They saw him coming before he even broke the cloudline.
The Zephyr roared through the sky like a ghost unchained, glowing silver-blue across its hull as Skyborn runes lit the engine veins. Wind coiled around the ship like a cloak — not buffeting it, but following, like the sky was his personal army.
Solarae rose ahead — all glass towers and floating bridges, regal and cold.But Calix didn't see a city.
He saw a prison.
And he was here to tear open the gates.
The alarm sounded the moment his ship breached the perimeter.
INTRUDER DETECTED.NON-ROYAL VESSEL APPROACHING.WARNING LEVEL: SEVERE.
Skyfire cannons rotated toward him, clicking into position. But Calix didn't swerve.
He didn't even flinch.
He reached out — and the wind bent.
The cannonfire fired — a blast of light and flame — and the wind snapped like a whip, redirecting it back down into the sea of clouds.
The explosion was distant thunder behind him.
He flew straight through the royal skyguard, faster than they could think. Their vessels bucked and spun, sensors glitching, unable to track him. One guard tried to engage; the Zephyr spun over him and clipped the wing off his hovercraft without touching a single button.
He was untouchable.
He was Skyborn.
He landed hard at the central courtyard.
Students scattered. Nobles screamed. The palace windows darkened, shifting to defense tint. Dozens of mages poured into the yard, all cloaked in violet and black — the High Guard of Solarae.
Waiting at their center was Thorian.
His hair was tied back, armor gleaming, and two fire-forged blades glowed in his hands.
"Stand down," Thorian barked. "You are in violation of royal airspace."
Calix stepped off the Zephyr, harness glowing, his boots hitting the stone with thunder.
"I'm here for Mira."
"She's under arrest for conspiracy against the crown."
"She's under protection," Calix said coldly, "of the Skyborn."
Thorian's eyes narrowed. "There are no Skyborn. You're just a lucky orphan with a name someone carved into the wind and hoped it would mean something."
"Funny," Calix said. "I thought the same about you."
Thorian screamed and charged, blades blazing.
He struck once.Twice.Three times.
Calix didn't dodge.
He commanded.
The wind caught each blow, redirected them mid-swing, turned the momentum back into Thorian's own chest. Calix stepped forward once — just once — and the air compressed around him like a shockwave.
Thorian went flying.
He hit a pillar hard enough to crack it.
And the courtyard went still.
The High Guard surrounded him.
Dozens of mages raised their hands, symbols glowing.
But Calix didn't raise a weapon.
He raised his voice.
"You hunted us," he said. "You lied about our extinction. You buried our names and called us rebels. But we weren't fighting to rule the skies."
His coat whipped in the storm he summoned.
"We were fighting so the sky would belong to everyone."
A few students paused. One or two lowered their weapons.
In the crowd, a girl with ink-stained gloves gasped.
It was Mira.
She was in chains.
But she was smiling.
And Calix looked up at the tower above her. The Queen was watching.
She'd sent the guards.
She'd signed the order.
She had known all along.
And she was afraid.
Good.
He raised his hand — and the wind answered.
A funnel of air exploded through the square, knocking guards back, tearing the magic from their hands, shaking the very ground. He didn't attack.
He just showed them.
He could.
He could bring the whole palace down.
But he wouldn't.Not unless they made him.
Slowly, deliberately, Calix walked to Mira and shattered her chains with a gust of focused pressure.
"About time," she muttered.
"Nice to see you too."
"You look taller."
"I look powered," he corrected. "You look like trouble."
"I am trouble."
They grinned — and ran.
Behind them, Thorian rose from the rubble, blood on his lip, eyes glowing with unnatural flame.
And far above, the Queen stepped away from the window.
Into the shadows behind her, a second voice spoke:
"Shall we activate the Revenants, Your Grace?"
"Not yet," said the Queen."Let him run.""He'll come back.""They always come back.""And when he does… we'll clip his wings for good."