The morning sun filtered through the woven windows of our hut, casting dancing golden patterns on the floor. The air smelled faintly of warm milk and toasted flatbread, and somewhere in the distance, a rooster was either declaring war on silence or practicing its solo for the village choir.
But I, Kaira the Observer of Worlds, was deep in focus.
Instead of personally sneaking along with the expedition into Jīvāvana Forest, I had decided to take the more elegant approach. Observation. Surveillance. Reconnaissance through my most loyal, upgraded, aerial agent: Pikku Mark-7.
"Go, Pikku," I whispered inwardly, my eyes still closed in master-level Sleep Jutsu Pose #3: the 'Innocent Baby Nap.' "Scout the area. I want eyes on the outer edge of the forest. Sweep left to right."
With a soft mental click, Pikku launched off the window frame, wings slicing silently through the morning air as she soared toward the treeline in the distance.
Just as I adjusted the clarity of my shared vision, a loud, victorious yell shattered the peace.
"HUAAAAAA!"
I nearly fell out of the mental link.
The sound had come from my left. I recognized that voice.
"I did it! I can feel it!" Sania squealed, practically bouncing from one foot to the other like a rabbit with too much sugar in its system.
The family looked over, startled—but not surprised. Sania had been obsessed with learning magic since Teacher Samira handed her that "Introduction to Energies" book.
Clutching her chest, she twirled around the room. "I can feel the Urja flowing! It's like bubbles in my stomach—but more... sparkly!"
I tilted my head slightly from my pillow, eyes still half-shut, mentally bookmarking this moment as "Sania's First Spark – Possibly Magical, Definitely Dramatic."
On the other side of the hut, Rohan sat cross-legged on the floor, face furrowed with effort. His hands were pressed together in deep concentration, his eyes shut, his brow twitching.
"Still nothing?" Meera asked gently.
He groaned. "I've been trying for three days! Not even a single flicker. How did Sania beat me?!"
"Because I'm amazing," Sania said, throwing her arms in the air.
"No," Rohan muttered, "because the universe is broken."
Meera laughed, her face full of warmth. "Wow, we've got a mage in the family now!"
Sania puffed out her chest. "That's right! I'll learn healing first. Then plant magic. Then… flying sparkles. And then maybe… talking to goats!"
"Please don't," I thought to myself. "The goats are already suspicious enough."
Deciding not to be pulled into the whirlwind of excitement, I tuned them out and returned my full attention to Pikku, who had now reached the outer border of Jīvāvana. The wind ruffled her iridescent feathers, her shadow flitting over the grass below like a quiet whisper.
From above, the forest looked calm. Too calm.
Pikku banked right and dipped slightly, approaching the area where the first disappearance had been reported. I mentally adjusted her flight path and activated her sensory sweep. Her wings shimmered faintly, invisible to anyone not attuned to energy frequencies.
Below her, the forest pulsed with life. Bioluminescent mushrooms glowed beneath shady canopies. The leaves of ancient trees rustled with a subtle shimmer. The deeper Pikku flew, the more peculiar it became.
There was something… uneven in the flow of Urja. Like a current being pulled against itself.
Back home, Sania continued to spin in circles.
"I'm gonna grow vines out of my fingers and make a crown of flowers!" she declared.
Rohan, flat on his back now, sighed to the ceiling. "I tried meditating for two hours. All I got was a cramp."
Meera patted his head. "Keep trying, sweetie. Even a cramp is progress."
Sania peeked over at me, noticing my suspicious lack of reaction. "Lil' sis, aren't you impressed?"
I made a quiet "goo" noise and turned my face slightly. Classic Baby Disengage Protocol.
Satisfied I wasn't going to outdo her at this moment, she returned to doing slow, overly dramatic magic poses. One hand in the air, the other to her heart. "Urja, awaken!" she shouted.
Rohan rolled his eyes. "Please. You just read that line from the book."
"Well, it worked, didn't it?"
"No, the universe just has a soft spot for you."
They argued back and forth, but my mind was already halfway into the forest. Pikku hovered near a peculiar patch of glowing vines. I zoomed in—these weren't ordinary plants. They pulsed with a rhythm. A beat.
Boom. Boom. Boom.
Like a heartbeat.
"Strange," I thought. "Living vines?"
I made a mental note to mark the coordinates for later.
Suddenly, Pikku's left wing brushed a tall stalk of those vines.
They twitched.
"Abort! Backtrack five meters and circle wide!" I commanded sharply.
Pikku responded instantly, her wings cutting a smooth arc into the air as she darted higher.
Back in the hut, Raghavan returned from outside, arms full of freshly harvested roots and herbs.
"Whoa, what's all the shouting?" he asked.
"Sania felt Urja!" Meera beamed.
"Really? That's wonderful news." He handed Meera the herbs. "Now she can help with magic chores."
"I will," Sania promised, saluting like a soldier. "I'll be the best flower-summoner this village has ever seen!"
Kaira's inner voice snorted. "Let's see if she can summon dinner tonight first."
Back in the sky, Pikku turned one last wide circle before heading back toward the village.
Kaira's eyes fluttered closed. A tiny, secret smile tugged at the corners of her lips.
Today had been productive.