Flight Graphic Novel - Chapter 1

Transcript

1. At the edge of the world lay the last place where the spirits had been seen. Xingchui had searched for it for years.
2. Among her people, Xingchui alone possessed the power of flight. She wore her wings proudly. They carried her above and far away from everyone she knew. She grew more solitary by day and strained herself searching for others like herself. At last, she arrived at the edge of the world.
3. There, between the ice, she discovered the lotuses said to have been cultivated by the spirits.
4. Threads of light seemed to be trapped within their veins. It seemed as if they would never wither and never bud. They were the only things she had seen that were more brilliant than her wings. Permanance. Transandence. Unparralleled beauty. If the spirits had created such flowers, what must they be like? What wonders filled their realm?
5. Far below, Xingchui’s best friend Guinian was working with the villagers back home. As Xingchui took off for home, she felt her wings tremble. They were not as powerful as before, and feathers were falling off. She had flown too far this time.
6. Something was wrong today... While Xingchui searched the sky, Guinian worked among roots, soil, and flowers.
7. No medicine could restore what she had lost. Her power of flight ran dry, like the vitality of youth. For Xingchui, she had lost more than her wings.. Yet Guinian refused to believe that there was nothing she could do for her friend.
8. She scaled mountains, looking for precious herbs. The stone cut her hands, but still she climbed. Eventually she found rare wildflowers, and carefully plucked them.
9. “Without my wings, what am I?” When she returned, she found Xingchui feverish. Her condition had worsened, as her wings were completely gone. “Have you seen my wings? It’s time for me to brush them... otherwise they won’t catch the wind in the same way...” “Your wings are gone.”
10. “But I brought you this.” “This will do nothing for me! They are nothing compared to the spirits’ lotuses, and I will never see them again...” “I will never fly again...” “Useless flower!”