Ayu smirked slightly. "Walk?" she repeated.
The girl slowly raised her right hand, the white ring on her finger glimmering faincute "We have wings, don't we?" Ayu said with a sly little grin.
Rafka instantly froze. "What?" He stared at Ayu like he had just heard the suggestion of a high-level criminal act.
No way! She wanted to use their armor right now? At school?!
Rafka hurriedly shook his head aggressively. "No, no, no! That's a terrible idea!"
The distance from the school to headquarters really was quite far. Walking there would take a long time.
And flying there with their armor would definitely be more efficient. But the problem was that it directly violated the Captain's orders not to recklessly use their powers.
Rafka didn't want to get labeled a rebellious troublemaker only a few days after joining.
"It's fine as long as we don't get caught," Ayu said as if she couldn't care less.
"That's exactly proof that something bad will happen if we do get caught!" Rafka shot back in panic.
Ayu remained calm. "I use Ra all the time whenever I'm almost late."
"To hell with your habits!" Rafka snapped.
Their argument became surprisingly intense.
To the point where it practically sounded like a presidential debate.
Rafka kept refusing with all sorts of reasons, while Ayu kept countering with her bbody expression and absurd arguments that somehow still sounded convincing.
Around ten minutes later, Rafka finally surrendered completely.
"Fine!" he said in frustration while throwing both hands up. "If we get yelled at, you're taking responsibility!"
Ayu immediately looked satisfied. "Deal."
The girl raised her right hand into the air, and her ring instantly shone brightly.
A burst of reddish-white light instantly swept across the surroundings.
Ayu's long hair was lifted by the surge of energy.
Particles of light scattered like burning feathers drifting through the night air. Then, a ring of light shaped like wings appeared behind her body.
Unlike Rafka's wild and chaotic wings, Ayu's felt more graceful, yet far more intense.
Clank!
The first layer of armor sealed over her chest.
A silvery-white breastplate formed from light, gleaming like sacred metal.
At the center of her chest, an engraving of a phoenix's head appeared, glowing bright gold with softly burning red eyes, as if an eternal bird was about to rise from the flames.
From the phoenix emblem, lines of golden-red light spread across Ayu's entire body like flowing living fire.
The thin layered plates on her shoulders formed neatly, resembling phoenix feathers, elegant, yet sharply lethal.
Every small movement Ayu made caused golden reflections to shimmer across her armor.
Clank! Clank!
Arm guards closed around her arms slowly. Unlike Rafka's heavier armor, Ayu's was more streamlined and aerodynamic, designed for speed and agility.
Glowing red lines stretched from her shoulders down to her fingertips like cracks of burning fire.
White metallic gloves fit tightly around her hands, and faint sparks of red embers flickered from her fingertips with every subtle movement.
Her waist armor formed in a skirt-like shape, giving a distinctly feminine silhouette.
Small layered plates at the back of her waist swayed gently like feathers caught in the wind.
Then the leg armor formed, sealing her thighs down to her knees. It was sleek yet sturdy, with sharp golden edges at the knees resembling phoenix claws.
And as the final piece locked into place, FWOOM! A burst of red-golden flames erupted from Ayu's back.
Two massive wings of light unfolded behind her. Those wings looked like living fire, constantly shifting and flowing, releasing particles of red, gold, and white into the air.
The heat even making the surrounding atmosphere tremble.
In an instant, white light enveloped her body. Elegant white armor immediately wrapped around Ayu perfectly.
Rafka let out a resigned sigh, then slowly raised his left hand. "Suit up."
Agni's ring immediately blazed crimson.
Thin flames spiraled around his body before the red Garuda armor completely covered him.
Now they stood side by side, white and red, Ra and Agni.
Their armor designs were almost identical, the only differences were the colors and certain ornamental details.
Standing together like this, they genuinely looked like a pair of twins wearing futuristic party costumes.
Ayu stood upright. Then, FWOOSH! A pair of white wings emerged from her back.
Rafka immediately summoned his own crimson wings as well.
Ayu lightly jumped. Her wings instantly spread wide, smoothly lifting her body several inches into the air.
Rafka stared in amazement, then tried copying her.
But failed. His feet remained firmly planted on the ground.
Ayu glanced downward.
Rafka looked up at her with confusion written all over his face. "How do you do it, Ayu?"
Already floating in the air, Ayu confidently answered, "Just feel it! Feel your wings, feel your Agni, and then you just go HAP!"
Rafka instantly replied, "That's not an explanation!"
He fell silent for a moment as he took a deep breath, then tried again. He closed his eyes, gathered his courage, and jumped.
This time, he succeeded. His body finally floated into the air.
His crimson wings spread wide with thin sparks of fire flickering at the tips of the metallic feathers.
"WOAH!"
At first, his balance was absolutely terrible.
His body tilted left and right like a baby bird learning to fly for the first time.
But gradually, he started stabilizing.
And a split second later, his eyes immediately sparkled with excitement. "This is so cool!" Rafka shouted.
Unfortunately, that excitement didn't last long. A few seconds later, his face turned completely pale.
"Wait …!"
His body started wobbling mid-air. The wings that were just stable a moment ago began to flap unevenly, like he had completely lost control. The world around him started spinning.
"Ah … damn it!"
THUD! Rafka crashed hard onto the ground.
"Ugh!"
Dust scattered slightly as he hit the floor.
He groaned, immediately grabbing his body. "Ouch!" he whined.
Up above, Ayu was floating calmly, then let out a small laugh seeing him like that. "Wow … you fell," she said flatly, but it was obvious she was holding back laughter.
Rafka instantly looked up with an annoyed expression. "Why are you laughing?! Come down here and help me!" he snapped.
Ayu looked down at him, still floating casually as if gravity didn't apply to her at all.
She even tilted her body slightly, like she was observing something amusing. "Why should I come down?" Ayu asked lightly.
Rafka shot back immediately, "Because I fell! Obviously I need help!"
"You're not injured, right?" Ayu said calmly. "Just stand up."
"That's not the point!" Rafka pointed up at her angrily. "Just come down, Ayu! Don't just float up there like a bird!"
Ayu raised one eyebrow slightly, then gave a faint smile. "I am basically a bird," she said casually. "Ra is a phoenix."
"Garuda is also a bird!" Rafka snapped. "Then help me as a fellow bird!"
Ayu didn't answer right away. Instead, she slowly spun a little in the air, her light wings shimmering under the evening glow, as if deliberately showing how effortlessly she controlled gravity.
Rafka gritted his teeth even harder. "Stop showing off!"
Ayu finally looked back at him again, still calm. "If you didn't fall, you'd never learn. I told you, just fell it, Rafka. Feel your wings, fell your Agni."
But she still didn't come down. She just kept floating there, completely relaxed, almost like she was teasing him on purpose.
Rafka let out a loud sigh. "This girl is seriously annoying!"
***
Rafka clenched his teeth. "Okay … okay … I can do this."
He tried to stabilize himself mid-air, wings flapping unevenly as he forced his body to stay balanced.
"Just … like Ayu said …, right? Feel it ... or whatever."
His body wobbled again. "Why does 'feel it' sound so useless when I actually try it?!"
He forced himself to try again, adjusting his posture. For a brief moment, just a brief, almost miraculous moment, his flight actually stabilized.
"Wait … I got it?" Rafka's eyes widened slightly. "I actually got it!"
His crimson wings held steady for a second.
"Okay, okay …," Rafka muttered, his face tense as he struggled to maintain his balance in mid-air. His wings trembled slightly as he tried to steady his posture. "This is fine, this is—"
His stomach suddenly twisted violently. "Nope." His expression instantly turned pale again.
His balance broke completely.
"Ah, not again!" His body tilted sharply. "Huh? Wait!" Rafka muttered.
Thankfully, Ayu moved quickly enough to catch him before he smashed into the ground again.
The moment his feet touched the floor again, Rafka immediately dropped to his knees and threw up. "Uwegh!"
Ayu stared at him silently for several seconds. Then said flatly, "You have wings, but you can only fly low. Just like a chicken."
Still half-dead, Rafka forced himself to look up at Ayu, wanting to protest but physically incapable of doing so.
"Are you actually one of their species?" Ayu continued calmly. "Chicken Knight, Agni?"
The girl tilted her head slightly, her right hand gently touching her chin while looking down at Rafka with a subtly condescending gaze. "How cute."