POV Achous Phantomwing

　　Who was that? Are there other avians on this island? Maybe I`m not as alone as I thought? A million question fly through my brain. The smile on my face fades. I`m too much of a coward to be exploring this damned island. I should`ve just stayed where I woke up and waited for my wings to heal.

　　My eyes dart around the surroundings, but I`m still unable to see anyone around me. Maybe, the person is hiding in the mist? I close my eyes, trying to hear anyone in my surroundings.

　　"Hello, are you going to keep ignoring me?" The voice asks again, this time closer. I quickly scan my surroundings again, but I`m again only met with the sight of blue grass and an endless mist. "I`m in the water you blind fool!" The voice shouts, seemingly annoyed.

　　Without waiting for a second, I rush towards the bridge and lean I over its railings. In front of my eyes, I see the most mystifying sight. Floating in the water, I see a strange humanoid creature, clad in a flowing green dress. A creature that`s as large as me, but with no feathers or wings, only smooth skin. My eyes are drawn to its flowing, electric blue hair and pointed ears that adorn a feminine face.

　　"Are you done staring, it`s rude." She asks. "What type of creature are you?!" I ask subconsciously, almost shouting, my eyes wide in shock. "I`m a spirit silly, isn`t that obvious? The real question is what are you? You don`t seem to be a newly born spirit, which means you came from outside. But, that should be impossible, no one ever comes from the outside&" She replies, almost lost in her own thoughts.

　　With each word that she speaks, the frown on my face deepens. Just what is she talking about? "Whoa! Slow down, I don`t understand what you`re talking about." I say, trying to break her endless ramblings. "Oh, sorry! I sometimes get lost in my own thoughts. Let me introduce myself, my name is Aia, nice to meet you. You are?" She introduces herself, a wide smile radiating from her flawless face.

　　"My name is Achous, I`m an avian&" I say, slightly shocked by this spirit` in front of me. Well, with everything that I`ve witnessed today, I`ve grown a bit numb.

　　"Achous, what a nice name. It`ll be nice to see a new face her, it has been too long since the last spirit was born. Well, there really hasn`t been a reason for any new spirits to be born, but it`s still boring with the same group of people every day for the past centuries&" She starts rambling. Why do I feel that this is going to be a reoccurring problem?This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

　　Wait, did she say centuries? How old is she? I`ll ask her about age later, maybe they just count time differently? "So, the movement in the mist was just other spirits?" I ask. Maybe, I was scared for nothing?

　　"Yes, those were the young tree spirits. They`re just a couple hundred years old and still maturing, anything new gets them overly excited. But you can`t blame them, no one has ever emerged from the fortress and I`ve been guarding its moat-like river my whole life. They were hoping that you could maybe wake up whatever is inside, if anything, but seeing your failure, they`ve grown bored." Aia continues her rambling.

　　"No spirit knows what`s in the fortress, well, except the Ancient, but I can`t understand his riddles." She concludes, a slight frown forming on her face. "why haven`t you tried to break the door down?" I ask. They`ve had centuries, surely the structure isn`t impenetrable?

　　"The door is just for decoration; the true defence of the structure is the unseen elements guarding it. If you had planned to attack the structure, then we wouldn`t be having this conversation. But that isn`t important now, I`m just happy to have someone to talk to, no one wants to talk to me anymore. I wonder why?" Aia explains, an innocent expression on her face.

　　Looks like I was fortunate for not attacking the structure, who knows what would have happened? Still, this island is only growing stranger and stranger. I sigh, my eyes wander towards Aia`s face. Her expression seems so innocent and joyful, life on this island must be peaceful.

　　A life here would be perfect, without needing to worry about your next meal. Without being outcast to the edge of a floating island. But, unfortunately, I need to go back to my people. I still have my duty as an explorer and a sapling to take care of&

　　I harden my resolve and say, "I can talk with you for a little longer, but when my wings eventually heal, later today, I`m going to fly home.". As I say this, her joyful expression suddenly becomes gloomy, then without warning turns into a strange panic.

　　"You can`t leave!" Aia says, practically shouting. "Why not!? Don`t tell me, you`re planning to keep me here against my will?" I ask accusingly, a shallow rage boiling from my heart. Slowly, I inch away from the bridge railing. I can see the panic on her face increasing, confirming my suspicion. I quickly turn, preparing to escape towards the shore, where I woke up.

　　"Wait, I`m trying to save your life!" I hear Aia shout behind me. I stop. What does she mean by saving my life`? I momentarily pause my escape plan, but I keep my distance. "What do you mean?!" I ask, my suspicion increasing.

　　"I don`t know how you`ll die if you try to leave. When I was younger, I tried to leave this island, but the Ancient told me that whoever leaves this island will die before they make it out. The reason, from what I`ve figured out, is somehow connected to perpetual darkness all around us." Aia says, trying to explain herself.

　　"Fine, I`ll believe you for now," I say, but I don`t trust her completely. Maybe, it`s the coward inside of me talking, but I`m unwilling to die an unnecessary death. "Let`s go see this Ancient` and let him explain to me why I`m trapped here.". I say, my expression growing grim.