The sky above the prison never showed the sun.
Only storms.
Thunder cracked. Rain fell in sheets. Black birds circled overhead, never landing.
This was Black Sky Fortress—a prison carved into a mountain, where the worst of the world were locked away.
But deep in the lowest level, beneath ten floors of stone and steel, a girl sat alone in chains.
Eyes closed.
Breathing slow.
Still.
She had no name here.
Just a number.
Inmate 442.
Guards called her "Witch."
Mages called her "Curse."
The warden called her "Mistake."
But none of them knew what she really was.
Not until the moment the seal broke.
It started with a pulse.
Like a heartbeat.
Boom.
The lights flickered.
Chains rattled.
The girl's eyes snapped open—bright blue, glowing like the sky before lightning strikes.
Then—
CRACK.
The chains holding her wrists shattered like glass.
The walls trembled.
Magic alarms screamed to life.
"Get the suppressors!" a voice yelled above.
The guards ran, dragging power-binding relics, but it was too late.
She stood.
Her bare feet touched the ground—light blue rings of energy spread beneath her, humming with ancient power.
"They forgot me."
"They locked me here… and forgot."
The entire lower floor exploded in a wave of wind and ice.
[Meanwhile – The Sanctum of Sealed Light]
Coker felt it first.
A jolt in his chest.
His hand burned again—the mark glowing wild red.
He staggered back, gripping his shirt. "It's happening again!"
Elira turned sharply. "What do you feel?"
"Someone… someone like me. But it's not just energy. It's… pain."
He gasped. "They're waking up angry."
Elira's face went pale. "The second Vessel…"
She looked toward the far sky.
"She's the one they called the Sky Borne Curse."
[Black Sky Fortress – Moments Later]
The girl—no longer just Inmate 442—walked calmly through the ruined hallway.
Every door burst open as she passed.
But she wasn't setting anyone else free.
Only one soul had been sealed in this place.
Her own.
Two guards rushed her from behind.
"Restrain her!"
She turned slowly.
With a simple flick of her hand, wind twisted around her like a shield. The guards were lifted into the air, spinning helplessly, and tossed against the wall like toys.
She kept walking.
Eyes glowing. Hair floating. Power dripping from her like water from a stormcloud.
"They think I'm a weapon," she said softly.
"Fine. Then I'll show them what I can destroy."
She reached the surface doors.
Magic runes glowed across them—ancient, binding, strong.
She raised her hand, palm glowing bright blue. Her mark pulsed once.
Then—
BOOM.
The entire entrance shattered into the sky, stone and lightning flying in every direction.
The storm above grew louder.
Birds screamed and scattered.
And the girl stepped into the world again.
[Back to Coker and Elira]
The ground beneath the Sanctum shook.
Dust fell from the ceiling. One of the old thrones cracked further.
Coker stood, chest burning, eyes wide.
"She's powerful."
Elira nodded, voice cold.
"She's also unstable. And angry. If she loses control…"
"…She'll destroy more than a prison."
Elira looked at him.
"We need to find her—before the demons do."
Coker gave a weak smile.
"No pressure, right?"
Far above the clouds, something else was watching.
A black-winged creature, floating miles above the earth.
Its eyes glowed green as it spoke in a dry whisper:
"Two Vessels awakened…
And soon, the third will rise."
Then it vanished into shadow.