Ghost asked, his voice filled with obvious excitement, if he could work with us.
Lion snapped at him, demanding to know what he could actually contribute, since creating everything with magic drained so much of his energy.
We were on our way back to our arrival point.
Our client's home was on a different mountain and the flight back was taking some time.
Lion was clearly grumpy. He had spent several minutes crafting a dozen mirrors, and although he had cheered up briefly when the client paid him, he soured again the moment it was time to head home, especially when Ghost insisted that it was his turn to carry me.
They bickered for a while until Ghost convinced me to let him show me how he usually travels, by jumping abnormally high and running incredibly fast.
Earlier, we had flown using Lion's magic, but since Lion seemed drained from creating so many magical items, Ghost pointed out that he didn't have enough energy left to keep us all airborne.
In the end, Ghost won the argument, and we set out for the first mountain.
I was terrified at first when Ghost made that initial leap.
It was abnormally high, as if gravity didn't exist. I clung to his neck and he tightened his grip to hold me more securely.
I told him I was scared and he reassured me that he would keep me safe while Lion growled that if Ghost ever dropped me, he would burn him to oblivion.
How promising...
I kept my eyes closed for several minutes since I wasn't yet comfortable with the intense movement, but eventually, I tried opening them slowly.
It was mind-blowing!
Ghost jumped with ease and I have to admit, it felt exhilarating. I felt more alive and excited. Ghost must have sense my excitement that he tried to jump even higher and faster than before.
I should have contained my excitement.
While jumping even higher, he didn't hear Lion's yell of warning that he bumped into a flying creature and accidentally lost his grip on me.
Ghost jumped with ease and I had to admit that it felt exhilarating.
I felt more alive, more excited. Ghost must have sensed my excitement, because he began jumping even higher and faster than before.
I should have contained my excitement.
In his haste to go even higher, he didn't hear Lion's shouted warning. He slammed into a flying creature, and in the chaos, he accidentally lost his grip on me.
I screamed as I plummeted toward the ground.
HELP ME!!!!
....
As I plummeted, I took small comfort in the fact that the ground was still nowhere in sight.
I tumbled into a thick bank of clouds, passing through them felt strangely soft and biting cold against my skin.
Add another one to my ever-growing list of "Strange Things I Never Asked For".
Through the rushing wind, I heard my name being screamed.
I looked up to see Lion and Ghost diving toward me, their faces twisted in absolute terror.
They had every right to be. I was scared out of my wits, though the fear was quickly being replaced by a wave of nausea. My head began to throb and the world started to spin.
Is this what airsickness feels like? Or is it just the realization that I'm about to become a permanent part of the landscape?
The thought was the last thing I remembered before the world turned black and I finally fainted.
....
When I woke up, we were back on the first mountain.
I was wrapped in Lion's cloak and held tightly in Ghost's arms. A wave of relief washed over his face the moment my eyes fluttered open, but I noticed something new.
Was that a bruise blooming on his left cheek?
I looked around, but Lion was nowhere to be seen. Ghost must have noticed me searching for him, because he quickly explained that Lion was off gathering leaves to brew a drink, something to help soothe the shock and stress of the fall.
At least one of them knows I'm fragile, I thought, though the world was still spinning far too much for me to actually say it.
I still felt incredibly dizzy, so I closed my eyes and let sleep take me again.
....
When I finally woke up, Lion was the one holding me.
He noticed the moment I stirred and let out a long, heavy breath of relief. He handed me a cup, telling me to drink what he had prepared.
I took a sip.
Mmm...
It tasted of wild berries.. tart and sweet all at once. Almost immediately, I could feel the lingering tension begin to drain away.
I didn't see Ghost anywhere.
Lion told me he had punished him by sending him off to gather fruit for our meal.
He then looked at me seriously, suggesting I had every right to be mad, but asking me not to hold a deep grudge, as Ghost was truly devastated by the accident.
I assured Lion that I wasn't angry at all. After all, it was just an accident.
Lion murmured that I could still punch Ghost if I wanted to or he'd happily do it for me.
I laughed, and soon, Lion's gruff exterior cracked, and he began to laugh too.
Looking up, I realized the sun had set. The moons and stars were now shimmering in the night sky.
I whispered that it's beautiful and Lion agreed, though he wasn't looking at the sky.
He was looking directly at me.
Oh. My. Gosh.
Was this actually happening?
I always thought scenes like this only existed in cheesy romance novels. That classic, heart-fluttering line where the hero ignores the view to stare at the girl and yet, here it was, happening to me.
Romance was the absolute last thing I expected to find in this life.
In my previous world, I was incredibly awkward.
Sure, I dated a few guys, but I always felt unsatisfied. I never had a truly fulfilling conversation with any of them. They either spent the whole time talking about themselves or stuck to superficial topics.
I guess that's one of the reasons I lost my sense of imagination. I never had someone talk to me about things that required deep thought or genuine feeling.
Eventually, I lost my sense of romance entirely, viewing it as something that could only be found in fiction.
Even reading romance novels failed to give me that thrill or excitement.
But now, something in Lion's gaze made me feel it... the unmistakable flutter of butterflies in my stomach.
I stared into Lion's eyes, noticing how beautiful they looked under the moonlight.
He smiled shyly and began to gently caress my hair.
For a moment, I completely forgot that he was still holding me.
Um... what's next? What do I do? Should I say something?
I was twenty-five years old, for goodness' sake, on Earth, anyway. I was supposed to be more mature than a teenager, but right now, I felt exactly like one.
My heart began to pound uncontrollably against my ribs. Then, the mood shifted. I started to shiver violently as I realized the temperature was dropping. It wasn't just a night breeze... it was getting cold. Like, really cold.
Lion noticed me shivering and gently placed me on the ground. He murmured a magic word, and suddenly, flames erupted from his palm.
He let the fire float in the air, expanding it until I felt a wave of warmth.
The flames initially looked like a normal fire, and I was grateful for the familiarity. It looked just like an Earthly campfire.. well, a floating one, at least.
When Lion asked if I wanted it to be warmer, I nodded.
Suddenly, the flames shifted color.
Nothing made sense anymore!
Then, I remembered reading in my previous world that as fire gets hotter, its color shifts toward the brighter end of the spectrum. The flames were now a brilliant light blue and I had to admit, the warmth was perfectly comfortable this time.
We heard footsteps and it was Ghost, laden with all sorts of fruits. He knelt before me, offering a sincere apology. I smiled at him, reassuring him once again that it had just been an accident.
Lion muttered under his breath that I should have punched him, a comment I, unfortunately, overheard.
Ghost tried to make amends by excitedly introducing each of the fruits he had brought.
I couldn't remember their names, but they were incredibly sweet, tasting of honey and caramel with a texture similar to bananas. I loved them.
Unlike the fruit on Earth, eating just one here felt like consuming a full meal. I felt completely satisfied and satiated, yet my stomach felt light.
Still, I couldn't help but feel a twinge of homesickness for the food back on Earth.
Lion and Ghost ate as well, but I noticed Ghost looking at me as if he were about to ask me something.
I asked him what was on his mind.
With eyes pleading for a yes, he asked if he could work with us, suggesting he could handle deliveries and sales instead.
I looked over at Lion, who sighed and finally gave a reluctant nod. He admitted that he actually needed the help, since crafting items with magic drained so much of his energy.
Ghost thanked us profusely, promising to be as helpful as possible. Then, he turned to me and asked what I was planning to design next.
I want a better ice cream machine.