The skies above still rumbled, but the storm felt distant — like it was waiting for something. The ship gently floated through the endless clouds, the faint crackles of lightning barely lighting up the deck.
It had been two days since they passed the trials. The silence was starting to get unbearable.
Everyone was either resting or caught up in their own thoughts.
Ren sat on the floor, flipping one of his small shadows between his fingers. His mind was clouded — not just from what Raidon told him, but everything about this world. The journey, the stones, the shadows inside him...
It felt like everything was moving too fast.
Sakayanagi leaned on the railing, arms crossed, staring at the sky. Shigan was snoring in the corner, completely knocked out.
Kaelen sat nearby with his book, scribbling down in his journal — something he did every night.
The air felt heavy.
Ren sighed, finally breaking the silence.
"I'm sick of this."
Sakayanagi glanced back.
"Sick of what?"
Ren stood up, brushing off his cloak.
"This waiting. This... tension. It's like we're all just waiting for something to happen."
Kaelen shut his book.
"That's exactly what we're doing."
Ren clicked his tongue.
"Yeah, well... I'm not."
He turned to Raidon, who was leaning against the helm with his samurai hat covering his eyes.
"Oi, Raidon... don't you have anything to pass the time?"
Raidon's smirk slowly crept across his face beneath the hat.
Without saying a word, he reached into his coat and pulled out a small metallic cube. It looked old — wires wrapped around it, glowing faintly with sparks of electricity.
"You're lucky you asked."
Ren narrowed his eyes.
"What is that?"
Raidon flicked the cube in the air, and when it landed back in his palm, it unfolded into a circular board — small orbs of lightning floating above it.
"This... is Stormborn."
Kaelen's eyes widened.
"Stormborn...? I've only heard stories about that game... isn't that from the Thunder Skies?"
Raidon grinned.
"That's right."
Sakayanagi walked over, curious.
"What's the game about?"
Raidon placed the board down on the table. The small orbs of lightning floated around the edges, crackling softly.
"It's simple... but not really."
He leaned forward, his voice lowering.
"The rules are this — everyone gets three moves per turn. You can either Steal, Block, or Charge."
Ren crossed his arms.
"And what does each move do?"
Raidon's grin widened.
"If you Steal, you take one orb from someone else's field."
"If you Block, you can defend your orbs — but only for one round."
"If you Charge, you build up energy in your own field... but the more you charge, the more your orbs attract lightning."
Sakayanagi narrowed her eyes.
"And what happens if the lightning hits your orbs?"
Raidon chuckled.
"You lose everything."
Shigan, who had been half-asleep, suddenly sat up.
"Hah...? A gambling game?"
Raidon smirked.
"Not just gambling... strategy."
Ren's eyes locked onto the crackling orbs.
"What's the point of the game?"
Raidon leaned back.
"To see who's willing to risk everything... and who knows when to pull back."
They all gathered around the table. The game board glowed faintly, the storm outside rumbling like it was watching them.
Ren, Sakayanagi, Shigan, Kaelen, and Raidon — five players.
The first round started slow.
Kaelen played carefully — always Blocking, keeping his orbs safe.
Sakayanagi Charged every turn, stacking up energy without fear.
Shigan kept trying to Steal from everyone, grinning like an idiot every time he got lucky.
Ren played balanced — a little bit of everything.
But Raidon...
Raidon barely touched his orbs.
He just watched.
By the fifth round, the tension was building.
Kaelen had seven orbs glowing in his field, but his face was pale — playing too safe.
Sakayanagi had twelve orbs stacked, her silver hair falling over her face as she stared at the board like it was a battlefield.
Shigan only had three orbs left, but he didn't care — he was grinning like he'd already won.
Ren was stuck at eight — every time he tried to Charge, someone would Steal from him.
Then there was Raidon.
One orb.
Just one.
But he hadn't made a single move the entire game.
Ren's eyes flicked to him.
"You're just messing with us, aren't you?"
Raidon smirked beneath his hat.
"Maybe."
The final round started.
The storm outside crackled louder.
Kaelen Blocked.
Sakayanagi Charged.
Shigan tried to Steal from Ren... but Ren blocked him.
Then it was Raidon's turn.
He finally reached out — fingers tapping his single orb.
"Charge."
Lightning crackled across the board. The small orb pulsed brighter... brighter... until it was twice the size of anyone else's.
Ren leaned forward, narrowing his eyes.
"What are you doing...?"
Raidon's grin stretched wider.
"Winning."
The lightning above the board surged — bolts striking randomly across the orbs.
Kaelen's entire field was wiped out.
Sakayanagi lost half of hers.
Shigan lost everything.
Ren barely managed to save four orbs.
But Raidon's single orb stayed... crackling with golden lightning.
The game ended.
Raidon leaned back, folding his arms behind his head.
"Lesson number one of the Thunder Skies..." he said calmly.
"It doesn't matter how much power you have... only how well you can hold onto it."
They played four more rounds that night — nobody ever beat Raidon once.
But somehow, the game broke the tension that had been weighing on all of them.
By the time they finally went to sleep, the storm outside felt quieter.
Ren lay awake in his bunk, staring at the ceiling, the crackling sound of the game still echoing in his mind.
For the first time in a long while...
It felt like they were just a bunch of friends on a journey — not warriors chasing after something bigger than themselves.
To be continued...