I kept moving until the passage narrowed again, forcing anything larger to approach from the front. Only then did I slow down, letting the tension settle instead of holding onto it.
My breathing steadied first.
Everything else followed.
"…That was careless."
Not the encounter itself.
The way I handled it.
I leaned lightly against the wall, more to give my body a moment than out of necessity. The earlier hit to my shoulder still lingered—not enough to slow me down, but enough to remind me it had happened.
The scratch on my arm, though—
I looked down at it.
It was already closing.
Not completely. Not instantly.
But faster than it should have.
I pressed lightly against it, testing.
No real pain.
Just a dull awareness.
"…So that's new."
I pulled my hand back and watched for a few seconds longer. The skin continued to mend slowly, the mark fading bit by bit.
Not fast enough to ignore damage.
But fast enough to matter.
"Passive, then."
That was useful.
Not enough to rely on—but enough to change how I approached things.
I let out a quiet breath and shifted my focus.
The fight had already given me something more important.
That moment.
The movement I didn't control.
The light.
I raised my hand slightly, turning it as I tried to recall the exact feeling. It hadn't come from effort. If anything, it had happened when I stopped trying to react and just… moved.
I paused.
Then tried again.
Nothing.
"…Right."
I adjusted my stance and tried a different approach, focusing less on the action and more on the sensation itself.
There had been something there—subtle, but real. Not physical. Not exactly.
I closed my eyes briefly.
For a moment, there was nothing.
Just the cave, the faint hum in the air, and my own breathing.
Then—
Something.
Faint.
It wasn't the same as before. Weaker. Harder to grasp.
Like trying to remember something I hadn't fully experienced.
I held onto it as long as I could—
And lost it.
"…Too vague."
I opened my eyes again, lowering my hand slightly.
Forcing it wasn't working.
I tried once more anyway.
This time, I focused on the moment just before it happened—the instant where my body reacted without hesitation. Not the movement itself, but the lack of resistance behind it.
For a brief second, something gathered again.
Faint.
Unstable.
A flicker of light formed near my palm—
Then collapsed before it could take shape.
"…So it's not impossible."
That was enough.
I exhaled slowly, letting the tension leave my shoulders.
It wasn't control.
Not even close.
But it wasn't random either.
It responded.
Just not on command.
I lowered my hand completely, leaning back against the wall again.
My body felt… different.
Not tired, exactly.
Just slightly strained, like something had been used without my full awareness.
"…So there's a cost."
That made sense.
I glanced at my arm again.
The scratch was nearly gone now, leaving only a faint mark behind.
Regeneration.
Unstable control.
Unknown energy.
"…Alright."
The situation was clearer than before.
Not comfortable.
But manageable.
I pushed myself off the wall and stood properly again. The wings shifted slightly behind me, still unfamiliar, but less disruptive than before.
"Step by step, then."
There was no reason to rush.
Understanding would come with time.
And until then-
Survival was enough.
I moved forward.