The Phoenix's Promise
I was in a great mood today. How could I not be? I was streaming with an avatar a new friend had made just for me.
"Wow, I'm so jealous of Rin. I want to transform like that too~"
Seeing Rin transformed into a dragon made me envious. I wondered if I would have received something like that if I were a dragon instead of a phoenix.
Actually, I considered asking if I could switch to a dragon while I was at it.
"Hmm, nope. I like who I am now~"
But that thought was fleeting. I liked my current avatar, too.
It was an RP and an avatar that someone had worked so hard to code and build for me, so I shouldn't compare it to others'. Besides, they’d added so many amazing features for me!
I flapped the wings on my back and took to the sky. It had been three days since I received the avatar, but my flying was still a bit clumsy.
It felt easy, as if the knowledge of how to fly was etched into my body, but maybe it was just my personality? I wanted to fly so badly that keeping my balance was difficult.
"Ugh! I need to practice flying before the stream starts. If I can zip around like whoosh, whoosh, it’ll be awesome, right?"
I flapped my wings and soared upward. Cutting through the wind and feeling the refreshing breeze made me feel wonderful.
Should I pick up the speed?
I beat my wings harder and surged forward. Come to think of it, how big was this map? Would it be okay to keep flying like this?
Unable to suppress my curiosity, I flew far into the distance. I had to keep going, wondering if there was an end to it.
I can't stand not knowing things, so let's keep flying!
"…! P…. Poru-nim!"
Just as I had flown for quite a while, I heard a voice from behind. I stopped my forward momentum and hovered in place.
Whoa, I can hover in place? I didn't know I could do that, so I looked down, fascinated.
"Hm? It's Mama? Why did you call me?"
Seeing Ha-yun struggling to catch up, I zipped over and hugged her.
I thought she was busy helping Rin with her stream, so did she come because she missed me? Honestly, she’s such an incorrigible Mama~
I hugged Ha-yun and rubbed my cheek against hers, feeling her body tremble. Was it really that good? I gave her a bright smile, squeezed her tight, and then let go.
"Did you miss me that much?"
"Ha… N-no, the stream time passed and I didn't hear from you, so I came to check…."
"Oh."
At Ha-yun's words, I tapped my window to check the alarm. The alarm I’d set for five minutes before the stream as a precaution was turned off.
I was sure I’d only intended to fly to the edge… I must have been so focused on flapping my wings that I accidentally turned off the alarm and flew away.
With the stream already ten minutes late, I looked at Ha-yun and thought it over. Well, since I was already late, did it really matter if I was a little later?
"We're already late, so wouldn't it be the same if we were a little later?"
"No, what are you talking about? We're already late, if we're even later, it'll cause a real Red Pill scandal!"
"Well, I'm a phoenix, so wouldn't it be fine if I burned up? Just kidding. It's a shame, though. I really wanted to see the end of this place."
Feeling disappointed, I pouted and followed behind Ha-yun.
"What? You can't reach the end of this place! …Wait a minute, you said it took a long time to load when you first entered, just how far did you go?"
Seeing Ha-yun speak in a flustered tone, I averted my gaze. It had been about twenty minutes since I watched Rin's stream, so….
It felt like I had flown quite a long way. No, I thought there would be an end to the map, but there wasn't… I didn't know that.
I scratched my cheek and gave a sheepish smile.
"Anyway, should we head back and get ready?"
"No… Ah, ugh. I can deal with the resource cleanup later, so we shouldn't be getting ready, we should be starting the stream."
"Oh, right. Hehe, then! I'm turning the stream on!"
"No, no, not right now, ah…."
It would take a long time to get back, so it would be better to show them me flying back, right? It would definitely be cool. She seemed a bit flustered, but since she didn't explicitly stop me, it was as good as permission.
I flapped my wings, soared back up, and started the stream.
"Hello! Hwari-deul~ Poru is here. Sorry! I'm super late, right?"
"Ah, um~ Why was I late? Well, I was having so much fun that I lost track of time!"
I giggled, pushed the camera away, and made it capture a wide shot of me.
I showed them how I could fly and move freely through the sky by flapping my wings. I wanted the viewers to feel this freedom, too.
It was because my heart felt so happy, cutting through the cool breeze as I flew.
I nodded my head vigorously at the chat saying it looked fun and that they were jealous, agreeing with them. Honestly, I wanted to just keep flying for the entire stream.
But since I had things prepared, I couldn't stay like this forever, so I flew toward the starting point where everything was set up.
"So, please wait just a little longer~ I'll start properly in just a second!"
I asked for the viewers' understanding and flew off happily.
"Phew. That was really close to being a disaster."
It was incredibly nerve-wracking to have to immediately improvise content using Rin's dragon form to kill time because Poru hadn't turned on the stream.
I was lucky I had a few other things prepared to fill the time, but if it had taken even a little longer, it really would have been a problem.
Thankfully, because of what I showed them, looking at the chat reactions, they seemed to think it was all part of the performance, which was a relief.
Honestly, I was terrified. I moved to the map where Poru was five minutes before the stream started, and the thought that there was nobody where she was supposed to be was unthinkable.
No matter how energetic or four-dimensional she was, I thought she would be preparing before the stream time….
"Still, I'm the one who made the flight function, so I can't really say anything."
I scratched my cheek and moved while watching the broadcast screen. If an accident happened in this state, it would be a real, real problem! I had to be well-prepared.
I really hope Poru doesn't cause any more accidents. There are things that could cause accidents… it's not like there aren't any in terms of functionality! But still, she won't cause any more, right!
I moved quickly just in case. I felt like I had to go there and manage things from the front. If she accidentally drew her sword without thinking… honestly, I didn't want to think about it.
"Hehe, that's right. Today is special, but! If it were different from usual, that would be weird in its own way, right?"
I smiled brightly at the viewers' chat and thought while crossing my arms. Then, what was I supposed to do… I had to show off the avatar's new features and appearance.
The avatar's appearance had already been revealed. Originally, I was supposed to keep it hidden a bit and show it slowly, but since I showed everything while flying around on impulse, I didn't think they were that curious anymore.
If that was the case, I figured there was only one thing left. I glanced at the sword hanging at my waist.
Wouldn't they be surprised and happy if I showed them this? I smiled and placed my hand on the hilt.
The moment I tried to draw it! The transparent avatar pressed down on the hilt, stopping me from drawing the sword.
"Hm?"
I tilted my head at the sight of Ha-yun interfering right in front of me. I thought it was the perfect timing to draw the sword, but seeing her shake her head in front of me, I let go of the hilt.
If this is the case, what should I show them? The blessing of a hero? But she said that could only be used if someone else was there….
I didn't know what to do. I only practiced those functions because I thought I was just showing off the avatar's features, so should I sing a song?
As I was chatting simply with the viewers and thinking hard, I looked up at the sky at Ha-yun's gesture.
I saw the sun. Shining and burning… Unlike the maps of the other members, the sun looked more realistic, and a thought flashed through my mind.
My RP, the sun, and the sword at my waist… I understood what I had to do.
"Ah, Hwari-deul! There was something I forgot, is it okay if I do it now? Ugh! I missed the timing. I was supposed to do it before the stream started, but I forgot!"
I laughed at the indifferent reactions of the viewers. Even if they said that, they had given me permission, so it was fine to do as much as I wanted.
Seeing Ha-yun with a worried expression, I winked at her and slowly flew up into the sky.
Now, the important thing was to fly close to the sun and be able to stop in place.
Like Icarus in the myths, I approached the sun. The only difference was that my wings weren't made of wax, so there was no chance of me falling!
Whoosh-! I spread my wings wide, did a barrel roll in the air, and came to a stop.
Now was the time to show them what I had memorized and practiced, now that the viewers' curiosity was piqued and their interest was at its peak.
"The last remaining phoenix bloodline of the other world, Poru Sol."
"The one chosen by the last light remaining here, the guardian of flame. The knight of hope."
"Under the brightest light, I wish to make a promise today."
I grabbed the sword at my waist. Feeling it fit perfectly in my hand, I smiled, drew it, and held it up.
"As long as my heart does not break, I will remain here as a hero. I will continue to move forward without breaking. I promise under the name of the brightest light that I will not collapse."
Whoosh-! I held the flaming sword high, spun it in a circle, and carved the emblem of the sun into the air.
It took almost a full day to practice this, but I was satisfied seeing the shape I had drawn. Seeing the viewers' reactions, I thought it was a satisfying result.
"Hehe, this might be the first time you've seen this side of me, Hwari-deul? It wasn't weird, was it?"
I smiled playfully and looked at the camera while holding the sword. Thankfully, I didn't stutter, so I thought it was perfect.
It didn't seem like there were any chats mocking me, either! I was in a good mood. I didn't usually have the chance to show such a serious side, so I felt like I could let them know I was a normal person, not a weirdo, with this opportunity.
"Uhehe! Because I'm a hero! Hey! You said my laugh was weird! Heh, since I'm a hero, I'll forgive you today. Now that I've done what I needed to do! I'm going to show you other things!"
I giggled and descended to the ground to show off the other features. Thinking about it again, didn't I do a great job?
Am I not respected now? Who knows. Hehe.