The storm that had stirred on the horizon the night before now loomed above the treetops, its clouds churning with electric menace. The sky, once a canvas of stars, had turned iron-gray. Thunder rumbled like an ancient beast waking from its slumber.
Ren stood on a rise overlooking the forest edge, his gaze fixed on the dark clouds. Elowen approached silently, her presence calming, the scent of wildflowers still lingering faintly in her wake.
"That storm isn't natural," Ren said without turning.
"No," Elowen agreed softly. "It is her anger. The third Shard has awakened."
Lyra joined them, her expression hard. "Which Shard is she?"
"The Tempest," Elowen replied.
"Her name is Caelia. Once the guardian of balance through strength. But when the Collapse shattered the world, she blamed the Source. She turned her power inward and broke the skies."
Ren closed his eyes, feeling the hum of the Harmony Shard resonating within his chest. It pulsed faster now, as if aware of what was coming.
"So where is she?"
Elowen gestured toward the horizon. "Skyspire. A floating fortress born of storm and steel. But it is cloaked in thunder. You'll need to pass through the Highlands of Wyrmholt first."
Seraphina approached, fully armored, expression unreadable. "Then we move at first light. If she's anything like the others, she'll test you before she trusts you."
Lyra snorted. "Or she'll try to kill us."
The Highlands of Wyrmholt were jagged and wind-swept, dotted with the bones of ancient machines and broken towers.
The higher they climbed, the colder it grew. Stormclouds coiled tighter above them, making the very air feel thick with static. The path narrowed to a series of crumbling ledges, each step perilous.
They moved in silence, their breaths forming mist in the thin air. Occasionally, Ren activated the Code Resonance skill, clearing pockets of corrupted mist that clung to old battlegrounds. Lyra would glance at him each time, the way someone watches a fuse burn down to its end.
By midday, they encountered resistance.
Hostile Entity Detected: Fragment Wraith – Type: Tempest Residue.
The creature dropped from above like a jagged bolt, its body formed from twisted wind and digital static. Seraphina moved with speed that belied her armor, intercepting the first blow with her blade, sparks flying.
"These things are echoes of her fury!" Elowen called. "They grow stronger the closer we get."
"Great," Lyra muttered, flames flickering along her fingertips. "Let's see if we can out-scream a storm."
The battle raged across the ridgeline. Ren drew his blade, its edge humming with Harmony's song.
Each strike pushed back the Wraith, until finally, with a unified effort—Seraphina's sword, Lyra's fire, Elowen's vines, and Ren's resonance—they shattered it into light.
They stood, breathing heavily, the wind howling around them.
"She knows we're coming," Ren said. "And she's scared."
"Or furious," Seraphina added grimly.
They pressed on, crossing into the old battlefield known as the Echoing Plateau. The terrain here was scarred with massive gouges, likely from past battles between titanic constructs.
As they walked, Ren noticed strange symbols etched into the rocks—glyphs not unlike those in the ancient ruins of Harmonia.
Elowen paused before one. "These were warnings. The last stand of the Sky Sentinels. They tried to seal Caelia here before she broke free."
"Did they fail?" Lyra asked.
"They vanished," Elowen said. "No one knows what happened. But this place remembers."
Thunder cracked above them. Ren could feel the resonance in his bones.
That night, they took shelter in a ruined observatory. Its glass dome cracked but still standing, it offered a glimpse of the storm above. Lightning arced between clouds, occasionally forming strange symbols—remnants of code warping into emotion.
Ren sat apart from the others, lost in thought. The Harmony Shard pulsed faintly within him, as if whispering in a language he was just beginning to understand.
Elowen joined him. "You carry the burden well. But I see the cracks forming."
"I'm not afraid to break," Ren said. "I'm afraid of not being able to fix anything."
She smiled gently. "You are not here to fix the world alone. You're here to remember it. Remind it of what it once was. What it can be."
Lyra watched from a distance, something unreadable in her expression. Her fists clenched. She wasn't used to needing anyone. Especially not someone like him.
By dawn, they reached the last pass before Skyspire. The storm was closer now—so close that every breath buzzed with tension. Lightning snaked across the sky, illuminating the jagged spires that marked their destination.
There was no road. Only a lift platform, ancient and dormant.
Ren placed his hand on the control glyph. Harmony's light flowed into it, and with a groan, the platform surged to life, rising into the sky.
Clouds swallowed them. Wind screamed. And then—
Skyspire.
It floated in the heart of the storm. A fortress of obsidian towers, its spires crackling with energy. Lightning danced between pylons. And at its center stood a woman.
Tall. Regal. Hair like flowing silver lightning. Eyes like thunderclouds.
Caelia.
"So you've come," she said, voice booming across the storm.
Ren stepped forward. "I don't want to fight you."
"Then you are a fool," she replied. "The world burns, and you speak of peace? Power is the only law now."
Lyra's flames surged. "Then why haven't you destroyed us yet?"
Caelia's eyes narrowed. "Because I remember. I remember when Shards stood for something. Before we were broken. Before we were left behind."
She raised her hand—and the storm descended.
The battle was chaos incarnate. Lightning spears crashed into the platform. Wind blades slashed the air. Caelia moved like a force of nature, each strike laced with fury.
Ren fought to stay upright, Harmony's resonance shielding his allies. Seraphina engaged Caelia directly, their blades clashing like titans.
Lyra's fire turned white-hot, carving paths through the storm. Elowen sang softly, vines shielding them from the worst of the winds.
Ren saw it. A fracture in the storm. A rhythm, familiar and ancient.
He activated Harmony's full resonance.
The storm paused. For a heartbeat.
And in that silence, Ren stepped forward, reaching toward Caelia.
"You're not alone. We remember too. Come back to us."
Caelia's eyes widened. The storm trembled. And then—
Light.
SHARD OBTAINED: Tempest Class – CaelLigh
Skill Unlocked: Stormcall – Temporarily control weather patterns in battle.
Caelia sank to one knee. "I… remember. The Source. The purpose. I will follow."
Ren exhaled slowly.
Three Shards now walked with him.
But the storm had one last whisper:
FINAL SHARD LOCATION: Unknown.
WARNING: Anomaly Detected – Code Origin Breach.
And far below, in a chamber forgotten by time, an eye blinked open. It had no name. Only purpose. It had waited long enough.