The moment the mountain in the distance vanished—completely erased from existence—Berk fell into an eerie silence. The shockwave from the impact had sent tremors through the ground, shaking even the most sturdy structures, and the sea that surrounded the island churned violently, as if the very world had been thrown into disarray.
Villagers clung to anything they could to steady themselves, their faces pale with fear and confusion. Some dragons had taken flight in alarm, circling Berk warily as if unsure whether to flee or fight. Others remained rooted in place, their instincts warning them of an overwhelming force beyond anything they had encountered before.
On the cliffs overlooking the sea, Hiccup, Astrid, Stoick, Valka, Gobber, and the rest of the Riders stood in stunned silence, their gazes locked onto the distant storm-ridden skies where flashes of gold and starlight clashed with unimaginable power.
"What in Thor's name was that?" Snotlout finally broke the silence, his voice shaking slightly despite the bravado he tried to maintain.
"A mountain," Fishlegs breathed, his eyes wide. "It—it just... disappeared." He turned to the others, gripping the edges of his tunic as if grounding himself. "There wasn't even an explosion—that was complete annihilation. Like it was never there to begin with."
Ruffnut and Tuffnut were uncharacteristically quiet, both of them staring at the horizon with unblinking eyes. "So… we're all seeing this, right?" Tuffnut asked. "Like, I didn't accidentally eat one of those weird mushrooms again?"
"No," Astrid said grimly, tightening her grip on Stormfly's saddle. "This is real."
Hiccup, however, wasn't looking at the storm anymore. He was looking at Lyra.
She stood slightly apart from the rest, her emerald-green eyes fixed on the swirling chaos in the sky—not with fear, but with deep, almost painful recognition. Her hands trembled slightly, gripping the crystal band on her wrist as if it could anchor her.
"Lyra?" Hiccup asked, stepping closer. "What do you know?"
Lyra exhaled slowly, closing her eyes for a brief moment before speaking. "It's him," she said softly, her voice almost lost in the wind.
Stoick turned sharply to face her. "Nyx?"
Lyra nodded once. "And… Aria."
The very name sent another wave of unease through the group.
Astrid narrowed her eyes. "Aria? Who is she?"
Lyra turned toward them fully now, her face set with an expression of grim certainty. "A cosmic dragon rider. The same as Nyx, but not like him at all." She gestured toward the violent sky. "She was the one who led the destruction of Aether."
There was a beat of silence as everyone processed her words.
"You're telling me," Gobber said slowly, rubbing his temple, "that the monster responsible for burning an entire kingdom to the ground is right above us, throwing hands with Nyx?"
Lyra's lips pressed into a thin line. "Yes."
Astrid let out a breath, crossing her arms. "And the other dragon? The one fighting Chaos?"
"Velona, A Cosmic Dragon of Stars," Lyra confirmed. "Like Chaos."
Hiccup's mind worked quickly, piecing the situation together. "So not only is Aria back, but she brought more trouble." His jaw clenched. "And Nyx is fighting both of them alone."
Snotlout frowned, gesturing toward the battlefield. "Well, I don't see why we're just standing here. We have dragons. We can go help him."
"No," Lyra said immediately.
All eyes turned to her.
"What do you mean 'no'?" Ruffnut asked. "Did you see what just happened? A whole mountain is gone. POOF. Nyx could use the backup!"
"He doesn't need backup," Lyra said firmly. "You don't understand. Cosmic dragons aren't like anything you've ever faced. Their fights… they don't follow normal rules. If we go there, we won't be helping. We'll be getting in the way."
Astrid's brows furrowed. "Then what do we do? Just wait?"
Lyra shook her head. "No. I need to go to him."
Hiccup frowned. "Didn't you just say—"
"I'm not like you," Lyra interrupted. "I know Nyx. I know how he thinks. And I know what he's capable of." She turned her gaze back to the battlefield, her expression tense. "If he fights for too long, if his emotions spiral too much… he won't stop. Not even when he wins."
A heavy silence followed her words.
Valka studied Lyra carefully. "You think he'll destroy them?"
Lyra exhaled. "I think he'll destroy everything."
That was all it took.
Hiccup looked toward the sky again, his hands tightening into fists. "Then we go," he said.
Lyra hesitated. "I should go alone—"
"No," Hiccup interrupted this time, his voice firm. "Nyx helped Berk. He fought to protect us. He's my friend, and I won't abandon him now."
Stoick stepped forward, crossing his arms. "We're with you, son."
The rest of the Riders straightened, their hesitation fading.
Astrid nodded. "Nyx saved us before. It's our turn."
Fishlegs swallowed nervously. "Not that I particularly enjoy flying into what looks like a cosmic apocalypse, but… we can't leave him alone."
Snotlout rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. Let's just go already before he wipes out another mountain."
Gobber let out a sigh, adjusting his prosthetic. "This is either the bravest or the dumbest thing we've ever done."
"Probably both," Tuffnut said cheerfully.
Lyra stared at them, her heart squeezing in her chest. She had wanted to go alone—to stop Nyx from making a decision he could never take back. But seeing them now, their unwavering resolve… she realized something.
This wasn't just about her and Nyx anymore.
She exhaled, steadying herself. "Alright," she said, climbing onto Lexy's back. "Let's go get him."
Without another word, the Riders mounted their dragons, wings unfurling as they prepared for the storm ahead.
And as they took off into the sky, the battle still raged on.
The battlefield was eerily silent.
Not the silence of exhaustion, nor the brief lull of an ongoing battle. This was deeper—unnatural. A stillness that stretched beyond comprehension, as if the world itself dared not breathe.
The sky, once torn apart by the fury of celestial battle, had grown eerily calm, the swirling tempests dissolving into an unnatural stasis. The winds that had howled with Nyx's rage had ceased, not a single gust disturbing the air. The waves that had crashed violently against the island's shores had stilled, frozen in place as if held in suspended time. Even the shattered remnants of the battlefield—cracked earth, scattered debris, fractured stone—remained unmoving, as though trapped under an unseen force.
And at the heart of it all, Nyx stood, his golden eyes glowing against the unnatural twilight.
His sword hung at his side, its edge gleaming ominously as he took slow, deliberate steps toward Aria and Velona. His expression was unreadable—empty—but his presence alone sent waves of pressure rippling through the island. Each footstep felt like a prelude to something irreversible, a weight too heavy to counter.
Velona, her starlit scales dimmed, remained kneeling, her breathing uneven. Even in her weakened state, her cosmic essence radiated power, but she did not move to fight. Not yet.
Aria lay motionless, her usually defiant violet eyes now uncertain as they followed Nyx's approach. For the first time, she seemed to understand—this was not the same Nyx she had sought to reclaim. The shackles of restraint, the remnants of his old life, had been cast aside. This was power in its purest, most unrelenting form.
Nyx lifted his sword slightly, testing the weight, before resting it at his side once more. His voice, when he spoke, was devoid of emotion.
"Leave."
Velona's head rose slightly, her cosmic gaze meeting his.
"I do not wish to kill cosmic dragons," Nyx continued, his tone steady. "But I will not back down."
The quiet stretched, a stillness so absolute that it sent shivers through even the most battle-hardened warriors. Berk, even from miles away, could feel the weight of the moment. The very fabric of existence seemed to wait, held in limbo by Nyx's will alone.
Then, in the distance, the faint sound of rushing wind.
Lyra and the others arrived at full speed, their dragons pushing themselves to the limit. Lexy surged ahead, her crystal form glowing as she sensed the imbalance, her instincts screaming that something was horribly wrong.
Then they saw him.
The unnatural calm, the motionless landscape, the overwhelming pressure. And Nyx—standing at the center of it all, sword in hand, Chaos behind him, golden energy coalescing into something unimaginable.
Hiccup's eyes widened in horror. "Nyx!" he shouted, desperation in his voice. "Stop!"
The other Riders joined in, calling out, their voices lost in the deafening quiet.
Nyx did not hesitate.
With a slow, deliberate movement, he raised his hand and closed his fist.
Instantly, the air around them changed—crystallized.
Thousands of icicles materialized in an instant, not merely forming, but appearing as if they had always existed in that exact moment. They hovered for the briefest of seconds, glinting with unnatural sharpness, before hurtling toward the approaching Riders without mercy.
Lexy roared, banking hard to avoid the deadly barrage, her wings folding in tightly as she dove to shield the others. The world became a storm of shimmering ice, each projectile carrying the unmistakable intent to kill.
Hiccup gritted his teeth, pulling Toothless into an evasive spiral, plasma blasts melting the closest shards before they could reach him. Astrid and Stormfly dodged expertly, her Nadder's quick reflexes barely saving them from a razor-thin spike that missed by inches.
Snotlout cursed as he and Hookfang barely avoided a spear of ice that embedded itself into the ground where they had been flying a moment ago. Fishlegs let out a panicked yelp as Meatlug desperately rolled mid-air, her thick hide protecting her from the smaller shards but struggling against the sheer number.
Ruffnut and Tuffnut were not so lucky—Barf and Belch twisted in confusion, one head dodging while the other nearly took a direct hit, sending them spiraling briefly before regaining control.
Lyra, however, ignored the storm entirely.
She leapt from Lexy's back without hesitation, the icy wind whipping past her as she dropped toward Nyx.
"NYX!" she cried, reaching for him.
Before he could react, her arms wrapped around him, her warmth cutting through the cold that surrounded them. The world blurred for a moment, the force of his own magic threatening to lash out again.
Then… silence.
Nyx stiffened at the contact. The glowing intensity in his golden eyes wavered, the storm above them flickering as though suddenly unsure of itself.
"Please," Lyra whispered, her voice barely audible. "Stop."
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then, slowly, Nyx's gaze met hers.
The world seemed to hold its breath. The cosmic energy that had crackled violently around him dulled, the floating shards of ice dissolving into mist. The air grew slightly warmer, the unnatural stillness beginning to break.
Hiccup and the others steadied themselves, watching in anxious silence, afraid to move, afraid to disrupt the fragile moment.
Nyx exhaled softly, his body relaxing slightly. His sword lowered, just a fraction.
Then, before anyone could react, frost spread from his fingertips.
Lyra gasped as ice curled around her ankles, creeping up to her knees, locking her in place.
She looked up, stunned. "Nyx—?"
He gently pulled away from her grasp, his expression unreadable.
"Stay here," he said simply, his voice barely above a whisper.
Then he turned.
Velona lay before him, barely rising to her feet, her cosmic glow flickering with weakness. Chaos, behind him, had gathered all of his energy into a single, radiant sphere—a golden inferno that crackled with overwhelming power.
Nyx lifted his sword once more. The final strike.
Lyra struggled against the ice binding her, desperation creeping into her voice. "Nyx, stop! This isn't what your uncle wanted!"
His grip tightened on his sword.
"Please," she pleaded, her voice raw. "Read his note."
Nyx hesitated.
"You told me once that his words mattered," Lyra continued. "That they were the only thing that kept you steady. If you do this—if you cross this line—what would he say?"
The storm that had been brewing for so long… stilled.
Nyx's shoulders tensed. His grip on his sword trembled.
Slowly, ever so slowly, the weight of her words pressed against him. The rage, the grief, the overwhelming power that had consumed him—all of it cracked, like fractures in a frozen lake.
His golden eyes dimmed.
And then, finally…
He let go.
The sword slipped from his grasp, embedding itself in the frozen ground.
Chaos, still holding the brilliant golden sphere, hesitated for only a second before letting his energy disperse into nothingness.
Nyx took a single step back. His vision blurred. The storm above fractured completely, the skies no longer mirroring his pain.
Then his body collapsed, his strength finally giving out.
The last thing he heard before darkness took him was Lyra's voice calling his name and Chaos roaring towards him.