The hill was quiet except for the wind. The air was heavier here, gray and cold, and the trees leaned away from the sky as if afraid to reach too high.
Moss crawled over their roots, and their branches hung low, brushing against the thin grass that struggled to grow.
Zal walked beside Randal, his eyes wide as the fog parted around them. "I didn't know this path even existed."
Randal nodded slowly. "Most people don't come here."
They reached the top of the hill, where a single grave stood beneath a crooked tree. The stone was cracked, half-eaten by moss, but the name was still legible:
Lorie Levi
1476–1504 ACOW
Randal crouched in front of it, brushing the dirt from the letters. His hand lingered there for a moment before he spoke.
"It's been two decades since she passed. She loved the sky too much for her own good. She always wanted to see what was beyond the next island. One day, she went and didn't come back."
Lumini bowed his head. "I'm sorry, Randal."
Randal smiled faintly. "Don't be. She went out doing what she loved. That's the curse of dreamers, isn't it?"
Lumika crossed her arms. "Sounds like someone I know."
Zal glared at her. "You mean me?"
"Obviously," she said flatly.
Randal chuckled under his breath, then looked up at the dull, swirling sky. "Your parents were the same, boy. Taren and Vela Tempa were two of the most stubborn drifters I ever met."
"I built their first skyship called The First Gale. A beauty, that carried them straight out of this broken land. They wanted to open the Top Sky for everyone and to make sure no one would ever live under these winds again."
Zal's eyes softened. "They said they'd come back."
Randal's smile faded. "They did. That was the plan." He sighed, voice low and steady.
"When they left, they asked me to watch over the two of you. So, for a while, I did. I made sure you had food when the storms got bad, and that no one from the upper ranks came sniffing around."
Lumini blinked. "That was you? The food that kept showing up when we thought the stores were empty?"
He shrugged. "I didn't want you starving. Your parents would've haunted me if you did."
Lumini stared at the grave, his hands tightening. "Thank you… for all of that."
Randal waved it off. "You don't need to thank me. Your parents were family." He stood, brushing off his knees. "And now, I think it's time I pay that debt properly."
Zal tilted his head. "What do you mean?"
Randal turned to face them, a strange, confident grin cutting through his beard.
"I'm building you a skyship."
The three of them blinked.
"What?" Lumika said flatly.
"You heard me," Randal replied, already turning toward the path back down. "Give me less than twenty-four hours."
Johan gawked. "You're joking, right? You can't just build a skyship in a day!"
Randal looked back with a smirk. "Boy, I built your parents' ship in twelve hours with one hand burned and the forge collapsing."
Lumini blinked rapidly, completely lost.
"You're insane."
---
The clang of metal and the crackle of fire echoed across the hill.
Randal's hands moved with surprising steadiness as he hammered sheets of skywood and bent metal ribs into shape.
Sparks danced in the dusk air.
The unfinished frame of the skyship rested on the hill's edge, half-floating, held up by the faint shimmer of Windpulse rings beneath its hull.
Johan and Lumini were both helping...well, mostly Lumini forcing Johan to.
"Stop complaining and hold it steady!" Lumini barked, pressing a wooden beam against the hull.
"I am holding it steady!" Johan protested, his arms shaking. "It's your yelling that keeps making me lose balance!"
Randal grunted without looking up. "You two keep it up, I'll have you polishing every bolt when this thing flies."
While the others worked, Zal and Lumika sat on a rock near the tree line, waiting for their turn to help.
Lumika broke the silence first. "So," she said, kicking a small stone, "how did you even survive this long without your parents?"
Zal rubbed his neck. "Mostly my sister," he admitted. "She took care of everything like food, water, even repairs when our roof broke. Sometimes we'd go into the forest to find fruits. Bread was rare, but we managed."
Lumika tilted her head. "Sounds rough."
He smiled faintly. "It was. But sometimes, food just appeared at our doorstep. Usually when it was impossible to go outside. Back then, I thought it was a miracle."
"And now?" she asked.
He chuckled. "Now I know it was Randal."
Lumika leaned back and smirked. "Huh. So the mighty wind boy lived on surprise meals and berries."
He frowned. "Hey—"
"Good for you," she said with a teasing grin, stretching her arms.
Zal blinked. "Why do you sound offended by that?"
Before she could answer, Randal's voice boomed from behind. "Zal! Stop chatting and grab that wrench before I throw it!"
"Coming!" Zal jumped up and ran over, earning a small laugh from Lumika.
—
Hours passed. The wind grew colder, and the fog deepened around the hill. Randal's hammer never stopped moving, but his pace slowed. His breath came heavier, and sweat mixed with ash on his brow.
Lumini wiped her hands on her skirt. "Randal, you sure you're okay? You've been standing all day."
"Don't worry about me," he said between grunts. "Old bones still remember how to build."
Johan, holding up a plank, sighed. "How long do you think until it's finished?"
Randal paused to adjust a metal frame. "If we're lucky? Before the day ends."
Johan nodded, his face tightening. "Then we better hurry. The Skyward Punishers might reach this sector before sundown."
Zal looked up sharply. "They're really coming here?"
"They will," Johan said grimly.
Randal's expression darkened. "Then we'll finish before they arrive."
The group worked faster, hands blistered and clothes covered in soot. The hill echoed with hammer strikes, wooden creaks, and bursts of compressed air as Randal tested the Windpulse coils.
Then, as the last rays of daylight touched the clouds, Randal straightened, chest heaving.
"That's it," he said hoarsely. "She's ready."
They all stepped back.
Before them hovered a sleek, silver-green skyship.
Its hull lined with gleaming rings of condensed air, the engine softly humming like a heartbeat.
The ship's wings, shaped like open sails, reflected the dim sunlight, glowing faintly with Windpulse energy.
Lumini's eyes widened. "You actually did it."
Johan whistled low. "Under twenty-four hours… That's insane."
Randal leaned against the hull with a tired grin. "Told you. I never miss a deadline."
Zal stepped closer, eyes shining. "She's beautiful."
Randal chuckled. "Then don't waste her. The wind's changing, and soon the Bottom Sky won't be safe."
Zal stood before the skyship, the wind brushing through his white hair.
The vessel hovered just above the hill, its surface glimmering under the moonlight that slipped between drifting clouds.
He stared at it for a long while. His chest felt tight. So this… this is the ship that'll carry me toward my dreams.
Behind him, Randal wiped the sweat from his brow and let out a tired laugh. "It's done, kid. But every ship needs a name. What will you call her?"
Zal took a step closer. The wind around him stirred. Then, a faint shimmer of green light flickered behind him.
From that glow emerged Severus, the Green Dragon Mask. It coiled around Zal's shoulders.
Zal's lips curved into a confident smile.
"The Green Dragon Dynasty."