The airship groaned like a wounded beast as it carved through the clouds, its fungal-patched balloon straining against the wind. Kairos leaned against the rusted railing of the deck, his crystallized hand gripping the obsidian shard at his throat. It pulsed warmly, synchronizing with the ship's core—a cerulean orb embedded in the helm that hummed with the same alien frequency as the Veil.
"You look like hell, princeling," Li Na said, tossing him a canteen. Her scars glinted faintly in the twilight, as if dusted with starlight.
Kai caught it with his good hand. "Says the woman who smells like a corpse." He took a swig, then gagged—the water was bitter, laced with something metallic. "What is this?"
"Sky-whale bile," she said, crouching to inspect the deck's corroded plating. "Slows the Veil's corruption. For now."
He spat over the railing. "Tastes like betrayal."
Betrayal. The word hung between them, sharp as a blade. Cassian's face flashed in his mind again—his brother's smirk, the poison burning his veins, the way the throne room had spun as guards dragged him to the sky-cells. Kai's corrupted hand clenched, amber light fracturing across his knuckles.
[Warning: Corruption Threshold at 17%.]
Shut up, he willed the Veil silently. It replied with a pulse of heat that seared his ribs.
Li Na stood, her golden eyes narrowing. "The ship's core is linked to your bloodline. Activate it properly, and we might survive the next storm."
"How?"
"Ask nicely."
Before Kai could retort, the deck shuddered violently. The cerulean core flared, and a hologram flickered to life above the helm—a woman's figure woven from static, her voice crisp and mocking.
"User recognized: Kairos Veyra, 9th heir of the Skybreaker Dynasty. Welcome to the Elysian Dawn, a vessel designed for cowards, traitors, and fools. How may I assist your inevitable demise?"
Kai blinked. "What… are you?"
"Veyra-7, resident AI of this relic," the hologram said, folding translucent arms. "Last logged mission: fleeing the Celestial Storm after your great-great-grandmother pissed off a goddess. Standard family tradition, I hear."
Li Na snorted. "Charming."
Kai ignored her, stepping closer. "Can you get us to Solara?"
"Solara? The desert-isle choked with sand and delusional sun-worshippers?" Veyra-7's hologram flickered with what might have been a smirk. "Certainly. If you survive the pirates currently aiming at our hull."
"Pirates?!"
A cannonball screamed through the air, shearing off a chunk of the balloon. The Elysian Dawn listed sharply, throwing Kai against the mast. Below, a sleek black skiff with crimson sails pulled alongside them, its deck crowded with armored raiders. At the prow stood a man Kai recognized—Jiro, the northern gladiator who'd once tried to strangle him with his own chains.
"Still alive, princeling?!" Jiro bellowed, hefting a serrated cutlass. "I'll take that pretty shard off your corpse!"
Li Na drew twin daggers from her boots. "He's after the Veil. Kill him fast."
"No," Kai said, staring at Jiro's skiff. The Veil's pulse quickened in his chest, whispering possibilities. Spatial Shift: 5-meter radius. "I've got a better idea."
He focused on the cannon pointed at them, its iron frame creaking as pirates reloaded. The Veil's power surged—a kaleidoscope of fractured light bloomed in his mind, mapping every splinter of wood, every rusted nail. He reached out…
And pulled.
The cannon vanished from the skiff, reappearing midair above Jiro's crew. It dropped.
Screams erupted as pirates scrambled, but the cannon crushed two men before rolling into the sea. Jiro roared, his cutlass glowing with runes that mirrored the Veil's fractures. "You'll bleed for that!"
"Not today," Kai muttered, but a searing pain lanced through his skull. He stumbled, clutching his face—his right eye burned, vision blurring. When he pulled his hand away, his fingertips glittered with amber crystal.
[Corruption Threshold: 23%.]
"Stop using the Veil!" Li Na yanked him behind the mast as arrows peppered the deck. "You're not ready!"
"Then what's the plan?!"
She hesitated, then unsheathed a dagger and sliced her palm. Blood welled—black and shimmering, like liquid obsidian. "Drink."
Kai recoiled. "Are you mad?"
"My blood's diluted divinity. It'll stabilize the corruption." She pressed her wrist to his mouth. "Or die here. Your choice."
The skiff rammed them, wood splintering. Jiro leapt onto the Dawn's deck, his cutlass carving a molten arc toward Kai's throat.
Kai drank.
The blood was cold, tasting of ash and iron. Power flooded him—not the Veil's wildfire, but something older, quieter. The crystallization in his eye halted.
Li Na's knees buckled. "Now move!"
Kai grabbed Jiro's wrist mid-swing, the Veil's energy surging. Chrono-Stutter. Time froze.
One second.
He tore the cutlass from Jiro's grip, reversed it, and plunged it toward the man's heart.
Time snapped back.
Jiro gasped, staring at the blade in his chest. "H-How…?"
"The sky's full of surprises," Kai whispered.
The pirate collapsed. His crew faltered, retreating to their skiff as Kai yanked the cutlass free. The Veil hummed approvingly, its corruption momentarily sated.
Li Na slumped against the mast, her scars dull. "Next time… use less."
"Chivalry isn't dead, I see," Veyra-7 drawled. "But we're leaking helium, and Solara's three storms away. Suggestions?"
Kai wiped Jiro's blood from the cutlass. "You mentioned a mission log. Where was this ship headed before?"
"The Aurora Tournament," the AI said. "A gathering of fools on Zephyros' sister isle. Grand prize is a sky-whale's heart—pure celestial essence. Delicious for corrupt little princes."
Li Na stiffened. "The warlord's hosting it. He'll kill you on sight."
"Not if I'm someone else." Kai turned Jiro's cutlass in the light—its edge gleamed with faint runes. "Veyra-7, can you mask the ship's identity?"
"Can I— pah! Child's play. But you'll need a disguise. And a better sword."
"Done."
As the AI grumbled about "sentimental meatbags," Li Na gripped Kai's arm. "The tournament's a trap. You're not ready to face the warlord."
"I don't need to face him," Kai said, staring at the horizon where storm clouds brewed. "I need to win."
Three Days Later
The Elysian Dawn descended toward a floating coliseum lit by bioluminescent banners. Kai stood at the prow, masked in Jiro's onyx helm, the cutlass at his hip. The Veil's shard pulsed beneath his tunic, its hunger tempered by Li Na's blood—for now.
A figure emerged from the crowd below—a woman in silver armor, her raven hair braided with sapphire threads. Lady Anara, the warlord's daughter. Her gaze locked onto Kai, piercing even from a distance.
"Remember," Li Na said, adjusting his cloak. "Stay. Hidden."
"Or what?"
She pressed a dagger to his ribs, her eyes cold. "I'll finish what Jiro started."
Kai smirked. "Noted."
As he leapt onto the dock, Anara blocked his path. Her sword tapped his chest—right over the Veil.
"You fight like a northerner," she said, her voice velvet steel. "But your footwork… that's royal training."
Kai's breath hitched. She knows.
"Relax, masked man," she whispered, leaning close. "Your secret's safe. For a price."
"What price?"
Her blade traced his jaw. "Win the tournament. Then we'll talk."
Behind them, the coliseum gates creaked open. The crowd's roar swallowed Kai's retort as he stepped into the arena, the Veil's whispers merging with Anara's parting words:
"And Kairos? Try not to die before I collect."