The mountains appeared closer than they had the previous evening.
Yet the road seemed to stretch endlessly toward them.
Chrono stood on a rocky rise, watching the distant peaks disappear into a thick blanket of clouds. Their upper slopes were hidden, and the wind carried a strange rhythm through the valley.
It came in waves. A gentle breeze. A sudden gust. Then nothing.
Gran stood beside him, ears raised. His nose shifted toward the mountains before he looked back at Chrono.
"You noticed it too?"
Gran gave a quiet huff.
Ember climbed onto Chrono's shoulder, its tails swaying as it watched the clouds. "Ky?"
"Something is wrong with the wind."
Chrono held the small metal disc he had purchased at the settlement. Its three grooves caught the morning light. He turned it slowly. Nothing happened.
Still, he kept it.
"Let's move."
---
The road gradually became steeper. Trees grew shorter, their branches bending away from the prevailing winds. Small wooden markers appeared along the path, each decorated with feathers, colored threads, and carved symbols. Some had fallen over. Others had been deliberately repaired.
Glask examined one as they passed. "My lord. These markings appear to indicate safe passage."
"Safe passage for whom?"
"Those capable of traveling through the upper currents, perhaps."
Chrono looked toward the mountains. "Then we're approaching their territory."
The first settlement appeared shortly before noon.
Unlike the villages below, it wasn't built across the ground. It clung to the mountainside. Wooden platforms extended from enormous stone pillars, connected by rope bridges and narrow walkways. Several structures were built around natural rock formations, while others appeared suspended over open air.
Farther above, silhouettes moved between distant platforms.
Wings. Not birds.
People.
*Sky Beastkin.*
Chrono stopped at the entrance. Two guards descended from a platform using a system of ropes and wooden pulleys. Both had feathered wings folded against their backs. One carried a short spear, while the other wore a collection of small metal ornaments around his neck.
The older guard studied the group. "Travelers?"
"Yes," Chrono replied.
"Purpose?"
"Information. We're heading toward Skyfang Highlands."
The guard's expression changed slightly. "Why?"
Chrono didn't answer immediately. "We heard the wind currents have become unstable."
The second guard exchanged a glance with the first. "That isn't a matter for outsiders."
"Then I suppose the missing couriers aren't either."
Silence.
The older guard's eyes narrowed. "Who told you about them?"
"A courier named Serai."
That name earned a reaction. The second guard lowered his spear slightly. "Serai returned?"
"No. We met her earlier, before reaching this region."
The older guard looked toward the upper platforms. "Then she was right to send someone." He stepped aside. "Come. But don't wander beyond the marked bridges."
---
The settlement was called Aeralis.
It was smaller than Chrono expected, but its architecture revealed how carefully its inhabitants had adapted to the mountains. There were no ordinary roads connecting the upper platforms. Instead, the Sky Beastkin traveled through designated wind corridors. Some used their wings. Others relied on gliding equipment or specially designed harnesses.
Children practiced short flights between nearby platforms under the supervision of adults. Merchants secured their goods with ropes and weighted containers. Even the buildings were designed to reduce resistance against strong gusts.
Everything depended on understanding the wind.
A young Sky Beastkin nearly lost his balance when a sudden current swept through the market. His mother caught his arm. "Watch the flags first!"
"I did!"
"Then watch them properly!"
Chrono observed the flags. Most moved in the same direction. But one near the central platform fluttered against the others. Then another did the same.
The wind wasn't simply changing direction. Different currents were moving through the same space.
Chrono's eyes narrowed. *That's not natural turbulence.*
Ember's ears twitched. It stared toward the highest platform. "Ky…"
Chrono followed its gaze. A large structure stood above the settlement — a tower made from pale stone and dark metal, surrounded by several enormous feather-shaped ornaments. The ornaments rotated slowly. But they didn't follow the wind.
*They appeared to be measuring it.*
---
The older guard returned with a woman wearing a dark blue cloak. Her wings were broad, with pale markings near the tips. A thin scar crossed one eyebrow.
"I am Captain Asha," she introduced herself. "I oversee the upper routes."
Chrono gave a slight nod. "Chrono."
Asha glanced at Gran, then Glask, before looking at Ember. Her attention lingered on the small creature. "An unusual companion."
"It's still young."
"Then keep it close. The upper currents have been behaving strangely. Even experienced flyers have trouble judging them."
"Can you explain what's happening?"
Asha folded her arms. "We don't know the cause. But the wind has begun changing without warning. Currents that have remained stable for generations are suddenly reversing. Some routes have become unusable."
"And the missing couriers?"
"Three." Chrono waited. "Two disappeared while traveling between the lower platforms and the northern ridge. The third was last seen near an abandoned observation post."
"Were they experienced?"
"Very."
"Then why send them through unstable routes?"
Asha's expression hardened. "We didn't know the routes were unstable until they stopped returning."
Chrono nodded.
"Yesterday, a search party found one of their signal markers. It was still attached to the route post, but the marker pointed in the wrong direction."
"Could the wind have moved it?"
"No. The marker is fixed."
Chrono looked toward the upper tower. "Then something changed the current itself."
Asha didn't respond. Her silence was enough.
---
They were taken to a small observation room overlooking the valley. A large map covered one wall, displaying the mountain range, the settlement platforms, and several colored lines representing established wind routes. Three routes had been crossed out. Two more were marked with warning symbols.
Chrono approached the map. "Where was the last courier seen?"
Asha pointed toward a narrow ridge north of Aeralis. "Here. The old observation post."
"And the others?"
"Both disappeared near the same general area."
Chrono traced the routes with his eyes. They converged near a section of the mountains that had no settlement, no trade road, and no marked landing platform.
"Why is this area empty?"
"Because the currents are unreliable even under normal conditions."
"Has anyone investigated it?"
Asha hesitated. "An expedition was sent several days ago."
"And?"
"Only one returned."
Chrono turned toward her. "What did they find?"
"Nothing they could explain." The captain looked uncomfortable. "He said the wind stopped."
Chrono waited for her to continue.
"Not weakened. Not slowed. Stopped. Every current around the ridge disappeared at once. He said he could see the clouds hanging motionless."
A brief silence settled over the room.
"That shouldn't be possible," Glask said.
"Which is why we don't know what to believe," Asha replied.
Chrono studied the map again. The black arrowhead inside his inventory remained still. *For now.* But he remembered what had happened near the ancient structure. The artificial mana. The underground mechanism. The strange response from the Dwarven Sacred Ember.
These events might be connected. Or they might simply be occurring at the same time. He wasn't going to assume.
"Can you take us to the nearest safe observation point?"
Asha looked at him. "You intend to investigate?"
"I intend to observe."
"Those are different things?"
"They should be."
For a moment, Asha seemed to consider his answer. Then she nodded. "I can arrange an escort tomorrow morning."
---
Later that evening, Chrono stood on an outer platform. The clouds moved beneath him. Aeralis glowed with warm lantern light, while distant silhouettes crossed between the higher structures.
Gran rested near the entrance. Glask stood beside a support pillar, watching the surrounding walkways. Ember sat on the railing, its tails swaying in the breeze.
*Except there was no breeze.*
Chrono noticed first. The flags stopped moving. The hanging ornaments became still. Even the distant clouds seemed to pause. For several seconds, the entire mountainside fell silent.
Then a gust swept upward from below. It struck the platform with enough force to make the wooden supports groan.
Ember immediately turned toward the northern ridge. Its small body stiffened. "Ky! Ky!"
Chrono followed its gaze. Far beyond the settlement, a faint light appeared between two mountain peaks. It flickered once.
Then vanished.
The black arrowhead inside his inventory grew warm. Chrono's expression changed.
*There you are.*
He didn't know what waited beyond the ridge. He didn't know whether the missing couriers were alive. And he certainly didn't know whether the strange wind was connected to the ancient mechanism beneath the mountains.
But now he had a direction.
Behind him, Glask spoke. "My lord. Should I prepare for departure?"
"Tomorrow." Chrono looked toward the northern ridge again. "Tonight, we observe."
The clouds began moving once more.
Far beneath the mountain range, something answered with a faint vibration.
And for the first time in centuries —
*the ancient structure above the clouds began to turn.*