The morning sun rose over the eastern mountains, casting a warm golden glow across the landscape. Kael had been flying for four days since leaving the village of the kidnapped children, and the world below him had changed once again. The green valleys and rolling hills had given way to rocky terrain and sparse forests. The air was cooler here, thinner, carrying the scent of pine and distant snow. It was a land of silence. A land of secrets. A land that had been forgotten by the world.Zephyr flew steadily, its golden wings catching the pale sunlight. Lira, Aether, Terra, Lux, Umbra, and the void beast followed close behind, their forms magnificent against the bright blue sky. They were tired, their energy depleted by the long journey. But they did not stop. They could not stop. Something was calling to them. Something that had been waiting for a very long time.Kael felt it before he saw it. A pull. A whisper. A cry for help. It came from the east, from beyond the rocky hills, from a

The road ahead was lined with blossoms.Kael had been flying for five days since leaving the village of lost memories, and the world below him had changed once again. The wide plains had given way to gentle hills covered in orchards and vineyards. The air was sweet with the scent of blossoms and ripe fruit. It was a land of abundance. A land of beauty. A land that seemed too perfect to be real.Zephyr flew steadily, its golden wings catching the sunlight. Lira, Aether, Terra, Lux, Umbra, and the void beast followed close behind, their forms magnificent against the bright blue sky. They were tired, their energy depleted by the long journey. But they did not stop. They could not stop. Something was calling to them. Something that had been waiting for a very long time.Kael felt it before he saw it. A pull. A whisper. A cry for help. It came from the heart of the orchards, from a place that had been forgotten by the world. He did not know what it was. He did not know who was calling. But

The mountain path was steep and unforgiving.Kael had been walking for two days since leaving the City Beneath the Waves, and the world around him had changed once again. The rocky island and crashing waves had given way to towering peaks and thin, cold air. The sky was a pale, brilliant blue, the sun sharp and distant. Snow capped the highest summits, gleaming white against the stone. It was a land of silence. A land of isolation. A land that had been forgotten by the world.He had left Zephyr and the other Primeval Beasts at the base of the mountain. The path was too narrow, too treacherous for flying. He had climbed on foot, his breath forming clouds in the cold air, his legs burning with each step. But he did not stop. He could not stop. Something was calling to him. Something that had been waiting for a very long time.He felt it before he saw it. A pull. A whisper. A presence. It came from the highest peak, from a cave that had been carved into the stone. He did not know what it

The road led to a city, not a village.Kael had been flying for six days since leaving the village that forgot how to laugh. The gentle valleys had given way to busy trade routes, and the trade routes had led to a sprawling city built at the crossroads of three rivers. It was a city of merchants, of caravans, of noise and color and life. After so many quiet places, it felt almost overwhelming.He landed on a hill overlooking the city and simply watched for a while. Zephyr settled beside him, its golden eyes scanning the streets below. Lira, Aether, Terra, Lux, Umbra, and the void beast rested nearby, grateful for the pause."Something is wrong here," Kael said quietly.Zephyr turned its head. "You feel it too.""I do. It's not sadness. It's not emptiness. It's something else." He frowned, searching for the word. "It feels like hunger. Like everyone down there is starving for something they can't name."They entered the city on foot. The gates were open, the guards barely looked at the

The road led upward, into the hills.Kael had been flying for three days since leaving the lake where the girl had held up the sky, and the land below had grown higher and rougher with each passing hour. The meadows had given way to slopes covered in scrub and stone. The air had thinned and cooled. The sun was bright but distant, as if it had to work harder to reach this place.He landed in a shallow valley tucked between two ridges. There was a small village here, barely a dozen houses, arranged around a garden that took up the center of the settlement. It was the largest garden Kael had ever seen in a village this size. It had been carefully laid out, with stone paths and neat rows and a low wall around the whole thing. Someone had put years of work into it.But nothing was growing.The soil was dark and rich. The paths were clean. The tools were stacked neatly by the gate. Everything was ready. But there was not a single plant in the ground. Not a sprout. Not a seed. Nothing.Kael