Chapter One: The Lock Above Kami
"I was born with no wings, but maybe today… the sky will lend me a pair."
The wind howled like a warning, tearing through the pine-covered slopes of Mount Kami. At its peak, balanced on a thin, ancient branch that creaked with each sway, I stood grinning like a lunatic—surfboard strapped to my back, heart pounding with reckless joy.
From up here, I could see all of Cielnisi—a floating continent that hovered above the bottomless sky like a crown. And beyond the clouds, beyond the silence, something called to me. Something loud and ancient, clawing beneath my skin.
"This time… I'm making it to the bottom."
I took a deep breath, locked the board in place, and jumped.
The slope hit me like a wave. Wind slapped my cheeks. Trees blurred past as I weaved through the trunks with muscle memory, dodging thorned branches trying to rob me of my bloodline. Ravines opened without warning, roots threatened to catch my board, and somewhere below, reality bent.
I screamed laughter into the wind.
"WOOOOOOOO—!"
That's when the sky cracked.
A giant lock appeared in the heavens.
Floating. Turning. Waiting.
Fireworks exploded in the distance, the kingdom's celebration echoing behind me. But I wasn't looking at the ground anymore—I was staring up at the key. A celestial one. Drifting toward that lock, glowing with a light that made my bones scream.
"What… the hell?" I muttered—
And then the creature appeared.
A shadow darker than night warped reality in front of me, and in a flash of motion, claws like obsidian swords shot toward my throat. I blocked out of instinct. The sound wasn't bone—it was metal.
Metal?
But there was no time to process. The impact sent me flying, hurling me off-course and toward the mountain's deadliest ravine.
I rotated midair, wild grin still on my face, blood in my mouth, trying to look threatening.
"I'm a noble dragon, dumbass!"
Even though I hadn't awakened anything yet. It was bluff or die.
The creature didn't blink.
It blurred—teleported beside me—
—and kicked me with enough force to crush stone.
Crack.
My ribs screamed. My breath left me.
I spiraled downward like a ragdoll, screaming into the void. I clawed the air, begging for wings that weren't there.
"FLY! FLY, DAMMIT!"
Nothing.
No wings.
Only gravity and fate.
PFFT. PFFT. PFFT.
Projectiles—like bone needles—ripped through my limbs mid-fall. Blood gushed from my chest, arms, even my throat. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't speak. I could only fall.
Memories blurred past me in flashes.
Alvaro. My siblings. The weight of always being the weakest.
The nagging feeling I didn't belong.
"Some fierce dragon I am…"
That's all I could mutter before blackness took me.
Then—
Warmth.
Time slowed.
The lock above shattered.
The key turned, and a burst of white energy crashed into my body. It wasn't fire. It wasn't divine. It was familiar. Like something that had always been inside me, waiting for permission.
My neck burned. I looked down and saw the glowing mark—a golden crest with symbols I'd never seen. The aura spread from the mark like wildfire. It stitched my wounds. Ignited my veins. I floated midair—bleeding, but alive.
Above, the creature looked confused. Then angry. It dove again.
Too late.
The energy around me exploded outward, melting the creature on contact into nothing but black blood and soul ash.
I should've been safe. I thought it was over.
Then the GTX System activated.
[System Awakening: Host Compatibility 99.999%]
[Soulline: Incompatible. Overwriting Gender. Reconnecting Bloodline.]
[Seraphic Energy Unlocked.]
The cocoon of energy formed around me like armor, stretching into a glowing shell as golden light swallowed my vision. My limbs felt heavy. My breath slowed.
And then I crashed.
I awoke not to death, but to silence.
The scent of herbs. The hum of mana.
I opened my eyes to the infirmary, dazed.
But… something was off.
I stared at my hands—slender. Pale.
I stood—shorter. Lighter.
My voice—wrong.
The mirror—what the f*?**
"MY BALLS!" I screamed, lifting my gown in horror.
The entire infirmary turned. Someone gagged.
The menders tried to calm me down, but I was already in meltdown mode.
"I'M A GIRL?! WHAT KIND OF CURSED MAGIC IS THIS?!"
The room spiraled into chaos. A healer restrained me while muttering, "She's concussed," but I couldn't hear anything over the existential screaming in my brain.
Then the door creaked open, and Aurela stepped inside.
She didn't look shocked.
She looked… sad.
"Ayla," she said softly, "I'm sorry. But you've finally returned to your real body."
And with that, the nightmare began.
Or maybe…
the prophecy had finally started.