Storms Before the Sky - C1

P16 C1.1 Off to the Gods

The warm sun barely pierced the tense clouds above Nova Terra as the NT Gang stood in front of their now-evolving home base-- a village being reforged with the help of new wealth, experience, and most importantly, three ancient artifacts: A Spear called Darkness' Harbinger, the Swift Greaves, and the Midnight Robe.

Each pulsed with magic older than the continent itself, symbols of what was yet to come.

The 3 artifacts were all given to Toku, as a reward for his efforts.

But, Rikushi stood at the center of it all, eyes locked onto the distant horizon.

"We're not ready," he muttered.

"Not yet," Valentine agreed, slinging the Midnight Robe over Toku's shoulders. "But we will be." As Toku nods.

They were preparing for more than survival now--they were planning conquest. Not of land, but of their fate.

Meanwhile, the Astralla Clan coordinated their spies to gather info on Tyrant. His growing influence was bleeding across the outer kingdoms. There were whispers of something terrible--the forging of a dark alliance.

In a hidden citadel layered with shadows, Tyrannical, Tenebris, and RJ&Co clasped arms with the Iustitia Clan.

The pact was signed in silence, sealed in blood.

"They're assembling their monsters," Ceri warned, staring at the map. "We need god-status." A Title given to those who are granted the power to control the worlds.

A knock is heard outside the room, with LuLu admitting she has been listening since she was only in the room over, as Abstra, Faust, and the other Astralla Clan members were residing in the other rooms due to a 'temp' truce as one of the winners of the Arena Games.

After walking into the room, LuLu steps forward, brushing her hair aside with a wicked grin.

"I know a few."

"A few what, gods?" Valentine asks

"Yeah, a few scary ones too" LuLu replies. Which scares Toku.

Faust enters the room, mentioning how they can use one of their airships for transportation.

Rikushi, Blaidd, LuLu, Valentine, Abstra, and Toku boarded their airship, which started slicing through the sky toward the Floating Islands--Deus Dynasty, soon after takeoff.

"They've declared war on us. And if we're going to survive it, we need to ascend, ascend further than before." mentioned Blaidd.

​

P16 C1.2 Wings Towards the Sky

Later that night, beneath the star-scattered sky, as the ship cruises through the air, Rikushi stood with Blaidd, Valentine, Toku, and LuLu around a lighted core at the rear of the ship.

"You sure this place exists?" Blaidd asked, staring upward.

"Deus-Dynasty," LuLu nodded. "The floating isles. The realm of gods. It's not a myth. It's a test."

A thunderous crack erupted above, and a massive portal opened in the sky. The wind howled with divine energy. The entrance to the Trial of the Skyborne.

"You five are going," Abstra said as she approached, sternly. "I will depart from here, after dropping you off to join the others, cause the rest of us will hold the line until you return. The moment you step through that gate, it's all or nothing."

Rikushi nodded. "Understood."

Blaidd, on video call with the NTG, tells the Gang how he must go now, Glonk, pounding his fists. "Come back stronger... or don't come back at all."

And Kite telling Rikushi to come back in one piece or else she'll never kiss him again.

With final farewells, the five chosen warriors stepped toward the light.

P16 C1.3 Trial of the Fallen

The floating islands of Deus-Dynasty were not clouds or rock--they were remnants. Remnants of those who were slain and those of who were reshaped into what hovers in the sky, the bones of ancient gods long dead, now suspended in divine energy.

With the islands in the middle being each a piece of a forgotten titan.

The first trial greeted them with no words--only a staircase of gravity-defying platforms that shifted and vanished as they moved.

Valentine's breath caught as he looked down. "One wrong step..."

Toku clutched his new spear tightly. "No mistakes."

As they climbed, voices of fallen warriors echoed, taunting them with regrets, failures, and insecurities. Each step was a test of mind as much as body.

But it was only the beginning.

At the top of the first rise, a massive obsidian guardian, with wings made of broken swords and fire erupting from its ribs, awaited.

LuLu stepped forward first, archangel wings unfurled.

"Let's show the gods," she growled, eyes glowing with deep blue fury, "Who we really are."

Writer's note:
This Arc will be shorter and introduce some new characters!
We plan to branch off to other members' stories and pasts too, so after these 5 (including this one) chapters, we'll start to branch into those directions!