Making the mistake of reading in the spacious coziness of a neatly made bed, I inevitably succumbed to sleep. The book, although interesting, could only hold my attention for so long. I awoke the next morning to a faint ray of light slipping through a crack in the wall. The air was chilly, as it always was in this place. I rose and stepped outside, seeking the warmth of the sun.

The palace had a magnificent balcony, surprisingly intact compared to the rest of the building. From this vantage point, I could see the entire city, or what was left of it. Ruins and rubble stretched as far as the eye could see, which was as far as you could think, due to the size of the valley.

I wondered about the designer of this palace, what they had envisioned when they chose this spot. They must have sought to create a fairy tale setting, a balcony fit for a king. Standing there, I felt like a king, albeit a king of nothing. Sometimes indulging in illusions kept me sane. But sadness soon crept in, followed by anger. I wished I could vent my frustration on anyone, for any reason.

I was so unstable that I had to stop myself from thinking that maybe I wasn’t safe here. Maybe this unknown place harbored dangers I wasn’t aware of. Shaking off those thoughts, I returned to the room, where I quickly searched every book on the shelves. They were all technical stuff, theory books that Leo would read, and useless to me right now.

I needed a map, something that would tell me if there was anywhere else to go around here. Somewhere I could find some information or help. At least I was alone. No one was after me. A surge of joy rushed through me when I spotted something that looked like a map among the books, but it turned out to be just an old map of the city. However, it mentioned another map in a square not too far from the one I had passed before, so I decided to check it out.

It didn’t take me long to reach another square in ruins, but there was no sign of any map there. I looked around, venturing into the streets between the buildings. The wind howled through the gaps, creating an eerie sound, but it didn’t deter me from my search. The map had said that there should be or had been a map somewhere here, but it didn’t specify where exactly, or maybe I couldn’t read it properly. It was barely legible, with faded colors and smudged words.

My persistence paid off eventually. Inside a building on the second floor, I found a broken wall with some half-burned paper inside it. I cleared away the debris and pulled out the pieces of paper, which looked like parts of a map. The paper was thick, old, and brittle, and it crumbled further as I handled it. It took me an hour to piece together what I could find on the floor, like a puzzle, hoping not to make any mistakes. The result was a very rough map of the world. It had straight lines marking “unknown” or “prohibited” areas and very little detail otherwise. But it was enough for me to realize that I was very far away from home. I was weeks away by air from the city, which was on the west side of the map while I was on the far north-east.

I had been pondering for a while about my next destination. The Kingdom of the Whispering Wind, as Cyrus had called it, beckoned me from the map. It was not too far from where I was, and I felt a curious longing to explore it. I resolved to set off for it as soon as possible.

I left the map on the ground, weighed down by some rocks. I did not want it to be blown away by the wind or lost in the rubble. Perhaps I would need to return here and consult it again. I stepped outside and headed for the square. There was something there that had caught my eye before: a statue of a wyvern. It was a remarkable feat of craftsmanship, especially for creatures that lacked proper hands. I was truly impressed.

I decided to walk to the palace instead of flying. It was a mistake. I had not noticed that I was being followed. Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain in my leg. I spun around, looking for the source of the attack. Nothing. I could not see anyone or anything behind me. But my leg was bleeding profusely from a large puncture wound. A poisonous one. I panicked, thinking of the venom that might be coursing through my veins.

I took flight, hoping to find a safe place to hide and heal. I made it to the palace, but barely. I was dizzy and weak from the poison. The wound burned like fire, as if someone was tearing my flesh apart with a knife. I stumbled through the corridors, looking for shelter. But there was nothing in sight, only the sound of something landing behind me. I collapsed on the cold floor, gasping for air. Then, everything went black.

When I regained consciousness, I found myself in a cell. A dark, damp, spacious cell that resembled a crypt more than a prison. My backpack was gone, and so was my wound. It was as if I had been reset again, but this time I did not wake up in an open field or a forest. I woke up in captivity.

I tried to move, but I was chained to the wall. A feeling of helplessness and fear washed over me. How had this happened? Where was I? Who had captured me? I shouted for answers, but was met with silence.

I looked around, searching for a way out. There was a window, but it was too high and too small to escape through. The light that filtered through it was dim and pale, suggesting that it was daytime outside but that I was deep underground. The bars on the window confirmed that this place was heavily fortified.

I shouted again, hoping for some response. “Please, I don’t know where I am!” It was a desperate plea, but I didn't care. I just wanted someone to talk to me and explain what was going on.

When no one responded, I decided to take matters into my own hands. I had some elemental powers at my disposal, and maybe they could help me break free. I remembered something about physics: how metals could become brittle or ductile depending on their temperature.

I tried to freeze the chain first, hoping to snap it with brute force. But it did not work. The metal resisted my cold magic.

So I switched to Plan B: melt it with fire. That worked better. The metal softened and sagged under my touch, but it also burned me badly. The heat spread through the chain and scorched my skin.

I gritted my teeth and endured the pain until the chain broke, then I ran away from the red hot metal.

The cell was supposed to keep me locked in, but the bars were too far apart for my small body. I could easily slip through them and escape.

I looked around and saw a faint light coming from a small window. Maybe it was a way out, or at least a way to see where I was. But when I got closer, I realized it was too small for me to fit through. It only showed me a bit of the sky, which was cloudy and gray.

I turned around and looked for another exit. I found some stairs that went up and down. I decided to go up, hoping to find a door or a window that would lead me outside. I climbed the stairs quietly, avoiding any sounds that might alert someone. I passed several floors, each one darker than the previous one. I counted five floors before I finally felt some fresh air on my face and saw some daylight.

I peeked around the corner and saw a large opening that led to the outside world. But there was a problem: two wyverns were guarding it. One of them was white and light blue, with shiny scales that reflected the light. They looked fierce and alert, ready to attack any intruder.

I hid behind the corner and waited for them to move or look away. But they did not move. They were too loyal to their duty. I cursed under my breath and wondered what to do next.

Suddenly, I heard one of them say, “Did you hear that?” The other one said, “Yeah, it must’ve been a water drop.” One of the wyverns sniffed the air and said, “There’s someone here. It smells like something.”

I panicked and thought, “Oh no.” They had detected me with their keen senses. I was too close to them. Only about ten meters away. They moved towards me, looking for me with their eyes.

I had no choice but to act fast. I summoned my wings back and ran towards the opening, hoping to outrun them. As soon as they saw me, they roared and chased after me.

I got out of the dungeon and saw a city full of wind dragons flying in the air. They were mostly white, with some black or light blue, and rarely yellow. They had long tails and horns that contrasted with their smooth scales. They looked peaceful and graceful, unlike the wyverns who were more aggressive and violent.

I didn't have time to admire them, though. I had to escape from the wyverns, who were chasing me. They shouted at me to stop and surrender, but I ignored them and flew faster.

Just when I thought I had made it, my wings disappeared without warning. Betrayed at the worst possible moment, I fell from the sky like a stone and crashed to the ground.

The impact was brutal, leaving me breathless and bruised. I tried to stand up, but my legs refused to obey me. They were twisted and broken, a terrible sight to my eyes.

My healing power wasn’t powerful enough to fix them quickly. It needed time, which I did not have.

            Some wind dragons caught up with me and surrounded me, their spears pointed at me. They looked angry and triumphant. I abandoned any hope of escape and asked them weakly, “Is this the Kingdom of the Whispering Wind?”

One of them answered coldly, “This is domain of Queen Freya, and you’re not allowed to leave.”

I had reached my destination, but not in the way I had hoped for. I was still a prisoner, only in a different place.

I asked, “Can I see Queen Freya before you put me back in a cell?” The guards didn’t reply but dragged me to the gates of the place I had just escaped from, the “prison” with crypts. They left me there with the other wyverns, who guarded the entrance. One of the wind dragons who had caught me said, before flying away, “Keep an eye on him and wait for updates. And you,” he glared at me, “don’t try anything stupid.” I nodded. And waited.

During the wait, I tried to make some conversation with the wyverns. “Is it true that the Wyvern’s Kingdom has fallen?” I asked them curiously. The white one replied with a severe tone, “We’re not allowed to talk about that.” I said, “Fine.” Then another wyvern arrived and greeted them. “Good, I see you caught him again.” They lied: “Yeah, sure, nothing gets past us.” Just to be a little badass, I said, “In reality, I got all the way outside the walls, and the wind dragons caught me.” They looked at each other a little embarrassed with a hilarious look, and the third wyvern said, “Why am I not surprised?” Nobody answered.

I asked him again, this time more insistently, “Is it true that the Wyvern’s Kingdom has fallen?” The wyvern said, while the other two were about to repeat their previous answer, “I think you already saw it by yourself.” I asked, even though I already knew the answer. “So I was in the middle of the ruins of the kingdom?” He nodded sadly. “You were in a prohibited area, indeed, the fallen kingdom.” I guessed something, so I asked him, “Do you happen to know who stung me and brought me here?” He thought about that, like if I asked something impossible to answer, then said, “I found and brought you here, that’s all.” I said, “You could’ve avoided stinging me. I was about to reach this place on my own, maybe not expecting to be imprisoned, but I was on my way.” He said, “I… I was reaching for you a moment ago to release you, but you got away. I even reported that I found you outside the prohibited area. You owe me a favor.” I said, “Oh yeah? And why imprison me underground, then? It’s not fun waking up in an underground cell that’s wet, cold, and dark. And chained.” He was about to reply with probably another excuse when a wind dragon guard came back and said, “Queen Freya has accepted your request to talk as soon as possible.” The wyvern interrupted him angrily. “What? No! We don’t even know who he is. We should keep him away from the queen until someone such as Cyrus sees him and guarantees us he’s safe.” The guard spoke calmly: “Words from the queen herself. But if you are afraid,” he smirked at him. “You’re allowed to guide him there. Ferox.” He said reluctantly. “Fine.”

I interrupted them and asked eagerly. “I know Cyrus. When am I going to see him again?” Caught off guard by my sudden question, the wind dragon, looked at me suspiciously and asked, “How do you know about Cyrus? Who are you?” Maintaining a polite demeanor, I introduced myself, “I’m Raphael. It's a pleasure to meet you.” He responded uncertainly. "Erm, sure, Raphael.” Seeing his hesitation, I extended the cordiality further, “May I know your name, dragon?” After a moment of hesitation, he revealed, "I’m Breeze.”

Before I could continue, the red wyvern, who had initially captured me, interjected somewhat impatiently, "Yeah, all nice and formal, but seriously, how do you know about Cyrus?” Feigning innocence, I asked him, “Aren’t we talking about the guardian?” He nodded and said rather abruptly, “Yes, how do you know about him?”

Eager to alleviate their skepticism, I provided a brief explanation. “I hail from the kingdom of Aura Aetherius, but I found myself transported here under mysterious circumstances. I don't know why or how.” He looked at me skeptically, clearly finding my story strange and hard to believe. Despite his doubts, he continued, “Well, that's peculiar. Anyway, Cyrus should be here in about two weeks. If he agrees to see you, given that you already know each other, perhaps he can take you back.”

Feeling confident, I replied, “Trust me, I think he’ll be more than happy to see me alive.” Ferox just nodded and gave a dismissive snort, showing he had noted my words, though his annoyance with me was evident.