Chapter 31: Skystorm Diplomacy
A blue fire carved its way through the clouds as Princess Amah’s vessel descended. It wasn’t built for subtlety. With its hull forged from echo-alloy and wings lined with micro-surge crystals, it shimmered like lightning frozen in flight. The insignia of Zephyria—the Sky Nation—blazed on its prow. People looked up in awe as the wind shifted in reverence.
Jaden stood on the highest balcony of the Harmony Spire, watching it land. He had read reports about Zephyria’s royalty—how they maintained peace above the storms by sacrificing emotion for equilibrium. But Amah... she didn’t seem like the kind to sacrifice anything.
She descended the ramp alone, cloaked in indigo and silver, her gaze sweeping the city with clinical elegance. No entourage. No guards. Only her.
"You summoned the storm," she said.
Jaden smiled slightly. "We’ve had plenty of storms. I thought it time to meet the ones who live above them."
"Then you’ve met me," she said. "Show me what you’ve built. And tell me what you fear."
As they walked through Sanctum Aqualis, Jaden pointed out not the marvels, but the scars—buildings still healing from Voxen’s breach, neighborhoods reinforcing their memory anchors. Amah paused beside a dome etched with symbols.
"What are these?"
"Dream wards," Jaden said. "Designed by the Dream-Weavers. They stop temporal echoes from infecting minds."
She touched one. "I’ve never seen anything like it. Sky tech works by isolation. This—this is immersion."