Chapter: A World Where Masks Burn
They came from Earth.
From cracked pavements and crowded streets, from noise, confusion, and applause for people who pretended best. They were humans—from Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa. Flesh, blood, soul... and trauma.
But now?
They were no longer grounded.
The Earthbound Guardians had finally arrived in Airious.
They floated over the Avian City, mouths slightly open, hearts wide awake. A city not bound by logic or laws of gravity—where gravity takes a nap, and logic politely excuses itself.
The sky was streaked with hues Earth never dared to imagine—soft purples, golden blues, and radiant oranges, weaving together like dreams learning to dance.
Clouds curled into ribbons beneath their feet. Buildings spiraled upward like nature's architecture had discovered jazz. Floating shrines pulsed with Avian essence, and radiant orbs of light followed citizens like curious pets.
And everywhere… people flew.
Not in ships. Not with tech. Just pure, beautiful will.
Young students soared in wide loops, practicing aerial maneuvers while elderly sages floated in lotuses mid-air, sipping tea, discussing philosophy with birds that replied in verse.
The city was so massive, so ancient, it made the sun itself seem like a curious onlooker, trying to keep up.
Here, in this realm built from truth, Avia reigned—not as a tool, but as a reflection.
They were led to the Avian Sanctuary, a garden-temple woven from floating rock and glowing roots, where silence felt sacred and the wind whispered secrets.
Kainen, standing at the center like a monolith of poise and wisdom, faced them.
"Welcome," he said. "To the world where masks are mocked and truth is the only luxury."
He walked slowly, gaze piercing.
"Here, your Affinity reveals who you truly are. You can't fake your soul in Avia. It listens too closely."
He stopped. The wind stilled.
"First lesson. Meditate."
The Earthlings blinked.
Kainen continued, "You must face your reflection before you wield your power. Avia isn't a weapon... it's a mirror. You can't control it until you know yourself."
They sat. Hesitant. Curious. Terrified.
Then Avia answered them.
---
Osei Jerry felt instincts flooding in—future echoes, microsecond decisions, reactions sharpened like lightning.
> He opened his eyes. "I see possibilities before they happen... this is insane."
Yyvone wept silently as golden threads unraveled from her fingers, weaving gentle tapestries in the air that shimmered with warmth.
> "I… I feel people's pain before they speak it…"
Charles Oduro etched symbols mid-air. They hung, hovered, and then unfolded into effects: fire, wind, knowledge.
> "The words I write… they become."
Kennedy grinned, conjuring geometric grids that restructured trees, stones, even the air.
> "I can manipulate the framework of things… even thoughts."
Sonia closed her eyes—and her aura burst into a kaleidoscope of colors: red for anger, blue for serenity, gold for hope.
> "I channel feelings... and turn them into power…"
Then… Ian.
He stood still, his sword by his side. He swung—and the air split open in a diagonal crack, then sealed itself like time stitching a wound.
> "Slash Manipulation," he said softly. "I change reality by the impact of a strike…"
They were no longer Earthlings.
They were souls stripped of performance, finally given space to shine.
But then came the real challenge.
They gathered again before Kainen, heads spinning from power and revelation.
And the questions came like a flood:
"Why don't people hide here?"
"How do you survive without faking it?"
"What if who I really am… isn't good enough?"
Kainen smiled—kindly, but with an edge.
"Airiens don't survive by hiding. We grow by unveiling. This world doesn't ask for perfection. It asks for authenticity."
He raised a finger.
"Here, pretenders break. But the broken who are honest? They rise."
The Earthlings looked at each other. Some wide-eyed. Some skeptical.
But none turned away.
Because for once, they were being asked not to pretend, but to be.
And in a world where the sky has no ceiling, and your soul decides your direction—who you are isn't just enough.
It's everything.
The meditation ended with wide eyes and trembling hands. They had touched something raw, real, and infinite. But Kainen—stoic as ever—simply nodded.
"Good," he said, like a storm whispering before the thunder.
"Now go. Explore. Feel the city before it begins to test you."
And so, they stepped beyond the Sanctuary gates…
…into the unfiltered heartbeat of Airious.
The city greeted them like old friends.
Children zipped past, riding clouds shaped like dragons, laughing hysterically.
"Yo, chill out, newbies!" one flying kid called, doing a mid-air backflip.
"This ain't a war zone—it's Avian City, baby!"
Another girl shouted, "Don't meditate too hard or your brain might ascend!" They all laughed and vanished into the sky.
The Earthlings blinked.
Ian, stoic and sharp, suddenly froze.
A group of Airien girls with shimmering butterfly wings fluttered down around him like a pastel ambush.
They giggled. "Ooooh, who's the cutie with the serious eyes?"
Another fluttered close. "You single, slasher-boy?"
Ian cleared his throat, stepped back. "Uh. I'm... training."
"Oooh, mysterious and focused!"
"Hohoho!" they laughed in unison like a choir of flirtation. He fled. Fast.
Kennedy was too busy fanboying over the mech pilots chilling on a floating ledge.
Their armor gleamed with living metal, eyes like glowing data-streams.
One of them fist-bumped Kennedy as he walked by.
"What's up, Earthlings? Don't stress too hard—training's like a dance. Except the rhythm is pain."
Another grinned. "You'll be fine. Or broken. Both are valid."
Then came him.
A clown.
Tall hat. Oversized shoes. A glowing nose and a rainbow aura of chaotic joy.
He juggled galaxies. Literally.
He stopped, posed dramatically, and bowed to the group.
"I... am MIMBUS!" he proclaimed, confetti exploding behind him.
"Legendary Comedian of the Five Cosmic Carnivals!"
He pulled a duck from his sleeve—it gave them life advice in song.
"Always brush your soul before you brush your teeth!" it sang.
Charles whispered, "Is this real?"
Mimbus twirled, and suddenly the group was laughing—not from force, not from manipulation, but from something deeper. He could manipulate comic relief. Turn tension into punchlines. Doubt into joy.
"I always wanted to be a clown," he said softly, bowing again. "To make people smile when the universe made them cry. Avia made that dream real."
Yvonne's eyes welled up. "You're… beautiful," she said.
"Of course I am," Mimbus said, honking his own nose with pride.
They wandered more. A woman painted clouds into murals. A blind man played music that sculpted light. Dancers turned grief into floating sculptures. The city thrummed with unapologetic self-expression.
And somewhere above, on a silent balcony of the Sanctuary…
Kainen watched.
Arms crossed. Eyes steady. A soft wind stirring his cloak.
They laughed now. They marveled. They believed.
But soon, wonder would become challenge.
Because tomorrow?
The real training would begin.
And Avia does not coddle. It reveals.
Avian City faded behind them, but its wonder still clung to their souls like stardust.
The skyways curved like poetry. Kainen allowed them to roam farther, not as tourists—but as seekers. To learn the pulse of this world.
First stop? Miragos, the City of Wands.
Magic buzzed in the air like excited bees. But this wasn't wild chaos—it was disciplined enchantment.
People wielded wands—not as tools of destruction, but as keys of creation.
A man used his wand to sculpt glowing animals that danced in midair, their shapes delicate and ephemeral.
A child cast a limited-time rain of jellybeans.
A teenager made a skateboard out of water and air and crashed into a sandwich stall. The vendor applauded.
The Earthlings watched in awe. And then—she appeared.
Merina.
Eyes like the ocean, voice like a tease. She shimmered—not sparkled, no. Shimmered. As if her presence gently warped the light around her.
"Ohhh! Earthlings! How adorably lost you look."
She smiled, leaning in close to Yyvone. "You… you've got healer's fingers. I can feel it."
Yyvone blinked. "You can?"
"Water calls to water," Merina whispered, placing her palm over Yyvone's heart. "And yours ripples kindness."
Yyvone flushed. "You're… really good at this."
"I know," Merina grinned.
Kennedy, seeing his moment, cleared his throat dramatically.
"Observe... my masterpiece."
He pulled out a stone, whispered a few words, and suddenly the rock grew limbs, put on a tiny hat, and began salsa dancing.
Merina clapped in delight. "A rock that can dance? Someone's trying to impress me."
Kennedy winked. "Is it working?"
"No," she replied. "But it's so cute that it might."
Laughter echoed as she led them through winding alleys and open plazas until they arrived at the Skyports—and took a skimmer straight to CROXIA.
A city of angles and neon, where magic bowed politely to technology and let it take the wheel.
Crozia didn't shimmer—it hummed. It pulsed. Flying drones darted like metal bees. Holograms danced on buildings. Weapons floated in glass displays beside meditative AI monks. Here, Avian tech wasn't just accepted—it was worshipped.
And in the heart of it all, Merina brought them to a towering, spiral structure.
At the top stood a statue. Elegant. Lean. Eyes half-lidded with mischief.
Her fox ears perked up in bronze. Her tail curled around her feet like a question mark.
Merina gave a reverent grin.
"Kate the Fox. The master of misdirection. The Avian Knight who made an entire army surrender without a single strike."
"She's beautiful…" Charles said, wide-eyed.
"She's dangerous," Sonia whispered, sensing the quiet chaos behind that pose.
Merina turned to them, her voice lower now.
"She taught the world that power isn't just about fists. It's about perception. About knowing which buttons to push—and when to push them with style."
Kennedy whistled.
Ian, though… he didn't speak.
He stared.
Hard.
Something in her stance, her smirk, the way her hand rested on her hip—he understood it.
"She plays the mind," he muttered, mostly to himself. "Not the body."
A breeze brushed past.
He stepped closer to the statue, narrowing his eyes—and there, in the corner of his vision…
A shadow.
Slim. Tail flicking once. Lips curled.
She was watching.
Kate the Fox—not the statue, the real deal—stood atop a nearby rooftop, cloak swaying, gaze locked on Ian like she'd just found something… amusing.
She winked.
And vanished.
The moment she appeared, it was like the air itself decided to become more dramatic.
Kate the Fox.
Not a title. A presence.
Cloak billowing, pistols slung across her hips like twin gods of chaos, eyes shimmering like starlight with a secret.
She stepped down from the rooftop like gravity was an optional suggestion.
Merina gasped. Loudly. Joyfully. Like a child seeing their imaginary friend come to life.
"NO WAY. No no no noooo way! That's KATE. THE Kate!"
Kate gave a slight curtsy, barely lowering her head, but her smirk did all the bowing.
"Guilty. And flattered. Mostly flattered."
The Earthlings stood stunned. Kainen had told them of the Champions of Airious—but seeing one? Different galaxy.
"I'm Kate," she said, "Trickster, Champion, Master of Guns-That-Shouldn't-Exist, and most importantly…"
She snapped her fingers and vanished—then reappeared standing behind Charles, who jumped three feet.
"…Inventor of Swap Transposition."
She grinned like a magician after a disappearing act. "I can swap places with anything. A rock. A bullet. You."
Before they could process that, she did it again.
BOOM.
One moment Kennedy was leaning against a pillar—next moment, Kate was there. Kennedy was mid-air, flailing with a yelp, landing in a bush.
Sonia blinked. "You just... swapped places with him?"
"I did." Kate smirked. "He's fine. The bush forgives."
Laughter erupted. Even Ian cracked a smile.
---
She stayed with them longer than expected. Her lessons were light-hearted—but razor-sharp.
"Lesson one," Kate said, balancing upside down on one hand. "Mental stamina. You can shoot fire from your eyes, great. But can your mind take it when things get weird?"
Yyvone nodded slowly. "Weird how?"
Kate just smiled.
"Lesson two," she flipped upright, "Be creative. Power without play is just a tantrum. You're not soldiers. You're dreamers with fists."
Kennedy raised his hand. "Is that like, metaphorical or…"
"Sorta. Except I literally made a dream punch someone once." She winked.
"And lesson three…" she leaned in, whispering as if she were sharing a cosmic cheat code.
"Think weird. Think sideways. Break the rules, make new ones, then break those too."
Charles, arms folded, raised an eyebrow. "This place has a very inconsistent power structure. It's like… there are no rules. People just do whatever they want."
The whole group paused, looking at him like he just pointed out that the sky is too blue.
Kate turned to him slowly, eyes narrowing playfully.
"Are you sure?" she purred.
Then—she vanished again.
This time, Charles was standing on top of a lamppost.
The others burst out laughing.
"Okay!" he shouted, clinging to the pole. "That's cheating!"
"Nope!" Kate's voice echoed from somewhere. "That's Airious!"
There you have it, Airious, no masks, just pure Authenticity...
But, Will Jack stop being a wimp and make his decision... well...It won't be as you expect