A few moments ago...

Floating high above the fog-choked clouds, a massive wind spirit drifted through the night in the form of a hawk.

Its wings stretched so wide they seemed to melt into the dark sky itself, while its large white eyes, blank and pupilless like an owl’s, glowed faintly against the gloom.

Crimson strands trailed from its tail like flickering ribbons of blood, wavering so strangely they felt almost unreal.

Two men dressed in black stood upon the spirit’s broad back, silent and patient as the cold, rushing wind whipped through their hair and tugged at their clothes.

One of them held a black case tightly in his hand, his gaze fixed beneath the clouds as though he were seeing through the hawk’s very eyes.

"How sure are you about this? The Sovereign seems to be growing soft these days. How can he believe a student’s words?"

The man behind yelled, throwing himself against the hawk as the height below, vast and looming, slowly became his worst nightmare.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

"Aren’t you going to say anything? I think you feel the same. Helios Academy is one of the best, and the headmaster is apparently a Philosopher rank. Do you really think we’d succeed there?"

A groan from the man ahead. It built, slow and steady, into an irritating yell.

"Shut up already, Nine. I’m trying to concentrate here."

That anger in his eyes wasn’t one to reckon with. Yet Nine appeared unbothered, shrugged carelessly, and continued to speak as though none of it touched him.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

"I know you know I’m right."

He paused for a moment.

"Hey, what about this? Maybe the Sovereign’s control over the Black Arms should be questioned. He’s ruled for decades, and age may be clouding his judgment. His decisions don’t feel as sound as they used to."

Nine gave his words a beat. "Let’s overthrow him."

"That’s blasphemy, you know. You could be killed for saying that." The man exhaled.

"What makes you think you know better than the Sovereign? If this mission were dangerous, he would have assigned higher ranks, but he chose us."

Nine shrugged. "What if he’s just using us as pawns?"

"Maybe he is. And if he is, what can we do? I’ve been stuck at Ten for a long time now. This mission is the perfect chance to rise to Nine, just like you."

Ten stared down once more, brown eyes slowly turning blurry.

"No one will be expecting an attack from the air. We’ll proceed as instructed: meet the girl and report the mission to One."

Nine shriveled, still holding his careful position on the hawk’s back. "Whatever."

Ten’s pupils widened as he stared, a soft smile slowly tugging at his lips. "It’s time, Nine. Hold on tight."

He eagerly flipped open the case in his hand. Resting inside was a missile. Pulling it free, he tightened his grip on the hawk’s feathers while Nine steadied himself nervously behind him.

"Yep, yep, Achi," Ten said, and at once the wind spirit tilted its massive body, soaring higher into the freezing night air.

The moment Ten released the missile, Achi unleashed a piercing sonic screech. A violent wave of wind blasted downward, catching the missile and hurling it through the clouds at terrifying speed.

Seconds later, a thunderous explosion bloomed below, its fiery glow briefly staining the fog crimson. Relief washed over Ten and Nine, their laughter breaking into the roaring wind.

Then, almost as if the blast had been a signal, a massive blue wyrm burst through the clouds, tearing straight toward Achi.

Achi acted on impulse, hurling a powerful wind blade toward the wyrm. The creature avoided it with ease, but Achi didn’t let it breathe.

A counter came instantly. A sonic screech, more powerful and violent than the last. The wyrm plummeted back into the clouds.

Nine let out an irritated sound. "I told you, didn’t I? Now I’m going to fall. I’m most definitely going to fall."

Nothing held his gaze but the ever-stretching fall below. His heart hammered harder with every passing moment.

"Calm down, would you?"

Said Ten, measured and calm about it. He gestured toward the wyrm as it re-emerged from the clouds.

"It’s her. The cadet. The one who gave the sovereign the information."

Nine’s eyes landed on her. A woman in an academy uniform, military coat, and barrack cap, standing firm on the wyrm as though the very height driving him paranoid didn’t touch her one bit.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Her golden hair flickered, and her crimson eyes tore fearlessly through the foggy air. He couldn’t see anything particular past them, but the chilling smirk across her face was enough to make him paranoid.

He swallowed hard. "Are you sure it’s her... or the other two beside her?"

Ten’s confidence was fierce as he spoke:

"No, it’s the golden-haired one. She matches the description One gave me."

Ten patted Achi slightly. His way of encouraging his spirits.

"Now, we need to make it look like a real fight and then retreat in the end."

Nine still wasn’t having any of that. The height was still his problem, but his fears weren’t of much concern. Achi lunged forward at the wyrm, one strike after another. For a moment, all the other party did was avoid the strike.

Then, as if fear had never once occurred to her, the golden-haired woman lunged herself off the wyrm and soared higher into the air.

Hands outstretched, strength harnessed, and with a single clap, a violent wave struck Achi’s. More intense, more aggressive, less explosive. When it landed, Achi let out an agonising screech.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Nearly. The attack’s destructiveness nearly sent Nine off the wind spirit. Ten caught him before it could go any further than that.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Meanwhile, the golden-haired woman landed back on the wyrm and laughed, taunting and unbothered.

"Is that all you pathetic losers have? Come on, at least make this trip worth it before I meet you there."

"Oh no... she’s scary, Nine. She’s really scary. I told you we can’t trust her."

As if his fears had never existed, Nine rushed to Ten and locked him by the collar.

"Get me out of here... if I fall, I’ll die. I can’t fight in the air."

Ten’s face contorted with anger, and he shoved Nine immediately.

"I don’t even know how you’re ranked above me. How can you be this much of a coward? She’s just a child... a cadet. Stop whining."

He turned and faced the cadets.

"One told us to put up a convincing fight. The girl is playing her part... we should play ours too."

"Huh? You think she’s acting? She wants to kill us. Can’t you see that? And by the way, I’m only twenty-five! I can’t die here!"

That angry yell had barely escaped Nine’s throat before a white arrow, pure energy, nothing else, tore through the crowd, wiping away almost everything that served as their cover and, in the same motion, tore through Achi and Ten simultaneously.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Nine’s eyes widened in shock. His heart hammered as he stared at the massive hole in Achi’s chest and Ten’s body, which had been severed completely in two.

He wanted to believe he was hallucinating, that his fear of heights was making him see things, but the warm blood splashed across his entire body was testimony to reality.

His heart skipped. He had no idea what to do. His only fear throughout the mission had come through, and now he was plummeting from nearly twelve hundred feet above ground.

"No, no... I can’t fall. I’d rather—-

Whatever words sat in his horrified throat never left him. Another arrow tore through the air and turned him into battered red paste.