Location: Quezon City, Philippines
Time: 4:09 AM — Year 4, Day 2 Post-Outbreak
The city was quiet. Too quiet.
Khalil stood barefoot on the edge of his balcony railing, wind curling gently around his legs. The buildings below glowed like half-lit constellations — Quezon City sleeping under the weight of a world that never really stopped spinning anymore.
Behind him, a soft snore cracked the silence.
Then—
"HAAAHHH—! W-why is the sky upside down?"
Zephyr shot upright from his blanket nest on the shelf and blinked. His silvery hair stuck out in every direction.
"Wait! Are we flying yet? Are we falling? Did the moon explode?!"
"We're not flying," Khalil muttered.
"Then we should be!" Zephyr declared, spinning in the air, wings buzzing like a tiny jet engine. "You're brooding, and the best way to handle that is altitude. I prescribe wind therapy!"
Khalil arched an eyebrow. "You prescribe things now?"
"I'm licensed in emotional wind support. And meteorological cuddles."
Without another word, Khalil stepped forward and leapt into the sky.
Wind surged beneath him like a living current, lifting him effortlessly above the rooftops. His coat fluttered behind him. The city blurred below — streetlights, parked cars, winding overpasses — all silent, all still.
And then—
"WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!"
Zephyr exploded past him in a blur of sparkles and joy, looping three midair somersaults and leaving a glittering green-blue trail in the dark.
"THIS IS WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT! Night air! No traffic! No explosions! Just us and the sky!"
Khalil followed in a smooth arc. "Try not to scream."
"Try not to be boring!" Zephyr fired back, beaming as he zipped backward through the air, wings flapping furiously like a hummingbird. "Did you see that barrel roll?! That's triple corkscrew maneuver #7! I'm naming it the 'Zesty Zephyr Zigzag!'"
"You'll confuse air traffic control."
"You confuse traffic control by being handsome and quiet!"
Khalil sighed through his nose. "You've gotten louder lately."
Zephyr twirled in glee. "I'm thriving in my element! You should try it sometime instead of brooding like a haunted weather balloon!"
Just as Zephyr was preparing his next midair cartwheel—
Khalil's earpiece pinged.
He slowed mid-flight, hovering near the steel arm of a radio tower.
[Voice ID: Guildmaster Leon Alvarez]
"Reyes. HQ. Now."
Khalil frowned. "What happened?"
"New Awakening. Southern Mindanao. Pack your gear."
Zephyr tilted his head. "Oooh? Are we going on a mission? Or is this another 'I just want to observe' operation where we accidentally fight a wyvern?"
TALA GUILD HQ — BRIEFING ROOM
Fifteen minutes later, Khalil stood inside the war room with Camille and Leon. Zephyr fluttered behind his neck like a living scarf, still fidgeting from flight adrenaline.
Camille flicked a hologram to life. A glowing red pulse over Bukidnon shimmered on the display.
"She's a Summoner," she said. "But not the kind we've seen."
Khalil squinted. "How?"
Leon answered, arms crossed. "Two elemental signatures. Fire. Ice. Fox-type summons."
Zephyr blinked wide-eyed. "You mean she summons both burny and freezy types?! That's insane! That's illegal! That's awesome!"
"She conjured five fire foxes," Camille said. "Then five more—ice-aspected. White coats. No friction between them. They moved like they were born to fight together."
"And the kicker," Leon added, "is that they're stable. No aura leak. No mana breakdown. Controlled. Efficient."
Camille switched the screen.
A second map displayed tracking scans. Several active pings.
"Other guilds picked up the signal. Visayan Guild Coalition has a scout team nearby. Another one's suspected to be a Makati corporate group. And… we think there's a foreign asset en route. Possibly Korean."
Khalil's expression sharpened.
Zephyr whispered, "They're all gonna try to snatch her up…"
Leon's voice stayed calm but firm. "We go first. We go clean. Camille, Jonas, and you. You're the face, Reyes. Calm. Level. No pressure."
"Why me?"
"Because you won't scare her," Leon replied. "And if anyone can recognize a bond between spirit and summoner—it's you."
Zephyr puffed up proudly. "I approve this logic. Let's go meet the Ice-Fire Queen of the South!"
Later, standing once again on his balcony, Khalil stared toward the southern horizon.
Zephyr settled on his shoulder, wings swaying gently. "You feel that? The wind's nervous."
"No," Khalil murmured. "It's expectant."
The wind didn't blow in fear tonight. It shifted. Like it was being pulled toward something… or someone.
And somewhere deep in the forests of Mindanao, a girl surrounded by flaming and frost-tailed foxes had just changed the rules of the world.