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Aelio and Mael stood together outside the exam dome, where the notice board was located, along with other applicants who had passed and were now swarmed by skyrangers.

Ronnie’s group had already returned to their airship after Aelio agreed to start his apprenticeship tomorrow.

Meanwhile, the mysterious boy who had claimed the special trophy had disappeared without a trace.

“Who would’ve thought you got sabotaged?” Mael commented, glancing at Aelio.

“Yeah. Well, at least it’s over.” Aelio stretched his arms up in the air. “Let’s get back to Geodot.”

But as they turned around, a woman wearing a blue overcoat came running toward them. Her short black hair bounced up and down, mirroring the movement of her chest.

“Maeeel!” she called out, slowing down to catch her breath as she reached the brothers.

Recognizing her, Mael stepped forward to catch her arm. “Miss Jill? What are you doing here?”

“I went to Geodot this morning and found Mr. Elric,” Jill replied after a few pants before straightening herself up and turning to him. “Then I came here to get you!”

Jill explained that an emergency had come up in the west, close to their unit’s assigned area. Because the matter was confidential, she couldn’t talk much more about it.

“Sorry for the sudden notice, but I’ve already told Mr. Elric. We need to go right now,” Jill added, her gorgeous dark blue eyes shifting between Mael and Aelio.

Mael let out a soft sigh. “I see. Can’t be helped, then.” He turned to Aelio. “Guess I can’t stay to see you off to be a skyranger. But I’m sure you’ll do just fine on your own.”

He took a step behind Jill as she turned to leave in a hurry, but Aelio called out, prompting them to look back.

“Can’t you go see Elric one more time before leaving?” Aelio asked, his tone somewhat pleading. “Maybe he… has something to tell you.”

Mael raised his eyebrows and stared back at him, wondering what Aelio knew that he didn’t. Then, he smiled. “In that case, I might as well go see him again when I’m a more capable terraguard, right?”

He pointed at Aelio. “It’s a competition now. You and me. So don’t slack off again, okay?”

With that, the two departed from the exam dome, leaving Aelio standing alone as more skyrangers began to approach him for recruitment. He turned them all down and headed home for the day.

The next morning, Aelio prepared himself quickly with one backpack on his back as he talked with Elric one last time before leaving.

“Take care of yourself.” Elric patted Aelio’s shoulder. “I don’t think I need to say anything else, do I?”

“Yeah. I’ll be fine. Thanks for taking me into your family.” He paused, hesitated, then continued. “I’m… very grateful.”

Elric chuckled. “You are my son, Aelio. You and Mael both. Don’t forget that.”

An overwhelming feeling washed over Aelio as he stood there, unsure of what to say. With a deep breath, he managed to utter, “Thank you.”

As Aelio was about to leave, Elric called out to him suddenly but then stopped himself. “Sorry, it’s nothing. Good luck with your apprenticeship.”

Nodding, Aelio left, leaving Elric behind alone in the house. Elric scratched his head as he mumbled to himself. “Oh well, he probably still has a few years before it manifests itself. I’ll tell him next time.”

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At the edge of Geodot, Jesska stood idly, waiting for Aelio, while Nino ran around, making friends with the locals.

“Hi! I’m Nino!” she introduced herself to a random woman nearby, who responded with a confused look.

Jesska simply shook her head at Nino’s behavior. ‘So hyperactive.’

Finally, Aelio appeared. He came running as fast as he could before stopping in front of Jesska, out of breath. “I… I’m sorry for being late… Miss Jesska.”

Jesska tilted her head. “Did something happen?”

“N-no, not really,” Aelio replied between pants, as Nino skipped over to them. “I just went to help someone I know. But it’s fine now.”

He straightened himself up to meet Jesska’s gaze. “I’m ready to start my apprenticeship.”

“Perfect.” She glanced at Nino before turning around. “Let’s hop on.”

Behind her was a boat-like vehicle with glowing crystals attached to its underside, propelling the boat above the ground and emitting faint hums in a steady rhythm. It was slightly smaller than a manabus in terms of width and length.

Aelio stared at it with fascination. He had heard about this particular vehicle before but had never seen one in person. “So this is an airboat.”

“Yep, that’s right!” Nino chirped beside him. “We use it to reach places without a proper airship dock, like this town. Isn’t it awesome?”

Aelio smiled back, trying to match her enthusiasm. “Yeah, very. Let’s go.”

Together, they rose into the sky, where a white airship hovered below the clouds. Its custom design featured a pointed front and a curled back split into two tails.

“Whoa…” Aelio muttered, his eyes glued to the sight, while Nino glanced at him with a wide smile.

Jesska, who was controlling the boat, smiled softly without looking back, keeping her eyes ahead. “That’s the Horizon. Your new home.”

Docking beside the airship, the trio boarded the deck, where a few crew members wearing white uniforms with red patterns were relaxing and chatting among themselves. Some quickly moved to take care of the airboat.

Aelio looked around in awe, greeting the crew members as Jesska and Nino gave him a tour of the Horizon.

“Those guys you saw earlier are the maintenance crew,” Jesska explained as she led Aelio down the second floor’s hallway. The soft hum of Mana echoed from all directions. “They take care of the airship, including cleaning and fixing things.”

Stopping by a room, Jesska motioned toward it. “This is the lounge. And there’s Melfie.”

As he peeked inside, Aelio saw Melfie reading a book on the couch, facing a television, with her beret on the wooden table in front of her. The small round windows nearby were open, letting a chilly breeze flow through the room.

Melfie looked up from her book with her usual disinterested expression. “Hey.”

“H-hello,” Aelio replied with a slight wave, while Nino cheerfully waved back.

After that, the trio went upstairs to the third floor, where the bedrooms were, to help Aelio settle into his room.

The room was modest yet fairly spacious, large enough to accommodate two or three people comfortably. The interiors were white and silvery, with lights shifting colors throughout the space, further emphasizing the influence of Mana energy fueling the airship.

“So, what do you think?” Jesska asked from the doorway beside Nino as she watched Aelio look around in silence.

“It’s awesome,” he muttered, placing his backpack on the bed and turning back to them. “I really like it!”

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“He likes it! Yay!” Nino exclaimed, practically bouncing on her shoes.

Jesska smiled in return. She explained that their unit wasn’t particularly well-known or successful, and the airship itself wasn’t the biggest, so she had wondered how Aelio would react to their limited space.

Seeing that he was at least satisfied with the bedroom, she left him to explore the place at his own leisure while she returned to the bridge to see Ronnie.

Nino, however, decided that he should come back to the lounge with her to meet Melfie and get to know each other better, now that they were colleagues.

“So! Let’s introduce ourselves again,” Nino beamed at the two, settling on the opposite side of the couch across from Melfie. “I’m Nino, a Dragokin! Nice to meet you!”

Aelio sheepishly raised his hand slightly. Nino dragging him to sit between her and Melfie didn’t help him stay calm at all. “Um, I’m Aelio, a Normkin. Nice to meet you.”

The two then looked over at Melfie, whose eyes remained on the book as she flipped another page. Now that Aelio took a closer look at the cover, it seemed to be a fantasy comic book.

“…What?” Melfie frowned after noticing the stares.

Nino pouted from behind Aelio. “Come on~! Introduce yourself, Melfie!” she urged childishly.

“You just did,” Melfie pointed out, closing her book and placing it on her lap. “Now, can you two leave me alone? Actually, can you take your boyfriend somewhere else, Nino?”

“B-boyfriend?” Nino repeated, confused, her cheerful expression suddenly fading into a troubled one.

Seeing her saddened face, Aelio decided to take matters into his own hands. “Hey, don’t tease her like that. She just wanted us to get along. Why are you being so mean?”

Melfie raised an eyebrow. “And why are you being cocky?”

Aelio was taken aback by the question, visibly stunned as his eyes followed Melfie standing up and putting the book back on the shelf. “Cocky?”

“You heard me right,” she confirmed as she turned back to face him, arms crossed over her chest. “During the test yesterday, even though you wanted to pass so much, you chose not to use your magic. Isn’t that just cocky?”

Aelio’s eyes widened in surprise. “You… knew?”

“Oh yes, we do,” she said with a shrug. “From a believable source.”

His gaze drifted downward as he contemplated. The only person who knew about his power was Mavin, as Aelio had first discovered it at Mavin’s smithy. Mavin had specifically warned him not to tell anyone or let them see him using it. Did that mean Mavin had told the Horizon’s crew himself?

Aelio wondered if this was why Mavin had apologized to him earlier that morning, when Aelio visited him one last time and decided to help with another crate of ores.

“What’s wrong?” Melfie’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts. “Got anything to say? Or have you never been serious about becoming a skyranger?”

“Of course I’m serious!” Aelio shot back. He then explained his goal: to travel the world and find his relatives, as well as Elric’s advice for him to become stronger.

Melfie went quiet for a moment after hearing Aelio’s goals, then scoffed with a smirk. “What a small goal. And here I thought Normkins were ambitious.”

His brows twitched in anger as he stood up, staring back at her. “And what’s wrong with trying to find a relative, huh?”

Nino shifted between the two, raising her hands. “Guys, please don’t fight…”

“You probably don’t know how I feel because you still have your dad and mom,” Aelio continued, barely paying attention to Nino.

Melfie’s smirk didn’t fade, despite his taller form towering over her. “Those idiots? I couldn’t care less. They might as well go burn in hell.”

Aelio’s face contorted in surprise, clearly not expecting such an answer from her. “What is wrong with—”

Suddenly, the entire airship vibrated. The humming sounds intensified as the clouds outside the windows began to shift—or rather, the airship itself.

They were finally departing from Geodot.

“Ahem.” Ronnie’s sudden voice pulled the trio’s attention to him at the doorway. “Are you guys getting along fine?”

“Ah, Ronnie…” Nino muttered from the couch, her hands close to her chest as she glanced at Aelio and Melfie.

“We’re doing just fine,” Melfie replied first, walking away from Aelio, who maintained his upset expression.

Ronnie raised an eyebrow at Aelio’s lack of response and sour demeanor but chose not to press further. “Alright then. Aelio.”

He approached Aelio with steady steps. “I just want to say, welcome to my beloved ship.” He looked around, extending his arms wide. “Isn’t she beautiful?”

With a sigh to shake off the recent argument with Melfie, Aelio softened his expression. “Yes, sir. It really is… Wait, did you just say ‘she’?”

“Anything beautiful is a female, isn’t it?” Ronnie said with a smile, pointing at him. “Well, never mind that. What matters now is you. Let’s get to know you better. By that, I mean your ‘special ability.’”

Again with the questions about his power. Aelio wasn’t sure why they kept asking when Mavin had likely told them already. Nonetheless, he was working under Ronnie now, so he figured he should at least listen to him more than Melfie.

“Do you have any raw ores here?” Aelio asked. The question, seemingly out of the blue, caused confusion among Ronnie, Melfie, and Nino, who exchanged glances.

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Taking Aelio down to the bottom floor of the Horizon, where most rooms were used for storing supplies and housing the engines, the group arrived at a dimly lit room with crates full of raw ores in various shades of color.

A large furnace was built into one side of the room, its fire burning brightly and illuminating the space.

“These ores are for fueling the engine crystals, and that furnace is connected to them,” Ronnie explained, gesturing toward the furnace before turning back to Aelio. “So, why did you want to come here?”

Without wasting time, Aelio picked up a piece of ore, eyes closing to focus his mind. He began to morph it into a small dagger right before the trio’s eyes.

“Whoa…” Ronnie murmured, watching the ore transform in Aelio’s hand.

Melfie and Nino shared similar reactions, their eyes wide as they stared at the dagger forming in Aelio’s grasp. The process was rather quick but completely mesmerizing to anyone who witnessed it.

Aelio let out a sigh as he finished, gripping the newly formed dagger. “There. That’s my magic, I guess.”

He handed the dagger to Ronnie, who proceeded to examine it closely for its quality.

“This is… very well-made,” Ronnie remarked, turning the dagger around to inspect all of its details. “Actually, I feel like I’ve seen it somewhere before.”

“Probably from a book called Smithing Guide,” Melfie chimed in, arms crossed.

Recognizing the name, Aelio glanced at her, his eyes slightly widening. “How did you know that?”

“We have a copy in the lounge, duh.” She shrugged casually, rolling her eyes. “But that magic… what is that?”

Nino nodded her head eagerly, inching her face closer to Aelio’s. “Yeah! I’ve never seen magic like that before either!”

Aelio instinctively backed his face away from her. “I-I know! It’s weird, right? Maybe that’s why Mavin told me not to use it in front of people.”

Nino blinked, pulling her head back slightly before tilting it. “Mavin?”

Seeing her confusion, Aelio also tilted his head. “Wait, wasn’t he the one who told you guys?”

“Now, now!” Ronnie quickly cut off the conversation after noticing Aelio catching on. “I just so happened to hear him mention your power briefly, that’s all!” He laughed loudly, trying to cover the truth as best as he could.

“I… see,” Aelio muttered. “Well, now you know what I can do, and why I couldn’t use it in the test yesterday.”

Despite acknowledging his reasons, Melfie still seemed rather unfriendly as she abruptly excused herself and headed back to the lounge, followed by Nino, who went after her.

Ronnie, however, seemed especially interested in Aelio’s unique power and urged him to try turning more ores into daggers to explore what else he could do.

Sadly, Ronnie learned that the magic consumed a lot of Aelio’s stamina, meaning he couldn’t use it constantly. On top of that, he had only ever managed to create small daggers since his magic had manifested a couple of years ago, when he was fourteen.

The information gave Ronnie an idea: arranging a training program specifically for Aelio during his apprenticeship. The plan would involve him reading the Smithing Guide and using his magic to create more items as a way to improve his skills.

This, of course, was Ronnie’s way of using Aelio as his moneymaker, which had been the initial plan.

However, Jesska immediately objected the moment Ronnie shared Aelio’s story with her in the airship’s bridge, which was located at the front of the ship.

The clouds outside swept past the large glass panes that arced around the room as the two stood together, talking.

“You said he could turn raw materials into weapons?” Jesska muttered, looking down in thought.

“Yeah. Why?” Ronnie shrugged. “I’m not gonna let him do all that for free, of course. I’ll give him a share after we sell the items at the markets—”

“That’s not it.” She shook her head, looking up at him. “Don’t you think it sounds familiar?”

He raised an eyebrow, uncertain of her meaning. “Familiar? How?”

“Um, I think I can answer that.”

Hearing the timid voice, Ronnie turned around to see a young woman with glasses, dressed modestly in a robe and hat, sitting at the control panel and piloting the airship.

Her long, messy light brown hair cascaded over her shoulders, and her turquoise eyes glanced up at him. The dark circles under her eyes suggested a poor sleep schedule.

“You know something, Yonia?” Ronnie asked, placing a hand on his hip.

Yonia nodded, her voice trembling as she replied. “A-Although Normkin have no noticeable traits in terms of appearance or abilities, the other races p-possess unique features that distinguish them.”

She adjusted her glasses, her gaze shifting nervously between Ronnie and Jesska. “One of those races, known as F-forgekin, has the ability to turn raw materials into weapons.”

Ronnie’s eyes widened. “That’s exactly what Aelio did! But I thought he was a Normkin—at least based on his appearance.”

Yonia shrank behind the control panel when Ronnie spoke. “A-According to the data, a Forgekin usually has a gemstone growing somewhere on their body, r-resembling a Mana crystal.”

Ronnie rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “I see... Guess I’ll just have to look for the gemstone when I shower with him, then. Actually, I feel like I’ve heard the name Forgekin before.”

“It’s from the name of a tragic event over a decade ago,” Jesska finally spoke, drawing Ronnie’s attention back to her. “The Forgekin Annihilation.”

“Ah!” Ronnie exclaimed as recognition dawned on him. “Wait, but that means—”

“Exactly,” Jesska interrupted before he could finish. “Supposedly, every Forgekin should have been wiped out by now.”

The information about the Forgekin’s annihilation, paired with Aelio’s search for relatives, made Ronnie hesitate about what to do with Aelio.

The money he could make from selling the daggers—made entirely from pure materials—would provide him with the fortune needed to maintain his beloved airship.

However, if the organization that hunted down the Forgekin learned about Aelio, his entire crew could be in danger. He wasn’t even sure if they still existed today.

Following suggestions from Jesska, the vice captain and the only other certified skyranger in the crew, they decided to keep the weapons made by Aelio for now and focus on the apprenticeship of their three trainees instead.

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