As we moved closer to Mirage, something felt… different.
At first, we expected danger.
Monsters.
Battles.
Blood.
But instead—
We met something far stranger.
Monsters greeted us.
"Hello," they said.
Not growling.
Not attacking.
Just… smiling.
It felt wrong.
Every time we asked for directions, they repeated the same words:
"Desire is not enough. Strive—and you will obtain what you seek."
At first, we didn't understand.
Lucas scratched his head.
"…What the hell does that even mean?"
I shrugged.
"Sounds like some философიური bullshit to me."
But Mirei…
She didn't laugh.
She didn't ignore it.
That night, she sat alone.
Thinking.
Deep in thought.
We could see it in her eyes—she was trying to solve something.
"Mirei?" I asked.
She didn't respond immediately.
Then slowly, she spoke.
"…Desire is not enough… strive and you will obtain what you seek…"
She repeated it again.
And again.
Breaking it apart.
"…Desire… means wanting something."
"…Strive… means effort… struggle… action…"
She closed her eyes.
"…So maybe… it means…"
Then suddenly—
Her eyes opened.
Sharp.
Focused.
"…It can't be… is it really that simple?"
We both leaned forward.
"Tell us!" Lucas said.
"Yeah, stop acting mysterious!"
But she stood up and turned away.
"…Tomorrow," she said calmly. "Sleep."
I couldn't sleep.
Not properly.
That sentence kept echoing in my head.
Desire is not enough…
Strive…
Obtain…
What does that even mean?
By the time I finally closed my eyes—
It was already morning.
"Wake up."
Mirei's voice.
Calm.
Serious.
Different.
We stood up immediately.
"…Now listen carefully," she said.
"Clear your minds."
"Focus."
"Desire it."
"Truly desire it."
Lucas frowned.
"…Desire what?"
Mirei looked forward.
"…That place."
"…The place we're trying to reach."
I froze.
"…Mirage?"
She nodded.
"Don't just want it."
"Strive for it."
"Put everything into imagining it."
"…This is not easy."
I had always had a strong imagination.
Ever since I was a kid.
Lucas?
Not so much.
But still—
We both closed our eyes.
And focused.
At first—
Nothing.
Just darkness.
Silence.
Then slowly…
Something appeared.
A vision.
A golden palace.
Floating in the sky.
Radiant.
Beautiful beyond words.
It looked… divine.
Like something that didn't belong to this world.
Something close to God.
I could feel my heart beating faster.
"…What the hell…"
We opened our eyes.
And—
There it was.
Far away.
High in the sky.
Exactly what we saw.
"…No way…" Lucas whispered.
But something was wrong.
No matter how much we walked—
We couldn't get closer.
It kept moving away.
Like it was rejecting us.
"…We're doing something wrong," Mirei said quietly.
We stopped.
Thinking.
Then suddenly—
Lucas spoke.
"…Wait."
We both looked at him.
"…What if… the map is the key?"
I blinked.
"That's stupid."
Mirei tilted her head.
"…No."
"…That's actually a good idea."
She took the map.
The moment she held it—
Something changed.
The air shifted.
And then—
A golden thread appeared.
Floating.
Glowing.
Beautiful.
It stretched forward…
Showing us the path.
"…Follow me," a soft voice whispered.
We looked up.
A fairy.
Golden.
Small.
Radiating light.
It smiled at us.
"…Stay close, and you won't get lost."
We followed it.
Step by step.
Heart beating.
Closer…
Closer…
To the sky palace.
Then suddenly—
The fairy flew up.
Straight into the sky.
"…Wait—!" I shouted.
"We can't fly, you idiot!"
Then—
It looked down at us.
Smiled.
And said:
"…Just jump."
"…Are you serious?"
Lucas looked at me.
"…We're gonna die."
I smirked.
"…Probably."
Then—
We jumped.
And—
We didn't fall.
We flew.
"…WHAT THE HELL?!"
Wind rushed past us.
The sky opened.
Freedom.
Pure freedom.
I laughed.
"…THIS IS INSANE!!"
Lucas was screaming.
"I'M GONNA DIE—WAIT NO—I'M FLYING—WHAT IS THIS?!"
At that moment—
I realized something.
"…I want this."
"…I want to fly."
Not just now.
Not just here.
Always.
Then I saw someone.
A person.
Flying naturally.
Like it was nothing.
And I said it out loud—
"I want to learn how to fly."
Lucas nodded.
"…Yeah."
"…Me too."
But then he sighed.
"…But that's not why we came here."
Mirei stepped forward.
"…Don't start fighting."
"We came here to grow stronger."
"…And flying is part of that."
I grinned.
"HELL YEAH."
Then suddenly—
A thought hit me.
"…Wait."
"…How the hell are WE supposed to fly?"
"We're just humans."
Mirei smiled slightly.
"…You'll learn."
"…There's a school here."
"…No."
I froze.
"…No no no."
"…NOT SCHOOL."
Mirei ignored me.
"You'll attend it."
"All of you."
"…How long?"
I asked, already regretting it.
"…One year."
"…WHAT?!"
She continued calmly.
"Normally, people take 6 to 8 years."
"But you…"
"…You'll finish in one."
Then she explained.
"There are three levels."
Easy → 8 years Medium → 4–6 years Hard → 1–2 years
She looked at us.
"…Can you handle it?"
I smirked.
"Easy."
Then asked:
"…Is it practical or books?"
She replied:
"In hard mode—both."
"First theory."
"Then real combat and training."
"…I hate books," I muttered.
Lucas sighed.
"The more we know, the better."
I rolled my eyes.
"Shut up, nerd."
He smirked.
"At least I won't stay dumb like you."
"…Say that again."
Before things escalated—
"STOP."
Mirei's voice.
Sharp.
Cold.
We froze.
"…Yes, ma'am."
"…Yes, ma'am."
Silence.
Then—
We entered.
The place was…
Beautiful.
Peaceful.
Alive.
People were smiling.
Flying.
Training.
Laughing.
For the first time—
It didn't feel like a dangerous world.
It felt like…
A new beginning.
We looked around.
Taking everything in.
"…We're gonna be here for a while," Lucas said.
I nodded.
"…Yeah."
Then I smiled.
"…Let's make it count."