The storm twisted the sky into streaks of silver and violet as Lyra soared between floating towers. Rain lashed her face, but her heart raced with exhilaration. She had stolen the Celestine Crystal, but the Guild's airships weren't far behind.
Kael stayed close, gliding effortlessly, his dragon companion, Ashen, shadowing him above. The massive black-scaled dragon moved like liquid night, wings slicing through the rain.
"You're reckless," Kael shouted over the wind. "That crystal isn't just a prize—it's a weapon!"
Lyra smirked despite herself. "You sound like you want me to get caught."
Kael's gray eyes softened for a split second, then hardened again. "I just don't want you dead."
Her chest tightened. That fleeting look—it wasn't disdain, nor anger—it was concern. Something in Lyra shifted. She couldn't admit it yet, but the thought of Kael chasing her because he cared made her pulse race in ways she didn't expect.
The chase led them into the Sky Veil, a narrow canyon where lightning arced unpredictably. Guild hunters' airships appeared like shadows in the storm. They fired harpoons and bolts, seeking to bring her down.
Lyra dodged expertly, swinging from cables and vaulting between ledges. Kael moved with her, sometimes dangerously close, their movements almost synchronized despite their rivalry.
Suddenly, a bolt of energy struck the tower below. Lyra tumbled, but Kael's hand caught hers mid-fall. Heart hammering, she looked into his eyes—gray, stormy, unyielding.
"Hold on!" he shouted, pulling her up.
The storm roared around them, but for a heartbeat, nothing else mattered.
Then a massive roar split the air—a Guild-engineered Sky Wyrm, a dragon twisted by dark magic, descended upon them. Its wings spread wide, thunder echoing with each beat.
Lyra felt the crystal in her satchel vibrate. Her telepathy—the forbidden power she had hidden all her life—reacted to the Wyrm. She placed her hand over the satchel and whispered. Ashen… help us.
The black dragon dove, attacking the Wyrm mid-air. Kael's sword glowed with a faint blue light, striking the creature's armored scales. Lyra followed instinctively, guiding Ashen with her mind.
For the first time, Lyra and Kael weren't enemies—they were a team. Their movements flowed together like storm and lightning, perfectly synchronized.
When the Wyrm finally fell, crashing into the clouds below, they hovered above the wreckage, rain washing over them. Lyra's hair plastered to her face, Kael's chest heaving from exertion, but both were alive.
Kael's gaze lingered longer than necessary. "You have power," he said quietly. "Power I didn't expect."
Lyra swallowed, heart racing. "And you're not as annoying as I thought," she said, voice trembling slightly.
He smirked, but there was no teasing in it. Only an unspoken acknowledgment: the bond between them had begun.
And in the storm above the floating city, the Celestine Crystal pulsed brighter than ever, a warning that their real battle had only just begun.