Volume 2: Chapter 04: "Scattered"

Epilogue----

The sky over Dusk-Land Kingdom Island burned in hues of amber and violet. Lanterns floated along the harbor, bobbing gently on the waves, carrying handwritten wishes from every corner of the capital.

Masashi watched in silence from a high balcony of the palace.

It had been one month since Virroga's fall. One month since the Ember Relic had been restored. Yet, the world remained still. No great disaster. No sudden revelation.

Just quiet.

Behind him, music rose from the festival in the city square below. Banners lined the marble roads, each bearing the sigil of the five fractals—fire, frost, time, wind, and void—now symbols of triumph.

His companions stood among the crowds:

Elra beside the library steps, speaking quietly with local scholars.

Crystella helping set up frost-shaped fireworks for the children.

Vellia seated on a stone bench, her bandaged hand resting over her chest.

Clara laughing with the market girls, her usual sharpness softened tonight.

Yulleus standing on a rooftop as usual, watching from afar with arms folded.

Yet even with all of them close, Masashi felt distant.

His fingers traced the shape of the relic resting in his hand. A core of swirling flame and crystal, pulsing gently like a living heart.

"…It's complete now," he murmured to himself. "But it's quiet."

He remembered the legends: the one who gathered all five fractals would unlock the true power of the Ember Relic. Change the world, or destroy it. Yet neither had happened.

Was it waiting for him?

"Still brooding?" Clara's voice broke his thoughts.

Masashi glanced back, surprised to see her climbing up beside him, her hair tied back loosely for once. She leaned on the railing next to him, gaze turned toward the floating lanterns.

"I thought you'd be down there celebrating," she said. "Everyone's looking for you."

Masashi gave a quiet laugh. "Didn't really feel like it."

"Because it feels unfinished?"

He looked down at the relic again, then slowly closed his hand around it.

"…Yeah."

Clara said nothing for a while, letting the wind speak instead. Cool, gentle, and salt-scented.

"Maybe that's because… it's up to you now."

Masashi glanced at her. Clara's expression was serious, but calm.

"We gathered the fractals, fought all those battles, made it here alive. But no relic or ancient prophecy is going to tell us what comes next."

Masashi tightened his grip slightly. The weight of the relic felt heavier now.

"I don't know if I'm ready for that kind of decision," he admitted.

"That's normal." Clara's voice softened. "But… you've already made harder choices than this. You kept us together. You kept fighting. Even when everything was falling apart."

Masashi let out a long breath, then slowly opened his hand again. The relic floated upward, shining faintly in the night air.

"…Yeah."

He reached out and let it drift toward the sky, just for a moment. Watching it catch the moonlight.

"I think I'm ready now."

From down below, a wave of golden fireworks lit up the sky—frost-shaped, phoenix-shaped, fractal-shaped—dancing across the stars like a final celebration.

And as Masashi and Clara stood side by side, neither of them spoke.

But both of them understood.

The quest was complete.

The world wasn't ending.

But somewhere beyond that quiet sky… something new was beginning.

And Masashi knew, with quiet certainty, he would be ready for it.

----------------------------------------------------

Part 1

Prologue: "When the Sky Cracked"

The sky above Dusk-Land Kingdom was painted with golden light as fireworks blossomed in celebration. Masashi stood quietly near the edge of the cliff overlooking the sea, the Ember Relic resting in his hand — whole and complete.

That was when it happened.

A sharp hum echoed through the air — not a sound, but something deeper, like a vibration in the soul. The Ember Relic pulsed violently in Masashi's grasp, glowing black-red as the very fabric of the world seemed to shudder.

Across the horizon, a wave of radiant mana surged out like a rippling curtain, glowing crimson and gold, washing over the sea, the sky, the lands far beyond.

"Masashi!" Clara called out, stumbling as the ground beneath them cracked with light. The festival behind them fell into chaos. People screamed. Towers split apart as pure energy filled every corner of the world.

Then —

Silence.

A flash.

Everything dissolved.

The last thing Masashi saw was Clara reaching out toward him before the world shattered into white.

Scattered----

When Masashi awoke, he was lying on a field of grass, the sky above clouded in pale gray. But it wasn't Dusk-Land.

"Clara…" His voice was hoarse.

He turned his head and saw her, barely ten steps away, unconscious but breathing. Relief washed over him like rain.

The smell of familiar earth, the shape of distant mountains—

"Centara…" Masashi muttered under his breath.

Of all places, they'd been sent back here.

A sudden memory returned: Virroga's voice rumbling from the mana wave.

"You thought it was over?"

"This world still bends to my will."

"Find me... if you can."

Masashi clenched his fists.

Where was everyone else?

He picked up the Ember Relic shards from the ground nearby. They had scattered again — incomplete now, dim as if drained.

Masashi knelt beside Clara, shaking her gently. "Hey… Clara, wake up."

Her eyes fluttered open slowly.

"…Masashi?" she whispered, blinking against the gray sky. "What happened…?"

"We've been split up. Again."

Masashi helped her sit up, scanning the horizon.

"This is Centara," he said. "I don't know where Vellia, Elra, Yulleus, or Crystella ended up."

Clara swallowed. "We need to find them."

Masashi stood, offering his hand. "Yeah. This time, we do it together."

Annava Continent-----

At the same moment

In the dead wastes of Annava, two figures stirred beneath crumbling black stone.

Elra opened her eyes first, surrounded by ice-cracked ruins. Beside her, Vellia coughed harshly, pushing herself up against a wall.

"Annava?" Elra murmured, recognizing the dead forests and endless gray sand.

The sky overhead felt heavier than before.

Elra helped Vellia to her feet, both of them quickly realizing—

No Masashi. No Clara. No one else.

Vellia looked up, her voice quiet. "Again... we've been separated."

Elra didn't answer at first, her eyes focused on a half-buried pillar glowing faintly with sky-rune symbols. Symbols she hadn't seen in any known continent.

"There's something here," Elra said softly. "A clue."

🌲 Scene Transition: Argata Continent

Further still—

Amid thick green mist and towering trees, Yulleus and Crystella both awoke at nearly the same time.

"Argata," Yulleus muttered, recognizing the scent of flowers and magic-infused air. "How did we…?"

Crystella stood silently beside him, looking up at the tree canopies. But her hand tightened around her frost blade.

A voice reached both of them — soft, ancient. From deeper in the forest.

"Sky… Continent…"

They turned toward the sound instinctively, blades raised.

Yulleus's eyes narrowed. "We're not done yet."

....

Across the world, the mana wave continued spreading endlessly across the sky like a ring.

Masashi and Clara began their journey in Centara.

Elra and Vellia searched the ruins in Annava.

Yulleus and Crystella explored Argata's forests.

But above them all, hidden behind shimmering clouds, the Sky Continent awaited—silent, colossal, waiting to be found.

And seated at its throne, Virroga opened his eyes once more.

"Come find me...

One last time."

Part 2

The sky over Centara was quiet—too quiet.

Masashi walked beside Clara through the familiar mountain pass leading down from the plains, the wind carrying echoes of their last battle here. Though it felt like home, something was wrong. The colors seemed dulled, like the world was holding its breath.

"Are you sure it's Centara?" Clara asked, adjusting the leather strap of her bag. Her voice was steady, but there was a trace of uncertainty there.

Masashi nodded, his eyes scanning the horizon.

"The mountains. The valley shape. The air." He closed his eyes briefly, feeling it. "It's definitely Centara."

The Ember Relic shards rested in a pouch at his waist — still dim, but warm.

"...And the others?" Clara pressed, stopping to face him. "How are we supposed to find them in all of this?"

Masashi didn't answer right away. He looked up at the sky, noting the faint crimson line still etched along the horizon — a scar left by the mana explosion.

He took a breath. "We'll need help."

"Help from who?"

Masashi's mind flashed back to old allies. Traders, mercenaries, guides—people they'd met during their last visit here. Some of them owed favors. Some simply respected what they'd done.

"We'll build a search party," Masashi said firmly. "That's the only way."

A few hours later, they arrived at one of the outer villages near Centara's capital — Skypha.

The outpost was small: wooden barricades, wind-tattered flags, a market square that had seen better days. Several townspeople watched them arrive, eyes wary. Travelers weren't common after the Fractal Quest ended.

Masashi approached the village chief first — an older man named Ravien, someone Masashi vaguely remembered.

Ravien squinted. "Masashi? Who saved us after the masked mage appeared on the town square?"

Masashi gave a slight bow. "It's been a while. We need help."

Ravien stroked his beard, glancing at Clara beside him. "Didn't think I'd see your faces again."

Masashi kept it simple. "We've been separated. I need a search team. People who know the continent. People who won't ask too many questions."

Ravien was quiet for a long time. Finally, he nodded once.

"I know a few."

By nightfall, Masashi and Clara had gathered four new faces around a campfire outside the outpost:

Lyren — A spear-wielding mountain scout, quick on his feet and faster with information.

Mikka — An archer with desert gear, originally from Annava but now living here.

Sev and Orin — Twin swordsmen, always bickering, but deadly in a fight.

Masashi explained everything honestly:

"We don't know where the others landed. But the mana wave must've scattered everyone across the continents."

Clara spoke next, glancing at each of the gathered warriors.

"We need to search the mountains first. Then the valleys. Then the coast. We'll work outward."

The group exchanged uncertain looks, but none of them argued. Everyone had felt the shockwave. Everyone knew the sky was different now.

Mikka asked, voice low: "You think this has something to do with… the Sky Continent?"

Masashi's expression darkened slightly.

"I know it does."

Clara touched her pendant quietly. "Virroga isn't finished."

Lyren exhaled sharply, but stood up. "If that's true, you'll need all the help you can get."

Masashi offered his hand.

"Then let's start."

Later that night, as the search party prepared supplies, Masashi stood alone by the edge of the cliff overlooking Centara's valley.

Clara walked up beside him.

"You really believe they're still alive?"

Masashi's grip tightened on the Ember Relic shards.

"I have to."

Above them, hidden behind the clouds, the faint shape of something enormous seemed to flicker—just for a moment—a shadow in the sky.

The Sky Continent… waiting.

Masashi whispered under his breath:

"Hold on, everyone. We're coming."

The dawn sky over Skypha was pale gold as Masashi tightened the straps on his gear. Around him, Clara checked her blade, while Lyren, Mikka, Sev, and Orin prepped supplies and weapons in silence. The faint pulse of the Ember Relic shards against Masashi's waist pouch was the only thing keeping his focus steady.

It had been less than a full day since their arrival back in Centara. And already, the search had begun.

"Everyone ready?" Masashi asked, voice steady.

Lyren tapped the butt of his spear against the ground. "Mountains first?"

"Yeah. Azure Caverns. Then Velcarn. Then Frostvale."

Clara's eyes narrowed, sharp as always. "Let's move."

Azure Caverns----

By midday, the team reached the Azure Caverns — great tunnels cut into the mountain cliffs, their walls lined with mana-infused crystals that glowed faint blue.

Masashi stood at the cavern mouth, eyes closed briefly as he felt the air's vibration. Not quite sound. Not quite magic. Just something deep and old, humming beneath everything.

"It's too quiet," Orin muttered beside his twin.

"You always say that," Sev shot back, smirking. But even he kept his blade drawn.

Clara moved in close beside Masashi. "Something feels off."

"I feel it too," Masashi replied.

Inside the caverns, every step echoed. Ice and light shimmered along the walls as the team moved carefully, avoiding crumbling ledges and half-frozen pools.

Suddenly, from deeper in the cave, a shadow moved.

Masashi raised his hand, signaling for silence.

From the dark, a figure stumbled forward. Cloaked, face hidden beneath a cracked metal mask. Not a Rising-Void. Not quite.

Clara drew her blade. "Another Void?"

Masashi stepped forward, narrowing his eyes. "No. A survivor."

The figure collapsed to one knee, gasping.

"...Phoenix... You survived..."

Masashi knelt beside him, recognizing faint traces of Gotnovaric armor under the cloak. An old mercenary. Left wandering.

The man clutched a rune-inscribed map, pressing it into Masashi's hand before collapsing fully.

"Sky continent... gates... marked in frost and flame..."

Masashi stared down at the map. Clara stepped in close, voice low. "Masashi... look."

Etched in the center: a symbol. Matching the Sky Continent rumors they'd heard. A gate marker.

Masashi closed his hand around the map tightly. "We keep moving."

Ruins of Velcarn----

By late afternoon, the team reached the scarred ruins of Velcarn — half-destroyed buildings, frost-burned earth, and shattered statues left from Centara's darker days.

"We fought here before," Masashi said quietly, stepping over cracked stone.

Clara stayed close, eyes scanning. "Someone's here."

Masashi felt it too. Blades drawn, the team circled what remained of the village square.

An arrow flew from Mikka's bow — a warning shot.

From the shadows, two figures stepped out: a scarred knight Masashi vaguely remembered from Centara's past battles, and a child clutching a frost pendant.

Masashi lowered his blade slowly. "We're looking for our friends."

The knight nodded once. "You're not the only ones."

It wasn't just them. Across Centara, search parties were forming. Survivors hunting for answers, trying to piece together the world after the mana wave.

The realization hit Masashi like cold iron.

This wasn't just about their team anymore.

Frostvale Forest-----

By dusk, the forest of Frostvale glistened with ice and mist.

Masashi stood at the front of the formation, holding the rune map in one hand. The closer they came, the brighter its glow.

Clara's breath came in visible clouds as she followed. "This is it."

At the heart of the forest clearing, hidden beneath snow and frozen vines, they found it: a circular platform. Old. Ancient. Sky runes carved deep into its stone.

Masashi stepped forward, his boots crunching against frost.

"The gate..." he whispered.

But the moment his foot touched the platform, the world shifted.

The air cracked with mana. Trees bent under invisible force.

From above — figures descended. Masked. Armored in fragments of Rising-Void gear, corrupted and twisted.

Clara's voice snapped. "Masashi! Enemies!"

Masashi drew his blade in one motion.

"Form up! Defensive!"

The corrupted void warriors struck as one, blades gleaming with sickly blue light.

Masashi met them head-on, his Phoenix aura flaring bright in the frost-lit dark.

Behind him, Lyren spun his spear in a deadly arc, Mikka loosing arrows through gaps in enemy armor.

Sev and Orin fought back to back, slicing through the corrupted with brutal twin strikes.

And Clara moved like a silver flash, cutting through two enemies in a single strike.

The battle raged — frost, flame, steel, and void colliding in a storm of color.

But Masashi felt it, through it all: the platform beneath them pulsing. Waiting.

As the last of the corrupted warriors fell, disintegrating into black mist, silence returned.

Masashi lowered his blade slowly.

Clara stood beside him, blood on her cheek, but steady.

"The gate... it's real."

Masashi stepped fully onto the platform now, the rune map in hand.

Above them, the clouds shimmered faintly — revealing, just for a heartbeat, the shadowed shape of something enormous floating high above.

The Sky Continent.

Masashi tightened his grip on the relic shards.

"This is only the beginning."

And the search continued.

Part 3

The wind in Frostvale Forest grew colder after the battle, wrapping the group in a heavy silence. Masashi stood quietly in front of the sky-gate platform, the ember shards warm against his chest. The others gathered around him, breath visible in the freezing air.

Lyren broke the silence first.

"So… what now? We found the gate, but there's no way up."

Masashi glanced at Clara, her blade still resting over her shoulder, silver in the faint blue glow.

"We'll need to activate it," Masashi said. "Some kind of key."

Clara crossed her arms. "If Virroga's hiding up there, he wouldn't make it easy."

Mikka knelt by the platform's edge, brushing snow off the carved runes. "These symbols—same as the old sky relic stories from Argata."

Masashi's jaw tightened.

"Then Yulleus and Crystella might've found something by now."

He stepped back, staring up into the sky. The shadow of the Sky Continent shimmered faintly behind the clouds — never fully visible, but always there. Waiting.

Sev let out a breath.

"We regroup, right? Tell the capital what we found?"

"No," Masashi answered sharply. "We keep moving."

The group exchanged glances, unsure.

Masashi continued, voice steady:

"Every day we waste, Virroga gets stronger. If the relic shards respond to the gate... there's more we're missing. More gates. More keys."

He held out the rune map, pointing to two faint marks besides Frostvale's.

"One in Annava. One in Argata."

Clara frowned slightly but didn't argue.

Masashi tightened the straps on his gear again.

"We find the next gate. Then we find our team."

He didn't say it aloud, but everyone could feel it: the weight of the search wasn't just about their friends anymore. The mana wave had shattered the world's balance.

If they didn't stop it soon… there might not be a world left to save.

Overnight Camp----

That night, the party set camp at the base of the Frostvale cliffs. A low fire crackled in the cold, sending sparks into the sky like faint stars.

Masashi sat alone by the flames, staring into them. The rune map rested on his lap. Clara walked up quietly beside him, sitting down without a word at first.

"You're pushing yourself too hard again," she said after a while.

Masashi gave a faint smile. "I have to."

Clara didn't argue this time. She leaned forward, arms on her knees, watching the fire.

"…You know," she said quietly, "when we first started all this, I didn't think we'd ever get this far."

Masashi glanced at her. "Yeah?"

"I always figured we'd either win… or die trying."

Masashi's smile faded.

"We still might."

Clara didn't flinch at that. Instead, she nudged his shoulder lightly with hers.

"Then let's win again. One more time."

Masashi's gaze softened slightly.

"Yeah. One more time."

Above them, through the cracks in the trees, the Sky Continent's outline shimmered again — closer than before.

Centara Search Party Continues-----

At dawn, the group moved again — leaving Frostvale behind and heading toward the western cliffs. Their plan was simple: track down any sky-gate clues across Centara, link them with the marks on the map, and hope for signs of their lost friends.

As they crossed a narrow ridge, Masashi paused.

Down below in the misty valley… he saw something.

A figure. Two figures. Moving fast. No Rising-Void armor.

Clara noticed his sudden stop. "What is it?"

Masashi's eyes narrowed.

"…Survivors."

Without another word, Masashi sprinted down the ridge, the others following close behind.

Whatever waited below, whether ally or enemy — Masashi knew the next step of their journey had just begun.

And above them…

The Sky Continent's shadow grew larger with every step.