P50 - Whispers in the Wind

Location: Aura City - Zephra District:

A blanket of fog rolled through Zephra District, veiling the early morning buzz of the City of Aura. Tall buildings leaned into the sky, their glassy-surfaces constantly rippled by gusts of ever-blowing wind. Neon signs flickered just beneath rooftop tiles, and a soft hum of magic-infused turbines echoed in the distance.

From atop a narrow ledge, Vailen Wisp dangled his legs lazily over a four-story drop. His dual knives--Nox and Drift--rested beside him, catching glints of soft orange light from the rising sun.

"Another contract?" came a quiet voice through his comms earpiece.

Vailen smirked. "Always. You think smoke rests, Thess~?"

Silence.

Then, Thess Aerowyn replied, calm and cool:
"I think the wind listens before it strikes."

Thess's POV:

Thess stood at the center of a drifting sky-bridge that arched between two towers of the Academy of Gale Directive. Her long white cloak billowed behind her, and her custom sniper-bow was folded into its compact form at her back. Her eyes, shaded by a dark-blue visor, scanned the city grid below.

Unlike Vailen, she didn't enjoy the game. She watched it and calculated it.
And she saw that something was off.

Ever since the Council of Plumes began disappearing, the lower districts had gotten louder--chaotic wind surges, gang violence, and rogue mages testing spells out in the open.

Today, she had been told to meet someone. The message was vague;
"A shadow with a silver flame. You'll know them when the smoke clears."

She hated riddles.

Vailen's POV:

After a few hours of rooftop hopping, street-wandering, and eavesdropping at cafes, Vailen found himself drawn to a quiet alley near the outer market--a place called Whisper's Spine. He had a feeling. Smoke always knew where to go, and today it was curling toward something interesting.

That's when he saw her.

White hood, long cloak, sniper bow partially hidden behind a satchel of scrolls. She wasn't moving like the rest of the crowd--she was cutting through it like air parting on instinct.

He dropped down beside her silently.

"Hey, Cloud Queen."

Thess barely looked. "Wisp."

"You get the message too?"

She nodded. "You think it's a trap?"

"I think it's fun."

They both paused.

Then a wave of wind pushed through the alley. Not natural nor regular. It came with a sharp howl and shimmered like glass.

Thess reacted first, unstrapping her bow. "Not good."

Location: Aura City - Whisper's Spine Rooftop:

Watching, and calculating, with a spear in hand, cloak fluttering.

"Why them?" he murmured, a soft drone device floating near his shoulder.

The voice from the device replied:
"They're either the sharpest edges we have... or the ones who'll bring the storm crashing down."

Jira narrowed his eyes.

"I'll test them myself."

Mirel Galespine's POV:

Standing in front of a cracked monument dedicated to the Ashborne Rebellion. She wasn't sentimental--but she remembered the names carved in the stone.

Her glaive gleamed at her back, heat still radiating from the last job.

She looked toward the fog-draped city skyline and whispered:

"Another storm's coming. About time I burned through it."

A rush of silver-tinted wind spiraled through the alley, dense and twisting unnaturally as it coalesced into a humanoid shape. Vailen stepped in front of Thess instinctively, daggers drawn.

But the figure didn't strike.

Instead, it dissipated--a message left behind in glowing script on the stone wall:

"The ones chosen by the air will meet at the Breach. Bring no flags. Speak no lies."

Thess lowered her bow. "The Breach... They mean the underpass below Zephra's Wind Gate."

Vailen scoffed. "Neutral zone. Of course!"

They didn't need to speak further. Both vanished into the shadows.

The Breach was a tunnel of abandoned railways and turbine shafts. High above, glass vents let in flickers of blue light, refracting through the fog like scattered stars.

Vailen and Thess arrived first, weapons sheathed but hands never far.

Footsteps echoed from the other side. A tall silhouette strode into view--dark hair, white robes, and a long plated spear slung over his shoulder.

Jira Caelum.

Thess narrowed her eyes. "Academy Captain."

Jira offered a small nod. "Wisp. Aerowyn. Not many in this city can walk this deep unannounced."

"And yet you came~," Vailen replied.

"I came to see if the rumors were true. That two of our most unpredictable assets were wandering into a trap willingly."

Before Vailen could respond, a clang echoed behind them.

A heavy door creaked open, and Mirel Galespine stepped through. Her long-glaive rested against one shoulder, ash curling off her boots like living shadows. Her presence was colder than Thess's wind and hotter than Vailen's smoke.

She didn't greet anyone.

She simply looked around and asked, "So who dies first?"

Vailen tilted his head. "You always this charming, or is today special?"

Mirel sneered. "Depends. You always this cocky, or just covering up fear?"

Before tension could build any further, a high-frequency pulse vibrated through the Breach. All four turned instinctively as a projected sigil appeared in the air--bearing the mark of the Council of Plumes.

A distorted voice followed:

"To those who answered the wind:
A storm is coming.
The air does not choose sides.
But you have been chosen to decide its future."

Then, silence.

The sigil vanished, and all four stood there, bathed in the dim glow of failing lights and rising pressure.

Jira was the first to speak.

"...We're being recruited."

Thess crossed her arms. "More like tested."

Mirel ran a thumb across her glaive. "Then let's hope the test is worth bleeding for."

Vailen chuckled. "Great. I was getting bored anyway, ugh.