The castle doors opened with a soft, resonant hum—
a sound too delicate for stone, too elegant for wood.
Kairo stepped out between Faran and Cyran, the morning air brushing against his skin.
He expected another hallway.
Or a courtyard.
Or a village street.
He did not expect—
DONG—
DONG—
DONG—
Church bells.
Holy.
Pure.
Echoing across an entire world Kairo had never seen.
His breath hitched.
His eyes widened—
slowly—
sharply—
as if someone had pulled the sky open in front of him.
His jaw slackened.
Because the world before him…
was not a world.
It was a dream.
A shimmering staircase unfurled from the castle entrance, glowing like liquid sapphire—
each step shifting between water and crystal, rippling with a soft glow that mirrored the moon.
Moonlight draped the entire land in silver,
and the sky—
Kairo looked up.
The sky wasn't a sky.
It was a nebula.
A cosmic swirl of violet, indigo, and starlight—
galaxies drifting lazily like petals in an endless ocean of colour.
It didn't feel like Velronia.
It didn't even feel like Lythen.
It felt like a place that didn't belong on any map.
Kairo whispered, unable to stop the words:
"…What… is this…?"
Cyran stepped beside him, hands behind his back, smile soft and knowing.
"You couldn't see this before," Cyran said gently,
"because it's hidden behind a magical veil."
Kairo tore his eyes away from the sky, from the star-soaked air, from the staircase that trembled like moonlit water.
"A… veil?" he breathed.
Cyran nodded.
"It was crafted by Vivian," he explained with quiet pride.
"The half-elf. One of the four Guardians.
Her magic masks Velronia's true form—
to protect it
from the eyes
of the world."
Kairo looked around again.
The castle behind him—
He had seen it before.
But he had not seen this.
Now, revealed under the moonlight:
It towered over the city like a divine monument.
Walls carved from deep violet stone.
Pillars rising into the shimmering nebula overhead.
Sprawling towers crowned with floating rings of stardust.
And engraved at the very centre—
across the largest gate—
glowed Velronia's crest.
A silver crescent moon.
Not painted.
Not carved.
Alive.
It pulsed with an inner light, as if breathing in sync with the sky itself.
Kairo stepped forward without realising it.
"…It's huge," he whispered.
Faran snorted, crossing his arms with a sleepy grin.
"Told you Velronia was special," he muttered.
"You just weren't allowed to see it."
Then he pointed to the distant sky.
"You see that, kid?"
Kairo followed his finger—
and his breath froze.
Far beyond the city, past the nebula haze,
past the drifting starlight—
a silhouette cut across the horizon.
Not a mountain.
Not a cloud.
A sword.
A sword so enormous it looked like a continent suspended in the heavens.
Even from Velronia — miles and miles away —
its sheer size dwarfed everything.
It pierced the sky like a divine boundary.
Silent.
Unmoving.
Colossal.
Kairo's voice trembled.
"…Is that… Obellion's…?"
Faran only smirked.
"Yeah," he said quietly.
"Hard to miss once you know where to look."
Kairo couldn't look away.
It was so far
yet so impossibly massive
that even distance couldn't hide its presence.
It dominated the skyline.
Like judgement waiting patiently in the heavens.
He swallowed hard and turned back slowly toward the shimmering castle.
"No…" he breathed.
"No, this— this is something else.
How was this even hidden?"
Cyran's smile widened slightly.
"Vivian," he said simply.
"She is… unique."
Kairo stared at the castle again, overwhelmed.
He had walked into Velronia days ago.
He had eaten in the hall.
He had slept in the beds.
He had met the servants.
He had seen the streets.
But this—
This was an entirely different world.
And he hadn't seen any of it.
Not until now.
He exhaled softly, the breath shaking in disbelief.
"…How…
how did I miss all of this…?"
Cyran tilted his head, shrugging playfully.
"Simple," he said.
"You weren't ready."
***
They stepped onto a long bridge made of a wood Kairo had never seen before.
It was dark purple—deep, rich, almost celestial—yet when the moonlight touched it, the surface shimmered like starlit water.
Below the bridge, waterfalls crashed down in glittering sheets.
Not ordinary water—
No.
The streams glowed.
Each droplet sparkled with inner light, as if a tiny star had been dissolved into the current.
The water shone silver, blue, violet—
a galaxy flowing beside them.
Kairo slowed his steps, eyes wide.
"…What is this place…?"
Before either man could answer—
Rumble…
The bridge trembled.
Faran clicked his tongue.
"Stay focused, kid."
Kairo looked toward the horizon.
Toward the sword.
Obellion.
It twitched.
Barely.
"…Did that just—?"
"Ah," Cyran said with a gentle smile,
"It must be another one."
And then—
BOOOOOOOOM.
The world convulsed.
Obellion's sword slammed into the land far beyond Velronia—
yet the shockwave ripped through the city like a divine scream.
The bridge shuddered violently.
The waterfalls burst upward into exploding fountains of starlight.
The nebula sky bent, colours warping under the pressure.
And the forests—
they screamed.
Every tree around Velronia groaned at once, bending and twisting as if the earth itself were crying out.
Branches snapped in echoing cracks.
Leaves shot upward in shimmering clouds of green.
Small animals wearing tiny gold crowns—
the noble creatures of Velronia—
scattered across the glowing grass in panic, their circlets glinting as they fled.
Kairo tried to stand against the wind but stumbled, nearly thrown to the ground.
"What the hell was that!?" he shouted.
Faran braced himself, gripping the railing.
"Keep your balance!" he yelled.
Cyran stood perfectly still.
Wind tore at his clothes and hair—
but he didn't fall.
He simply smiled through clenched teeth.
"Don't worry," he said calmly,
"Obellion does this quite often."
The wind softened.
The bridge steadied.
The trees gradually stopped trembling.
The crowned animals cautiously peeked from behind bushes.
Kairo's breath shook.
He pushed himself upright.
"…'Often'…?" he repeated softly.
Cyran clasped his hands behind his back, voice returning to its elegant calm.
"Each Guardian possesses a special property," he said.
"They say Obellion can see 'evil' within anyone."
He stared toward the horizon, eyes narrowing slightly.
"And when it does…
it strikes."
He smiled lightly.
"Perfectly. Instantly."
Kairo blinked.
"Just like that?"
Faran shrugged.
"That's what the legends say."
Cyran nodded once.
"And Obellion has never been wrong."
Kairo looked toward the distant blade again, silent.
The crater it carved.
The cosmic tremor.
The immensity.
None of it felt real.
And yet—
it was simply part of life in Velronia.
Kairo pushed himself upright, boots sliding slightly on the trembling bridge.
His breathing was uneven, chest rising and falling as the last echoes of the shockwave faded into the nebula sky.
Cyran let out a soft laugh, brushing dust off his shoulder.
"Don't worry about it, Kairo," he said lightly.
"This veil is unbreakable.
So even if the ground shakes, you'll be fine."
He paused.
"…Well— in the castle, at least."
Kairo blinked.
"…Huh?"
Cyran scratched his cheek, smiling awkwardly.
"Can't say the same if the earthquake happens in the city."
Faran chuckled under his breath, arms crossed.
"But hey," he said, smirking,
"That's why they've got you guys, yeah?
To save the people if things get bad."
Kairo stared at the two of them.
This was not comforting.
Not even close.
His eye twitched—once, sharply.
"…Should I feel relieved or scared?" he muttered.
Faran grinned.
Cyran shrugged.
"Both," they said at the same time.
Cyran walked a few steps ahead, his gaze drifting upward toward one of Velronia's tallest spires.
For a moment, his smile softened—almost nostalgic.
"You know…" he murmured,
"This tower reminds me of something."
Faran raised a brow. "Of what?"
Cyran tilted his head, squinting as if trying to pull the memory into focus.
"A structure I keep seeing in my dreams," he said quietly.
"A metal tower.
Tall… thinner than this castle… but it rises into the sky the same way.
Lattice-like.
Almost woven."
He exhaled softly, a strange longing in his voice.
"It's so beautiful…
it looks so real…
like master blacksmiths crafted it by hand."
Kairo blinked, confused.
"…A metal tower?"
"Yeah," Cyran said with a soft shrug.
"Strange, right?
Feels like a place that shouldn't exist…
yet every time I dream it,
it looks so real."
He shook the thought off with a small chuckle.
"Anyway—let's keep moving."
Kairo looked up.
The sky wasn't a sky.
It was a nebula.
A cosmic swirl of violet, indigo, and starlight—
galaxies drifting lazily like petals in an endless ocean of colour.
And in that ocean—
Kairo's eyes widened again.
Shapes moved.
Giant, translucent fish drifted through the shimmering sky, their bodies glowing with soft constellations.
They swam as if the stars themselves were water—
their tails rippling through starlight, leaving trails of glittering dust behind them.
Kairo whispered:
"…They're… swimming…"
The cosmic fish turned slowly, weightless, peaceful—
gliding through the heavens like the entire sky was one enormous ocean.
It didn't feel like Velronia.
It didn't even feel like Lythen.
It felt like a place that didn't belong on any map.
And just like that, the moment passed.
But something about the way he spoke lingered—
an echo of a place none of them had ever seen.
Kairo took one step forward—
—and smacked straight into something solid.
"Ah—!"
He stumbled back, rubbing his forehead.
"…Huh?"
There was nothing in front of him.
Just empty air.
Faran let out a loud laugh.
Cyran chuckled behind a raised hand.
Kairo frowned and pushed forward again—
only to hit the same invisible surface.
"…What the hell…?"
Faran tapped his foot on the bridge, amused.
"Careful, kid.
Vivian's veil isn't just for hiding things.
It keeps you in place too."
Cyran stepped forward, expression warm.
"You ready?" he asked.
Before Kairo could respond, Cyran placed his palm against the invisible barrier.
The air rippled.
A deep hum resonated across the bridge—
low, ancient, echoing like distant thunder—
and then, out of nothingness,
a massive wooden door materialized.
It was enormous.
Twice the height of Velronia's gate.
Framed in dark cosmic wood, reinforced with black metal bands carved with lunar symbols.
A door meant for giants—
or something far older.
Kairo's eyes widened.
It's… massive…
This whole place is insane…
His hand tightened unconsciously at his side, breath catching as awe washed over him.
Faran smirked, stepping up beside him.
"Well?" he asked.
"You ready, Kairo?"
Kairo swallowed once and nodded.
Cyran pushed open the colossal door—
moonlight pouring through like a flood—
and the invisible barrier dissolved.
Together, they stepped forward…
leaving the magical castle behind.