"Maybe I should actually start practicing that meditation technique," he murmured.
Meditation techniques were unique arts designed to accelerate the absorption and refinement of ambient mana, guiding it more efficiently toward one's core.
Sora had studied several of them before but had never bothered to practice seriously. He was confident his comprehension alone could surpass any formal technique, but tonight, he felt like experimenting.
Crossing his legs, he floated still, hands resting on his knees. Mana gathered around him like a tranquil tide, swirling and sinking into his being. His mind drifted, clear, calm, vast.
When dawn approached, the faint light of the world's ambient glow washed over his face. His eyes opened, sharp and steady, a faint gleam of realization flickering within. He exhaled softly, the air shimmering around him.
He had done it.
His aura pulsed once, spreading ripples of transcendent energy across the chamber. The mana crystals lining the walls resonated in response, flickering like stars.
He had reached the Seventh Stage of the Transcendence Realm.
A small smile curved his lips. "Not bad… for a night's rest."
...
A month flashed by
The incubation sphere pulsed faintly, golden light rippling through the lab as though it were breathing. The air shimmered with soft mana currents, each fluctuation whispering the heartbeat of the ancient egg within.
It had been a month since the first flicker of life stirred inside it. And yet… nothing.
Sora stood beside the pedestal, one hand lightly resting on the transparent shell. The warmth beneath his palm had not faded; the creature within was alive, dormant, patient, waiting.
"I've done all I can," he murmured at last, his voice calm, almost serene. "The rest is up to you."
Behind him, Esme stood with her hands clasped neatly before her, the white of her coat faintly illuminated by the egg's golden glow. Her eyes flicked toward him, then to the egg again. "You believe it will hatch soon?"
He nodded once. "Soon. A few days, perhaps weeks. I've adjusted the mana field and temperature arrays, its vitality has stabilized. You'll know when it's ready."
Esme hesitated. "You mean I will know."
Sora's lips curved faintly. "Yes. I trust you, Esme. Watch over it while I'm gone. I'll check in when I can."
"You'll be gone for months, my lord," she said softly.
"Distance is relative," he replied, turning toward the window. "It will take me less than a few seconds to return, should anything happen. So technically…" — his eyes gleamed with amusement — "I'm not really leaving."
A quiet smile touched her lips. "Understood, my lord."
He turned away, stepping into the adjoining chamber. The servants had already laid out his new uniform, an academy set tailored specifically for the imperial heirs. The material shimmered faintly, woven from threads of moonlight silk and embedded with a discreet mana pattern that glowed faintly when touched.
Extravagant. Gaudy. Unnecessary.
Sora sighed.
He slipped the uniform on anyway, fastening the long black coat and smoothing the golden trim along the cuffs. The crest of the Imperial House shimmered on his chest, a golden phoenix circling a sun. It caught the light in an almost mocking way, as if proud of its own excess.
He caught his reflection in the mirror, tall for his age, expression unreadable. A boy who looked more like a scholar than a prince. "If not for Celeste," he muttered, "I'd have stayed here."
He sighed again. "I made a deal, didn't I? So be it."
By the time the sun reached its zenith, they were already above the clouds.
A massive feathered beast glided through the silver mist, its wings spreading wide enough to blot out the vast sky.
The creature's scales gleamed faintly under the sunlight, its mane rippling with streaks of blue mana. Wind roared around them, and the endless ocean of clouds shimmered below like molten silver.
Esme sat at the front, both hands steady on the reins. The creature responded to her slightest movement, adjusting its altitude with elegant precision. She had always been an excellent rider, disciplined, focused, unshaken by speed or height.
Sora reclined lazily against the saddle behind her, one hand supporting his chin as his gaze drifted toward the horizon. "I didn't realize they'd made the academy this… high."
Esme smiled faintly. "The Floating Academy was raised by the Third Emperor himself. A monument to human ingenuity. It is said that even dragons envy its construction."
"Hmm," Sora murmured, his tone half-bored, half-impressed. "A floating island above the empire's capital. Hardly subtle."
Overhead, the clouds parted, and the faint outline of a massive island came into view, colossal, majestic, suspended in the heavens. Waterfalls of pure mana cascaded from its edges into the sky below, dissolving into glittering mist. The light caught the crystalline spires of its towers, reflecting rainbows across the horizon.
The sight was enough to make even Sora pause.
He'd seen wonders beyond mortal comprehension, relics of lost civilizations, artifacts forged by gods. And yet, this was… beautiful. Not because of its scale, but because it was a creation of human will, fragile, ambitious, and defiant.
The flying beast shrieked, wings tensing as they approached the shimmering mana field encircling the island. Esme's voice was calm as she tugged the reins slightly. "Easy now… steady."
They passed through the barrier, the air shimmering around them before parting smoothly. Below lay a sprawling city of white stone and silver bridges, alive with movement, students in academy uniforms, merchants guiding mana carts, towers topped with crystal observatories, and gardens suspended mid-air by invisible force arrays.
It was not merely an academy. It was a civilization in miniature.
Their beast descended slowly, wings folding as it glided down toward the gigantic front gates, each one etched with intricate runes, large enough to fit a dragon through.
"Halt!" a voice commanded.
A single guard, armoured in polished silver, raised his spear. The mana runes along his weapon pulsed faintly as his gaze fixed on them.
Esme reined the beast to a stop and drew out a small emblem, the royal insignia, engraved with the golden phoenix. The guard's eyes widened. In an instant, he dropped to one knee, pressing a hand to his chest.
"Forgive me, Your Highness," he stammered. "I did not realize—"
Sora waved a hand dismissively. "No need. You were doing your job."
The man bowed lower, clearly mortified. "I—I thank you, my lord!"
The gates shuddered, then opened with a deep, resonant creak, revealing the academy's inner city, vast plazas of marble, lined with shimmering runestones and tall banners bearing the emblem of the Empire.
Sora glanced at Esme. "You can head back now."
She inclined her head. "I'll make sure everything remains in order, my lord."
"Good," he said, stepping down from the beast. The air was warm, scented faintly with mana blossoms drifting from the nearby courtyard. "I'll see you soon."
She gave a formal bow. "Be well, young master."
As the flying beast took to the skies again, Sora stood alone before the academy's open gates.
The sunlight caught his coat, making the golden phoenix shimmer faintly. He could already feel dozens of curious gazes turning his way, students whispering, pointing, wondering who the newcomer might be.
He sighed softly.
"So much for being discreet."
And with that, the thirteenth prince of the Human Empire took his first step into the Floating Academy.