The cavern thundered as Rondan's flaming steps clashed against the Warden's colossal axe. Each impact carved shockwaves through stone, sparks of crimson and black fire colliding in a storm that threatened to consume the entire chamber.
Rondan's body screamed with pain—his arms burned, his lungs seared, but his resolve remained unbroken. Every motion of his dance carried a defiance that even the chains of the gods could not smother.
The Warden swung once more, a crushing blow aimed to end him. Rondan dropped low, sliding across shattered stone. His crimson flame burst outward, spiraling around him like a serpent unleashed.
Leina's voice tore through the roar of battle.
"Now, Rondan! Strike the fissure—its heart is there!"
Rondan's crimson eyes locked on the crack seared across the Warden's chest—the scar from his earlier strike. With a roar that shook his very soul, he leapt, blade raised high.
The whisper inside him surged, stronger than ever.
"Burn it. Break the chain."
He brought his sword down in a blazing arc.
The cavern erupted in crimson light. His blade pierced the fissure, and flames roared outward, devouring the Warden from within. The creature howled, its body convulsing as cracks of light split its obsidian armor.
Then, with a final shattering roar, the Warden exploded into shards of burning stone, its axe crumbling into ash.
Silence fell. Only Rondan's ragged breathing and the hiss of fading fire filled the cavern. He collapsed to one knee, sword buried in the ground, crimson flames still flickering around him.
Leina rushed forward, her silver eyes wide with disbelief.
"You… you destroyed a Warden."
Rondan lifted his gaze to the skyless cavern roof. His flames dimmed, but his crimson eyes burned brighter than ever.
"No," he said hoarsely. "I broke a chain."
For a moment, victory hung in the air.
But then… the cavern trembled. The shattered fragments of the Warden's body glowed faintly, runes crawling across the stone floor like living fire. From deep within the earth, a low, echoing sound rose—like the growl of something far greater, still bound, still waiting.
Leina gripped his arm tightly, her voice a whisper of dread.
"This was only a guardian. If the Forgotten Flame stirs… then our real battle hasn't even begun."
Rondan's hand tightened around his sword, his crimson flame answering the call of something darker below.
> The chains were breaking.
And with each one shattered, the world trembled closer to awakening a fire that could devour heaven itself.