Somewhere in the barren land of Dravger, past the Wyrmgrave capital of the island, Eyril walked down a pitch-black corridor, slowly making his way to a set of white wooden doors. As he touched the handle, he opened the door wide and looked inside.
There he saw something bizarre: a man sitting in a pure white room, at a wooden table and chair that were glued to the ceiling. The man sat in that chair, with a cup of tea in his hands. Strangely, the cup wasn't upside down—it was… as it was supposed to be, held normally.
Eyril stopped in his tracks and looked up at the man. "What... are you doing?" he said.
The man had baggy hair of a soft chestnut brown, round hazel eyes, and soft straight eyebrows that perfectly fit his kindhearted, approachable appearance. His name was Markii. Just Markii.
He smiled gently as he looked at Eyril and said, "Hello." His words echoed through the strikingly white room. He tried to take a sip from his cup, but everything spilled to the ground. To this, he smiled and placed it back onto the table.
Eyril sighed. "Move… We have been assigned a mission, me and you. We are to travel and retrieve an artefact. It would take up to a few years to do so, so we'll immediately set off."
Markii just smiled.
"And as well, the Seventh Seat is already waiting for us in Lorenthel. So we'll set sail this evening." Eyril continued, "I'll prepare the supplies, so do not dare do anything and cause problems."
With a wide smile, Markii fell off the chair, plummeting to the ground onto his back with his butt to the ceiling. A thump echoed through the room as he swung his legs, hitting the ground. He glanced over at the table and chair on the ceiling and said, "Okay."
And smiled.
Eyril sighed and turned back, saying, "Get up. We're going," and walked out of the room.
Markii turned his head toward him and looked there for a while. Without any words, he stood up and walked toward the door, saying, "Yes! It's time for me to die!" and skipped out of the room after Eyril.
***
Back on the ship that sails across the inner sea, straight through the Strait of Mistpoint, Luna looked out of the dusty window inside the captain's cabin, with Theia sleeping on her lap.
Through the glass, she saw a calm sea, no waves on the horizon. But something new arose, On the horizon whose surroundings were covered in mist.
Luna looked back at the Commander, who sat in a leather chair with his eyes closed, dozing off. He rested comfortably in the modest room, a simple table beside him as he sat in front of the enormous window.
Where Luna and Theia sat, in the middle of the cabin, were two sofas with a table between them. That was all there was, besides the few cabinets by the right wall. Luna really loved the interior; to her, it was kindly welcoming.
"Commander, may I ask why this strait is called Mistpoint?"
The Commander jolted up, looking around the room for the voice, then found Luna. "Oh, right…" He rubbed his eyes, saying, "It's because when the waves are still, mist settles down from the barren frozen lands of the Frozen Paradise."
"Goddess only knows why," he added.
"I see. But why 'Frozen Paradise'?" Luna asked, internally adding, I'm boooored… There is nothing to do but ask questions. If it wasn't for Theia, I'd sleep all day long. It had already been ten days since they set out.
The Commander turned in his rotating chair, facing the window. "Honestly, my lady, I really don't know. The locals started calling it that, probably due to the serenity that place gives. It's such a beautiful place to live in."
"I wonder if I can settle there once and for all…" Slowly he rotated towards the window, looking out.
Then, the second he finished, he jolted upright and turned to Luna, saying, "My lady… Let's go outside. We've finally arrived at the halfway point."
"My lady needs to see something!" he said cheerfully.
Luna nodded as she grabbed Theia's head—who was sleeping peacefully at the time—and gently placed it down.
"Then let's go," Luna said while walking out, the Commander following shortly behind.
***
Luna and Commander walked out of the Captain's cabin. The Commander said, "Go ahead. Go up to the wooden railings on the left, and see it."
Luna nodded and ran to the wooden railings. As she placed her hands over them, she opened her eyes widely in awe.
There, unfolded before her, was the enormous, tremendous skeleton of an ancient dragon king. Half of it was submerged under the sea. Its jaw was dislocated; its eyesockets were home to many birds as they flew in and out. It's massive horns had become a lush full rainforest far into the clouds. The skeleton was overgrown with moss and grass, and trees grew on its spine.
Its ribcage was a home to much wildlife—animals walked down its ribs, each rib the size of an island. Silhouettes were perfectly visible to Luna, but only silhouettes.
Its spine and pelvis disappeared past the horizon.
Luna's jaw dropped as she gripped the railings. She swallowed as sweat poured down her face; her heartbeat rose until it rang through her ears.
She smiled as she said, "Amazing!"