The fires had not yet died.
Even as the molten wreckage of the Abyssal Furnace cooled, the stench of scorched flesh, ash, and magma lingered in the air. The great forge-beast collapsed beneath Emberhold's ruined tunnels had finally perished, its heart of core-lava shattered by Aira's hand. But in its death throes, it had cracked the cavern walls, and now the entire underbelly of the city trembled.
Aira stood at the epicenter, her flame-tattered cloak fluttering, her breathing shallow. The Flame Clones flickered beside her—some stable, some already dissipating into sparks. Her blade, once red-hot, now pulsed faintly with a tired orange.
"Report," she croaked.
Kael limped to her side, his tunic torn, the wind still swirling protectively around his body. "All teams are evacuating. Mira's shield ward is barely holding the ceiling back. We've got ten minutes at most before this whole sector collapses."
Seris appeared, her twin daggers still stained with shadowbeast blood. "The rear guard is fighting a retreat, but we're holding. Aira… it's over. You did it."
She wanted to believe it. She wanted to drop to her knees and rest.
But her system pinged again.
DING!
> Talent Mastery Achieved: Flame Clone — 100%
> Hidden Trait Unlocked: Ignis Avatar — Temporarily merge all Flame Clones into a singular flame form, amplifying power, speed, and regeneration by 300%.
Aira blinked.
"What is it?" Mira asked, seeing her dazed.
Aira smiled faintly. "A new trick. One that might keep us alive."
---
Part II: Last Surge
Just as the final evacuation wave prepared to leave, a rumble echoed from the Furnace depths.
From the molten rubble, a remnant—no, a resurrected echo—of the forge-beast rose. A fire elemental, half-formed, made of charred bone and magma coils, screeched and surged upward.
Kael cursed. "Seriously?!"
Aira didn't hesitate.
"Clear the path. I'll handle this."
She called forth four Flame Clones again.
They merged at her signal, swirling into a vortex of heat and light. The air shimmered, fire exploded outward, and in an instant, Aira stood transformed—her entire body cloaked in a living inferno, her eyes glowing molten gold.
Ignis Avatar Activated.
She flew forward like a comet.
The elemental swiped, but her movements blurred. She phased through molten rock, slashing deep into its core with strikes amplified by a thousand embers.
Strike after strike, her power surged. And then—
She drove her blade upward.
"IGNIS—
—FALL!"
With a scream of fire, she erupted into the creature's heart. A pillar of flame tore skyward, incinerating the elemental in a flash of white heat.
Silence followed.
Then the tunnel rumbled again—this time from collapse.
---
Part III: Escape and Collapse
Seris tackled her out of the blast radius. Kael wind-launched Mira and the medics up the slope. Aira hit the ground rolling, coughing blood but alive.
They emerged from the tunnel mouth just as it collapsed behind them.
Aira looked back—where once was a hellish forge of monsters and molten power, now only crumbled stone and drifting ash remained.
Guild banners were raised. Survivors cheered. Healers rushed forward. Mages reinforced the unstable ground.
Aira sat down heavily.
Mira approached, handing her a waterskin. "You okay?"
"I just want sleep and soup."
"Reasonable."
---
Part IV: The Aftermath
Back at the surface, the Council of Emberhold gathered. Guildmaster Thorne met her personally.
"You saved not just the mission," he said, "but the city's spine. That furnace was a beast den. If the second wave had reached it…"
He didn't need to finish.
Thorne handed her a medal—molten-forged, shaped like a phoenix in bloom.
> Awarded: Emberhold's Flameheart Title Gained: Defender of the Core
Kael toasted to her in the guildhall. Mira composed a lightshow. Seris stood silently beside her, eyes sharp
, loyal.
And Aira?
She looked toward the horizon.
The Beast Tide was not done. But for now… they had won.