Chapter 3: The Castle in the Sky
A Bloodied Warrior and an Old Man
The wind roared. The blizzard swallowed the corpse of the Blizzard Dragon.
And then—footsteps.
Slow. Deliberate. Heavy with experience.
A man approached Helios' shattered body, gazing down at the unconscious warrior with a mixture of curiosity and amusement. His face was carved with deep wrinkles, his beard long and silver like the very clouds above. His robes, blue and gold, fluttered in the wind.
Caelum.
The last master of the Sky People's Martial Arts.
The old man knelt beside Helios, shaking his head. "A boy who has no business fighting gods, yet fights them anyway."
He pulled out a small glass vial—a swirling golden liquid inside. Without hesitation, he splashed it onto Helios' broken form.
CRACK.
His bones reset. His flesh stitched back together. His heart, once slow, thundered back to life.
But he remained asleep.
Caelum sighed, lifting the warrior onto his back. With a single step, he leapt.
Then—another.
And another.
Jumping from cloud to cloud.
Higher.
Beyond the mountain's peak.
Until finally—
The Castle in the Sky emerged from the storm.
A Nightmare Reborn
Helios' eyes shot open.
"NOOOOOOO!"
His scream echoed through the massive chamber. He sat up, panting, drenched in sweat. The pain. The blood. The Dragon's stomach. The fight. The sun that burned inside it.
But—
He was alive.
He looked around. The walls were made of white stone, inscribed with ancient runes. Large windows revealed the endless sky, clouds stretching as far as the eye could see.
And across the room—
A man sat on a wooden chair, drinking tea.
"Good morning," Caelum said, watching Helios with keen eyes.
Helios immediately jumped to his feet, entering a fighting stance. His golden mane swayed as his body tensed.
"Where the hell am I?!"
Caelum took a sip of his tea. "My home. The Castle in the Sky. You were half-eaten when I found you. You should be thanking me."
Helios didn't relax.
"Who are you?"
Caelum smiled. "A man who sees everything. I know why you fight. I know your hatred for the gods. I know the weight on your shoulders."
Helios narrowed his eyes. "Then you know I don't trust you."
Caelum chuckled. "I wouldn't trust me either."
The old man stood, walking toward a large glass case. Inside, two gems gleamed—one blue like the ocean, the other green like the deep earth.
"The Apex Gems of Water and Earth." Caelum turned to Helios. "I guard them."
Helios' fists clenched.
"More power."
"More strength to kill this so-called god."
"I need them," Helios said.
Caelum raised an eyebrow. "Then take them."
Helios blinked. "Wait... seriously?"
"But," Caelum continued, his smile sharp, "you'll have to fight me."
The Sky and the Beast
The two stood in the castle courtyard.
Helios cracked his knuckles. "I don't care if you're old. I'll crush you."
Caelum grinned.
Then, he vanished.
BAM.
A fist buried itself into Helios' stomach.
Before he could react—
CRACK.
His shin snapped in half.
Then—
BOOM.
Helios crashed into a wall, spitting blood.
He tried to move. But—pain. His arm was bent the wrong way. Three of his ribs were shattered.
Caelum cracked his knuckles. "You're slow, boy."
Helios growled. "Shut the hell up."
He lunged, fist burning with solar energy—
But Caelum sidestepped, twisting Helios' arm—
SNAP.
Helios roared in agony.
"You're strong," Caelum said, watching him struggle, "but strength alone doesn't win fights."
Helios' breath was ragged. His body barely held together.
"I can't win like this."
"I have to outsmart him."
He closed his eyes.
Then, he focused on the Moon Apex Gem.
A new power surged inside him.
A whisper in his mind.
A name.
"LUNAR SHIFT."
Helios vanished.
Caelum's eyes widened. "Oh?"
A fist crashed into his ribs.
For the first time—Caelum staggered.
Helios reappeared behind him, his body flickering like a shifting mirage.
Caelum chuckled, holding his side. "Now that's more like it."
Victory and the Fall
Caelum handed Helios the Apex Gems of Water and Earth.
"You've earned them."
Helios grabbed them, feeling their energy surge through his veins.
"Now," Caelum said, "we train."
For weeks, Helios learned the martial arts of the Sky People. He learned how to heal wounds with magic. He learned to move like the wind, strike like a storm.
Then—
It was time to descend.
Caelum stood at the edge of the castle. "Be careful. There are more dragons below. And worse—snow spirits."
Helios smirked. "Good. I could use the warm-up."
Then—
He jumped.
The Descent into Blood
Helios landed in a dragon's nest.
The beast snarled, ice forming around its body.
Helios grinned.
The fight was on.
The battle was vicious. The dragon's claws ripped into Helios' flesh. Blood soaked the snow.
But—
Helios ripped out its throat.
He peeled off its scales and made armor from its hide.
But as he descended further, he faced hordes of yetis.
He fought until he was barely breathing.
He won.
Barely.
Then—
The snow spirits came.
He ran.
For his life.
The Forest of Dreams
Helios stumbled into a forest.
Bleeding. Broken. Barely able to breathe.
But he was alive.
And as the wind whispered through the trees, he realized—
His journey was far from over.
This was only the beginning.