Echoes of Forgotten Wings

Chapter 20: The Price of Freedom

Low in the sky, the sun enhanced the beauty of the fields and the still, agitated town in a golden hue. The storm had passed, leaving behind only a mild wind that whooshed through the trees, and brought, with it, a certain disturbing quietude. Ivo was at the copse of trees, staring at Kael, who was on top of a ridge, ready to beat his wings that were healed and ready for action in the purple twilight of the evening.

Kael was going to fly for the first time in hundreds of years.

A mix of both excitement and fear flowed through Ivo. It was still hard to shake off the weight of all that has transpired; the broken curse, the chaos back at the village, and losing the skies. But this particular moment, this particular flight, was like the last, faint glimmer of light. The last moment for Kael to even try and get back the liberty that was taken away from him.

The twilight sky was graced by Kael's outstretched wings, which shone bright in colors as he geared up to soar. As bright as his gold coated wings were, they too withstood the last rays of sunshine. For Ivo pitied Kael, for he had an irrepressible desire to fly again—as if he was addicted to the very thing that was denied to him for ages.

Then there was silence. The villagers were in their houses, avoiding the tempest that threatened them, and the sorcery that invaded their lives. The atmosphere was thick, like a pause in a dialogue.

With a sudden thrust of his wings, Kael propelled himself off the crest.

Ivo's heart leaped as he saw Kael ascend high into the heavens, slicing through the wind with majestic wings, almost god-like. For a brief moment, there was harmony—the Skyborn was at long last liberated from the centuries of torment that had been their existence and history.

Kael ascended further, his figure in stark contrast against the inky veil of the sky. Ivo gazed in wonder as the Skyborn hero glided above the town, his form lifted off the ground by the startling spread of wings. In the atmosphere was a soft sense of warmth and happiness, one that Ivo had in his heart, one that Kael had been longing to feel for ages in a battle waged over two countries.

Then everything changed.

In the beginning, it was barely noticeable—a slight vibration in the environment, a brief pause in Kael's activity. Ivo's heart nearly stopped as he squinted. There was something wrong with the momentum of Kael's flight as the beat of his wings began to come out of sync. Kael descended even lower, his wings in a position as if fighting against a current.

The exhilaration that moments ago hung in the air started to wane, falling to a sinking anxiety instead. Ivo moved instinctively, fists curling at his sides. Something is off.

Kael concentrated on remaining in the air, struggling to flap his wings against the thick atmosphere, but the ancient energy that once filled his body and energized the Skyborn was running thin. It was evident to Ivo now—the way Kael's wings started to hang low, and the manner in which his body reached out as if something was drawing him downwards.

"Ivo..." he inhaled deeply and pressed his lips together. "Kael..."

The frantic wing beats of Kael increased . The fight to go higher was of little help to him as the heavens turned against him. Wafts of the magic that had hitherto been enjoyed by the Skyborn, allowing them to rise higher than all and possess the air, started retreating. It was as if the equilibrium of the universe had been distorted beyond limits, and the Skyborn had no room for existence in the present circumstances. 

Ivo felt that his heart was beating way too fast for him as he gauged the rate at which Kael was descending. 

'No!' Ivo howled and ran towards the edge of the rim, his gaze fixed on Kael as he continued to plunge lower and lower.  Retreating wings, tired, achingly loud despite the hopeless effort, bathed only thin air now weighed down by  age, wearied flies of a sick siege.

Kael's body adjusted itself in the air but Ivo could see the terror in his expression at the way he was trying to control his fall. His wings beat uselessly, yet the power that had once sustained them was lost, slipping through his grip like fine grains of sand. Even the very air around him felt hostile. 

At the end of the slope, Ivo came to a sudden stop, panting and out of breath as he watched Kael fall and impact the ground. A serious and disgusting squelching sound emitted from his body as it hit the ground. Clouds of dust and dirt dispersed within the space as Kael hit the ground, his wings collapsing and going down like torn sails.

An unsettling stillness enveloped the surroundings, lasting quite a while.

Ivo felt the air get sucked out of his lungs, and then felt nauseous disbelief as he staggered ahead, his legs turning jelly. Kael was lying on the ground, his mangled body contorted in a manner that made everyone vomiting. The once regal wings of a Skyborn were broken and dragged behind him like an old cloth.

"Kael!" Ivo called, panic lacing his voice as he dropped on one knee next to the downed Skyborn. He reached for Kael, trembling fingers landing dangerously on his shoulder. "Kael, please... please..."

Kael managed to open his eyes, the effort clearly costing him. His breathing was strained and accompanied by an equally faint bustle of breath. The feathers that had once shone so vividly with remarkable splendor were now colorless and devoid of life even with the waning grace of daylight. The last vestiges of the vitality that had rent him only moments ago was now absent, sucked out of his person, leaving only a brittle remnant of what had once been a Napoleonic foreign fighter.

"Ivo..." It was a distinctly fragile shout, almost lost in the gusty breeze.

Ivo swallowed painfully, a wave of despair crashing down on him. "I am here," he said softly, placing a hand on Kael's arm. "I am right here."

Kael's face looked upward, such unbearable pain in his gaze that Ivo could even feel it in his bones. "The sky... it was once ours. It... it has forgotten us."

Ivo's heart felt as if it were being squeezed, pain blooming inside it. He desired to utter something, to offer some comfort, however, the truth was too apparent - too horrible. The Skyborn who once ruled the skies had lost their place in the world.

Kael exhaled sharply, his wings jerking slightly at his sides. "I thought we could come back. But this realm... is different. The magic that used to keep us, the magic that kept us up in the clouds... is waning."

Unshed tears burned Ivo's eyes. He had struggled so much for Kael's sake, for giving him back his wings, his liberation. But at this moment, kneeling next to the fallen soldier, he experienced the bitter realization: freedom had a cost — that neither of them was aware of.

Life moved in a different direction. The Skyborn were the last vestiges of something far gone, a pale shadow of what was. And now, even restored to their full wingspan, the skies too had no room for them.

"Ivo," Kael spoke while audible fatigue laced the scattered sounds, "tied to resignation. I used to think..."

Kael cleared his throat. "I used to think freedom was ours for the taking. But freedom... No, freedom does not lie in reinstating what has been lost. It is seeking to... cope within the society as it is."

Ivo could not speak. The sight of a soldier whose aspiration to soar was dashed by the unconcerned ceiling above him filled him with pity.

"I deeply am sorry," Ivo voiced, his voice carrying an emotive texture. "I... I had no idea."

Kael softened his stare. He offered a small, tired smile, 'it's okay Ivo, it's not your fault. We were all chained to that time which sadly no longer exists. But now, now we have to find other means. A means to make the best of this new world even if it doesn't resemble the one we had.'

Ivo nodded understanding and tears went down his cheeks while his hand held on to Kael's arm. He understood now the price for true freedom does not only mean breaking chains or mending fractured wings. It is coming to terms with the fact that the world has changed and no longer resembles the one familiar and letting go of such a world and finding ways in which existence can be made possible in the present day.

Kael's once glorious wings were now limp, devoid of any strength. The last of the Skyborn had fallen, not due to the fetters of curses and chains but simply because the very fabric of the world had shifted. 

And at that instance, Ivo understood that freedom was not about restoring what had existed before. It was about building something from scratch.