Chapter 1: "The Sky is Mine"

Hey everyone,

This is my first go at writing a book so please suggest any improvement for the plot. It will help me in improving the story.

Thank you.

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The wind howled past his ears as Xander Volkris tilted his body, shifting the hoverboard beneath his feet with a practiced grace. He grinned, feeling the surge of adrenaline that always hit when he danced on the edge of danger. Below him, the cityscape of Avalon, the world's most advanced metropolis, was a blur of lights and steel. Skyscrapers stretched like fingers toward the sky, but Xander was far above them, soaring.

"Let's crank it up," he muttered, tapping the controls on the hoverboard's surface. With a faint hum, the engine responded, and suddenly he shot forward like a bullet, leaving a streak of neon light in his wake.

The wind whipped harder, pushing against him, but Xander loved the resistance. The sky was his playground, and he had no equal here. With a flick of his wrist, he dove downward, the city rushing up to meet him. His heart pounded in his chest, but his grin widened as he twisted the board into a sharp corkscrew, just barely dodging a commuter ship as it hovered along its path.

"Xander Volkris, the untouchable!" he shouted into the open air, feeling the rush of exhilaration flood his veins. He lived for moments like these—moments where the world felt small beneath his feet, and his blood sang with thrill.

But that was the thing about Xander. He didn't just play with danger. He thrived on it. Extreme sports were his obsession, the adrenaline his lifeblood. It wasn't enough to just rule the skies of Avalon—he had to push the limits, test the edges, to prove to himself that nothing could hold him down.

As he slowed down, his HUD interface flashed, bringing him back to reality. A message blinked in the corner of his vision: Destination: Halyra Jungle. Time until departure: 1 hour.

He sighed, rolling his neck. The jungle would be a fresh challenge—a new frontier. Xander had already conquered everything Avalon had to offer, and the wild, untamed Halyra Jungle was calling him, teasing him with its unknown dangers. He'd already made the arrangements, and his hoverboard would take him across the continents by air. A solo adventure. Just how he liked it.

But there was more pulling at him than just the thrill of the wilderness.

The Volkris Legacy, it was said that this was the legacy left behind the first ancestor of the family for the heirs to his magic. It was said that this was a miracle that fused both aspects of the world the tech and magic.

Xander was more than just an adrenaline junkie. He was the heir to the Volkris family, the most powerful and influential force in the world. While the world was split between corporations and hidden magical societies, none held sway like Volkris Industries. His father, Lucian Volkris, sat at the helm—a man of impeccable charisma, intelligence, and ruthlessness with great control over the magic energies and power.

It was Lucian who had built Volkris Industries into an empire that spanned everything from military tech to advanced magical artifacts using the same qualities. Their influence reached every corner of the globe.

Xander had also inherited all this from father with the adventurous side which he got from his mother. If his father was like a ocean which was Powerful and Majestic his mother was free like wind which roamed the world freely.

But with birth of him and his brother that side was left behind by his mother but Xander picked up the habit of being free sprit from her.

Not that he cared much about that now. Let his father and older brother, Marcus, deal with the corporate meetings, the politics, and the weight of the world. Xander had always been different—a free spirit who refused to be confined by expectations. Where Marcus was the golden child of the family, always eager to step into their father's shoes, Xander found his joy in the sky, the sea, the mountains… and soon, the jungle.

Still, no matter how much he distanced himself, the shadow of his lineage followed him. His blood was his destiny, whether he liked it or not. Everyone knew the name Volkris, and everyone expected great things from him.

Xander leaned back, letting his hoverboard carry him gently through the air as he stared down at the sprawling city below. Avalon was both his kingdom and his cage. But soon, he'd leave it behind—for a little while, at least. The jungle would be different. Untamed. Wild. And Xander needed that wildness more than ever.

He tapped a button on his wrist interface, calling his board to descend toward his family's estate—a massive structure that loomed on the outskirts of the city like a fortress. As he got closer, he could see the Volkris emblem gleaming in the sunlight, a reminder of the power he was tied to.

Not that he was thinking about that right now.

Today wasn't about family, power, or the future.

Today was about one thing: freedom.

Today he decided to explore the jungle for the artifact which was the legacy of his house. Not one person in the family believed that the artifact exist because they have spent countless years and resources scouring the jungle, but came back empty handed everytime.

But he was different he took it as challenge to find the artifact and finally, he was close through research on the available documents and records from the many exploration and stories from the past.

As his board touched down on the landing platform, Xander took a deep breath. The air here was crisp, filtered through the high-tech atmospheric systems that kept the estate pristine. A small part of him itched with impatience to leave this place behind and get lost in the wilderness. He was done with the city for now.

But as he made his way to the garage to grab his pack, something pricked at the back of his mind. A sense of unease. A tension in the air, like a storm brewing on the horizon. He glanced up at the sky, his sharp instincts noticing the shift. Clouds—dark, heavy—were rolling in fast. Not normal.

He brushed the feeling aside. It was probably just the excitement. The anticipation of what was coming. He had no way of knowing that this storm wasn't just a weather pattern—it was the first sign of the apocalypse.

For now, though, Xander had other things on his mind. Like beating the storm to the jungle and getting a head start on the adventure of a lifetime.

With one last look at the estate, Xander hopped back on his hoverboard, shot through the open skies, and soared toward the unknown, leaving the comfort of Avalon and the shadow of his family behind.

Unaware that his world was about to change forever.