(Yuuta's POV)
Yaaawwnn—
Why am I so bored? Like really bored.
There's absolutely nothing to do here. The house is too quiet. I've already cleaned the fridge twice and regretted it both times.
I was lying on the sofa, limbs spread like a dead octopus.
Beside me, Erza sat calmly, scrolling through the comments on my latest chapter.
Yes—my own wife was reviewing my novel like a savage critic.
"Wait," she suddenly muttered, eyes narrowing. "Someone is watching us."
"Huh? What are you saying?" I blinked.
"I saw a comment," she said flatly. "It said 'I feel like I'm stalking this family IRL and he is writing diary too'."
I chuckled, waving it off. "Yaaawn~ It's okay. If someone is stalking us, be careful, buddy. Doesn't matter where you live—my wife will find you and freeze you to death."
"Exactly," she replied with the calmness of a serial killer.
I flipped through TV channels with zero interest. Cooking shows? Seen it. Monster slaying competitions? Meh. Drama serials? Nope. Even the weather forecast felt dramatic today.
"I'm so bored," I groaned. "Not even interested in existing."
Then suddenly—
THUMP THUMP THUMP
Elena burst out of the bedroom like a rocket and ran straight to me, her little feet slapping against the floor.
"PAPA!! PAPA!!"
"Yes, my princess, what's wrong?" I sat up instantly.
She held up her tablet and giggled, eyes sparkling.
"I want to fly too!"
"…Fly?"
She showed me a Vyube video. Birds soaring across the sky, dramatic background music, inspirational quotes flashing on-screen.
"Ohhh…" I smiled awkwardly. "That's cool, sweetie, but you know… birds are different. They can fly. We can't—"
BONK!
"Ouch!"
A sharp knock smacked the top of my head.
I turned to see Erza glaring at me, her palm still mid-air.
"Why did you hit me?!" I groaned.
"Are you stupid?" she said coldly. "She's a dragon. She has wings, you idiot."
"…Right."
Okay, maybe I forgot the fact that my daughter is part dragon. Happens.
Elena beamed up at me. "So can I fly, Papa? Can I?"
I smiled. "Alright, alright. Let's go fly, Princess. Up above the sky, like a diamond in the sky.!"
"YAAAY!" she shouted, throwing her hands up. "We'll fly! Pheewww~!"
But then Erza narrowed her eyes at me.
"Okay then," she said. "Where exactly do you plan to do this flying practice? Because if you even think about trying it here in the city, you'll end up as breaking news."
"…Fair point."
I rubbed my chin dramatically, like I had an actual plan.
"What about… Atlantis Kingdom?"
Erza froze. Then her expression changed like a storm rolling in.
"Absolutely not," she snapped.
"Why not?"
"Because," she said sharply, "we haven't unlocked that place yet. The main novel hasn't reached the Atlantis arc. Going there now would be a massive spoiler!"
I shrugged. "Who cares? It's just a little—"
She raised her fist. "Because of you, we've already spoiled so much. Do you have any idea how many secrets you've ruined with that loose mouth of yours, you stupid mortal?!"
BONK!
Another hit. I held my head, wincing.
"Ow! Okay, sorry, my Queen. Please spare this humble narrator."
Elena blinked between us, then gently tugged at her mom's sleeve.
"But Mama… Elena really, really wants to fly…"
"No," Erza said firmly.
"Please?"
"No."
"Pleaseeee~?"
Still no.
"PLEEEEEEASEEEE—"
"…Fine," Erza sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "But we're not going to Atlantis. We'll go somewhere safer. Somewhere far."
"Where?" I asked, already reaching for my bag of snacks.
She looked up at the ceiling like she was praying for patience.
"High Valley Mountain," she finally said. "It's deep in the unknown region. The clouds there are thick and soft. The winds are strong but clean. And best of all—no nosy humans with smartphones."
"Nice," I nodded. "Very… anti-social. I like it."
"YAAAAY!" Elena jumped with excitement. "Elena's gonna fly!"
As I looked at my daughter's glowing smile and my wife's barely-hidden fondness, I felt something stir in my chest.
It wasn't just about flight.
It was about a moment.
And I had a feeling this was going to be one I'd never forget.
Erza raised her hand without a word and began chanting something under her breath—
Some ancient, high-level spell that definitely wasn't human-friendly.
Then—
BOOM.
A huge portal tore open mid-air. It shimmered with violet lightning and dark blue smoke, swirling like a vortex from another world.
It looked like something straight out of Duo Leveling.
I blinked at it.
"Oh my Jesus Christ—what is that?!"
Erza didn't even flinch. "You've never seen a travel gate before?"
"Of course I haven't! Do I look like a guy who casually jumps through dimension holes on Sundays?!"
She sighed, brushing back her hair like this was all so… normal.
"Stop panicking. You're acting like a kid on his first school trip."
"Okay, but be honest," I whispered. "Will I survive if I go through this thing… or will I puke like I do on the bus?"
"It's safe," she said coldly. "Now shut up and move."
Before I could respond, Elena sprinted straight past me—
"WEEEEEEEE~!!!"
—and jumped into the swirling death gate like it was a playground slide.
"…Did she just—?"
"She did," Erza said calmly and stepped in after her.
I looked at the glowing portal and took a deep breath.
"Well… here goes nothing. YAH!!"
I leapt in.
---
The moment I landed on the other side, I forgot how to speak.
My eyes widened.
We were standing on a floating field surrounded by endless sky—
Not clouds. Not mountains. Just a wide, open valley in the air itself.
The oxygen here felt so pure it could cure depression.
"This… This is heaven," I whispered.
I took a deep breath like I'd just been reborn. But then—
I felt it.
A dark glare, cold and piercing.
Erza.
I turned slowly, sweat already forming on my neck.
"S-Sorry! I-I wasn't gonna describe too much! Readers need mystery, right? No spoilers!"
She narrowed her eyes but let it go.
Elena, on the other hand, was running around in circles screaming, "CLOUDS! REAL CLOUDS!"
"So…" I said, trying to sound cool. "This is the place? Open field, then steep drop into a floating valley. Kinda epic."
Erza nodded. "It's one of the hidden areas in Unknown region. Quiet. Perfect for flight training."
I glanced at Elena and then asked, "So, how does flying actually work? I mean… how do dragons control wings? It's not like moving arms, right?"
Erza folded her arms and looked at me like I asked how breathing works.
"It's instinct. Like moving your ears. You don't think—you feel. The wings follow your will. You just have to focus."
"…I can't move my ears."
"That's because you're a useless human."
"Fair point."
I stood in awe as Elena tried flapping imaginary wings, falling over, and laughing every time.
This wasn't just about flying.
It was her moment to discover who she was—
And for once, I got to see it all from the front row.
To b continue...