The Cirran team walked in silence, scattered across the corridor. No one spoke.
Mirae slowed her pace until Ardyn caught up beside her. She didn't say anything, but her look was enough. He gave a small tilt of his head toward a side corridor, and she followed.
They stepped into the lift. The doors slid shut with a soft hiss.
"That was the worst training we've had," Mirae said.
"It was never my intention to be the number one at the Honoring," Ardyn replied quietly.
"I know."
She looked ahead, eyes distant. "Kael was always used to being the ace."
The lift opened with a soft chime. They stepped out into a quiet corridor that led to one of the outer platforms.
"We can talk here," Ardyn said. "This place is usually quiet."
They made their way to the railings. The sky stretched wide around them.
"Did you bring Elari's Whisperrelay?" Mirae asked.
Ardyn nodded as he pulled the small device from his jacket. "He left a recorded message," he said, pressing the button
Elari's voice crackled through.
"Training ran longer than expected—I can't leave today. I'll head out in two days using a Stormcutter. It's fast, so expect me in Windmere in four."
A pause. Then: "I'll send another message when I arrive."
"I have a question," Ardyn said, slipping the Whisperrelay back into his jacket.
"Go," Mirae replied.
"Your Aerolith," he said. "Was it something the Orriven provided, or... a personal one?"
"A personal one," she answered.
"How long have you had it?"
Mirae thought for a moment. "Maybe since I was sixteen. Before I even joined the Orriven Cirran team."
She gave a faint smile. "You won't believe it, but I found mine in our backyard.
Ardyn glanced at her. "Did it respond to you right away?"
"No," she said, shaking her head. "But I kept it. I don't know why—it just felt like it was meant for me somehow."
She looked down at her hands on the railing. "It didn't react until maybe a year later. Right after that, I joined the Orriven apprenticeship."
Then she turned to him, curious. "Why?"
Our stories might be a little different," Ardyn said, "but I think there's something similar in them."
Mirae turned toward him, resting her elbow on the railing, chin on her hand.
"Pops told me my Aerolith's been with me since I was three," Ardyn said. "But it only reacted when I turned five. My father was the one who found it."
He paused for a moment. "He told me something that stuck."
"He said maybe the Aerolith found me. And maybe… it found you, too."
Mirae straightened at that, thoughtful.
"Then when you rescued Roe," she said slowly, "that wasn't the first time it synced to you. You were already connected to it long before."
Ardyn nodded. "What if it's the same story with Elari?"
"Should we ask him using the Whisperrelay?" Mirae asked.
Ardyn shook his head. "Better to hear it from him in person."
"Alright. Let me know once he sends another message," she said.
She stepped back from the railing. "Come on, you need to patch up those bruises."
Then she punched him lightly on the shoulder.
"Ahh—!" Ardyn flinched.
Mirae smirked. "Too sensitive. That wasn't even a real punch."
Just as Ardyn and Mirae stepped away and the lift doors slid shut, a figure emerged from the shadows behind the platform's support beams.
Kaenra.
She watched the closed lift for a moment, then raised a Whisperrelay to her mouth.
"Elari is coming to Windmere in two days.
A pause.
The Whisperrelay cracked:
"Message the Galeveiled Assassins."
* * *
The Windmere Cirran team pushed through every drill thrown at them. Strikes landed cleaner. Blocks came faster. Each member showed signs of growth, refining their individual forms with grit and focus.
But the tension hadn't vanished.
A missed cue. A clash in rhythm.
Captain Seris watched from the sidelines, silent as always. On the third day, he finally spoke.
"You'll have a week of rest," he said. "Use it. Get your minds right."
He let the words hang.
"But keep training. Alone, if you have to. You'll need it."
* * *
The Windmere dock sat in near silence, lit only by scattered amber lamps flickering through the low morning mist. The sky remained dark, with just a pale hint of light stretching at the horizon's edge.
Ardyn and Mirae walked side by side, their boots tapping softly against the metal walkway. Jackets drawn tight and hoods pulled low, they moved like shadows, heavy bags hanging from their shoulders.
The breakdown within Windmere's team was a bad sign for the Cirran squad—but in a way, it worked in favor of them.
Mirae checked her watch. "What time did Elari mention?"
"Four in the morning," Ardyn replied.
"We're just in time," she said.
"What did you tell Captain Seris?" Ardyn asked.
Told him I'd be heading back to Orriven for a while," she said. "You?"
"Said I'm staying with Pops."
Mirae gave him a quick sideways glance. "What if they check the mechanic shop?"
Ardyn smirked. "Didn't think about that."
She raised an eyebrow.
"But I doubt they will," he added. "Doma and Pimri went home too. We're not the only ones vanishing for a bit."
As they walked farther along the dock, something sleek and dark came into view through the mist—its shape angular and low, with faint lines of blue light pulsing along its sides. The Stormcutter rested quietly at the end of the platform.
A lone figure stood in front of it, hood drawn low. At the sight of them, the figure raised a hand in greeting.
"That must be Elari," Ardyn said.
They kept walking. As they neared, the shadows pulled back just enough to reveal the edge of Elari's face beneath the hood.
Mirae gave a small wave in return.
With a soft hiss, Elari turned and opened the Stormcutter's door. A fine mist curled from the seam as it slid open.
"Very neat," Ardyn muttered, eyeing the craft's polished interior.
"Let's go," Elari said.
Without another word, the three of them stepped inside.
The Stormcutter's interior sealed with a quiet click, and a moment later, a low, resonant hum filled the cabin. The floor beneath them vibrated subtly as the engine came alive.
Outside the windows, the blue lining along the hull brightened, casting soft light across the dark dock.
Then, with a gentle jolt, the Stormcutter began to rise. Smooth and controlled, it lifted from the platform, mist swirling beneath it in spirals as the dock slowly fell away below.
"Is this Stormcutter yours?" Ardyn asked from behind, eyes on the sleek controls in front of Elari.
Elari gave a small nod, hands steady on the console.
"Comes with being the ace of the top isle," Mirae said with a smirk.
"You know where the isle is?" she added.
"Yeah," Elari replied. "Should get there in about an hour."
"What was the name of the isle?" Ardyn asked, eyes watching the sky ahead through the Stormcutter's front panel.
"Fenveil," Elari replied without looking back.
Mirae let out a soft "Hmm," then added, "One of the isles that doesn't join Skytest."
"No longer join," Elari corrected.
"The last time they did was eight years ago," he added. "Same year Neron Dunnivar was arrested for digging too deep into the Breathers."
"So he's still in prison?" Ardyn asked.
Elari shook his head. "Served two years. Got out on one condition—he'd abandon the research entirely."
"Where did you get all this?" Mirae asked.
"Perks of being the ace of the reigning isle," he said, echoing her earlier words with a faint smirk.
Mirae and Ardyn laughed.
"Elari, we're just curious," Mirae said, glancing across the aisle. "Your Aerolith—was it yours from the start, or did Cindralune provide it?"
"It's mine," Elari said simply.
Mirae turned to Ardyn, then back again. "When did you get it? And when did it first react to you?"
"I've had it since I was eight. It reacted a year later," Elari answered. "Why?"
"I think we have something in common," Mirae said. "Ardyn's had his since he was three. It reacted when he was five. Mine came at sixteen. Took a year before it responded."
"We all bonded without going through the Cirran syncing," Ardyn added, leaning forward. "Where'd yours come from? Did you find it somewhere?"
"A strange place," Elari said after a pause. "There was a tall tree near our home. I used to climb it all the time as a kid. One day, I found the Aerolith just sitting there—on one of the branches."
"So all of us... our Aeroliths," Ardyn said quietly. "We found them. Or it find us."
The three of them were quiet at those thoughts.
Silence lingered in the Stormcutter as the minutes slipped by.
After nearly an hour, Fenveil loomed ahead.
The isle rose like a steep green slope against the dim sky, quiet and cloaked in layered mist. A clustered town sat nestled atop its central hill—modest structures of stone and timber. Narrow paths spiraled down from the hilltop, winding through patches of thick forest that covered the lower ridges of the isle. Here and there, flickers of lanterns moved between the trees, proof that life stirred even in the quiet.
The Stormcutter descended toward the edge of the hill, settling onto the landing pads just outside the main settlement. The town lay farther uphill—stone paths, clustered rooftops, and quiet, early light beginning to stir.
Ardyn stepped out first, he adjusted the strap of his bag and glanced up toward the rising slope. Mirae followed close behind, pulling her hood up. Elari was last, eyes scanning the narrow path ahead.
"Should we start with the town," he asked, "or check the outlying parts first?"
"I say town first," Ardyn said. "Might have more information there."
Mirae and Elari nodded in agreement, and the three of them started up the winding stone path that led toward the town.
As they approached the town's entrance, the path leveled into a small archway framed by mossy stone pillars. Two sentinels in dark green coats stood at either side. One stepped forward, glancing at them with measured caution.
"Identification," he said.
They each produced their ID chips, which were scanned quickly and without comment.
From there, they worked their way through the square, slipping in and out of the few shops that had opened early. A grocer unpacking crates of fruit just shook her head. A smith looked up from the grindstone, squinted, and said, "Name rings a bell, but can't place it." A tailor half-listened as she threaded silks, then offered only a distracted, "Maybe someone older in town would know. Try asking around once the place's fully awake."
Eventually, they found a small eatery tucked at the plaza's edge, where the scent of simmering broth drifted through the open windows. While waiting for their food, Mirae leaned toward the old man behind the counter.
"Neron Dunnivar," she said. "You know anyone by that name?"
He wiped his hands on his apron, eyes narrowing slightly as he studied them.
"Hmm… the former Cirran?" he said at last. Then he gave a slow nod. "Yes, he eats here from time to time."
"You know where he lives?" Mirae asked.
"We're Cirrans too," Ardyn added quickly.
Mirae and Elari both turned toward him—silent, subtle glances that read like a warning.
"We… we just wanted—"
"You wanted to learn from an old Cirran," the old man finished for him.
Ardyn gave a small nod.
"I don't know exactly where he lives," the old man said, wiping his hands again. "But I'd guess he's staying somewhere down the hill these days."
They made their way down the hill after breakfast, following a faint path wound through the sloped terrain, just visible where the grass grew thinner.
The morning mist had begun to lift, revealing more of the quiet outskirts.
Before long, they spotted a barn nestled against a gentle rise. A man stood outside, hauling a sack of grain into a wheelbarrow. He straightened as they approached, watching them with the quiet suspicion of someone unaccustomed to visitors.
"Looking for someone," Mirae said. "Neron Dunnivar."
The man wiped his brow with the back of his hand. "Old Cirran, right?"
Mirae nodded.
The man tilted his head toward the east. "Keep following the slope until you see the windmill. He's got a place next to it."
They thanked him and continued on.
The windmill stood crooked above the trees, its wooden blades still but unbroken. Beside it was a small house, worn by time but clearly looked after. Moss hugged the stone base, and ivy crept along the windows.
The place was quiet, but not abandoned. A tidy stack of firewood sat beneath the awning.
Ardyn stepped forward. He raised his hand to knock—then paused, glancing back at Elari and Mirae.
They both gave small nods.
Ardyn knocked.
The door opened.