Khael stood at the academy's west gate, the wind tugging at his dark coat, his amber eyes steady as he surveyed the gathered forces. Beside him were Ceyla Nox and Juno Arkai, their presence as familiar as it was grounding.

But today wasn't just about Team 9.

Another group stood nearby, gathered with that same quiet tension, Team 7.

The storm-blooded prodigy Shigeo Motome leaned lazily against a pillar, his hood half-drawn and his eyes scanning the clouds like he was measuring the storm's pulse.

Beside him stood Saya Kurenai, her braided blonde hair catching the light, a faint, teasing smile playing on her lips as she spoke with Kenji Gas, the easygoing fighter with his usual swagger and wolf-cut curls.

It had been weeks since all of them had met since their paths last aligned. But today, their reunion was anything but casual.

"So it's true then," Shigeo said finally, breaking the silence. His voice carried that slow, detached tone that only he could make sound both calm and unsettling.

"Team 3 lost contact. Lunaris Dust traces resurfaced in the Florene Petalglade region .. Tildaroot village."

Ceyla frowned, crossing her arms. "That's where Kaen, Lira, and Rael were sent, right?"

Khael nodded. His expression didn't change, but there was a flicker in his eyes — something sharp, restrained. "No response in over thirty hours. Command wants us to investigate and retrieve them if necessary."

Kenji whistled low. "Damn… first the Dust wars, now this again? Don't these bastards ever take a break?"

Saya, ever the optimist cloaked in warmth, added with a grin, "Or maybe they're just scared of how handsome our rescuers are." She winked at Khael.

Ceyla groaned, muttering, "Unbelievable. Can we not flirt before a mission?"

"Hmm," Juno said quietly. "Jealous."

Khael exhaled a faint breath that might've been a laugh. "Let's move. We'll brief during flight."

⚔️ Mission Brief: Operation Veil Recon

Objective: Investigate Team 3's disappearance in Tildaroot Village, Florene Petalglade

Region

Assigned Units:

Team 9: Khael Corzedar, Ceyla Nox, Juno Arkai

Team 7: Shigeo Motome, Saya Kurenai, Kenji Gas

Supervising Officer: Khael Corzedar (acting senior)

Priority: Recovery / Containment

Moments later, six figures launched into the skies streaks of wind, static, and elemental energy cutting across the cloud-swept heavens.

Khael led the flight line, his wind affinity shimmering faintly as his Dragon Shinrei pulsed beneath his skin. Behind him, lightning trailed from Shigeo's hands in controlled bursts, while Saya's Bloom aura shimmered like trailing petals in the wind.

Ceyla glanced toward Khael mid-flight, her eyes sharp.

"You think Kaen's still there?"

Khael didn't answer right away. He looked ahead, where the clouds began to part and a strange, unnatural haze loomed over the distance.

"If he's alive," Khael said at last, voice low but firm, "then whoever touched him will regret it."

The storm around them crackled as if answering him, a promise carried on thunder and wind.

The wind thinned as they glided lower, streaks of silver mist brushing their faces. The Florene Petalglade stretched beneath them rolling hills tinged in emerald and gold, though now dulled by the faint haze of Lunaris Dust. Despite the tension, the flight felt strangely calm.

It was Kenji who broke the silence first, his voice light, echoing across the wind.

"Hey… you ever think about it? You know—what we're all fighting for?"

Saya turned her head slightly, her braid whipping in the air. "That's a weird question for someone who never shuts up about food."

Kenji laughed. "Exactly. Food's part of my dream, obviously. But I mean big picture, you know? Like what comes after all this fighting. The dust, the Shinrei wars, the damn politics. What then?"

Ceyla shot him a sidelong look. "You mean if we survive?"

Kenji shrugged mid-air, grinning. "Yeah, sure. If."

For a few moments, the only sound was the rush of wind and distant thunder. Then, he looked toward Khael who flew slightly ahead, the wind forming invisible trails around his frame.

"So, Dragon Knight," Kenji said, tone half-teasing, half-serious. "What about you? What's your dream?"

Khael didn't answer immediately. His eyes were on the horizon, the faint line of smoke rising from Tildaroot. His thoughts drifted, not to glory or recognition, but to faces his siblings, his father, the soldiers they'd lost, and the world that still kept spinning through its endless cycles of war.

Finally, he spoke quietly.

"My dream…"

The wind stirred.

"…is to make sure we stop fighting just to survive."

He looked over his shoulder, his amber gaze meeting theirs.

"I want a world where power doesn't decide who's right."

His words hung there, weightless but piercing.

Saya smiled softly, eyes gleaming like morning dew.

"Heh. That's so you, Khael." She tilted her head, voice light and bright as sunlight through leaves.

"My dream is a little simpler."

Khael glanced her way. "Yeah?"

Saya spread her arms wide, letting the breeze play with her braid.

"To be the bloomest and happiest version of me with my future husband, of course."

Kenji immediately groaned. "Ugh, here we go again."

Ceyla smirked. "Heh… good luck with that. Finding someone who can handle you?"

Saya gasped dramatically. "Excuse me, miss stormy tsundere! I'll have you know I'm very lovable."

"To plants, maybe," Ceyla muttered, rolling her eyes.

Their laughter cracked through the tension like a spark small, warm, necessary.

Then Juno, who had been silent the whole time, spoke. His tone was calm but resolute.

"My dream is to be the strongest Taishin."

Ceyla raised an eyebrow. "You already are one of the strongest."

Juno shook his head. "Not enough. I want to make them recognize that Taishin practitioners aren't inferior to Affinity users. That strength doesn't come from element alone, it comes from will."

The group went quiet again, this time with a certain respect.

Khael looked toward Juno, then to the rest of them. The light wind brushed his hair as he said quietly,

"Then let's make sure none of those dreams die in this mission."

Lightning crackled faintly beside themShigeo's doing. He hadn't spoken since they'd left the academy, but now his voice cut through the air, dry and thoughtful.

"Dreams are nice. But first, let's make sure we don't wake up dead."

Kenji snorted. "Thanks, sunshine."

Saya giggled. "Classic Shigeo."

But beneath their banter, a quiet warmth lingered a bond formed not just by duty, but by shared purpose.

And as the clouds began to part, revealing the misty outline of Tildaroot Village, all six of them fell silent.

The petals that once glowed like lanterns now hung dim and lifeless.

The air was thick, humming faintly with the residue of Lunaris Dust and something darker something unnatural.

Khael's expression hardened.

"Dreams can wait," he murmured.

"Right now, we find out what happened here."

The storm above them rumbled, as if echoing his resolve.

To be continue

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