Chapter Text
It was destiny that they would collide. The same maroon trims on either pair of wings, exactly down to the little spiral at the end that broke off suddenly. How they both needed to claim this specific piece of land at the exact same time, the exact same say, down to the millisecond. Even their flying patterns were identical.
J had been searching through the market, trying to find a Land owner, people willing to sell off acres and acres of land in auctions that could range as little to fifty gold coins to two hundred. Gold coins were earned doing the most life-threatening jobs known to the winged people and they were the most valuable resource in all of Luminex, the kingdom of blooming nature.
And at long, long last, the young woman who had known nothing but cold nights in barren caves had found a competition, a scavenger hunt of finding various rare flowers and objects to bring to the master, some dude in his mid-20s who had too much and saw an opportunity to give shit away. Fucking wealthy ass, but not like J could really murder the host until the thing was over. And even then the killing process was incredibly vague and difficult because first you needed this, and then that, and then do this, and then go back to the first area to grab some of said thing- so yeah. Killing people was NOT as simple as just stabbing them.
The competition stretched across the days, which all seemed to blend together into one montage type adventure. It was mainly retrieving valuable, rare items from the ends of the earth that had no significant value. J really had no idea why any of this mattered, but she'd do anything to stop sleeping in caves. For a short while during the event, J couldn't tell when it would ever end. Every item she had to retrieve was rarer than the first and it was starting to feel impossible to even get her hands on the next item.
The worst part wasn't even getting the materials. It was recommended that you participate with your fated one, or the person who shared your wing trims. J didn't have a fated one, or not one that she'd found yet. She was doing it all alone, against all the competitors that had brought their fated ones along. And it was difficult to stay ahead.
When she finally retrieved the last item, a wing trimmer that could change the trims on your wings and the color that only had three copies across all of Luminex, the host gave her a knowing look, as if there was something completely obvious that somehow J was knew too - which she didn't, why was this guy looking at her like that - before handing her a book with coordinates. Most likely to the Land she'd been trying to achieve for all this time.
After waving goodbye to the host, J turned and shot up into the sky, her wings spreading out beside her as she gained height. As long as she found where the coords were, she could finally rest easy. Just as long as no one tried any funny business.
It took almost three full hours to get to the land itself. Not because it was far away, or that there was a weird process of getting to it. No, it was in the middle of absolutely everything. She'd expected it to be loud, but everything was strangely quiet. Hills warped into hills that warped into plains, forest, even with three separate rivers. It was quite massive for the center of Luminex. J sighed, starting to descend after hours of flying. She didn't really know how to fly and her wings were starting to get sore from the stupidness of having to fly for forever.
At that same moment, Ethephyr, who recently got word that whoever her beautiful fated one was had won the competition, started flying to meet up with this wonderful person. The fact that this fated one didn't even ask for help from anyone was truly admirable. Phyr wanted to see this person more than anything else, she wanted to hold them and tell them everything would be okay because they had her now.
Phyr knew a lot about this person's personality. Not exactly who they were, but enough to know they were a good person, whoever they were, who just needed a home.
"Hmmm, I wonder if they'll land soon! Oh, they must be so tired having to do all of that alone! Well, aside from the fact that I helped them quite a bit," Phyr wondered aloud, picturing in her head how delighted the fated one could possibly be to finally have a fated one. Her wings fluttered at her sides alongside the wind as she started descending onto the Land. She was so distracted she didn't even realize that her gorgeous fated one had crashed into her accidentally while descending.
Ethephyr stood up immediately, noticing her fated one, a young woman with the most lustrous hair she'd ever seen, was laying on the ground. The innocent thing groaned in pain, forcing her eyes open and looking up to see Phyr holding out a hand to her.
The girl's ocean blue eyes widened in alarm and she immediately stood up on her own to bow to Ethephyr, who only found it amusingly cute.
"Darling, love, there's no need for that," Phyr chuckled softly, her eyes dancing with soft laughter. The young woman looked up and froze when she saw the trims. She was bound to realize who Phyr was eventually. It was good to note that she wasn't just putting on a kind mask because Phyr was her fated one.
"You- you're-" the young woman stammered, a bright blush spreading across her cheeks. Oh... The poor thing was embarrassed. That wouldn't do at all.
"Darling, don't worry. We all make mistakes." Phyr sighed, moving closer as if to hug her fated one. "My name is Phyr, my gorgeous fated one. Who could you be?"
The young woman flinched away, which Phyr noted instantly. Of course, she probably hadn't had anyone to give her neverending attention ever. The thought made Phyr's wings twitch in displeasure. That wouldn't do. That wouldn't do at all.
"Uh... Uh, uh uh uh, I'm J," the other girl squeaked out nervously. Phyr frowned slightly, pulling J into loving arms. J was cold and she looked like a survivor who'd never known peace. What could she have gone through..?
"It's very nice to meet you, my J," Ethephyr hummed, cradling J in her arms and swaying back and forth slowly, like a lullaby. For how tough J felt and acted, she really was just a little child who needed attention and love she never had once. Phyr wished she could stay like this forever. Maybe then her darling could finally rest easy.