Wind screamed through the stratosphere, shredding clouds into neon mist. The Kingdom of Aether floated in the endless storm — a network of titanic turbines, suspended cities, and lightning bridges that connected towers of gleaming silver.
Tray and Lyra stood at the edge of a landing platform, the air so charged it made their armor hum.
> "So this is Aether," Tray muttered. "Looks friendly."
> "Keep your visor polarized," Lyra said. "The lightning carries data charges strong enough to scramble memory."
They disembarked from the hovercraft and stepped into the gale. Stormlight washed over them — indigo bolts arcing through clouds that pulsed with static. Every breath tasted like metal and danger.
Lyra moved like she belonged here, her spear resonating faintly with the wind. Tray followed close, his eyes scanning the platforms ahead — all of them connected by luminous bridges that flickered beneath their feet.
> "We're supposed to meet the Sky Regent at the Spire," Lyra said. "If the Rift reached Aether, we'll know there."
> "What's with all the lightning?"
> "It's alive," she answered quietly. "The storm is the kingdom's power source. But it's been… changing."
They entered a corridor that opened into a colossal chamber — the Spire Core. The walls were alive with electrical veins, feeding into a central generator the size of a cathedral. The hum was deep enough to feel in their bones.
Standing at the heart of it was Regent Kael, armored in chrome-blue and white, his eyes sharp and calculating.
> "Lyra of Isibindi," he said. "And the rogue shadow. You've traveled far into the tempest."
> "We came with warning," Lyra replied. "The Rift spreads. We've seen it consume two kingdoms already."
Kael studied Tray, a faint sneer forming. "And yet you bring a drifter who walks with darkness."
> "I walk where I need to," Tray said evenly. "Got a problem with that?"
Kael's smirk deepened. "Only if your shadow interferes with my light."
Lyra stepped between them. "Enough. We're not here to posture."
The Regent turned away, gazing up at the swirling energy core. "Then look, warrior. The Rift doesn't only consume—it evolves."
The chamber darkened. Screens along the walls flickered to life, showing storm-data collapsing into chaos. In the center, a bolt of crimson lightning cracked the ceiling. For a split second, Tray saw something inside it — a face.
> "That's not possible…" Lyra whispered.
Kael's voice hardened. "It is now. The storm listens. And it remembers."
The lights exploded. The chamber plunged into darkness — only the red lightning remained, twisting like serpents across the walls.
From the shadows emerged forms — Rift Wraiths, humanoid storms given shape, their bodies made of plasma and glitch.
Tray drew his katana; Lyra's spear flared to life.
> "Stay close!" she shouted.
The battle erupted in chaos — arcs of energy crashing into steel, sparks scattering across the chamber. Tray sliced through one wraith, but another surged behind him, striking with a bolt that sent him flying.
Lyra caught him mid-fall, her arm around his back, her face inches from his. For a heartbeat the world stopped — stormlight glowing on her lips, the sound of thunder drowning out everything but breath.
> "You okay?" she asked.
He grinned weakly. "Didn't know you cared."
> "Don't make me regret it."
She pushed him upright just as Kael unleashed a massive shockwave from his gauntlet, clearing the chamber.
> "Enough!" Kael roared. "We can't fight the storm — we must control it!"
> "You can't control corruption," Tray shouted back. "It always eats through."
But Kael ignored him, walking straight into the heart of the generator. Energy surged around him, crawling across his armor.
> "He's syncing with it," Lyra gasped. "He'll kill himself—"
Kael turned, his voice fractured with static. "No… I'll ascend!"
The storm screamed. Lightning swallowed him whole.
When it faded, the Regent was gone — replaced by a towering being of light and code, eyes burning white.
> "I am Aether reborn," it thundered. "And all shall be rewritten!"
Tray raised his blade. "Guess we're rewriting him first."