Chapter 6: The Land of the Winds
Episode 3: The Bonds of Royal Blood
Part 2/7 – Exploring the Runes of the Ancient Ruins
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Scene 5: The Ruins of Rust and Remains
At last, we arrived at our destination. We had been having so much fun that none of us noticed what we'd flown over. Gryphonnix used his wind magic to gently lower us from the basket, and we were still chatting about how exciting the ride had been—until we finally noticed what stood before us.
It was a massive wreckage of a spaceship—ancient, rusted, and shattered beyond recognition. Pieces were scattered across the area like the bones of a long-forgotten beast.
"This ruin's really ancient," said Draco, frowning. "Looks like it could crumble into dust any second now."
"Watch your step," Akira cautioned. "Getting cut by this stuff could be dangerous."
Then, as if a thought had just occurred to him, he turned to his mischievous little sister. "Yue, I've been wondering… how exactly does your healing magic work?"
Everyone perked up at that. They turned to Yue, waiting intently for her answer.
She tapped her chin and looked skyward. "Hmm… Mama taught me that our light magic comes in a few forms. First, there's basic healing—it speeds up muscle regeneration, but it usually leaves scars and consumes the caster's life energy."
"Scars?" Draco raised an eyebrow. "But we've never had any."
"Well, that's only for normal healing," Yue continued. "Then there's restorative magic, where I give my own life energy to the person being healed. We usually use that alongside the regular healing spell."
Mirelle frowned thoughtfully. "Isn't that confusing? No wonder people mistake healing and restoration for the same thing."
Yue nodded with a pout. "Exactly. We always get misunderstood."
Akira's brow furrowed with concern. "So it drains your life energy…? That makes me not want to let you heal me anymore."
Yue smiled sweetly. "Don't worry, big bro. Healers like us usually cast a self-sustaining spell to enhance our recovery for a while. That way, we can replenish faster than normal."
Akira looked relieved, but Keela wasn't as reassured. "Still… that doesn't sound sustainable. Everything has a cost."
Yue's ears and tail drooped. "Yeah… when I cast that, it uses up my mana instead of my life energy. And my mana recovers way slower than a mage like Mirelle's."
"Is there any way to restore mana quickly?" Akira asked.
Mirelle snapped her gaze toward him. "Akira, you already asked me that."
"I know, but all I remember is that we can use potions for small bursts of recovery," he replied. "And some rare items work too, but they're crazy expensive. You can meditate or sleep, but that's not exactly easy in the middle of a battlefield. If Yue could recover faster, it'd make our whole team safer."
Gryphonnix, now back in his humanoid form, chimed in. "Some runes might help with that… but only if they're compatible with the user. If you find one that fits, consider yourself lucky."
Elina's eyes lit up. "You mean we might actually find something like that here?"
Gryphonnix grinned. "Well, if we manage to decode it, that is."
Kalisa added warmly, "He's right. Finding runes is important—but decoding them is even more so. If you don't understand it, even the most precious treasure is no better than junk. Something truly valuable should be in the hands of someone who knows its worth."
"And people are no different," Gryphonnix said gently. "Sometimes we think no one sees our worth. But at the very least, our friends and family do."
Kalisa smiled. "And at the very least, you should know your own worth. That matters more than anything else."
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Scene 6: Yue's Healing Magic
Osiris raised her hand timidly. "Um… I still have a question. What about your cleansing and buffing spells, Yue? If I understand them better, I can plan strategies more effectively."
Yue smiled warmly. "Of course, my dear friend. The cleansing spell isn't a healing spell, so it doesn't consume life force. It only uses mana to conjure light-element magic. It's similar to how Mirelle casts elemental spells. Light magic can be used in many ways, but the cleansing spell is one of its basic forms."
She glanced around. "As for buffing spells, they consume a small amount of the caster's mana to stimulate specific bodily functions—like speed, muscle strength, or focus. But… when the buff ends, you might not notice it, but there's a rebound effect. You'll feel more exhausted than usual, and your recovery rate drops. You need more rest afterward."
Draco blinked in surprise. "Wait, what? That happens? I never noticed."
Elina teased, "Probably because you've always trained so hard, your body's used to that kind of fatigue."
Akira looked puzzled. "What about Mirelle's buffs? I've never noticed any side effects from those."
Mirelle answered plainly. "My buffs are different from Yue's. Yue uses mana to stimulate the target's internal energy, right? But I use my own mana to cast the spell and also to create the elemental magic itself for the target. That's why mages use more mana and need greater concentration than others. But in return, we have higher mana capacity and faster regeneration. If you meet a mage with high regen and a mana-transfer spell, that's the ultimate combo."
Akira raised an eyebrow. "There are people like that?"
Mirelle smiled. "One of them was Lord Leviathan, and other renowned mages in history. But as for someone in our time… I'd say Leanne fits that category."
Yue beamed. "Brother Leanne? The son of Lord Byakuya?"
Mirelle nodded. "Yes. Your half-brother from another mother and father."
Yue's tail wagged in delight at the mention of him. Akira stared thoughtfully, as if pondering something, but said nothing. Then Gryphonnix spoke up.
"Ho! The son of the White Tiger? What a waste of talent, I tell you…"
Osiris tilted her head. "Why is that?"
The elder chuckled. "He has the blood of one of Arcadia's greatest warriors, yet chose to study medicine and support magic instead. Don't you think that's a shame?"
Yue protested, "But I think people should be free to do what they love."
Kalisa offered a gentle explanation. "She's right, dear. Leanne may have inherited his father's extraordinary gifts, but he chose to pursue his own path with hard work and determination. Even if it didn't suit his body naturally, he persisted and succeeded. That proves he has a clear purpose. You see, if someone has a goal but no action, it's nothing more than greed. But if that goal is followed with effort, then it becomes true hope."
Yue tilted her head, slightly confused. "Eh… I'm still a little lost."
Akira gently patted her head. "She means that when we have a dream and work hard toward it, we'll always have something to keep us going."
Yue's eyes lit up with understanding. "Ah! Got it!"
Gryphonnix added with a deep voice, "Right now, you all are our hope… But it looks like this wreck is far too old. We probably won't find anything definitive here. Let's just explore with caution, alright?"
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Scene 7: The Excavation Beneath the Sand
We cautiously explored the area. Osiris spread her wings and took off, prompting Yue to whisper through the communicator, "Osiris… weren't we supposed to act like normal people? Isn't this going to blow our cover?"
Osiris replied coolly, "For what purpose? They already know who we are. And besides, you already blurted everything out during dinner."
Yue chuckled sheepishly. "Oh… right~ I forgot." With that, she unfurled her fairy wings and joyfully flew after her.
Gryphonnix chuckled. "So you really can fly, just like you said. Now why didn't I let you just fly here on your own?"
Kalisa laughed softly. "If we let them fly on their own, they'd all get lost. The kids are just learning to fly—no way they can handle flying like you."
The old guardian laughed heartily. "Haha! Sorry about that. Comes with age, you know—forgetfulness."
We split up to survey the area. Osiris flew high for aerial scans while Yue zipped around points of interest with cheerful ease. Draco and Elina patrolled the perimeter cautiously. Mirelle moved slowly, inspecting areas that caught her attention. Keela didn't fly, but instead used her lightning-imbued arrows to vault herself swiftly from place to place. As for Akira… he chose to walk.
He stepped toward what looked like a cave, but deep down he knew—this was no ordinary cave. It was a corridor inside an ancient spaceship.
Akira moved forward carefully. The interior was coated in moss, rust, and rubble, so deteriorated that it was hard to believe it had once been a spaceship. The thought that lingered in his mind was: What kind of civilization created this? And if this crash happened in the distant past, then surely, today's technology must have advanced far beyond what he was seeing.
Excitement welled up inside him as he explored. The sound of his heartbeat drowned out the crunching of corroded metal underfoot—not from fear, but exhilaration. Who would have thought a seemingly ordinary boy from a normal world would one day walk through a spaceship, even one as decayed as this?
He struggled to keep his balance amid the uneven, sinking floor and slippery, sloped surfaces. It was exhausting and difficult, but the thrill of discovery kept him moving. It felt like stepping into a forgotten history. And yet, it was so destroyed that it was almost impossible to decipher what anything once was. It looked like the ship had suffered internal explosions—many parts were reduced to mere rust and ashes.
Akira felt disappointed. Despite all the excitement, he had learned very little. He sighed. But just as he exhaled, he felt a faint breeze. His instincts told him—something was there.
He followed the subtle wind, stopping where the breeze slipped up from below. Kneeling, he brushed the surface with his hand, murmuring, "Feels like a hole… Maybe there's a hidden room beneath this? But where's the entrance…"
He slowly stood up and scanned the area for any signs of an entryway. But then—crack. A subtle sound underfoot. The floor beneath him gave way and collapsed suddenly.
He lost his balance as the ground crumbled. His body plummeted downward. He tried to crouch and propel himself out, using his blacklight blade to escape, but thick dust filled his eyes, blinding him. Everything turned rust-colored. He couldn't see. Couldn't control his fall. All he could hear was the crashing of debris.
Then—thud. His body slammed into something. His head struck hard against the floor.
And everything went black.
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