The storm was the most beautiful and terrifying thing Kael had ever seen.
Purple lightning tore through the sky like giant serpents, and the gale-force winds shredded the edges of Aetherion's floating islands. Kael clung to the broken railing of the Whisperwind, his knuckles white. This old cargo airship should never have taken off in such weather, but the captain's greed had overruled reason—the ancient relics dug up from the "Forgotten Isles" on the black market were worth half a skyport.
"Hold on!" Captain Rog's roar shattered in the wind.
The next second, the world tilted.
A lightning bolt struck the main envelope directly. The explosion's shockwave hurled Kael into the air. In that moment of weightlessness, he saw it all—below, the endless sea of clouds, and deeper still, the legendary "Void Abyss" where anything that fell would vanish forever. Above, the wreckage of the Whisperwind was scattering like burning stars.
I'm going to die, Kael thought, with eerie calm. Like this, in an unknown corner of the sky.
He closed his eyes, waiting for the impact.
But the impact never came.
Instead, there was a strange sensation of floating, as if held by invisible hands. Kael opened his eyes to find himself descending slowly, passing through a milky cloud layer, falling toward a floating island he never knew existed.
The island was small, no larger than a few football fields, covered in glowing blue moss. At its center, a half-collapsed stone spire pierced the sky, its peak set with a massive, pulsating violet crystal. Kael landed on the moss—unbelievably soft, unharmed.
He lay there for a moment, gasping, listening to his own heartbeat.
Then, he saw the book.
It lay in the shadow of the spire's base, inconspicuous—a thick leather-bound tome, edges worn, no title. But to Kael, it was glowing. Not reflecting the crystal's light, but a soft golden radiance emanating from within its pages.
Kael struggled to his feet, stumbling closer. The moment his hand touched the cover—
The book opened its eye.
Not a real eye. A complex golden rune surfaced at the center of the cover, its contours resembling a half-closed eyelid. Then, a voice spoke directly in his mind, ancient, low, echoing as if from the bottom of a deep well:
"Three hundred and seven years, four months, twelve days. Finally… someone has come."
Kael jerked his hand back, stumbling two steps, almost falling.
"Who… who's speaking?"
"I am." The book's voice was calm. "Or rather, this book. Or rather, me, trapped within it. The title matters not. What matters is that you touched me, and the covenant is sealed."
"What covenant? I didn't—"
"You touched me, and I did not burn you to ashes. That is the covenant." The pages turned on their own, flipping to a certain page. "Now, tell me your name, fallen one."
Kael's heart pounded. He should run, get away from this eerie thing. But there was nowhere to go—this island was isolated, the Whisperwind was gone. He took a deep breath:
"Kael. My name is Kael."
"Kael." The book repeated, as if savoring the name. "Good. Then, Kael, do you wish to know the truth? Do you wish to know why the Whisperwind encountered the storm today, at this hour, in this airspace? Do you wish to know why you, a mere cargo watchman, are the only survivor?"
Kael froze: "You're saying… this was arranged?"
"Everything is woven." The book's golden eye shimmered faintly. "Now, choose. Leave, live or die on this island. Or… take me, and learn of your destiny, and the destiny of this world."
In the distance, thunder rumbled. The storm had not yet ceased.
Kael looked at the book, at its alluring yet dangerous glow. He remembered his exiled clan, the faces that mocked his impure bloodline, the sixteen years of never seizing any opportunity.
His hand reached for the book once more.
This time, when his fingertips touched the cover, golden light erupted, engulfing him completely. Countless images, sounds, and knowledge flooded his mind—floating islands, ancient wars, fallen gods, the approaching void…
And a clear voice, whispering in the deepest recesses of his consciousness:
"Welcome home, last blood of the Skyborn."