Page 6 of Prince of the Phantom Sky

She was so free. So . . . alive.

She smiled up at the bright, cobalt, and lavender endless sky. Little tufts of pearlescent clouds drifted around her, and she reached out, gently brushing through the puffs, beads of water clinging to her golden skin. She twirled her fingers, weaving them through the sky as she soared.

Soared downwards, to the glimmering azure ocean.

She was not afraid.

As she approached the welcoming sea, she exhaled an elated sigh, bringing her hands above her flowing, long hair, shimmering like moonlight.

Following the curving sweep of her arms, a thick stream of warm ocean water rushed out to greet her. It swept under her body, cascading around her, wrapping around her curves until she floated above the surface of fathomless blue.

A gust of briny wind ruffled her hair and she smiled, sensing a presence behind her. She whipped her hand up, palm extended out, sending a blast of water at Raiden. His dazzling smile lit up, as he averted her stream, and twirled through the air before landing in front of her.

His warmth caressed her skin and his arms circled her waist, his power suspending them above the deep ocean that felt like home. An array of colours flashed through his crystalised eyes, reflecting the striking blue sky, mixed with streaks of lavender. He moaned as her hands spread across his chest, reaching up into the thick strands of his hair.

“You caught me,” she whispered.

“I will never let you fall.” He kissed the palm of her hand. Sparks flew, cascading throughout her body, and the ocean thrashed excitedly, lapping at their feet. “I am yours, and you are mine, Kordelia.”

Prickles lined her skin and her vision shuddered . . . wait. She frowned as she withdrew her hands from his smooth face. That wasn’t her name.

“What’s wrong?” His frown wrenched her stomach, and the laps of water undulated, coating up to their shins, clutching and cold. “Kordelia?” His smooth skin weathered as stubble grew along his jaw, black veins creeping up his neck. His clothes tightened as he suddenly aged before her. “Kordelia,” Raiden repeated, his voice deepening.

Each mention of that name darkened the sky, coils of ink bleeding into their blessed bubble, staining this idyllic gods-blessed land. A foghorn sounded, crackling across the sky, splitting the pearlescent clouds until they turned black and plummeted from the heavens.

“What’s happening? Where am I?” She shivered as Raiden’s warm presence frosted, his gusts of wind transforming into frostbite across her flesh. Her skin pimpled, her fingertips turning blue with death. The foghorn sounded again and she whirled, using the ocean to support herself as hordes of ships descended upon the shining blue and white city.

They had come.

“No . . . wait!” she cried, racing towards the warfare. She had to stop them. How had she missed the invasion? Screams raked her ears, the cries of children and the booms of cannons creating a cacophony of war.

“Kordelia!” Raiden’s yell faded behind her. Dark inky ribbons leaked from the sky, falling like thick vines, tainting everything they touched, dousing the light of Galen. Of her home. Her heart raced, thundering so hard she was sure it would tear from her chest.

Every lunge was like wading through mud, her power struggling to propel her faster than ever before. She had to save them, she needed to save them all. Torrents of wind and cyclones descended upon the Talmon Empire’s ships as Raiden’s power exploded with might.

“Stop!” he roared, as she powered ahead.

The embodiment of darkness stepped onto the promenade of Mistros City. Collapsing onto the shore, she yelled, allowing her power to wreak havoc, blasts of water dragging soldiers to the depths of the ocean. The dark male turned, his black hair a mark against the glistening city.

With a wave of his hand, a wall of shadows separated them. His laugh taunted her as she threw the might of her power against it, trying to break through—trying to break him. It rippled, mimicking her power, absorbing her gift. A familiar searing pain snaked down her neck, alighting every sinew, its agony seizing her into stillness.

Her throat sealed as her shimmering reflection stared back at her. But she was older—a woman. White hair tumbling around her like waves, eyes cold like ice, and pouted lips twisted into a sneer. Every second that passed, darkness grew, sliding around her copy, caressing her body like a snake. She laughed, the cackle vibrating through the wall, and she raised her hands, water pouring from her palms.

But it was black.

That wasn’t her. She pulled away from the mirage, blinking rapidly as the sky continued to crack and fall.

Citizens cried as soldiers of green and gold marched, their golden-tipped spears destroying windows, raiding homes, and dragging children onto their ghastly sailing vessels.

Her heart hammered, her lungs burned, and her veins screamed as she conjured blast after blast of water. A wave of ocean washed up onto the promenade, causing a group of invaders to fall, before clumps of seaweed wrapped around their throats, severing their air supply. Children ran from their puffy grasps into the arms of their weeping mothers as they fled Mistros City, into the heart of Galen.

She was too weak. Too small. Too young. It was too much, there were too many of them. She was a failure, a pathetic child. She glanced down at her hands, at her body. It convulsed, changing detail every time she breathed, and she fell to her knees with a scream as her body changed ages like seasons.

“You’ll burn yourself out. Stop, my dear.” A familiar, levelled voice washed over her and she instantly froze as the foundation she needed cradled her, holding her up with unconditional strength. She knew his voice. Its sweeping, gentle tones, its husky pitch that’d tucked her into bed each night as a cildbah.

“Father?” She turned, her heart racing as a figure hovered on the edge of her vision. Gleaming white hair filled her mind’s eye, and her breathing hitched as she clung to the details that came into focus. A tall, slender frame, pale skin, and tattoos swirling across every inch of skin.

As soon as she met his blue eyes, the shadowed darkness behind exploded, with a booming, thundering voice ravaging her mind. The image shattered, like shards of a mirror cascading around her into the deep of the void, abandoning her in the darkness of her frayed mind. A small web of blue streaks beamed from the core of her frosted power, and she hovered at the edge, where the darkness hissed at her presence.