Silence.

The sea was always silent at this time. The sky was dark, the air cold and the ocean depths gloomy and empty. In minutes before dawn, the creatures of the night were asleep, those of the day yet to awake. A lonely place where one could quite easily lose themselves to the world. But, despite all this, there was one thing he was after which only here could be found.

Freedom.

High above the wispy clouds the silhouette of a legend arose and spread its wings, the first glint of the sun striking its shining feathers. The biting cold did not deter him, nor did the thin, untenable air. He did not obey the sky; it obeyed him. And now was the time for him to prove it.

He opened his dark, jewel-like eyes as he stopped for a moment at the apex of his ascent. Taking a second to process the view below him, he inhaled calmly and closed his beak, stretching out his body as the wind began to run past him once again. It was time to be free.

Slowly at first, he tucked his wings back towards him, feeling the air begin to roll into them and push them upwards; the sensation of lift never failing to provide a rush to his senses as his eyes narrowed and he let gravity take control. In just a few seconds the serenity of still air had been transformed into an accelerating roar of noise, growing ever louder with every moment. The powers of nature were great - he would be foolish not to accept that - and at that moment it was only wise to let it take him where he wanted.

The misty white of the clouds that once stood miles below him quickly approached, filling his vision as he planned the next few moments meticulously in his head. His mind brimmed with confidence as he mentally grinned at the audacity of what he was about to achieve.

This was it! This was where he would succeed. The Limit.

Humanity called it the 'speed of sound'. A velocity so great that not even air itself could surpass it. His entire life he had been told it was impossible. That no living thing had ever - or could ever - claim it. No matter your form, no matter your power and no matter your ingenuity. It was The Limit. The limit of flight in nature.

But he wasn't buying it. To him, 'limit' was just a word. And words could be overwritten.

This was not the first time he had attempted such a feat; his persistence was the only reason he had got this far and he knew it was the only way to reach his goals and ambitions. It was not an infinite resource, however, and he was committed to this being his final attempt. It was everything or nothing.

As he began to carve through the clouds, he felt the downwards force pulling on him steadily cease as nature arrived at its potential. It was time. He let his eyes close and focused on the air rushing around him, convincing himself that it was simply a physical item. Malleable, controllable, exploitable. It didn't need to hold him back.

Nothing held him back.

The great bird opened his eyes, now consumed in a blinding fire of blue as he let the psychic essence consume him. His silver wings began to glow with vibrance as he felt the sensation of air vanish across them. With just a simple thought crossing his mind, he felt himself accelerate at an enormous rate. A feeling of warmth spread across his body as he continued, faster and harder towards the blue below him. The ocean was clear now; he could see the wispy aqua currents swirling in its depths, topped by a mirror-like surface as the still air offered no interference. He was running out of sky.

Just a little more... he thought, grimacing as he pushed himself even harder.

The space above him quickly felt cold and damp as the deafening scream of wind simultaneously became quiet and muffled. Peeking one eye behind him, he could see a snow-white cloud of vapour hovering above his back, swept back into a conical shape. Transonic. As he stared down at the water below him one last time, only one thought passed through his mind.

I'm ready.

Roaring in defiance, he closed his eyes and focused all his energy into one last push. His wings glowing brighter than they ever had before, he was thrust forward with a great bout of force and - suddenly - time seemed to stop.

In unimaginably rapid succession, the ocean's surface lifted up momentarily before a deafening explosion of atmosphere sent it disappearing in all directions. Several miles away, a faint, distant boom reverberated through the sky, causing a small rock on a cliff ledge to shake for an instant before falling silent again. To the legendary bird, there was only utter silence. Opening his eyes again, he saw just oblivion.

His mind panicking, he rapidly snapped out of his psychic trance and lost all control, now at the mercy of the supersonic wind. Reacting instinctively, he lifted his wings in front of him and coiled as he awaited impending doom. Had he finally bitten off more than he could chew?

But it didn't arrive. Instead, the bird found two wings much like his own clutching him tightly on his sides. In a degree of confusion, he looked up and was immediately relieved. In front of him was the familiar sight of his brother, Lugia. He did not look happy.

"Lugia! How did you-" the bird said mentally to him before being interrupted; telepathy being the way in which they usually communicated.

"Do yourself a favour, Silverus, and shut up until we get back." he snapped, turning away and angrily beating his wings into the air as he flew. Silverus' face dropped as he struggled to keep up with him, his body tired from the recent ordeal. He hadn't seen his brother this angry in a long time, so it was probably best he listened for once.