Kingdom Arc...
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The sky wasn't supposed to be broken.
And yet there it was—splintered like a cracked mirror, chunks of floating stone drifting lazily across a golden haze. Beneath them, ancient towers leaned into the wind, draped in ivy and silence. Time didn't seem to move here. It pulsed.
Yuki stood at the edge of a cracked bridge, his gaze lifting to a floating palace above.
"Kairo…" Yuki muttered, his voice low. "Where… even are we?"
Kairo, sitting cross-legged nearby with a steaming bowl of ramen, didn't look up. "Somewhere myth comes to die," he said between slurps. "Or to be reborn."
Behind them, Himari shivered. "The air's heavy. Like we're walking through someone's memory."
Aiko touched a nearby pillar etched in a forgotten script. "These symbols… they're reacting to us." Her fingers trembled as the stone lit faintly beneath her touch. "It's like this place remembers who we are."
Ren descended silently beside them, wings folding. He looked at the ruined horizon with narrowed eyes. "This kingdom was once a bridge between the worlds—until someone shattered the anchor."
"And now?" Haru cracked his knuckles, his aura barely contained. "It wants us to fix it?"
"No," Ren said at last, his voice faint as starlight. "It wants you to remember it."
Kairo didn't answer. He simply stepped forward toward the heart of the floating kingdom, where the palace hovered on chains of gold and fire. Beneath it, shadows moved.
Ren placed a hand on Yuki's shoulder. "This place doesn't follow the rules of our world. Keep your senses sharp."
Yuki nodded, but deep inside… he felt it. Like something was watching from the broken sun above.
Waiting.
Calling.
Smiling.
---
The cracked bridge led to a valley suspended in twilight. As Yuki and the others crossed, mist parted to reveal a vast kingdom nestled between sky islands—Luminaris.
They didn't find ruins.
They found life.
Children ran through winding streets paved with glowing stone. Lanterns floated mid-air, whispering tales in forgotten tongues. Merchants shouted at invisible customers, and others sold goods that shimmered or growled softly in their stalls. A group of robed monks chanted in a spiraling tower while spectral birds flew around them.
Kairo blinked. "Is this… real?"
Ren narrowed his eyes. "Part illusion. Part echo. But it's alive."
Aiko's eyes lit up as she watched a glassblower shape a phoenix from liquid fire. "They can see us. They're waving."
A villager, an elderly woman with shimmering silver hair, approached Yuki. "Welcome back, young flame."
Yuki froze. "You've mistaken me for someone else."
The woman only smiled, her eyes glowing faintly. "No. You've just forgotten."
Behind her, a group of masked guards in ornate armor walked by, their eyes tracking the group. One paused—his mask cracked—and gave a respectful nod to Himari.
"Is this… your home?" Yuki asked.
Himari didn't answer immediately. Her fingers traced the markings on the stone walls. "Not mine. But my ancestors might've once called this place sanctuary."
A horn echoed through the city. The townsfolk paused. Doors closed. Lights dimmed.
"What's happening?" Haru asked, tensing.
The silver-haired woman whispered, "The court awakens at dusk. And the Flamecaller is watching."
Kairo stood, slurping the last of his ramen. "Flamecaller, huh? Sounds like someone Yuki should meet."
---
The cracked bridge led to a valley suspended in twilight. As Yuki and the others crossed, mist parted to reveal a vast kingdom nestled between sky islands—Luminaris.
They didn't find ruins.
They found life.
Children ran through winding streets paved with glowing stone. Lanterns floated mid-air, whispering tales in forgotten tongues. Merchants shouted at invisible customers, and others sold goods that shimmered or growled softly in their stalls. A group of robed monks chanted in a spiraling tower while spectral birds flew around them.
Kairo blinked. "Is this… real?"
Ren narrowed his eyes. "Part illusion. Part echo. But it's alive."
Aiko's eyes lit up as she watched a glassblower shape a phoenix from liquid fire. "They can see us. They're waving."
A villager, an elderly woman with shimmering silver hair, approached Yuki. "Welcome back, young flame."
Yuki froze. "You've mistaken me for someone else."
The woman only smiled, her eyes glowing faintly. "No. You've just forgotten."
Behind her, a group of masked guards in ornate armor walked by, their eyes tracking the group. One paused—his mask cracked—and gave a respectful nod to Himari.
"Is this… your home?" Yuki asked.
Himari didn't answer immediately. Her fingers traced the markings on the stone walls. "Not mine. But my ancestors might've once called this place sanctuary."
A horn echoed through the city. The townsfolk paused. Doors closed. Lights dimmed.
"What's happening?" Haru asked, tensing.
The silver-haired woman whispered, "The court awakens at dusk. And the Flamecaller is watching."
Kairo stood, slurping the last of his ramen. "Flamecaller, huh? Sounds like someone Yuki should meet."
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"If you're enjoying the ride, don't forget to leave a power stone or a comment—it really helps this grow!"