Morning returned to Solaris, but peace did not.
The city groaned with arguments, chants, and whispers that tangled like smoke in the narrow streets. From balconies, priests in crimson robes shouted sermons of fire: "The blasphemers must burn! Their false light cannot stand before the true flame!" From the alleys below, quieter voices whispered, "Did you see? The shrine fell. Chains can break. Maybe we can too."
Andy pulled his hood low, but he felt the eyes even when no one dared to meet his directly. It wasn't recognition—it was weight. As if the city itself remembered the fire in his blades.
On the cracked plaster walls, propaganda had already bloomed overnight: a painted phoenix, black wings spread wide, with words scrawled beneath: Blasphemers Must Burn. The brushstrokes were jagged, as if painted in fury rather than devotion.
"They're turning fear into chains again," Andy muttered. His hand twitched toward the hilt at his side, though he didn't draw.
Nia walked close, her staff hidden under cloth, her voice low. "Let them chain shadows. We're breaking the real ones." Her fingers brushed his sleeve. The warmth of her touch cut through the morning chill.
The System pulsed softly:
[Public Sentiment Updated]
Resistance Support: Low → Moderate
Hostility: Low → High
Andy exhaled slowly. "So they fear us more."
"They see us more," Nia corrected. "That's how fear begins to crack."
---
Beneath the cobbled streets, the safehouse pulsed with life. Resistance fighters gathered shoulder to shoulder with frightened citizens who had come with nothing but trembling hope. The air was thick with sweat, damp earth, and anticipation.
At the table, a young woman slammed her palm down. "I saw them! They burned the shrine. We can fight!"
"No," argued a bent man with scarred hands. "Ashen will strike back harder. You don't know his fire. You don't know what his priests can do."
Murmurs rose, fear clashing with courage, the same struggle that haunted every corner of Solaris.
Nia stepped forward, silver glow blooming faintly around her. Her voice sliced through the noise—calm but unyielding. "You saw chains break. You saw the flame die. That was no god—it was theft. If it can bleed, it can fall. If it can fall, you can rise."
The crowd hushed. Hope trembled in their eyes, fragile but real.
The System chimed across both their visions:
[Bond Progression: 73% → 75%]
[Current Star: ★★★☆☆]
[Star 3 Progress: 75%]
[Effect: Arcane Diplomacy Influence +2%]
Andy glanced sideways at her, faintly smiling despite himself. She doesn't just wield light—she plants it.
---
Later, a runner arrived breathless, clutching scraps of parchment. "News from the underground. The Ember Square Shrine. They've started pulling people into it—calling them sacrifices. Whole families taken."
Andy's fists clenched. Heat surged along his veins, dragon fire pushing at his control. "Then we go. Now."
But the air tightened, the whisper crawling into his mind again. "You can break walls, but you cannot break belief. Burn, child of dragon, and she will burn beside you."
Andy swayed, teeth grinding, vision narrowing.
Nia's hand shot to his shoulder, rings burning together. "Anchor. To me."
The storm steadied. His breaths synced to hers. The whisper recoiled.
[Passive Trigger: Emotional Anchor Activated]
[Dragon Instinct Stabilized — Mana Backlash Reduced 15%]
Andy exhaled, grounding himself. His eyes found hers, gratitude sharp as fire. "I won't let him use me."
"You never will," she said simply, and for a moment he believed it more than the System's numbers.
---
Dusk cloaked Solaris in molten red as they crossed the market bridge. Crowds pushed around them, baskets of food and bundles of cloth clutched tight, children tugging mothers' hands.
Then the brazier on the bridge burst.
Fire spewed skyward, washing the bridge in crimson light. Clergy in red robes stepped forward, zealot elites rising with molten weapons, their chants shaking the air.
Panic erupted. Civilians screamed, trampling each other in a desperate rush to escape.
Andy's blades were already out. Mana stormed his body, scales crawling across his arms. Dragon Warrior Form—Tier Two.
The zealots charged.
Andy roared and met them, blades slamming into molten steel, fire against fire. Sparks cascaded into the river below. Each strike echoed like thunder across the bridge.
A zealot raised his weapon toward a fleeing mother—
Nia's staff blazed, Holy Light Chains snapping forward, binding the zealot's limbs in radiant shackles. He shrieked as the light burned through his corruption.
Andy pivoted, his strike timed with her chant. Flame and water twisted, then collided with her radiance.
The System pulsed:
[Bond Progression: 75% → 78%]
[Current Star: ★★★☆☆]
[Star 3 Progress: 78%]
[Skill Activated: Resonance Blade]
[Resonance Blade Mastery +3%]
Their combined slash carved through the zealot elite, brilliance flooding the bridge. Civilians gasped—some crying, some dropping to their knees.
The zealots faltered. For the first time, they looked afraid.
---
When the fire died, the bridge lay scarred but standing. Dozens of eyes fixed on Andy and Nia—some wide with awe, others trembling with terror.
A boy pointed. "They fight for us."
His mother pulled him close, whispering, "Or they'll bring Ashen's wrath."
The Resistance hurried to move survivors off the bridge. Andy stood, blades heavy at his sides, watching the crowd fracture between belief and fear.
His voice was low, ragged. "If we fail… all this is ash."
Nia took his hand, her gaze unshaken. "Then we don't fail. Because we don't stand alone."
The System hummed:
[Bond Progression: 78% → 80%]
[Star 3 Progress: 80%]
[Hidden Passive Unlocked: Shared Conviction]
[Effect: Allies gain morale when witnessing your battle]
Andy blinked at the message, then at the people who lingered, staring not with chains in their eyes—but sparks. He tightened his grip on her hand.
Above, the sky shifted. A shadow stretched wide, wings blotting out the last of the sunlight. The Phoenix soared once across Solaris, silent, watching.
Andy's chest clenched. "He's close."
Nia's voice was soft but fierce. "Then so are we."
---