A Little House at the Edge of the Clouds

Time slipped by in silence.

A year had passed since the purge that swept the world.

Sky Island · Kingdom of God.

The White Sea surged like an endless ocean of clouds, flowing slowly beneath their feet.

Soft clouds rose and fell in the wind like waves that never ceased.

The sky was clear. Only along the distant horizon were thunderclouds quietly gathering.

BOOM!!

Thunder cracked.

A fierce bolt of lightning tore through the clouds and plunged straight down, striking the edge of the Kingdom of God with unerring precision.

A gust of wind swept out as it landed. The White Sea churned, clouds scattered, and the air filled with the familiar, reassuring scent of lightning.

Two figures were already waiting where it struck.

A woman with a gentle air and a hint of quiet resolve stood at the edge of the cloud path.

She held the hand of a purple-haired child.

Before the lightning had fully faded, the child's eyes were already wide.

The next instant—

"Dad!!!"

His clear, undisguisedly joyful cry rang out over the White Sea.

The purple-haired child raced down the cloud path and plunged straight into the fading lightning.

As the light dispersed, Rock stood there, his white cloak stirring gently in the wind.

And beside him—

A burly man with glasses, hardened by years of battle, stood with every stern line of his face softened into a long-absent smile.

Zephyr strode forward and dropped to one knee, catching the child as he hurled himself into his arms and lifting him high.

"Ze Yi." His voice was deep and warm.

"You've grown taller."

The little figure swung in the air, his bright laughter echoing across the Cloud Sea.

"Dad, you took forever!!"

"I've been waiting so long!!!"

Zephyr gave a soft, amused huff, but held