Chapter 51: Don’t Bring Back My Trauma
High above the glittering skyline of the city, where the stars peeked out between the clouds and the traffic buzzed like a stream of fireflies far below, the sleek, gleaming sword soared through the night air.
The wind whipped around them, the cool breeze brushing past their faces as the sword flew like a phantom bird over rooftops and towers.
Mika stood in the middle of it all, his legs spread out awkwardly as he trembled and tried to keep his center of balance.
He shifted one foot forward, then back again, then turned slightly, crouched, then stood again, as if trying to find some equilibrium that simply refused to exist. His arms flailed a little before he managed to plant them on his knees, muttering under his breath.
Finally, with a sharp huff of frustration, he barked out loud over the rushing wind.
"Are there no seatbelts on this thing?!" He shouted, his voice full of pure indignation and panic. "Not even a railing? A rope? A safety harness? Anything?!"
"I mean, come on! This thing is completely open, just a narrow slab of sharpened metal suspended in mid-air! No walls! No backrest! What if someone sneezes and falls off?!"
He glanced down at the dizzying height below them and visibly paled.
"And while we’re on the topic, why this sword?! If you had to use one, at least use a broadsword or something with some width! This is like standing on a goddamn ruler! I can’t even balance properly on it! What kind of death-defying circus act is this?! I didn’t sign up for tightrope walking without a net!"
Yelena, standing at the front of the sword, her hands calmly guiding it through the air as though she were piloting a spaceship, glanced over her shoulder with an infuriatingly cheerful smile.
"Oh, Mika." She said, as if he was a child that had just complained about not getting sprinkles on his ice cream. "This sword’s aerodynamic structure makes it perfect for fast travel. You wouldn’t believe how much slower the chunkier swords are."
"But what about safety?! Speed means nothing if you’re falling to your doom! That’s the reason normal people use cars with seats and seatbelts! Not magic blades of death with nothing to grab onto but regret!"