The dining room smelled faintly of burnt soup and old wood. The table was uneven, and the ceiling creaked whenever the wind passed through the cracks.
Zal sat across from Lumini, who kept staring at him like she still couldn't believe what she was seeing.
Lumika sat beside them, quietly eating, one leg crossed over the other, acting like she was in a royal hall instead of a collapsing kitchen.
"So," Lumini finally said, spoon halfway to her mouth. "Let me get this straight." She set it down and leaned forward. "You sneaked onto a government ship, stole food, got caught, found a mythical mask, and now you're bonded to a dragon?"
Zal scratched his cheek. "That's… a very negative way to put it."
"It's the accurate way," she said, voice flat.
Lumika smirked and sipped her soup. "He also jumped off a ship."
"I didn't!" Zal snapped.
She arched a brow. "He's lying."
Lumini stared between them, utterly lost. "You two sound like you've known each other for years. What even are you?"
"I'm her disciple now," Zal said.
"You're what?" Lumini blinked. "Since when did you take apprenticeships from random girls with attitude problems?"
Lumika's spoon stopped mid-stir. "Excuse me?"
Zal panicked. "She's kidding, Master Lumika! She doesn't mean that!"
Lumika smiled sweetly. "Oh no, I mean—"
Lumini suddenly smacked him on the head with the spoon. "What were you thinking, Zal!?"
"Ow!" He rubbed his head. "I didn't plan to find the mask! It just… happened!"
Lumini sighed heavily. "You know what our parents said about Masks. They're not toys. They're dangerous. They can break your will, twist who you are."
Her voice softened at the end, but her eyes stayed sharp.
Zal looked down at his bowl. "I know. But… this one feels different."
"Different is still dangerous," she said quietly.
Silence hung in the air for a while, broken only by the wind outside and Lumika's calm slurping.
Then Lumini turned her gaze to the orange-haired girl. "And what about you? Are you dangerous?"
Lumika smiled, placing her spoon down. "Me? No. I'm completely harmless."
Zal almost choked on his food.
Lumini narrowed her eyes. "Harmless."
"Absolutely," Lumika said sweetly. "Unless someone forgets to call me 'Master.'"
Zal groaned, dragging his hand down his face. "Please don't start this again."
---
The night over Airvale was alive with quiet wonder.
The floating islands above shimmered faintly, their undersides lit by drifting lanterns from faraway towns.
The clouds glowed a pale blue, catching the reflection of the twin moons. A slow breeze carried the scent of metal and dust from the old ruins below, mixing with the warmth of cooking smoke that rose from the village.
Lumini stepped outside with a wooden bowl in hand, steam curling softly into the air. The wind tugged at her white hair as she walked down the slope behind the house.
It was the only path that led to the small patch of grass where Zal had left their newest guest.
Johan Van Volburg sat there, propped against a broken pillar. His coat was torn, his face still bruised from the fight earlier. He looked like someone too proud to accept pity, even when his stomach growled loud enough to echo in the quiet night.
Lumini smiled as she stopped in front of him. "You look like you could use this."
He glanced up, eyes sharp even in exhaustion. "You're his sister, aren't you?"
"That's right," she said gently. "Lumini Tempa."
He didn't take the bowl. His tone stayed cold. "I didn't ask for your charity. I can feed myself."
She crouched down beside him and set the bowl in front of him anyway. "You can try, but you'll just end up fainting halfway through the field."
His jaw tensed. "I'm Johan Van Volburg. Son of Duke Volburg. I don't need—"
"—a spoon?" she finished with a teasing smile. "Then good, because I brought one too."
Johan glared, but she dipped the spoon into the soup, lifted it, and held it near his face.
The steam fogged his glasses slightly.
"I'm not a child," he said flatly.
"Then stop acting like one," she said softly, still smiling.
His glare lingered for a long time before he sighed. "You really don't listen, do you?"
"Not when someone's hungry." She pushed the spoon closer.
Johan hesitated, then finally opened his mouth, as if only to end her insistence.
The warmth of the soup seemed to surprise him. He swallowed, and for a moment, the angry edge in his eyes dimmed.
Lumini chuckled quietly. "See? That wasn't so bad."
He looked away, embarrassed. "You treat everyone like this?"
"Only the ones my brother brings home half-dead," she replied.
He gave a short, restrained laugh. "That boy… He's reckless. He doesn't think before he jumps."
Lumini stirred the soup again, nodding. "He's like our parents. They were dreamers too."
Johan studied her expression. "And you don't share that dream?"
She smiled faintly, the wind brushing past her hair. "I do. I just prefer my feet on solid ground while I dream."
Johan leaned back, glancing up at the glowing sky islands above. "Must be nice… dreaming without the whole world expecting something from you."
Lumini looked at him curiously. "That's what you are, isn't it? Someone who everyone expects to be perfect."
He didn't answer right away.
Instead, he quietly took the next spoonful she offered, staring into the distance.
After a long pause, he said quietly, "It's hard to be perfect when you're the one who ruined everything."
Her smile softened. "Then maybe it's time to start fixing things. One bite at a time."
Johan didn't respond, but when she held up the spoon again, he didn't resist.
He just ate quietly under the shimmering night, the floating islands watching silently above them.
Lumini set the empty bowl aside and leaned her elbows on her knees.
She tilted her head at Johan, who had gone back to staring at the horizon. "So… are we going to be attacked? You were talking about the High Wind Government earlier, weren't you?"
His expression froze for a moment, then shifted back to calm indifference. "You shouldn't ask things like that. You're on the wrong side."
"The wrong side?" she echoed. "You mean the side that feeds strangers soup?"
His brow furrowed. "I mean the side that harbors a boy who awakened a forbidden Mask. That alone makes you enemies of the state."
She frowned, but her voice stayed soft. "Then, are they coming?"
He didn't answer. He looked away, jaw tight.
She sighed, watching him in silence for a moment. "You're really bad at lying, you know."
Johan exhaled through his nose, annoyed. "They'll come tomorrow night. Patrols from the High Wind will reach Airvale by then."
Her eyes widened. "Tomorrow night? That soon?"
He nodded once. "If you're smart, you'll leave before sunrise."
For a moment, Lumini's expression wavered between fear and gratitude. Then she gave him a small, sincere smile. "Thank you… for telling me."
He scoffed lightly. "Don't mistake honesty for kindness. I just don't want to see that idiot boy die before I get answers."
She stood up, brushing the dust from her skirt, and turned to walk away. But before she could, Johan spoke again. His tone had lost its arrogance.
"Why?" he asked quietly. "Why do you dreamers keep chasing the Top Sky? What's the point of opening it to people who'll just destroy it again?"
Lumini paused, her hair glowing faintly under the moonlight. She turned back, her voice calm but filled with quiet conviction.
"Because the seven skies weren't always separate," she began. "Long ago, they were one. But when the Gates of the Top Sky were sealed, the airwinds began to twist. Each belt started drifting away, carried by their own storms. The people followed the winds, and the wars started over the lands that were left behind."
Johan listened, unmoving.
"The High Wind Government," she continued, "was formed to control those currents. They built laws around the storms, convinced everyone that the Top Sky should stay shut. That only those born in the high belts deserve the calm air."
Her eyes softened. "But the dreamers believe everyone should see the sun above the clouds. Even the ones from the bottom."
The wind carried her words through the night, soft but certain.
Johan stared at her for a long time, then stood slowly, his injuries making him stumble slightly. "Naive," he muttered, brushing dust off his coat. "You'll see the truth soon enough."
Lumini smiled faintly, not offended at all. "Maybe. But I'll keep dreaming until then."
He turned away, hiding the faint conflict flickering in his expression. "Just keep walking. The night's almost over."
She nodded once and walked ahead, her steps slow and quiet. Behind her, Johan's gaze lingered on the faint green shimmer still floating in the sky.