Under Kael's persuasion, and a big handful of fresh herbs to soothe him, Fawkes finally calmed down.
Taking advantage of Fawkes channeling his grief into hunger and focusing on eating herbs, Kael couldn't help but reach out and stroke the feathers on his neck.
This was Kael's first time seriously petting a Phoenix… How to put it, the feathers were a bit stiff—not as fluffy or soft as an owl's—but still felt great.
Sleek and smooth, with a subtle warmth, almost like touching a Galleon just pulled out from the vault.
After Fawkes finished eating, he spread his wings and flew toward the window.
Kael thought he was heading home.
But unexpectedly, Fawkes just stopped on the windowsill, then landed beside Ladon, tucked his wings, and started to doze off—looking very much like he was sleepy after a good meal.
Ladon, who had been sleeping soundly, was suddenly startled awake. He cocked his head at the unexpected visitor, and the feathers on his neck stood up in alarm.
He lifted his claws and, without a word, shuffled further to the side, making room for Fawkes.
Kael gave Ladon a deadpan look, then curled his lip in disdain.
This dumb bird—whenever he was in a bad mood before, even if another owl just glanced at him, he'd chase after them for a beating.
But now he's suddenly acting so cowardly!
As if he'd read Kael's expression… Ladon silently turned his head away and pretended not to notice.
He wanted to act tough too, but the other guy's covered in red feathers—clearly not someone to mess with… Better to avoid trouble, so he endured it.
The two birds stood side by side on the windowsill, looking surprisingly harmonious.
Kael sat down at the table, sneaking a quick glance at that box not far away.
Judging by Fawkes' attitude, he probably wasn't planning to leave anytime soon… With him around, there was no way Kael could squeeze in any extra lessons with Riddle.
Even though Phoenixes might not recognize a Soul Artifact, you never know.
And if Fawkes figured it out, Dumbledore would know too.
Kael had said he would give the diary to Dumbledore, but only when it was no longer useful—certainly not now.
But if he couldn't study, there didn't seem to be much else to do.
Phoenixes didn't like crowds, so Fawkes definitely wouldn't join him for a game of Quidditch outdoors. But leaving him alone at home made Kael uneasy too.
He couldn't exactly just stare at Magic Text Formulas all day.
His research into Magic Text had already moved past the beginner phase. Without Riddle's help, just reading on his own was painfully inefficient—a bit of a waste of time, really.
While he was pondering this, Kael's eyes accidentally landed on the case next to him.
After thinking for a bit, he walked over to the window.
"Fawkes, how about I take you out for a little walk?"
Fawkes opened his eyes.
"Newt Scamander… I suppose you know where he lives, right?" Kael asked.
Fawkes nodded.
Basically, anywhere Dumbledore knows about, Fawkes does too—otherwise, he wouldn't have been sent to deliver a message to Nicolas Flamel before.
So naturally, he'd know where Newt lived as well.
"Great," Kael said. "How about you take me over there?"
Fawkes looked Kael up and down, a little hesitant.
Kael thought he was unwilling, so he quickly held up two fingers.
"Two sprigs of Cloak Grass, and a Puffapod, too."
This time, Fawkes didn't hesitate one bit—he flew straight to Kael's shoulder, then chirped expectantly.
"Wait a sec."
Kael hurriedly grabbed the case and shoved all his pre-packed belongings—including the box—into it. "Alright, now we're good to—"
Before he could even finish, there was a flash of flame-like light, and Kael instantly vanished from the room.
On the windowsill, Ladon, who had just drifted back to sleep, was woken again. And this time it was even worse—a mysterious gust of wind blasted him straight out the window.
And it wasn't gentle either. It felt like getting kicked right in the rear.
Ladon flapped frantically midair, and just before hitting the ground, managed to fly back up.
Come on… Is this never gonna end?!
Irritated, Ladon returned to the windowsill, ready to complain to his human—when he suddenly realized… The room was empty.
Not just Kael, but that "red feather" who'd come earlier was gone too.
All that was left was the mess—tables, chairs, and bookshelves knocked askew, and parchment everywhere.
Ladon flew a lap around the room, and after confirming no one was there, hopped back onto the windowsill, brushed the spot where the "red feather" had been with his wing, tucked his head in, and went back to sleep.
…
On the other side, the instant Fawkes took him away, Kael was hit by a crushing sensation from all directions—he couldn't breathe at all.
It was like he'd been balled up… like a bludger, getting whacked all day by some rough Beaters.
He had no idea how much time passed before he finally regained consciousness.
Kael opened his bloodshot eyes. He wanted to throw up, but his stomach felt like it was being squeezed—he couldn't bring anything up, so he could only gulp down mouthfuls of earthy forest air.
"Easy now."
Just then, a gentle voice came from beside him.
It was Newt. He handed Kael a fruit whose name Kael didn't know, gesturing for him to eat it.
Kael took it reflexively and popped it in his mouth.
The fruit was sour and astringent—like biting into an unripe tomato.
But oddly enough, Kael felt much better.
"What is this…"
"Fruit of the Sour Green Peas," Newt said with a smile. "Diricawls love this stuff. How do you feel?"
"A lot better."
Kael rubbed his ears and said, "I feel like I just Apparated a hundred times in a row."
"That's how Phoenixes travel—straightforward and rough. The fact you're still standing is impressive."
Newt gave Kael another fruit, but this time Kael just sniffed it instead of eating.
Now he finally understood—Fawkes hadn't hesitated about coming here, but had been worried whether Kael could handle such an intense way of traveling.
Too bad he realized it too late, and even doled out two sprigs of Cloak Grass and a Puffapod like an idiot…
"This way of traveling… probably only Professor Dumbledore could handle it," Kael muttered quietly.
"Actually…" Newt glanced at him with a grin, "Dumbledore does have to travel all over for different conferences, but he usually chooses Apparition or a Portkey.
Only in emergencies does he borrow a Phoenix's power."
Kael rubbed his ears again, momentarily at a loss for words. So even Dumbledore can't handle it, huh…
"Still, you did surprise me."
Newt laughed as he led Kael into the house. "Apart from Dumbledore, Fawkes pretty much never takes anyone else along."
…