The twin suns bathed the skyship in golden warmth as the trio made their way along the wide, gently curving balcony of the upper deck. The clouds drifted lazily beneath them, wisps of white stretching across the vast, endless sea of blue.

  Wind tugged at coats and ruffled hair, carrying with it the scent of salt, enchanted oils, and the subtle, ever-present hum of magic coursing through the ship’s enchanted framework. Liora walked with Kite perched atop her shoulders, her bronze skin glowing faintly under the sunlight.

  His legs dangled at her sides, and his arms were lazily draped over her head. She moved with the ease of a seasoned warrior, her balance unshaken by the extra weight. Felix walked beside them, grinning from ear to ear as he watched the two bicker and tease one another.

  “You know,” Liora said, glancing up at Kite with a smirk, “you ate so much, I was seriously expecting you to blow chunks at the table back there.”

  Kite groaned, placing a dramatic hand to his forehead. “Okay, in my defense,” he muttered sheepishly, “I’ve never eaten skyroot bread before. That stuff is like… cloud cake or something.”

  Liora burst out laughing, her eyes squinting against the sun. “Cloud cake? You’re such a weakling.”

  “Hey!” Kite grumbled, mock-offended. “My stomach’s just… not calibrated for enchanted pastries yet.”

  Her laughter echoed off the planks as her black double edged spear clinked lightly against her back with each step, the metal humming faintly with residual sky energy. Trailing behind them at a slower pace, arms folded tightly across his chest, Bastion watched the trio with a distant gaze.

  His dark coat fluttered gently around him, his golden, slit-pupil eyes narrowing thoughtfully. They don’t even see him as a threat… he mused, eyes locked on Kite’s smiling face. The boy was carefree—too carefree. There was something about him that itched beneath the surface.

  Bastion exhaled sharply through his nose, muttering beneath his breath, “Perks of being a kid, I guess.” Up ahead, the group stopped near a sturdy wooden railing carved with swirling cloud motifs.

  The sea of clouds stretched far and wide beneath them, dotted occasionally with the silhouettes of flying beasts soaring high above the ocean’s horizon. With a smirk tugging at his lips, Kite leaned forward—then flipped backward smoothly off Liora’s shoulders, landing in a crouch with a soft thud. The wind caught his curls and tousled them across his forehead as he rose with a flourish.

  “Nice,” Felix said with an impressed nod. “You’ve got some moves, skinny.”

  Liora smirked, brushing her hands together. “I’ll admit, he’s got the finesse. But he’s light as a feather. I swear I could sneeze and he’d go flying.”

  Felix let out a bark of laughter while Kite scoffed and rolled his eyes. “Y’know, one day, this ‘scrawny’ look is going to be very in.”

  Behind them, Bastion leaned against the railing in silence, watching the exchange with a half-lidded gaze, his expression unreadable. Kite’s eyes wandered briefly, his gaze settling on the smaller details he hadn’t noticed before—Liora’s finely etched stormstaff, strapped tightly to her back, and Felix’s array of strange bracelets, trinkets, and tools fastened along his belt and sleeves.

  Curious, he furrowed his brows slightly before glancing back at them. “So… are you guys pirates?” he asked.

  Liora and Felix both froze mid-laugh. They looked at each other, sharing a glance—then burst out chuckling.

  “Nope,” Liora said, jerking a thumb back toward Bastion. “Only he is. We just hang around.”

  Felix pointed with both hands toward Bastion. “Yup. That’s our glorious vice captain right there.”

  Bastion raised his chin slightly at the mention, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. “They follow me everywhere,” he said dryly, his voice edged with amusement.

  Liora crossed her arms. “I follow you because the food here’s good.”

  Felix shrugged, his goggles glinting in the sunlight. “I follow you because this is the only place with enough room and materials for my gear. That, and the view’s nice.”

  Kite tilted his head. “Really? Just for the food and gadgets?”

  Bastion scoffed, a low chuckle rumbling in his throat. “Yeah, right.” He pushed off the railing and turned slightly to face them. “It’s totally not because my dad and Solhawk saved your butts years ago during that snowstorm or anything.”

  His words landed like a bolt of thunder. Liora’s playful grin faltered. Felix went still. Their postures stiffened ever so slightly, and their laughter faded into quiet tension. A silence bloomed, sudden and heavy, as the weight of old memories crept in like an unseen fog.

  Their expressions shifted—subtle, unreadable—but the warmth was almost fully gone. Bastion looked at them, his gaze sharp, cutting. He scoffed again under his breath, turning back toward the railing. “That’s what I thought,” he muttered.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  The sky above was still clear, the twin suns shining as bright as ever. But in that moment, a shadow passed through their hearts—one not cast by any cloud, but by something far more distant. Something remembered. Something unspoken.

  The wind along the skyship’s upper deck was gentler now, the salty breeze whispering through Kite’s messy curls as he looked from Liora to Felix, eyes flickering with confusion. The warmth of the suns above still poured down, but the air between the group had grown heavy—quiet, pensive. Their laughter had withered, replaced by something deeper, something sacred.

  “…Who’s Solhawk?” Kite finally asked, his voice quiet, careful—unsure if he was treading on something too delicate. The silence stretched for a few seconds more. Then, it was Bastion who answered first.

  “Solhawk,” he said, the name leaving his lips like a prayer, “was a folk hero. Trained under Aerin herself. Went around the land helping people, giving them hope when there wasn’t any.” His voice had dropped to a reverent hush, barely louder than the whispering wind. “He’s a legend.”

  Bastion’s golden, slitted eyes turned skyward as the twin suns bathed his face in amber light. His gaze drifted from the sea of clouds below to the endless blue above.

  “Before the warmth… there was winter. Not the kind you play in.” His arms crossed tighter against his chest. “I mean eternal winter. Ice that swallowed kingdoms. Cold that cracked bones.”

  Kite’s brows furrowed as his expression shifted to wide-eyed intrigue. It was Liora who spoke next, her voice heavier than before. “It was all because of the Frostveil Monarch. A creature of bitter sorrow and unrelenting ice. She cursed the land. Froze cities where people still stood. Twisted forests. Turned lakes into silent graveyards.”

  Kite muttered, almost to himself, “The Frostveil Queen…?”

  Liora nodded grimly. “She ruled everything in frost. And when Aerin—the strongest sorcerer to ever live—rose to stop her…” Liora paused, her voice tightening. “The Monarch killed her daughter.”

  Kite’s face fell, the spark in his eyes dimming with the weight of that tragedy. “That’s awful…”

  Felix’s usual grin was long gone. His hands had fallen into his pockets, his eyes distant. “Aerin was never the same after that,” he said softly. “She gave up the sword. Gave up everything. Swore she’d never fight again.”

  Kite looked down at the railing, troubled. “But… then how did the eternal winter end?” A breeze passed over the deck, carrying silence with it.

  Bastion was the one to answer, voice low and steady. “Solhawk.”

  Kite blinked and raised an eyebrow. “Seriously?”

  Bastion smiled faintly with a slight nod. “Back then, Aerin and Solhawk were practically inseparable. Teacher and student, sure—but it was deeper than that. They were family. She had lost her daughter, but then she found him.”

  Liora nodded, her voice soft with memory. “He reminded her of who she used to be. Of what she still had to fight for.”

  Felix chimed in, his tone almost wistful. “He made her laugh again. No one thought that was even possible.”

  Kite listened closely, hanging onto every word. Bastion’s gaze remained on the horizon. “Solhawk gave her something no blade ever could—hope. And when he disappeared… she took all that hope… and used it to slay the Frostveil Monarch once and for all.”

  Kite’s mouth slowly parted. He stared ahead at the drifting clouds below, mind spinning with the tale he’d just heard. “Whoa…” he breathed. “Solhawk must have been so cool.”

  The group shared a glance—one of quiet remembrance, of stories not told but deeply felt—and then chuckled together. It wasn’t loud or bright like before, but soft and warm, tinged with something bittersweet.

  Liora tilted her head, her softened stormy eyes catching a glimmer of the twin suns. “He wasn’t just cool, Kite,” she said, a proud smile creeping onto her lips. “He was a symbol. A flame in the dark. All of us kids in Celestia grew up hearing his stories. Wanting to be like him.”

  Felix added, voice firm and true, “Without Solhawk, none of us would be standing here.” Kite’s green eyes lingered on them for a moment longer, his thoughts swirling like storm currents beneath his skin.

  But the warm silence that followed was suddenly pierced by a voice—smooth and deep, like velvet sliding over stone. It was reptilian, yet calm and comforting, rich with authority.

  “Good afternoon, passengers and crew,” came the voice of Captain Drassos, resonating across the ship as if carried on the wind itself. There was no visible source, no speaker to be seen—only the gentle rumble of his baritone voice weaving through the air like a spell, echoing off wood and sailcloth.

  The group turned their heads instinctively, scanning the deck, but saw nothing. The voice seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere all at once.

  “I’ve been informed,” Vareth continued with measured cadence, “that an arcane storm is brewing on our horizon.” A low hush fell over the ship as crew and guests alike stilled to listen.

  “As a precaution, our journey will be delayed by a few days. We’ll remain skybound until the storm passes safely.” His voice remained steady, unbothered, even with the weight of the announcement.

  Bastion let out a groan and leaned back against the railing, head tilting toward the sky. “Of course,” he muttered dryly. Kite glanced up at him and chuckled softly.

  Vareth’s voice returned with a warm, knowing tone. “Should anyone have thoughts or complaints about our new schedule… you know where to find me.” There was a soft, rumbling chuckle, like distant thunder. “Enjoy the afternoon.”

  And just like that, the voice faded, carried away by the breeze. Felix grinned and turned to Kite. “Guess this means you’re sticking around a little longer, huh?”

  Kite laughed, his bright eyes catching the glint of sunlight. “Yeah, looks like I’m officially part of the crew now.”

  The two of them shared another laugh before heading off together, their footsteps light, their chatter fading as they disappeared down a curved section of the deck, the suns painting them gold as they went. Liora remained where she was, arms folded tightly across her chest.

  Her face had grown unreadable again, her sharp storm-hued eyes fixed on Kite’s retreating form. The wind toyed with her short hair, but she didn’t move.

  Beside her, Bastion lingered, watching the same path with a furrowed brow. He opened his mouth to speak—but Liora beat him to it, her voice firm and unwavering.

  “I know,” she said, not looking at him. “I’ll keep a close eye on him.”

  Bastion blinked in surprise, turning slightly toward her. “You too?”

  Her eyes narrowed as she nodded slowly. “There’s something… off. I don’t know what yet. But I’ll find out.”

  Bastion said nothing. For a moment, he just stared, searching her face for anything else. Then, slowly, he gave a small nod.

  He stepped back from the railing, his shoulders lowering as he stuffed his hands into his coat pockets. His boots thudded softly against the deck as he began to walk away.

  “Guess we’ll all be late for the festival,” he muttered under his breath, his voice bitter and tired as he rounded the corner and disappeared from view, leaving Liora alone with the wind.