Kathréftys liked flying better than walking. It was faster and put him in an advantage to attack. His metal boots, the only equipment he wore besides his helm and pauldrons, also made too much noise when walking, and weighed his steps so it was easier for underground dwellers to locate him. An overall improvement.

But now, after only an hour of flight, his wings began to bother him. The stiffness was gone, replaced by sharp pain in its joints. They stopped to rest briefly, but the second stretch didn't last thirteen minutes. He dropped from a height of ten meters, landing sloppily on the ground. Kieran rolled on the grass and ran back to him. Kátis clutched the forearm of his wing in his hands. It burned like it was on fire, now pulsating with his heartbeats.

"Oo well?"

"I'm fine!" Kátis roared and Kieran ran off. He focused back on his wing. He needed cold water to dip them in, but he'd seen from the air that the closest river was too far. He'd never make it before night fell.

Something poked his leg, reaching him through the pain. Kieran had a strawberry in his hand, so large it barely fit in his palms. It was glowing faintly. Kathréftys took it and let go. The fruit floated above his hand.

"Enchanted strawberry?" Kieran nodded. He'd heard of those before, but never seen nor tasted one. They were said to heal any wound or illness, but were extremely rare. "Howd'ya do this?"

The kid just kept staring. Sometimes, Kathréftys forgot that he was made after the most powerful being in the universe. Of course he'd be able to enchant a strawberry. He pushed his helmet off, put the entire thing in his mouth, and swallowed almost without chewing. The effect was immediate; the pain vanished, leaving behind a freshness between the fingers of his membranous wings. Useful. He'd be precious to keep just for that.

"Does this thing has side effects?"

Kieran shrugged.

Very useful.

"Hop on. We still need to travel a lot before dark." Doubt stopped him for a second. He'd been going north assuming his starting position was the same as where he'd shattered, close to the portal. What if he was wrong, though, and he was the one who had been moved, not the portal?

Well, too far gone to stop now. They'd end up somewhere eventually. It wasn't a big country.

"He-ih."

"You, heavy? Do you think I'm that weak that you would weigh me down? You're a third of my height, brat. Hurry up, I don't have all day."

Kieran hesitated, but climbed onto his back and they took off once again.

They soared high above groups of fluffy sheep, fields of colorful flowers, and dense but small woods, but most of the time it was just an irregular blanket of green with the occasional rock. A couple of times, out of pure instinct, Kathréftys circled towards the sea to get around around a plant that resembled too much the carnivorous plants in his home, known for taking dinner much larger than him down from the sky, or a weird protuberance on the floor that could be an anthill, but might just as well be the egg of a dangerous giant moth. Every time, he scoffed at himself once he realized what he was doing and corrected his course. There was no need for caution in the Original world. Its inhabitants were defenseless and harmless, without a care in the world. He had to elbow Kieran's shoulder when he began to doze off on his back. Not even he was sensing any reasons to be alert. Any species that showed itself as a danger was simply blown out of the atmosphere by Kieran's or Kathréftys's Original, some by the monarch himself.

In the midst of that thought, he identified a tower in the distance. The tallest building in the largest kingdom of the Original world, on which the entirety of the Mirrorred realm was based, was the King's castle. Kathréftys was surprised upon looking back and realizing he'd come much farther than he'd expected; the obstacles he'd avoided weren't even visible anymore. That fruit had had some effect on him besides just healing his wings. He looked at the sun. Still three more hours of sunlight.

"Hold tight, we're speeding up," he warned and tipped down to get more speed.