The soldiers, once consumed by anxiety and fear, now found themselves in awe as they sat atop the massive beast gliding effortlessly through the sky.


    Its enormous wings beat steadily, each movement creating a soft whooshing sound that carried them higher into the surreal expanse.


    The sky around them was a masterpiece—shades of orange, purple, and pink blending into an otherworldly canvas, with distant floating inds casting long shadows over shimmering pools of air.


    The soldiers, gradually recovering from the earlier panic, began murmuring among themselves, their voices rising in excitement and wonder.


    "Would you look at that?" a soldier named Harlin eximed, pointing towards a group of smaller flying creatures darting yfully through the clouds. "I''ve never seen anything like it! Back on Earth, you''d only see birds this graceful in nature documentaries."


    "Birds? These things aren''t birds, Harlin," another soldier, Tova, shot back with a smirk. "They''ve got scales and wings twice the size of a jetliner. Birds are nothingpared to these creatures!"


    "Yeah, but don''t you think they''re kind of cute?" Harlin grinned. "Like flying dolphins or something!"


    "Flying dolphins?" Tova snorted. "Harlin, you''re losing it."


    Another soldier, Kell, leaned over, squinting into the horizon. "Forget the little ones—look over there! That ind! It''s covered in crystal-like trees. They''re sparkling!"


    The group turned to where Kell was pointing, gasping collectively. The ind he referred to was indeed a spectacle: enormous crystalline structures stretched upwards like trees, their surfaces refracting the light in mesmerizing rainbows.


    "Do you think those trees are real?" asked Reva, one of the quieter soldiers. "Or are they... I don''t know, alive?"


    "Alive? Don''t say that!" groaned Harlin. "Next thing you know, the trees will be chasing us like those trilobites."


    "Stop being dramatic, Harlin," Tova retorted. "Lyerin wouldn''t let that happen... right?" Her voice trailed off as she nced nervously at the enigmatic figure seated near the beast''s neck.


    Lyerin didn''t respond, his gaze fixed ahead.


    "Great. No reassurance," Harlin muttered.


    Reva ignored the banter, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. "Alive or not, I want to get a closer look at them. Do you think we''llnd there?"


    "I wouldn''t mind," Kell admitted. "Beats fighting more humanoid trilobites."


    The mention of trilobites cast a brief shadow over the group''s enthusiasm. For a moment, the soldiers fell silent, each recalling the brutal battles they''d survived.


    "Well," Harlin said, breaking the tension, "if we do have to fight again, at least we''ll have this view to remember."


    "Yeah," Tova agreed, a rare softness in her voice. "I mean, look at us. Who''d have thought we''d be flying over alien skies, riding a creature bigger than a skyscraper?"


    "You know what this reminds me of?" Harlin said, leaning back against the beast''s warm feathers. "Those fantasy novels I used to read as a kid. Knights, dragons, floating castles... stuff like that."


    "Knights didn''t fight trilobites," Tova said dryly.


    "Details, Tova. Details."


    Revaughed, her voice ringing like a bell. "It does feel like something out of a story, doesn''t it? Like we''re the heroes on some epic quest."


    Discover hidden stories at м??


    "Heroes?" Kell said, raising an eyebrow. "I don''t know about that. Feels more like we''re pawns in Lyerin''s game."


    The group nced at Lyerin again. He remained silent, his sharp eyes scanning the horizon, his expression unreadable.


    "Well, pawn or not," Reva said, "I''m just d we''re alive. And... this? This is something I never imagined I''d see. It''s beautiful."


    The soldiers nodded in agreement, their eyes drifting to the breathtaking scenery around them. Below, the clouds parted to reveal an endless ocean dotted with floating inds, some glowing faintly in the dimming light.


    "Do you think these inds go on forever?" Tova wondered aloud.


    "Probably," Kell replied. "I mean, this ce doesn''t follow any logic we know. It''s like... it''s infinite."


    "That''s a scary thought," Harlin said, shivering despite the warmth. "An infinite sky, with infinite dangers."


    "Or infinite beauty," Reva countered softly.


    The soldiers fell into a contemtive silence, each lost in their thoughts.


    Then Harlin broke the quiet with a grin. "Okay, but seriously—does anyone else feel like we''re living in a video game? Like, what''s next? Giant bosses? Magic powers?"


    "We already fought giant trilobites," Tova pointed out.


    "True," Harlin conceded. "But I''m talking about bigger bosses. Like... I don''t know, a sky god or something."


    "Harlin, if you jinx us, I swear—" Tova began, but she was interrupted by a sudden shift in the beast''s flight path.


    The creature tilted slightly, causing the soldiers to grab onto its feathers for bnce.


    "What''s happening?" Kell asked, his voice tinged with rm.


    "It''s just adjusting its course," Reva said, though her grip tightened. "I think."


    Harlin peered over the edge, his face pale. "Adjusting or not, I''m not falling again. Once was enough!"


    As the beast stabilized, the soldiers rxed, their nervousughter breaking the tension.


    "You know," Reva said, her voice thoughtful, "we''ve been through so much already. But right now? Sitting here, looking at all this? I feel... lucky. Like we''re part of something bigger."


    Harlin nodded, for once serious. "Yeah. It''s terrifying, but... it''s also amazing."


    Tova nced at Lyerin again, her expression conflicted. "Do you think he feels that way too? Or is this all just... normal for him?"


    No one answered. They all turned to Lyerin, who remained a silent figure against the glowing horizon, his thoughts a mystery.


    Lucas, seated a short distance away, watched the scene unfold with a quiet smile. The soldiers might not realize it yet, but they were changing. Slowly, but surely, they were bing something more.


    And so was he.


    The peaceful atmosphere was shattered in an instant when the massive beast beneath them began to tremble. At first, it was subtle—barely noticeable, like the gentle sway of a hammock. Harlin, lying back and enjoying the warmth, frowned and looked around.


    "Did anyone else feel that?" he asked, sitting up abruptly.


    "What?" Tova replied, distracted by the beauty of the sky.


    Before Harlin could answer, the trembling intensified, a low vibration coursing through the beast''s body. Reva, who had been gazing at the horizon, felt it too and gripped one of the feathers tightly.


    "Wait... what''s going on?" Reva''s voice wavered as the vibrations grew stronger.


    The beast let out a deep, rumbling sound from somewhere in its vast body, sending a chill through the soldiers.


    "That''s not normal," Kell muttered, his voice edged with panic.


    "No kidding!" Harlin snapped, now clinging to the massive feather beneath him. "What the hell is happening? Is it sick or something?"


    Before anyone could respond, the tremors became more erratic. The once-smooth ride turned into a chaotic experience, with the beast jolting unpredictably. The soldiers clung to its feathers for dear life, shouting in confusion and fear.


    "Hold on!" Tova screamed as a particrly violent jolt nearly threw her off.


    "What do you think we''re doing?" Harlin yelled back, his knuckles white as he gripped the feather.


    "Someone do something!" Reva cried, her voice rising in panic. "Is it crashing?"


    Kell turned to Lyerin, his face pale. "Lyerin! What''s going on? You''re the one who knows these things, right? Say something!"


    But Lyerin didn''t answer. He remained calm, his gaze focused ahead, as if trying to read the situation.


    The beast''s tremors escted, its movements bing more frantic. Its massive wings pped unevenly, causing the soldiers to sway dangerously.


    "I''m going to fall!" Harlin screamed, his voice cracking as his grip slipped slightly.


    "No, you''re not!" Tova shouted, grabbing his arm and pulling him back. "Just hold on!"


    Another jolt sent Reva sliding forward, her fingers digging desperately into the feather. "What''s happening? Why is it doing this?"


    "Someone, anyone, make it stop!" Kell shouted, his voice raw with fear.


    The beast let out a deafening roar, a sound so loud it reverberated through their very bones. The soldiers screamed, their voices drowned out by the monstrous bellow.


    "What was that?!" Reva yelled, her eyes wide with terror.


    "I don''t know!" Tova replied, her voice barely audible over the chaos. "But it doesn''t sound good!"


    The trembling became even more violent, the beast twisting and turning as if trying to shake something off. The soldiers were thrown about like ragdolls, their screams filling the air.


    "I''m slipping!" Harlin cried, his legs iling as he struggled to keep his grip.


    "Don''t let go!" Kell shouted, reaching out to grab him.


    As if things couldn''t get worse, the beast let out another roar—this one louder and more anguished than the first. The soldiers froze for a moment, the sound chilling them to their cores.


    "What the hell is going on?!" Harlin screamed, his voice breaking.


    "Lyerin!" Tova shouted, her face contorted with panic. "Do something! Say something!"


    Finally, Lyerin turned to them, his expression as calm as ever. "Hold on tight," he said simply.


    "Hold on tight?! That''s it?!" Harlin yelled, his voice cracking. "That''s all you''ve got?"


    Lyerin didn''t respond. Instead, he looked ahead, his eyes narrowing.


    And then it happened.


    Another roar echoed through the sky, this one different from the beast''s. It was deeper, more menacing, and it sent a ripple of unease through the soldiers.


    "Did you hear that?" Reva whispered, her voice trembling.


    "I heard it," Tova replied, her face pale. "What was that?"


    As if in answer, the beast they were riding on roared again, its massive body shuddering violently.


    "It''s another creature," Kell said, his voice barely above a whisper. "It''s fighting something."


    "No way," Harlin said, shaking his head in disbelief. "You''re kidding, right? Please tell me you''re kidding."


    The beast let out another roar, its wings pping harder as it twisted and turned. The soldiers clung on for dear life, their hearts pounding in terror.


    "This can''t be happening," Reva muttered, her voice shaky. "This can''t be real."


    Lyerin, still calm despite the chaos, finally spoke. "Could it be..." he murmured, more to himself than anyone else.


    "Could it be what?" Tova demanded, her voice shrill with panic.


    Lyerin''s eyes narrowed, a faint smirk ying on his lips. "It''s fighting."