The sky roared.
Kael stopped harvesting and looked up.
Dark clouds swirled above the Highlands, the floating land that hung high in the sky like a broken continent. Lightning flickered around its edges, and the massive stone pillars that held it aloft glowed with ancient magic.
The elders said those pillars protected the world.
The soldiers said they protected the world.
The priests said they protected the world.
From dragons.
Kael tightened his grip on the rusted sickle in his hand.
Around him, the golden wheat fields of the Lowlands stretched endlessly. Farmers bent over their crops, working in silence. No one dared waste time.
Every harvest belonged to the Highlands.
Food. Grain. Livestock.
Everything.
If the shipments were late, the punishment would come from the sky.
Kael wiped sweat from his forehead and muttered, "Dragons again…"
A loud bell rang across the village.
CLANG.
CLANG.
CLANG.
Farmers froze.
The bell only rang for one reason.
"Dragon alert!" someone shouted.
Panic spread instantly.
Mothers grabbed children.
Farmers dropped their tools.
People ran toward the stone shelters built throughout the fields.
Kael didn't move immediately.
Instead, he looked up.
High above, something moved between the clouds.
A shadow.
Massive wings spread across the sky.
The villagers screamed.
"DRAGON!"
Kael's heart pounded as the creature circled far above the floating Highlands.
But something felt strange.
The dragon never descended.
It only flew in circles.
Just like last time.
And the time before that.
Kael clenched his fists.
"Why don't they ever come down here…" he whispered.
His friend Lian grabbed his arm.
"Kael! Are you crazy?! Get to the shelter!"
They ran toward the stone bunker carved into the hillside.
Inside, dozens of villagers crowded together in fear.
The elder priest stood at the entrance, clutching a wooden staff.
"Do not fear!" he shouted. "The Highland Magicians are protecting us!"
Everyone bowed their heads.
Everyone except Kael.
Through the narrow doorway, he kept watching the sky.
The dragon was still flying far above.
Too far.
Almost like…
It wasn't real.
Suddenly—
A streak of light shot down from the Highlands.
BOOM.
The sky exploded with magic.
The dragon shattered into glowing fragments that faded into the clouds.
The villagers cheered.
"The magicians killed it!"
"Praise the Highlands!"
"They saved us again!"
The priest raised his staff.
"You see?! The Highlands protect the Lowlands! Without them, we would all be dead!"
Everyone clapped and prayed.
But Kael felt something twist in his chest.
Because just before the dragon vanished…
He saw it flicker.
Like a reflection on water.
Like an illusion.
---
That night, Kael couldn't sleep.
The village was quiet except for the distant humming of the floating Highlands above.
Moonlight poured through the wooden window.
Kael sat beside the bed where his father lay coughing.
The old man looked weak, his skin pale.
"Father," Kael said softly.
His father opened his eyes slowly.
"You didn't hide in the shelter today," the old man said with a faint smile.
Kael frowned. "You saw?"
"I see many things."
Kael hesitated.
Then he asked the question that had haunted him for years.
"Father… have you ever actually seen a dragon?"
The old man didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he stared toward the window.
Toward the floating Highlands.
His voice came out barely above a whisper.
"Kael… listen carefully."
Kael leaned closer.
His father grabbed his wrist with surprising strength.
"There are no dragons."
Kael froze.
"What…?"
"They are gone," his father said.
"All of them."
Kael's heart pounded.
"That's impossible! The magicians just killed one today!"
His father shook his head weakly.
"That… was not a dragon."
"What was it then?"
The old man's eyes filled with fear.
"An illusion."
The room suddenly felt colder.
Kael laughed nervously.
"Father… that's crazy. Why would the Highlands lie about dragons?"
His father's grip tightened.
"Because if the Lowlands knew the truth…"
His voice trembled.
"…the Highlands would lose their power."
Kael stared at him, unable to breathe.
Outside, the wind howled across the fields.
Then the old man whispered the words that would change Kael's life forever.
"I was one of the hundred magicians who erased the dragons from this world."
Kael's mind went blank.
"What…?"
But before he could speak again—
The door of the house exploded open.
BANG.
Armored soldiers stormed inside.
Their armor carried the symbol of the Highlands.
Behind them stood a tall man in black.
A bounty hunter.
He smiled coldly.
"We finally found you."
The soldiers pointed their spears at Kael's father.
"Traitor magician."
Kael stepped in front of the bed.
"You can't take him!"
The bounty hunter looked amused.
"Another witness."
He drew his sword.
"In that case…"
"Kill them both."
And in that moment—
Kael realized something terrifying.
The sky above the Lowlands…
Had been lying all along.