Chapter 146: Ice-cream makes great moisturizer. It’s a scientifically proven fact, trust me.

My heartbeat quickened as I looked at the card in my hand. Bob was a Gesti, or worked for them. I went over the conversation I'd just had. None of it had been sinister, and I'd sensed no ill intentions.

His kid had been the one to approach me, not him.

“Did you enjoy your R&R session?” A voice called out to me.

It was William.

He was the first of the group to reach me, taking a seat by my side. Bob and his son were out of sight, and even if they weren't I didn't know if I'd be able to see them.

I should've known that they had something to do with Gesti Sky.

People weren't allowed to go around invisible or breaking the rules. Not when they were in the territory of an immortal household.

"Maybe you didn't relax enough." William took a second look at me. "Ice cream? It's a wise decision in my opinion.”

I took a deep breath and smiled.

Despite the man’s origin, the conversation I had with him had calmed me down. Just knowing what the claim was and how it worked was good for my nerves.

I had more questions, but I could ask Gerial about them after.

"I could go for vanilla.” I stretched my hands out. “The best ice cream flavour.”

Gold clacked his beak in protest and William raised an eyebrow at me.

"It's strange you say that like it's a valid sentence." William grinned. “Add a little spice to your life with another flavour. Have you tried ocean crisp?”

“That is not a real flavour.” I paused. “Is it?”

“Only one way to find out.” He gave me a pat on the back. “Let's go.”

My head perked up as I saw the rest of the group arriving.

There were more roller coasters, but all of us were tired of rides. The evening was already creeping over us, and it would be dark soon.

"Did I hear someone say chocolate is the best flavour?" Amanda strode in front of me, Agni on her head. “Because you're right.”

"I'm not sure that I can take you seriously now.” Roxxy and Gerial rounded out the group.

I stood up, Gold chirping as we made our plans.

Our next destination was the ice cream aviary. To get there we could teleport through the hotel, or we could try out one of the invisible paths that crossed over from one island to the next.

Occasionally I looked from side to side to see if I could spot either of the Bobs.

There wasn't a single flash of silver to be seen.

"The path doesn't look that far away. Look here.” Roxxy brought out a piece of paper.

It was a map.

"Where did you get that?" I asked.

I hadn't seen her use it the entire time we were here.

"All of us got one.” Roxxy opened it. “They came complimentary inside one of the pamphlets.”

We looked at each other and William and Gerial nodded in agreement. I glanced at Amanda, and she poked her tongue out at me.

She'd missed out on the map as well.

Roxxy placed the mail down and the island we were on was marked clearly in pen.

The ice cream aviary was in one of the nearby sections.

I followed the map's instructions and looked up into the sky. I’d closed my mana sense, so that the tornado of mana wouldn't appear and give me a headache.

Instead of the storm there was a small floating park.

It had a couple of buildings on it, and it was close enough for me to see the people on it.

"That looks like a half an hour walk.” Roxxy gazed at the island. “That's not too bad.”

"Half an hour walking in the sky.” Gerial's eyes twinkled. “Does anyone here have a fear of heights? The passes have a viewing function.”

That was a good point. I looked at Amanda and she shook her head. She was afraid of flying when she could lose control.

In this situation that wasn't possible.

The paths couldn't fail. At least, I hoped not.

With our magical abilities we would be able to survive a sudden drop anyway. I could manipulate metal to carry me in the air, Amanda could fly, and Gerial could use air magic.

There were no objections to taking the sky paths.

“Great.” Roxxy beamed. "Let's grab ourselves some dessert.”

We made our way toward the edge of the island, and then we stopped. All we needed to do was take a single step off the side and we’d be on the path.

It was unnerving.

The air churned below me, revealing hills and forests as far as my eyes could see. Each tree looked like a grain of sand, and I shivered.

It was a long way down if I fell.

I brought out my pass and played with it, exploring the visibility function that allowed me to see the sky paths.

[Would you like to activate Gesti Stream visibility? Yes/No.]

I blinked in surprise as a prompt showed up on my system.

Yes.

I thought about the command.

The air shimmered before my eyes, waves of translucent material appearing in front of me. It layered over the air and sloped upwards gently like a hill across the sky.

It was invisible to the naked eye and my mana sense. I took a step onto it, and my body lurched forward.

My leg had expected empty air, and so it had overcompensated. I steadied myself and smiled as nothing happened.

I didn't fall and none of my friends did either.

My feet were planted firmly on the transparent material. It was soft enough that it wouldn't hurt if I mis-stepped, and firm enough that I didn't feel like I was going to drop.

I turned the pass’s visualisation off.

All around me the invisible land disappeared and in its place was empty air.

Adrenaline surged through my body. I’d stood on solid ground for both of my lives, and my mind was fighting this new experience.

Agni and Gold chirped merrily, and Amanda and Gerial were taking it the best. Gerial looked in his element as he stepped forward and tapped his foot on the ground.

He even jumped for good measure.

“Show off.” I chuckled.

His light-heartedness was a breath of fresh air.

"I'm in my element." He did a little jig. "This is amazing."

The trees and forests were quickly disappearing as the sun drew closer to the horizon, and I could see more islands floating below us.

"This doesn't feel like flying." Amanda stepped beside me.

We made our way slowly towards the aviary.

Agni and Gold rose into the air and circled our group, occasionally diving down and chirping.

I swear they were doing the bird equivalent of giggling as they saw our awkward movements.

"It's like an invisible mattress.” My feet rolled over the material. “It'd be nice to watch the sunset here.”

There were benches placed across the sky, visible to everyone. I could see the world under my feet and the sun was my companion.

"Why not? I say we go for it." Amanda twirled. “This place is— oof!”

She lost her balance and fell over. The lack of sight made sudden movements tough to pull off.

I laughed, helping her out. She straightened the hem of her dress and sighed.

"I'm going to get the hang of that before we leave." She promised. “I'm really enjoying it here.”

"Me too." I smiled.

We were halfway through the islands, surrounded entirely by the sky.

Clouds drifted towards us, as thick as wool as they formed waves that rolled in with the evening.

The sun bathed them in an orange glow.

When I looked toward the sun lowering over the horizon I saw the forest end at an ocean, sparkling water transformed into orange and gold as it stretched out beyond my vision.

I stopped and Amanda stopped with me.

"I wish I could show my family this." I said.

Not just the family in this world.

Amanda nodded her head, flames flowing gently through her hair.

“Next time you can bring them.” She smiled.

That’s not possible.

The single thought ran through my mind and her words.

I shook my head. This lovely view was for enjoyment, and I intended to take advantage of every wonder this world threw my way.

"The others are going to beat us to the ice cream." I gazed up towards them.

Gerial, William, and Roxxy hadn’t stopped, and were racing to the end of the path.

I could see each of their faces etched with determination. One of them had started a competition and the other two didn't want to lose.

"Let them." Amanda rolled her eyes. "My legs are still jelly after those rides.”

“So, you admit they scared you!”

“I’ll admit to nothing, and you have no proof.” Amanda shoved me playfully.

The world tilted as my body overcompensated and I fell to the ground. Walking on top of something I couldn't see was strange.

My back touched the path and my eyes gazed into the heavens. Above me was a sea of glowing clouds, almost close enough to touch it.

I raised a hand into the sky, trying to grasp it.

“Okay.” I spoke. “This is fun.”

Amanda giggled at my antics and held out a hand to help me up.

"I still want an ice cream." She huffed.

We looked at each other and then at the island. We charged forward, racing each other to the top.

It was nice to let go of my worries and responsibilities and have fun.

"You’re last.” William’s voice floated into my ears.

Agni and Gold glided down from the sky, landing on my arms and hopping up to my shoulder.

“Life’s about the journey not the destination.” I spoke.

“That's what they all say.” William grinned. “It's time to find out why they call this place an aviary.”

There was a park ahead of us and we walked as a group towards the only building on the island. I could hear the chirping of birds, and Agni and Gold were growing more excited with every step we took,

I thought about the sphere.

Gerial would know what the church's response would be to it. William would also be a good person to bring into the conversation.

The sound of chirping grew louder, but it was never deafening. Roxxy was the first person through the door, cheerfully rushing inside.

I followed her, Gold and Agni vibrating on my shoulders.

The first things to come into view were the various seating areas, some filled with people, and others empty.

We froze as a giant object came into view.

“Oh. My. Fue.” Roxxy inhaled, an expression of delight blooming over her face. “Is that what I think it is?”

"It looks like an ice cream tree.” I peered at the monolithic object.

In the middle of the building was a single tree, moving from table to table. It had hundreds of vibrating leaves on its branches.

No. Not leaves.

They were feathers.

The entire tree was covered from head to toe by birds.

Gold squawked in confusion as he gazed at them, and Agni ruffled her feathers in agitation.

They weren't real birds. They were made out of ice cream.

Different flavours of all varieties dripped over them, and some flew towards customers, flapping their sugary wings to the delight of the customers.

"Is this sanitary?” Gerial stopped beside me.

“Of course it is, and it's delicious.” Roxxy raised her hand. “This is a purifying magician’s dream job,”

One of the birds landed on her arm.

Despite being so close, the ice cream didn't fall on her. Instead, the bird let her scratch its side and her finger was covered in dessert.

"This is not what I was expecting when they advertised an ice cream aviary.” William smiled. “I should have read the brochure instead of leaving it a surprise.”

The tree moved away from us, and I took a step forward. There was something familiar about these birds.

“I recognise these guys.” I raised a hand and one of them drew near me.

It was chocolate flavoured.

The liquid skin that transformed into ice cream was a sight to behold, and I could feel waves of cold washing over my arm as it hovered above me.

I remembered where I'd seen it before.

These were the same kind of regent that my granduncle had shown me in Koshima.

"They’re made by my family.” I admired the regent.

There were a lot of them. I wouldn't be surprised if they were mass produced at a factory.

A bird that doubled as an ice cream machine.

I eyed Gold and he gazed back at me.

“How do you feel about getting a new friend at home?” I asked.

He pecked at my ear.

"Ow— okay. It was only a suggestion." I chuckled.

Gold and Agni looked disappointed at the outcome. They had been expecting real birds, not the regents that we were seeing now.

"Are we supposed to hunt them down and eat them?” Roxxy gazed at the birds hungrily.

"There's a serving station over there." Amanda stopped her before she could do anything to the regents.

The back of the room had an area filled with plastic cups. There were also several staff members behind the counter, calling birds toward them.

Amanda and Roxxy went to get the ice cream as the rest of us found a table. Some of the birds flew near Agni and Gold, stopping to study them.

"See, they do want to be friends." I nudged the puffer towards the birds. "Don't be a snob."

Gold took a tentative step towards one of the birds. Then he chirped.

The bird chirped back, and Gold flapped his wings. He hopped onto the table, and they began a dance. Agni chose to stay on my shoulder.

She didn't like the cold.

Soon the girls came back, cups of ice cream in their hands.

Amanda walked towards me, her lips parting into a smile as she watched Gold and the bird regent circle each other.

There were two cups in her hand, one chocolate and one vanilla.

“Thanks.” I got up. “I’ll help you with that.”

Amanda's hand shot out and she shoved the vanilla cup straight into my hair, pushing it down for good measure. A stunned silence fell over the group as the ice cream dribbled down my head.

I saw Amanda's eyes widen and she withdrew her hand, looking at it in surprise.

“Okay.”

I stepped back. Vanilla ice cream dripped down my forehead and onto my cheek.

“I wasn't expecting that.”