Deep beneath the gleaming marble halls of the capital's Grand Castle lay its forbidden underbelly, a grim sanctum far removed from the opulence above. The air was thick with the acrid stench of chemicals, the hum of enchanted jade artifacts vibrating against the stone walls. In this shadowed abyss, Chang'e Zhou, Duchess of the Zhou family, conducted her sinister work, surrounded by bubbling cauldrons, runed machinery, and the occasional muffled whimper from her experiments.
Her silvery-white hair shimmered under the eerie green glow of enchanted lanterns, cascading like liquid moonlight down her back. She adjusted her robes with an air of regal indifference, the embroidered dragon motifs shimmering faintly. With delicate, almost playful hands, she adjusted a rune on the stone table where her latest subject—a trembling figure—was strapped.
"Now now... Little peasant," she said sweetly, though her tone was edged with menace. "No need to cry. Your sacrifice is for the greater good. Well..." She smirked, leaning closer. "My good to be specific, which is all that truly matters."
A sharp knock echoed against the heavy iron door. Chang'e's expression darkened in irritation. "Enter." she says snapping her head to the direction of the decrepid door.
A servant stepped inside, his nervousness evident in the way he clutched his hands together. "Duchess Chang'e..." he began hesitantly, "W-We've received troubling news regarding Ms. Poppins."
At the mention of the name, Chang'e froze mid-motion, her eyes narrowing. "Oh, Mary," she said, drawing the name out with mock affection. "What has our favorite lightning bolt done this time? Lecturing the peasants on hope and courage? Or perhaps saving stray kittens from trees?"
The servant swallowed hard. "No, Duchess. She... killed the Wyvern of the West."
The room fell deathly silent. The soft bubbling of a nearby cauldron and the faint hum of jade runes were the only sounds as Chang'e slowly turned to face the servant. Her smile returned, sharper and colder than a dagger's edge. "She what?"
The servant's voice faltered but he pressed on. "The wyvern... the one sent to quell the unrest in Fenlai. She struck it down near the wastelands outside the town. Witnesses claim she killed it in a single battle. Its body is already being scavenged."
Chang'e's sharp, brittle but maniacal laughter filled the chamber, echoing off the cold stone walls. "Oh, Mary, Mary, Mary," she purred, clapping her hands mockingly. "Always sticking your nose where it doesn't belong, aren't you? Do you even understand what you've done, little hero?"
Her smile twisted into a sneer as she turned to pace the room. "That wyvern wasn't just a pet—it was a solution. Fenlai has been stirring with whispers of rebellion, and that wretched town needed a reminder of who holds the reins in Amaterasu. The wyvern would've turned their defiance into ash, and yet here comes Ms. Poppins, gallivanting about with her scythe, playing savior."
She whirled to face the servant, her voice cutting like ice. "Her naivety is as insufferable as her timing. Is she still in Fenlai?"
"N-no, Duchess," the servant stammered, his voice cracking under her piercing gaze. "She left immediately after the fight. The townsfolk... they're calling her a hero."
Chang'e's lip curled in disgust, her delicate hands balling into fists. "A hero, is she?" Her voice grew icy, laced with venom. "How adorable. Foolish peasants, rallying behind a self-proclaimed protector. They don't realize she's only delaying the inevitable."
Her frustration simmered dangerously, her aura suffusing the room with an oppressive energy. She inhaled sharply, then turned back to the servant, her gaze narrowing. "Tell me everything. Where did she go? What exactly did she do?"
The servant hesitated, struggling to form the words, but his silence proved to be the final spark that ignited Chang'e's fury.
The room began to rumble, vibrations echoing through the stone walls as the jade runes flickered ominously. A deep gurgling sound emerged from the labyrinthine sewers below, followed by the crash of rushing water. The servant stumbled backward, eyes wide in terror as streams of water burst into the lab from unseen grates.
The water coalesced with unnatural precision, twisting and curling into a massive, translucent hand that surged forward with terrifying speed. The hand seized the servant by the throat, lifting him off the ground effortlessly.
Chang'e stepped forward, her jade-green eyes glowing with a menacing light, her voice, cold and commanding, reverberated through the chamber.
"TELL ME WHERE SHE IS NOW."
The servant choked, his hands clawing helplessly at the water's grip as he sputtered out his response. "I-I don't know! She vanished after the battle! Please, Duchess, spare me!"
Chang'e's lips curled into a cruel smile as she leaned closer, her voice dropping to a venomous whisper. "You'd better hope for your sake that you're not lying." She tightened her grip on the water's form, the servant gasping for air. "Find her. I don't care what it takes. Bring me every scrap of information, or you'll wish you'd drowned in those sewers."
With a flick of her wrist, the watery hand released the servant, dropping him unceremoniously to the ground. Chang'e turned back to her experiments, her voice dripping with disdain. "Now leave me. Before I decide to experiment on you next."
The Sky Phoenix glided through the skies, its patched-together sails catching the golden sunlight of the late afternoon. The expanse of rolling clouds beneath the airship stretched endlessly, a sea of white that reflected the soft glow of the sun. Mary stood at the helm, one hand on the wheel and the other gesturing animatedly as she spoke.
"Amaterasu," she began, her tone more formal than usual, "was not always the grand empire you see today, dear. Long ago, it was fractured, a land of scattered fiefdoms and warring clans. The Zhou family was among the most cunning of these clans, weaving alliances and manipulating rivals until they became the dominant force. Their rise marked the birth of the Amaterasu Empire, though, as you can imagine, it wasn't without bloodshed."
Sora, sitting cross-legged on a crate, listened intently. Her fiery red hair caught the sunlight, and her piercing gold eyes were fixed on Mary. "And Shengzhou?" she asked, curiosity clear in her voice.
Mary smiled, a hint of pride in her azure eyes. "Ah, Shengzhou, the jewel of Amaterasu. It was once a mere trading post, but under the Zhou family's rule, it became the capital. The city grew on the back of commerce and ingenuity, a beacon of progress and power. Of course..." Her voice darkened slightly. "The splendor of Shengzhou hides its fair share of rot. Not everything that glitters is gold."
Sora tilted her head, sensing the shift in Mary's tone. "Rot? Like what?"
Before Mary could answer, a sharp screech pierced the air, cutting through the calm serenity. The Sky Phoenix shuddered violently, and the distant sound of beating wings grew louder by the second.
Mary's posture stiffened, her eyes narrowing as she scanned the horizon. "Hold on, dear," she said, her voice suddenly urgent. "We've got company."
From the clouds emerged a trio of juvenile wyverns, their sleek, scaled bodies glinting in the sunlight. Their emerald wings stretched wide as they swooped toward the airship, their hungry eyes locked onto their prey.
Sora scrambled to her feet, gripping the railing as the first wyvern let out a shriek, diving straight for the ship. Mary spun the wheel with practiced precision, steering the Sky Phoenix into a sharp climb, but the wyverns were fast, their talons scraping against the hull with a screeching sound.
"Wyverns!" Sora shouted, her voice tinged with both awe and fear.
"Juveniles," Mary corrected, her voice calm but firm. She reached for her scythe, Zephyr, which rested against the wheel. With a flick of her wrist, the massive weapon unfolded, its blade crackling with electricity. "They're still dangerous, though. Stay close to me."
Another wyvern dove, its jaws snapping at the airship's sails. Mary swung Zephyr in a wide arc, a crack of lightning splitting the air as the blade narrowly missed the creature. "They're testing us," she muttered, her azure eyes locked on the approaching threat.
Sora's hands clenched into fists, her gold eyes darting between the wyverns and Mary. "What do we do?"
Mary's lips curved into a confident smirk. "We survive."
Before Sora could respond, the largest of the juvenile wyverns let out a deafening roar, its massive form hurtling toward the Sky Phoenix. The airship shook violently under the impact, and the scene cut to black, the roar of the wyvern echoing as everything plunged into chaos.