THE WIND KINGDOM

Kane gulped, his throat tight as he stared up at the majestic dragon before them. Its shimmering scales reflected the dim light that filtered through the ocean, and despite the murky water surrounding it, the dragon’s presence was undeniable. His friends—Loer, Aldine, and Hitoshi—swam cautiously behind him, their movements slow and deliberate as they tried to edge closer.

Just as they inched forward, the dragon’s eyes snapped open, glowing with an intense blue light. In an instant, a blinding flash illuminated the ocean, and Kane felt as if the light had burned into his very soul. For a terrifying second, everything went white, and his vision was stripped away. Instinct kicked in as the group scrambled backward, swimming hurriedly to put as much distance between them and the massive creature as possible.

The dragon, now fully awake, unfurled itself from its coiled, resting position. Its scales rippled like waves as it stretched, towering over them. The water around them seemed to tremble, vibrating with the force of the dragon’s movement. Kane's heart hammered in his chest as the creature let out a deafening roar, its mustache-like tendrils whipping wildly in the current. The power of its voice sent schools of fish scattering in panic, vanishing into the shadows of the ocean.

The ocean itself felt alive, trembling as if in fear of the dragon. Its piercing, laser-like eyes locked onto the group, making them feel like mere insects in its presence.

“What do you want?” the dragon’s voice boomed, resonating through the water like a thunderclap.

Kane’s stomach dropped. Despite the surreal nature of it all—talking animals, magical underwater creatures—nothing could have prepared him for the raw power of the dragon’s voice. It wasn’t just the size of the creature that terrified him; it was the sheer presence, the knowledge that this being could crush them without a second thought. He glanced at his friends. Even they, much stronger and more experienced than him, looked uneasy.

"I knew this was a bad idea," Kane muttered under his breath, his fear making his voice tremble. He felt Loer nudge him from behind, an unsubtle push of encouragement.

Kane sighed deeply, his body trembling as he forced himself to speak. "Uh... I'm Kane. And I kinda want you to join my team."

The dragon’s eyes glinted as it raised its massive head slightly, as though considering his words. Then, with a scoff that sent ripples through the water, the creature leaned back down, curling once more into a sleeping position.

“Why would I join a noob’s team?” the dragon muttered, dismissing Kane entirely.

Kane blinked in disbelief. “True. Okay, bye.” Without hesitation, he turned and began swimming away, eager to escape the situation.

Loer grabbed his wrist, yanking him back roughly. "Idiot! You didn’t even try!" he shouted, his voice strained with frustration.

Kane grumbled but stopped. He turned reluctantly back toward the dragon, now curled up as if it hadn’t just awoken to scare them all half to death. Kane bit back his frustration and sighed. "Ugh, fine. Hi, dragon."

The dragon didn’t move, but one of its gleaming eyes slid open to peer lazily at him. “Xedence,” it corrected, with an air of indifference, before closing its eye again.

"Okay, Xedence. I’m Kane," Kane said awkwardly.

"You told me that already," Xedence replied, his eye still closed, his voice bordering on boredom.

Kane hesitated, then asked, "So… do you want to join my team?"

Xedence sighed, his massive body shifting slightly. “You are very demotivated for someone who’s here to battle me,” the dragon remarked, his tone disinterested.

Kane swam a little closer to the dragon’s head, cautious but determined. Xedence didn’t move; it was clear the dragon didn’t consider him much of a threat.

"Battle you? No way," Kane muttered, his voice quieter now that he was close enough for only the dragon to hear. "Those guys told me you were a rare Sciro, so I came to ask."

Xedence gave no reply, as if the human boy wasn’t worth responding to. Kane, feeling even more out of place, swam back to where his friends waited.

He turned to glance back at the dragon, expecting it to go back to sleep, but Xedence lifted its head once more, its massive body rising from the ocean floor.

“Look, kid,” Xedence began, its voice rumbling through the water. “You have to tell me how you can benefit me—”

“What? How can I ever benefit you anyway? You’re a dragon, dude,” Kane interrupted, shrugging with an exasperated look on his face.

Loer, Aldine, and Hitoshi exchanged awkward glances, barely containing their amusement. This was classic Kane—too honest and blunt for his own good. The dragon stared at him, visibly shaking its head.

“…You are so weird,” Xedence muttered, baffled by Kane’s casual attitude.

Kane shrugged again. "If you don’t want to join, we’ll leave—"

"Are you disregarding my powers, or do you just not care about the kind of dragon I am?!" Xedence roared suddenly, its voice filled with an unexpected, almost childlike rage. Its eyes shone with an intense emotion that caught Kane off guard.

Was the dragon… offended? Kane blinked in surprise. Xedence, this mighty, fearsome creature, seemed genuinely hurt by Kane’s nonchalance. For a moment, Kane saw past the intimidating size and the glowing eyes. There was something almost vulnerable about the way the dragon’s voice trembled.

"Oh no, that’s the point," Kane said hurriedly. "I can’t battle you. All I can do is ask. And I did that."

Xedence scoffed again, the sound echoing through the water. “The others who come here at least try to defeat me.”

"But none succeeded, right?" Kane replied. "And I’ve only got one spell anyway."

The dragon tilted its head slightly, curiosity flickering in its eyes. “Tell me something,” Xedence said after a moment. “What spell do you have? And how many Sciros?”

Kane hesitated, then answered, "It’s a hate attribute, apparently. And I’ve got five Sciros."

The dragon studied him closely now, something shifting in its expression. “Huh. You’re not from here, are you?”

Kane grinned, leaning forward dramatically. “Bingo! I’m from Earth,” he said, winking at the dragon and making a finger-gun motion. Silence followed his attempt at humor. Even the ocean seemed to hold its breath. The dragon stared blankly at him, unimpressed.

Loer sighed, Aldine chuckled quietly, and Hitoshi rubbed his temples.

Xedence’s head dipped slightly. “Well… whatever. It doesn’t matter. I’m not joining your team, kid.”

Kane nodded, not missing a beat. “Okay, understandable. Farewell.” With that, he turned and began swimming away, leaving the dragon—and his friends—speechless.

The team trudged across the endless grasslands, the flat expanse stretching far into the horizon. The sameness of it all wore on them. Every step felt heavier than the last, their feet dragging through the tall grass as the sun beat down relentlessly. Kane's frustration boiled over, his patience gone. His fists clenched in anger, and without a word, he took off running, his feet pounding against the earth as he raced ahead of his friends.

Hitoshi, Aldine, and Loer watched, startled at first, exchanging confused glances.

"What’s gotten into him?" Hitoshi muttered before starting to run after Kane. Loer and Aldine quickly followed suit, their pace slower, struggling to catch up.

"Kane! Stop!" Hitoshi shouted, his voice strained from the effort of running, but Kane didn’t turn around. He didn’t slow down. Fueled by the heat of his emotions, Kane kept going, the wind rushing past him as he ran.

After what felt like ages, his rage slowly began to fade, and Kane finally slowed. He stopped, hands on his knees, panting hard as he looked around. His eyes widened when he realized he wasn’t on the grassland anymore. Tall buildings loomed in front of him, streets lined with quaint shops, and the air felt different—heavier, more suffocating. This was no ordinary place.

Hitoshi, barely a few feet behind him now, came to a stop, panting heavily. "Kane...you idiot...why’d you dash like that?" he huffed, glaring at Kane.

Kane, still catching his breath, ignored the question. "Where are we?" he asked, his voice tinged with confusion.

Hitoshi wiped the sweat from his brow and glanced around. "Orleans," he replied.

Kane blinked in surprise, shaking his head as if he’d misheard. "Orleans? Here? That’s a place on Earth. How could we be in Orleans?"

"Not sure what you’re on about, but this Orleans is a town also known as the Wind Kingdom," Hitoshi explained, his tone flat.

Kane sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Definitely not what I was thinking about."

"Obviously. Why did you run all the way here?" Hitoshi snapped, his frustration creeping back into his voice.

Kane shrugged. "I was mad, alright? We’ve been walking for what feels like forever. It’s infuriating."

Aldine and Loer finally caught up to them, both panting heavily. Loer wiped his forehead with the back of his hand, his breath coming in ragged bursts. "So you thought running into a strange town would help?" he asked, his voice thick with sarcasm.

Kane shrugged again, offering no defense. He was still taking in his surroundings, the town bustling with activity, its streets narrow and winding. But something about the atmosphere felt...off.

"Let’s get out of here before we get into trouble," Hitoshi said, eyeing the town suspiciously.

"Trouble? Why? What’s up with this place?" Kane asked, his eyes narrowing.

"Orleans has a reputation," Loer answered. "You don’t want to get tangled up in the shady stuff that happens here."

"Yeah," Aldine added, her eyes scanning the crowd warily. "This place blames anyone for anything. Once they decide you’re guilty of something, there’s no way out."

Kane sighed, rubbing his temples. "Great. Another town with nothing but problems. There’s nothing normal in this world."

"I don’t know what you consider normal," Hitoshi said, "but this town will drag you into its mess without hesitation."

"Let’s just leave," Loer suggested, his voice low.

They turned to leave, but before they could take more than a few steps, a voice called out behind them. "Where do you think you’re going?"

Kane paused, his muscles tensing. He was about to turn around when Hitoshi grabbed his wrist firmly and shook his head. "Don’t look. Just keep walking."

Kane hesitated but nodded, following Hitoshi’s lead. They continued forward, trying to ignore the voice.

"I’m talking to you!" the voice boomed, louder this time, and they felt a wave of magic wash over them from behind. Aldine’s reflexes kicked in, and she whirled around, raising her hands in defense.

A middle-aged man stood a few feet away, his face twisted in a sneer. Dark, shining purple circles floated around him, bound in chains of steel. His magic shimmered ominously in the air.

"Argh," the man grunted, his frustration evident.

Hitoshi’s eyes widened. "What did you do?" he yelled at Aldine.

"Saved your life, what else?" Aldine snapped. "Do you see those circles? Those are vanishing bubbles. If they touch you, you’ll be sent somewhere you’ll never return from. You’re welcome."

Hitoshi glanced at the floating circles, his face paling. "But now they’ll think we attacked them!" he said, panic creeping into his voice.

Loer cursed under his breath. "They’ll label us as terrorists or worse. We’re screwed now."

It was true. Orleans had a dark reputation for pinning crimes on outsiders. They didn’t need much of an excuse to accuse someone of treason, terrorism, or worse.

The man, now furious, blew a sharp whistle. Within moments, bells rang out across the town, and the sound of marching feet echoed in the streets. A horde of soldiers, dressed in silver armor and wielding spears and shields, appeared from every corner. Their faces were hidden behind masks of yin and yang, and they moved with military precision, encircling the group.

"Great," Kane muttered under his breath. "Another fantastic day in this world."

"What do we do now?" Loer whispered, his voice shaking. "I don’t want to end up in some dungeon."

"We don’t have many options," Aldine said, her voice steady despite the rising tension. "They used high-tier magic against us. We have to defend ourselves."

"Wait, wait—maybe we can explain ourselves," Loer suggested, but even as the words left his mouth, a spear came flying toward them. He barely ducked in time, the spear whizzing past his ear.

"Okay, or not..." Loer sighed, his heart racing.

"Why does no one ever want to listen in this place!" Kane shouted in frustration, his voice echoing in the tense air.

Aldine didn’t respond. She simply raised her arms, her palms glowing with a dark energy. Chains of magic shot out from her hands, wrapping around the soldiers, pulling them back as they struggled to move.

"Let’s battle then," she said calmly, her voice filled with resolve.