Their kudan visited them as expected, but this time did not wait for darkness and dreams to overtake them. A gentle wind swirled around Fai even though they'd landed in a closed room, fluttering his hair caressingly. His kudan did not manifest itself, but when he closed his eyes he could see the great bird hovering before him, looking him over with keen eyes.
"You are grown, and grounded. It may be that I cannot help you fly and flee any longer," the guardian said, sounding not at all regretful.
"I don't need you to anymore," Fai replied, smiling.
Author's Notes: Spun off of a headcanon of mine, where after their quest is finally over and everyone is able to reunite permanently with their beloved, Fai keeps the remaining earring containing memories of the worlds they've traveled to. Soeil has no more need of it and Larg doesn't want it back either, so Fai uses it to help guide and focus his magic whenever he and Kuro-sama want to visit their old friends or go to Piffle for a maintenance check on Kurogane's arm.