The Sky Dominion had always trusted the wind.
It carried the floating cities, guarded the borders, and answered only to one will. As long as the wind flowed freely, the realm believed itself untouchable.
That belief shattered the night the wind hesitated.
Yang stood in the inner chamber of the Sky Dominion, facing the Brilliant of Air. The crystal hovered in silence, its pale silver glow uneven—bright one moment, dull the next. Thin currents of air spiraled around it, sharp and restless, refusing to settle.
Yang narrowed his eyes.The air never resisted him.He raised his hand, calling the wind to align. It responded—but slowly, reluctantly, as if something heavy was pulling it away.
"This is not natural," Yang said at last, his voice calm but edged with authority.
"The wind is being disturbed."The elders behind him stiffened.
"Guardian," one of them said carefully, "could it be a natural fluctuation—"
"No," Yang interrupted. "Air does not break on its own."There was only one element capable of carrying another's burden without immediate collapse.
Earth.
"Summon the Guardian of Earth," Yang ordered. "Now."
Far from the clouds, the Verdant Realm slept beneath layers of stone and soil.
Rui Jiang was awake.
He knelt beside the Brilliant of Earth, his palm resting against its warm surface. The crystal pulsed steadily, as it always had—until a pressure seeped into the ground.
The wind.Unstable. Strained. Wounded.
Rui inhaled slowly as the sensation pressed into his chest. The earth beneath him responded instinctively, shifting to absorb the imbalance before it could spread.
"So even the sky can lose its balance," Rui murmured.He guided the excess energy into himself, allowing the earth to anchor it. Pain flared briefly, heavy and dull, but he did not pull away. This was his duty.
The land steadied.Rui exhaled—then the air split apart.
A sharp circle of wind formed around him, tightening in an instant. Cold pressure wrapped around his wrists and arms, lifting him from the ground.Rui did not summon the earth to fight back.Force would only tear the balance further apart.
"So this is his answer," Rui said quietly.
"Control instead of understanding."
~~~
The Sky Dominion greeted him with silence.
Rui stood on a wide platform beneath an open sky, restrained by compressed wind that pressed against his body without breaking skin. Across from him stood Yang, his posture straight, his presence heavy enough to bend the air itself.
The wind obeyed Yang instinctively.It always had.
"You are interfering with my element," Yang said, his voice cold and steady.
Rui lifted his gaze. "I am stabilizing it."
Yang's eyes hardened. "Earth absorbs what it touches. You are drawing power that does not belong to you."
Rui shook his head slowly. "The wind was collapsing. I prevented damage from spreading."
"The strongest element does not need your interference."
"And the strongest element can still fall," Rui replied evenly.The air surged violently around them, snapping banners and cracking stone at the platform's edge. The pressure intensified, testing Rui's stance.
Yang stepped closer. "You will remain here until I determine whether your actions are loyalty—or betrayal."
Rui met his gaze without fear. "Then you will see the truth soon enough."Yang studied him in silence. He saw no panic. No guilt.
Only restraint.
"Take him," Yang said.
As Rui was led away, the wind around Yang slowed again, its movement uncertain, uneven.He turned back to the Brilliant of Air.
It pulsed once—soft, unstable.For the first time since he became Guardian, Yang felt doubt settle beneath his control.
If the Guardian of Earth was truly his enemy…then why did the wind calm when he was near?
And if he was not—then who was truly threatening the balance of the realms?