The instant Zepharian fell, everything changed.
The wind slowed.
The thunder fell silent.
The storm… knelt.
Kael stood alone in the sky, his body calm, steady, floating weightlessly. After taking a deep breath, he looked above.
The Tempest Throne.
It hovered high above the chaotic skies, uncaring of everything happening beneath it. It wasn’t made of stone or steel—it was forged from the very sky itself.
From afar, it looked unreachable, wrapped with dense clouds, bolts of golden lightning dancing around, as if prepared to protect it and scorch any being that dared approach it. Violent winds roared endlessly, as if warning those who even thought of approaching it.
The throne shimmered with flickers of gold and silver, but its form never stayed still—it changed with each passing second, as if it was alive.
It was a seat meant only for the one who could command the Sky itself.
And…
As Kael looked up, he witnessed something—something he would never forget.
The clouds that blocked his vision, not even allowing him to properly gaze at the throne, parted on their own.
The dangerous lightning calmed down, the loud winds turned into a light breeze.
For the first time ever since he came here, the Throne… no longer looked distant.
It looked close.
Almost as if it was calling him.
Kael felt it deep in his chest—a tug, not physical, but from something deeper, something… primordial.
He stepped forward and this time, he didn’t ask Cirri for wind beneath his feet.
He didn’t need it.
Kael stepped forward and the air caught him on its own.
Yes, the very Sanctum now seemed to have recognized him.
It carried him upward—smoothly, silently, and gracefully.
Like a king returning to his court.
Step Step Step
Kael continued to step higher and higher. If it was before, he would have been scorched by lightning or cut into pieces by thousands of wind blades before being thrown out of the Sanctum, but now…
It was different.
No lightning came for him, no rain blocked his vision, and the wind only made him comfortable.
He moved higher and higher, until finally,
He stood before it.
The Tempest Throne.
Forged of whirling clouds and shimmering lightning, shaped like a seat carved from the very sky. It radiated power—not aggressive or violent—but regal, like it was… waiting…
Waiting for someone worthy.
*Image*
“Holy…”
Kael gulped, a little taken aback.
It was… beautiful.
No, beautiful was a weak word—it was ethereal.
“Father!”
Suddenly, an excited voice rang out behind him.
Kael turned around and the instant he saw her, a big smile appeared on his face.
It was Cirri.
She was no longer a part of the sky—she had returned to her physical form, and this time, the winds didn’t throw her away—they accepted her.
Her amber-like eyes sparkled brightly, then, she jumped.
Kael’s grin widened even more as he opened his arms for his daughter. Cirri leapt into them, hugging him tightly, curling into his chest like she always did.
“Father! We did it!”
She exclaimed.
“We did.”
Kael gently kissed her forehead.
He had been waiting for Cirri to appear, and now that she was here,
He stepped forward.
And sat down, with Cirri in his arms.
THUNDER THUNDER THUNDER
The moment his body touched the throne, lightning arced across the sky—not in rage, but in celebration. The air shifted. The pressure that once crushed his chest lifted. The clouds above pulsed once, then stilled.
The Sky accepted them.
“Hehehe~”
Cirri laughed.
To be completely honest, from the start to finish, she never once cared about the Tempest Throne.
So what if it was the Throne of the Sky? So what if it was a Throne only the Sky Monarch could sit on?
She was a Primordial Sky Dragon.
She was the Sky Monarch that was supposed to sit on this Throne.
It wasn’t her that needed the Throne,
It was the Throne that needed her.
And it would have waited for her no matter how long it took her.
If anything, it should be the Throne that should be glad that she came here—not the other way around.
To Cirri, this Trial only meant one thing:
Spending time with her Father and seeing how happy her Father was as he sat on this Throne. She smiled brightly and accepted all the kisses her father showered her with.
RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE
While Kael continued to tickle and kiss Cirri, the Sky shook. He paused for a moment, and suddenly,
[Ding!]
He heard a sound.
[Mission Completed.]
His System informed him and suddenly, the clouds around him started moving.
Kael frowned, he looked around and noticed how the clouds had begun surrounding Cirri.
“Cirri.”
He called out, a little worried.
“I am fine, Father.”
Cirri assured him. Kael held back his worry as well.
He was growing, even if it was slow.
Soon, Cirri was completely covered by the clouds—it looked similar to an Egg.
It was very similar to what happened to Igni. Unable to hold himself back, Kael stared at the Egg and his eyes turned golden.
[Cirri]
[Description:]
[A Primordial Sky Dragon undergoing the Baptism of the Sky Monarch, a sacred rite marking her evolution into Phase Two.]
[Properties:]
[Baptism of the Sky Monarch: Within her Tempest Cocoon, Cirri is surrounded by the purest layers of the sky—shaped by divine winds, pressure currents, and celestial lightning. These forces will unravel her current form, refining her body and soul, guiding her toward her true dominion.]
[Shared Breath: Due to the deep bond between you and Cirri, your senses will be swept into her experience. You will feel what she feels—your lungs will ache under divine pressure, your body will tremble as if suspended in stormlight.]
[Coalescence: If you both endure the Baptism, the Primordial Sky Dragon Cirri will ascend into Phase Two of her evolution. And because of your bond, a fragment of the Sky Monarch’s authority will remain with you.]
“…right.”
Kael nodded as a weak smile appeared on his face.
This wasn’t the first time this was happening—he knew what was about to happen. The reward followed a mind-numbing pain; he had felt it before, and he had no will to feel it again.
What worried him even more, however, was that Cirri was going to feel a much greater pain. That very thought terrified him.
Yes, he knew she was a Dragon.
This was supposed to happen and his Cirri wasn’t weak.
Just that…
Dragon or not, Cirri was still his daughter.
How could a Father not worry about his little Princess?
As Kael thought about all this,
WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH
THUNDER THUNDER THUNDER
Strong winds howled around him, as lightning danced through the sky. His eyes stayed locked on Cirri, his fists clenched, his worry couldn’t be hidden.
Then suddenly,
BOOM
A bolt of lightning struck Cirri’s Egg.
Kael’s eyes widened in fear, but then,
It happened.
[Mission Reward: Baptism of the Sky Monarch]
The message appeared and,
“AAAAAAAGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!!!”
It began.
A sharp pain stabbed through his chest, like a spear made of wind and lightning had been slammed into his lungs. His eyes widened even further; he tried to breathe—but the air felt heavy and thick.
It felt… wrong.
His lungs refused to work.
He gripped the armrests of the throne, his fingers digging into the armrest—but since the darn thing was made of clouds, it didn’t help much.
And it didn’t stop there—rather, it increased.
“AAAAAAAAAAAGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!”
It wasn’t just his lungs anymore. His chest burned like fire—but colder, like stormfire.
His body shook. He gasped, but each breath only made it worse. The pain spread to his back, his ribs, his bones. They ached, then cracked, then shifted.
It was the same, agonizing feeling again.
His body was being broken and rebuilt at the same time—this time, according to the Sky Monarch’s Will.
His vision blurred as he felt blood rise in his throat. He coughed, and dark blood spilled down his chin, but for now, none of it mattered.
Even when he felt this agonizing pain, Kael didn’t care. He kept his eyes on his daughter.
The clouds around her spun faster, glowing with blue light. Lightning crawled over the surface like veins.
His Cirri…
She must be going through the pain a lot worse than him!
And that thought was even more painful than whatever was happening to him.
As if offended by that thought,
The pressure grew worse.
His muscles screamed.
His bones cracked again—this time in his arms, his legs, his spine.
It felt like he was being crushed by the entire sky.
And yet… he still didn’t look away.
It was almost like the little girl was his anchor—something that helped him go through this pain.
He knew his daughter would endure it bravely, so he did the same.
He gritted his teeth and stopped screaming, even as the pain got worse and worse, even when veins were visible all over his face and his skin had lost all color,
He did not scream.
He just…
Stared at his daughter, waiting for this agony to end.
The torture continued, both Kael and Cirri endured for hours…
Until finally,
It stopped.
“Haaaahhh… Haaahhh… Haahhh…”
Kael breathed heavily. He could feel the changes in his body—right now, however, his eyes were fixed on his daughter.
The instant the pain stopped, he didn’t care about his own condition and moved.
With his hand extended towards his daughter, he pushed himself to get close to his daughter as he took the Egg in front of him in his arms.
“Cirri…”
He called in a weak, trembling voice.
And as if to answer her father’s call,
Crack
The Egg cracked.