413. Chaos, 9

(Rose)

Nightmare advised me to try convincing one of her creations to guide me to the source of T.I. on Earth.

Some of these creatures could also instinctively locate that place, as if smelling it or feeling the magnetic pole.

These beasts were free beings though. Nightmare agreed to translate my request, but they would chose for themselves what they would do.

So in a shockwave, lifting my hair in a gust of wind, Nightmare called upon her children, for one whom would agree to guide me to the ends of the continent.

I was curious to see if some would agree. Nightmare was curious too, to see if some of her creations developed a will to travel far away from the next along with a stranger.

She herself didn’t even consider it and I didn’t think it was worth asking yet.

To her meanwhile, it felt like watching if any of her children had become an adult, and was ready to heave his mother or creator behind.

She didn’t really spoke of herself and them as mother and children, mostly using words like god, creations, experiments, or toys. But to me, she behaved like a mother earth with them. She cared about them, enough to let them live freely out of her sight and care.

Some of the birds in this wide flock were her creation. Most of them however came from outside. She adopted them, welcoming them in her domain, her home.

She hates humans, but she sure like birds. It’s funny.

The friendly sentiments I have for her are truer than ever.

While we wait for any answer, I try to go below one of the floating islands. It’s like entering water, or a fluid even more viscous. The eye can’t quite see anything different. There’s no refraction of light one can see, but the air presses the skins and the lungs strongly. It’s too hard for me to breathe in there even. I swim out rapidly.

All the birds living down there, between caldera and floating land seem to be fine.

Some crows come back to bother me, until one of the really giant monstrous birds comes to chase them off.

And to chase me off as well. That quetzalcoatle doesn’t really like me.

I go further away into the city toward the northern side. I gather my equipment to leave by myself if nothing alive here would help me.

That evening, Nightmare shows herself again to me.

N - Remind me, what was Licht?

R - The first creation of Dragod. An hybrid of me and Blume. Her prototype for the mindless roses.

N - The one whom killed her god and creator.

R - Yes. Because I couldn’t accept the consequences of the pact I once made with that daiûa.

N - A few of my own creations, even before we met and also after, ran away from me sometimes. Some remain hidden from my sight, if they’re still alive.

R - I see... Are they birds as well?

N - Mostly. Each time I use a new technology, there are a few failures before I can master it. They rarely survive. I’m creating life after all, even for me it’s too complex to master every aspect and combination, and their consequences in this network of synergies and interactions.

R - I see a little what you mean. As you said so well, there is chaos in life. It’s alright if sometimes the results surprise you and go beyond what you expect.

N - That’s why I enjoy playing with it. It doesn’t always work and things I couldn’t fathom sometime spring. It’s art to me.

I like that idea. I can understand it.

Out of everything she tries, sometimes surprises arise.

N - I’m a little surprised. One of the creations that managed to flee from me last year, just replied. It’s not that far, and agreed to guide you.

R - That’s why you’re worried about what Licht was, right? You fear that one has deadly animosity against you?

N - This one is smarter than most of my creations. It escaped my control long before I could finish crafting every detail of its body, so I’m even surprised it’s still alive.

R - A survivor, who replied first to your call to help me... Nightmare, I want to meet that bird.

N - I don’t think it would agree to come back around my domain. But maybe it only wants to eat you to get back at me.

R - That’s fair, I guess... Can you ask it to come meet us? You could promise it you won’t try anything, it’s likely dead afraid of you. Furthermore if you never had any real chance to talk before. It doesn’t know you.

N - You’re the first one I talked this much with forever.

Nightmare tries calling to that surprising creature out there, that failure that surprisingly survived and agreed to help me.

~

Night falls. I have more unsettling dreams as I sleep.

I see myself ripping the face of people with my teeth. It’s gruesome and violent. When it’s not me being tortured as I once was.

I’s painful to sleep.

When I wake up in stupor, it takes me a minute not to panic.

Waiting for dawn, I try to imagine what Nightmare’s child could look like.

She only told me her work on that mostly aviary body was not complete.

It shouldn’t have been able to live, under reasonable expectations. Shouldn’t, but did.

Nightmare doesn’t create her emulated human shape this time, but still whispers to me as if she were right next to me.

N - It agreed to come here and see us... I’m surprised again. I thought it hated me.

R - That’s another surprise from life then. I’m eager to meet that child.

And comes morning over the glorious city and sea.

~

I expected a bird. What reaches us is a very impressive dragon.

Alike the quetzalcoatles I’ve seen, but shorter in length. It has only three pairs of wings, albeit much, much bigger.

The body is snake like, or swan like for the first set of wings and neck.

The wings are immense. The head is between lizard and bird. It has a fur of feathers like Bleue had, all over.

It’s more like a giant ferret with that earthly coloured fur. It’s main waistline is about one of a good plane tree trunk.

About ten metres long from head to tail, and at least as wide in main wingspan.

When it crawls over the elbows of its wings, the body flows very close to the ground. It twitches its tummy when it hits a rock protruding.

That odd dragon walked slowly toward me and Nightmare’s silhouette.

It’s imposing, taller than me even there.

It could swallow more than my head in one chomp.

I notice its tongue is not reptilian, and it has no teeth. So despite the look, the head is more bird like than reptilian.

It speaks with Nightmare for a minute, without words I could listen to.

They exchange ideas and agreements as thoughts.

The odd animal lifts its head while hissing, mouth open.

It suddenly strikes Nightmare, attempting to bite the shadowy figure. She vanishes, but we all know it wasn’t her body anyway.

The animal looks at me then. I show my hands and try to smile.

R - I’m not sure how to call you, but I’m pleased to meet you. I would be happy to travel to the northern lands along with you.

It opens its mouth, and the tip of its tongue pokes one of my hands, and then the other. Then it takes a glorious lick at my face like a giant dog.

It smells like swamp. The animal doesn’t bark though, nor does it talk.

I’m too used to beings-like-her talking to me. I’ve had the chance to learn it requires specific brain and specific organs in the throat to do so properly. Not every animal is equipped with both.

While Nightmare reappears, the animal begins chomping down a tree. I’ve seen cats eating everything of a bird before, feathers, beak, bones and claws included, leaving northing behind and goats eating roots till there’s nothing left. But an entire tree is a new one.

It’s similar still. This one doesn’t just chomp the leaves or the bark. It eats everything out of the tree. Its jaws and beak cut clean entire pieces in a loud noise of broken wood. Then the swollen gizzards of its neck masticate the chunks further.

In a few minutes, while Nightmare and I are talking, the animal makes a full tree disappear very methodically, leaving only a clean stump behind.

N - It’s smart.

R - Hm?

N - It had one condition to helping you. For me to finish the missing part of its body. With you in the balance, it knows I won’t try anything mean. A good bargain.

R - Would you have done something mean to it, had you caught it in different conditions?

N - I’ve moved on. I don’t care about this old failure anymore. So I don’t mind. At the time it fled, I might have.

R - You’ve grown as well.

N - We all do. We’re alive. Let’s go then.

R - I would like to see where and how you work if that’s alright?

N - As long as you don’t interfere I don’t mind.

I’m not sure I could interfere even if I wanted to.

~

N - You can call it Yaelun.

R - Did you... pick that name?

N - Maybe it was its idea.

I wonder. I smile quietly.

N - Yaelun... I think it doesn’t only want to use you as a bargaining argument. I think it’s eager to travel too, and embraced the opportunity fully.

R - I can understand such feeling.