The Sky Is The Limit

Taro stood in a quiet, open courtyard at the base of the mansion, gazing out into the endless sky. 

Aeris stood beside him, her silver hair fluttering slightly in the gentle breeze. They had been out here for hours, practicing some kind of wind-based meditation that he was still trying to fully wrap his head around.

"Alright, Taro," Aeris said, her voice calm but firm. "Focus. Close your eyes. Feel the wind. Let it become a part of you."

Taro blinked. "Uh, feel the wind? That sounds like the most 'get in touch with your inner self' kind of nonsense I've ever heard. Do you want me to become one with the breeze too? Should I hum to it, like some ancient monk of air?"

Aeris didn't even flinch at his sarcasm. Instead, her gaze softened as the wind around them picked up just a little. "The wind is not just a force, Taro. It is a living entity, a reflection of your will. To truly control it, you must understand it."

Taro raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms. "Control the wind, huh? I'm starting to feel like I signed up for a weather-man's apprentice gig."

"Focus," Aeris repeated, her voice unwavering.

Taro sighed and closed his eyes, trying to do as she said. 

The wind was there, subtle at first, a whisper brushing against his skin. He felt it ripple through his clothes, moving the strands of his hair, making them sway gently. 

His thoughts drifted, and for a moment, he felt almost like he was blending into the environment.

It wasn't peaceful, but it was… something.

He stretched out his senses, trying to align himself with the flow of the air, imagining himself becoming the wind. 

For a second, he almost got it — a connection, a tingling feeling in his fingertips. But then a rogue thought popped into his head.

"What if I get too good at this? What if I end up controlling the wind all the time, and I can never escape the feeling of hair in my eyes?" Taro muttered, mostly to himself. "Like, is there an off switch for this wind control? I don't want to be that guy who keeps gusting people's papers everywhere."

Aeris, standing beside him, barely held back a chuckle. "You must first learn to control yourself, before you can control the wind."

Taro nodded thoughtfully, but his attention was already wandering. "Yeah, well, I suppose if I could control the wind, I could finally make my hair stay in place. Imagine — no more bad hair days. I'd be like… the weather god of good hair."

Aeris didn't respond right away. The wind, however, responded for her. A small gust swirled around Taro, ruffling his hair and making it even messier than before.

Taro groaned, his fingers digging into his scalp. "Seriously? Was that the wind's idea of a joke?"

Aeris smiled just a little. "Focus, Taro. Think less about your hair and more about the force of nature you are trying to master."

"I'm getting there," he said, eyes still closed. "Just need to — hey, I think I've got it."

The wind seemed to stir more at his command, picking up speed, but it was still a little erratic. It flicked around him, swaying in all directions like a nervous cat. 

Taro let out a breath, trying again. This time, he focused on the flow — the rhythm of it — and he could almost feel the pulse of the air around him.

"Good," Aeris said, a hint of approval in her voice. "You're starting to connect with it. Now, imagine it as an extension of yourself, not something outside of you."

Taro held his breath, concentrating harder. This time, the wind wasn't chaotic; it was smoother, more controlled. 

He felt it. It wasn't just in his hair now — it was in his veins, in his muscles, even in his heartbeat.

"I… I think I got it," Taro said, opening his eyes slowly. "I can feel it. It's like I'm part of it now."

Aeris nodded, her gaze softening a fraction. "Good. Now, let's test your limits. A true master is one who can handle change, even chaos."

Before he could respond, a gust of wind shot out from Aeris, powerful and precise. 

Taro barely had time to brace himself before the wind blasted into his chest, throwing him off his feet.

"Wha — !" Taro yelped, his arms flailing as the wind carried him.

With a startled scream, Taro was launched into the air, his body lifted higher and higher, spiraling upwards like a leaf caught in a powerful storm. 

His stomach dropped. He had no control over the direction of his flight.

"Aeris! What the heck?!"

Aeris stood calmly on the ground, her arms crossed as she watched him rise. "If you can't handle a little turbulence, you're not ready to control the wind. Focus."

Taro's voice came out in a shrill panic as he tumbled further into the sky, his limbs flailing. "I WAS FOCUSING! UNTIL YOU TURNED ME INTO A HUMAN ROCKET!"

The mansion below him grew smaller, the courtyard nothing more than a distant speck. His body was now spiraling upward, and it didn't look like the wind was going to slow down. "I thought we were doing a meditation, not a skydiving lesson! A little warning would have been nice!"

Despite the rapidly increasing distance between them, Aeris's laughter floated up toward him like a breeze. "You wanted to learn control. You're still not grounded enough."

Taro was still screaming as he flew through the air, the wind howling around him. His hair whipped wildly, his face contorting with the force of the wind.

For a brief moment, he realized how absurd the whole situation was. Here he was, a guy who'd been playing video games just days ago, now hurtling through the sky like an out-of-control kite.

Suddenly, the wind shifted. Taro's body flipped over mid-air, and he could see the vast expanse of clouds below him, like a fluffy ocean of white. 

He couldn't tell how far down the ground was — there was no reference point. All he knew was that the mansion was far, far behind him.

"Okay, okay, okay!" he screamed, hands reaching out desperately. "I get it, okay! I'm not in control! I'm learning! Can you bring me down now, please?!"

Aeris, still standing on the ground, watched him for a moment longer before her expression softened into something close to amusement. 

With a snap of her fingers, the wind shifted again, catching Taro's falling body and slowly lowering him back toward the ground.

He plummeted toward the courtyard, screaming at the top of his lungs, flailing like a ragdoll caught in a tornado. 

He braced himself for impact, but instead, the wind gently slowed him down until he was floating just a few inches above the ground.

Taro landed with a soft thud on his feet, his hair a complete mess — if it was even possible to look worse than before, he had accomplished it. 

His face was flushed, his breathing erratic, but the first thing he did was look up at Aeris, who was watching him with an amused, almost proud glint in her eye.

"Did I pass?" he asked breathlessly, trying to make light of the situation.

Aeris nodded, but her eyes twinkled with a rare glimmer of approval. "You did. Not gracefully, but you did."

Taro looked at her, wiping his brow dramatically. "If that was your version of 'grounding' me, I think I'm a little too grounded for my own good. Do you ever give people a warning before turning them into a human missile?"

Aeris couldn't hold back a laugh. It was quiet but genuine. "Not if they're not paying attention."

Taro smiled, though his hair was still doing its best impression of a wild bird's nest. "Well, at least my hair had a great time. Too bad the wind wasn't the only thing flying today."

As they both stood there, amidst the soft breeze and the lingering chaos of his flight, Taro couldn't help but laugh, despite himself. Maybe this whole god business wasn't going to be as bad as he thought.

He still had a lot to learn, but today, he'd definitely earned a new perspective on the wind — and his hair.