Skyborn

"Hah! Let's see you survive this!"

A streak of light shot across the sky as he raced through the clouds, twisting and rolling midair just for the thrill of it. The wind howled as he soared over mountains, faster than any griffin, higher than any wyvern. His coat flaring behind him. Below, the world stretched vast, endless fields of greenery, mountains, rivers that shimmered in the morning sunlight, Cities pulsed like living things, castles stood as monuments to fleeting mortal ambition. It was beautiful, in a distant, small, fragile way.

"This never gets old," he muttered to himself.

"Faster!" he commanded himself, his grin widening as he pushed harder, his magic flaring in response. A wyvern, massive and scaled,barely had time to screech before he left it behind.

But the sky wasn't enough. It never was.

With a sharp, effortless twist, he shot straight upward, tearing through the thick veil of storm clouds like a blade through silk. Thunder rumbled behind him, a growl of protest from the heavens. He silenced it with a flick of his fingers, a pulse of magic snuffing out the sound before it could even form.

"Not today. I like my sky quiet."

"Higher."

The thought alone propelled him, his body cutting through the thinning atmosphere until the blue faded into black, until the air itself was gone, until the stars spread out before him, gleaming like diamonds on black velvet. He floated there, arms crossed, gazing at the endless void surveying the cosmos with the lazy arrogance of a god.The stars greeted him like old friends. He hovered in the void, looking down at the world that others called home. It was small from up here. The blue faded to black, floating in the void, he stretched, rolling his shoulders as he looked around.

"Alright, what's next?"

His gaze wandered over the celestial bodies scattered before him. There was always something new to explore, new to conquer. New to break.

Then he spotted it. A planet

It was a lonely, barren thing, no satellite circling it like moon, drifting in the emptiness of space. Far from stars. Its surface was dry, its atmosphere thin and weak. No water, no plants, no signs of life.

"Oho?" Rain grinned. "Now you look promising."

With a quick burst of magic, he shot toward it, landing on its surface in an instant. Dust swirled around his boots as he crouched, grabbing a handful of dirt, letting it slip through his fingers.

"Dull. No people. No creatures. No history."

He exhaled in excitement. "Guess that means no one will mind if I play around."

Silence.

He cracked his knuckles, magic sparking at his fingertips.

He raised a hand. A tiny sphere of energy formed, flickering with heat. He rolled it across his knuckles, letting its warmth tickle his skin.

"Now, how much should I use?" he mused. "Small boom? Big boom?

The sphere pulsed, growing larger. The ground trembled beneath him under the sheer force of his magic.

With a flick of his wrist, the sphere shot downward. The moment it touched the ground—

KRRRRRRMMMM!

A deep, thunderous roar split the planet in two. Molten lava burst from the cracks, rivers of fire spreading in every direction. The sky darkened as the land collapsed, the core itself screaming as the energy spread, consuming everything.

And then—

BOOOOOM!

The entire planet exploded.

A cataclysmic burst of fire and rock, a supernova of annihilation. Fragments hurtled outward, spinning wildly through the void, some melting into slag, others crystallizing into jagged, glass-like shards. Rain hovered amidst the debris, arms crossed, watching the spectacle with a satisfied smirk.

"Now that was a good one,"

"Best one this week, maybe."

Just as he turned, ready to find his next target

A deep voice echoed behind him.

"Rain."

He froze. His grin disappeared. Slowly, he turned around.

A tall figure stood there, floating in space as if gravity still applied to him.

Professor Cillian.

Rain groaned, rubbing his temple. "You again?"

"Yes. Me again." Cillian's voice was calm, but firm. "What was that? The third planet of this month?"

Rain huffed. "Fourth, actually."

Cillian pinched the bridge of his nose. "Gods preserve me."

"Relax, old man. It was empty. Plus it's not like i am doing this in outside world" Rain gestured at the debris floating around them. "No life. No one to miss it. Just a boring rock in the middle of nowhere. In a pocket dimension, no less."

Cillian's eyes narrowed. "You do realize these celestial bodies still serve a purpose, don't you?"

"Yeah, yeah. Balance, magic flow, blah blah blah." Rain waved his hand dismissively. "Did anything happened to the academy? No? Then what's the problem? Even if the academy collaps i will just use my magic to keep the flow."

"The problem," Cillian said, his voice dangerously low, "is that you treat existence like it's your personal plaything."

Rain scoffed. "Because it is—to me, anyway." He folded his arms, floating lazily backward. "No one else in the academy can even feel what's going on here, let get affected by me. So why not have some fun?"

Cillian sighed. "Because 'fun' for you means disasters for the rest of us."

"Again, nothing happened—"

"Yet."

Rain rolled his eyes. "You always say that, and nothing ever does."

Cillian's gaze darkened. "You really don't get it, do you?"

Before Rain could reply, the professor raised a hand.

A thin thread of magic wrapped around Rain's wrist.

Immediately, his entire body stiffened. His breath caught. His magic—his endless, overflowing power—was suddenly gone, sealed in an instant.

Rain's eyes widened. "What—?"

Cillian stepped forward. "You think you're untouchable," he said quietly. "That you can do whatever you want, whenever you want. But even you have limits."

Rain gritted his teeth, struggling against the invisible force. "That—this isn't fair—"

"Oh, now you care about fairness?" Cillian arched a brow.

Rain scowled, trying to push magic through his limbs—but nothing. It was like normal person trying to breathe underwater. His power, his strength, was completely cut off.

"How?" he demanded.

Cillian gave him a knowing look. "Do you really think the academy never prepared for someone like you?"

Rain stopped struggling. He narrowed his eyes. "...A counterspell."

"Not just any counterspell." Cillian's grip tightened, the magic restraints glowing faintly. "A seal designed specifically for you."

Rain felt a chill crawl up his spine.

"Come back to the academy, Rain," Cillian said, his tone softer now. "Before you really do something you regret."

For a long moment, Rain didn't move.

Then, finally, he sighed. "Fine, fine. No need to be dramatic about it." He stretched, acting as if he wasn't completely unnerved by the fact that someone—anyone—could actually shut him down. "But you owe me for ruining my fun."

Cillian shook his head. "You have an odd definition of fun."

Rain smirked. "And you have a terrible sense of adventure."

With a flick of Cillian's fingers, the magic restraints vanished. Immediately, Rain felt his power rush back into him, filling every inch of his being like a breath of fresh air.

He let out a satisfied sigh. "Much better."

Cillian gave him a warning look. "Don't make me use it again."

Rain grinned. "No promises."

With that, the two vanished into the void, leaving the shattered remains of the planet behind.

"that old man really is a dull guy, "Rain muttered as they reappeared within the academy's halls. "Well, whatever."

He cracked his neck, already scheming.

After all, rules were only fun when they were meant to be broken.