Chapter 115: I Feel Like A Chicken

Around them, the elves exchanged puzzled looks.

Luna frowned slightly, glancing at Nyx, who simply shrugged. Leona tilted her head, confused, clearly not following where this was going.

Everyone thought that Luca was simply overthinking it at the moment and he we was making a mountain out of a mole hill.

After all, the only reason Lulu was so against it was because she loved chickens so much.

But Lulu just looked at Luca, eyes narrowed in suspicion. She squinted at him, leaning forward slightly before finally asking,

“Okay…be honest with me. Are you some kind of mind reader?”

He chuckled softly. “Mind reader?”

“Yes!” She said, jabbing her finger into his chest. “You totally are! You know exactly what I’m thinking right now, and that’s creepy!”

“Even Auntie Nyx doesn’t read me that well! And she’s basically the most nosy person in this whole forest!”

Nyx gasped. “Hey!”

Luca raised both hands, laughing.

“No, no, nothing like that, I swear. No mind-reading, no divine insight, no blessings.”

“Uh-huh, sure.” Lulu muttered, crossing her arms. “Then how did you figure it out so perfectly? No one would really think the way you did right now and simply think that I just can’t bear to my chickens get hurt.”

“Simple.” He smiled knowingly. “When you’ve lived as long as I have, you don’t need to read minds to understand people.”

That got a round of confused stares from the elves.

Lulu blinked, tilting her head.

“Lived as long as you have? What are you talking about, Luca?” She asked with a mocking gaze. “You’re not even close to our age! I’m probably older than you by at least two decades!”

Several elves nodded in agreement.

“Yeah, he’s just a kid.”

Luca chuckled softly, brushing the comment aside without answering.

“Maybe so.” He said lightly. “But the fact that you didn’t deny what I said and are going along with it means you’re thinking about something, aren’t you? Something deeper than just loving chickens.”

His tone softened, his eyes meeting hers steadily.

“So why, Lulu? Why are you really against it? What are you afraid of?”

Lulu froze.

The words hit deeper than she expected.

It wasn’t just a question—it was a strike right at the softest, most hidden part of her heart.

Because that question…it was too close to her heart.

She had never spoken about it to anyone. Not her mother, not her sister, not even her closest friends.

It wasn’t something she could talk about.

It was one of those feelings buried deep inside, the kind that stays locked away forever, because saying it aloud would make it real.

And right now, she wanted to say nothing.

To smile it off. To crack a joke, like she always did.

But when she looked up, she saw Luca’s expression.

There was no teasing smirk on his face this time, no sly grin—just a quiet, genuine concern in his eyes.

And when she looked around, she saw the same look mirrored in the faces of everyone else—her sister, her aunt, her mother, all watching her with worry and tenderness.

She swallowed hard.

Maybe…Maybe she couldn’t keep it to herself anymore.

So, after a long pause, Lulu took a shaky breath, her cheeks slightly flushed, her hands twisting together nervously.

“The truth is…” She began softly, her voice trembling a little. “…the reason I’m so against hurting or killing chickens, the reason I love them so much…”

Her words trailed off for a second. Then, with her eyes downcast, she said quietly,

“It’s because they’re so sad…and pitiful.”

There was a pause.

And then, to everyone’s surprise, Luca’s eyes lit up and he nodded vigorously.

“Oh—yeah, that totally makes sense!”

He said quickly, trying to sound supportive.

“I mean, they are rather ugly birds, right? With their scrawny feet, weird beards under their beaks, and that smell—ugh, they poop all the time! I’d feel bad being born one too. So yeah, pitiful makes perfect sense—”

“LUCA!”

Lulu shouted, her embarrassment exploding into outrage as she punched him square in the shoulder.

“I’m not talking about that, you absolute idiot!”

“Ow! What—hey!” He yelped, rubbing his shoulder.

“And for the record…” She snapped, glaring up at him fiercely. “…they are not ugly! They’re adorable!”

“They’re cute, fluffy little angels, and if you ever call them ugly again, I’ll have my entire chicken army peck you to death!”

The elves around them snickered quietly, covering their mouths, but Luca raised both hands defensively, smiling awkwardly.

“Alright, alright—adorable it is. Point taken.”

She huffed, crossing her arms, but her tone softened as her anger faded into something gentler—something sad.

“And when I said they were pitiful…” She said quietly. “…I meant it because even though they’re birds, they can’t fly.”

Luca blinked, taken aback. “Can’t fly?”

She nodded slowly, her gaze turning distant.

“They have wings—beautiful, big wings covered in feathers. They flap them as hard as they can…but no matter how much they try, they can only lift themselves a few inches off the ground before falling again.”

“It’s…heartbreaking.”

As she spoke, her voice grew faint, tender.

“I used to sit and watch them for hours when I was little.” She continued. “They’d flap and flap, jump and stumble, and I could tell…they wanted to fly. They wanted to feel the sky. But they just…couldn’t. No matter how hard they tried.”

She looked down at her hands, her fingers tightening slightly.

“And it always made me feel sad. Because I thought maybe other birds make fun of them, maybe they laugh at them for being different. For being birds who can’t soar.”

Luca’s eyes shimmered, realizing this must have been what Luna had meant earlier—what he hadn’t understood then.

But Lulu wasn’t done. Her voice lowered, trembling slightly as she went on.

“It’s not just that. I…I also see myself in them.”

Luca frowned slightly, confused.

“See yourself? How? You don’t even have wings. You’re not a harpy or anything—”

Lulu shook her head before he could finish, her eyes darting nervously toward Luna.

“It’s not about that.” She said. “It’s…because of Luna.”

That made everyone stop.

“Me?” Luna asked in surprise, having no clue why she was brought up.

“Yes.” Lulu nodded, her voice small. “Because of you…and how everyone sees us.”

The elves exchanged uncertain glances. Even Nyx and Leona looked puzzled.

Taking a deep breath, Lulu finally explained.

“We’re twins, right? Me and Luna. We look alike. We do almost everything together. So naturally, people compare us all the time.”

Her lips curved into a small, melancholic smile.

“And…whenever they compare us, I always end up being the lesser one.”

Luna’s face contorted in disbelief, but Lulu continued before she could speak.

“They always ask me, ’Why can’t you be more like Luna?’ or ’Why don’t you act like your sister?’ They say I’m lazy, messy, and unserious. And maybe they’re right.”

She said with a wry smile.

“Because Luna’s…perfect. Okay, not perfect, but she tries her best at everything.”

“She respects everyone, works hard, keeps her word, and no matter what she does, she always succeeds in the end.”

She gave a small, helpless laugh.

“But me? I can’t do any of that. I just…do things my own way, and they never turn out right. I don’t care enough about most things, and honestly, I’m not even good at anything.”

“I’m not as good as her. I’m just…me.”

The clearing was silent again. Everyone’s faces softened as they listened—Luna’s most of all.

Lulu continued, her voice gentler now.

“Of course, I don’t feel jealous of her or anything, I love her. She’s my sister, after all.”

“But sometimes…I feel like no matter how much I try, I’ll never be able to reach her.”

“Like…she’s soaring in the sky while I’m stuck here on the ground, flapping my wings and going nowhere.”

Several elves gulped, not expecting their cheerful Lulu to have such depressing thoughts.

“And that’s why.” Lulu whispered. “I love chickens so much. Because when I look at them, I see myself. They’re clumsy, misunderstood, grounded. They try so hard to be like the others, but they never can…”

“…And I know exactly how that feels.”

She paused. Her voice grew quieter.

“And maybe that’s also why I can’t stand the idea of killing them.”

“Because if they die, it’s like…I’m killing that part of myself. Their dreams would die with them. Their hopes of ever flying would just…end. Just like I sometimes feel like mine do.”

She stopped, biting her lip again.

“So yeah.” She muttered with a weak smile. “It’s a silly reason, isn’t it?”

She expected laughter.

Teasing.

Maybe even silence.

After all it was no one’s fault and she was simply making such scenarios in her mind.

But instead—

“WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT, LULU?!” Someone shouted. “THAT’S NOT SILLY AT ALL!”

“YEAH!” another elf yelled. “THERE’S NO NEED FOR YOU TO FEEL ASHAMED OF YOUR FEELINGS!”

“I DIDN’T EVEN KNOW YOU WERE GOING THROUGH SOMETHING LIKE THAT!” Cried one of her friends.

Lulu blinked in shock as the voices started pouring in.

“You should’ve told us!” Another said. “We’d never make you feel like that!”

“Exactly! You’re not Luna, you’re you!”

“Sure, you’re not great at everything—but you make us laugh every day!”

“You light up every room you walk into, Lulu!”

“You don’t need to be like Luna—we love you the way you are!”

Lulu’s jaw fell open, her eyes darting between them all in disbelief.

She hadn’t expected…this.

And then Luna stepped forward.

She smacked Lulu’s hand lightly, tears in her eyes but a smile on her lips.

“You idiot!” She said with playful frustration. “What are you talking about? I was the one who’s always compared myself to you!”

Lulu blinked. “What?”

Luna smiled gently.

“You always talk to people so easily. You make everyone smile. You’re brave, funny, and honest. I’ve always admired that about you. I used to think I was too boring, too stiff, too nervous compared to you.”

Lulu’s eyes widened, completely dumbfounded, while Luna squeezed her hand tightly.

“So stop thinking you’re not good enough. You’re perfect the way you are.”

“Exactly what Luna said!” Shouted Nyx, crossing her arms with a grin. “You’re our chaotic sunshine, Lulu! Without you, this village would be dull as a stone.”

“Yeah!” Cried another elf. “We can’t even survive one day without your noise!”

“Don’t you dare compare yourself anymore!”

“We love you, Lulu!”

“We really do!”

The entire clearing erupted with laughter, cheers, and teary smiles.

Lulu just stood there, speechless.

All her life, she thought everyone saw her as lesser.

That she was the clumsy twin, the troublemaker, the one who couldn’t quite measure up.

But seeing everyone’s eyes, their smiles, their warmth—she finally understood.

They loved her for who she was.

And when she looked back at Luca, he was smiling proudly, arms crossed, his usual confident grin in full form.

“See, Lulu?” He said warmly. “Everyone loves you for who you are. There’s no need to compare yourself to Luna or anyone else, for that matter…”

“…You’re already perfect as you are.”

Then he chuckled and added,

“And honestly, the you right now is already more than enough for everyone to handle. If you somehow became even more energetic than this, I don’t think this village would survive another day.”

The elves burst into laughter. Even Leona covered her mouth and secretly smiled after seeing all the support her daughter got from the village.

And Lulu—through her tears—laughed too, her heart lighter than it had been in years.

Luca watched the laughter and warmth spread through the elves, but when his eyes fell on Lulu—he noticed that faint trace of sadness still hiding behind her smile.

He realised that even though Lulu had accepted her identity and was finally content with herself, she still felt bad for the chickens who couldn’t achieve her dreams.

And that was when something clicked in his head.

His grin slowly grew wider, mischief gleaming in his eyes.

“Hey, Lulu.” He said suddenly. “I think I have an idea.”

Lulu blinked. “Huh? What idea?”

He pointed at her.

“The problem for you isn’t really eating chicken, right? It’s that they couldn’t fulfill their dream before dying. They couldn’t fly, and that makes you sad.”

Lulu hesitated but nodded. “Y-Yeah, that’s…true.”

“Then that’s it!” Luca said brightly. “As long as I make the chickens fly—just once, before their end—then their dream will be fulfilled! They’ll get to experience what they always wanted!”

“And once they’ve done that, there’s no reason to be sad, right? You’ll be able to accept eating chicken without any guilt at all!”

Everyone stared at him in confusion.

“Wait.” Luna said slowly. “Did you just say…make chickens fly?”

“Exactly!” Luca declared proudly.

“Luca, what are you talking about?” Lulu gasped. “That’s impossible!”

But he only chuckled. “Impossible? Not for me.”

And before anyone could question him, he suddenly dashed off toward the forest.

“Wait! Where are you going?!” Lulu shouted.

He looked over his shoulder with a grin so bright it could have powered an entire festival.

“To make all of the chickens’ dreams come true!”

Everyone stared at him, dumbfounded.

“I’ll prove that no matter how absurd or impossible a dream might be—it can still come true! You just need someone crazy enough to make it happen!”

“Wait—what?!” Lulu cried, running a few steps after him. “Luca! What are you talking about?!”

“Just give me half an hour, Lulu! Half an hour! Eat some more chicken while I’m gone—and then come to your backyard! I’ll show you something that’ll blow your mind!”

“Luca!” Lulu shouted again, but he was already gone—disappearing past the treeline, his laughter echoing through the forest.

“What in the world is he going to do?” One elf whispered.

“Did he mean he’s going to make chickens actually fly?” Another asked in disbelief.

“That’s absurd!” an elder elf said, shaking his head. “A chicken flying? That’s like saying a rock can swim.”

“But he’s the Hero.” Another voice said softly, almost in awe. “Maybe…he really can do it.”

That made everyone go quiet again, uncertainty written on every face.

“…Is he seriously going to make chickens fly?” Luna muttered.

Nyx sighed. “With him? I don’t even want to guess.”

Lulu on the other hand stood frozen, her cheeks puffing up in disbelief.

“That dummy…what is he planning now?”

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