Hoisting himself onto his thin, underfed legs, Astel groaned in pain.
'You mustn't move yet.'
The bird spoke a soft warning, which Astel promptly ignored.
"I've been doing nothing but sleeping for the last two weeks, I think I can afford to go for a walk."
He gently wrapped his hand around his throat. It still itched when he talked.
Taking measured steps, he slowly circled around where he slept. He stared at the sky and the brightly glowing sun. Before he realized it, he was reaching into the sky toward it.
'This place really is weird,' he thought, his hand descending next to his body. 'It should be underground, yet there's both night and day. Sometimes it even rains, and I wouldn't be surprised if it snowed.'
The bird circled far above him, staying silent.
Noticing the small body of his avian companion, a question popped into his mind. He wanted to shout at it, but stopped midway, his mouth open.
For a moment, he froze before shouting, "I never asked you what your name was, did I?"
No answer.
Astel puffed his cheeks and continued walking.
Slowly, the magpie flew lower, approaching the young boy. With a small gust of wind, it landed on his left shoulder, its pointy claws sinking into Astel's flesh.
'I do not have what you humans call a name.'
He watched Astel's unmoving face twitch slightly.
'…However, a once dear friend used to call me Felix.'
He watched as Astel's eyes widened.
"Felix, huh."
The bird sneered.
'He told me the name was represented by fortune.'
Astel smiled.
"It suits you."
The bird sighed.
'I don't quite understand, but if you think so, feel free to refer to me as that.'
As time passed, Astel began warming up to the mysterious bird. Ever since taking over the original's body, this was the first time he'd felt happy. Glad to have a companion who didn't test him, who didn't exploit him, who didn't ignore him.
Felix was a great listener. Astel would often speak of his past, even if he wasn't sure whether it was truly his, and Felix would nod along. Felix would then share some of his knowledge with Astel.
Sometimes, however, Felix would pause and seem to dig deep in his thoughts before continuing. At first, it seemed odd, but Astel ignored it as he was just a bird.
"How is it that you can't speak out loud?" Astel asked, the curiosity practically making him glow.
'I am but a humble avian, I do not have the means for proper speech.'
Astel tilted his head.
"But you learned to speak through thoughts, why not try so with your throat? After all, can't most birds mimic sounds they hear?"
Felix nodded.
'It is not as simple. You must've realized this by now, but this world isn't exactly forgiving… There's always a price to pay.'
Moving one of his wings, he revealed an ugly scar beneath the feathers on his throat.
'These days I'm lucky if I can screech.'
Astel frowned.
"What about all the chirping? I never would have known you were hurt this badly."
Felix sighed.
'Do you know of whistling?'
Astel blinked in confusion, staring at Felix.
"Of course I have… I mean, who hasn't? Isn't that pretty basic for huma-"
He paused.
"Oh, sorry. I forgot."
The bird laughed, his voice only in Astel's mind.
'Pay it no mind.'
He took a deep breath.
'There once was a child, very reminiscent of you. He was the one to teach me the ways of whistling. I cannot say it was easy, but I got it in the end.'
Almost without hesitation, Astel sprang forward and asked, "What happened to him? What was his name? Where is he now?"
Felix's head fell.
'It was a long time ago.'
Astel tensely stared at him, waiting for Felix to continue.
'He… I… didn't make it in time. I couldn't warn him, even at the last second I couldn't do anything.'
He sighed.
'On that day I had come to know misfortune.'
Astel fell back, covering his mouth with his hand. His face twitched, becoming like stone.
Through his covered mouth, he said in a serious tone, "He was too weak."
A creepy smile crept up his still covered face.
'I suppose so.'
Felix nodded.
Quickly wiping the smile off his face, Astel waved his hands.
"Sorry, I didn't mean it that way."
Scratching his head, Felix answered:
'No. You're right, he was weak. But he was a dear friend.'
After a long period of silence, Astel seemed to connect the dots as his eyes widened.
"Wait, was he—?"
'The one who gave me my name? Yes. Yes, he was.'
Astel's shoulders drooped, his body following right after.
"Can I ask? When did that happen?"
Felix seemed stumped by the question; it took him a while to answer.
'You don't know much about these mountains, do you?'
"Mountains?"
It suddenly clicked.
"Oh, you mean those mountains above us?"
Felix nodded.
"No, I don't. I already told you I came here about…"
He paused to count. With each passing second, he looked more depressed.
"I think it's been about a year? Maybe a little less."
Felix shook his head.
'No matter. It was a long time ago.'
Astel's eyebrows twitched.
"How long ago do you mean? Didn't humans only start coming here quite recently?"
Felix laughed, his beak opening and almost producing a sound.
'Do excuse me, I haven't laughed this much in ages,' he said, not stopping.
When the laughter finally died down, Felix wiped his eyes.
'Young boy, I have seen many over the ages, but none as clueless yet curious as you.'
Astel looked stumped.
"Didn't you talk to some people relatively recently? I'm sure they weren't much wiser than me."
Felix shook his head.
'Young boy, I have not had a proper conversation in over a century.'