"Ahhhhhhh!!"
Alya's scream tore through the wind as she clung desperately to the thick, feathered neck of the enormous bird soaring high above the clouds.
Wind howled past her ears, whipping her hair into a frenzy.
Brilliant streaks of color... amethyst, gold, and rose... painted the sky in impossible swirls, but she couldn't bear to look.
Her eyes were squeezed shut, every muscle locked in terror. She had never been this high off the ground in her life, and heights had always been her personal nightmare.
"No, no, no, no… please!" she wailed, voice cracking. "I didn't agree to this! I didn't sign up for this! I want to go home! Please!"
Kafel sat directly behind her on the wide leather saddle, posture perfectly steady, unruffled by the gale or her panic.
He tilted his head slightly, studying her outburst with the mild curiosity of someone watching an interesting but predictable experiment.
Alya cracked one eye open, desperate for a glimpse of this unreal world, only to peer downward.
The endless drop yawned beneath them and she slammed her eyes shut again with a strangled gasp.
"Master, slow down! Please!" she begged.
Kafel gave a small shake of his head, voice calm amid the rushing wind. "There is no need to fear, Alya. You will not fall."
She forced her eyes open again, just slits at first, fingers digging so hard into the bird's armored neck feathers that her knuckles bleached white.
Her heart slammed against her ribs like it was trying to escape her chest entirely.
"Below us," Kafel continued, gesturing with one steady hand toward the vast expanse beneath them, "lies the Divine Empyrean Palace. It stretches nine thousand nine hundred ninety-nine kilometers in every direction and has endured for hundreds of thousands of years."
"Really?!" Alya shouted back over the roar of the wind, clinging even tighter.
Kafel nodded once. "In this world, survival begets power. Fail, and you become irrelevant, useless to the hierarchy and to existence itself."
"Am I useless?!" she yelled, voice shrill with sudden panic.
He shook his head, a small, patient smile touching his lips. "You survived the Martial & Spiritual Trial at five years old. That alone marked you among the blessed. You bear the sigil."
"Sigil?" Alya echoed, confusion momentarily cutting through the terror.
Kafel nodded. "The blessing bestowed by the heavens upon those who endure the trial. Survivors receive the sigil, and other gifts, such as the awakening of the Spirit Haven. You possess one, but the damage to your memories and Spirit Haven has disrupted your cultivation. Not that it ever mattered much to you." His tone turned faintly wry. "No matter how rigorously I pushed your training, you never truly cared to harness your abilities."
Alya swallowed hard, throat tight, trying to absorb the flood of information while the world spun dizzyingly around her.
'He just said something about a trial for five years old. Wait… they put five-year-olds through a life-or-death trial? Just to decide who gets power? That's… insane. Isn't that wicked? Why would they put children in such a situation?'
She risked another glance at the breathtaking, impossible vista around them.
'Doesn't matter. The situation here is different from the situation I'm familiar with,' she told herself firmly.. 'Back home we have cars, planes, subways, not giant birds for public transportation.'
She pressed her forehead against the warm feathers, breathing shallow and fast.
'Just hold on. Don't look down. Don't throw up. And definitely don't scream again.'
…Easier said than done.
After what felt like an eternity of stomach-churning flight, the great bird finally began its descent.
It spiraled downward in slow, majestic loops, wings cutting through the clouds with grace, before settling lightly onto a vast platform of gleaming white stone.
Two warriors in black armor stood motionless at the edge, waiting.
As the bird's talons touched down, they spoke in perfect unison:
"Welcome to the Supreme Domain."
Alya let out a long, shaky breath of relief, only for her legs to turn to jelly the instant her feet should have touched solid ground.
She slipped sideways off the bird's back, eyes rolling in dizzy panic as she plummeted the short distance to the platform.
Kafel sighed softly as he came down with grace. He shook his head, and reached down to haul her upright with one steady hand.
"We stand at the outer barrier of the Supreme Domain," he said quietly, releasing her once she was vertical again. "This is the very place where you nearly lost your life, and damaged your Spirit Haven in the process. I suspect the means to mend you lie somewhere within these borders."
Alya didn't care about that.
She brushed dust from her gown, attention already shifting to Prince Halwin as he stepped forward with regal poise toward the two warriors.
"Thank you for the welcome," Halwin said smoothly. "Now, escort us to your Lord."
One of the warriors let out a short, derisive scoff. "You want an audience with our Lord? Is that how requests are phrased in lower realms these days?"
Halwin's jaw tightened, though he kept his expression carefully neutral.
The second warrior folded his arms, smirking. "The Supreme Domain is an upper realm now. We outrank you. If you want something from us, learn to speak with proper respect. Submit to power. That's how things work here."
Alya's temper flared instantly. She shot a disbelieving glance at Kafel who just sighed.
"You're just… sighing?" she hissed under her breath. "I don't know all the rules yet, but my uncle is a prince. Those two are just warriors. Realm rank or not, they have no business talking down to royalty like that."
Kafel gave a subtle shake of his head, giving her the hint to keep quiet.
Prince Halwin's gaze flicked briefly downward, then back toward Alya without turning his head.
One of the warriors caught the movement. "Something to add, miss?" he drawled, eyes narrowing on her. "Careful with that tongue. Your realm is nothing now…"
"Oh, please," Alya muttered, rolling her eyes dramatically before she could stop herself.
Suddenly every gaze in the vicinity locked onto her.
'Shit. Low profile. Stay invisible,' she reminded herself frantically.
She plastered on the brightest, most disarming smile she could muster. "I mean… let's not be so harsh with each other, okay? Don't forget I'm about to marry your Lord. That basically makes us family now, right?"
The words hung in the air for a beat.
Prince Halwin's lip curled in the faintest sneer, though he kept his face angled away from the warriors.
'That niece of mine,' he thought dryly. 'She can barely hide how eager she is to become queen of the Supreme Domain. Who exactly is she trying to fool?'
The two warriors exchanged a quick, uneasy glance, the smugness on their faces flickering as Alya's words hit home. They shifted their weight, suddenly less certain.
Prince Halwin stepped forward half a pace, inclining his head in a measured, dignified bow. "Please, noble warriors of the Supreme Domain, kindly escort us to your Lord."
Alya watched him with a faint frown, shaking her head under her breath. "That uncle of mine is quite submissive."
Kafel leaned in slightly, voice pitched low for her ears alone. "For as long as anyone can remember, the Supreme Domain was the very bottom of the hierarchy. Now that they've clawed their way up, the power has clearly gone to their heads."
Alya nodded slowly, lips pursing. "Makes sense."
The warriors straightened, chests puffing out, smirks returning in full force. "That's more like it," one said. "You may enter."
They waved their hands in unison.
The world blurred.
Alya's stomach lurched as reality folded around her.
One heartbeat she stood on the white stone platform, the next she was standing in the middle of a bustling open-air market.
Voices shouted, vendors hawked glowing fruits and shimmering fabrics, the air thick with spices, incense, and the faint metallic tang of spiritual energy.
"Whoa…" she gasped, staggering a step. "That was… did I just…"
Behind Prince Halwin, one of his attendants moved closer and murmured discreetly at his side. "They don't trust us with a direct path inside, Your Highness. This is deliberate."
Prince Halwin gave a small, tight nod, expression unreadable. "Lord Alistair appears to trust no one. We're operating on difficult ground here. But…"
His gaze slid subtly toward Alya, who was turning in slow circles, wide-eyed and openly staring at the vibrant chaos around her… stalls piled high with crystalline herbs, floating lanterns drifting between awnings, cultivators in sleek black-and-red robes moving with effortless grace.
"…hopefully, with her in play, my plans will proceed smoothly."
"Follow!" one of the warriors barked, already striding forward through the crowd. "And keep up. The Lord doesn't like to be kept waiting."
Alya deliberately slowed her pace as the group moved forward behind the two warriors.
'This is it,' she thought, heart kicking up a notch. 'My one shot.'
She kept her steps casual, eyes darting left and right, scanning alleys, side streets, the press of bodies in the bustling market, searching for any gap she could slip through.
'I'm not getting trapped in some political marriage I know zero about. No way.'
The moment the crowd thickened and everyone, including the warriors' attention remained ahead, she eased backward.
One careful step at a time, until she reached the mouth of a narrow side street.
Then she turned, tiptoed quickly around the corner, and broke into a run the instant she was out of sight.