Kael stepped into the portal with Cirri sitting on his shoulders, and the moment he walked out of the other end, he was in an entirely different world, incomparable to both Nerathis and the Infernal Crucible he had been to before.
He was greeted with strong winds directly attacking his face.
He reacted quickly and grabbed his little dragon, who was about to float away. Then, he barely opened his eyes and glanced at the ridiculous place he had come to.
The space was vast, almost endless. The winds here were strong, and why wouldn't they be? Kael could literally see tens of fucking tornadoes raging across the horizon, destroying everything in their path.
Most of these tornadoes spun at a distance, away from everything. A few, however, clashed violently, sending spiralling shockwaves of wind powerful enough to throw even him away, let alone little Cirri.
Thunder Thunder Thunder
It wasn't just the wind and tornadoes either. Above in the sky, there were dark, dense clouds with web-like lightning crackling through them in every direction, each bolt massive enough to split mountains. The lightning struck randomly, but wherever it struck, it left a mark so deep that Kael couldn't take his eyes off it.
He was sure about it; if he were struck by that horrifying lightning, he wouldn't last a second.
And these dense clouds didn't just give birth to this destructive lightning. With lightning, there came rain.
It poured down in relentless torrents, but what was even stranger was the droplets' movement—some froze mid-air, some reversed their course as though unsure whether to fall or rise, while the rest poured down.
The wind, the lightning, and the rain all seemed to work together to hinder Kael's vision.
He had barely come to this place, and he was already wet, had a difficult time opening his eyes, and his little Cirri seemed weak. The winds were too strong for her.
This wasn't yet over.
In this place, Kael felt weightless. It was almost as if gravity wasn't present here. Yes, he was still on the ground, but he felt like he could soar into the air with a single step.
And that is what he did.
He jumped lightly, and that supposedly light jump pushed him 10 meters above the ground. Soon, however, the seemingly nonexistent gravity did its work and pulled him back. He landed on the ground at the same speed as he would have if the gravity here were normal, but he wasn't hurt.
It was a strange phenomenon that he couldn't understand.
'Could things get any worse!?'
'Father, I am unable to enter.'
Yes, Igni, his Strongest Bond, couldn't come in.
Kael frowned. His voice had automatically become louder since he was stuck in the middle of a storm.
'I cannot come in. There is a strange barrier stopping me from entering. It is similar to the barrier Cirri described.'
Igni answered calmly.
'It seems like only one Bond can enter these foreign dimensions with you, and since my turn is over, I won't be able to enter for a while.'
The Primordial Fire Dragon analyzed.
"Does this mean I am on my own!?"
'You have Cirri with you, Father.'
Igni answered politely.
'Cirri!? Do you not see what is happening in here!?"
Kael questioned as he stared at his Cirri, who was extremely vulnerable right now. He had to hide his daughter in his embrace to make sure the strong winds did not hurt her.
And this was when she was in her physical form when she had higher resistance to wind. If she transformed into her natural cloud form, she would dissipate in an instant.
Yes, this place was the worst possible matchup for Cirri.
'What happened to her?'
Igni questioned, worried about his sister, and Kael finally realized something.
"Can you not… sense what is happening in here?"
He really was alone here…
Cirri called out in a weak voice, staring at Kael with her moist eyes.
"It is fine, Cirri. It is not your fault. This place just isn't suitable for you."
Kael comforted his daughter as he kissed her soft head.
Cirri closed her eyes. She was still sad. She wanted to help her father but had become a dead weight instead.
Kael knew what she was thinking, and he wanted to comfort her. Right now, however, he didn't have the time. A tornado was rushing toward them. He had to get away.
With Cirri in his hands, he ran away,
But the instant his leg pushed the ground, he soared in the air.
'What in the hell is wrong with this place!?'
He cursed in his head as his body landed on the ground. Having no other choice, Kael continued to run in this strange way, where with each step, he jumped around 20 meters high in the air.
'I'll fucking vomit.'
He cursed again. He had almost no control over his body. More than once, he unintentionally flipped mid-air.
'What am I even supposed to do here!?'
He wondered in his head, and as if listening to his thoughts, a screen appeared in front of him.
[The Tempest Sanctum]
[Mission: Claim the Tempest Throne]
[Mission Description]
[The Tempest Sanctum has remained unclaimed for eons, its throne abandoned, its storms raging without a master. Only one who conquers the sky itself may ascend to the seat of dominion. Prove your worth, overcome the Trials of the Skies, and claim the Tempest Throne as your own.]
[Time Limit: 24 Hours]
[Note: If the throne remains untaken when time runs out, the storm will consume all intruders, and you will be cast out.]
[Completion Reward: Baptism of the Sky Monarch]
There's a Throne here?'
Kael wondered in his head, and as if answering his question—
A thunderous roar was heard. He looked above to see where the sound was coming from, and he noticed something strange high in the air.
He squinted his eyes. His vision was already limited, his drenched body struggled against the relentless wind and rain. This strange gravity didn't help either.
Soon, however, he saw it—hidden behind the thick canopy of clouds—the Throne.
It was visible even when it was hundreds of meters above, so it wasn't difficult to guess how absurdly huge it was.
But even then, most of its features were hidden beneath the veil of dark clouds. The only thing Kael could see was its shape and the golden lightning crackling around it, but that alone was enough to make his heart pound.
'How the hell am I even supposed to get up there?'
Then, he did the only thing he was good at,
'Why not just keep the damn thing on the ground instead?'
As if the Sky itself took offence at his thoughts—
A monstrous bolt of lightning roared from above, aimed directly at him.
Kael's eyes widened in horror, his instincts screamed.
He wanted to move and get away, but the lightning was simply too fast, he couldn't react at all. He couldn't even activate his trump card and, the only thing he could do was cover Cirri with his body and then—
The lightning engulfed him.
His world turned white-hot.
Raging Electricity tore through his flesh, burned through his bones and obliterated his thoughts. His body convulsed, he couldn't even scream, his vision faded away, the last thing he did was to tighten his hug around Cirri to try and protect her in any way possible but soon…
His consciousness slipped away and he fell.
Nothing remained, his and Cirri's bodies dissipated.
*The Tempest Sanctum*