The sun was beginning to set as the light from the edge of the world began to slowly illuminate the skies with its mesmerizing strikes of light and behind it the mortals began to see the stars yet again, so far and yet one could feel as if they could reach them if they just tried hard enough.

Up above connected islands cast a great shadow to the sea and land below them as if mocking that they were closer to the sky than their counterparts that were surrounded by the salty water, the islands connected by vines and earth looked like majestic natural creations that no mortal could truly grasp their beauty with fauna as diverse as the landscape itself, birds with vibrant plumage soared between the islands their songs a melody that resonated through the clear air, the trees tall and majestic, bore leaves that shimmered in the fading sunlight.

Amidst this aerial wonderland, a group of three women moved with purpose and stealth, clad in black clothes and capes, their attire melded with the shadows of the forest with the hoods concealing their faces. They navigated the terrain with remarkable agility, their movements so fluid and precise that not a single branch was broken nor a leaf disturbed in their wake, they were like specters, their presence felt only in the faintest rustling of leaves and the softest of footfalls.

The women were elves, evident by the elegant length of their ears peeking out from under their hoods, As they continued their swift silent run, the elf in the lead abruptly stopped and raised her hand gesturing to the other two, the duo immediately understood without words and in response they veered off each darting in a different direction with inhuman grace, they disappeared into the thick canopy, blending seamlessly with their surroundings, the forest swallowing their presence, leaving no trace of their passage as if they were never there at all.

The lead elf now alone remained perfectly still, her senses heightened her keen eyes scanned the surroundings, while her ears sensitive to the slightest sound listened for the noise she heard up ahead.

With the stealth inherent to her kind she crept closer her eyes peeking through the brush, she observed three men gathered around a unique contraption - a square box that functioned as a portable campfire, a clever device emitting heat without an open flame, a favored tool among adventurers.

One of the men, evidently the cook, tended to a cauldron perched atop the device, stirring its contents, his companion a rugged individual with a sword was meticulously sharpening his blade, while the third man fiddled with the campfire device perhaps adjusting its mechanisms.

Their conversation interspersed with the occasional clink of metal and the simmering of the cauldron, floated through the air carrying snippets of their thoughts and concerns.

"Why are we even here?" the man with the sword grumbled, pausing in his sharpening, "Stuck as lookouts in the middle of nowhere".

The cook, without looking up from his task replied, "Something's got the captain spooked, Better safe than sorry he says".

"Safe?" the swordsman scoffed, "We're miles from any patrol routes, No one ventures to these parts – it's a contested area, Plus they don't have a lot smaller airships left now"

He leaned back, a hint of annoyance in his voice "I'd rather be with the loot, not left behind on this deserted rock".

The third man still tinkering with the device, chimed in, "Better here than in the thick of it, fighting over every piece of loot, At least we know the captain's fair with the shares, so don’t worry about it”.

"Yeah yeah, I know" the swordsman conceded resuming his sharpening. "The captain was a good officer back in the military, at least he cared about his men enough”, he paused for a moment “until the battle at the Tardus River”.

The cook added, his voice lower "Heard it was a gruesome battle that one, Many good men lost".

The conversation among the men illuminated by the glow of the campfire device, echoed in the quiet of the floating island. The swordsman, his blade now safely sheathed with a resonant click expressed his unease. "Yeah, well that still doesn’t explain why the captain is so frightened" he remarked his brow furrowed in confusion and concern.

His companion, attentively stirring the contents of a cauldron atop the flameless fire, looked up his face, illuminated by the soft light bore an expression of contemplation. "It isn’t every day you see an airship go down like that" he mused, the spoon in his hand pausing momentarily. "There was nothing in the area, but what if whatever brought it down is still lurking around here?" His voice trailed off.

The swordsman leaning back against a log, shrugged with a feigned nonchalance. "Well, whatever the case" he said sounding indifferent "as long as I get my share of the loot, it's all good" He grinned.

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One of the other men, who had been tinkering with the device ensuring its steady flame, chimed in a teasing lilt to his voice. "you still send most of it to your wife, right?" He glanced over with a smirk, nudging the swordsman's foot with his own.

The swordsman's features softened, the hard lines of his face relaxing as he nodded "Right, Had a daughter not too long ago, That's why I left the army in the first place. Needed money, and the army wasn’t paying enough" His voice held a mix of pride and a tinge of sorrow.

The cook, now adding spices to the cauldron offered a sympathetic nod. "You got that right" he agreed, his thoughts perhaps wandering to similar struggles in his life.

The swordsman stood abruptly his gaze drawn to the edge of the camp, he walked over, his boots crunching softly on the ground, getting to the edge he stared out at the endless sky and the veil of light that protected them, he wondered for a moment, what’s out there? Where only a few have ever been beyond.

The view was breathtaking, he looked down for a moment seeing where the land below meets the sea with islands like jewels in the vastness of the ocean, each a world unto itself, "It's all so beautiful from up here" he said, his voice a mixture of awe and introspection.

From behind him, a burst of laughter broke the solemn moment "Why are you getting all sappy now?" one of his friends called out, the light-heartedness of his tone a stark contrast to the swordsman's reflective mood.

The swordsman turned, an impish grin replacing his earlier contemplation "Go fuck yourselves" he retorted, his eyes still holding a hint of the wonder he felt. "Made a promise to my father, y'know? Told him I'd look at the world from up above someday".

The laughter around the campfire paused, the other men looking at the swordsman with newfound interest "Did you tell your father you’d be a pirate while doing it?" one asked, the jest clear in his voice yet underscored with a genuine curiosity.

The swordsman’s face clouded with a momentary flicker of regret "No" he admitted, his voice lower "I was supposed to go study at the Chuangxin universities" His eyes drifted to the sky, perhaps imagining a different life, a path not taken.

The somber air was quickly dispelled as his companions erupted into laughter, the sound echoing across the quiet island. The swordsman, caught between embarrassment and amusement scooped up a small rock and lobbed it playfully at them, "Cunts" he laughed, the sting of the unfulfilled promise softened by the amusement of the moment, he turned away, facing the open sky his laughter mingling with that of his friends.

The swordsman, still chuckling to himself as he was finishing relieving himself suddenly remembered something important, "Hey, did you send off that doll I bought for my daughter?" he called out to his companions expecting a reply laced with their usual banter, but his words were met with an unusual, eerie silence.

The only sound was the gentle whisper of the wind through the trees, an unsettling quiet that replaced the laughter and conversation from just moments ago. Puzzled, he called out again "Guys?" His voice carried a hint of concern this time, the humor fading.

Still, there was no response.

The atmosphere seemed to have shifted, the air now heavy with an unspoken tension, confused and growing increasingly worried he hastily adjusted himself and turned around to face the campsite.

The sight that met his eyes was a jarring contrast to the jovial scene he had left moments ago, his two friends lay on the ground their bodies motionless. Deep, gruesome cuts marred their throats from which blood poured out onto the earth staining the ground a dark crimson. One of them, his eyes still open stared blankly into his direction, the gaze frozen in a final unseeing look that seemed to bore straight into the swordsman.

For a moment, the swordsman was frozen his mind struggling to comprehend the horror before him, his heart pounded in his chest a surge of fear and confusion overwhelming him, but in his shock, he failed to perceive the silent presence standing just beside him.

There was no warning, no sound to herald her approach. The elf, her movements as swift and silent as a shadow, was already there. With a fluid motion, she drew a small dark dagger – the blade almost seemed to absorb the light around it.

In one swift, precise movement, she slit the swordsman's throat.

As the swordsman's hand instinctively reached for his throat, the wet sticky sensation of his own blood greeted his touch. His eyes widened in shock and disbelief as he stared at the crimson blood coating his fingers, the world around him seemed to slow down, his senses heightened in these final moments.

Struggling to breathe the swordsman felt his body grow heavy, an unbearable weight pressing down on him, for a brief moment, he remained upright the reality of his fate sinking in.

Then, as his legs gave way, he began to fall backward his body descending rapidly away from the floating island.

As he fell, he gazed upwards towards the islands that were now receding into the distance, they grew smaller and smaller, their beauty a stark contrast to the cold harsh reality of his situation.

Despite the terror and confusion swirling in his mind, a single thought emerged with surprising clarity – it was all so truly beautiful. And in that beauty, there was an overwhelming sense of coldness, a final acknowledgment of the world he was leaving behind.

Above, the elf spared only a brief glance at the falling man, there was no room for sentiment in her eyes.

She turned to face the other two members of her team, who had emerged from their hiding spots, It was clear now that the pirates' captain had been right to be cautious, they were not the only ones with an interest in this island.

The other two elves watched her, their expressions unreadable "We press on" she commanded, her voice low but firm.

With a nod the other two elves melted back into the shadows, their movements as silent and swift as the wind.

Once again, the small area of the floating island was enveloped in silence, a quiet that was both peaceful and ominous.

The world below, with its own troubles and turmoil, seemed a distant reality here.