<h4>Chapter 36:.</h4>
A few days had passed since the attack on SkyStone Town, Sky''s hometown. The void energy had finally dispersed. Many houses were destroyed, and the void crabs were not the only casualties. Numerous people had their life energy and powered Aura, an advanced form of life energy, drained, turning them into lifeless husks. The town was inplete chaos, with people mourning their losses and some even ming the Wind God Kaze for the tragedy, using him of inaction.
Sky himself was not faring well. The day after the incident, Yumeko, with permission, took him to the SkyStone Church. She provided him with his own room and allowed him to grieve. Yumeko also attended the funeral herself, which was held today. However, Sky remained locked in his room. The graduation ceremony, meant to elevate the top students into the strongest young talents, was scheduled for tomorrow.
"I don''t know if I should still participate or just drop out and go into the woods to train," Sky pondered as he looked out the window. "What would Mum want me to do?" he asked himself, recalling his mother''s advice to always be true to himself.
"Remember, Sky, always be yourself. Don''t follow others; stay true to yourself. Be honest and kind," his mother''s words echoed in his mind.
"Mum, if I were to go out there and avenge you, I would need a lot of power. That strong guy Noboru, he''s only a year older than me but is that strong. He said he was weak like me, only knew the bare basics and a little of advanced level techniques, but he became that strong. If he can do it, then so can I. Mum, I swear I will graduate and be a Skyward Sentinel and save all the powerless people."
Motivated, Sky headed to the training ground, a small battlefield.
"Sky, what are you doing here?" he heard a voice. Turning, he saw the saint, Yumeko, in a beautiful purple and white dress.
"Hello, Yumeko. I came to train. After the incident, I want revenge on the void," Sky replied.
"That''s good, but are you sure you''re up for the graduation ceremony?" Yumeko asked.
"Yes, I will participate," Sky said with conviction.
"Good, then we need to leave for the capital. My father, Wind God Kaze Hayashi, will give a speech to the students, and the ranking system will begin, where the 10 most powerful will be called up to fight and determine the strongest," Yumeko exined as Sky nodded.
"Hey Yemeko, I have a question. You don''t have to answer this, but why is your family name not the same as Wind God Kaze-Sama''s?" Sky asked.
"Well, the reason for that is because I was born during one of my father''s affairs and not with his wife. He has a son named Kira, two years older than me, and he is his heir. Not as Wind God because that title can''t be inherited, only fought for, as you know between the powered. But he is strong; he has the best training, private tutors, and even his mother is the daughter of the previous wind god. It is said he will be the next wind god because of his powerful blood, but you never know. All I know is that Scorpio, that turned into a Centipede, would have killed you if not for ckstar Knight. Kira Hayashi can kill it and even the void beast with ease, but he wasn''t even there," Yumeko replied, shocking Sky. There were now three people stronger than him: Wind God Hayashi, ckstar Knight Noboru, and Kira Hayashi.
"I see. Is that why you live here and not at Skyhaven Royal Castle?" Sky asked.
"Yes, Father said the Sky Citadel was a better ce to be raised as a Saint since I am not his legitimate child. My brother hates me, as does his mother. My mother... she was executed by my father''s wife. My dad never cared; he got what he wanted from her pleasure, and she was a powerless girl," Yumeko replied, tears falling from her eyes. Sky was shocked hearing that.
"I will. Don''t worry, Yumeko. I will fight for you. It''s not your or your mother''s fault your father couldn''t keep it in his pants. Also, that woman is a whore who uses the powerless like your mother. And when I be Wind God, I will avenge you and your mother. No matter what, I will protect you and all the powerless," Sky swore, shocking Yumeko.
"Sky," she said.
"Yumeko, I don''t know if my feelings for you are love or just friendship. But I know that I care for you. I can''t promise you that I will be your lover, but I can promise you that I will avenge your mother and be a shoulder to cry on," Sky replied, making Yumeko hug him as she cried.
"Sky, you''re important to me as well. You''re the only one in this town that has powers apart from the nobles and that I am allowed to interact with since father doesn''t want me talking to the powerless. You''re the only friend I have. Thank you for your kind words, and I won''t hold you to them," Yumeko said.
"I think we should be off now," Yumeko added, and Sky nodded as they both walked to the flying carriage being pulled by two Pegasus. Their destination: Skyward Zephyr Academy. Yumeko put her head on Sky''s shoulder and fell asleep, a bit of drooling out of her mouth as Sky leaned his head into hers. The flight was silent except for the sounds of the carriage being pulled by the Pegasus and the asional snoring from the two.
It took them 12 hours to arrive at the school. It was huge and very well designed, blue to represent the sky, the only element people in this Aeritha, the Skyward Citadel, could wield.
"Yumeko, wake up," Sky said as he woke her up. They were the first ones to arrive, as the other 400 students would being soon, from nobles who were descendants of current and previous Wind Gods tomoners who were powered people with no ties to Wind God in their family line.
"Sky, you have to go to the arena to prepare for the ranking matches. I will be there soon," Yumeko said as she kissed his cheek and went inside.
"She has such a cute side," Sky said to himself.
"Who was that?" Sky heard a voice and turned to see a boy around his age. The boy had blond hair, yellow eyes, a smile, a look of arrogance, and a sword sheathed in a scabbard.
"Who are you, and why should I tell you?" Sky said.
"Wow, no need to get rude. I''m the one and only Kira Hayashi, next in line to be Wind God. Now tell me who that girl was," Kira said.
"Her name is Yumeko. Why are you asking?" Sky replied.
"No reason," Kira said and started walking. "So that''s Dad''s bastard child. Well, I will deal with herter. Time to find
the arena," Kira thought to himself.
Sky went to the Arena and was in awe. It was massive and looked like a Colosseum.
"Hey Sky,e here," Sky heard and turned to see his friend Jiro, a fellow student who lived in the same area.
"Hey Jiro," Sky said and hugged his friend.
"You ready, Sky? Today we graduate and be Sentinels. Oh yeah, I''m sorry about your mum; I heard what happened," Jiro replied.
"Yeah, thanks, man. But I will be fine," Sky said.
"Wait a minute, that''s Sky, the man from a family of all powerless who somehow was lucky to be with Aura," said one of the other students.
"Hey, Sky, ignore them. They are jealous that you''re going to be a higher rank than them," Jiro replied.
"You say that as if everyone knows that. They think I don''t belong here, that I''m an abomination," Sky said.
"Jealous? Us? Why would we be jealous of the boy whose mum was sacrificed to the Void Beast Scorpio," said another.
"Hey, fuck you, asshole," Jiro replied.
"Oh, and what can themoner do to me, huh? You''re not even a descendant of a Wind God," the guy said.
"Will you all shut up," a girl said; this was La Skyward, the descendant of the original Wind God. "I hate men who talk. Show you''re worthy."
"Oh, and how do you propose we do that, huh, girl? You have no idea how much better we are than you," the man said.
"Oh really," La said as she unleashed her aura, the wind around her moving rapidly, causing the students in the area to move away.
"Now then," La said.
"Hmph," the guy said. He charged at her, unleashed his aura, and a sword appeared in his hand as he tried to stab her. Suddenly, a gust of wind blew both La and the man away. Wind started to be pulled into one area, turning gold as it took the shape of a figure, finally revealing itself to be a man. Everyone kneeled—students, teachers, and family members. Wind God Kaze Hayashi had arrived.
"You may stand," Kaze said, and everyone stood, not making a single sound. "Now then, tell me, all of you, including my son Kira and daughter Yumeko, why shouldn''t I make you repeat the entire academy? Ie here to give a speech to the next generation of sentinels, and maybe the next Wind God, only to see you grown men who are 18 or nearing it fighting like children!"
Nobody answered, so Wind God Kaze sighed. "Well, let''s just get this over with. I, Wind God Kaze Hayashi, have deemed these 10 people the strongest. First, my son Kira Hayashi. Second, Sky. Third, La Skyward. Fourth, Yumeko Soraana. Fifth, Jiro. Sixth, Aria. Seventh, Daiyu. Eighth, Natsumi. Ninth, Kaito. Tenth, Akina." Kaze announced, shocking everyone.
"All ten of you will participate in the tournament tomorrow. Now then, the rest of you go home, and the top 10, please stay. The rest of the families too," Kaze said as everyone left, and only the selected students were left.
"Now, I have something to say. Tomorrow you will not just fight for your pride. You will fight to be a contender for the Next Wind God. I, the Wind God, will choose the one I believe is the best," Kaze announced, shocking the entire group.
"Dad, why not me? I am your son, and I was trained by the best," Kira asked.
"That''s not how traditions work. You don''t inherit the title; you fight for it. Even winning this tournament does not give you the title; it makes you a contender. After I die, the winner of this tournament will fight other contenders from different years, past and future, and also different schools until only one remains and bes the next Wind God. If you lose, you''re out. If the tournament is interrupted, you will all be ced as contenders—only the people remaining in the tournament. Then you will fight preliminaries after I die before the official Wind God selection tournament is held," Kaze exined, shocking the 10 students.
"Father, why would you select the son of twomoners? Sky and the illegitimate daughter of themoner whore Yumeko," Kira asked.
"Kira, what did I tell you about speaking ill of your sister," Kaze said, sending a gust of wind to strike his son, only for Kira to block it.
"You''re nothing but a bastard daughter born from amoner girl. You will never be acknowledged as family," Kira said.
"Enough," Kaze said.
"Yes, father. I will take my leave," Kira said as he walked off.
"What an annoying brat," Kaze said.
"Now, you all will have rooms set up for you and are expected to remain here. The ceremony is tomorrow. Good night," Kaze said as he flew back home.
"I can''t believe it. I made it to the top 10," Jiro said.
"Hey, Sky, Jiro," Aria said.
"Yo," Daiyu said.
"Hey," Natsumi and Kaito said.
"Hey, guys," Sky and Jiro said.
"Congrats, everyone. I didn''t think I''d make the top 10," Yumeko said as she hugged Sky and Jiro.
"Thanks, Yumeko," the three of them said.
"Hey, don''t think you''re getting a reward or anything for making it into the top 10," La said.
"Guys, I''m gonna head to sleep; I think you all should. So there are noints tomorrow of not being well-rested," Sky said.
"Yeah, good night," the other seven said as they headed to their rooms.
"Night, guys," Sky and Yumeko said as they went into a room together.
The next day, the arena was crowded as the 10 people were in a circle waiting for the Wind God to arrive.
"I will announce the rules. They will be a series of duels. First up, La vs. Natsumi. You may begin," Wind God Kaze said.
"La, this is thest chance you have to stop. I will not go easy on you," Natsumi said.
"Don''t worry. I will beat you, Natsumi. It''s not the end," La said.
"Very well," Natsumi said as sheunched wind at La. La looked at the wind, sending it back and hitting Natsumi, who dodged and sent a st of wind to La, only for it to be reflected.
"I won''t give you an opening," La said as she sent arge wind de, slicing Natsumi''s clothes.
"I yield," Natsumi said as the arena cheered.
"Next up is Kaito and Jiro," Wind God Kaze.
"I won''t hold back," Jiro said.
"Let''s make it a quick
fight. I don''t like losing," Kaito replied.
"Go," Kaze said.
"Wind de," Jiro yelled as he appeared in front of Kaito, his sword on his neck. "Yield," Jiro said.
"I yield," Kaito said.
"Well, I didn''t expect the winner to be the guy who was the weakest in the ss. Now then, the next match will be between Aria and Akina," Kaze said.
"Sorry, Aria, I''m going to win," Akina said.
"You can try, but I will win," Aria said.
"Begin," Wind God Kaze said.
Akina appeared behind Aria, her fist glowing. Aria dodged the fist and sent a gust of wind at her. Akina dodged and sent a de of air, only for Aria to reflect it.
"Damn," Akina said as the attack was sent back at her. She dodged and then sent another de of air. This time Aria dodged, and the attack hit the ground and sliced a pir.
"Wow, she''s strong," Sky thought.
"It looks like Aria has the upper hand. Akina''s attack missed and is getting weaker while Aria is getting stronger," Jiro said.
"Akina will have trouble with her wind control. Aria can easily reflect and even send it back. It''s just a matter of time before Akina is overwhelmed," Yumeko said.
"Wind st," Aria said as a wind ball was sent flying at Akina. She dodged the wind st and sent her own. This continued for 30 minutes.
"She''s running out of energy. Aria''s wind st is gettingrger, and Akina is getting slower," Jiro said.
"Yes, Aria is a wind mage. Akina is a close-range fighter. So she has no chance against a ranged fighter," Yumeko agreed.
"End this already, Akina," Kaze said.
"I... will... not... give... up," Akina said as she was breathing hard.
"Then I will finish this. Wind des," Aria said. Multiple des of wind were sent at Akina, and she was unable to dodge them. The wind des hit her, and she fell unconscious.
"It''s over. Aria is the winner," Kaze said.
"Next, Yumeko versus Daiyu," Kaze announced. "Good luck, Yumeko," Sky and Jiro said. "Thank you," Yumeko said. "Let''s see if I can beat the daughter of the bastard child of Wind God," Daiyu said. "Let''s fight with dignity," Yumeko replied. "Begin," Kaze said. "Wind Sage mode," Yumeko said, surprising everyone, even her father, as she becamepletely one with Wind on a level where it was just an extension of her. "Impossible; how did Dad''s bastard perfect a technique not even dad could master?" Kira yelled in rage at being shown up. "You may attack. I won''t be moving from this spot," Yumeko said. "Fine, let''s see how long you canst," Daiyu said as she created a tornado aimed at Yumeko. But it stopped and went back to Daiyu with just a mentalmand from Yumeko. "What! How can you take control of my attack?" Daiyu yelled. "This is what happens when you face someone who has mastered Wind to the point they can enter Wind Sage mode," Yumeko said as the wind in the arena picked up, pushing Daiyu onto the ground. "This is just a small glimpse of my power. Now, I will end this," Yumeko said as the winds became stronger, and Daiyu was mmed into the ground, knocking her unconscious.
Far away on top of a roof, hidden from sight even of the Wind God, a man with ck hair, red eyes with golden rings in them, wearing gold and ck armor watched. "So that''s wind sage mode, one of the element sage modes I heard of, so she basically makes the wind an extension of her. Quite an interesting technique," Noboru said to himself as he noticed Yumeko look at him before turning back. "Did she just sense me? Of course, she''s one with the wind; she can see everything, and it wasn''t like I was trying to hide. But still, even her father couldn''t spot me. She''s got talent, but I wonder how Sky will do," Noboru said to himself, seeing a bit of himself in Sky. Someone born to be despised but with great power, and he even has his own Ayame figure—a beautiful woman that''s powerful and deeply respected, with a hidden power in him.
Sky stood; he was walking down to the stage; he was nervous. He will be fighting the Wind God''s son Kira Hayashi, said to be the strongest in their age group, but Sky believed it was Yumeko or Noboru.
"Sky versus Kira Hayashi. Pleasee down to the stage for the final fight," Kaze said.
"Finally, a chance to show off and destroy the kid of some whore," Kira thought.
"Hey, Sky. Good luck," Yumeko, Jiro, and La said.
"Kick his ass," Aria and Akina yelled.
"Good Luck, Sky," Natsumi said.
"Just don''t get destroyed too badly," Kaito said.
"You''re not gonna win," Daiyu said.
Sky arrived, but suddenly, the skies above turned ck as ck energy unleashed crashing down in Skyhaven. As Void beasts appeared—wolves, lions, monsters, sentient monsters, and even dragons and other mythical creatures.
"Shit, the void has finally started its invasion," Kaze said as the void beasts charged the arena.
"Fuck, we have no time for a battle," Kaze yelled.
"Sky, we will finish this after the void has been dealt with," Kira yelled.
"I will not forgive those who insult my friends," Sky thought, but he nodded and ran.
<strong>With Noboru</strong>
"So it''s begun; I guess it''s time I make an entrance before the Wind God dies. So this was the next event—save Aeritha, the Skyward Citadel from the Void Invasion," Noboru said as he jumped down. "Let the fun begin."