As the distance increased from the Frozen Forest, and with the aid of the warm, sunlight, Kai's mood slowly improved as he soared through the clear blue sky casting the tiniest of shadows on the ground below.

While his ability to fly was both instinctual and gained from the memories of his ancestors, each one imprinting their first flight, a significant event for any dragon, it had only been a few hours since he had been thrown into the sky yet his muscles were already exhausted and slightly shaking.

To alleviate the strain, Kai utilised the thermal lifts and air currents, enabling him to gain an extraordinary height and speed while allowing him to look down upon the world with an impartial, yet curious, eye.

However, instead of finding a sense of peace with his newfound freedom and close call, Kai's features gradually twisted into a frown.

The world below him was vastly different from the memories of the young dragon's ancestors.

Where there should have been lush forests, inhospitable mountain ranges, open plains and raging, untamed rivers, now nothing but farmland, roads and settlements.

Large rock-like structures blocked the waterways, creating ideal boating lakes, roads made from a black substance, or laid with metal lines crisscrossed the landscape.

Fields littered with various crops, occasionally interrupted with wallless towns and villages covered the land while numerous species seemed to be either working or travelling like, at least due to Kai's altitude, ants.

Kai's heart sank, the realisation that things really had changed since the time of his ancestors, hitting him in full force and causing him, for the first time, to feel trepidation at the future.

After a couple more hours, Kai realised that even though the majority of the countryside looked similar and bleak, there were a few, limited areas that still retained a somewhat natural appearance. However, these small areas of greenery were surrounded by weird, tower-like structures that he instantly recognised as the likely cause for the barrier he had slammed into earlier.

It seemed that the barrier was there to restrict access to and from these areas and so, even though Kai was tempted to stop and rest at one, he continued moving forward.

As his gaze moved from scenery to the species interacting below, Kai released a sigh as he confirmed his ancestor's fears and the reason why his species had spent so much effort in developing a method to take on a humanoid appearance.

Excluding work animals and, what he could only assume to be, pets, Kai could not spot a single beast or monster that wasn't in its humanoid form.

In fact, their appearances had improved so much that, at least from his current position, he found it easier to identify the human subspecies than the beasts and monsters that had, at least in his acquired memories, been too proud of their natural appearance and, often, completely dismissive, of the humanoid form.

Another thing the young dragon had noticed was that the sky, once filled with terrifying beasts and monsters, now contained only a few small birds and flying reptiles.

However, no matter how much melancholy Kai faced with the changes and discrepancies between the current world and his memories, the fact that he was flying, the wind blowing across his scales and through the spines that fell down his spine and tail, it could not completely depress him.

After a few more hours, Kai noticed huge, metal constructs, blue and green glowing patterns on their sides, flying in organised columns, in the distance.

Having no direction in mind, and believing that if he landed in the rural areas below, he would not gain anything or achieve any of his objectives, Kai adjusted his direction and headed towards the strange objects.

It wasn't long before Kai saw what looked like the beginning of a sprawling city, once again without walls, which felt wrong to the young dragon. Smaller objects and flying creatures moved between the large, flying objects and the ground in a seemingly chaotic, yet orderly fashion.

Excitement and fear battled each other as Kai continued to move forward. A dragon's curiosity had once been well known and the lure of the new was almost too much but at the same time, Kai had finally appreciated that this was no longer the world where his kind sat at the top and after his recent confrontation, he knew that there were those that still lusted after his kind.

Suddenly, a presence appeared behind Kai, travelling at a tremendous speed, forcing him to quickly take a glance back.

A bird that seemed to be made of flames, one his memories told him was called the Vermillion Bird, sped towards him at an incredible speed with a human on its back.

Kai's heartbeat rose rapidly, the information he had told him that he would never be able to outfly the creature, even if it was encumbered with a passenger and, at least while he was still young, the only advantages he had in the air was the extra manoeuvrability his unique physical offered.

He could land but then, with any sort of pressure from the air, he would find it incredibly difficult to take flight again without sustaining significant injuries.

Before he could give his conundrum too much thought, the bird had already caught up, pulling alongside as its owner, a young lady in a fiery-red dress, looked at him in awe and curiosity.

"Are you bonded or an enlightened?" asked the woman in a pleasant tone, her voice gentle yet somehow able to travel across the roaring wind.

Kai frowned and considered ignoring the woman until he realised that she already knew he was a monster and, that her question was more invasive than it first appeared.

Not only that, but Kai realised that he didn't understand the rules or etiquette and so, he could be causing more trouble than it was worth if he did.

Not fully understanding what an enlightened was, even though he suspected it was to do with creatures that could take on a humanoid form and did not have a bond, Kai decided to try and play it safe, neither confirming or denying anything and leaving it up to interpretation.

Snorting, Kai glared at the woman. "Rude woman, who isn't even my bonded, why should I answer your questions when you haven't even introduced yourself?"

Unlike the woman's, Kai's voice thundered through the air causing her mount to startle and pull away slightly.

Instead of taking offence, after comforting her mount, the woman's plain face bloomed into a brilliant smile. "My apologies, it seems this is the first time you have travelled to Netherspire City. I am Mellisa, one of the many Sky Wardens that patrol the airspace and decide who can approach and who to arrest."

"What city?" Frowning at the new information Kai quickly responded after looking at the farmland below. While it was true that there were more houses and what appeared to be industrial areas, it was a far cry from what he would consider a city.

Not only that, the woman had appeared from behind yet he didn't remember flying over anything larger than a town. "And you came from behind because?"

"Because normally you would land and travel to the city by foot, not charge into the no-fly zone without permission in such a leisurely manner," the woman's smile increased as she curiously looked at Kai with an intense stare that made him feel vulnerable.

Kai remained silent, his predatory eyes scanning the Vermillion bird as he tried to work out if it was close enough to launch a sneak attack.

Noticing Kai's gaze, Mellisa chuckled as a look of victory appeared on her features. "I'm afraid you are rather suspicious so I will have to ask you to follow me. If you refuse or deviate, you will be targeted by our anti-air defences and shot down."

In the distance, Kai sensed a few more presences appear, similar in nature to the creature beside him.

"Don't worry, We have nice facilities and I am sure as soon as your bonded turns up and satisfies my curiosity, you will be flying magnificently in the sky in no time. Its not exactly your fault you have been sent here without knowing the correct procedures."

Kai's golden eyes locked onto the woman, causing her smile to vanish for the first time in their short conversation.