The airship drifted silently through the copper-colored clouds. Below, the new Earth stretched endlessly — a wild, reborn land untouched by civilization.
When the volunteers descended from their colossal skyship, the monstrous silhouette they had seen earlier was gone. But none of them felt safe.
Among the two hundred survivors, not one asked whether humanity had won or lost.
The only thought that echoed in their minds was simple
Survive.
Moments later, they spotted smoke rising in the distance.
The volunteers began to whisper among themselves — fear lacing their voices.
> "What kind of creature could that be?"
"Do you think it's one of the monsters we saw earlier?"
Before they could say more, they realized the smoke was getting closer — fast, like a storm chasing them. One of the volunteers lifted a pair of binoculars, peered through them… and froze. His eyes widened in shock.
"C–Captain! Creatures! There are so many of them!"
Out of the haze, shapes began to emerge — green-skinned beings with long, sharp claws, small but powerful in build, standing only around five feet tall. Their skin shimmered under the sunlight, as though forged from the planet's living energy itself.
"Stay calm!" shouted Captain Rion Kade, his voice steady above the panic.
"You all joined this mission knowing there would be the unexpected! Everyone who can handle a weapon — report to Officer Klamb for distribution!"
But before Rion could finish speaking, the creatures appeared — monsters with metal-like wings and scaled bodies that gleamed in the light.
In an instant, they swooped down on the group of volunteers.
Some were snatched into the air, others thrown aside by the gusts from the creatures' wings.
Screams. Alarms. Chaos.
And in the middle of it all — Dr. Kadia Vell stood frozen.
As the world erupted around her, memories crashed back into her mind — a storm of the past tearing through her thoughts.
Visions she thought she'd buried long ago.
The Past
Before the mission — before the Celestial Core awakened — one of the volunteers, Dr. Kadia Vell, had been a renowned doctor on the old Earth.
But she carried a wound deeper than any scar: guilt.
In the dying days of the planet, she had worked in a private hospital that only the rich could afford. While the world outside begged for medical help, she was forced to serve those who had destroyed it — the powerful, the corrupt, the ones who paid her to stay silent.
Every day, she hated herself a little more.
So when the Global Survival Authority called for volunteers for Project Rebirth, she didn't hesitate.
If this mission killed her, she would die doing something right.
The Sky Attack
The memory came like a storm.
Kadia was aboard a private airship, traveling to treat a high-ranking official poisoned by the toxic air.
The ship gleamed white and gold — a symbol of luxury in a dying world.
But as they crossed the upper atmosphere, a flash of light tore through the clouds.
A violent explosion ripped open the side of the airship.
"Aether Raiders!" someone shouted.
The pirates of the skies — scavengers who preyed on wealthy vessels and gave their loot to the starving masses.
At the front of the attack was a small, customized craft — black and silver, sleek as a blade.
Its pilot dove straight through the explosion.
A voice echoed through the comms, half-joking, half-serious.
"Captain John, sorry! I miscalculated the blast again!"
From his own ship, Captain John sighed in frustration.
"Laive, you idiot! You'll kill everyone on board! That's not the plan!"
"Apologies, Captain," Laive replied calmly. "Won't happen again."
But it already had.
Laive leaped from his small ship — the Airship 01 — landing gracefully on the damaged luxury vessel. His suit gleamed faintly under the stormlight, vents on his boots releasing small bursts of air that slowed his descent.
Inside, panic. Doctors and guards shouted. Smoke filled the corridors.
Laive walked through it all as if he were taking a quiet stroll.
When he reached the medical chamber, he found Kadia and several doctors huddled together.
"You're safe for now," he said, his voice calm behind his mask. "But wear your air filters — the outer hull is gone."
Kadia's eyes narrowed. "Who are you?"
"Aether Raider," he answered simply, checking the side of the room. "But not your enemy."
As he turned toward the window, a doctor behind him moved silently, gripping a surgical cutter.
Before the blade could strike, air hissed from the vents in Laive's suit — a sudden burst of pressure throwing the attacker backward.
In one swift motion, Laive threw a small device. It latched onto the man's chest and released a burst of electricity.
The doctor convulsed, collapsing instantly.
"That's," Laive said coldly, "idiot move, Brother."
He raised his wrist, pressing a switch. A soft blue glow spread through his gloves as he touched the glass wall.
"Cover your ears."
The device detonated silently, releasing a shockwave that shattered the glass without sending shards flying.
Wind roared into the room. Kadia, panicking, grabbed the mask from the fallen doctor and pulled it over her face just in time as Laive jumped out through the broken frame — vanishing into the storm.
Then — darkness.
The Present
When Kadia opened her eyes, everything was quiet.
She was lying in a small, glass-walled room bathed in pale light. Her reflection shimmered on the transparent walls.
Outside, she saw movement — figures walking in dim tunnels lit by flickering lamps.
Metal beams, scattered machines, and faint voices filled the air.
It wasn't a hospital. It was an underground base.
She tried to move but winced in pain. Her head throbbed.
Then — a voice.
"You're awake."
She turned.
Standing beyond the glass was Laive, unmasked now, his calm eyes studying her. The same man who had attacked her ship — the same one who had saved her life.
Her breath caught in her throat.
"Laive…?"
He nodded slightly. "You fainted after the explosion. I brought you here."
Kadia tried to sit up, anger flickering in her chest.
"I should have known. You again… always playing the hero after causing chaos."
Laive didn't respond. Instead, he turned to the side and opened the door. Two of his men entered — carrying a small child wrapped in a ragged blanket. The boy's breathing was shallow, his skin faintly glowing blue.
"He inhaled toxic air from the surface," Laive said quietly. "Can you save him, exclusive Doctor?"
Kadia froze. Around her, beyond the glass, she saw others — dozens of survivors, coughing, trembling, poisoned by the new world's unstable energy.
Her chest tightened. It was just like before — the sick, the poor, the forgotten.
Only this time, she had no hospital. No staff. No luxury equipment.
Just her — and the boy who once nearly destroyed her life.
"I hate taking orders from you. " she whispered, trembling.
Laive's expression didn't change. "You don't have to like me. Just help them."
For a long moment, she said nothing. Then she looked at the child again — so small, barely breathing.
Her hands shook, but her voice steadied.
"Bring me medical tools," she said finally. "I'll do what I can."
Laive nodded once, his calm eyes softening just for a moment.
"Good."
As he turned and walked away, the light from the corridor caught the symbol on his back — a silver emblem shaped like twin wings surrounding a star.
Aether Division.
Kadia watched him go, her thoughts spiraling between anger and reluctant admiration.
He was reckless, impossible, infuriating…
And yet, in a world that had died and been reborn in chaos —
Laive was the only one still trying to save it.