storm - a sky cotl au

chapter 25 - fox

I feel gales of wind rush past me at an exhilarating pace as I stretch out my arms. My cape billows out as I ride the wind. The shouting noises of the guards slowly fade behind me.

"This is so cool!" I hear Moon shout enthusiastically as she glides around me. She sounds so carefree. That's one thing she hasn't been for a while.

"Careful. You don't want to hit the clouds or something," Vale mutters seriously as he glides past us.

"Come on, Vale, let us have some fun for once!" I yell, smiling as I do a loop around him.

He groans, annoyed. "Just be careful."

"Party pooper," Moon teases him as she overtakes both of us, closing her arms in and shooting forward to join Mizuto, who looks completely focused on our route. He glances back and motions for us to follow him.

The four of us fly through the tunnel. I feel the cloud burst out around me as we exit it. My feet skim the cloud below us as we fly across. Mantas chirp as they twirl past us. I see Moon awkwardly reach out to brush one.

Then we slow down, and hold out our arms, holding out our capes to catch the wind and slow our descent. We lower ourselves onto a small platform. There's a campfire under a pavilion, and some ledges for people to hang out. On one side is a ski area, while the other is an enclosed ice tunnel.

"Okay, so from what I heard, the darkness is at the Village of Dreams," Mizuto says slowly. "So we'd go through that tunnel." He points at the ice tunnel.

"Okay!" I agree cheerfully. That flying really brought up my spirits. The four of us make our way to the mouth of the tunnel.

Vale nods at us gently before jumping onto the ice and skating down. Moon follows close behind, albeit with more of a wobble. Mizuto joins them with skill, and I stay at the back.

The ice is slippery, and I soon lose my balance and drop onto my backside, slipping down the ice. It's surprisingly fun, although my clothes are getting soaked as the ice melts into water. Moon glances over at me and decides to join me, dropping down and slipping down as well.

Eventually, after having probably too much fun, we emerge in the Village of Dreams, landing on a snow pile. As we stand up, I glance up at the sky, which is a blood-red colour. Why is it red...? Is that a normal thing here?

Mizuto hesitates, before slowly starting forward. "I...don't remember it looking like this the last time I came."

The ice rinks look chipped and broken. The houses on the sides are tightly shut, and anyone that's outside looks battered and exhausted. In the centre of the village is a huge red crystal, flanked by dark plants, flying rocks and crabs. Mizuto makes a beeline for a skykid in a kimono, who's standing and gazing at the devastation.

"What's...is this where the darkness crystals are?" he asks softly.

The skykid turns to him and nods sadly. "It came crashing down a few days ago...straight from the storm. No one's dared to go near it yet, but...it feels like it's draining our light."

Moon looks nervously at the crystals. "...I dunno if it's safe for me to go there."

Vale hesitates, before looking to the kimono skykid. "Could we try and clear the darkness?"

"Yes...but I would advise you not to. The people who tried the last time......" Her gaze falls to the snow. I see a faint glimmer in her eyes.

Mizuto murmurs, "...we can try. Thank you."

She nods quietly.

Vale looks to us. "Mizuto, you, I and Fox should try to clear the darkness. I don't think Moon should go near it."

He nods in agreement. "I'll take out the crabs. You two focus on the dark plants. From what I've heard, once you take out the dark plants, the darkness crystal's power will disappear."

"Okay!" I say, determined. "Let's go!"

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hi :)
idk what to say here lol