Scene 1: A Letter from a Friend
Late at night, within the Thunderwill residence, the lingering hum of rock music and spontaneous jam sessions had just begun to fade. The post-party cleanup was underway—until it was abruptly interrupted. Keela, the princess of Skyperion, had received a message from someone. Someone significant: Noren Fairsteel.
Though we had long known they were friends, the meeting of two such powerful figures was not something that could simply be brushed aside.
Keela opened the holographic message and began to read it aloud, surrounded by the curious eyes of her companions. Her voice was light, relaxed, and full of casual warmth, as one would speak to a dear friend.
"Hey Keela, how's the journey going? Having fun? If I weren't swamped with all these negotiations, I totally would've gone with you. I heard you helped out some of my crew—thank you so much for that."
We all nodded, recalling the recent incident where we had helped rescue the Kirov airship from sky pirates. Keela continued reading with a smile.
"I'll come see you tomorrow morning. I want to drop by and visit Kalisa and Grandpa Gryp, too. Oh, and I heard you came with your… partner—"
Keela stopped midsentence, hastily rephrasing.
"Friend. I meant friend, right? Don't let them leave just yet, okay? I want to meet them too. See you tomorrow, my dear friend. – From the same old Noren."
Keela ended the message with a mix of mild annoyance and embarrassed affection in her voice. But we had all clearly seen it—Noren hadn't just written "friend." There had been a word before it, something left deliberately unspoken. Still, none of us dared to comment, respecting the intimacy of the message.
Keela quickly tried to regain her composure.
"Alright, everyone. Tomorrow, Noren—my friend—will be dropping by. Don't go anywhere, but there's no need to fuss. She's a laid-back type. Just act natural."
Akira smiled. "Of course. We want Yue to fully recover, and Mirelle's still regaining her strength. Taking a bit more time won't hurt anyone. It's like gathering momentum before a big leap."
But even as he said it, his thoughts betrayed him. The constant mention of Keela's partner was starting to gnaw at him. Whenever that topic came up, he always felt like the target of suspicion.
Mirelle approached Akira from behind and gently rested her hand on his shoulder with her usual warm demeanor.
"But your wounds need healing too, you know. Even if Yue's magic has made them invisible, your heart still needs care."
She ended her words with a sincere, comforting smile.
Akira turned just enough to catch that smile before quickly looking away. His heart skipped a beat.
"Th-thanks…"
We could all tell. Akira was flustered—completely flustered by that smile. And instead of teasing him, we silently resumed cleaning, smiles tugging at our lips.
Even Keela found herself surprised.
"If it were the old me, I probably would've gotten annoyed seeing that. But… why does it not bother me now?"
She glanced at the mirror, catching sight of Akira gathering things up with reddened ears and a barely-contained grin. She smiled to herself.
"Maybe this is better. If I keep fighting with Mirelle, he'd probably hate it. And worse, our group might start falling apart. But if both Mirelle and I are here—if we can both make him smile—maybe… maybe things will last longer this way."
Keela turned to gaze at the artificial sky above, lit by fiber-optic threads simulating the stars.
"I think… I'm starting to understand why Skyperion established the Tri-Pillar System of Stability…"
She continued tidying up, humming a cheerful tune.
From across the room, Kalisa watched her daughter with a knowing look.
"Hmm… Well, well. Looks like our daughter is finally growing up. Hehe."
Her gaze drifted over to Akira.
"Hmm. If it's that young man… maybe Grandpa Gryp was right about him after all. I really wonder what path this new generation will lead Skyperion toward."
And so the night of bonds and quiet revelations passed, carrying us gently toward sleep.
Outside, the cold night wind swept across the dome-shaped island.
But who could know what tomorrow's winds would bring?
For this gentle breeze might just be the last breath of peace—before the storm of chaos begins to rise.
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Scene 2: The First Gentle Wave
The next morning, we had all gathered once again at the Thunderwill residence. A cool breeze carried the morning mist along with the enticing scent of breakfast from this home of thunder. Even the adorable little birds seemed to be drawn in, fluttering close to the windows.
Elina watched with delight.
"These birds… do they want to join us for breakfast? How cute."
Yue beamed brightly.
"I feel like they're saying, 'I'm hungry! That smells amazing!' or something like that."
Osiris raised an eyebrow.
"You talk like you can actually understand them."
Yue tilted her head thoughtfully.
"Hmm… I wouldn't say I understand them, not really. But when I look at them, I kinda sense what they're feeling—like their emotions, just roughly."
Akira chimed in casually.
"Like picking up on their emoji or something."
Yue tilted her head the other way.
"Emoji?"
Akira explained like an older brother teaching his little sister.
"They're like little pictures that show emotions—like a smiling face, laughing face, crying face, excited face… stuff like that."
Mirelle turned to him with a sweet smile.
"Like this?"
Akira froze, nearly melting on the spot. He quickly looked away, unable to meet her gaze.
"Y-yeah… like that."
Mirelle looked pleased, as if she had just successfully teased him. She walked over and gave him another bright smile. Akira turned away again—only to meet Keela's gentle grin this time. He didn't know where to look anymore.
Yue seized the opportunity to tease her brother.
"Gotcha! Hehe" She playfully covered Akira's eyes with the sleeve of her robe, prompting laughter from the group as they all took turns playfully teasing him.
Draco, sitting by the window, let out a quiet chuckle.
"Heh… our charming young man."
He extended a finger toward the window, and a small bird suddenly landed on it. Draco gave the fluffy creature a gentle smile, saying nothing.
Elina stared, slack-jawed.
She was completely speechless, stunned by the sight of the rough, battle-worn warrior—now clean-cut, handsomely dressed—smiling so tenderly at a tiny bird.
Osiris casually held a hand over Elina's eyes, teasing her.
"Wow… and you had the nerve to tease Akira? You're not even aware of yourself right now. So? How are we gonna bring you back, big sis? Elina? Hello~?"
The warm and colorful morning atmosphere flowed gently around us, punctuated by the soft smiles of the elder couple.
After breakfast, we relaxed outside, enjoying the refreshing breeze of Skyperion. But that calm didn't last long. A sudden shift in the mist caught our attention—a sleek airship emerged swiftly through the clouds, like a dolphin leaping from a sea of fog.
Keela's voice rang out excitedly.
"Everyone, look! That's the Blue Falcon—the fastest airship in all of Skyperion!"
Everyone gasped in awe. The ship resembled more of a dolphin or even a shark than a traditional airship. Its body was curved, streamlined with multiple fins for directional control, and a mouth-like intake at the front. But Akira had a different take.
"This thing looks like a chunky jet plane… no wonder it's the fastest."
Despite its advanced design, the Blue Falcon didn't need a runway to take off or land. Its main jets on the wings, auxiliary boosters on the tail fins, and a rear rotor worked together, allowing it to hover and descend like a drone. Each jet was etched with multiple runes, enabling it to land with remarkable smoothness.
Still, smooth as it was, the jet wash was strong enough to warrant action. Grandpa Gryp raised a wind barrier to shield us from the powerful gusts. Then, the passengers began to disembark—two women and three men. One of the women, upon stepping off, immediately broke into a run.
Keela took off as well, and the two girls ran straight into each other's arms, laughing and embracing tightly as those following behind them smiled and let them be.
A tall, handsome man stepped forward and spoke.
"Greetings, the great Gryphonnix, the radiant Lady Kalisa, and the valiant heroes of Arcadia. I am Alistair Zhuan, an aide to Lady Noren. And this here is Lady Seraphina, her younger sister."
He gestured toward a graceful young woman, whose composed demeanor was paired with confident eyes and a warm smile.
"Hello. I'm Seraphina Fairsteel. A pleasure to meet you all."
Elina was the first from our side to respond.
"Greetings! I'm Elina Rayforge of the Guardians—well, I guess we're all technically from the Guardians now. I'm a Major. This is another Major, Akira Wattanakul. And the others are Captains…"
Before she could finish, Yue raised her hand eagerly.
"Yue Lucentelle! Lady Seraphina, you're so pretty!"
Yue looked at her with sparkling admiration. Seraphina blushed a little and quickly shifted the conversation.
"Thank you, Miss Yue. Um… these are Luvian Clivefrost and Felix Dainhart."
A polite young man stepped forward.
"Hello, I'm Luvian. It's an honor to meet you. May your day in the Land of the Winds be a pleasant one."
The other man followed with a deep voice.
"Greetings. I'm Felix. Nice to meet you."
His tone was brief and reserved.
Akira spoke next.
"Hello! I'm Akira. Great to meet you all. This is Draco Dustflark, Mirelle Glaciermist, and Osiris."
After the formal greetings, Luvian looked toward Mirelle.
"Miss Mirelle… Are you the Four-Element Mage?"
"Yes, I am. Is something the matter?"
"Oh, no, not at all. I just didn't expect to meet someone so renowned. I feel really lucky," he replied politely.
Mirelle responded with a bright smile.
"It's really not that big of a deal. Some people might know me, but I'm not famous or anything."
Alistair Zhuan interjected.
"Oh, not at all, Miss Mirelle. Your name is well known throughout Undine—and surely all of Arcadia has heard of you. Especially now, after you joined the Heroes to combat the Chaos threat. Your fame has grown tremendously."
Felix added bluntly.
"Well, I've never heard of you."
Zhuan smirked playfully.
"Not surprising. You live in the middle of nowhere. Either way, you should remember everyone in front of you. They're important to Lady Noren… and to Arcadia's future."
Felix's deep voice rang out in a way we weren't quite used to.
"Oh? So I'm shaking hands with future legends now? Wonderful."
He proceeded to shake our hands one by one, much to our collective awkwardness.
Grandpa Gryp finally spoke.
"Well then, let's head inside, shall we? No need to stand around and freeze."
Kalisa called out cheerfully.
"Keela, Noren, come on in!"
The two girls answered in unison.
"Yessss!"
The chilly winds swirled through the mist as if to mark the arrival of a new tide—gentle waves of change that lapped quietly against the shores of our lives. But the sea never brings just one wave. And there are times when the sea, too, rises wild and high.
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