I found myself once again in a desolate land, bereft of wings or any means of escape. At least this time, I was clothed in a white robe that gave me a saintly appearance, adorned with yellow and gold accents, and a touch of red at the edges. My surroundings were unfamiliar and barren. Unlike before, I was now aware of my abilities, so I summoned my wings at will, no longer bound to them permanently. They were too useful to discard, so I spread them wide and soared into the air, looking for any signs of civilization. However, all I saw were endless plains, dense forests, and towering mountains.

Intrigued by the peaks, I harnessed the wind element to propel myself faster towards them. As I approached the mountain range, I realized that this was completely unfamiliar territory. I had never been here before. It was a new world.

I noticed a familiar shape in the valley below. It resembled the miniature model that was displayed in one of the rooms of my assigned home. I descended to investigate but found only ruins and decay. The buildings were empty and abandoned, covered in dust and cobwebs. No living soul was in sight except for a majestic bird that circled the sky like me, keeping a wary distance. It was a fiery creature, shaped like an eagle but engulfed in flames. I wondered if it was another mythical being that I had stumbled upon by chance. Perhaps it was a phoenix.

I tried to get closer, but it flew away from me. I called out to it, but it ignored me. It was just a wild creature, after all. I shrugged and continued my exploration. Then, on the horizon, I spotted something: walls and structures within them. It looked like a kingdom and indeed it was, but it was also deserted and destroyed. I flew over the walls, unchallenged by anyone. I landed on the cracked ground and surveyed the dismal scene. I found myself wondering, "What has happened here?"

I wondered if this was the same place where I had been before, the same kingdom that had fallen into ruin, but no, the landscape around it was different. This was another lost realm. I entered some of the buildings that were charred and scorched by fire. Evidently, a siege had taken place here long ago.

Then I noticed some symbols on the walls and banners. They depicted dragons and wyverns — dragons surrounded by wind and wyverns cooperating with each other. I was intrigued by them and searched for more clues. A theory began to form in my mind: could this be the fallen kingdom of the wyverns, the one that Leo had told me about, with its tragic history? If his words were true, then I was very far away from home, in a place that few knew or remembered, erased from any map. And here I could witness the aftermath of a fierce conflict that had breached the walls. Whatever transpired here, it was a great battle.

As I wandered through a broken window, an enormous book caught my eye. It was perfectly intact, despite the rubble and dust around it. I reached for it and picked it up, feeling its weight in my hands. I opened it curiously, without any hurry or fear. It was a diary. A thick volume of a thousand pages, written by a wyvern. I wondered what secrets and stories it contained.

In the same room, I spotted a small backpack, the kind that a young child would use. It was just what I needed. The owner was long gone, and no one would mind if I took it and filled it with some useful items from this place. I put the book inside the backpack. Maybe I could learn something from it later, when I had time to read it. I resumed my search, hoping to find a map somewhere, but I found nothing. The city had no map, not even in the squares. If there ever was one, it had been destroyed or stolen.

I made my way to the palace, a labyrinth of halls and chambers. The main room was in ruins. A sad sight of shattered glass, ruined art, and crumbling walls. I hated seeing such destruction, and being in the middle of it made me feel uneasy and unsafe. I looked for somewhere that was less devastated, somewhere that still had some life and beauty left.

I found a crack in the wall and felt intrigued. I peered through it and saw a room that seemed untouched by the siege. It looked normal, even cozy. I searched for an entrance, but there was none. I went back to the crack and carefully removed one piece of wall after another. I didn’t want to cause more damage. I just wanted to get inside and explore.

The room was a secret still intact library, full of books and scrolls. It was dusty but livable. I could stay there for the night and also browse through the books. There had to be a map somewhere. I was sure of it. From one room to another, I discovered more wonders: a workshop, a bench, a bedroom fit for a wyvern king, and paintings on the walls. The paintings portrayed a family of wyverns: two adults and numerous children, likely their offspring. I found myself fascinated and curious. This was the royal palace, after all. What if this was Leo’s family? What if he was one of the little ones in the paintings?

I examined everything more closely and found some notes. One painting depicted a young wyvern that looked strikingly like Leo. And there was a note signed by him. I gasped in disbelief. I had stumbled upon a secret room that belonged to the only wyvern I knew. This must have been his personal space, where he spent his days and nights. It felt strange and intrusive to be here, but also exciting and thrilling. I had to tell him about my discovery. If only I knew where to find him and how to get back to the Kingdom of Aura. But night was falling, and I didn’t want to risk traveling in the dark.

I lingered in the room, enjoying the solitude and the opportunity to reflect on my plans. I felt no fatigue, only curiosity about the diary that lay on the bed. I knew it might be an invasion of privacy, but I couldn’t resist opening it and scanning the pages. The handwriting was poor, but the grammar was correct. Perhaps the owner began writing at a young age and improved over time. The entries were sporadic, sometimes separated by years of silence. I wondered what had made the owner lose interest in recording their life events.

The diary evolved from a simple chronicle of daily activities to a sophisticated analysis of the city’s society. The owner seemed to have a keen insight into the workings of the royal family, mentioning names that were unfamiliar to me, even from Leo’s story. I looked around the room and found some documents that confirmed the identities of the family members. They used different names for different occasions: a public royal name and a private real name. I found this strange and unnecessary. Wouldn’t people recognize them by their appearance rather than their name? Then again, maybe they had a good reason to conceal their identity.

The diary described a society on the brink of collapse, with discontent and rebellion brewing among the citizens. There was even a speech that urged the reader to join the revolution and fight against the royals, giving some tips on how to avoid detection by the law. I was not swayed by the propaganda. I had no stake in this conflict and no power to change anything. It was all in the past.