The sky above Neo-Virelia hadn't fully cleared.
Storm clouds still lingered—heavy, watching… like something refused to let go.
A low hum cut through the silence.
Deep.
Mechanical.
Alive.
From the shadows of the broken skyline—
It emerged.
A massive aircraft descended slowly, its body forged from dark obsidian alloy, veins of neon-blue energy running across its surface like controlled lightning.
Edges sharp.
Design aggressive.
Not built for travel—
Built for dominance.
💀 SKYREAVER ARC-01
Elaris didn't look at it.
Didn't care.
Her focus never left Kael.
"Transport ready," one of the guards said.
The rear hatch opened with a hydraulic hiss.
Inside—
Dim lighting.
Cold.
Military precision.
Elaris stepped in first, holding Kael close.
Careful.
Like he might disappear if she loosened her grip.
Xyren followed.
Scanning everything.
Already calculating survival probability.
The guards sealed the hatch.
Within seconds—
The Skyreaver lifted.
No loud blast.
No dramatic takeoff.
Just—
A silent surge.
And the city dropped away beneath them.
Inside—
Kael lay on a stabilizing platform.
Energy fields flickering around him.
Barely holding.
Elaris stayed beside him.
Didn't move.
Didn't blink.
"…Say it," she said quietly.
The guard looked at her.
"You know where we're going," she continued.
"Now tell me everything."
A pause.
Then—
"Aetherion Vale."
The name felt ancient.
Heavy.
"It's not just a place," the guard continued.
"It's a living system."
Xyren nodded slowly.
"…Bio-sentient environment."
"Exactly."
Another guard added—
"And the plant you need… isn't free."
Elaris's gaze sharpened.
"Who has it?"
Silence.
Then—
"The Verdant Sovereign."
💀
"A ruler?" Xyren asked.
"Not exactly."
The guard's tone lowered.
More serious now.
"He doesn't rule people."
"He rules the ecosystem itself."
A chill passed through the cabin.
"The Heart of Virelith responds only through him."
Elaris didn't hesitate.
"Then we take it."
The guard almost smiled.
"You can try."
A pause.
Then—
"But no one takes anything from him."
The aircraft pierced through thick clouds.
Darkness swallowed them briefly.
Then—
The sky opened.
And what lay beyond—
Didn't look real.
A vast land of glowing forests, floating bio-structures, and rivers of luminous energy stretched endlessly below.
Plants moved.
Breathing.
Watching.
Beautiful.
Terrifying.
Alive.
Xyren whispered softly—
"…This place will either save him…"
Elaris finished it.
Without hesitation.
"…or turn him into something worse."
Behind them—
unnoticed—
Kael's fingers twitched again.
But this time—
A faint spark of dark lightning flickered across his skin.