The Emberwing cut through the night sky like a silver arrow. The storm was behind kael now, but the questions were not. The orb floated besides him in the cockpit, humming softly. It's glow lit up his face, calm and blue.
Kael stared at it. "What are you ?"
The orb pulsed once.
He reached out gently touched it again.
This time, it didn't show chaos, it showed memories...soft, clear images that played behind his eyes.
A city floating above clouds, people walking on glass bridges, Towers powered by light, not fuel. And at the center of it all....the Skycore.
Kael gasped. The vision faded.
So it was true. The world once had cities in the air. Whole kingdoms in the sky.
"This orb ... it's a piece of that world," he whispered.
He checked his compass. Still spinning. The orb seemed to mess with it.
"No choice but to trust the sky now."
Later that night, Kael landed on a quiet cliff to rest. He built a small fire and sat beside the plane. The stars were clear above, blinking like the lights of a city far away.
Suddenly, the orb floated to his side again and spoke. Not with words, but with a calm voice in his head.
"You are the last of the Stroud line. The one who must bring balance to the sites."
Kael froze." You can speak?"...
" I can guide. If you choose to listen."
He looked around, half --- expecting it to be a dream.
"What do you want from me ?" He asked.
"Not what I want. What you are meant for."
" You must find the other cores. Together, they wake the city above the clouds."
Kael's eyes widened. " There's more?"
"Four in total. One for each wind. The next lies where the stars fall."
Before he could ask more, the orb dimmed and floated back to the ship.
Kael sat in silence.
A bigger journey had just begun. Not just to find treasure.... But to bring back a lost world.