Chapter 58 Temporary Flight Class
Evelyn's POV
By the time I reached the end of the corridor, I was already short of breath.Sunlight poured over the courtyard in a wash of molten gold, and the air carried the soft, sweet scent of grass warmed beneath the sun.
But the scene before me left me stunned. Flight class was almost exclusively a training ground for shapeshifters from the Aerial Branch.
Above me, figures cut through the sky with effortless grace.Some had already completed partial transformation, with huge eagle wings sprouting from their backs. Each flap stirred up strong winds, scattering fallen leaves on the ground.
In a corner on the ground, Kane stood alone, completely out of place in all this chaos. He wasn't soaring into the air like the others, just standing there, motionless.
"Kane!..." A sharp, cutting voice rang out nearby. The man it belonged to looked as harsh as he sounded—his expression severe, his tone edged with unmistakable hostility.
Kane just stood there, his expression unchanged. Then suddenly, as if sensing something, he whipped his head around.
His gaze locked onto me. For a split second, something raw flashed across his face—panic, quickly smothered.—Then came something far more complicated: relief, a flicker of happiness… and beneath it, a quiet embarrassment he clearly didn’t want me to notice.
"Evelyn?" Kane said softly, and I just knew he was calling me.
I walked over and finally got a clear look at the man beside him. No wonder Kane didn't like this class. I'd heard Kane mention that the flight class professor was Bruce Brown. No wonder Kane didn't like him—this guy was really unpleasant to look at, with a pointed chin and very thin lips, the classic look of a villain.
Before I could say a word, his eyes swept over me, cold and appraising—like I was something flawed on display.
"Student, if I remember correctly, this isn't your class time, and this isn't your classroom. Why are you on my training field?" His voice was sharp, with obvious displeasure.
I first tried to reassure Kane with my eyes, then tried to explain, "Professor, I..."
The letter in my pocket suddenly grew warm. Startled, I pulled it out and handed it to him. I took it out and handed it to Bruce. "I received a... temporary class schedule notification."
Bruce took it, his frown deepening almost instantly. For a moment, his expression twisted—like he had been forced to swallow something bitter. He clearly didn’t like what he was reading, but he held back whatever reaction threatened to surface.
His face looked very dark, like he'd swallowed a fly, uncomfortable but not daring to explode.
"Temporary... arrangement?" He said through gritted teeth, his eyes sweeping back and forth between Kane and me, finally settling on Kane's still unchanged body. Suddenly he showed a malicious smile.
"Since it's the school's arrangement, then Ms. Gray can be Kane's flight partner!" His tone carried contempt and dissatisfaction.
I didn't really understand what he meant. I was about to ask Kane when I heard him speak again, "Carrying passengers in flight is the content of this lesson. Since no one wants to be in a group with him, you'll be in a group with him. Of course, if you fall from the sky, that's your own business and has nothing to do with me."
Kane stiffened instantly, anger flashing across his face. Before he could speak, I reached out and stopped him. “Fine,” I said calmly. “I’ll partner with him.”
Then I turned to look at Kane. "I want to try."
Bruce gave us one last dismissive look before turning on his heel and walking away, clearly uninterested in anything that followed.
"Evelyn, I... if I carry you in flight, I'll need to transform into my Phoenix form. I might not be able to control my form well, and that person will need us to stay connected the whole time, and he'll be directing our movements."
With every word, his confidence seemed to slip further away. His gaze lowered, as though he had already decided the outcome.
"And if I lose control, I might hurt you."
The more he spoke, the less confident he became, head lowered, as if he'd made a mistake.
"I trust you, and I really want to see what you look like as a Phoenix. Whatever you look like, I want to see it." I held his cold hand, the warmth from my palm making my heart ache. I looked seriously into his eyes as I spoke.
Kane went completely still. For a long moment, he simply looked at me, as if searching for doubt—any hesitation, any fear. He found none. Only trust. Only expectation.
"Okay, then hold on tight to me. No matter what happens, don't let go, understand?" He sighed, as if making some major decision, his voice becoming unprecedentedly low.
I watched Kane step back a few paces, taking a deep breath, trying to calm the restless magic power in his body.
I could feel the air around us starting to get hot, even the wind stopped flowing.
I stood in place, quietly watching him, my heartbeat accelerating with the changes in his breathing.
"Are you ready?" Kane's voice was a bit hoarse.
"Ready!" I nodded firmly, my heart full of anticipation, also prepared to face whatever came.
"Takeoff!"
With Kane's low shout, a heat wave suddenly burst out with him at the center.
I was blinded by the intense light. A ball of fire so dazzling it was impossible to look at directly suddenly erupted from within Kane's body, instantly swallowing him whole in a sea of golden flames.
I struggled to open my eyes to look at Kane, suddenly feeling a warm current gently lifting me up.
"Evelyn, don't be afraid of me!"
Kane's voice rang out beside me, carrying a slight tremor.
"Kane, I'm not afraid."
After I spoke, I realized the flames weren't hurting me. Instead, they were like a warm shield, gently wrapping around me, blocking out the outside world's hostility.
A massive and magnificent creature appeared before my eyes.