The storm that tore the Ashlands open did not howl—it sang.
A haunting melody of wind and whispers, pulling Kael and his companions into a sky that should not have held anything… but did.
Ascent to the Unknown
It began with a staircase of wind. Invisible to the eye, but tangible beneath their feet, as if the very sky had decided to hold them aloft. Kael stepped first, each movement feeling like walking on breath itself. Iris followed, cautious, while Vaerin grumbled under his breath.
"Spire gods, death thrones, now stairs made of nothing? Remind me again why I'm not drunk in a tavern somewhere."
Kael didn't answer. His eyes were fixed above—where clouds had parted to reveal something impossible.
A floating city.An island of gold and silver, tethered to the sky by chains of light. Towers spiraled like dragon bones. Bridges curved in the shape of crescents. Above it all, a palace of mirrors shimmered like starlight.
"Aerthalon," Iris breathed. "It exists."
"The city that vanished before the first age," Kael said. "I thought it was a myth."
"Everything you are is born of myth," Iris replied. "Even the blood you bleed."
The Forgotten City
As they stepped onto Aerthalon's skybound stone, a stillness blanketed them—unnatural, eerie, yet peaceful. The streets were empty. Statues stood mid-motion, expressions frozen in awe or agony.
Each house hummed faintly, as though filled with sleeping memories.
Symbols lined the walls—ones that responded to Kael's presence by glowing a soft red.
"They recognize you," Iris said. "Or fear you."
"I'm not sure I want to know which."
Vaerin halted near a fountain and peered inside. Water spiraled upward instead of falling, and in it, he saw flashes of people who weren't there.
A woman in a silver veil.
A child with fire in his eyes.
A man with Kael's face—older, wiser, broken.
"This city," Vaerin muttered, "is remembering us."
The Mirror Throne
They made their way toward the palace—its doors opened not by force, but recognition.
Inside, the walls were made of mirrored crystal. Not reflections, but possibilities. Each step Kael took showed a different life he might've lived.
A farmer.
A king.
A father.
A monster.
Iris paused before one reflection and whispered, "This version of me… never found you. She's alone."
Kael touched her hand. "Then let's not be those people."
At the heart of the palace stood a throne made of feathers and flame. But unlike the Throne of Silence, this one held no figure.
Instead, a voice echoed from the mirrors:
"You who carry the Abandoned Blood… why do you seek the sky?"
Kael stepped forward. "Because the earth is poisoned. Because the gods are false. Because the ones who abandoned me… feared what I could become."
"And what will you become?"
"Not a god," Kael said. "Not a monster. Something new."
Silence followed.
Then, the room shifted—and the true secret of Aerthalon revealed itself.
The Final Heir
From behind the throne, a figure stepped out—tall, elegant, wearing a cloak of stars. Their eyes shimmered like moonlight, and around their neck hung a chain of shattered crowns.
"I am Elyndra," they said. "Last Heir of the Forgotten Faith. Child of the Skyborne Flame. And you, Kael… are the key."
"To what?"
"To everything."
Elyndra raised a hand, and the mirrors around them lit up with images—of the world below, teetering on collapse. Cities at war. Kingdoms ruled by false priests. Beasts waking beneath the mountains.
"This world was never meant to belong to the gods," Elyndra said. "They came after. They rewrote what was ours. You carry the blood of the First Rebellion."
Kael's heartbeat slowed.
"What do you want from me?"
"Not want. Need. The seals are breaking. The Bound are stirring. And only one born of shadow, flame, and silence can end what they began."
Kael stared at the throne.
"And if I say no?"
Elyndra smiled. "Then the gods win. The world burns. And your legacy dies with a whisper."
A Skybound Pact
The stars above Aerthalon began to pulse. Kael saw faces within them—those he had lost. His mother. A child he never met. Iris, older, smiling.
He looked at Vaerin and Iris now.
"Whatever happens," Kael said, "you stay with me."
"We go where you go," Iris said, squeezing his arm.
"Even if it's off the edge of the damn sky," Vaerin added.
Kael turned to Elyndra.
"Then let's wake the world."
The mirrors shattered.
A wind howled.
And the City Beneath the Sky roared back to life.