We’ve returned to the end and sent Ferris back to Kugg Village through the Teleportation Spell Circle.
Seeing Bright heave a sigh of relief, I then turned to Pochi at my side, who’s still hanging her head down after all this ti.
“Man, we sure walked around a whole lot today… my legs feel like lead. Hahaha…”
I suddenly cracked a shoddy joke, which Pochi replied to quietly,
“And the soles of my feet… are called paws, sir…”
I know, I know.
I lack the energy to even laugh at that unfunny joke, as much as I’d like to.
“Father, there’s sothing I like to discuss. Do you have so ti to spare?”
“Hmm? What is it?”
I listened carefully, waiting for what Chappie had to say about his issues.
But then Chappie shook his head.
“Well, not HERE…”
That caught Pochi and Bright by surprise.
He was keeping Bright away from the discussion… which had happened a handful of tis in the past, but for him to do it to Pochi – his mother – was unheard of.
I signaled Pochi with my eyes, telling her to take care of Bright in the anti, before following Chappie outside.
And by outside, I an the inn’s backyard.
Seeing a bench, probably one for custors, I sat down on it… then Chappie sat on .
“You’re pretty heavy, you know that?”
“Bear with it just this once, father – just for the private discussion, yes?”
“That’s nice and all, but I can’t even see anything in front of . Just be reasonable, damn it.”
I said and tapped on the bench.
“Ngh… all right, then.”
Chappie relented, getting off and sitting down to my side.
If soone passing by were to see us, they’d probably think they were seeing sothing quite surreal.
I an, a pretty damn big bird – not to ntion a Violet Phoenix – sitting on a bench. That’s got to be sothing.
“So, what’s the thing you wanted to talk about?”
I asked, but Chappie didn’t answer imdiately.
Well, not to bla him – Chappie’s naturally got Chappie things to think about.
It’s been about a year since this Violet Phoenix was born. His father and mother – and Pochi – were from the future, and we had been told that once we did everything we needed to do here, we would be going back to where we belonged. After much discussion with Pochi, I had decided to talk to Chappie about it at one point, but it wasn’t necessarily sothing one could let sink in so quickly.
But now cos the Violet Phoenix issue. An issue way beyond our scope.
By the way of the Violet Phoenix species, only a single fully-grown one of them is permitted to exist at any given ti. If that is imposed strictly, and the Violet Phoenix in the future is the OTHER ONE… that would an that Chappie doesn’t exist in our ti.
Or MAYBE he’s still alive sowhere out there, but hasn’t t up with us yet as of the day we had been sent back to this past.
Had he decided to not show up, so as to not jeopardize his very existence, or had sothing happened to him later in this era…?
Also, what did Shi’shichou say to that ti before going away?
If I rember correctly… it’d asked what my na was, and when I told it, it said ‘……I see. Rember to do a favor later, and I shall let you off the hook, Asley,’ didn’t it?
Could it have realized who we were at that ti? At the ti-travel shenanigans level of connection?
That I was a mage it had t once before, more than 5,000 years prior to that encounter?
But it did try to kill for real back then… and only stopped once it heard Pochi’s inappropriately-tid yawn.
Could it be that Pochi had made more of a lasting impression on it that I had?
But then again… the only ones of our group it had seen were , Ferris, and Chappie.
Pochi must have been hidden in the bush all through the confrontation.
Which ans… eventually, inevitably, Pochi and Shi’shichou will have to face each other.
That’s probably what Pochi’s request to ca from. Because we didn’t et Chappie in the future…-
“First off, father…”
Chappie broke the long silence, starting to talk with carefully chosen words after much thinking,
“You and mother aren’t from this era. I still… can’t wrap my little bird brain around that.”
“…Right.”
“Before, I couldn’t bring myself to talk about it. Couldn’t bring myself to ASK you two about it. But now that that’s changed, what should I do?”
I feel like Chappie’s words really got all his emotions across.
“When you return to your ti, will I be…?”
“…Yeah, you can’t co along with us.”
I’d already told him exactly that before, but it seed that Chappie had asked again just to hear say it again.
“So… what should I do?”
It was such a simple question, but one that choked really good.
But I must answer. As a parental figure, and also as soone who had lived through most of my eternal life by himself.
Whether Chappie knew that… well, he probably did, and because of it, chose over Pochi to ask that question of his.
All the more reason that I must answer. I’ve got to give him sothing to kill ti with in his long, harsh, eternal life, without anything holding him down.
“Let’s see… how about you start with flying around the whole world?”
“The whole world?”
“Yeah. You’ve got great wings, Chappie – wings that I won’t ever have. No choice but to make use of them, right?”
I said while stroking Chappie’s wings.
“I see…”
Chappie cast down his eyes and nodded. I could see him smiling a bit, too.
“And then… try eating lots of stuff, I guess.”
“Yes, that’s important.”
Rather than an imdiate reply, it was more like his appetite doing the talking.
As one would expect of Pochi’s kid.
“Hahahaha… and go around to see a whole lot of places-“
“Mm-hm, mm-hm.”
“Then whenever you’re bored, you can just go hang out at either the Fulbright or Adams houses.”
“Bright and Ferris’ places?”
Chappie asked, tilting his head in confusion.
“Yeah. Now this isn’t sothing you’re supposed to know, but those two households still exist even in my ti.”
“Oh? That’s impressive.”
I DID hear that the Fulbright household had recently fallen, but at least so of the people of that house are still alive, so I’d say I wasn’t stating anything incorrect.
“Keep that a secret, all right?”
“Yes.”
Chappie answered, seemingly happy… because he’s getting to share a secret between just us two.
“And you should protect those two houses if you deem it necessary, Chappie.”
“That sounds like fun.”
“If you don’t want to, you don’t have to, of course.”
“…? What do you an?”
Chappie opened his eyes wide, surprised by my sudden change of direction.
“So I explained everything to you already, right?”
“Yes, you did.”
Chappie, after spending a mont to think back on everything I’d said thus far, affird my question.
“Then it’s all up to you to decide for yourself, Chappie.”
“I can… decide for myself?”
“Right. Trying things out by yourself can help you learn a lot, you know?”
“So THAT’s what you ant…”
Chappie, seemingly understanding of what I’d told him, cast his eyes down again.
“BUT you have to operate under a guiding principle. That’s the one thing you need.”
“Guiding… principle?”
“The main topic here is what you’ll be doing from now on. Think about it – your underlying feelings, policies, goals, those kinds of stuff.”
“Goals…”
Chappie muttered that one word to himself and started giving it so hard thought.
Then, after a while, he seed to have thought of sothing, and proceeded to ask ,
“And what’s your guiding principle, father?”
“Pretty simple, really – don’t bully the weak. Except the evil guys and monsters.”
“Ohh…!”
Hearing explain my guiding principles, Chappie sprang up from his seat.
Amid the moonlit night, he walked in front of the bench and spread his wings wide, his deep purple feathers fluttering in the air. For just a brief mont, it was quite the fantastical view in my eyes.
“I’ve decided, father! I won’t bully the weak! And I’ll travel the world! Ahh, I’m so excited! These are the goals of my life! My guiding principles!”
With the genuine delight in Chappie’s voice, I saw him as an innocent yet majestic Heavenly Beast.
Not even noticing that my mouth was agape the whole ti, I stared on as Chappie happily fluttered around.
“…Father?”
Then, when Chappie settled down, he stared back at my face. I woke up from the trance, as if I had just seen a brief yet beautiful performance. I reached to stroke Chappie’s head and neck, then whispered,
“Yeah, this is fine.”
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