The lesson didn’t take place in a classroom, but on a vast training field.

  The wind instructor stood there with his arms crossed, like he was about to announce the end of the world.

  — Alright, children.

  Today, you will fly.

  The class froze.

  Finn:

  — FLY? WITH WIND?

  Is this a joke?!

  The instructor:

  — No.

  Push the air beneath you—you rise. That’s it.

  Everyone exchanged looks.

  “Yeah. Sure. Easy…”

  Everyone began pushing air beneath themselves.

  The results were… catastrophic.

  Edgar rose about thirty centimeters and smashed face-first into the grass.

  Finn lifted off in jerks—each time accidentally boosting himself with fire and singeing his cloak.

  Astra rose a meter… then slowly, sadly slid back down.

  Miella calmly lifted two meters… then just hovered there, not knowing what to do next.

  Noah…

  Noah didn’t even try.

  He stood there watching everyone suffer and muttered:

  — I think I’ll… consider it. Theoretically.

  Then Kairen stepped forward.

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  — Well… I’ll try.

  And he simply—

  Shot upward, as if it were his natural state.

  No effort.

  No preparation.

  No falling.

  Even the instructor raised an eyebrow.

  — How did you do that? — we asked.

  Kairen shrugged.

  — I just feel the wind. That’s all.

  “Feel,” he says.

  As if takeoff were a sense of taste.

  Elinia looked at Kairen with mild boredom.

  — If he can do it, then so can I.

  She gathered air beneath her feet.

  Stabilized the pressure.

  Bent her knees…

  And lifted off perfectly—like a bird, like a spirit of wind, smooth and steady.

  She floated above us, tracing wide circles.

  The instructor, almost respectfully:

  — Pure sense of wind direction.

  Do you understand the principle?

  And for the first time…

  For the first time in all our training…

  Elinia didn’t answer with “I just feel it,”

  but actually started explaining:

  — The flow rises at an angle, I distribute the pressure along my legs, and then—

  She explained it properly.

  The instructor even nodded, surprised.

  I looked at her and thought:

  “Great. Now she’s a genius at this too.”

  — Helvard. Your turn.

  Me:

  — Yeah, yeah… one second…

  I started lifting myself with air… very slowly.

  I rose about twenty centimeters.

  Folded in half.

  Rose again.

  Fell.

  Rose.

  Fell.

  And eventually floated a full meter up with the expression:

  “I AM DEAD AND THE SKY IS CARRYING ME.”

  The instructor, disappointed:

  — Well… at least you’re flying.

  Yeah. Flying.

  Like a sack of potatoes someone tossed into the air and then forgot to catch.

  Once everyone warmed up, they wanted a race.

  — To those clouds, — Edgar suggested.

  — And back! — Finn added.

  Everyone launched themselves on wind currents.

  Some unevenly.

  Some beautifully.

  Me—like I’d been dropped and the wind accidentally caught me.

  Kairen and Elinia shot ahead at insane speed—they looked born for this.

  Finn activated fiery acceleration, turning himself into his own jet engine.

  Edgar propelled himself with dense air, nearly tearing his outfit apart.

  Even Astra and Lucille climbed fairly high.

  And me…

  I tried to be last.

  And I succeeded perfectly.

  I stayed behind everyone.

  Floating slowly, like someone who didn’t want to fly at all,

  pretending I might fall at any second.

  Everyone was focused on the race—no one noticed that I could’ve flown ten times higher.

  Of course, Elinia and Kairen.

  At the same time.

  They landed together, staring at each other like rivals.

  Finn landed… on fire.

  Edgar crashed into the grass, but proudly:

  — I’m third!!

  Astra flew straight into a bush.

  Miella into a fence.

  Noah never took off.

  I quietly landed last.

  Calmly.

  Unnoticed.

  And everyone believed that wind just “doesn’t come easily” to me.