TCAJTWTPOTA 01

 

Chapter 1

The Morning When the Stars Fell, The First Step of the Journey

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The lead-colored clouds—split apart.

With a roar of fury, a colossal shadow emerged.
It was a monstrous creature that looked like a whale with wings—
a Deepcloud Beast.

Defying gravity as it floated, wreathed in thunderclouds,
its form was nothing less than a calamity made flesh.

Facing it head-on, a silver-white ship with a gleaming hull burst through the clouds.

The air screamed as its engines roared, leaving a trail of light in the sky.
At the controls sat a young man with sky-blue hair.

“Distance, three hundred meters! It’s coming right for us!”

“Got it!”

Before them loomed the Deepcloud Beast—
a ruler of the Deepcloud Sea, where even the laws of the sky bent and warped.

Its roar shook the heavens as its immense mass surged closer.

“It’s keeping up with us?! Fine—raising output one more level!”

The silver ship flared with light and shot forward, cutting through the air.
As it streaked past, the main cannon deployed—
a flash of blue-white energy streaked out like a bolt of lightning.

—DOOOOOOM!!

“Ghhrrr…grrrrhh…%ERROR:VOCAL_DATA//Reconstructing//AAAHHHHHHH!!”

The beast howled as its carapace was pierced, scattering black particles into the wind.

“You handle the stabilizers! I’m going all out!”

『Luminark—All Limits Released!』

The Star Crystal at the ship’s core blazed,
enveloping the entire craft in shimmering blue light.
The hull pulsed white, and its movements sharpened—alive with power.

Breaking through the tear in the clouds,
the silver flash streaked upward beneath the beast’s body.

“This time—we finish it!”

All the ship’s energy focused into the main cannon,
and the muzzle began to glow blindingly bright.

“—Star Ray, FIRE!!”

The beam of light tore through the darkness of the Deepcloud,
piercing straight through the beast’s deep core,
then spearing up toward the heavens.

A moment of stillness—then a violent gust swept through,
the shockwave rippling across the sea of clouds.
The monster’s shadow crumbled away, scattering into fading motes of light.

From the gap in the clouds, dazzling sunlight poured through.

“Phew… that was close.”

Yes—this was only the beginning.

The world of Asteer, suspended in the sky.
The Deepcloud Sea that slept far below it.
And beyond even that—
a hidden truth of the world, known to no one.

This is the story of the boy
who would one day be known as the Nebula Pilot—
and his grand adventure.

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◇◆◇

“Sky! How long are you going to sleep?”

“If you don’t get up soon, I’m clearing away breakfast!”

…Ah, there she goes again.

Even without opening my eyes, I knew that voice—it was Mile, my childhood friend who lived next door.

My parents left years ago, saying they were going to research ancient ruins.
They never came back.
Ever since then, Mile has come by every morning to make me breakfast.

Her hair is a cheerful shade of pink, her eyes big and dark,
and she’s so friendly and open that everyone in the village likes her—
especially the guys.

“I got it, I got it! I’m coming!”

You don’t want to make Mile really angry.
Once, I made that mistake—
the next morning, instead of breakfast, there were two fist-sized stones on my table.
No note. No explanation.

I couldn’t sleep much last night—too excited.
Of course I was.
Today is the Starfall Ceremony.

In our village, Haino, once we turn fifteen,
we go to the Sanctuary and perform the ritual
to awaken our Class Power within a Starstone.

Starstones are vital to life in the floating world of Asteer.
They power the Skyships that link the islands together.

There are all kinds of classes—
pilots called Fliers, warriors, medics, crafters, even cooks.
Starstones are used for everything—from engines to navigation.

“Hurry up and eat! We’ll be late for the ceremony!”

“Yeah, yeah.”

“And chew properly.”

“Jeez, you sound like my mom.”

“What was that?”

“N-nothing! Thanks for the meal!”

Whatever I say, her cooking really is good.
…Munch, munch.
Delicious.

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◇◆◇

After breakfast, Mile and I headed to the village elder’s house.
All the participants were gathering there before heading to the Sanctuary in groups.

Normally everyone goes together,
but when there are too many, it’s tradition to split into smaller teams.

I’d assumed Mile would go with her usual trio of girlfriends—
but she insisted,

“I’m worried about you, Sky. I’ll go with you.”

I told her I’d be fine on my own.
She ignored me completely.
Now everyone looks at us like we’re some adorable couple.
Ugh.

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“It’s time. Gai, you may depart first,”
said Elder Murai, the head of Haino village.

First was Gai, son of a monster hunter.
Second, Simon, heir to the biggest merchant family.
Third, Luke, the elder’s own grandson.
Fourth and fifth were Lin and Mari, cheerful twin sisters from a farming family.

Finally—Mile and me.

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Our houses are next door, and our parents were close friends,
so Mile and I have been together since we were kids.

My parents made their living flying between islands,
delivering goods while studying ancient civilizations.
They traveled the skies of Asteer, exploring forgotten ruins.

But one day… they didn’t come back.

Their colleagues visited later to tell me—
during an expedition, my parents vanished.
They likely fell into the Deepcloud Sea below.

That swirling, lead-gray ocean of cloud lies far beneath the floating isles—
a place no skyship or technology can reach.

But recently, scholars have found murals suggesting that
even beneath that sea of clouds, other islands may exist—
that ancient people once traveled freely between those layers of the sky.

That’s why my dream is to become the greatest pilot in the world—
to uncover the secrets of the Deepcloud Sea,
and someday, find my parents beyond it.

“…What’s wrong, Sky?”

“Nothing. Just thinking.”

“You’ll find them. We’ll find them—together!”

“Yeah… we will.”

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Walking out of the village, along the maintained road,
felt like the start of a real adventure.
Mile hummed beside me, cheerful as always.

“Hey, Sky. It’s been a while since we walked outside the village together!”

“Yeah. It’s not easy to get permission—there are Abyss Beasts out here.”

The Abyss Beasts—
dangerous monsters sighted all across Asteer.
Strangely, they never enter villages.

No one knows exactly why,
so people just accept it as part of life.

“Don’t worry, Sky. If one shows up, I’ll protect you.”

“Hey! That’s my line!”

“Really? Who was it that cried over a slime seven years ago?”

“That was seven years ago!”

“I don’t see much difference~ You still oversleep, you never clean—”

“Okay, okay! I give up!”

She puffed her chest proudly.
She’s always been like this—
bossy, but kind, like an older sister despite being the same age.

After about an hour, we reached a fork in the road.
One path led to the neighboring Sumika Village,
the other up the mountain—to the Sanctuary of Falling Stars.

Sumika was bigger than Haino, with about five hundred people
and the only airfield on the island.
Someday, I’d fly from there myself—on my own skyship.

Today’s Starfall Ceremony is the first step toward that dream.

With that thought, we took our first steps up the mountain path.

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The road to the Sanctuary was rough and overgrown,
lined with trees and dotted with tiny white flowers.

“Looks like everyone else is doing fine.”

“Yup! Everyone was super excited!”

“Mile, are you going to find your Starstone at the site?”

“No, I’ll use the one my grandpa gave me.”

“Ah, right. He always loved collecting weird stuff.”

“Mostly junk, honestly… What about you, Sky? The same one?”

“Yeah. The one my parents gave me—it’s special.”

The small Starstone I always wear was found in an ancient ruin by my parents.
When they vanished, a package arrived for me—
containing that stone, and a letter.

To our beloved Sky,

We’re sorry we’re always away, exploring. This Starstone is something rare we found in an ancient ruin.
We might not make it home for your birthday this year, so please accept this gift instead.

We hope it makes you happy. Happy birthday!
—Love, Mom and Dad.

Since then, I’ve kept it with me everywhere I go.
So that when I find them again, I can say “thank you.”

“Sky, you okay?”

“Yeah. Just… remembering.”

“We’ll find them. I promise.”

“Yeah. We will.”

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We kept climbing steadily toward the Sanctuary.

“…I’m kinda tired. Can we rest a bit?”

“Sure. Let’s sit on that log.”

We sat down together, sighed, and laughed.

“We’re about halfway now?”

“Yeah, I think so.”

“Here—water.”

“Thanks.”

I drank it all in one go.
Even in spring, hiking a mountain path like this was tiring.

Everyone who left before us should be fine.
We’d catch up soon enough.

“Alright. Let’s get going.”

“Yeah! Halfway to go—let’s do it!”

Just as Mile cheered—

Rustle, rustle.

The bushes beside the trail shook.
A small rabbit leapt out.

“Oh—just a bunny. You scared me!”

She laughed, but something about it seemed wrong.
The rabbit was limping—dragging one of its back legs.

“Wait… it’s missing a foot?!”

Blood trailed behind it as it fled—
and a chill ran down my spine.

“GRRAAAHHHHHHHH!!!”

It appeared—suddenly, out of nowhere.

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