[119] Sudden Flight Training

[119] Sudden Flight Training

Chapter 119: Sudden Flight Training

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We returned home from Okinawa Island with only delight accompanying us.

I hadn't had any ominous feelings before coming here, but I was half expecting and ready for an attack from the Norse.

No such thing happened. If we ignore the tsunami and the hell storm it came along, nothing has gone wrong, and all has ended well.

Although after waking up in haste, Ai was having trouble walking. Because she was floating around without control; she had gained flight power this time. Her newfound abilities had to make themselves known in the most inconvenient manner possible.

We somehow pushed her into the car and fled the beach that was being drowned by seawater, but she had a hard time even just sitting in the car. She kept floating up and getting hit back and forth against the seats.Reêad latest novels at novelhall.com

"Ow!" Ai exclaimed, wincing as her head slammed into the car ceiling once more. Cramped in the car, she was really uneasy, her body language tense. Her red face was a mix of confusion and embarrassment as she tried to anchor herself back to the seat, only to float up again, her limbs flailing in a futile attempt to find something to hold onto. "This is ridiculous! I can't even sit in a car properly now?!”

‘What is she doing?’ I felt embarrassed in her stead as I looked at her in the rear-view mirror.

“Blue, stop the car,” I told the driver who did as asked, and I stepped out of the car. The sky roared above me as rain fell, but a thin bubble of willpower kept me dry. I walked to the back door and opened it to find Ai and Ruby looking at me.

“Do you have a solution?” Ai asked, and I grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her out promptly.

“Get off,” I said abruptly, though by then I had pulled her out already. The bubble expanded to keep her dry as well. I looked at Ruby and then at Blue from a corner, "You two continue ahead. We'll catch up."

AI stammered in surprise. “H-hey, what-! Hey wait!” she called, but the car already skittered away from sight. “Oh, come on!”

If she was confused and annoyed by that, it only creased when I effortlessly lifted her into my arms, bridal style, without any warning.

“What?!”

“Hold tight.”

Her initial fluster at the intimate gesture soon gave way to awe as my feet tapped the ground and we ascended, leaving the confines of the earth below.

The ground receded rapidly as we rose, as we watched raindrops drum against it, the night air cool and liberating around us. Ai, held securely in my arms, could only stare in silence, her earlier complaints died in her throat as she looked down at how small everything looked.

I was lifting myself with sheer willpower, and not my Path’s powers. So there was no technique behind this; as half a Sage, I had these benefits I could enjoy.

The rainy world below us was a canvas of darkness and light, the urban sprawl a faint glow against the vast, unyielding shadow of the night. But it was the sky above that captured our attention. As we levitated up, slipping through rainy clouds and going even above, Ai finally looked around us instead of the world below and gasped.

Above the dark clouds, a vast expanse of indigo blue blanket with stars, a celestial spectacle laid out in its full glory. Ai's eyes widened, and her breath caught in her throat at the sight.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" I whispered too close to her ears, my voice barely audible over the whistle of the wind.

“It is...” Ai nodded slowly, her gaze fixed on the heavens, the constellations telling tales older than time.

In front of this cosmic beauty, the car and its confines from earlier seemed a distant memory, irrelevant against the backdrop of the universe itself.

* * *

She sighed, her cheeks growing slightly rosy, as she looked away. Together, the two of us watched the sunrise, standing above the soft clouds, and letting the day break around us.

Soon, we returned home.

* * *

On the other hand, the chaos wrought by Aqua's unleashed will had left many Gods furious, and many pantheons stirred.

The gods who were rarely bothered over the mortal world, turned their gaze towards the storm and tsunami that Aqua had tried to shower the world with.

A large portion of Shinto Gods were not in support of this. They were more angry than other Pantheon Gods since their Lady Amaterasu didn't allow them to stop the tsunami, saying it was what it was.

From their divine vantage points, they found it ridiculous that a mortal had done all this through sheer will. They sensed the depth of power behind the storm, a force strong enough to send ripples through the ocean despite the culprit not being a Sea God. It's as if this was just another squall, born of the natural world's whims, even if it was so sudden.

Among these, the Norse Gods were quite bothered. But other than those old fools, this incident had rocked the opulent halls of the Olympus Pantheon too.

Here, in a space that existed between the tangible and the ethereal, where time and space bowed to the will of its occupants, the three main gods of the Greek pantheon convened in what could best be described as a virtual meeting.

The focus of their attention was the storm that had engulfed parts of Japan, one that would have spread across Asia and might even Europe if it wasn't for different Sea Gods acting in time to stop it. It was an event that seemed not that unusual at first glance but was anything but, because the one behind this was a Mortal.

Poseidon, the God of the Sea, Storms, and Tsunamis, sat in an ethereal form with his arms crossed over his chest. The ocean was his domain, so he knew more than anyone what it took to affect it without a divinity that focused on the Sea.

It was a clear sign of Aqua's surprising strength, proof that it was a good choice to take Aqua's side when Quetzalcoatl was trying to blast him to cinders, right after he had saved his granddaughter. The rescue had left a lasting impression on the sea god, one that time had not dulled, and he hoped the young human thought the same about when Poseidon saved him.

So today, he was in this meeting temple with the ethereal form of his two brothers, who sat on two throne-like chairs around a large stone table.

"Brothers," Poseidon began, his old voice carrying the weight of the oceans, "I've told you about the young man before, and now you’ve heard about him on a bigger scale. He has the potential to be an ally or a formidable foe. We should choose sides.”

Zeus, the King of the Gods, regarded his brother with a stormy gaze of his own. Lightning flickered in his eyes, a testament to his dominion over the skies. "We are aware of his capabilities, Poseidon. But the Norse pantheon's negative interest in him has not escaped our notice. In such time, to invite him into our fold, to extend an offer of alliance... it is a delicate matter. Norse is after his life, and we cannot afford to ignite a war over this."

Hades, ruler of the Underworld, nodded in agreement, his dark eyes thoughtful. "This boy's actions, while impressive, always draw unwanted attention. He's a trouble magnet, so we must tread carefully. The balance between the pantheons is fragile. A misstep could lead to conflict, and that is something we must avoid at all costs."

Poseidon frowned and his trident tapped against the marble floor, sending echoes through the hall. "I understand the risks," he admitted, "but I also see the potential. His strength could be a boon to us, especially with the threats we face. The Norse may seek his end, but what of our own interests? Since when has Olympus feared Norse's retaliation? Although he's in an alliance with Quetzalcoatl, he has yet to officially join the Aztecs. So should we not be considering him, given what he can bring to our pantheon?”

Zeus shook his head, his decision was final. "Not now, Poseidon. You're being biased because he saved your grandchild. If we are to Tele action, we need to wait. The timing is not right. Plus I'm yet to be convinced about his worth. Let us observe, let Norse play their hand and see how he’d react. We will not intervene directly."

After a heavy silence, the virtual meeting concluded with each God pondering the future of Aqua. Poseidon, gazing out over the vastness of his domain, felt regretful that he couldn't convince his brothers.

He wondered what he'd say to Shirahoshi. That girl had cried and begged him to lend a helping hand to Aqua after she learned the dangers he would soon be facing.

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