Cold wind stung Anza's face as Leo soared through the night sky. The city below shrank rapidly, becoming a cluster of dim, glowing lights in the distance. Leo's large wings beat strongly, pushing them through thickening clouds.
Hana clung tightly behind him. "Za! You still alive?!" she shouted, half-panicked.
Anza pressed himself against Leo's warm fur, trying to keep his balance. "I feel like I could die any second!" he yelled back, his voice nearly swallowed by the wind.
Leo kept ascending, rising above the final layer of clouds. The air grew colder, but before the chill could bite deeper, a golden light enveloped their entire view.
The clouds around them began to swirl, opening a path to something unbelievable.
Heavenly.
Before them floated islands in the sky, like a dreamland woven from light. Glittering rivers flowed midair, weaving between towering green cliffs. Enormous trees grew with hanging roots forming natural bridges, linking one island to another. The sky wasn't just blue—it shimmered with streaks of violet and gold, as if the sun here never truly set.
Hana was speechless, her mouth slightly open. "This… this is insane."
Leo began to slow down, descending toward a small village on one of the floating islands. Pointed-roof houses with white stone walls lined the riverbanks, surrounded by meadows where crystal-antlered deer grazed peacefully. The locals—elves, beast-eared humans, and other beings unfamiliar to them—looked up as Leo passed overhead. Some even waved, as if welcoming something long awaited.
But not all places looked so peaceful.
In the distance stood a dead island, silent and grim. Its soil was blackened, trees charred, and the air surrounding it seemed heavy, hiding something that shouldn't exist. Ruins of buildings stood among thin mist—a silent witness to destruction without mercy.
Anza stared at it with a heavy expression. "That… doesn't look like it belongs in paradise."
Hana shivered. "Feels like… this world fought something that never should've touched it."
Suddenly, Leo's flight grew unsteady. His body trembled slightly.
"He can't fly much longer," Hana said quickly.
Moments later, Leo descended, landing on a wide grassy field surrounded by towering trees. As his claws touched the ground, his body trembled, then gradually shrank. Within minutes, the majestic beast had returned to his smaller form, collapsing weakly in the grass.
Hana crouched beside him. "He's okay, but we need to rest."
Footsteps approached.
Anza turned quickly. From behind the trees, a man with silver hair and bright blue eyes walked toward them. His face looked young, but there was something ancient in his gaze—like he had lived far longer than his appearance showed.
Beside him, a teenage girl with cheetah-like ears and a tail stepped lightly. Her tanned skin and glowing golden eyes sparkled with curiosity. She wore a long vest and loose pants that let her move easily, and from the swaying of her tail, it was clear she was more restless than the man beside her.
The man stopped upon seeing Leo. His eyes widened slightly before he spoke. "That creature… is still alive?"
Anza frowned. "Do you know him?"
The man nodded slowly. "I had a feeling he might've survived… but I didn't expect him to return here."
Hana glanced at Leo, who lay weak in the grass. "We just found him in our world. He was wounded and dying… we had no idea he was from here."
The cheetah-girl, who had been silently observing Leo, crouched down and touched his golden fur. "I've never seen one of these before…" she murmured.
The silver-haired man sighed deeply. "My name is Eldrin. I am one of this world's guardians. And he…" He looked at Leo with a weighty expression.
"He is one of the few who escaped the Hunt of the Hoplites."
Silence fell over them.
Eldrin continued, his voice calm but heavy with meaning.
"Griffins were once the guardians of the gates linking the human world and Heavenly. They weren't just mythical beasts—they were part of the balance between our two worlds. But the Hoplites… they sought to control that gateway. They hunted the Griffins one by one, draining their energy to open a permanent portal to this world."
Anza looked at Leo, asleep and exhausted in the grass. There were no words he could say, but deep down, he understood that their meeting hadn't been random.
Eldrin looked at them with growing seriousness. "You must be tired. Come with me. You're safe here—for now."
Anza and Hana exchanged a look, then followed Eldrin and Haya.
Beneath the golden sky of Heavenly, they walked toward a small house at the edge of the forest. Warm light glowed from the windows, lighting the path ahead—offering comfort in the midst of all the uncertainty yet to come.