Celestial Resonance: A Symphony of Love and War

Chapter 3: Friendship and Reunion

In the passenger area of the ship, Satoshi hands over the potion to Yogita and says, "Arya gave me this for you."

"Huh, what are these glowing blue things in this bottle?" asks Yogita while observing the bottle closely.

"These are meant to be some kind of potion to heal people or something like that. At least, that's what he told me," says Satoshi in a disappointed and embarrassed tone.

"What kind of joke is this? I feel like I want to bury myself underground right now, even though we are on a ship. Why am I the one subjected to Arya's jokes like this? A potion? A healing potion?" thinks Satoshi.

"Potion! Is this high-quality potion really for me?" Yogita exclaims excitedly, tears welling in his eyes.

"I... I suppose," replies the confused Satoshi.

"From the brightness, anyone can tell this potion is very high quality and costly. To possess a bottle like this, one must be truly wealthy and noble. This is the perfect gift one king might give to another. It signifies delicacy, friendship, and diplomatic ties between nations," says Yogita, sounding like some sort of expert.

"Huh?" Satoshi exclaimed in surprise upon hearing him.

"As a pharmacist, I fully agree with the young man," says a middle-aged man, pointing towards Yogita with passion. "It might take thousands of sleepless nights for many researchers to produce such a perfect potion."

"Shouldn't you just drink it?" Satoshi asks with a disbelieving, embarrassed expression, his tone mild.

"My bad, I almost forgot about drinking it after seeing how fine quality this potion is," says Yogita with a silly smile, rubbing the back of his head with his right hand.

Yogita takes a sip of the potion. "It tastes like sweet water full of life-force energy. Currently, I am not feeling anything special. How long will it take to affect me?" Yogita seeks an expert opinion from the pharmacist.

"Based on my 25 years of experience, it will take a minimum of 2 hours for the healing potion to show its effects. However, this can vary depending on the manufacturer and the type of potion. But I've never encountered a potion that tastes like sweet water," explains the middle-aged pharmacist.

"Perhaps I should take another sip," Yogita considers, lifting the potion again. But suddenly, a bright white light envelops him, and he feels a chill coursing through his veins. "What's happening? Am I about to die? Was the potion poisoned?" Yogita wonders.

Everyone shields their eyes from the sudden brightness for a few seconds. When the light subsides, they are shocked to find Yogita completely healed, appearing even more energetic than before. His aura seems clearer, with a noticeable increase in his mana level.

"What kind of potion was this? I feel better and stronger than ever," Yogita asks, amazed.

The potion is designed to heal only 48%. If it were to heal completely, it would unlock the recipient's full potential in life. That's why Arya made it only 48% effective.

"I must go and thank Arya for this potion now. I'm feeling better, so I can help him with his work too," Yogita said as he left for the engine room.

"Has he returned to the engine room yet? How is his treatment of Soravind going?" wonders Satoshi with curiosity and anxiety. He follows Yogita, while the pharmacist still cannot believe what just happened before his eyes.

Yogita pushes the door open with excitement. Walking towards Arya, he holds his hand with both of his hands. "Thank you, my friend. You saved my life again with this high-quality potion. But I can never pay you the price, even if I become your slave for the rest of my life. I am really a poor guy. Tell me how you want me to repay you for your medicine," he says with full gratitude in his eyes.

"The price is very high for my medicine. Are you sure you can pay me for it, my friend?" Arya asks with a smile.

"I already owe my life to you for saving me and my friend earlier. I promise I will do whatever you want me to do to repay some of these debts," says Yogita.

"Then listen carefully to what I want from you. I want to have an eternal friendship with you. Can you take responsibility for it?" Arya asks with his usual smile and glowing eyes.

"Of course, I swear to the celestial guardians of the universe that I will never forget it," says Yogita with tears in his eyes.

"Did you forget that you cannot worship the ancient gods in these regions anymore? The holy order and royal courts will punish me too for being friends with you," Arya says.

"We can talk about it later. But how was your treatment of... " Satoshi begins, but before he can finish, he is interrupted by someone.

"Monster! Monster! There is a huge monster flying above the ship," says someone, breathing too fast due to his run straight to the room.

They look at each other with surprise at the suddenness of the incident. "Big bro, please look after the passengers on the ship. I will stay with Yogita here," says Arya.

"Be careful," says Satoshi as he leaves for the other section of the ship.

"Now I should check this matter by myself," thinks Arya.

"Can you sail alone for now so I can go to the roof to check the situation there?" asks Arya.

"It is not a good idea. Even if you can fight a wolf, it is impossible for you to fight this huge flying monster. I cannot allow you to endanger your life for all of us. We have to leave it to fate now. Nothing can be done anymore," says Yogita.

"Do not worry, it's just an oversized bird. It reminds me of my bird. I will just go and take a quick peek at it," says Arya with a smile.

"Be careful, my friend," says Yogita.

Arya goes to the roof of the ship.

"Now show yourself. Come in front of me," says Arya with a straight face, looking at the dark sky.

Suddenly, a huge bird is seen in the sky, flying from the far side with the speed of air. The magnificent bird starts flying circularly around the ship. The bird's eyes are glowing red in the dark night. The wings create storms in the surrounding area. It lets out a long, mournful howl, creating fear in everyone's mind inside the ship. The sound is scary enough to petrify anyone.

Inside the ship, Yogita stands motionless, holding his breath and gripping the gear tightly. He appears lifeless, possibly having skipped a few heartbeats.

In the passenger area, everyone panics. Some run frantically from one direction to another; others start crying; and a few pray to the Lord.

Satoshi stands in front of the door, trying to calm everyone and preparing to fight the monster if necessary. Sakurika stands next to him, scared yet ready to fight alongside him if needed.

The bird comes near the ship, prepares to land, and decreases in size to land easily on this small ship without harming it. It jumps onto the ground with the size of a normal human in front of Arya in humanoid form, with a beak and wings, along with human-like hands and legs, dressed like ancient creatures.

"Welcome back, my lord. Finally, my wait of 7,000 years ends. I can once again carry you across the world, Master," says the bird.

"I have been waiting for this day too, my dear friend, king of birds. You and your companion have done a great job. Now, it's time for me to fulfill my duty," Arya replies.

"Your compliment is a reward for me, Master. Will you fly with me now? I have a very special place you would like to visit," says the king of birds.

"Sure," Arya agrees.

The bird king leaps into the air, transforming back into his full-sized bird form. Arya jumps up and lands on the bird's back. They soar far from view, accompanied by the howling wind and the sound of wings.

The night becomes silent once more. Everyone inside the ship still stands frozen in fear, unable to move.