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Scene 12: The First Step Across the Rift
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At the open square of the floating island, Southwind, a dry and chilling breeze swept down continuously. The fine dust swirled in the air, no less than the stormy emotion brewing within Elina.
We gathered near the sparring ground. Draco was still chatting excitedly with Akira, Mirelle, and Keela. Kalan had wandered over to Garret and Magnus.
Osiris's group joined a little later, tension clinging to them like mist. No one said a word. Kaelum and Zaria quietly slipped away toward Garret, as if deliberately choosing to leave the younger ones to handle their own drama.
Draco noticed Elina walking over. He turned to greet her, cheerful as ever.
"Hey, Elina! Did you catch the match? Garret was seriously impressive, right?"
Elina didn't look at him. Didn't say a word.
Draco blinked, then tried again.
"Uh… you didn't watch it? That's a shame…"
Elina snapped a little, unintentionally.
"I saw. Saw it clear as day."
She might've meant Garret—but Osiris knew her sister wasn't talking about that loud, muscle-bound man.
Akira, Mirelle, and Keela all picked up on the shift in mood. Their gazes turned to Yue.
Yue responded with nothing but a sheepish smile. So they turned to Osiris instead.
Osiris glanced at Draco, then at Gwenna—who was absentmindedly playing with blades of grass under a tree. She looked at Elina… then finally, back at Draco.
The three of them understood the unspoken message instantly.
Akira changed the subject with practiced ease.
"Oof, my stomach's starting to twist… I think I'm hungry.
Hey, Yue, you hungry too? Wanna go find something tasty?"
Yue's eyes lit up.
"Yes please! I'm dying to know what food they have around here!"
Zaria leaned toward her with a knowing smile.
"They've got crispy cactus here. If you ever try the frozen-preserved kind… you'll be addicted."
Yue's eyes sparkled so brightly, Zaria almost had to shield herself.
"Addicted?! Then I have to try it!"
Kaelum gave a theatrical sigh.
"Sadly, there's no way to freeze-preserve it here. Too dry, too sandy."
Yue pouted dramatically. Mirelle gave her a playful nudge.
"You snack-obsessed fox… have you forgotten who you're with?"
Yue grinned wide, her little fangs peeking out.
"Right! We've got a master-level mage right here! Freezing the whole island would be no big deal for her! Hehe!"
Kalan turned with a smile.
"There's actually a place I wanted to take you all to.
How about this—let me treat you to a secret local spot. I promise, it's divine."
Keela chuckled.
"Coming from the prince who's addicted to my mom's cooking? That must mean this place is something special."
Magnus laughed softly.
"You could call it his go-to remedy when he misses Lady Kalisa's meals."
Garret burst out laughing.
"'Go-to' is putting it lightly! He comes so often I'm gonna have to start helping with the serving!"
We all laughed together. Kalan smiled brightly.
"Alright, alright—I won't deny it. Let's go. It's my treat."
"Yaaay! Free food! Thank you so muuuch!"
Yue immediately jumped onto Akira's back.
"Let's gooo! Hurry, where's the stingray airship? Akiraaa, faster!"
Akira chuckled as he hoisted her up.
"Such a rush. Hold on tight, you little rascal."
Then he sprinted forward, laughing as Yue clung to him like a kid on a rollercoaster. The rest of us followed after, smiles easing the lingering tension…
Everyone, that is, except Draco—who remained silent.
And Elina—who still refused to meet his eyes.
And Gwenna—who trailed behind at a distance.
And Osiris—who stayed at the rear, as if deliberately choosing her angle… to record every unspoken truth with perfect clarity.
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After all of us boarded Kalan's hammerhead-shaped skyray airship, the vessel began its slow, winding flight through the islands.
The path felt almost secret—twisting through tight gaps and treacherous passages.
We had to duck under massive steel cables anchoring the floating islands, swerve around giant wind turbines, dodge unpredictable jet streams, and steer clear of the enormous weight-bearing balloons.
It took an exceptional pilot to maneuver a ship this large through obstacles like this with such finesse.
Finally, we reached Kalan's secret spot.
The landing platform was a narrow cliffside ledge, dotted with a few small docking points.
We disembarked and began walking along the edge of the cliff.
Below us stretched an endless sea of clouds.
Even though many of us could fly, our hearts weren't quite ready to accept the dizzying height.
We gripped the railings tightly, our legs trembling, hands sweating—no matter how much we told ourselves not to be scared, fear clung to us anyway.
Kaelum offered gentle reassurance.
"Don't worry about falling. The railings are solidly built. And even if you did fall… we avian folk could catch you mid-air. You're safe."
Among us, Osiris was the least rattled.
She turned to the others with a calm, curious voice.
"I still don't get it. You're birdfolk—you can fly.
So why all these stable walkways? Why even use airships? Why not just fly everywhere?"
Zaria glanced back at us with a teasing smile.
"Then why do you, who can run, choose to walk? Or take trains? Why not just run everywhere?"
Yue scrunched her nose.
"Well, if we had to run non-stop everywhere, we'd collapse!
Taking a train's way easier—and you don't get tired."
Mirelle chimed in with a playful tone.
"Like how even the fastest fish don't swim at full speed all the time, huh?"
Zaria fluttered her feather fan to hide her mouth, though her voice betrayed a giggle.
"Hihi. You're quick to understand.
Exactly—flying through thin air with strong winds drains so much energy.
And with the light, airy food we have here, it's hard to keep enough stamina for long flights.
We have to conserve strength wherever we can."
Akira widened his eyes slightly.
"So it's not just about saving money—you have to save your strength, too."
Garret bellowed over the fierce wind.
"Hah! It's way better now than it used to be.
Back in the old days, even finding food was a struggle."
Still facing forward, leading the group, Kalan added matter-of-factly,
"We owe it to the Fairsteel family. They helped the people here live better lives."
Magnus clutched his mustache to keep it from blowing away and held Gwenna's hand firmly—she was walking with her gaze glued to the ground.
"True. Under Caeron and Darrion, things were already improving.
But when Noren took over, in just three years, she turned half of Skyperion's economy into her domain.
She's like a newly crowned Falcon Queen, finally given a chance to soar."
Keela smiled.
"Noren really is amazing.
But… I wonder—is this place part of her network too?"
Kalan came to a sudden halt and turned around, mock offense in his voice.
"Not a chance! I'm not handing over this place.
Even if Noren's a dear friend of my sister, this spot stays mine!"
Keela teased him with a sly grin.
"So tell me, brother—are you attached to the chef's cooking… or hiding a secret crush here?"
Kalan flinched and shouted defensively,
"H-hey! No! It's the cooking! That's all!
Now hurry up and keep moving!"
Everyone exchanged knowing glances.
It was obvious to all of us: There's definitely something going on here.
We giggled and followed after him—though our laughter couldn't completely mask the heaviness lingering at the back of the group.
At the very end of the procession, Elina and Draco walked in tense, heavy silence.
It was almost as if Draco had cast a gravity spell—only he hadn't.
Despite everyone's efforts to keep the mood light and carefree, the invisible weight refused to lift.
This mission—to mend the bonds among us—might just turn out harder than facing a dungeon boss.
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Kalan led us along the cliffside walkway above the sea of clouds.
We ducked through a short, narrow cave—and on the other side, the ground leveled out in a series of terraces beneath a wide, vaulted ceiling.
The sight before us stole our breath away.
It looked like a cave behind a waterfall—but instead of water falling downward, the spray was being blown outward by powerful gusts of wind.
It was like watching someone pour water from an airplane mid-flight, only to see it whipped away by the rushing air.
Akira murmured in awe,
"A waterfall… that doesn't fall."
Kalan chuckled.
"It's because we're standing behind the island.
Careful now—the suction around here is pretty strong."
"Behind the island? You mean the part that looks like a turtle's butt?" Yue asked, tilting her head.
Zaria whispered loud enough for us to hear,
"A turtle's butt? How about we call it the tail instead? Still sounds a little cuter. Hehe."
We all giggled at that—
When a girl carrying two plates of food walked over.
"Oh! Lord Kalan! Welcome!
Your usual spot's still open."
She delivered the dishes to a nearby table, then returned to us with a bright smile.
"Right this way, everyone. Looks like you've brought a big group today!"
Without a word, Kalan simply smiled and followed her lead.
After a long silence, Gwenna finally spoke up,
"Aunt Ailin, where's little Aelius?"
The woman—Ailin—turned back with a gentle laugh.
"Oh, Aelius is helping out in the kitchen.
Want me to call him out to play?"
Gwenna beamed.
"Then… can I help out in the kitchen too?"
A flurry of voices immediately rose up, politely but firmly trying to dissuade her.
And when Magnus himself stepped in, Gwenna reluctantly agreed.
Mirelle leaned in close to Kaelum and whispered,
"Um… why are they all trying so hard to stop her?"
Kaelum lowered his voice,
"I'm sure you've noticed, Lady Mirelle—just how strong she is?
If we let her into the kitchen, we might not have a kitchen left."
Mirelle raised one brow, her eyes widening slightly in understanding—but said nothing.
A silent sign that she got the picture.
Up front, the mood was lighthearted and cheerful—
But in the rear, the atmosphere was heavy and stagnant.
During the cliff walk earlier, Draco had quietly reached out a hand to Elina, offering to steady her.
But Elina stubbornly clutched the railing instead, refusing to meet his eyes or say a word.
Draco kept trying little things to earn her forgiveness—but it was clear now: she was genuinely upset.
When he realized he was getting nowhere, Draco turned to Akira for help.
He leaned in and whispered,
"Hey… is Elina mad at me? Did I do something wrong?"
Akira wrapped an arm around Draco's shoulders like an old friend.
"You seriously don't know?
Not surprising—you've been holed up training the whole time.
Long story short:
She's mad because you got way too close with Gwenna during your duel."
Draco frowned.
"What? But we were just sparring!
We were fighting, not flirting.
I even kept a respectful distance!
I ended up surrendering just to avoid making any questionable moves!"
Akira patted his shoulder lightly.
"I know.
You're a perfect gentleman.
But trust me—she's not mad because of what you meant.
She's mad because of what she saw."
Draco groaned, clutching his head.
"So I'm in the wrong… even when I didn't actually do anything wrong?"
Akira gave him another pat.
"Welcome to the reality of romance, buddy.
If you want a relationship, you've gotta accept one universal truth:
One side's always wrong… and it's not the girl's side.
Even if it's completely unfair."
Draco rolled his eyes toward the sky.
"Even that flame lion—the embodiment of Wrath I fought—wasn't this unreasonable," he muttered.
Akira leaned in conspiratorially.
"But think about it—
If you were just another guy, just a friend…
Would she even care enough to be mad?
The fact that she's upset means… maybe you're starting to mean something to her.
Think about that.
I'm off to eat—starving here."
With that, everyone headed toward the dining tables, leaving Draco standing there, deep in thought.
"She wouldn't be mad… if I didn't matter to her?
So… does that mean I actually do?"
He lightly smacked his fist into his open palm.
"So that's what it is.
I'm becoming important to her."
A small smile crept onto his lips as he started walking after the others—
Unaware that this small step he took…
Might just be the most important step of his life.
Because sometimes—
No matter how distant the destination seems—
It all begins with the courage to take that first step.
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