The chamber remained locked in suffocating tension. VulcanFire guards surrounded Starfania, Aeron, and Lyam from every direction while the Golden Hunter watched silently from above like death waiting patiently for its moment to strike. His dragon remained perched behind him, massive claws scraping against the metal platform as its false-gold scales gleamed beneath the eclipse light. No one moved. No one dared to. Aeron's grip tightened around his sword while Lyam subtly shifted the partial cure vial deeper into his pouch. Starfania's thoughts raced wildly beneath her helmet. How did they know we were here?
They had been careful. Silent. No alarms. No mistakes. Yet somehow…VulcanFire had been waiting for them. But there was no time to dwell on it now. Not when dozens of weapons were pointed directly at them. Their hearts pounded like war drums as the guards slowly closed in. Their formation was flawless. Tight. Disciplined. Merciless. Even hidden beneath the shadows, Lyam lifted his chin defiantly.
" No," he said coolly. " I'm afraid you're the ones who should fear us."
His voice echoed through the chamber with enough conviction to almost convince Avalon itself.
One guard stepped forward from the formation—taller than the rest, armor darker and heavier than the others. Their commanders. His gaze swept over them with open contempt.
" Surrender now," he sneered, " and perhaps you'll live long enough to witness VulcanFire cleanse Avalon of dragons once and for all."
Aeron immediately stepped forward slightly, instinctively shielding Starfania with his body.
" We won't let that poison launch," he shot back fiercely. " You're playing with forces beyond your control."
The commander laughed darkly. " Too late."
He pointed upward toward the massive launch structure towering beyond the chamber.
" The Eternal Sun is nearly in position."
" Once the eclipse aligns…"
" …there will be nothing left to stop us."
Starfania's chest tightened. Her eyes darted upward toward the launch rig high above them. Massive valves hissed violently with pressurized energy while pipes pulsed with streams of toxic black liquid feeding directly into the rocket chamber. She quickly glanced toward Lyam. The partial cure vial remained clenched tightly in his hand, shimmering faintly beneath the eclipse light. One small vial against an entire rocket full of poison. The odds felt impossible. Starfania's eyes desperately scanned the chamber for anything useful. Any weakness. Any opening. Then suddenly—she saw it. Hidden partially beneath a nearby crate rested a small copper sphere no bigger than her palm.
Three faint glowing lines pulsed across its surface. Starfania's breath caught instantly. Fireball Flare. Recognition slammed into her lightning. A memory surfaced immediately. Starfania remembered standing inside one of VulcanFire's old workshops years ago while Cesar worked at his forge late into the evening. Sparks had danced through the air while he carefully held the exact same device in his hand. Younger Starfania had stared at it curiously.
" What's that?" she had asked innocently. Cesar smirked faintly without looking up from his workbench. " Fireball Flare."
He casually tossed it between his hands.
" Just throw it…"
" …and look away unless you enjoy being blind for several hours."
Starfania remembered laughing at the time. But now—standing surrounded by enemies beneath the eclipse—the memory suddenly became everything.
Slowly, carefully, Starfania shifted closer toward the crate without drawing attention to herself. Beneath her helmet, her breathing steadied. Calm. Think. Adapt. Survive. Cantina's lessons echoed quietly in her mind. A Dragon Savior does not wait for the perfect moment. They create it. Starfania's fingers brushed carefully against the Fireball Flare hidden beneath the crate. The metal felt warm. Active. Dangerous. Aeron noticed the subtle movement instantly. His eyes flicked toward the sphere. Then toward Starfania. Understanding hit him immediately. Lyam noticed too. Neither of them spoke. But they trusted her.
High above them, the Golden Hunter remained perfectly still. Yet beneath his helmet, his attention sharpened entirely onto Starfania, observing her movements. Studying her. Assessing her exactly as the Castle Keeper commanded. His dragon let out a low growl, emerald cracks glowing faintly beneath its golden scales. It sensed something changing. The Golden Hunter slowly reached for another arrow. Waiting. Curious to see what the Dragon Savior would do next. Outside the fortress, the eclipse continued swallowing the sun whole. Darkness spread rapidly across Avalon.
The Eternal Sun had nearly aligned. Time was running out. And deep inside the chamber, surrounded by enemies and standing only moments away from disaster…Starfania tightened her grip around the Fireball Flare. Ready to gamble everything.