Side Story 003A - The Endless Sky

Nena ran up to a futuristic door with not a spec of dust on it, “So this is the door to the helm? It sure took us awhile to get here.”

The black robed man nodded with a wry smile, “This ship is built with a large space formation. Would you believe it if I tell you that this ship is actually forty kilometers long?”

‘That’s huge!’, thought Len as she studied the strange door in front of her in awe, ‘I’ve never seen this type of metal. I wonder what it is.’

Although she wanted to ask, her thoughts kept swimming around her head so instead of asking, Len idly stood there, waiting to see inside the helm.

Nena wasn’t stunned as she didn’t really know what a kilometer was, but it must be something amazing if this black robed man was so proud of that statement.

Seeing that the two girls weren't impressed, the black-robed man was slightly embarrassed and turned to the black robed woman for help.

The black robed woman covered her mouth with her sleeve and chuckled, “Ku ku ku. Enough small talk, let’s enter the helm!”

The woman took out a jade pendent and placed it within the slot of the door, causing the door to slide open. Without another word, the four entered inside.

Side Story 003B - The Endless Sky

The Tavern of Dragons sailed on an endless sea of vast clouds with only a lone man standing at the helm, watching the skies for any unknown threats.

It was his job to make sure that the ship avoided or destroyed anything and everything that could make it fall from the skies, and over years of service he had gained the honorary title within the Sectless Sect. Yet even now he felt he had much to learn about the never ending sky sea, and made it his goal to one day find its limits.

The Sky Captain brushed his hand against his beard and walked away from the wheel for a moment, only to catch sight of a group of four entering. His hawk-like gaze watched the two girls lead the group, walking among his crew with their eyes glowing in awe over the computers that were foreign concepts to them.

He smiled when he saw how they timidly touched the screens and watched them light up, but that timid touch had accidentally doubled the ship's speed, and he watched as his disciples froze in disbelief before rushing to get the ship's speed back to normal.

After order was restored on the helm, the two sister were harshly scolded by the black robed people, making them afraid to touch anything. Nena and Len listened to them and walked towards the captain.

He watched them walk up to him, ‘Oh? What do the brats want? Did they come to say sorry?’

Nena stood there, eyes glittering without a hint of guilt, “Can we try flying?”

Elder Sky almost spit out his pipe, how shameless!, “You want to pilot the ship? You’re one hundred years too early, shimp!”

Nena’s cheeks puffed up in displeasure and Len quickly placed her hand on her little sister’s head to calm her down. Len glared at the captain who was still sneering at them.

A man in dressed in a heavy jumpsuit with pockets filled with various tools walked up and coughed in order to defuse the situation, “Um... Elder Sky Wind, how about I take them through a flying simulation?”

Out of habit the Elder puffed a smoke ring from his pipe before nodding, “Alright Norlen. Lead them to the training ground and get them ready!”

Norlen nodded, “Yes Elder Sky Wind! Come on junior apprentice sisters, follow me.”

Nena eyes lit up again as she dragged Len with her, following the man named Norlen to a table where some strange helmets lay.

“You two each put on a helmet. We’ll take care of everything else.” Norlen watched them sit in the chairs next to the helmets and place the masks over their faces.

Norlen put a mask as well and then Elder Sky Wind shouted at one of his disciples, “Viio, begin the simulation!”

“Yes, Elder Sky Wind!”

Before Nena and Len’s minds faded to black, they heard Elder Sky Wind chuckle, “Enjoy your ride in the sky….”

Side Story 003C - The Endless Sky

Len awoke to the feeling of wind rushing past her face. She was standing on top of a mountain next to a sword that was hovering in the air. Its design was simple, pure white, two feet wide and eight feet long. Nena stood not too far away, next to a similar blade.

Curious, Len reached over to the blade and touched it in wonder, ‘So this is what they were talking about when they said flying simulation? Does he mean for us to jump onto a blade and ride it? What a crazy man! Can’t we learn on something more sane?’

Len kept thinking it over, but still thought the whole thing was stupid. Even if the blade was flying above the ground, how the heck would you stand on it? How could you move the blade? The more Len thought the more she didn’t think it was possible That is... until a jaw-dropping sight flew past her.

Nena was currently surfing the wind with ease atop her blade, flying around the peak, touching the clouds with her hands and laughing as she yelled below, “Hurry up Elder Sister! This is Fun!”

Snapping her mouth shut, Len gazed at the blade with complicated emotions, ‘How the hell am I going to ride this? How did little sister do it? Did she just put her feet on it and go? Is it that simple? I want to ask her, but I think it wouldn’t be big sister like to ask for help.’

Timidly placing a foot on top of the blade, Len felt a light suction force exerted upon her foot, firmly planting her foot on the blade. She placed her other foot on the sword, balancing upon it.

‘OK. On the blade? Check. Next is to move? How do I move? Just say go--- S$%^! [email protected]#)! [email protected]!$! Too fast!’

As soon as Len voiced ‘go’ in her mind, the blade underneath her zoomed forward, shooting into the clouds at high speeds. Her face paled as Len saw a mountain peak rapidly growing bigger before her.

She shouted out, her scream trailing behind her, “Left!”

Turning at last possible moment, a mere foot from crashing into the mountain, Len glided atop the mountain side, zigzagging across the face of the mountain as her fear slowly turned into excitement.

With a thought she shot to the sky, flying through the clouds and feeling the cold mist stick to her body. The fluffy whiteness was soon left behind, and Lena could clearly see the golden crow hanging in the sky above.

She slowed down and floated on top of the clouds, sitting cross-legged atop of the blade as she enjoyed the scenery of mountain peaks floating with a sea of clouds. Unknowingly to her, Nena had pulled up next to her sister and was basking in the sunlight, “Pretty fun right, big sister?”

Len turned her head and nodded to her sister, this was the most fun she had ever had. When they lived in the slums life had felt so gray with every day being a fight to get a scrap of food in her empty stomach. Fun had been a rare commodity akin to phoenix feathers and unicorns horns. She doubted that she would've had the will to go on if it hadn't been for her siblings.

A shadow loomed over the two sisters, causing them to look up in displeasure that morphed into surprise when they noticed it was Norlen, “Oh, you two picked up flying quite fast. But I have much to show you. Come on, follow me.”

Norlen turned and tilted his blade down, beginning a free fall that slashed through the clouds. There was a grin on his face as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath before exhaling slowly.

Anyone could tell that the youth named Norlen loved the sky, seeing his actions compelled the sisters to follow his lead and fall in a similar manner. They could feel the air resistance fighting against them, but could still talk normally thanks to the formations placed upon the blade.

Three streaking blurs fell to the ground, the mist rolling off their bodies as they descended. Norlen opened his eyes when they broke through the bottom of the sky sea and tilted his blade up slightly, heading in a straight line towards a particular mountain that had a crimson number one carved out of its golden exterior.

Soon after the mountain came into sight, the three landed on the peak of a nearby mountain and Norlen turned around to face the two sisters, “This is the first of seventy-two flying trial mountains. When you formally join the sect, you will be tested here as well. This is just a little bit of good fortune that Elder Sky Wind decided to bestow upon you, so don’t waste this opportunity! Do your best to pass as many trails as you can and don’t worry about injuries. This is merely a virtual realm, so you’re completely safe here!!”

With a wave of his hand, the mountain began to shudder and lift up into the sky. The mountain tumbled and began to make cracking sounds, fragmenting into millions of pieces. The pieces moved around and formed a huge 100km maze-like ball in the sky .

Spreading his hands wide, Nolen posed before his wide-eyed junior apprentice Sisters and shouted, “This is the golden-eye trial!”