A Dreamer's Knight

Chapter 37 - On White-Feathered Wings

Mikaen blasted another drone into scrap with a well-placed electrical blast before leaning against a tree for support. Between the fighting and using his energist skills, he was exhausted.

Sergeant Jures was there in an instant, patting him on the shoulder. "Take it easy, buddy. We'll clear the rest of 'em out."

A surge of pain beyond anything Mikaen had ever felt before shot through his back. He fell to the ground with a scream, Truth falling to the ground as he reflexively clutched at his back.

Jures knelt by him, shouting at his nearby troops, "Jinne! Rael! Cover us!"

The two soldiers quickly let out a hail of energy blasts at the nearest drones as the sergeant helped Mikaen away from the fighting.

Barely able to keep himself from collapsing, Mikaen asked, "W-what happened?"

"I don't know. I didn't see any weapon fire. You just-" Sergeant Jures stood suddenly and backed away, whispering, "By the Creator!"

Mikaen didn't have to ask what had startled the Galden soldier; he could feel his wings stretching against his back. It was an agonizing sensation, but at the same time, he felt the strangest sense of anticipation coursing through his body.

One appeared moments later, accidentally bumping into a whirring drone into the blades of another, causing both to tear into each other for a few moments before falling down inert. One stared at the fallen drones for a few moments before shrugging and saying, "Er, yeah. All part of the plan."

Shaking his head, One ran over to Mikaen and asked, "You okay, dude?"

"Do I look like I'm okay?" he hissed through clenched teeth.

"What's going on?" Jures asked as One helped Mikaen take off his upper armor.

"I'm no biologist," said One, setting Mikaen's selanium-thread shirt beside his plated shoulder guards, "But I think his wings are about to tear out of his back."

"His ... wait, he's a sentient?!" Sergeant Jures blasted a flying drone with barely a glance.

"Don't worry," One said, patting Mikaen's arm, "Tirinia will be here in a minute, and-"

"WHAT?"

Mikaen grabbed One by the front of his shirt, hissing, "I said I didn't want her here!"

One batted Mikaen's arms away easily. "Don't you think she should have some say in that? She's a tigreth for crying out loud! She can take care of herself. More importantly, she can take care of you!"

"I'm not losing her like I lost Maria!"

"You lost Maria because she did the same damn thing you just tried to do!"

That made Mikaen pause for a moment. "Maria was trying to protect me-" Mikaen began angrily.

"Just like you were trying to protect Tirinia." One put his hands on his hips. "Now you tell me; how did you feel after you lost Maria?"

Mikaen opened his mouth to argue, but nothing came out. In a quiet voice, he asked, "Is she mad at me?"

"Tyr? No, but she's gonna give you hell for the rest of your very long life if you treat her like she's some kind of fairy princess again."

Mikaen chuckled. Despite the pain in his back, despite the smoke stinging his nostrils and the heat from the fire, despite the rain which slowly pelted him in the face, he laughed.

Sergeant Jures looked at Mikaen, apparently a little disturbed by the strange turn in Mikaen's behavior.

"I'm an idiot, aren't I?" Mikaen asked quietly.