Nocth's POV
The wind was gentle, but the view stole breath like a storm.
I stood beside Relin on the deck of our soaring craft—a serpent-sleek silver vessel with an obsidian underbelly and ridges that pulsed faintly with light. Though compact, it moved like a living thing through the skies, silent and proud. Unlike other vessels I'd seen, its surface didn't bear the typical etched rune channels of Zyreon origin, but something... older. Its design wasn't formed through logic, but memory—etched in script I couldn't read, yet felt.
And through its transparent shield, I saw the endless expanse of Selun'Thael City.
No.
Selun'Thael Kingdom.
We soared above golden hills where crystalline flowers shimmered beneath dusk's touch, their petals humming like glass in wind. Rolling plains stretched beyond, where flocks of spiral-winged beasts glided beside cascading falls of liquid sapphire. Distant farmlands curved along emerald ridges, growing crops that glittered in rhythmic light pulses—living grain nourished by runes buried beneath each field.
Then came the Saevereth Estate.
Lavish. Peaceful. Surreal.
Sprawling ranches unfurled in arcs, with sleek silver herds roaming freely—creatures the size of carriages, fur like woven starlight. Multicolored fruits dangled from trees that bent in prayer-like posture as we flew past. Every building on the estate seemed handcrafted from some cosmic clay—glass-touched stonework marked with elegant emblems. Glowing windswept banners danced in language I didn't know.
And beyond even this...
...rose Zyreon's Forbidden Zones.
Vast regions veiled in a glassy fog. Towering spires coiled in anti-gravitational spirals above floating citadel-ruins. Layers of stormlight curled like trapped time around crumbling black monoliths. Runic arrays spiraled around entire districts—some radiating subtle warnings, others screaming silently to those who could hear the whisper of history.
"These zones…" I murmured. "They don't feel right."
Relin nodded. "Some things here were made before Zyreon ruled this sky."
The craft banked left as we passed over a massive dome structure—the Central Astral Gateway. A station built of radiant moon-stone and floating staircases, its body wrapped with glowing runic filaments that connected to airborne docking loops. Dozens of flying crafts hovered and spiraled in and out, creating a ballet of motion.
Some vessels were bloated sky barges—hauling astral arms cargo in reinforced cages. Others were multi-tiered transports, tiered with rotating balconies where noble passengers in long robes admired the view. One craft resembled a mechanical butterfly; another looked like a drifting temple forged from sound and light.
And they were all... magnificent.
Yet none compared to ours.
Even among grand leviathan-class transports, Relin's craft glided with an alien dignity. It hummed with restrained power—its exterior too perfect, its flight too silent.
We approached a hovering pay-station structure, manned by ethereal gatekeepers in white-veined armor. It hovered like a floating cathedral—pillars extending downward into air, runic glyphs spinning slowly along its columns.
Relin extended his hand toward a triangular crystal pay-pode. The station's floating orb flashed, absorbing a narrow beam of radiant essence. Instantly, golden text scrolled through a transparent interface that shimmered midair.
"Two passengers. Celestial-bound spacial jump… Fee: one mid-tier heaven crystal per person."
My breath hitched.
"That much?" I gasped. "For a single jump?!"
Relin chuckled softly. "Only the children of high-ranking officials, class warriors, or noble houses can afford it. We pay for… luxury."
A silent authorization pulse passed from the station's core to our craft. The giant portal before us—a massive rotating ring etched with runes—suddenly pulsed with life.
Ancient runic glyphs on its edges ignited one by one, spreading light like dripping stardust across its surface. Patterns unfurled like flower petals—layered, interlocking, and alive. Then came the pulling force—a gravitational whisper stronger than any wind.
I stumbled, but the craft didn't resist. It welcomed it.
The sky cracked. We lunged forward.
Into the portal.
It felt like falling into a mirror made of memory.
The interior of the spacial tunnel was not black but silver-clear, like traveling through crystallized air. The outer walls shimmered like ancient glass veined with stars. Every direction stretched infinitely. The further we went, the brighter it became.
And yet—something inside this zone...
…called to me.
A voice? A presence?
No. Something deeper.
I felt it—not with ears or veins, but with whatever lay inside my chest beneath memory itself. This place… knew me. As if we were siblings, born of the same dream.
Relin didn't notice. He was too busy adjusting the flow glyphs on the controls.
But I turned—pressed a hand to the wall. I stared out.
There, in the distance behind us, I saw—
All of Selun'Thael.
No.
All of Zyreon Celestial Kingdom.
Floating like a world-sized continent wrapped in layers of light. Sprawling cities, rivers of mercury light, floating islands tethered by chains of fire and clouds. Its center tower, the Obsidian Crown, pierced higher than sight. From here, I saw it truly.
An entire world, levitating within layered dimensional sky.
"I… I thought Selun'Thael was just a city," I whispered.
Relin smiled, his eyes soft. "It was. Once. But now, it is the Zyreon Celestial Kingdom."
I turned to him, stunned.
He glanced down at the console. Then, quietly, added, "It wasn't always like this. Once… all Nine Celestial Kingdoms were one entity. A single eternal realm."
"…What happened?"
Relin's smile faded.
"A war. A chaos too vast for memory. The realms were shattered. Separated. Changed. It's why our kingdoms now float apart like broken moons."
A strange silence hung between us. He stared ahead, his eyes distant, his voice barely a murmur.
"I took an Oath. One all high-born nobles of the Khaedris House must. We cannot speak of what truly broke the realms."
He said nothing more.
Neither did I.
I sat back slowly, watching the shimmer of light fold around our craft as we tunneled toward some unknown place—leaving the vast sky-realm of Selun'Thael behind.
But I knew…
This journey had only just begun.