Coppelia compared them carefully. Under the mixed illumination of the bonfire and the moonlight, the "water bird" flowed with a clear, cold radiance. Its texture was crystalline and translucent, and its form was indeed outlined with exquisite detail.
"It looks like it," Coppelia nodded. "It looks very much like it."
Columbina walked to the side and tossed her hands upward. The real bird in her embrace flapped its wings and took flight. Although the night was deep, it quickly identified its direction and flew toward its habitat on the other side of the lake.
Afterwards, Columbina returned to Coppelia's side, cupping the quietly hovering "water bird" in her palms.
"I also think it looks very similar," she frowned slightly. "But I always feel... something is missing?"
Coppelia took another look at the "water bird" flowing with moonlight. Under the darkening sky, its entire body emitted a soft yet clear halo, its texture as transparent as water.
She thought for a moment. "Is the color wrong?"
"It's not the color." Columbina shook her head. "It's... it's..." She tried hard to find the vocabulary but eventually gave up. "I don't know what's missing."
"Water... Are you imitating the Oceanids?" Coppelia asked thoughtfully.
"Yes!"
Coppelia understood. In terms of form, this "water bird" was already very close to the hydro creatures transformed by Oceanids, except...
"I know what's missing," Coppelia said.
Columbina immediately looked at her.
"It doesn't move."
Columbina suddenly realized. She turned her attention back to the "water bird," attempting to manipulate the liquid Lunar Force that constituted its interior to make its wings perform a flapping motion.
But just as the translucent wings tried to separate from the body and make an upward gesture, their edges immediately lost their shape, becoming blurred and distorted. It looked more like a mass of irregularly wriggling gel than the wings of a bird.
"So hard..." Columbina's tone revealed a sense of defeat.
Coppelia pointed to the crackling bonfire. "Go over there to do it; it's warmer."
The two sat down together by the fire. Coppelia occasionally added firewood to maintain the flames, watching quietly as Columbina continued to struggle with the "water bird." The other girl's slightly furrowed brows and utter concentration kept Coppelia from speaking to disturb her.
After a while, Columbina was able to keep the wings in their basic shape while flapping, no longer letting them "melt," but the movements remained stiff, like a puppet pulled by invisible strings.
It doesn't look real at all... Why do those hydro animals controlled by Oceanids move exactly like the real thing? She was already getting sleepy, her right hand supporting the slightly flapping "water bird," her left hand resting on her forehead.
She wanted to turn and ask Coppelia, but she saw that the other girl was staring at the dancing bonfire, her chin resting on one hand, eyes half-closed in a drowsy state.
Coppelia noticed her gaze, put down her hand, and pointed to the tent. "It's already very late. Let's sleep first. We'll go diving tomorrow to see the underwater scenery; didn't you say you wanted to see it?"
Columbina looked up at the sky. At some point, the moon had risen very high, sprinkling its clear radiance over the lake surface.
Strong fatigue finally washed away the excitement brought on by research and practice. She hesitated slightly, but eventually dispersed the "water bird" in her hand that simply wouldn't come "alive," and obediently crawled into the tent.
The next day, when Coppelia woke from sleep mode, sunlight was already casting bright spots on the ground through the fabric of the tent.
She reached out to touch the spot beside her. It was empty. The fabric of the blanket, untouched by sunlight, felt cool to the touch; it seemed Columbina had been gone for some time.
She crawled out of the tent. The morning air carried the humidity of the lake water and the scent of green grass. Without much effort, she discovered Columbina's figure behind a tree with dense foliage not far away. The girl was leaning half her body out from the tree trunk, gazing motionless at a clearing in the woods.
Coppelia lightened her footsteps until she was almost silent, slowly approaching so as not to startle the target Columbina was observing.
After getting closer, she saw clearly. A flock of white pigeons was gathered in the clearing. They were bowing their heads to peck at grass seeds or grains of sand, occasionally emitting low "cooing" sounds, the feathers at their necks gleaming with a pearl-like luster in the morning light.
I said earlier we should change our diet... Maybe we can try pigeon for lunch... Just as this thought popped up, Coppelia caught a glimpse of the exquisite white wing-shaped hair ornament in Columbina's hair.
"Columbina" means "Little Dove." Letting a "dove" eat a dove... felt a bit weird. She immediately dismissed the idea.
Columbina also sensed her approach at this moment. She floated up silently, turned her body in the air, and drifted to Coppelia's side.
"Can we delay the trip to the lake a little?" Columbina's voice was very soft. "I want to go to another place first."
"Name it." Coppelia nodded. "I'll accompany you wherever you want to go."
"I want to find the Oceanid."
Saying this, Columbina extended her right hand. Solidified moonlight, fluid as water, surged and flowed in her palm, quickly transforming into a lifelike pigeon form.
The "water pigeon" immediately spread its wings and began to flap them one by one. Although the movements were no longer completely stiff like the previous night, they still carried a mechanical sense that was hard to ignore.
After a night of practice, using this liquid Lunar Force to mimic items with fine structures was no longer difficult for her.
"They can move now," Columbina said, looking at the wing-flapping "water pigeon" in her palm, her brows slightly furrowed. "But I still feel... something is missing."
Coppelia's gaze turned to that clearing. She took a few steps toward the flock of pigeons. As soon as she got close, the pigeons flapped their wings collectively with a whoosh as if startled. Their snow-white wings beat the air as they scattered into the woods, leaving only a few drifting downy feathers behind.
Columbina quietly floated to Coppelia's side and asked, "Can you tell what is missing?"
Coppelia turned around and looked her in the eye.
"To speak of the difference, it is actually quite obvious." She paused, pointing to the "water pigeon" in Columbina's hand that was still flapping its wings rhythmically. "That flock of pigeons that flew away is 'alive.' But this one—" Her finger did not move. "Is 'dead.' It has no life; it is just a mass of shaped 'water.' Even if you can make it move, or even make it fly, it cannot be considered truly alive."
"Life..." Columbina repeated the word, seemingly struggling to digest the concept.
She raised her hand, letting the mechanically flapping "water pigeon" hover between the two of them.
"I want it to possess 'life.' So I want to find the Oceanid. I want to figure out why the animals I make with 'water' are 'dead,' while the ones made by the Oceanid... are 'alive'?"
Are Hydro Mimics alive? Coppelia thought back. The Chasm seemed to have some water-formed creatures that could exist independently and even attack people. Those should probably count as some form of "living thing."
"Okay," she nodded. "We will go find the Oceanid."
Having said that, her gaze subconsciously cast toward the opposite shore of the great lake. That was the general direction where they had met that Oceanid last time.
Just as her gaze moved, that blue-gray Celestia, suspended in the clouds, inevitably broke into her field of vision.
Her expression changed suddenly. She extended a hand, blocking Columbina who was just about to take her into flight, and asked:
"Can you tell me? What exactly do you want to bring back to 'life'?"
____
New Story: ZZZ: Mr. Ethereal Does Not Want to See a Tragedy
🔥We're handing out that '30% bonus' that makes your wallet smile. 😄
✅ Get immediate access to 40 early chapters for all stories.
✅ Enjoy exclusive material and special announcements!
Help us unlock these community rewards:
🎯 100 Powerstones = +1 Bonus Chapter for everyone
🚀 140 MEMBERS = +5 extra chapters across ALL STORIES!
👻 P - Walnutchan