The sky opened before me.
The Ikran surged upward, wings slicing through the clouds, every beat a thunderclap against the air. My body pressed close against its scales, the bond between us burning like fire in my veins.
For a moment, I closed my eyes.
And then—I felt everything.
The wind whispered against my skin, every current, every shift. My ears caught the rumble of thunder far off, the cry of a distant Ikran, the heartbeat of the creature beneath me merging with my own.
The clan had followed us to the cliffs, their voices faint below. I knew their eyes were on me. Watching. Judging.
This was no longer a trial. It was a declaration.
I opened my eyes. "Let's show them."
The Ikran roared, a sound that split the heavens, and dove.
We cut through the clouds like a spear. The world blurred into streaks of green and blue. Trees flashed beneath us, rivers sparkled like silver threads, and the horizon burned with sunlight.
Gasps rose from the cliffs as I leaned with the creature, guiding it into a spiral. My body moved as though born for this, the bond perfect, absolute.
I pulled upward, and the Ikran responded instantly, surging into a vertical climb that left the hunters clutching at their mounts in disbelief.
"Eywa… he flies like one of us.""No… faster. Stronger.""Not possible!"
Their voices drifted faintly on the wind.
The Ikran and I pierced through another cloudbank, bursts of sunlight dancing around us. My laughter broke free, raw and unrestrained, carrying across the sky.
"I can feel it," I whispered. "The freedom. The bond. The sky."
The Ikran answered with a triumphant screech.
And then—impulse. I let go of the reins, spreading my arms wide, surrendering to the bond completely. The Ikran carried me as though it were an extension of my body.
The hunters below shouted in shock, some in awe, some in fear.
Neytiri stood at the edge of the cliff, her eyes locked on me. For the first time, I saw it—wonder, breaking through her walls of doubt.
We soared higher, climbing until the land below seemed no more than a painting. The floating mountains hung like silent guardians, the waterfalls cascading in endless streams of silver mist.
The Ikran tilted, and together we dove again, faster than lightning. My heart raced—not from fear, but exhilaration.
At the last instant, I pulled up, the Ikran's wings slicing the air, sending a shockwave that rattled the cliffs. Dust and wind blasted across the gathered clan.
And we landed.
The ground trembled under the Ikran's weight. I slid from its back, standing tall, my chest rising and falling slowly.
The clan stared in silence. Dozens of golden eyes fixed on me, no longer filled with scorn or suspicion… but something else.
Respect.
One of the hunters whispered, voice trembling."No longer demon… He flies like one of us."
Another added, "No… like more."
Neytiri stepped forward, her voice quiet, but steady."You are… different. Too different. But…" She glanced at the Ikran, then back at me. "…Eywa does not reject you."
I met her gaze, calm, unyielding. "I told you before. I came not to conquer. Not to destroy. I came… to belong."
The silence stretched. Then, Mo'at's voice rose from behind the crowd, firm and knowing."Then perhaps… he is not a curse. Perhaps he is a sign."
The murmurs grew, rippling through the Omaticaya like waves through the forest.
And for the first time since my arrival, the weight of suspicion began to lift.
Not fully. Not yet.
But enough.
The sky had accepted me.
And soon… so would they.