The night sky howled. A rush of cool air bit at Lucaâs cheeks as he soared high above the clouds, seated behind a woman who hadnât spoken a word since they took off.
The Vermillion Phoenixâs crimson feathers shimmered with faint golden trails, flaring as it cut through the wind with majestic grace. Below them, the vast stretch of wilderness passed in blursâforests, lakes, and distant lights of sleeping cities. Above them, the stars blinked quietly, like curious gods watching their flight.
Luca clung tightly to the saddle, his hair whipping back wildly. The woman in front of him remained still, poised. Long blonde hair fluttered behind her like a royal banner, glinting faintly in the moonlight. Her back was to him, but her posture was rigid, focused, as if the very act of flying through the night was a divine ritual.
Lucaâs face twisted in a confused grimace, part bewilderment, part embarrassment.
How the hell did I end up here?
he thought, his eyes twitching.
What part of a peaceful nightâs sleep led to me flying behind the Empress of Astravia on a mythical flaming bird?!
His mind spiraled back to the beginning of this insanityâ
Flashback:
"Y-Youâre not Master!" Luca shrieked, his finger trembling as he pointed at the intruder standing motionless in the center of his dorm room.
The woman didnât react. She simply stood there, eyes unreadable.
Her body gleamed in the soft moonlightâgolden armor sculpted like flowing silk, black tights hugging her legs, obsidian boots, and a jagged crown resting atop her head like it owned the air around it. Her very presence weighed down the room.
She blinked once, slowly. "Hmm? Of course I am not Charlotte."
Lucaâs brain scrambled as he registered the cold, noble voice.
"G-Greetings, Your Highness," he muttered, hastily standing up and bowing so fast he almost tipped forward.
Oh fuck meâ
Why the hell is the Empress of Astravia in my room?!
Did she find out I talked about the baby dragon? And is here to kill me? Wait noâI didnât even mention her to anyone!
As he realized one thing,
Oh no. That scream just now...
His eyes widened.
Without thinking, he bolted to the door. "I-I should go explain the scream before the others get suspiciousâ"
"You donât need to," Celestia said without looking. "Iâve already cast a barrier. No one can hear or sense what happens here."
Luca paused, halfway to freedom. Slowly, he turned back to her, his face pale.
She made sure no one could hear? That meansâsheâs really gonna kill me, isnât she?
He threw himself to his knees with a dramatic bow. "I sincerely apologize for anything I may have done unknowingly, Your Majesty. Please donât kill me!"
Celestia tilted her head slightly, one elegant eyebrow raised. "...Why would I kill you?"
"...You wouldnât?" he asked, peeking up.
"No."
A sigh of relief escaped him like air from a deflating balloon. But confusion immediately filled the void. "Then... may I ask Your Majestyâs reason for visiting me at this hour?"
She simply folded her arms and turned slightly. "Hmph. Come with me."
Luca waited for a follow-up. A destination, a reason,
something.
Thatâs it?
"...W-Where to, Your Majesty?" he asked hesitantly.
"You donât need to know."
No. Nope. Absolutely not.
Thatâs a giant red flag waving in my face.
There is no good reason a monarch shows up in your room at night, seals the space from the world, and tells you to come with her.
I DEFINITELY canât go.
Luca began blurting, "How can I come in the middle of the semester, Your Majesty? Iâm a very sincere studentâI need to study, to train, to prepareâ"
He was promptly cut off.
"Itâs already being taken care of. Letâs go," Celestia said flatly.
Desperate, Luca scrambled for more excuses. "But what about my attendance! My training regimen! My daily affirmations!"
Celestia sighed, visibly annoyed. With a glance and a single raised finger, she lifted him into the air with magic. Luca flailed helplesslyâarms and legs kicking as he floated midairâand in the process, the one thing protecting his modesty, his towel, slipped off.
The atmosphere frozeâlike even the air was too embarrassed to move.The already quiet night turned deathly silent.
Thenâ
"AAAAHAAHAHAHHAAA!" Luca screamed, flailing even harder as he tried to cover himself midair.
With a flick, Celestia let him drop to the ground.
Red-faced, Luca scrambled to grab his towel. "L-Look away!" he shouted, barely managing to shield himself.
Celestia stood still, staring blankly as if nothing happened. Only after a few more seconds of unblinking silence did she finally turn her face, muttering, "Hmph. Nothing worth looking at anyway. Get ready faster. Weâre leaving."
Luca, thoroughly humiliated, looked down.
Itâs... not that bad,
he thought, trying to salvage his dignity.
Then came her voice again, bone-dry.
"Are you getting ready, or do you prefer to travel like this?"
Back to the Present:
The Vermillion Phoenix let out a deep, resonating cry as it soared above a vast mountain range.
Luca stared ahead at Celestiaâs back, her hair still fluttering in that ethereal way. No tension. No concern. Just unwavering confidence, like she was merely riding a horse to a tea party rather than kidnapping a student in the middle of the night.
He gulped.
"...I shouldâve just played dead," he muttered under his breath.
Two hours had passed since they had left Arcadia.
The world below had changed.
Jagged cliffs gave way to blackened forests, warped trees clawing toward the sky like petrified skeletons. The air felt differentâthinner, colder, but charged with something ancient. Lucaâs skin tingled under his cloak, a subtle warning from the mana in his blood.
His eyes narrowed as he leaned over slightly to glance at the land below.
"...Why are we in this place?" he muttered.
But apparently, he wasnât quiet enough.
Celestiaâs voice carried back through the wind, almost surprised.
"You seem to know this place?"
Luca stiffened. Sweat beaded on his brow.
Shit.
Of course I know this place. Who wouldnât? In the game, it was one of the five Forbidden ZonesââThe Hollow Vale of Atrales.â No one could enter, not even with endgame keys. Just some side quests in the town nearby that hinted at its history, and then... nothing. Like the game itself refused to let you step inside. But now Iâm flying right into it. What the hell am I supposed to say? âOh yeah, I remember this area from a game I played in another world?â Yeah, right.
He opened his mouth to make up somethingâbut before he could speak, Celestia said with a plain voice.
"It seems Darian told you everything."
Luca blinked.
Darian? Oh right, my father.
So
heâs
involved in this?
He didnât respondâbetter to stay silent than dig his own grave deeper. And as expected, Her Majesty answered herself.
"As you know," Celestia continued, her voice more serious now, "this is one of the forbidden places... connected to the past heroes from seven thousand years ago."
Lucaâs thoughts spun.
Connected to the past heroes?
So is this place related to those heroes, thatâs why it was âA no entry zoneâ in the game?
In the game, those "heroes" were little more than background fluffâbarely a few lines in the lore codex. But now? Now they were shaping the present. Shaping
him
.
He clenched his jaw.
I am really getting a lot involved with those heroes now, as I am a descendant of one of them. That much I know. But that still doesnât explain why she brought me here. Just being someoneâs descendant canât be reason enough, right? Right?
The wind howled around them, the Phoenix descending into the shadow of the forbidden vale.
Luca swallowed hard.
He had a bad feeling about this. A
very
bad feeling.
As they landed in the forest outside the village, Celestia said "Follow me, we have to pass through this town walking ,to reach our destination?"
Luca followed her but he couldnât help but ask , "I think Iâve earned at least
some
answers by now. Why am I here, your majesty?"