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Sam lost track of time. He didn’t know how long he spent in the whale’s mouth; however, even though he wasn’t keeping track of time, that didn’t mean he was wasting it. The blue avian Sam was sparring with, whose name he had learned was Bach, was equally matched against Sam. He wasn’t sure if the blue avian was holding back, or if he had really caught up to the average blue avian’s fighting standard, but he had gotten really good at using his chakras for combative purposes. Sam crystallized his aura and deflected the blue avian’s punch before stepping to the side, avoiding Bach’s follow-up strike.
“Good!” Bach said, the blue avian’s voice echoing in Sam’s mind. “You’ve gotten much better than when we first started.”
“Thanks,” Sam said through his throat chakra and wiped the sweat off of his brow. “Is that enough for today?”
“Yeah,” Bach said. “We can take a break.”
“That’s right,” another blue avian’s voice said inside Sam’s head. “Come, gossip with us.”
Through his All-Seeing Gaze, Sam focused on the two blue avians who were sitting at a table off to the side near the wall of the whale’s mouth. At some point, the blue avians had negotiated with Sam. He’d offer them basic rights, and they’d teach him how to fight. A surprisingly cordial relationship had developed between Sam and his three captives, but it wasn’t really unexpected considering how long they had spent with each other in a confined space.
Sam focused on his Manipura and Sahasrara, their combined effects lifting him off the ground, which was the whale’s tongue. In an instant, he arrived at one of the table’s empty seats, and Bach appeared beside the remaining one. The two looked at each other before sitting down, and the other two blue avians passed Sam and Bach tall glasses with colorful liquids inside of them.
“Thanks,” Sam said, accepting the glass. The blue avians were named Bach, Wolfgang, and Chopin after their favorite composers. It turned out they were related; in fact, if one were a blue avian, it’d be more difficult to find another blue avian unrelated to oneself than one who was related.
“I bet it’s Paula out there,” Wolfgang said as Sam and Bach drank from their glasses. “They’re the only one patient enough to wait you out like this.”
“Is Paula strong compared to other blue avians?” Sam asked.
“Not necessarily,” Bach said. “All blue avians have the same abilities. The only difference between Paula and the rest of us is their experience; they’ve hunted a lot more calamities.”
“So, Paula’s just more experienced,” Sam said. He gently nudged in their direction by forming a connection towards the three blue avians by concentrating on his crown chakra, a gesture the blue avians frequently used to indicate friendly banter. “How am I compared to Paula?”
“You’re like one of us,” Wolfgang said, “which means you’re now as strong as Paula. That doesn’t mean you’ll beat them in a fight though.”
“Actually,” Chopin said, “what Bach said isn’t quite true. Not all blue avians have the same abilities.”
“Hey,” Bach said, shooting mental daggers at Chopin. “What are you doing?”
“He was going to find out eventually,” Chopin said, “who cares if it’s me that tells him?” The blue avian directed its attention onto Sam. “There are more chakras than just the seven chakras in your body. There are still the external chakras that connect you to the greater beyond.”
“Huh,” Vercedei said, speaking for Sam, “interesting. Do you mind elaborating?”
Bach shoved Chopin’s awareness, and the blue avian stopped what it was about to say. “I can’t elaborate,” Chopin said. “You’ll have to discover the rest by yourself.”
“I thought we were cool,” Vercedei said. “We’ve known each other for so long now. We’re practically like family. I know what time you’ll take a dump before your body even tells you it’s ready.”
“We’re fine with helping you not lose,” Bach said, “but you can’t expect us to teach you how to win. After all, we’re on the side of blue avians, and we won’t be traitors even if you treat us nicely.”
“Does that mean you’ve been going easy on me?” Sam asked, speaking with his throat chakra since Vercedei stubbornly refused to get off his face.
“No,” Wolfgang said. “We haven’t unlocked the external chakras yet. It’s not really necessary, and if you do unlock them, you’ll have to shoulder a huge responsibility.”
“Isn’t that worth it?” Vercedei asked. “Power in exchange for responsibility?”
“Never,” Wolfgang said, its aura flashing with determination. “Responsibilities take away freedom, and there is nothing worse than living a life without freedom.”
“Well, you could be dead,” Sam said.
“If you’re dead, you’re free,” Wolfgang said. “One can argue death is the truest form of freedom. It’s the only escape from your current fate.”
“You’re not afraid of death?” Sam asked. Were the blue avians another species that found life to be suffering and death to be relief? He didn’t think so since they loved their freedom, which meant they enjoyed doing things whilst alive, no?
“Afraid of death? No,” Bach said and drank from their glass. “We go on spiritual journeys all the time, and on those journeys we die. It’s a natural conclusion of living a life, and even our lives as blue avians have to end.”
“I see,” Sam said. “Is it possible for me to go on a spiritual journey since I have the same chakras unlocked?”
“It is,” Chopin said. “You just have to align your body, and launch your awareness from your root chakra all the way past your crown chakra and into the greater world.”
“Of course, you can’t do that in here,” Wolfgang said. “You’ll bump right into the ceiling since we’re stuck in a separate dimension. Neat trick by the way, though, I’m sure I’ve said that before. How long has it been since we’ve been stuck in here?”
“A few years,” Bach said, “if only Paula would give up so we could get out of here already.” The blue avian looked at Sam. “You’re not a bad person, but you know how it is. As long as these higher-dimensional beings exist because of you, we have a moral obligation to rid Oterra of your existence.”
“Yeah, I know,” Sam said. The aura around his face changed colors as a ring of blue swept up from his neck and covered his head. He hadn’t just learned blue avian fighting techniques; he also learned the ways they expressed their emotions, and he found expressing how he felt in their way to be quite natural. “But we’re still friends, right?”
“You know it,” Wolfgang said. “You’re fine with being our friends even if it doesn’t amount to much? Even if we vouch for you, we won’t be able to save you from what’s coming.”
“Of course, he’s fine,” Bach said. “He’s a living creature just like all of us, and every living creature depends on connections. Since we’re stuck in here with each other, naturally, we grew close and dependent on each other whether we liked it or not.”
It was as the blue avian had said. Although the blue avians were understandably guarded at first, as time passed and as they understood their situations, they relaxed and eventually befriended Sam when they realized they couldn’t do anything against him with his familiars around. After spending a few years in the isolated space, he found it difficult to remember his old life, but he realized it wasn’t that much better considering he had been talentless. At least, now, he had more friends.
“Sorry to interrupt,” a voice said, echoing in Sam’s and the blue avians’ heads. It belonged to Big Fish. “It seems like the blue avians are giving up on their search or moving to another location.”
“Really?” Bach asked. “Paula lost in a contest of stubbornness?”
“They unearthed a massive region of land looking for me,” Big Fish said. “As you can see, I’m quite adept at hiding and remaining hidden.”
“Are you sure you can’t show us what you’re seeing?” Wolfgang asked. “Your ability would be perfect if there were a window for your passengers to see through.”
“I can’t,” Big Fish said, “not without them noticing. If any of those blue avians notice you looking at them, they’ll be able to locate me, and we don’t want that to happen, right?” The whale fell awfully silent. “Oops.”
“Oops?” Vercedei asked. “What do you mean by that?”
***
Paula kept their hand on the cloth covering the calamity detector. Was it truly defective? The blue avian didn’t think so, but everyone else around them did. Even though years may have passed since the calamity was detected, Paula believed it had simply hidden itself, remaining in the same place and was waiting for the blue avians to leave, but it wasn’t like blue avians couldn’t be wrong. It wasn’t like Paula was immune to lapses in judgement.
“Are we not going?” Mozart asked, having arrived to help search for the calamity at some point during the last few years. “You’ve tried so hard. No one will blame you if you give up now.”
“Sure, they will,” Paula said and turned their attention onto the blue avian beside them. “You know they will. If we let this calamity escape, and it commits an atrocity, you know who everyone will be pointing their fingers at first: me.”
“We promise we won’t,” Mozart said. “We’ve all seen how hard you’ve been working at this.”
“I don’t care what you’ve seen me do. It’s not about being appreciated,” Paula said. “It’s about doing what needs to be done. If we don’t deal with the calamity now, we’ll regret it in the future.”
“Well,” Mozart said, the aura around him dimming. The two-dozen-or-so blue avians who were still left after digging for years mimicked Mozart, their auras losing their glow as well. “We’re tired, and we need a break.”
“Then go get a break,” Paula said. “When you’re back, tell the rest of the slackers to come help me.” The blue avian stiffened, and it zoomed down the massive hole the blue avians had dug. “I sensed you! Everyone, the calamity is close!”
The blue avians shuddered and shook themselves off, the light returning to their auras as they flew down to accompany Paula. The hole was massive and looked as if someone had created it by taking a giant pole and stabbing it through the ground before retrieving it, leaving a pool of exposed magma and column of empty air above it. The blue avians came to a halt beside Paula, hovering over the surface of the lava.
“We’ve reached magma, Paula,” Mozart said. “What do you want us to do? Keep digging? You know digging a hole in the ocean never works.”
Paula’s All-Seeing Gaze focused on the cubes of dirt and stone that had been stacked into a massive pyramid off to the side outside of the calamity detector’s detection range. Then, they sent their All-Seeing Gaze into the pool of magma below. Whatever had spied on them just now was seemingly gone, but Paula knew they were down there.
“We can drain the magma,” Paula said.
“Drain it?” Mozart asked. The few blue avians who were left, about two dozen of them, had expressions of disbelief portrayed on their auras upon hearing Paula’s words. “Do you know how difficult and taxing that is? We’ll need everyone who left to come back and help us.”
“Then call them back,” Paula said. “They’ve been relaxing for years while we kept at this. They should be full of energy, and draining some lava shouldn’t be an issue for them.” The blue avians eyes narrowed. “Actually, I’ll go and call them back. The rest of you will stay here in case the calamity shows itself.”
Mozart and the rest of the blue avians stared in silence as Paula flew away. Then, they chattered in each other’s minds when Paula was far enough away.
“Do you think Paula really sensed someone? Or were they just trying to trick us into staying?”
“I wouldn’t put it past Paula to be tricking us. If they really feel like that’s the only way to keep us, then they’ll do it because of their strong sense of responsibility.”
“It’s usually such a good thing Paula’s willing to take the initiative to solve our problems, but it’s such a hassle when that initiative forces us to work as well.”
“You’re absolutely right. I know we can gossip while working, but gossip is something to be enjoyed, and if all of us are working, where is the new tea supposed to come from?”
“What if the calamity shows itself?”
“Then, we’ll capture it.”
“Will twenty of us be enough? What if there’s more calamities than before? If this really is the human Paula thinks we’re hunting, then wouldn’t there be twenty or thirty calamities by his side now?”
“That’s a really good point. Don’t you think we should get the heck out of here until our reinforcements arrive?”
“Paula told us to wait.”
“So, they can be safe while we’re stuck in danger? We should’ve been the ones to herald reinforcements. It’s always the underlings who get stuck with the hazardous work!”
“Wouldn’t it be hilarious if the calamity detector was broken all along, and we’ve been digging Oterra’s largest hole for no reason?”
“That sounds awful. What’s wrong with you?”
“Just saying.” One of the blue avians flew upwards to the edge of the hole and approached the altar where the calamity detector was located. They picked up the cushion the covered calamity detector was resting on and flew over to the other blue avians. “Paula was always the one using this; the rest of us never got a chance.”
“So, what? You think you’ll be better at using it than Paula?”
“Maybe if I connect with it,” the blue avian said and grabbed the cloth covering the calamity detector.
“Wait, you can’t, Samuel. No one is supposed to connect with the calamity detector directly.”
“Exceptions are made in cases of emergency,” the blue avian said. “Doesn’t this count as an emergency? There might be twenty or thirty calamities waiting to ambush us, and we’ll never know unless I form a bond with the calamity detector.” The blue avian tugged on the cloth, pulling it off and revealing a metallic, reflective sculpture made of pure hematite. The sculpture depicted a long, scaled creature with four clawed feet and four feathered wings. It was curled up and eating its own tail, making it look much like a bracelet—a very pointy one.
The blue avians watched as the braver blue avian grabbed the sculpture. It unraveled, the creature’s metallic tail leaving its mouth, and it wrapped around the blue avians arm as if it were alive. The creature’s legs dug deep into the blue avian’s flesh, and the wings extended outwards. The edges of the wings were sharp, and the blue avian didn’t have any doubts they could cut a calamity.
“How do you feel, Samuel?”
“That looked unpleasant. Is your arm going to be alright? You’re bleeding.”
The blue avian with the calamity detector raised its arm, blood running down its forearm and along its side before dripping off its feathers. “I feel great,” Samuel said and stared at the pool of lava. “I think I know where the calamity is hiding as well.”
“Great,” a blue avian said. “Since you found it, you can remove the detector now, right?”
The armed blue avian’s aura dimmed, taking on a dark hue. “Remove it? Why would I do that?” The blue avian stared at the metallic sculpture attached to its arm. “With this, what can’t I do?”
“Well, honestly, who was surprised about that?” one of the blue avians asked. “It’s not like we weren’t warned about connecting with the calamity detector directly.”
“To locate a calamity, a blue avian became a calamity,” another blue avian said and sighed. “How tragic.”
“I agree,” Samuel said. “We’re now on different sides, but that doesn’t mean I can’t help you get rid of the calamity we’re hunting first.” The blue avian turned around and pointed its arm at the pool of lava. Samuel’s aura flowed into the metallic sculpture attached to his arm. “Come out.”
Cubes of lava were lifted out of the magma pool faster than the molten rock could flow to replenish the removed gaps. An empty space was cleared, revealing a small green whale the size of a sesame seed that remained suspended in midair.
“Wouldn’t we have saved so much time if we started with this method?” one blue avian asked, observing the whale with a bland expression. How were they supposed to find that tiny thing in any reasonable amount of time? It was no wonder why they had been at it for years.
“Yes, but we didn’t want to pay the price for using it,” Samuel said. The whale disappeared, and Sameul swung their hand down, sending the cubes of floating lava cascading towards the place where the whale had just been. “They’re using an illusion. Focus on locating them.”
The blue avians chattered amongst themselves, speaking as if Samuel couldn’t hear them. “Should we help Samuel deal with the calamity first?”
“Samuel might be tricking us into fighting the calamities, so they can take advantage of us when we do.”
“You’re right. Samuel should fight the calamities, and if they really want what’s best for blue avian society, they wouldn’t mind us eliminating them both after they’re weakened.”
“Yes, let’s let them fight first. We’ll make sure neither of them can escape before Paula arrives with reinforcements.”