The air was no longer still.
It pulsed.
Lumika froze mid-step, her hair whipping across her face. The commander's coat fluttered wildly as the air in the chamber twisted.
Zal stood at the center of it all, his head tilted slightly downward, his fingers curled into a fist.
Green light shimmered through the cracks of the mask, tracing patterns like veins of wind. Then, behind him, something began to form.
A dragon made of compressed air and glowing lines emerged from his back, its body moving like a river in the sky.
"The hell…" Lumika whispered, her eyes wide.
The commander's usual smirk vanished. His jaw tightened. "That's… that's not possible."
Zal raised his head. His eyes glowed the same green as the dragon's breath. But his expression wasn't wild or confused
....it was calm.
"Oh, this thing?" he said casually, pointing his thumb behind him. "He's my partner."
Lumika stared at him like he had just claimed the sky belonged to him. "Partner? You were crying five minutes ago!"
Zal grinned. "Yeah, I got over it."
The dragon lowered its head beside him, its voice rolling through the chamber like thunder in a stormcloud. Who are these mortals, Zaly?
"They're… kind of enemies, I think?" Zal said. "I'll explain later."
The commander straightened his posture, his face twisting between awe and calculation. "I see. You're the one the old tales spoke of."
Zal frowned. "Old tales?"
The man took a step forward. "The prophecy of the Wind's Return. It spoke of a child who would awaken a sleeping dragon of air and bring chaos to the Skybelts."
Lumika blinked. "So… you're saying this idiot is a prophecy?"
"I'm saying," the commander said darkly, "that from this moment, he'll be hunted by the entire High Wind Government and Sky Council."
He grabbed Lumika by the throat before she could move. She gasped, kicking at his arm as wind gathered around her legs, trying to push him away.
Zal's eyes sharpened. "Let her go."
The commander smiled faintly. "Name's Johan Van Volburg, Drifter Commander of the 180th Sky Fleet. You've just made yourself the enemy of the skies."
Zal's voice came out low. "Zagorzaly Tempa. Remember it."
Johan tightened his grip. Lumika's face reddened.
Zal didn't hesitate.
"Severus."
Already on it.
Wind exploded beneath his feet as he dashed forward. Johan swung his arm, forming a blade of condensed air, but Zal ducked under it, the green dragon following his motion like a shadow.
Their strikes clashed, one side wild and desperate, the other measured and sharp.
Sparks of green and white tore through the air.
Johan blocked the dragon's tail with his forearm, gritting his teeth. "You've just opened a war, boy!"
The green dragon roared, shaking the entire ship.
The airship was shaking apart, beams rattling, alarms wailing.
Wind howled through broken panels as Zal and Johan clashed again and again, sparks of green and white streaking through the command deck.
Johan lunged, his blade of wind slicing through the air like lightning, but Zal's instincts sharpened.
Severus coiled around him, echoing each motion, guiding him through the chaos. Every time Johan struck, the dragon parried, their synchronized rhythm almost unnatural.
But Johan was stronger, and each blow sent shockwaves that split the floor open.
"You think power makes you chosen?" Johan growled, pressing his blade against Zal's. "You're a boy playing with legends you don't understand!"
Zal pushed back, sweat streaking down his forehead. "Maybe I don't understand. But I'll learn!"
Lumika, meanwhile, moved quietly along the edge of the chaos. Her eyes darted to a coil of rope left on a broken railing.
With a smirk, she grabbed it, spun it once, and hurled it around Johan's leg.
"What—?"
She yanked the rope tight and tied it to a fallen pipe. Johan stumbled, losing his footing.
"Hey, prophecy boy!" she shouted. "Finish this!"
Zal tightened his stance. Wind gathered around his hands, swirling violently until the floor itself trembled.
Johan tore the rope apart with brute force, but it was too late...
Zal's aura burst outward, the air forming into glowing circles beneath his feet.
"I don't care about being some prophecy," he shouted over the storm. "I don't care about fated legends or chosen ones. I just want to open the Top Sky!"
He thrust both palms forward.
A roaring burst of compressed wind erupted, so strong it shredded through Johan's defenses and sent him flying backward.
The impact smashed through the hull of the ship, ripping open a massive hole.
"ZAL!" Lumika screamed as the pressure sucked air and debris into the open sky.
He reached out, grabbed her wrist, and yelled, "Let's go!"
Then he jumped.
They plunged through the gaping hole into open air.
Severus shot downward after them, his form unraveling into green ribbons before solidifying again beneath their feet.
Zal pressed his palms out behind him, and a wall of wind sealed the breach in the ship, stabilizing it for the prisoners still inside.
"ARE YOU CRAZY?" Lumika screamed, clutching Severus's scales. "You could have gotten us both killed!"
Zal laughed breathlessly. "Relax, Master! Severus can fly!"
Lumika smacked him across the head. "Don't make your master scared like that ever again!"
Zal rubbed the spot, pouting. "Yes, Master Lumika…"
Severus's laughter rumbled beneath them. The girl is fiercer than a storm, Zaly.
"Tell me about it," Zal muttered.
As the wind steadied, Lumika pointed down. "Wait—look!"
Below them, Johan's body was tumbling through the air, unconscious but alive.
"Severus, dive!" Zal ordered.
The dragon folded his wings and plunged. The air whistled violently against their faces as they caught up to Johan's falling body.
Zal leaned forward, stretching his arm, and caught him by the collar. The sudden weight almost pulled them off balance, but Severus steadied himself with a gust of air.
"Why are you saving him?" Lumika shouted over the wind.
Zal grinned. "Because he's still human."
He handed the rope to her. "Tie him to Severus's tail!"
She blinked at him. "What? Do I look like a babysitter?"
"Please, Master Lumika," Zal said quickly.
Lumika groaned, muttering curses as she tied Johan securely to the dragon's tail. "You're lucky I'm in a good mood!"
Zal smiled as Severus soared through the stormy clouds, the ruined airship shrinking behind them.
"Where are we even going?" Lumika yelled.
Zal looked ahead, eyes glowing faintly beneath the cracked mask. "To my house!"
---
The three of them drifted through the fading clouds until the ruined skyline of Airvale appeared beneath them.
Severus glided gently, wings of light cutting through the mist as they descended toward the island below.
Zal leaned forward, grinning as the ground grew closer. "We're back."
Lumika squinted at the crumbled rooftops and broken windmills dotting the edge of the floating island. "You live here? This place looks like it got chewed up by a storm and spit out again."
Zal laughed. "Yeah, that's Airvale. The prettiest mess in the Bottom Sky."
They landed on the outskirts of the village, the airship long gone behind the clouds.
Severus lowered himself to the ground, and Lumika immediately untied Johan from the dragon's tail. The unconscious man dropped with a heavy thud, rolling into a pile of hay.
Zal dusted his hands. "We should let him rest. He'll live."
Lumika crossed her arms. "You're too soft, Master's new disciple."
He groaned. "You're not my actual master."
She smirked. "You just said it again, though."
Before he could answer, Severus' form began to flicker. The dragon's outline dissolved into threads of wind until nothing but a gentle breeze remained.
Call me when the wind stirs again, Zaly, his voice whispered faintly.
Zal smiled. "Got it, Severus."
Lumika raised a brow. "You talk to the air often, or is that your dragon?"
Zal ignored her and motioned ahead. "Come on. My house is this way."
They followed a narrow path winding through rusted windmills and shattered bridges until they reached a wide clearing. At the far end stood a large, crooked house made of pale wood and metal scraps.
It was bigger than the other huts, though it shared the same abandoned charm of the Bottom Sky.
Zal jogged up the steps and knocked on the door.
A moment later, the door creaked open, and a girl with white hair stepped out, holding a spoon like it was a weapon.
Her eyes widened the moment she saw him. "Zaly! Where have you been!? Do you know how long I've been—"
She stopped mid-yell when she noticed Lumika behind him, and then Johan lying in the grass.
Her expression shifted from anger to confusion. "You brought guests?"
Zal rubbed the back of his head. "Uh… kind of?"
Her gaze dropped to his hand. The spoon nearly fell from her fingers.
"Wait. Wait wait wait." Her voice rose sharply. "Is that… A MASK?"