Kaien never believed in miracles. He believed in logic, in cause and effect, in the world beneath his feet being the only one that mattered. That belief shattered the night the sky broke open like a cracked mirror and swallowed the stars whole.
It started quietly.
He was at home, in the worn-down mountain cabin that had belonged to their grandfather. Rain tapped on the wooden roof. The air carried a scent of pine and distant thunder. His fingers moved slowly across the dusty surface of a notebook, a worn journal filled with strange symbols and constellations—Lyra's journal.
It had been five years since his sister vanished.
No note. No trace. No body. Just a strange shimmer in the air near the cliffs behind their home and the feeling that something... unnatural had occurred.
People called it an accident. A runaway. Some even whispered about the occult, or that she'd gone mad chasing her obsession with "worlds beyond." But Kaien knew better. She was taken—not by someone, but by something.
He spent the years that followed chasing her trail—reading myths, finding hidden texts, and learning of the Veilwalkers, beings capable of traveling between realms. Most scholars considered it nonsense. But Kaien wasn't looking for theories.
He was looking for proof.
And that night, the sky gave it to him.
A high-pitched hum shattered the air, followed by a pulse of blue light that rolled across the mountains like a shockwave. Kaien ran to the window. Above, the stars twisted and spiraled inward toward a glowing vortex—an eye of light in the sky. From its center descended a thin beam of light, almost like a rope of lightning, weaving down into the forest meadow behind his house.
His heart seized. The exact spot Lyra had vanished.
He didn't hesitate. He grabbed the locket she left behind, strapped the old leather pack over his shoulder, and sprinted into the night rain.
---
The forest was alive with strange sounds.
Lightning danced across the tree trunks, but it left no fire or ash. The air rippled with pressure, like the moment before a storm—but stretched, unnatural. The beam of light had settled in the clearing. Kaien stepped closer, raindrops evaporating before they could touch it.
It was a portal.
He didn't know how he knew—but he did. Something deep in his bones screamed: She went through this.
And now he would too.
"I'm coming, Lyra," he whispered, and stepped in.
---
The world twisted.
His body stretched and compressed in ways that defied logic. He saw flickers—of cities in the sky, of oceans that glowed, of beasts made of crystal and bone. He felt heat, cold, and a weightless silence. Then—impact.
He landed hard on something smooth and warm.
Kaien groaned and sat up.
This wasn't Earth.
The sky above was a blend of orange and violet, with three suns slowly rotating around one another. The land floated in chunks, great islands of rock suspended in the air. Around him were trees with gold trunks and silver leaves, humming with energy.
And standing over him, silent and watching, was a woman in dark robes. She had six glowing eyes arranged vertically down her face, and her skin shimmered like moonstone.
"You are not of this world," she said, her voice layered like a chord of music.
Kaien stood, dusting off his clothes. "I'm looking for someone. My sister. Her name is Lyra."
The woman tilted her head. "Another Veilwalker. She passed here. She spoke of the Nexus."
Kaien's heart leapt. "Where is she? Did she say where she was going?"
"To the center," the woman said. "To the core between all worlds. But the path is closed. One must prove worthy."
Kaien clenched his fists. "Tell me what I have to do."
---
The floating realm was called Thalos, a place where gravity was a suggestion and ancient cities drifted through the skies like ships.
The woman, called Erixa, was one of the Gatewatchers. She explained that portals only opened for those who could balance three truths: Strength, Purpose, and Heart.
To find Lyra, Kaien had to earn Thalos's trust—and survive it.
He trained with the sky-riders, riding feathered beasts that leapt between islands. He deciphered glyphs in the language of winds. He helped solve a feud between two rival sky-cities, using only negotiation and memories of his sister's kindness to guide his words.
In doing so, he became part of Thalos.
At night, he stared at the three suns, holding her locket. "I'll find you," he whispered.
When the time came, Erixa led him to the Skyforge, a place where storms were born. At its heart stood a gate made of thunderclouds and crystal spires.
"You have walked the sky and calmed its winds," she said. "The path opens to you."
Kaien turned to her. "Thank you."
She nodded. "Tell your sister—she made a difference here."
---
As he stepped through the portal, Kaien's heart burned with hope.
She was alive. She was real. She was ahead of him, yes—but her footsteps were clear now. Tangible. She hadn't vanished into myth. She was blazing a path—and now he was following it.
The next world waited.
And so did she.