The smoke had barely lifted from Ember Square when another wound opened in Solaris. Not fire this time—fear. Fear that slithered through streets and lodged itself in throats. The clergy moved fast. They always did. Where chains cracked, they hammered harder. Where voices rose, they shouted louder.
Andy and Nia walked with the Resistance through the shattered avenues, every face they passed a mixture of awe and dread. Some whispered their names. Others spat, as if to prove to themselves they weren't afraid of Ashens by showing they were afraid of them instead. Solaris was breaking along lines no one could see, but everyone could feel.
The System wrote its quiet warnings over the fractured city.
[Public Sentiment Updated]
Resistance Support: Strong
Hostility: Strong
Solaris Stability: Crumbling
Andy grimaced at the message. "Strong and strong," he muttered. "That means nothing's steady."
Nia glanced at the people crowding doorways to watch them pass. "It means they're choosing sides. That's better than no side at all."
---
They found the fires waiting in the southern district—a poorer quarter where roofs were patched with scrap wood and streets ran with waste. The Resistance had been trying to build footholds here, but Ashens' priests struck first. Zealots patrolled in small packs, dragging people from their homes, chanting of purification. And at the center of the quarter, another shrine had begun to stir, flames rising out of bare cobblestone where no brazier stood.
Andy felt his blood heat before he even saw it. "He's planting them now. Faster."
The System chimed in, harsh as steel:
[Warning: Unstable Shrine Detected]
[Manifestation Node Forming]
The zealots noticed them first. Their weapons flared brighter than torches, fire licking the metal, heat warping the air. They came in a wave, shrieking oaths to Ashens.
Andy surged forward, Dragon Form crackling across his skin, the scales brighter now than the last fight. His first swing shattered a zealot's blade, fire bursting like an opened vein. Nia stepped in behind him, chains of light snapping out to bind two more, her staff pulsing like a heartbeat.
The Resistance charged with them, but it was Andy and Nia who broke the line.
[Bond Progression: 97% → 98%]
[Bond Level: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆]
[Progress: 98%]
[Skill Activated: Resonance Blade]
[Mastery Increased +2%]
Their combined strike ripped a swath through the zealots, fire sputtering out on their bodies. Civilians watching from alleys gasped, some shouting encouragement, others praying louder to Ashens. Solaris wasn't won yet.
---
Then the shrine erupted.
The cobblestones split, and a column of fire roared up, forming the outline of a figure made of ember and ash. It didn't finish becoming flesh—but it didn't need to. The heat was unbearable. The civilians nearest collapsed, choking on smoke.
Andy staggered, fire inside him answering the call. His dragon blood screamed. His knees hit stone.
Nia was there instantly, her hand on his shoulder, the rings burning together. "Anchor. To me."
The fire inside bent. It didn't vanish—it never did—but it circled, leashed, forced to dance to their rhythm.
[Passive Trigger: Emotional Anchor Activated]
[Bond Progression: 98% → 99%]
[Bond Level: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆]
[Progress: 99%]
[Dragon Instinct Backlash Reduced 30%]
Andy rose, blades flaring with both fire and water. "Let's cut him off before it roots."
Together, they struck. Resonance Guard flared around the fleeing civilians as the Ember Node lashed fire at them. Resonance Blade burned a path straight into the heart of the unstable shrine. The clash shook the district, roofs collapsing under the shockwave.
[Quest Progress: 4/5 Shrines Neutralized]
[Item Acquired: Ember Vein Fragment]
[Effect: Can fuse with Ember Core for enhanced flame control]
The ember figure shattered, scattering into sparks.
---
But victory wasn't quiet.
From the broken shrine, a shadow rose—Ashens' laughter, echoing not in ears but in bones. "Every chain you break, I remake with flame. You bleed for them, and I smile."
His voice faded, but the fires he left in the southern district did not. They burned in gutters, in the eyes of zealots still snarling, in the people still trembling whether to believe.
Nia lowered her staff, her shoulders trembling with fatigue. Andy caught her before she fell. Their foreheads brushed, breath mingling in smoke.
The System's chime was softer this time, but it struck deeper than fire:
[Bond Progression: 99% → 100%]
[Bond Level: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆☆]
[Progress: 0%]
[Star Upgrade Achieved!]
[New Reward: Dual Soul Awakening — Dragonlight Form Unlocked]
[Shared Inventory Expanded]
Andy froze, eyes wide as the text burned across his vision. Nia gasped, seeing the same. Their bond had crossed the threshold—no longer just resonance, but something brighter, heavier, truer.
Solaris roared with chaos around them, but for one fragile heartbeat, Andy and Nia only saw each other.
"Dragonlight," Andy whispered.
"Together," Nia said, and smiled.
The fires of Ashens raged on, but a new flame had been born.
---