Chapter 251: I’m strong
[ Old world - Aerial view ]
"Stupid Mama! Stupid Orion! They don’t love me anymore..." Jasper screamed, his little voice swallowed by the wind. "Always saying no. Always saying I am too little. Always, always, always! They don’t listen to me at all..."
His cheeks burned hot, and his tiny fists were clenched so tight they trembled.
The air tore against his ears, stinging, but he didn’t care. His chest heaved with every breath, tears pricking at the corners of his eyes even though he didn’t want to cry. He hated when Orion scolded him. He hated when Mama made harsh rules. Too many rules...just rules and rules...don’t do this, don’t do that...he hated them more than bitter medicine.
He flew harder, faster, sparks trailing like angry fireflies behind him.
But after a while... something changed.
The anger began to unravel, thread by thread, as the night air wrapped cool against his cheeks.
His shoulders loosened, the hot lump in his throat began to fade. The farther he got from the fortress, the less heavy his chest felt. His lips trembled...and then curved, just a little, into a smile.
The faster he flew the better he felt inside.
He tilted his head back.
The stars stretched above him like spilled sugar candies on velvet. He gasped, eyes going wide as he soared up. "Ohhh..." His little voice broke into wonder. "It’s so big. It’s all so big."
He twirled once midair, the blue flare rippling brighter as if sharing in his joy.
No walls. No Mama telling him, "...not too high, not too far, Jasper.Stay inside the Fortress area...the outside world is dangerous!You can go once you train enough and are stronger!"
Well, guess what! He was stronger now... it was starting to feel amazing...
Just the sky.
The breeze.
Just freedom.
A bubbling sound escaped before he could stop it. He giggled aloud. "Why doesn’t she let me do this more? It’s... it’s the best thing ever!" His voice cracked with giddy disbelief. "I can see everything! The world is not dangerous...it’s wonderful..."
He darted left, then swooped right, playing with the wind like it was a toy made only for him. Below, the forest stretched endless and dark, like a giant’s blanket thrown over the land. The rivers glimmered silver, winding like sleepy snakes through the trees.
Every time he glanced down, his little heart thumped harder. "It’s like I am the moon!" he squealed. "I can see the whole world!"
His laugh came louder now, wild and unshackled. No more Orion Dada nagging him to ’calm down’.
The flare around him danced brighter, pulsing with every beat of joy in his chest.
And then, as his flight carried him farther, the view below changed.
The dark wilderness broke into scattered dots of what looked like fire light...small settlements, larger strongholds. Jasper slowed just a little, curiosity tugging his gaze downward.
He had never seen so many people at once.
There were roads well lit with a few vehicles and horses moving around...winding between villages...markets wrapping up for the day as the stalls closed down...some packs gathered around fire pits where shadows danced like restless wolves.
From this height, they looked tiny...like ants spilling between nests.
"Wow..." he whispered, his brows furrowed in surprise. "There’s ... there are so many of them."
It was strange.
His whole life, the fortress had felt like the world. Just him, Mama, and Orion. He hadn’t realized how many lived beyond its wall.
In fact, not very far at all.
And yet... the sight didn’t spark longing.
It only made him feel different.
"Hhmmm...Too noisy," he muttered, scrunching his nose. "Too many faces."
He veered away, disinterested, his blue trail sweeping back into the open sky.
The tiny lives below faded into the dark again, forgotten as quickly as they had surprised him.
But then...
His eyes caught something.
Far, far away, where the horizon melted into night, a shimmer moved differently from the rest.
It glistened...endless...as if alive.
Jasper squinted, leaning forward instinctively. Then his mouth fell open.
"The sea..." he whispered. His voice cracked into awe. "That’s the sea?! Oh. My. Moon!!!"
The flare surged, brighter and faster as his excitement grew.
Mama had told him about it. He had read about it in books, and seen the little painted pictures in the library. But nothing...nothing...looked like this.
Nothing felt like this.
It stretched forever...like a blanket of waves and foam...catching every star and holding them hostage... a sparkly sparkly thing.
Black and silver and jumping...playing.
He could almost smell it already...salty and so fresh and all the things he had only dreamt about.
He squealed, his hands clapping once against his chest even though the motion made him wobble mid flight. "I am going for a swim! Yay!!!And...and I am going to build castles with sand. Real castles! Bigger than Orion! Oh my! This is gonna be great...so great...this is awesome..."
His laughter rang...high...sweet...spilling into the night like music.
He tilted his body, arrowing towards that endless shimmer, his little voice rising again.
" See I am stronger, Mama! There is no danger out here! You are so silly,Mama! A scaredy cat...I told you I was strong enough.You just wouldn’t listen...would you?! l will fly and fly and fly until I reach it! And you can’t catch me!"
And with that, Jasper’s flare blazed brighter, stretching long across the horizon, carrying him faster towards his dream...
But after just a few more heart beats...the laughter caught in his throat.
His smile softened and became small and wobbly.
He looked back... There was nobody chasing him... Why was he running?
"I wish you were here too, Mama..." he mumbled under his breath, voice almost swallowed by the rush of wind. "Then you would see. You would see that I am not just little. You would be happy with me..."
He blinked hard, trying to chase away the sudden sting at the corners of his eyes. "You like the sea too, don’t you? You never said you did but I just know it. We could..."
His words faltered.
But then suddenly his nose scrunched.
Something sharp cut through the salt-sweet wind.
Decay...
Rot...
Thick, clinging, like meat left too long in the sun. It coiled up into his nostrils, souring his tongue, crawling across his skin like invisible claws.
Jasper’s little face twisted, his flare flickering uneasily.
The joy shivered inside him...breaking.
The sea glittered ahead, beautiful and vast, but the air carried something else now...something too heavy, something foul.
He slowed further mid flight.
"Ew..." he whispered, voice tight. "What is that...?"