Chapter1 : the fall of azra
The Sky City of Azra floated above the world like a jewel set in the heavens, its silver towers piercing the endless blue. Grand bridges connected massive floating islands, each adorned with golden rooftops and intricate spires. The sun's light reflected off the polished stone streets, casting long shadows as the city bustled with life.
In Azra, power was everything. Only the strongest families held sway, and the weak were cast aside.
For Rin Velos, none of that mattered. Not yet.
He lunged forward, swinging his wooden sword at Lieutenant Jabal, his mentor and the closest thing he had to an uncle. Jabal, a towering man with dark eyes and a sharp jawline, sidestepped the attack with ease.
"Too slow, Rin," Jabal said, effortlessly knocking the blade from his hands.
Rin groaned and clutched his stinging wrist. "Can't you go easy on me just once?"
Jabal smirked. "And let you stay weak? Never." He gestured toward the sword on the ground. "Again."
Rin bent down, but before he could grab the weapon, a scream split the air.
His blood ran cold.
Laina.
He turned toward the house, and his stomach twisted at the sight. Smoke curled into the sky, blackening the golden light of the afternoon. The distant laughter of armored men reached his ears.
Then, another sound—his mother's voice. Desperate. Angry. Afraid.
Rin didn't think. He ran.
His boots pounded against the stone path as he rushed through the garden, shoving past the broken gate and into the courtyard of his family's estate. The moment he saw the scene before him, his world shattered.
Laina, his ten-year-old sister, thrashed in the grip of two soldiers clad in black and gold armor. She kicked, screamed, fought—but they held her tight, dragging her toward a dark carriage waiting beyond the courtyard.
Standing between them and the soldiers was his mother, Aeria Velos.
Her silver hair, streaked with gold, flowed wildly in the wind. Her hands glowed with raw energy, her golden eyes locked onto the enemy with the fury of a storm.
But it wasn't the soldiers that made Rin freeze.
It was the man standing just beyond them.
A tall figure in a dark crimson cloak, his face hidden beneath a smooth, featureless black mask. The very air around him shuddered.
his father Zord.
Rin had never seen him before, but he had heard the whispers. The Phantom of Azra. The King's Executioner.
Aeria's hands crackled with energy. "She is not yours."
Zord tilted his head, his voice smooth, calm. "And yet, she is already taken there is no reward for being weak except simpathy.
Aeria's golden aura surged. The air trembled, the ground beneath her cracking from the sheer power of her presence. A true warrior of Azra.
Zord simply raised a hand.
A black spear of energy erupted from his palm—silent, precise, and too fast to stop.
It struck Aeria in the chest.
Rin's breath caught in his throat.
His mother gasped, golden light flickering in her eyes. Then, as if caught in a silent wind, her body began to dissolve—turning into golden dust.
"No—NO!" Rin screamed, stumbling forward. But before he could reach her, she was gone.
Laina screamed. The soldiers tightened their grip, dragging her away.
Jabal lay motionless by the gate, blood staining his armor.
Zord lowered his hand. "Take the girl. Kill the boy."
Rin turned to run, but something struck the back of his head.
Everything went dark.
He awoke to the roar of the crowd.
His wrists and ankles were bound in iron shackles. The cold bite of metal sent shivers up his arms as he lifted his head. He stood on a massive stone platform in Execution Square, the heart of Azra.
Three others stood beside him—prisoners, their faces streaked with tears.
Before them, a sea of people gathered, watching with cruel delight. Their faces were familiar. Neighbors, friends—people he had trusted.
And yet, they all screamed his name with hatred.
"Traitor!"
"Let him fall!"
"Your family was nothing but filth!"
Rin clenched his jaw, his mind racing. Why? Why were they doing this?
Then, he saw them.
The nobles.
The powerful families of Azra sat upon their grand platforms, overlooking the execution with unreadable expressions. At the center of them all sat King Valdric, his silver crown gleaming under the afternoon sun.
And at his right hand—Zord.
Rin's stomach twisted, but he refused to show weakness.
A man in ceremonial robes stepped forward. "Rin Velos," he called, his voice echoing through the square. "You stand accused of treason against the great city of Azra. Your mother conspired against the throne, and you have been found guilty by association."
Rin barely heard the words. His heart pounded in his chest. Treason? This is a lie! My mother wasn't a traitor!
But the crowd didn't care.
The announcer raised his hand. "For your crimes, you are sentenced to the Down World."
The crowd erupted into cheers.
Rin's mind spun. He had heard stories of the Down World—the land below the sky, a place where only exiles were sent. No one ever returned.
The ground beneath his feet trembled. He looked down.
A massive metal hatch was built into the platform beneath them.
"Let them fall," the announcer declared.
Rin felt his breath still in his chest.
The hatch opened.
The air vanished.
He plummeted.
The sky above grew smaller, the golden towers of Azra shrinking into the distance. The city that had once been his home was now his executioner.
Wind howled past his ears. The three others beside him screamed as they fell.
But Rin?
He didn't scream.
He didn't cry.
Instead, he smiled.
He thought of his father, a man he barely remembered. A man who had disappeared into the Down World years ago.
"Don't miss me tonight, Dad," Rin whispered into the wind. "I'll be back."
Then, the black abyss of the Down World swallowed him whole.