the dust.
"Yoru. Let's go."
As she said that, Ella held me with both arms.
I instinctively clung to Ella's neck, and a cool sensation transmitted through the scales.
"Yoru, you're choking me..."
Ella said jokingly while looking at the sky.
Looking up, the blue sky stretched out endlessly.
Every time her wings flapped, my body lifted lightly.
The next moment, we floated high into the air.
"We're off."
Before that voice could reach my ears, we were soaring high above.
I kept my eyes tightly shut while clinging to Ella.
It was only for a brief moment.
When I slowly opened my eyes, we were between the blue sky and the yellow desert that stretched on forever.
I looked down fearfully.
The back of the turtle, which had been so huge, looked small above the desert.
"Ella. We're flying."
I couldn't help but say the obvious.
Ella looked at me and smiled.
"Yeah. We're flying."
Ella was flapping her wings as if to stay in the air.
I narrowed my eyes and stared beyond the horizon.
――It's not this way.
As if following my gaze, Ella slowly changed direction.
Even after circling the sky, there was no sign of an oasis, let alone a river.
"Ella. Which way?"
Even when I asked, Ella didn't seem to know either.
"Come to think of it."
As if remembering something, Ella raised her voice.
"There was a shadow cast on the trees near the river I saw."
I widened my eyes as I heard those words.
"Time-wise, it was dawn... and the shadow was stretching in the opposite direction of the river..."
Ella looked up at the sky to check the position of the sun.
"That way!"
Saying that, she began to fly toward the east.
The wind struck my cheeks.
It seemed we were moving at an incredible speed, and I felt like I couldn't breathe.
"Ella. It's hard to breathe..."
When I told her, the flying speed gradually dropped.
"Sorry, sorry. I'm still not used to this."
When the speed dropped, I felt a little more at ease.
I looked in the direction Ella was staring, but the desert landscape still stretched out there.
"We've come quite far, but..."
Just as I was about to say that, Ella's flying speed dropped suddenly.
"Yoru! Over there!!"
Following Ella's gaze, I saw something shining in the distance.
As we approached, the light gradually took shape.
It appeared clearly before my narrowed eyes.
"It's a river!!"
A great river stretching across the edge of the desert was reflecting the sunlight and shining.
As we approached the riverbank, Ella began to descend slowly.
As soon as Ella's feet touched the ground, I let go of her hand and ran to the river.
Eventually, the sound of flowing water reached my ears.
I kicked off my shoes and put my feet in, feeling the cold and pleasant sensation of the water.
"It really was there."
Ella, who had walked over slowly, muttered while staring at the river.
When I turned around, I found myself hugging Ella.
"Thank you, Ella. We found the river!"
Perhaps embarrassed by my sudden action, Ella scratched her cheek with her finger and said,
"Let's let everyone know."
I nodded vigorously.
