Zephyria - Chapter 2

Zephyria’s naming is rather inaccurate. It’s root, Zephyr, is defined as “a soft gentle breeze”, yet the Kingdom is anything but. The people, technology, military might, economy, and politics most certainly cannot be described as soft or gentle. Of course, it’s easy to say that it was a misread on founders’ part on the initial direction of this Kingdom, that they did not intend for its’ present state to be so, and that you could counter naysayers by pointing out hindsight 20/20. That is, if they were indeed that naive.

They were not.

That said, a more apt name would be Gale. A Gale is usually defined by “a very strong wind”, on the opposite end of this speculative air-spectrum and the complete antithesis of the term Zephyria, yet perhaps a better choice for a name. A Gale could very well describe the immense progress made by this Kingdom forming 200 years ago, which saw a shift in the use of the the unoriginally yet unapologetically named special ore, “Special Ore”, (or “sOr” for short). It would definitely be a more fitting name to this ever evolving, forward-thinking, literally gravity defining Kingdom.

Alas.

To be fair, the term “Gale” IS prevalent throughout the Kingdom, both in name and in duty (though one would say these variables aren’t independent).

Gale plummeted through the night sky of Zephyria, though this descent was certainly under her control, with her sharp cotton fibre wings slicing the air. As she approached her terminal velocity, she retracted her wings back into it’s cloak form, closed her eyes and reflected upon her career (as you do when you fall at speeds of mach 22).

Gale was a 7-star Knight of the Realm, holding the rank of Supreme Marshal of the Air Force. She had complete command over all 20 air fleets, and was youngest to ever attain that position at the ripe age of 21. She held this position until today.

Today, she was appointed by the Empress herself to Vanguard.

Vanguard was formed to unite all 7-star Knights, each the most capable, revered and powerful in their respective divisions. Pretty neat if you asked me.

Upon further reflection, it is easy to say that it would be an understatement to refer to Gale as just “prevalent”, however it probably is better for everyone if the hype were minimised. Not because it’s undeserved, but rather because she knew she deserves it. She knew she’s that good.

You see, the Zephyrian Air Force consists mainly of fleets of both fighter jets and advanced flight armor, both types powered by rare [Gust] processOrs. The engines enable levitation and the armor/jets provide maneuverability through the skies at speeds of up to mach 7. Though these machines were powerful and capable in their own right, Gale’s winged setup coupled with her Ultra-Rare [Tempest] processOr allowed for ultra enhanced agility, speed and melee capabilities and made her a unique and extremely potent force equivalent to an entire fleet, a force befitting of the position on Vanguard.

As the speed at which she approached towards the city below increased, the sounds of the hustle and bustle became rapidly more apparent to her, however her mind did not become less focused. Though there was a rare, slight fear in her heart for what’s to come, in the moment, she recognised that she had already progressed this far. She knew that she was capable, and that the fear that attempts to creep upon her mind is mainly due to the unexpectedness about the job rather than her own incompetence.

Just as she was to come in contact with the land (and death), she opened her eyes, extended her wings and soared upwards and through the nightly districts of Central. She maneuvered swiftly around structures, weaving in and out of multiple avenues at breakneck pace (any ordinary human would literally break their neck at this pace), a sort of display that validated her own perceptions of her flight ability.

“Damn I’m good.” she said with a smug smile.

An noninteresting piece of trivia: she hated the word “smug”. Often being described as smug had irritated her greatly, as she felt that it undermined any justification for her to be content with her ability. Since said ability is far greater than most, the mere thought of it could be used as a passive-aggressive, indirect threat to those who dared call her that, and as such, isn’t described in that way anymore. She was smug about this too.

She accelerated above and across Downtown, before taking a left towards her own neighborhood. She then maintained a lesser yet steadier speed as she glided between skyscrapers, observing the greatness that was Zephyria. She flipped so her front faced the sky and observed some pigeons keeping up with her from above, and let out a smile.

Ugly, she thought to herself.

She flipped back over and appreciated the sights of the slightly quieter streets below. She too understood that Gale would be a more fitting name, and as a name itself it also resembled her own identity. Yet, in that moment, she took pleasure in experiencing Zephyria’s true meaning, experiencing the soft gentle breeze of the evening sky.

She let out a sigh. She experienced peace and tranquility for that singular, beautiful moment.

As she approached her penthouse she eased her wings and gracefully landed on her flight pad. As she entered her enormous living room, she removed her wings and laid it next to her on her leather couch (she often treated her wings as a companion). She let out a gentle breathe of statisfaction.

“Ah. That was so nice and peac-”

That peace would come to an abrupt end, for she had found bird droppings on her cloak