Let the storm come. It doesn't matter.
The sound of metal boots on the stone floor was the only music that mattered. A constant, relentless rhythm. Her rhythm and that of her four companions. The white cape rustled behind her, a familiar weight on her shoulders.
It's time. Finally.
The moment they left the corridor, the world opened up. A silent roar hit their ears—the gaze of an entire city. Thousands of them. Packed into the windows of absurdly tall buildings of metal and dark wood. Crowded on the decks of the small steamships that buzzed through the air. A sea of people.
And, above all, the fleet. Anchored in the sky, waiting for them. Giants of iron and bronze.
This is why we are here.
She felt the cold metal of her own armor, the red lines on her breastplate a reminder of her duty. Her gaze was fixed on the figure before her. The leader. His blond hair, the only truly bright thing on that gray day. He didn't look back. He never did.
Beside him, the one with silver hair wore a calm smile that never reached his empty eyes. The one with brown hair, on the other hand, had an excess of confidence on his face. Behind them, the black-haired woman was like a statue of ice, her focus absolute.
And me.
The serious one. The determined one. That's what they said.
The five of them ascended the steps of the command stage. The crowd's silence broke, exploding into a deafening ovation. She ignored it. Her focus was on the man who awaited them.
Then, he appeared. The General.
Long, dark red hair. A scar that tore across his face. And a single green eye that seemed to burn everything it saw. The very incarnation of war.
The unit's leader stopped a step behind him. She and the others formed a perfect line. Five blades ready for the General to wield.
The voice of the scarred man, amplified by some technology or magic, sounded like thunder that made the air vibrate.
"The Expedition to the Ancient World will begin now!"
The response was a single shout from thousands of throats. A roar of steel, steam, and fury. She drew her sword, its blade reflecting the stormy sky. The deck of the flagship trembled beneath her feet as the turbines screamed to life.
They ascended. Tearing through the clouds.
Ancient World… here we come.
_________________________________________________
Weeks.
Weeks of an endless sky and an indifferent ocean below. The colossal forests and mountains that scraped the sky had been left behind, replaced by a monotonous and infinite blue. The journey was dragging on.
Inside the metal quarters of the flagship, the air was heavy with boredom. Out of their full armor and in casual attire, the small group tried to kill time.
"Do you think we'll have trouble with the people of the Ancient World, Blizzard?"
The question came from the brown-haired man, Rain, who was lying on his back on his bed, staring at the ceiling.
The dark-haired woman, Blizzard, didn't look up from her diary. Seated at her desk, her pen glided across the paper with enviable concentration. "We made contact. We established alliances. I see no reason for them to attack us, Rain."
"Uuuggghhh…" Rain groaned in agony, turning over in bed. "But it's taking too long! The others didn't take this long to arrive…"
Blizzard was about to reply, but the door opened. The silver-haired man, Snow, entered, followed closely by her.
"They didn't have to bring an entire fleet with them, Rain." Snow's voice was calm, as always.
Rain sat up in bed. "That's what I'm talking about, Snow! Why this whole fleet? It's not like we're going to declare war on anyone…"
"But we still need it."
It was the first time she had spoken. Her voice was firm, determined. "Our enemies are also seeking the same objective as us. That's why we must be ready for war."
Rain stared at her, his expression tired and bored. He let out another agonized groan and turned his back to the wall. "I wish I had your patience, Thunder…"
A small sigh escaped Thunder's lips, followed by a faint, relieved smile.
Blizzard closed her diary. "How was the meeting with the General?"
"He's stalling," Snow replied. "Many in the other troops share Rain's frustration."
"Because I'm right!" came Rain's muffled voice from the wall.
Blizzard scowled in irritation, while Thunder gave a weak laugh. "Did the Grand Knight say anything?" Blizzard asked Thunder.
"No. Nothing."
"You should make him talk! If he knows something…" Rain complained.
"I don't have that much influence over him," Thunder responded.
"You should," Snow commented, with a slight trace of provocation. "After all, you are his little sister."
"When it comes to work matters, Nii-sama is… very secretive," Thunder said, walking to the large window of the room. Outside, the cloudy sky stretched over the ocean. The fleet of ships flew in formation alongside them. "I just wish he wasn't so protective. I'm a Celestial Knight of the Tenkishidan, too."
The Order of the Celestial Knights… I fought to be here.
Her thought was interrupted. Something was wrong. She leaned closer to the window. "Hey… some of the ships are ascending."
What is happening?
The instant the question formed in her mind, a crystal on the room's door pulsed. A red, silent light, screaming danger.
"Are we under attack?!" Rain jumped out of bed. "By whom?!"
Panic. Desperate movements. The sound of metal clanging against metal as the four of them scrambled into their armor. When they were finally ready, Snow ran to the door to leave, but the moment his hand touched the handle…
Darkness.
The entire room was plunged into a sudden and absolute darkness. The emergency lights did not turn on.
Instinctively, they all turned to the only remaining source of light: the window.
But what they saw was not the sky.
It was an eye.
Giant, yellow, sickly. Ripped by thick, dark veins that writhed beneath the surface. In the center, a vertical pupil, a colossal black slit that took up the entire height of the window, observing the void.
Thunder, who was closest, froze. Her feet were nailed to the floor, her breath caught in her throat.
And then, in a fraction of a second, that colossal pupil rotated.
And fixed its gaze directly on her.
The gaze passed through her. A lower eyelid, translucent like a ghostly veil, blinked upwards. Then, an upper eyelid of dark scales descended, and the eye was gone. A shadow passed over the flagship, vast as an eclipse, and the creature dove back into the clouds.
Run!
The thought wasn't even hers; it was an instinct. The four of them shot out the door, heading for the main deck. The ship's emergency lights flickered a frantic red. Soldiers ran aimlessly, their faces masks of panic.
When they finally reached the outside, the fury of the storm greeted them. A torrential downpour soaked them in an instant. The gigantic sails, hundreds of meters wide, cracked and swayed under the force of impossible winds.
And there he was. The Grand Knight. His blond hair, now soaked, whipped across his face, but his expression was a mask of serious concern.
"Lightning, what is happening?!" Snow shouted to be heard above the roar of the wind.
The man called Lightning opened his mouth to reply, but his words were swallowed by a metallic scream of agony that tore through the heavens.
It wasn't a small ship. One of the giants of the fleet, a Man o' War… was falling. Engulfed in flames, it plummeted from the clouds like an unholy comet, leaving a trail of smoke and debris. From the dark clouds, dozens, hundreds of smaller dragons emerged, a flying swarm that dove upon the fleet.
The war had begun. Artillery exploded, harpoons were fired, cannons roared. Tesla coils crackled, launching lightning at the creatures. Mages on the decks conjured barriers and spears of light.
"Engage in combat! Protect this ship at all costs!" Lightning's voice sounded like a thunderclap, cutting through the chaos.
But the ship lurched violently, throwing everyone off balance. Thunder slipped on the wet deck and fell, her hand grabbing a metal railing to pull herself up. It was then that her eyes widened. Not just hers. The five of them stood speechless, the air trapped in their lungs, pure and primordial fear in their eyes.
Ancient World… the Land of Dragons…
The legends her father told. The stories of her master. Of her Nii-sama. They were just fantasies, tales to scare children. Even in their world of flying ships and magic, that was too much…
It can't be… true…
Between the flashes of lightning that cut through the clouds, the silhouette was revealed. It wasn't a dragon like the ones attacking the fleet. It was a mountain with wings.
The flagship, the ship they were on, was 670 meters wide… The thought tried to calm her, an anchor of logic in a sea of madness. 670 meters… but that thing… that thing is bigger than the flagship…
The colossus flew towards them. A blast of greenish-yellow fire hit the dragon's hull, but it seemed to have no effect. That was when the General appeared on the deck.
"THERE IS NO OPTION BUT TO FIGHT!"
His cape billowed with the wind. He ran to the edge of the deck and jumped. From his feet, an explosion of red fire propelled him like a rocket, straight towards the monster.
"If Fire doesn't win... No one here will..." Snow's voice trembled beside her.
Lightning looked at his sister, Thunder. "Follow me! Now!"
Snow stared at him, his empty eyes widening for an instant and then narrowing. He understood.
The five of them ran back inside the ship, descending to the inner deck. There, smaller ships were docked, but many had already left for battle. Rain and Blizzard jumped into one of the assault ships, preparing it to fly.
"What are we doing?! We can fight!" Thunder shouted to her brother, who was waiting with Snow outside the ship. "We are Celestial Knights!"
Snow tried to speak, but Lightning cut him off. "Someone has to reach the Ancient World."
"Someone? Why 'someone'? And not 'us', Lightning?!"
Silence. Her question hung in the chaotic air. She grabbed her brother's arm, demanding an answer.
He looked at Snow. "I'm counting on you."
Thunder's eyes widened in pure desperation. Snow pushed her forcefully into the ship. Lightning slammed the hatch shut, locking it from the outside.
"NO!"
Snow held her as she struggled, screaming for her brother, pounding on the metal. Through the small window of the hatch, she saw his face. A gentle, sad smile on his lips.
"Survive, Alma…"
Alma?
"WAIT! LET ME GO, CAIN, LET ME GO! ONII-CHAN! ONII-CHAN! RAMZA ONII-CHAN!!!!"
The ship lifted into the air, leaving the flagship behind. Alma was still screaming her brother's name, while Rain and Blizzard piloted the ship in a desperate dance, dodging other ships, dragons, and friendly fire.
Just when they thought they had made it through the worst, a shadow fell over them. A downed dragon, a mass of scales and flesh, crashed into their ship.
Impact.
The world split in two. The collision threw Alma from the destroyed ship, straight into the cold water, separating her from her friends.
She was sinking. The sound of the war on the surface became a muffled, distant noise. Debris from the fleet and the corpses of her allies and the dragons sank with her into the ocean's darkness.
The air in her lungs ran out. Her consciousness faded.
It's the end…
Then, a small light shone in her chest. And a voice, soft and familiar, echoed in the depths of her mind.
"I will always… love you…"