Chapter Text
The Golden Wastes stretched out before the sky child, the dark sand turning green under the eerie glow of the sky. The horizon seemed both impossibly close and painfully far, with only a handful of clouds drifting aimlessly across the expanse. The sun itself was absent, as though it had forsaken this barren plane, reluctant to shed its light on a land so empty. The little sky child flitted above the dunes, their wings almost complete, each delicate flap sending a ripple of energy through the thick, heavy air. They were searching for the last of their Winged Light—the final spark needed to complete their transformation.
With every beat of their wings, the energy felt as though it were fraying at the edges, a song sung too loudly, too desperately, in the green sky above.
This was their final Winged Light. Once their wings were complete, they would travel to the Eye of Eden, the sacred place where all sky children were meant to be reborn. But that future felt distant, even unreachable. There was no time to revel in the thought. Not now.
They had to focus. ‘Just one more piece. One more piece and then I’ll be ready.’
The child’s eyes swept over the desolate wasteland below, a void of dark sand stretching endlessly in every direction. It was the kind of place where, if they tried to land, it would swallow them whole. A place that gave no promise of stability or safety. They couldn’t stop, not yet, not while they were so close.
But something felt wrong. A subtle disturbance in the air made the child’s skin prickle, their senses sharpen. The very dust beneath them seemed to shift, tremble.
And then, they felt it.
A coldness. Not a physical chill, but something deeper. A darkness that made their bones ache. A weight pressing in from all sides.
It was the Krill.
A Dark Dragon.
The child’s heart thudded, an instinctive throb of panic. ‘No… not here. How did I not even notice it?’
The presence was undeniable, looming like a shadow stretching across the landscape. The horizon darkened as the Krill appeared, spreading across the sky in a wave of ink. Its massive form rose from the sands, a smudge against the sickly green glow of the sky. The air itself seemed to hold its breath, as if the world were waiting for what would come next.
The child had seen Krill before—monstrous dragons who roamed the Golden Wastes, their presence enough to turn serene landscapes into nightmares. But this one… this one felt different.
The beast rose higher, vast and suffocating, a smear of darkness against the sickly sky. Its light burned not the pale blue they knew, but a pulsing green that reeked of poison. This Krill was wrong. This Krill was worse.
Its screech ripped the air apart. Cracking. Splintering. Like broken glass driven into their chest.
‘Run.’
The sound reverberated through their bones, unnatural and merciless. Panic surged sharp and cold. ‘No, not yet. I can’t get caught now. Not when I’m so close!’
With a sudden burst of energy, the sky child surged forward, a gust of wind pushing them into motion. The air shimmered around them, the last of their winged energy rippling out like a forgotten song. They felt weightless, free—just for a moment.
But the chase had begun.
The child glanced back over their shoulder and saw it. The Krill was relentless. Its shadow swallowed every twist, every frantic climb. The darkness pressed closer, jaws snapping.
The sound of its call became deafening. The light from the dragon’s form bathed the wasteland in a sickening green glow, turning the world into something otherworldly. ‘I have to get away,’ the child thought, the words hammering through their mind. ‘Please let me get to the Temple. Please!’
Their wings beat faster, harder, as if willing the air beneath them to push them higher, farther. But the Krill did not falter. Every turn, every twist they made was met with the dragon’s unyielding pursuit. The darkness pressed in from all sides, suffocating, its massive jaws snapping, the air thick with its malignant presence.
The child could hear the wind screaming around them, tearing at their cape. Their energy was draining fast. They could feel it—an exhaustion seeping into their bones.
Then it happened.
With a sickening jolt, the last thread of their Winged Light faded. It was like crashing into a wall—one moment soaring, the next plummeting toward the sand below. The world tilted violently, and for a brief, terrifying moment, they lost all sense of direction.
They hit the ground with a bone-jarring thud, the wind knocked from their lungs. Vision spun, dizziness flooding their mind. The world wavered like a mirage. But there was no time for disorientation. No time to think. They couldn’t afford to stay down—not now.
With trembling legs, the child scrambled upright, gasping, heart racing. The Krill’s roar echoed behind them, a low, guttural sound that made the very ground shake. It was close now, too close. The child could feel its cold breath—like ice—on the back of their neck, crawling under their skin.
‘No, no, no…’
Their eyes darted around, searching desperately. They saw it—a flicker of light on the horizon. The Temple. The place of safety. A place where they could finally rest, where they could escape the Krill.
They ran, feet burning with each step, but the ground seemed to drag at them, slowing them down, pulling them back. The Krill’s call echoed in their ears, reverberating like a terrible drumbeat. The sickly green light bled across the dunes, crawling closer with relentless hunger. The child could feel it in their bones—the weight, the coldness closing in. They didn’t know how much longer they could run.
Their lungs burned. Their legs ached. Each step felt heavier than the last, but still they ran. Each footfall was a prayer. A plea for mercy.
And then, through the haze of fear and exhaustion, they heard it.
The voices.
The calls of the other children.
Hope surged in their chest, lifting them. Laughter, songs, the shouts of children from the shared space. They could hear them now. They were so close. The warmth of that place beckoned, but the Krill was closing in—its light overwhelming, its roar deafening. The child’s heart pounded as they pushed forward, feet moving faster, the weight of the dragon’s gaze crushing them. The green light was suffocating, burning into their skin. Too close.
Then, through the crushing darkness, a new light appeared.
A light unlike the Temple’s glow. Sudden, searing, alive.
A portal.
It burst into existence, a shimmer of energy cutting through the green haze. The edges crackled with strange power, bending the air around it. The child’s eyes widened, disbelief washing over them. Impossible, yet real. For one heartbeat they hesitated. Was this salvation—or another trick of the dragon’s poison?
The Krill screamed. The choice was made.
Without thinking, the child bolted toward the portal, heart racing. Every ounce of will poured into their legs as they sprinted, feet barely touching the ground. The Krill’s breath was on them—cold, foul, crushing. The green light was almost upon them. It crawled across their skin, scorching with venomous touch.
They leapt.
Just as the shadow of the Dark Dragon loomed over them, swallowing the world in darkness, the child shot through the portal. The last vestiges of their energy flickered out, fading into the unknown, and with them, the portal sealed behind, leaving only silence in its wake.