Chapter 2:

Chapter 2 — Prisoners of the Sky

Skyfall Chronicles



Cold. Metallic. Suffocating.
Kael’s senses stirred as he regained consciousness, his body swaying gently. The air tasted of iron and oil. His eyelids flickered open, greeted by a dull, sterile light.
He was in a cage.
Suspended mid-air, the cage hung among a network of steel beams and glass walls. Below him, nothing but a dizzying abyss of swirling clouds. Above, the metallic belly of a colossal airship extended into the sky, its machinery humming with a low, mechanical growl.
Kael tried to sit up, but chains bound his wrists to the cage's cold bars.
“So, you’re finally awake,” a voice called out lazily.
Across from him, in another cage, sat a man—relaxed, almost amused. His dark hair fell over his eyes, and a faint smile tugged at his lips. His clothes, once sturdy, were now worn and torn, but his posture radiated confidence.
Kael squinted. “Who are you?”
“The name’s Kuro,” the man replied, tilting his head. “Looks like you and I are special guests on this flying coffin.”
Kael’s throat was dry. “Where are the guards? Why would they leave us like this?”
Kuro’s grin widened. “That’s the fun part. They’re not here.”
Kael glanced around. The massive chamber was empty. No guards, no patrols, just the cold hum of machinery.
Kuro stretched his arms lazily. With a sudden, practiced movement, he twisted his wrists and slipped free of the chains. It was so fluid, it seemed rehearsed.
Kael’s eyes widened. “How did you—?”
“No time.” Kuro leapt onto the edge of his cage, balancing with ease. “Let’s just say, this isn’t my first time playing their little game.”
He hopped over, landing silently on Kael’s cage. A few quick gestures, and Kael’s restraints popped open.
“Come on,” Kuro said, offering a hand. “If we’re going to escape, we do it now.”
Kael grabbed his hand, pulling himself up. His instincts screamed that this was madness, but he had no other choice.



The corridors were vast and eerily quiet. Red emergency lights pulsed along the walls, casting long shadows. The architecture was strange — a fusion of advanced technology and something older, almost ceremonial. Symbols etched into the walls flickered faintly as if alive.
“Where are the crew?” Kael whispered.
“Oh, they’re around,” Kuro said casually. “But they trust their machines more than their men.”
As if on cue, a group of sentinel drones floated around the corner. Humanoid in size, sleek and weaponless, but their numbers made them dangerous.
“Stay close,” Kuro murmured, stepping forward without hesitation.
The drones lunged. Kuro’s movements were a blur—ducking, weaving, striking at pressure points Kael couldn’t even see. The drones fell one by one, collapsing in eerie silence.
Kael was stunned. “Who are you?”
“Just someone who doesn’t like cages,” Kuro replied with a wink. “Questions later. We need to get off this ship.”
They pressed on, navigating through labyrinthine passages. Every turn seemed endless, as if the ship itself was shifting to keep them trapped.
Suddenly, alarms blared. A sharp siren screamed through the air, red lights now flashing urgently.
“Well, that didn’t take long,” Kuro muttered.
Kael’s pace quickened. “They know we’re loose.”
“Correction. They think they can stop us.”
Reaching a vast observation deck, they were greeted by an expanse of glass showing the outside world. Or rather, the endless sky beneath them. They were impossibly high, floating far above any landmass.
“There’s nowhere to run,” Kael said, his heart pounding.
Kuro grinned. “We jump.”
Kael froze. “You’re insane.”
“Probably.” Kuro took a few steps back, then pointed to the emergency airlock controls. “But there’s a current down there. You want to stay here and wait for whoever runs this ship, be my guest. But me? I’m not staying for the next round of chains.”
Kael hesitated only a second longer.
“Damn it… fine. Let’s do it.”
Kuro kicked the emergency panel. The outer glass shattered inward, fragments sucked out into the roaring winds. The sudden change in pressure pulled at them violently.
“On my mark!” Kuro shouted over the wind.
One step. Two steps. They jumped.
The world became noise and sky. The air roared in their ears, the leviathan ship shrinking above them as they plummeted. Kael’s mind raced—no parachute, no safety, just the endless descent.
But then, just as the world blurred, Kuro reached into his tattered coat and flung a small, shimmering device. A pulse of light exploded beneath them.
A gravity glider.
Invisible wings unfolded, catching the air. Their fall stabilized, turning into a rapid but controlled descent toward a dense forest canopy far below.
Kael was breathless. “You planned this?”
“Of course not,” Kuro laughed. “But improvisation’s my specialty.”
As they descended, Kael felt it again. That pull. As if something—or someone—was watching them from the clouds.
The fight wasn’t over. It had only just begun.


New Maker
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