13.1. Her New Wings - Part 1

It's sooner than we expected but it's not like we know how the whole process works in the first place. In panic, we storm into Liana's bedroom. Dr Stein had already rolled Liana over to her stomach and uncovered her back.

It makes me nauseous to see for myself how the transformation looks like from another's point of view. Liana's new limbs are pushing into her skin and it's totally alien. Poor Liana is wailing, crying and swearing. I freeze for a moment but Liana's pain doesn't let me stay still for too long.

"We've managed once, we'll manage for the second time as well!" Dr Stein throws a disinfectant as us. "Wash your hands and help me."

"A-Aefener," Liana's eyes water and she desperately grabs my hand when I sit down on the bed next to her.

Her pain hits me hard and my head spins. I don't perceive it as my own sensation but it's still really intense. I clutch her hands in comfort.

"Aaa!" she screams when her wings jerk again. Fefnir holds her down and this time he has to carefully watch his own strength.

"The sedatives aren't working," Dr Stein wipes the sweat from her forehead. "I was hoping that... no, her metabolism must be much different now."

"Scheisse!" Liana swears again and is clutching my hands tight.

Her pain is too much for me to handle. It's risky but I enter her mind, trying to calm her down. And... it does seem to work. She's still wailing and hurting but it isn't overwhelming. I gently touch her mind without sending any of my thoughts, hoping she's too occupied to notice my presence.

It feels endless but eventually her wings tear the skin. Liana faints for a few minutes but another burst of pain wakes her up. I push further into her mind to blunt it.

"Pull!" Dr Stein instructs and together with Erik they're trying to get the wings out.

Half of my consciousness is in Liana's mind, the other half is trying to keep track of what's happening around me. Once again I must admire Erik's ability to act in extreme situations. Even Ingri is doing well, assisting the doctor.

And then the wings finally come fully out. They're all bloody but it's strangely beautiful. It looks like a birth and from a certain perspective it is. I'm not the only winged person anymore. I'm a Celestial and now she is too—the beginning of a new race.

"A-ah," Liana sighs in relief and faints for good. Her grip loosens and she lets go of my hands.

I'm silently watching as Dr Stein stops Liana's bleeding, disinfects the wounds and bandages her. The wings are dirty but I can spot black fluff. So we'll get our ingame colours after all, that pretty much proves it.

"Ryuu, are you okay?" Erik takes a look at my wrists. "Damn, does it hurt?"

Only now I look at my hands. They're badly bruised and I didn't feel it that much because Liana's pain was stronger. But I don't care, my friend needed to hold onto someone and I feel honoured to be that someone.

"I'll be fine," I nod. "Can I wash her wings? I didn't do much."

You did plenty, Erik says. You entered her mind and lessened her pain, right? Don't think I haven't noticed.

"Emotional support counts as well," Ingri shakes her head. "On the contrary, you did too much it seems," she stares at my bruises.

"I want to do it," I insist. "I think she'd wish I do it for her as another Celestial and her friend."

Hana brings bowls with water and washcloths. My hands hurt quite a bit but I thoroughly wash Liana's new limbs while telepathically comforting her in her sleep. Erik assists me. The wings look more like stumps at this point but I can't help to admire them. It's miraculous what our bodies were able to do in such a short period of time.

"We have six limbs now," I mumble when Hana changes the water for clean one.

"You certainly do," Erik smiles at me and hands me a new washcloth.

Then we don't speak for a while and focus on the job. Dr Stein helps us handle the wings so that the wounds don't re-open. She's totally fascinated and is probably thinking about all that new information she'll post under her name. I don't like her mind but her expertise is needed. Thanks to her and the fact it was our second try, Liana didn't lose as much blood as I did.

"It felt a bit easier than your transformation," Fefnir remarks and breaks the silence.

"Maybe because her body had more time to adjust and we already knew what to do?" I suggest.

"She seemed to handle the pain better," he observes.

I catch Ingri staring at me strangely.

"Now what?" Erik takes a deep breath.

"We wait until Li wakes up," I say.

*****

"Ehm... Aefener? What are you doing in my bed?" Liana's voice wakes me up.

I blink, disoriented for a moment. Then I realise I must have dozed off, lying next to her in the corner of her huge bed. Erik let me rest here after I finished cleaning her wings. I was exhausted but I didn't want to leave her. We're alone but I feel the others nearby.

"L-Li," I sit up quickly. "How do you feel?"

"Battered," she whines. "Starving."

"But otherwise?" I smile because I sense that she's okay.

"Extremely weak but at the same time somewhat... great?" she smiles back. "And I can feel something pulsating in me."

"Mana," I nod. "That's what it feels like I guess."

"Thank you for holding my hand and just... you know... being with me," she whispers and I can feel a wave of loneliness coming from her.

Is it possible that she doesn't have anyone really close? Typically, people would be thinking about their loved ones but Liana wasn't calling anyone in her mind during her transformation. Come to think of it... we've been here for several days now but we've met only Liana's servants, no one else.

"Li, you...," I stop myself. What would I even say to her? That I know exactly what she feels?

Liana looks at me with a hint of suspicion in her eyes. She can't quite grasp it but she must have noticed something was off when she was holding my hand. Normally, it wouldn't even cross her mind to think of telepathy but considering what's happening with us...

"Miss, you're up!" Hana opens the door and beams. "Lunch? Right away?"

"Y-yeah," Liana lets out and Hana runs off. "How long was I out?"

"Sixteen hours," I count, checking my phone.

"Were you with me the whole time?"

"Hmm," I nod.

"Thanks, Aefener. I really appreciate it. Erik didn't mind?"

"I'm probably the gayest person on Earth, Li," I chuckle. "Sorry, you're really beautiful but... you're not a guy."

"That's why it's so relaxing being around you," Liana manages to laugh. "You're the only person I know who doesn't try to get into my bed even though you just kind of did."

"You're both awake, finally!" Fefnir enters the room and Dr Stein and Ingri with him.

"Miss Richter, how do you feel?" the doctor starts examining her right away. "I'm sorry, I wanted to be here when you wake up but I desperately needed to take a shower."

"No problem," Liana says weakly while her temperature is being taken.

"Where's Erik?" I ask. I can sense that he's not far and feels a bit down for some reason which makes me concerned.

"He's been on his phone for quite some time," Ingri informs. "Looks important."

"I hope they aren't making a fuss at his work," I worry.

The servants bring in lunch and they stare at Liana's wings. I guess it's one thing seeing a person they don't know like me with wings and entirely different thing seeing their employer. Plus, Liana's eyes are now completely golden and her hair is rapidly growing and turning violet.

There's plenty of food as always so we all eat. Dr Stein helps Liana to sit and feeds her. I perceive Liana's discomfort—she hates feeling so vulnerable. I understand as I would feel the same way if it wasn't my boyfriend taking care of me.

My boyfriend... what's taking Erik so long? Is he okay? I'm becoming more and more nervous with each passing minute. I quickly finish eating and for the first time since my transformation try to stand up.

"Aefener?" Fefnir looks up from his plate. "Will you manage?"

"That's what I'm about to find out," I say and carefully move all the weight on my legs.

I wobble for a second but Fefnir doesn't have to help me in the end. My legs are still weak but I can slowly walk on my own which boosts my mood. My wings fold automatically so they aren't in the way.

"Hmm, nice," I inspect myself in Liana's huge mirror on the wall. The wings are tiny but really cute. Just a month ago if I went out like this, people would think it's a cosplay.

"Yep, they suit you," Ingri grins. "Can I take a photo for your profile?"

Before I even manage to say anything, she's already taken at least three shots.

"Done, posted," she says enthusiastically. "Just wait for all the likes."

I hope she knows what she's doing. I trust her social media skills but she's still a 17-year old teenager with no real life experience.

"That t-shirt is a joke, though," Liana remarks because I'm wearing my favourite t-shirt with the logo of Draconia Online.

"On the contrary, I think it's spot on," Fefnir laughs.

"I'm going to find Erik," I wave my hand.

I enter the hall and close the door behind me. Two bodyguards are standing in the hall and raise their eyebrows at me.

"Ehm... h-hello," I greet them nervously but they don't stop me or anything.

I've never actually walked in Liana's mansion so I'm not sure where to go. I decide to follow Erik's telepathic imprint. I walk slowly, supporting myself by touching walls. A hall... a room... another hall... a terrace.

There he is, sitting on the sofa outside with his ear glued to the phone. He looks and feels annoyed.

"E-Erik?" I say quietly, not wanting to startle him. "Are you okay?"

"Ryuu," he turns around and puts the phone down, covering the microphone. "Should you be walking so soon?"

"I feel much better, what about you?"

"Just a sec," he puts the phone back to his ear. "Yes, I know, Mum. No, I'm not coming back this week... probably not even next week... I don't know, Mum. No, tell Dad that I'm totally okay. Gosh, I know that my boyfriend has wings now. I don't care."

So it's a family phone call. I suddenly feel bad for eavesdropping. I want to leave but he gesticulates at me to sit down on the sofa so I do.

"I'll call later, okay? Yes, I know. Bye," he hangs up with a long sigh.

"Family problems?" I stretch my hand towards him but I stop myself. I got too used to our telepathic connection, we should talk normally from time to time.

"Not really," he shakes his head. "Compared to yours, my family is super loving. They're just stressed seeing me trending literally everywhere."

"Do they have a problem with the fact that your boyfriend is a freak?" I lower my head.

"Don't use that word," he says sternly. "You're a different species, not a freak. Besides, your friends are the same and you don't think of them that way."

"Old habits die hard," I murmur.

"Ryuu," he touches me and his love pours into me. "You're not a freak. Never been."

His phone is ringing again. Erik rolls his eyes.

"Literally everyone who knows me is calling," he explains. "This time," he looks at the screen, "it's one of my friends."

"Take it," I say. "Better deal with it right away. I'll return to Liana and others."

"No, stay," he insists. "I want you to hear what I have to say to them."

So I do and I'm overjoyed how he's defending me and our relationship. How he's adamant in his decision to help all Draconians. I couldn't wish for a better boyfriend. Still, one thing bothers me.

"Am I selfish?" I ask when he ends the call.

"What do you mean?" he doesn't understand, slips the phone into his pocket and hugs me. "Are you having another moment of low self-esteem?"

"Nope," I shake my head and resist entering his mind even though he's so close. "I just want to make sure you're not sacrificing your life for me. I mean... your family is against it... you'll probably have problems at work... you became a celebrity overnight and..."

"Ryuu," he interrupts me. "How would you describe my personality in one word?"

I'm thinking about that for a long moment.

"A protector," I say finally. "Someone kind who wants to help people and make a difference in the world."

"You flatter me too much, but... okay," he nods. "I like helping people. If I left you and went back to my hospital, I'd be able to help only a handful of patients. Through you, I can reach the world. Liana is absolutely right. My very presence here and the fact that I'm the Celestial Emperor's boyfriend can really help to calm things down."

"I... I'm probably addicted to you, do you realise that?" I say honestly. "My telepathy... I can't help it. I might become a burden when you get tired of me."

"What a cute burden I have," he smirks and doesn't let me rattle anymore. Instead, he showers me with kisses.

I'm not doing anything I don't want to, he adds in his thoughts. Besides, I'll probably get into historical textbooks one day. What a feat for a mere helicopter pilot, right?