Sharath had always been driven by curiosity, invention, and the desire to make life better. But this time, his motivation was deeply personal. His wife's birthday was approaching, and while nobles gifted lands or priceless jewelry, Sharath wanted to give her something no one had ever dreamed of.
A gift that would touch the sky.
He stood on the wind-swept cliff near his estate, his mind whirring faster than his newly forged turbines. He had tamed earth with batteries, subdued darkness with bulbs, and turned the tides with hydro-powered innovations. But the skies? They remained untouched.
Until now.
Sharath began pouring over old scrolls, aerodynamics, combustion patterns, and magical heat sources. For weeks he didn't return home for dinner. His wife, though puzzled, smiled quietly each time their young daughter brought word: "Papa's building something weird again."
He toiled day and night, blending science and sorcery. A giant balloon of enchanted silk, enchanted to withstand heat and tear, was carefully stitched by his wife's old seamstress guild. A reinforced basket made from fire-treated wood and alloy formed the base. Below it, a brazier infused with both magical flame and controlled combustion from a wood-gas converter provided the lift.
When the day came, he blindfolded her. Their daughter giggled, holding her mother's hand as she was led out into the open field.
"What are you up to, Sharath? Another exploding cake like last year?"
He laughed. "No, this one won't explode. It'll fly."
The blindfold came off.
Before her stood a magnificent sight: a towering silk balloon in crimson and gold, gently rising and swaying with each heated breath. A flag bearing their family crest fluttered at the basket.
Her gasp echoed like music.
"Happy birthday," Sharath whispered.
They boarded the basket, and with the help of his trusty assistant and a few trusted mages, the balloon lifted off. Screams of joy and fear mixed as the world fell away. Farms turned to patches, rivers to ribbons, cities to scattered pebbles.
Then, over the misty blue horizon, they saw it.
A continent.
It wasn't on any map. It shimmered in the distance, a land filled with floating obelisks, gravity-defying rivers, and strange shimmering forests. Creatures of magic soared above its skies like whales in air. Towers pulsed with mana but lacked any visible machines. No turbines. No wires. No metal contraptions.
"They use only magic," Sharath muttered, eyes wide.
And with that, the world once again widened.
He hadn't just gifted his wife the skies.
He discovered a new world.
And it was only the beginning.