Wings of Ivory and Edge of Steel, Part I

Three weeks had passed since I was thrown into this strange world. As time went by, the mornings in the witch’s tower became a normality. The clean wooden floorings; the painted brick walls; the thick glass windowpanes that I cannot see through were all something I now found comforting.

And so did I find comfort and familiarity in the sight of outside of my window.

I opened the window; the warmth of the morning sun and the gentle wind embraced me. In front of me were thousands of isles, casting their shadows on fluffy, marshmallow-like clouds before the gentle, golden sunshine. Between the isles were numerous vehicles, large and small, that travelled between the different isles; they were “ships” that carried goods and people between the isles, the lifeline of the people who lived in this broken world.

Usually shaped either like blimps or like ships of sail, “ships” in this world were perhaps best classified as lighter-than-air aircrafts, though they did not always contain a lifting gas like Earth’s airships did. Instead, they relied on a material known as “miracite”, a mysterious, crystal-like mineral that could reduce the effects of gravity. Using magic and miracite, those vessels, whose sizes ranged from that of a small car to that of a ferry, were able to achieve flight without wings.

There were, of course, exceptions. For example, the shining, ivory-coloured wings in front of me.

Leaving behind a white contrail that casted long shadows, the ivory-coloured wings belonged to a vehicle that was closer to a fixed-wing airplane than any other vehicle in this strange world. With its straight, noble wings, its elegant tail and a streamlined appearance, the vehicle resembled a white bird that proudly defied the world’s designs as it traversed the sky. A true beauty indeed, I thought, as the vehicle approached my window and stopped in front of it.

Of course, I had gotten used to this sight as well. I had come to know the pilot of this amazing beauty well, after all.

“Good morning. It seems you started your work early today again. How was the ship?” I said to the pilot, whose small stature and cute face was covered by a flight suit and oversized goggles.

“Good morning, Mr Assistant! She’s performing surprisingly well, but she’s still quite rowdy to handle, especially during a dive. She needs to be tweaked again.”

“I think I know what the issue could be; let me get back to you afterwards. But don’t work too hard. I saw you stay up late in the workshop last night. You are still young, and you should take it easy.”

“Ah… I was just too excited about the ideas you gave me, so I forgot about the time.” The pilot replied, “Besides, you are up pretty early too. I thought you and Master were together late into the night, so I didn’t think you will be up this early. Should we have breakfast soon? Once I store away the Excelsior, I will go down and cook up something.”

“Take your time and let me cook this morning. I feel guilty making a child cook my meals after working hard this early in the morning. At least let me do it today.” I replied.

“Thanks! Then I will go and store the ship.”

“Should I make Dandelion’s portion as well?” I asked.

“Master never wakes up before noon, so maybe not. See you in a minute!”

“See you soon, Neil.”

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Neil was a fourteen-year-old boy with a head of shining blond hair and emerald eyes. Orphaned in his early childhood, the Witch took pity on him and raised him as her disciple. Despite being a disciple under the mighty Witch of the Origin, Neil was never talented in magic, nor was he interested in it. Instead, the mild-mannered, kind and innocent boy was more interested in the sight of gears turning, in the sound of machines roaring. Instead of reading grimoires, he looked through thousands of blueprints; instead of drawing magic circles, he sawed wood and cut metal; and instead of taking up magical wands, he took up screwdrivers and hammers. In short, instead of becoming a mage, Neil became an engineer.

A genius engineer at that.

From the airframe to the magic engine, from the drawing board to the ivory-white paint, the ivory aircraft --- the Excelsior was Neil’s own creation. Even with the full support and guidance from the Witch, it was not an easy feat, especially considering the lack of research in the field of fixed-wing aircrafts in Earthtear. While still crude by Earth’s standards, Neil had already made numerous improvements to the Excelsior in the three weeks after receiving my help. Frankly, it was something I did not expect; when I first saw the fourteen-year-old child and his aircraft, I simply made a few passing remarks using the knowledge I learnt on Earth.

And now our conversations sounded like this.

“…Increasing the magic engine’s power was a great idea…um… the extra lift means the miracite mechanism can be run…yum… at a lower power.” Neil mumbled with a piece of toast in his mouth. “But I ran into problems with manoeuvrability…um… this morning. The stick was very stiff during a dive.”

“Finish your food then talk, Neil.” I replied, ignoring the fact that there was also a piece of toast and some fried egg in my mouth. “As I thought. Symmetrical airfoils don’t provide enough lift for the Excelsior, so you still have to run the anti-grav --- the miracite mechanism. That’s not ideal. And the stiff stick you encountered must be some sort of stability issue, because the wing was not designed to the high speed it is running at now.”

“Then we will have to make new wings?” Neil asked.

“Most definitely. It will be good if we can increase the incidence angle a bit and give the wing a bit of sweep.”

“Then the tail must be redesigned too. And if the Excelsior’s wooden frame isn’t strong enough, then we need to rebuild that with metal. Then maybe a bigger engine…” Neil started mumbling.

“I wonder how much of Excelsior would be left, then. Wouldn’t that be practically a new aircraft? The Excelsior took you years to make…”

“But that sounds so fun! I’ve never thought about those improvements before. If you help me with it, making a new ship wouldn’t take that long either. You will help me, right, Mr Assistant?”

“I don’t think I can-”

Neil’s round, emerald eyes stared at me with a passionate shine.

“You know Dandelion has been working me hard. You saw how many manuscripts and books she forced me to write, and her magic lessons are starting to get serious. My entire body is aching from her hectic lessons…”

Truly, I don’t know what was on her mind, but throwing me into the air and catching me was not something I’d expect in a magic lesson.

“Ah, that’s why she princess carries you every day! And that’s why you two always work together late into the night! I guess it can’t be helped… I guess I have to work it out myself somehow. I can’t bother Mr Assistant too much…” Neil’s innocent voice became a bit sad. His large emerald eyes, still shining with a passion, looked away. The fourteen-year-old, who was usually outgoing and chatty, sulked in his chair and munched his food in silence.

I could not win against the child, after all.

“I guess if Dandelion doesn’t work me to death first, I can help a bit.”

Neil’s face brightened up. “Yay! Thank you, Grey!”

“And don’t call me Mr Assistant; call me Grey. Your master named me so after all. Even though I am not particularly fond of the name…”

“Why?”

“She named me after my silver hair. Even if I can’t remember my exact age, I am not older than 30… I am not an old man with greyhair!”

“But Grey is so much older than I am. You could be double my age. You are a respectable elder for me!”

I felt as if a thousand knives stabbed in my heart. Strangely, I found it impossible to refute this young, impertinent boy; he was spitting out facts, and it hurt.

“…Sometimes I don’t know if you are an innocent child, or a manipulative devil.” I sighed.

“…What do you mean…?” Neil was genuinely confused.

“Nevermind.” I laid back on my chair, my attention drifting towards the mild blue skies outside of the kitchen window. The sun was warm and the clouds were fluffy as always. It would take several more hours until Dandelion wakes up and torment --- no, teach me. But that was something the future me would worry about. Such a peaceful day, I thought, and I wouldn’t mind if this comfortable time lasted a bit longer…

The doorbell rang without warning, and my hopes for a peaceful day was shattered. “Coming!” I yelled, as I sprang up and ran down towards the entrance to the tower. The doorbell rang again as I went down the stairs. And again. And again.

“Coming!” I yelled again, then whispered to myself, “Who the hell visits at this hour. Impatient jerk… Must be one of those bloody old merchants…” I cursed the unknown visitor in my heart, as I opened the heavy, old, wooden door.