When I woke, the world was silent.

The ground beneath me was cold and littered with debris. The air was sharp, and the scent of ash and earth bit my dry throat.

The once powerful kingdom was now a broken wasteland of splintered wood and jagged stone. 

No one remained.

The villagers were gone, swept away by the Crimson soldiers. Even Kaelan was taken. 

The only other living soul here was the Luminarian standing at the edge of the ruins. He leaned against a shattered wall, his blade resting at his side.

Then it came—a hum in the air like the vibration of a distant string, but it grew steadily until the ground seemed to tremble.

I saw blue figures emerge from the clouds, riding atop four-winged creatures. Their sleek forms moved with impossible grace, leaving trails of faint blue light in their wake. The creatures’ white bodies shimmered as they landed lightly on the fractured ground, and their wings folded.

Three Luminarians dismounted in unison as One stepped forward toward us.

“What happened here?” he asked.

The Blue Clan soldier hesitated, “Calo happened.”

The lead soldier stepped closer, his gaze shifting between me and the Luminarian. 

“You’re one of us. Yet you dress like villagers,” he said.

He ignored me, his attention fixed on the Luminarian. “You were scouting?”

The Luminarian nodded once, his calm demeanour unbroken. “Yes. I came across this place by chance. There were many of us scouting these mountains, but they ambushed us. I... was the only survivor."

The lead figure nodded slightly. “ We’ll take them both to Azeron. We’ve delayed long enough.”

Panic surged in my chest. “Wait,” I said quickly. “The villagers—they took everyone. Can’t you do something?”

The soldier turned his head slowly. 

“They’re gone,” he said, “Now in the hands of the Dynasty.”

My fists clenched. “But can't you do something? Anything. You’re powerful—you could stop them. You could—”

“Enough,” he interrupted, “What’s done is done. Our priority is to take you back and assess the situation. Do not waste time on what cannot be undone.”

The Luminarian's hand rested on my shoulder. “We need to go,” he said quietly.

Swallowing hard, I nodded and moved toward one of the winged creatures. Its body radiated warmth, its wings shifting slightly as I climbed onto its back.

The lead figure mounted his creature with practised ease. Without another word, their wings spread wide, and the fractured ground disappeared beneath us.

I didn’t look back.

The ruins faded into the clouds, the trail of blue energy shimmering faintly as we ascended.

We travelled for what felt like days. The night air was cold as the Phalyx soared above the darkened landscape, its wings cutting silently through the night sky. Soft blue energy flowed from the creature's feathers, leaving a faded trail behind them. 

The pain was too fresh. My home was reduced to ash, Kaelan begging to be saved, Satoshi lying there lifeless, played over and over in my mind. 

The Luminarian soldier in front of me remained silent, his face hardened by battle and exhaustion. I could see the wear in his posture, the weight of whatever war the man had been fighting. But it wasn't just the soldier's injuries that kept him quiet—it was the gravity of everything we had just left behind.

The silence stretched between us until the soldier finally spoke.

"You're still in shock," he said. "It's hard to accept what's happened."

I didn't answer at first. The wind rushed past me, but the cold did nothing to numb the raw ache lingering in my chest. "I… I couldn't do anything," I whispered at last.

"I wasn't strong enough. I couldn't protect anyone. Not my home, Satoshi." My throat tightened as I thought of Kaelan.

"Who are these people? They didn’t care… they destroyed everything. Why would anyone do this?"

"We are Luminarians; we wield a power that allows us to use extraordinary abilities. This power is called Lumina energy. As Azeron Guardians, we wield Cerula. However, the ones who destroyed your home are another clan of luminarians. An ancient enemy of the Azeron guardians—embodiments of chaos and destruction, led by a ruler who knows no mercy. They wield lumina energy known as Crimsa. We’ve been at war with them for generations. They’re called the Crimson Dynasty.

"The one back there... who was he? He wasn’t like the others." I muttered with curiosity.

"Him? He’s one of their top adversaries. They call him General Calo. You're lucky to be alive, kid."

"You did what you could," he said finally. "Sometimes, surviving is the only thing you can do."

I shook my head, anger bubbling in my chest. "That's not enough," I snapped sharply. Surviving isn't enough. I couldn't save them, and now they're all gone. My home—I had a purpose, a duty." I trailed off, unable to finish the thought.

The soldier turned his gaze back to the sky. "You were never going to stop Calo. No one could—not alone. You weren't ready for a fight like that. But that doesn't mean it's over."

"You're alive.  You have another chance. That's what matters now."

Was there even hope that Kaelan survived? My mind raced with the uncertainty. "Kaelan…" I muttered.

The soldier's brow furrowed. "The Crimson Dynasty takes prisoners. If your friend wasn't there when you left, he could have been taken."

"Prisoners?"

"Yes. Some say they use them as leverage—slaves, or worse. But the fact that you didn't find him doesn't mean he's dead. There's a chance he's still alive."

The flicker of hope sparked something in me, but it was fragile. He knew what the Crimson Dynasty was capable of. If Kaelan had been taken, he would have been in the hands of those monsters. The thought of Kaelan suffering, helpless against their cruelty...

"I need to get stronger; I need to be able to protect the people I care about. I won't let this happen again. I can't… I can't feel this powerless ever again."

The soldier looked at me closely, his eyes narrowing. "Strength doesn't come from anger alone," he warned. "You'll burn out before you even get close to becoming strong if you let revenge drive you. Discipline and focus—that's what you need if you want to survive this war. You need to be more than just angry."

"You can't change what happened. But you have a choice now—to stay trapped in the past or to focus on the future. You lived in those mountains with little freedom, knowing nothing of what lay beyond. If Satoshi were still alive, he would've wanted you to discover who you are. To find true purpose."

I swallowed hard. I wanted to argue, to reject the soldier's advice, but deep down, I knew the truth. Clinging to my guilt wouldn't bring my life back, and it wouldn't get Satoshi back. But it was harder to accept than anything I had ever faced. I was torn between the grief of the past and the uncertain path ahead.

"I'll go with you. To the Azeron. I'll train. I'll get stronger. I won't let something like this happen again."

The soldier nodded with a slight glint of approval in his eyes. "Good. That's the first step. The training won't be easy, but you'll learn if you're serious about getting stronger. You've got more potential than you realize."

As we flew onward, the landscape below us began to shift. Mountains rose in the distance, their jagged peaks cutting through the darkness. The air grew colder and thinner, and I could feel the shift in the wind as the Phalyx carried us higher.

I closed his eyes momentarily, feeling the weight of everything that had happened. The grief still burned inside me, an ache that wouldn't go away. But alongside it, something new was growing. A resolve I hadn't felt before.

If Kaelan were alive, I would find him. If the Crimson Dynasty thought they could break me, they were wrong. I would train, become stronger, and one day be powerful enough to protect the people I loved.

As the Phalyx continued to soar the night, leaving the remnants of the kingdom far behind, I made a silent vow. I would never be powerless again.