Chapter 64 - Lord of the Winds

After the day had passed and Kaiser laid in bed he thought about what he would do in the future and how he would proceed in order to grow stronger. Although multiple scenarios came to mind nothing could truly convince him and needed a lot of luck to succeed. Finding no answer to his questions he closed his eyes and went to sleep.

– Two weeks later –

When Kaiser and his family went to work today they were put into the group which worked in the orchards. Although most cherries had been harvested they had been put in charge to pluck the last few which remained. Due to his small statue he was able to climb between the branches without needing a ladder. And so while he searched around he came across a small bird. In the large sticky traps they used to catch small insects or birds which harmed the cherries, he found it struggling. Somehow the bird had managed to glue its feathers to it and trough its pointless struggle had only managed to worsen the situation.

As Kaiser began to talk to it and assured it of his help the bird began to calm down and started to listen to him. After a short while the bird began to tell it's tale. As it was a young bird it had seen the sticky traps as a great food source, as many insects had already been trapped in the glue, but when it attempted to fly away to the side, when it heard the humans approach, it had caught it's wing in the trap.

Although Kaiser was amused he managed to suppress his chuckling and disguise it as him clearing his throat. After that he smiled and offered to free the bird. The small bird gladly accepted and Kaiser carefully pulled the wing off by pulling the individual feathers off of the glue. When the whole wing had come off and the bird tried to move it. Although it tried it's best many feathers stuck together or had broken during the struggle. Seeing the birds misery Kaiser decided to take the bird home with him and clear the glue off of the feathers as well as care for it as long as it decided to stay with him.

The rest of the day the bird stayed perched on his shoulder and sang a few melodies it had heard from the surrounding workers or other birds while curiously observing the work or playtime. It didn't truly mind the fact that kids wanted to stoke it's feathers or simply look at it. As rewards every now and then the kids or a.d.u.l.t rewarded it secretly with a few cherries whenever the peacekeepers looked away.

Once they returned from work Kaiser washed the bird with soap water to clean off the glue but much remained and only by cleaning it regularly or molting where the old feathers would replace the old ones, a process which was also necessary to get rid of the broken feathers.

Once they had taken care of that the bird once again rested on Kaisers shoulder. After further investigation the bird turned out to be a male mockingjay which seemed to be a common bird in their neighborhood. Eating delicious food cooked by the a.d.u.l.ts Kaiser was in a great mood and after a few minutes the bird decided to ask him:

"What is that name everyone is talking about?"

Surprised Kaiser looked at him: "Don't you have a name?"

The bird, still curious replied: "No, never. Why would someone need such a thing?"

Kaiser smiled and leaned back into his chair before replying: "A name defines who you are how others see you. It is the base of your identity and individuality. It makes you special."

At that the bird looked at everyone, sadness within his tone as he spoke. "So everyone is special but me? I always wanted to be special too."

Kaiser simply laughed and said: "There are many ways to gain a name. One option would be to receive a name from another which is the easiest. These names portray how others see you as, what they expect of you to become or simply what seems fitting.

Another option, which would be more difficult would be for you to choose your own and make others accept it. Here you would find a meaning or connection to your own name yourself, thereby expressing yourself to your surrounding."

The bird laughed which manifested as a trilling sound that filled the house with it's wonderful melody: "I know nothing about names and I am very young", the bird said "but should you be willing to give me one then I would be delighted to hear what you would chose for me."

"Very well", the boy replied: "then I shall name you Aeolus. It is a name of legend, the name of a king who ruled the winds as ordered to by the gods in these stories."

Aeolus seemed surprised by the choice of his name. "Why would you chose this name for me?"

Kaiser remained silent for a minute before answering: "I guess you could call it hope. Perhaps with time you might grow to fit the name. After spending a day with you I have decided to offer you a place among my companions. You seem trustworthy so I have decided to offer a place to you."

The bird seemed to be in deep thought and only after a long while did it reply. "Although we have known each other only for a short while I quite enjoy your company so I won't refuse your offer."

Having heard the confirmation Kaiser used the soul aspect of his Perfect Body Skill to connect their souls, thereby binding both forever.