Vylt: The New Dawn

Chapter 13: Dream of Flight

After lunch, the three of us headed for the training grounds. It was ideal, considering the large open area allowed me to spread my wings freely. Despite my short stature, I still had an almost three metre wingspan, so it was easy for me to hit something if I was not careful.

I noticed Sylvia kept glancing up at Allison as we walked. It was probably her first time seeing a giant. Given their origin, they couldn't be that common, so her previous location probably didn't have any.

Once we arrived at our destination, I lifted my arms to Allison, who picked me up by the sides and held me up above her head. I was so high up it made me uncomfortable. I had hoped my acrophobia would disappear with my transformation.

Looking up at me, Allison asked, "Is everything all right, Nora?"

I closed my eyes to avoid looking down. "I'm fine, Allison. I'm not good with heights, that's all."

"Do you want to go down?"

"No, don't worry about it. It's not that bad. The position is what's triggering it, mostly. I think it will be fine as long as you hold me firmly, and I keep my eyes closed."

My hopes rested on getting over this fear as I improved. It all depended on the flight itself. If I felt safe enough, I was sure I'd be able to ignore the feeling and gradually get rid of it for good. The difficult part was getting to that point.

I took a deep breath and steeled myself. "Okay. Let's begin."

Feeling her grip tighten, my wings linked to my legs and flapped for the first time. I started slowly, trying my best to imitate the bat from the video. It was difficult to know if I was doing it right, so I could only rely on following what felt natural to me.

My technique kept changing until I felt myself getting pulled slightly forward. Taking it as a sign, I slowly increased the rhythm. After a few seconds, I could feel Allison struggling to keep me in place. I made sure not to accelerate too quickly to avoid escaping her grasp.

Once I reached what I thought was the right speed, all that was left was finding out how much I could last like that. I reached my limit in merely ten minutes, after which I stopped.

"Done," I said, breathing heavily. "Can you put me down, Allison?"

"Sure."

My eyes finally opened when my feet touched the ground. "It might be easier than I thought. How did it feel for you?"

"Well, it's a good thing you didn't go all out at first, because you would've needed to learn how to fly a lot earlier. Those wings are strong!"

We both laughed, and I turned to look at Sylvia, who seemed distracted, looking into the void.

"Are you okay, Sylvia?" I asked as I walked up to her.

"Huh?" Snapping out of her trance, she replied, "Yes, I'm fine, Nora. Thanks."

Yup, that's convincing.

I wanted her to be more open with me. I was supposed to help her, after all. Though, I knew it was probably too soon for her to trust me. Having rested enough, Allison lifted me up for another round. We repeated the same thing two more times before I was completely exhausted. I assumed it was normal to tire so quickly since I had only started, but I still felt the need to consult with Anna. She did say my wings were strong enough for flight.

Having finished my physical training, it was time to focus on my magic. I looked at Sylvia once more to see how she was doing. This time, she was less distracted, and she even smiled at me, even though I could tell it was forced.