Difficulties are not terrible, but what is terrible is the loss of direction and motivation to move forward. Avril once said, 'The reason why I am afraid and hesitant is because I have lost hope, and as long as I have hope, I have nothing to fear.' That's a good way to describe Jessica and Wendy now.

"Well, since it's found that it's crowded, then everything is easy to say. Just head there! ”

With that, Jessica took Wendy to lunch and hurried down the mountain. I don't know if this side of the mountain road is easy to walk or if the enthusiasm of the two people to hurry is stimulated, Jessica and the two actually went down the mountain before dark.

Jessica, who built a simple settlement, is now preparing soup for dinner by the campfire, churning the spoon and feeling the feel while observing the colors and adding various seasonings one by one.

"It's done, Wendy, don't be busy, let's eat." Jessica scooped up a bowl of soup and beckoned Wendy to come in, carefully arranging the dishes and dishes.

"Okay, come right away. Yo Oooo! All right. Wendy wiped her sweat back after laying out the quilt.

Wendy sat next to Jessica and politely folded her hands.

"I'm moving~~"

"I'm moving!" Jessica also did the same.

"Wow~~ What's dinner today? It's so hearty! Delicious appearance!! ”

"Aha, it's nothing~~ A lot of edible ingredients were found nearby, and by accident, this was 'salt-roasted phosphate-free riverfish with sharp teeth and palm-sized size', 'stewed lumpy red straight-rooted quilt umbelliferous plant' and this 'spindle-shaped tuber roasted to black'" Jessica pulled out a few charred objects from the campfire.

It's still just as strange as the naming taste. Wendy's head was dripping with drops of sweat the size of beans. "But Jessica really likes to cook."

"It's not so much that I like to cook, but I like to enjoy the atmosphere of eating with my family after cooking." Jessica suddenly said very seriously. "Cooking is only delicious when you eat it with your family, but if you eat alone, it's just feed. After a busy day, the whole family sits together, serves out the carefully prepared food, and everyone tastes the same dish together. Tell me once in a while about something you just encountered. These are the three happiest things in my heart, along with my mother's fairy tale before going to bed and the greeting when I go home. ”

"I think the smile at that time was the most beautiful and precious. That's why I'm so interested in cooking because I want to protect that feeling. Actually, I'm more of a sweet spot. It's a pity that there is no time to make the lack of tools now, not even for hunting. Otherwise, today's menu could be even richer. Ah, isn't it a bit disrespectful to the food with this half-baked thought? ”

"No, I think Jessica was right! It's so good," Wendy didn't know what to think, and her face was a little red. The light of the bonfire is very charming.

"Let's not talk about that, judging by the direction of the smoke we saw during the day, we were still a few days away. It seems that we still have a long way to go on our journey, so let's go to bed early after eating today, and we will continue to travel tomorrow. Jessica quickly settles out dinner and lets Wendy take a shower while she puts away the dishes and chopsticks. After a little more work, Jessica was ready to crawl into the bed and sleep.

"That~~ Jessica that" Wendy seemed to have something to say, and she seemed to be more anxious. "Can you tell me a story before you go to bed today?"

It could be that Wendy felt too shy and spoke quieter. The ears covered under the quilt were red.

"No problem, then~um~~ I'll tell you a story about the Wings of Icarus."

[In the vast expanse of the sea, on an island in the middle of nowhere, there is a group of people living there.] This empty island is isolated from the rest of the world, and the people who live here depend on the island's resources to live a self-sufficient life. Although he is not very wealthy, as long as he is willing to work hard, he can live a worry-free life.

One of the teenagers was named Icarus. Icarus had a habit of being different from others, and after a hard day's work, he would always sit on the edge of a cliff and watch the sunset. Whenever the red sun slowly sank below the distant sea level and the seabirds chased the sunset, Icarus's face always showed a look of yearning.

Sometimes Icarus, who was working at noon, would see a dark shadow streak across the field, and it was not the birds that lived on the islands. Whenever Icarus looked up, he could only see the vigorous wings and falling feathers in the harsh sunlight. Freedom, freedom and perseverance.

Icarus picked up the feather. Place in the palm of your hand. It was a tough black feather, as scrappy as its owner.

Icarus turned to the crowd and announced, "I'm leaving this island, I'm going to see the world across the sun!! ”

"But this is not possible, there are no ships on this island that can sail far, there is no direction on the vast sea, and there are terrible storms and countless dangers. You're going to die on the way. The crowd dissuaded.

"Let's give up, our ancestors have lived here for generations, and no one has ever left."

"Even so, I'm going to go, and I'll make a pair of wings that can soar through the sky and pierce storms." With that, Icarus began the process of making wings. He searched for the feathers that had fallen on the island, brought them home, kneaded them with wax, and kneaded them into shape.

At first, the inhabitants of the island tried to dissuade Icarus, but Icarus was unmoved. I don't know when it gradually turned into ridicule.

"Yo~~ Icarus, you're weaving those wings of yours again, are you done? Can you show it to Uncle? Ahh

"Isn't this Icarus? I said it was better for you to work honestly in the fields, and stop daydreaming. Give up that boring fantasy! ”

Later, he became even more indifferent, and he felt that Icarus was just talking big. At most, I will tease when we meet. ]

"Did Icarus give up weaving wings?" Wendy asked, nervous.

"Of course not, Icarus has not given up for a day, no matter what others think." Jessica returned.

[Yes, Icarus never gave up for a day.] Regardless of the wind, snow, cold, and summer, even if everyone around him opposes him, Icarus has always woven those wings.

I don't know how long it was, maybe months, maybe years. One spring morning, Icarus had finally completed the final steps of those wings.

So Icarus gave all his land, possessions, and house to an old woman who had always taken care of him. He carried his dark wings to the west of the island, on the rock where Icarus often looked up at the setting sun.

The inhabitants of the island saw Icarus passing by with his wings on his back, and the crowd gradually gathered and followed him.

"Those black wings are so hard that Icarus succeeded?!"

"Icarus! Don't go! Isn't it nice to live here all the time? We don't know what the world looks like on the other side of the sun, so what's so good? You're going to die on the road! ”

Icarus's childhood friend tried to dissuade him.

"My dear friend, this island is too small to be a prison, and I want to get out of here, and there is something I am looking for in an unknown place. For this I am not afraid of all dangers. ”

"Are you crazy?!"

"Someone stop him!!"

As expected, there were waves in the crowd. Taking advantage of the chaos that prevented people from stopping in time, Icarus felt the familiar sea breeze with his skin, nose, and wings on his back.

The hair on Icarus' forehead swayed irregularly with the wind. Suddenly, Icarus, who had been standing still, seemed to have received some signal, and jumped straight off the cliff under the seemingly normal wind speed, like a loose rock. ]

"Ahh A short exclamation leaked from Wendy's nervous mouth, but Wendy sensibly did not interrupt Jessica's words, but quietly waited for Jessica to continue, because Wendy knew that the story was not over yet.

Jessica touched Wendy's head.

[The crowd screams as Icarus falls off a cliff, and some of the timid women are already clasping their eyes and not daring to look again.]

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew by, flying sand and rocks. Everyone couldn't help but hide their faces with their hands.

"Look at !!"

"That? Is it Icarus?? The voice was full of surprise.

When the others heard that something special was happening, they hurriedly let go of their hands, and they all looked stunned. Some of them even make dreams.

"Fly up"

Yes, in the middle of the storm, there was a huge figure dancing. The resolute black wings were breaking away domineeringly, as if it were harnessing the wind.

That's exactly Icarus!!

With his wings on his back, Icarus flew freely under the vast blue sky with the birds he had previously admired, looking at the scenery he had never seen before. The ocean is so vast that there is no end in sight, and it is a tiny island with so much unobstructed view.

The pride in Icarus's chest was completely aroused, and he roared loudly. After wandering around the island for a few last moments, he waved goodbye to everyone after taking a few last glances at this familiar and strange hometown, and then flapped his wings and flew to the west, leaving all his reluctant calls behind.

Icarus vibrated his wings and slashed across the sea, chasing the fish that leaped out of the water from time to time and drove away the migrating birds. The reef swept under him in pieces, and no amount of high waves could reach his ankles. Icarus flew all the way to the far end.

But it was as if Icarus's actions had violated the taboo of the gods - to reach the land of the gods in mortal form. The sky began to become heavier, and at some point it began to be covered by thunderclouds and the hurricane roared.

The fish no longer came out of the water, and the birds scattered with their wails.

Suddenly, the wind and thunder were fierce, and the wind swept up huge waves, and the fierce rain fell on Icarus's body. Icarus's body struggled helplessly under the raging storm, unable to break free even by flapping his wings.

This is Tianwei! The majesty of the gods that extraordinary people can fight against.

Icarus's figure was like a flower swaying in the wind and rain, and he could only tremble. Suddenly, a wave hit and slapped Icarus directly under the surface of the sea. ]

Wendy held her breath carefully, her eyes full of hope that Icarus would be safe and sound.

[Icarus struggles to break out of the water, and the sea water and rain drip from his hair and clothes, looking very embarrassed.]

"No one, no difficulty, can stop me!!"

Seeing that there is really no place to shelter from the wind and rain on the vast sea, there is not even a place to stay. Icarus, on the contrary, stirred up a tenacity, showing the perseverance he had when he braided his wings.

I saw Icarus flutter his wings and go straight towards the black rolling thunderclouds. Since you can't escape the ravages of thunderstorms below, let's climb to the top.

Icarus, who was facing him, hit the raindrops directly, making it impossible to open his eyes, and he stuck his head into the thunderclouds. As if enraged, a silver snake flashed out of the dark clouds. If Icarus, who was passing through the thunderclouds, had hit one of the lightning bolts, he would have lost his life.

Above the thunderclouds is a blue sky, a place where clouds can't reach, just like humans can't fly.

And below, it's pitch black; Thunderclouds surged to form an endless carpet. A blanket without any gaps, no! The carpet of the gods was suddenly pierced by a black shadow, and the clouds rolled in all directions.

Yes, this is exactly what humans are originally unable to fly? -- Icarus. This crazy act of dancing like tying life to a tightrope actually succeeded! However, the situation of Icarus was not very optimistic, and Icarus, who was soaked and soaked, was blown by the strong wind in the air and almost did not freeze. The body temperature was gradually moving away from him. Even the wings have lost a lot of feathers and look messy.

Icarus' consciousness began to blur, and he longed to sleep. The loss of body temperature and the low activity of the organs made Icarus want to fall headlong and sleep comfortably.

The red sunset shone on Icarus's body, bringing him a hint of warmth. It turned out that it had been a day. Looking at the sunset, Icarus shook his broken wings and continued to fly towards the sun. Just like he said.

'I'm going to see the world across the sun!! ’

'In some unknown place is the thing I seek. For this I am not afraid of all dangers. ’

As if instinctively, Icarus unconsciously flapped his wings and flew towards the sun. Gradually, Icarus's body ceased to be cold. No, more than that. Icarus's hair even began to dry up, and the feathers and wax wings began to melt and burn. Icarus was too close to the sun.

Icarus didn't notice it, still vibrating his wings and flying towards the sun. Eventually, it merged with the big fireball. ]

Jessica heard a choked voice after finishing her affectionate narration, and found that Wendy's big eyes were dyed with a layer of mist at some point.

"Icarus is so pitiful~~ What the hell is he looking for?"

Wendy has also grown stronger, and if she had before, she would have only thought it was just a sad story and patronized to sympathize with Icarus.

"yes~ What is it that Icarus is so after?"