Chapter 21 – Whispers of the wind

Carnac Village – Guildmaster’s Office

The dimly lit guild office smells faintly of parchment, ink, and spilled ale. Lord Devonshire, the guildmaster, sits behind his cluttered desk, fingers tapping impatiently on the armrest of his chair.

“Any word about the new kid? Randy, was it?” Devonshire mutters, his brows furrowed.

Helvos, the broad-shouldered warrior leaning lazily against the wall, shrugs. “Who knows? Don’t look at me.”

Valga, a fiery brawler with arms crossed, chimes in. “Well… since I heard that Elysia is one of the strongest adventurers in all of Magick, you’d think we’d have heard something about him by now. But Randy? He just vanished into thin air.”

Before the tension can deepen, a drunken knight suddenly slams his half-empty beer jug onto the desk, froth splattering across the paperwork.

“WELL… hic… I tell ya… they must be… hic… GONE! Gone with the wind! urp—” He cuts himself off by vomiting right onto the floor.

“Marcus…” Devonshire groans, pinching the bridge of his nose. “For the love of the gods.”

Valga smirks, clearly entertained. Helvos rolls his eyes. Marcus, still swaying, grins proudly as if he’s just contributed something meaningful.

The mood shifts when the guild doors burst open with a heavy slam. An adventurer stumbles in, panting, his cloak singed and boots muddy.

“Guildmaster! There’s—there’s a new dungeon! It just appeared in the south!”

The office goes silent. Even Marcus sobers slightly, blinking blearily.

Devonshire shoots up from his chair, the wood creaking under the sudden force. His sharp voice fills the room.
“What!? A new dungeon?! This must be reported immediately. Valga, Helvos—on your feet! And Marcus…” Devonshire’s glare hardens.

Marcus raises a finger sluggishly. “hic… aye, aye, Boss…”

Valga slams her fist into her palm, her eyes glittering with excitement. “Finally! Some action!”

Helvos mutters under his breath, “Yeah, sure. Action that’ll probably get us killed.” But he pushes off the wall, reluctantly ready to move.

“Good. Get to work!” Devonshire barks, the weight of urgency pressing on the entire room.

Meanwhile – City of Albius, Mayor’s Office

Far from the village, in the bustling city of Albius, the mayor’s office is filled with the scratching sound of quills and the rustling of parchment. Mayor Gindol sits hunched over his desk, rubbing his temples as the mountain of paperwork grows.

A messenger bursts in, bowing hurriedly.
“Mayor Gindol! News from the south—another dungeon has appeared!”

The quill in Gindol’s hand freezes. Slowly, he sets it down and exhales, his face tightening with concern.

“…Another one?” he whispers. His eyes flick toward the tall windows, where the city’s rooftops glow beneath the evening sun. He knows what this means. Trouble. And not the ordinary kind.

He straightens in his chair, voice sharp.
“Summon Anduril. We’ll need a scouting party to confirm this dungeon’s presence. We cannot afford to underestimate it.”

The messenger bows again and rushes out.

Gindol remains seated, staring at the unfinished paperwork before him, but his thoughts are elsewhere.
“…The balance is shifting,” he mutters. “And if that boy Randy is tied to this… then things will get messy.”

Magick City – Fu Xi’s Office

The curtains ripple faintly as the wind slips through the open window. Fu Xi stands with his hands clasped behind his back, his sharp gaze fixed on the sprawling city of Magick below. His voice is low, measured, yet heavy with tension.

“Rumors can ignite fires, Mina. Fires spread. Fires consume. This one needs to be investigated.”

Mina, seated across from him, taps her quill on a parchment, her expression calm yet cautious.
“I don’t dismiss rumors, Lord Fu Xi. But we’ve still yet to solve the problem of Verica’s escape. That alone is a shadow hanging over us.”

Fu Xi exhales slowly, almost like he is carrying the weight of the whole kingdom on his shoulders.
“At this time… we’re already running out of time.”

Magick City – The Holding Chambers

The underground prison is silent except for the occasional echo of footsteps from guards. Two rooms stand side by side.

In one, Raul sits hunched in the corner, biting his fingers raw. His eyes are wide, unblinking, muttering the same words again and again like a broken puppet.
“I’m… the hero… I’m… the hero… I’m… the hero…”

In the other, Alfian is drenched in sweat, pushing himself to the floor and back up again. His eyes burn with fury.
“Just wait… I’ll get you all back… those bastards… even my so-called buddies…” His push-ups thud against the stone floor like a war drum.

Two men. One consumed by delusion. One boiling with vengeance.

The King’s Office

Stacks of scrolls lie open across a vast oak table. Fu Xi unfurls a parchment and speaks in a grim tone to Mina.
“Gather those who are still loyal. Nobles and guild leaders who haven’t sold their souls to corruption.”

Mina scans the list, reading aloud:

Fu Xi narrows his eyes.
“These are the true pillars of the Kingdom of Mana. Nerina has forgotten that. Her corruption is rotting us from the inside out… and our firepower is dwindling.”

Mina sets the parchment down. “Then we need to move quickly. The longer we wait, the more ground we lose.”

Fu Xi nods. “Which is why Gindol must understand. He’ll see why I’m doing this.”

Albius – The Hangar

The metallic groan of chains and the hiss of steam fill the vast hangar. Gleaming under the lantern light is a massive new airship, its hull engraved with runes. Its name is painted boldly across the side: Cloud Cutter.

The captain, standing tall in his crisp uniform, bows to Gindol.
“My Lord Mayor… where do we sail first?”

Gindol hands over a sealed document. His expression is grave.
“Follow the list. Waste no time. War is coming.”

The captain salutes. “At once!”

Beside him, Master Anduril crosses his arms, smirking at the sight of the massive vessel.
“Well, at least this time we don’t need Randy’s ridiculous toy.”

Gindol shoots him a sideways look. “You mean the Skybreaker?”

Anduril grumbles, but his smirk fades into seriousness.
“…Hmph. Fine. But let’s not fool ourselves. That boy’s ship still has the firepower we’ll need. Crucial firepower.”

He mutters, almost to himself: “…Better hope our messenger reaches him on that sky island.”

The Cloud Cutter roars to life, engines humming as its propellers cut through the clouds.

Port City of Lavina – The Docks

A crowd gathers as the massive airship descends gracefully onto the harbor. Waiting at the docks is a striking woman in maroon Victorian attire, her face half-hidden behind an elegant fan. Strange markings curl faintly across her pale skin, glowing when the sun catches them.

“My, my…” she says with a lilting voice, her crimson eyes glinting. “What an elegant chariot you’ve brought me.”

Anduril grimaces. “Here comes Luca… the mermaid.”

Gindol mutters under his breath, “More like a siren. Just pray she doesn’t start singing.”

Magick Academy – Courtyard

Meanwhile, Luna and Elysia stroll beneath the shade of the courtyard trees, enjoying a rare moment of peace. With them are Oswald, Marlisa, and Marian.

Ganz, a local student, rushes up to them, looking flustered.
“Hey! Did you hear? There’s a big meeting happening right now. Security is everywhere!”

Oswald tilts his head. “Not sure I like the sound of that.”

Marlisa clutches her chest nervously. “Something feels wrong…”

Another voice cuts in. Rizal, one of the Earth students, approaches with a casual grin.
“Yo, you guys notice the commotion outside? Knights told us not to worry. Said everything’s under control.” He smirks. “Which probably means everything’s not under control.”

Luna lowers her gaze, sensing something.

Sphaera’s voice echoes softly, “…Let me scan the surroundings.”

Elysia raises an eyebrow. “Wait—you can do surveillance now?”

Sphaera chuckles. “Not exactly. But Professor Emerson did install hidden cameras around the city.”

Elysia sighs. “Talk about paranoid.”

“What do you see?” Luna presses.

Sphaera pauses. “…Heavy guards at the main gate. Something’s definitely going down.”

Suddenly, a deafening whoosh rattles the windows as a massive airship cuts across the sky.

The students look up in awe.

“An… airship?” Elysia breathes.

Luna narrows her eyes. “That’s not Randy’s…”

Oswald freezes. “Wait. RANDY HAS AN AIRSHIP!?!”

“Uhhh… yeah,” Luna admits sheepishly. “He built it. Before that mess with Raul, Alfian, and Verica.”

Marlisa’s eyes sparkle, her cheeks flushing. “Kyaa… Big Brother Oswald! I never knew Randy was… so amazing! Uuuhhh, I need to fix my makeup!”

Luna and Elysia both snap at her, their voices overlapping.
“Not on our watch!!”

Sky Island – Randy’s Workshop

Meanwhile, high above the world, Randy is hard at work inside the Skybreaker’s hangar. Sparks fly as he modifies the ship, surrounded by dozens of Elowen’s new golems—including miniature ones that now serve as the ship’s official crew.

“Alright, let’s boost the payload… and maybe squeeze in some extra firepower…” Randy mutters, tightening a bolt.

It’s true. Ever since arriving on Sky Island, the group has “leveled up” beyond recognition.

Randy downs one during testing and feels his muscles surge with strength.
“Whoa… This actually works!”

Kline smirks. “It’s physical enhancement, not magical. Of course it works.”

Randy grins, gripping his lightsaber tightly. “Heh. Then let’s push this to the limit. Because something tells me… war’s about to knock on our door.”

The camera pans out, showing the Skybreaker gleaming in the sun, with Elowen’s golems moving like a disciplined crew, Seraphina practicing strikes in the courtyard, and Kline brewing strange vials of power.

At the Gates of the Great Archive

The entrance still refuses to open. The massive door looms over us like a silent sentinel, covered in ancient glyphs that glow faintly whenever Kline presses his hand against it. Beside him, the golem Elowen crafted—slender, smooth, its gemstone eyes flickering with a strange intelligence—works tirelessly to analyze the patterns.

Kline groans, ruffling his hair.
“Damn it, this door is mocking me. Even Kop can’t figure it out!”

The golem, whom Kline proudly named Kop, tilts its head, voice resonating in a calm, mechanical tone.
“Directive: no direct pathway detected. Probability suggests multiple lines of runic code overlap. Recommend alternative approach.”

“Alternative approach, huh? Yeah, like breaking it down?!” Kline raises his fist dramatically, then sighs. “No, no… fine. You win. Back to the runes.”

Elowen mutters from her workshop table nearby, hammer in hand, “If he blows that door up, I’m not fixing it.”

Inside the Great Archive

Behind the sealed door, untouched by centuries, lies a vault of knowledge. Pyramids of books and scrolls are stacked high in impossible formations. But hidden deeper inside, something doesn’t belong to this world of swords and magic.

A chamber.

Transparent glass, filled with faintly glowing blue fluid. And within it—
A young woman floats, eyes closed, as though asleep.

Her body is lithe yet mechanical in design. Silver and white metal lines trace along her limbs, seamlessly fusing with skin. Her hair drifts like strands of starlight, white as snow, framing her peaceful expression.

Then—her lips curl into the faintest smile.
“…Finally.”

Back Outside

Meanwhile, I’m busy with my own projects. My old Winchester rifle leans against a crate, but now it’s nothing like the outdated gun I once carried. With the technology scattered across this Sky Island, I’ve modified it—now capable of chambering elemental cartridges.

Thanks to Kline’s lectures, I’ve learned how to engrave magic circles into the bullet casings. A normal round? Easy. A round imbued with lightning? Kline provides the elemental charge, and the bullet carries it like bottled thunder. The next time I fire, it’ll crackle through the air like a storm.

“I swear, Randy, your workshop looks like a mad wizard,” Elowen says flatly, adjusting her goggles.

I grin, holding up my newest creation: a sleek black blaster, modeled after the ones from Star Wars.
“Blaster rifle. Practical. Compact. Deadly. And most importantly—it looks awesome.”

Elowen folds her arms, glaring.
“…That outfit of yours though? Really? You’ll stick out like a sore thumb.”

Seraphina steps in, tilting her head as she watches me strike a heroic pose in my long coat and strange belt.
“I think it suits him. Though… maybe add a hood? Or something you can swap out for stealth.”

Elowen nods. “A variable outfit. Something that shifts forms depending on conditions. I’ll make the framework.”

I give them a thumbs-up. “Yes! Now you’re speaking my language!”

Meanwhile, Kline & Kop

Kline is crouched by the door again, muttering as he sketches out the glyphs on parchment.
“Kop, status?”

The golem’s eyes pulse.
“Analysis at 62%. Probability suggests door mechanism linked to multiple dimensional anchors. Requires synchronization with adjacent leyline.”

Kline sighs and throws himself on the ground dramatically.
“Translation: still no damn progress.”

I laugh, loading a cartridge into my rifle.
“Well, at least I’ve got new toys to play with while you rage at a door.”

Kline shoots me a death glare. “Shut up, blaster-boy. One day, when this door opens, you’ll be crying to borrow my knowledge!”

Elowen smirks. “More likely crying because you blew yourself up.”

The Gate of the Great Archive

“Oi!” I snap, shaking my head.

But then I notice it.

The door—its surface isn’t just etched with runes anymore. The glyphs shift, rearranging themselves. At first, they’re in Akkadian… ancient, undecipherable. But when I reach out and smear my palm against them, the letters ripple like liquid.

Suddenly, they’re in English.

“What the…?” My eyes widen. And then—

A sound.

Not from outside. Not from the world. From inside my head.

A melody. Haunting. Beautiful. Something old, older than this city, yet somehow… mine. My lips move before I can stop them.

“Pro techedra, dēorling, ic clave Chronicorum cano…”

My voice echoes unnaturally, as though the walls themselves are singing back to me.

Kline freezes, dropping his notes. “Randy? What the hell?!”

But I can’t hear him. The trance swallows me whole.

“Pro mei sacrificium, ic donum cantilenam istam, tresor por vie…”

The glyphs ignite, flooding my vision with light.

And then—I see her.

Not here. Not now. Somewhere far away, across memories and time. A woman, her silhouette hazy, her voice tender as she sings a lullaby.

“Fur hwí scal maht in unswerðum weron habiten, por quei bienfait est necessarium?”

The words slip between languages—Latin, Old Saxon, something else—and yet I understand everything.

“Randy… don’t cry. Mama will sing you a lullaby…”

Tears blur my vision. My body lifts off the ground, weightless, as if the runes themselves tether me.

Outside the Gate

“Hey! Randy!!” Kline panics, grabbing my arm, but a violent surge of energy throws him back.

“Elowen!!” he yells.

She rushes in, only to freeze at the sight—me, suspended midair, glowing lines crawling up my skin like chains of light.

From inside the Archive, a voice answers my song.

A woman’s voice.

The sealed chamber—the one that held the strange robotic girl—glows. And her lips move. She sings.

“…You hear that?” Elowen whispers, eyes wide.

The melody seeps through the door, layered with mine, two voices weaving together like a prayer.

Seraphina arrives, gasping. “This song… I know this. My master used to sing this hymn during the winter rites…”

“Then it’s true,” Kline mutters, clutching his chest. His voice trembles. “A Magimelody. I can’t believe it. Randy… Randy has that ability too?”

“Magimelody?” Elowen frowns.

“It’s not just a song. It’s a spell beyond spells. A prayer that rewrites reality itself.”

Elowen bites her lip. “So… this isn’t just music. It’s… a conversation.”

Seraphina steps forward. “They’re talking to each other.”

Randy sings.
The woman sings.
The Archive itself hums like a choir of ghosts.

Kop’s Warning

Kop’s gem-eyes flare.
“Master Kline! Door progress at 89%. Resonance with Master Randy detected. Probability of synchronization: 94%. Conclusion: Master Randy is… the key.”

Kline slams his fist against the floor. “Damn it… I knew it. All of this—him being here, us being dragged to this city—it’s no coincidence. This… this is destiny.”

The ground rumbles.

The City Awakens

Suddenly, the Archive groans as if an entire continent is shifting.

The city around us ignites in white light, every rune, every stone glowing as if a hidden network is awakening. The bright blue sky blackens in an instant, day turning to night.

“What’s happening?!” Elowen shields her face from the blinding glow.

A colossal tower at the center of the citadel erupts. A spear of light bursts from its peak, tearing through the heavens like a blade.

From miles away, in Albius, people drop what they’re doing. Farmers, merchants, guards, all stare skyward in awe and terror.

The clear sky twists into darkness, but the darkness fractures—streaks of multicolored auroras ripple across it.

A rainbow storm of light descends upon the land.

The old world sleeps no longer.

The Sky in Lights

The entire sky island is glowing.
Runes and lines of light crawl across the clouds, wrapping the floating land in a net of radiance. It’s like a divine light show, each sigil pulsing in rhythm with Randy’s heartbeat.

Elowen stares in awe, her hammer slipping from her grip.
“By the gods… Randy… he—”

“Hang on!!” Kline braces himself as the ground trembles.

“Randy!!!” Seraphina calls out, her voice trembling with fear.

And then—everything explodes into white.

The White Space

I open my eyes.
The world is gone. No sky. No ground. Just white, endless and still.

But I’m not alone.

“Who are you…?”

Her voice is soft, like chimes in the wind. I turn—and my breath catches.

A girl. No… more like a vision. She glows faintly, her outline shimmering. Her hair is silvery white, flowing endlessly, her skin pale like moonlight. Her build… delicate, a little like Luna’s, but her aura feels ancient. Familiar.

“I’m Randy… and you are?”

Her lips curl into a small smile.
“Harmonia. But… why? How are you able to communicate with me?”

“I’m not sure. But when I touched the signboard at the gate… the writing changed. It turned into words I could understand.”

She tilts her head, studying me. “Strange. You don’t belong here… do you?”

“Yeah. I’m not from this world. My friends and I—we’re trying to find a way home.”

Her eyes soften with sympathy. “I see. There are paths. Ways to cross between realms. This Archive may hold such knowledge… but with millions of books, I cannot promise you answers right away. I’m sorry…”

I laugh, scratching the back of my head. “Hey, don’t apologize! Hahaha…”

Her giggle is light, like bells.
She steps closer, eyes sparkling. “Then, what’s the password?”

“Uh… open sesame?”

She blinks. “…Open… sesame…?” Then bursts out laughing. “Hehehe, no. Not even close.”

“Umm… friend?”

“Ooh, close! But nope. No candy.” She sticks her tongue out playfully.

“…Please?”

Her eyes brighten. She claps her hands. “Bingo! Congratulations. Please hurry… I can’t wait to meet you in person.”

And before I can react, she leans forward—kissing my forehead.

Warmth. Light. And then—

Back to Reality

“Randy!!! Hey!! You okay!?”

My eyes snap open. Kline, Elowen, and Seraphina are standing over me.

“Ugh… eh… what happened? Where’s the girl?” I mumble.

“KEEE!! What girl?! Where is she?!” Kline is instantly nose-to-nose with me. “Was she hot?! Tell me she was hot!!”

Elowen groans, facepalming. “Unbelievable…”

Seraphina pouts, puffing her cheeks. “Excuse me! I’m the pretty one here!”

“Wha—no! Seriously, she was right there! She kissed my—” I stop mid-sentence, my cheeks burning.

Before they can press me further, a loud grind echoes through the air.

The gate creaks open.

Lines of light blaze across its surface, forming a symbol. The letters shift—and to my shock, I can read them.

“I’m waiting inside.”

Kline punches the air. “Niiiice!!!”

“Wait… can you guys read this?” I ask.

Kline tilts his head. “Huh? Nope. Just squiggles to me. Why? What’s up?”

“…Nothing.” My chest tightens.

With a heavy groan, the massive doors finally part. The Archive yawns open before us—dark, endless, alive.

Together, we step inside.

And with every step, I feel her presence waiting.

To be continued…