[Kaldren Mountains – Outer Region]
Kal crouched low, picking herbs off the ground. The wind was cold, and his fingers were stiff, but he worked fast. He dropped the herbs into a small cloth bag and stood up.
He looked ahead.
A rocky path led toward a place covered in mist. The air felt different there quiet, still.
Kal frowned.
"My mom told me never ever to go there," he said. Then he smiled a little. "But… she's not gonna know."
He took off running up the slope, boots hitting stone. He dodged sharp rocks, climbed over ledges, and pushed forward until he reached a high point.
He looked around.
"Wow," he said, disappointed. It was just more rocks and dry trees.
Then he heard something.
A deep sound, low and heavy.He froze.
Kal dropped into a bush, heart pounding. He pushed a branch aside and looked out.
A Grimblehorn walked across the rocks.
It was huge. Like a giant mountain goat, with long dirty fur and horns that twisted like old tree roots. Its glowing amber eyes moved slowly. With every step, the ground shook a little.
Kal didn't move. Didn't breathe.
Kal smiled, but not kindly.
"We got dinner for tonight," he muttered.
He set his basket down beside the bush and slowly stood up. His eyes locked on the Grimblehorn as he crept closer, one step at a time, careful not to make a sound.
But then—
Snap.
His foot landed on a stick.
The Grimblehorn's head snapped toward him. It let out a deep roar that shook the ground and charged.
Kal's eyes widened. He jumped back just in time, the beast's heavy hooves slamming the earth where he'd just stood.
Dust flew.
Kal turned and ran—fast.
But the Grimblehorn wasn't done. It stopped, twisted its body, and came back around. Kal jumped again, barely dodging its massive horns.
The Grimblehorn dashed toward Kal, hooves slamming the ground. Kal didn't run this time.
He grabbed a tree trunk, swung himself up, and jumped straight onto the beast's back.
It roared, thrashing wildly, but Kal held on tight.
He grabbed its twisted horns with both hands and leaned hard to the side. The Grimblehorn stumbled.
Kal gritted his teeth, pulling with everything he had. They slammed into a huge rock.
Crack!
The beast hit the stone headfirst, then dropped to the ground with a heavy thud.
Kal let go, breathing hard. He looked down at the unconscious creature, then wiped the sweat off his brow.
He walked back to grab his basket, then returned to the Grimblehorn with a grin.
"Dinner," he said, smirking as he started to drag the heavy beast down the trail.
[Solhara – Desert Kingdom]
The girl dashed forward, sword raised, clashing against the man in front of her. Steel rang out across the sand.
The man blocked her strike and sent her flying back with one strong push.
He dashed at her again, and their swords met in a flurry of sparks. Blow for blow, they moved fast—kicks, strikes, counters.
But the man was stronger. He pushed her back again.
Zara's eyes glowed.
She stepped back, raised her hand, and hurled a fireball straight at him.
The man dodged, rushing in.
Zara gritted her teeth, grabbed her sword with both hands, and let her flames flow into it. The blade lit up.
She dashed forward again. Fire trailed behind her.
They clashed—fast, hot, brutal. But then the man's eyes glowed too. He twisted his stance and slammed her to the ground with a strong strike.
She hit the sand hard and let out a frustrated breath.
The man walked up, reached his hand down, and said, "You did good today, Zara."
She grabbed his hand but frowned, pulling herself up. "I didn't win, though."
He smiled.
"Winning's not the point. Learning to rise is."
The man walked off, brushing sand from his sleeve.
"I'm going to head back to the palace now, Princess," he said.
Zara nodded, still gripping her sword. "Alright, Master. I'm going to continue training."
He gave a small smile. "Just make sure you take some rest."
She smirked, turning back to the training ground. "Will do."
[Caelum – Sky Island Kingdom]
We see a kid crouched beside a tower, focused and grinning. He was building something small—round balls, each one carved with strange little marks.
He held one up, then breathed wind into it, watching it glow faintly.
He stepped back, took a running start, and leapt off the tower.
The clouds rushed past him as he dropped fast. Below him, floating islands stretched across the sky, with homes and markets built on stone platforms held up by wind magic.
Just before he hit the ground, he used a burst of wind beneath his feet and landed gently.
He scooped up the balls and tossed them down into the market street below.
Then he ran back up the hill, climbed a rooftop, and crouched down to watch.
Boom.
A loud gust burst from the balls, sending people flying into carts, chickens soaring into the air, stands tipping over, and one poor man losing his hat to the wind.
He couldn't help it.
He started laughing hard eyes tearing up from how funny it was.
Then he heard a voice behind him.
"What are you doing?"
He turned slowly.
His older sister stood there
arms crossed, eyes narrowed.
Her fingers cracked one by one as she walked toward him.
"What do you think you're doing to these innocent people?"
He gave a nervous smile. "Heh… hey, Aeris…"
Before she could grab him, he tossed another wind ball and dashed off.
"Nope, not today!"
But she was faster.
She raised her hand and sent a sharp gust of wind that wrapped around him, yanking him off his feet and slamming him flat on the ground.
He groaned. "Let me gooo!"
She marched over, cracked her knuckles, and punched him lightly on the back of the head.
Then she grabbed his leg and started dragging him through the streets.
"Back to the castle. Now."
"Noooo