The rumble beneath the Whispering Forest grew louder, shaking the ground as if the world itself were groaning in pain. Roots cracked, stones split, and ancient trees shuddered in warning of something stirring deep within the earth. Lysara's breath caught as she stared into the widening fissure that had torn open the forest floor, mere yards from where she shielded the golden-eyed child.
The infant's light pulsed unevenly a fragile beacon amid the rising shadows.
From the chasm below, a colossal figure began to emerge. Towering and cloaked in obsidian scales that shimmered like the void between stars, it radiated malice. Its eyes burned with the same corrosive black fire that marked the Voidflame warriors. The earth trembled beneath its weight, and the forest groaned in defiance. Birds fled the treetops in panic, the sky erupting in chaos.
The child's golden glow flared, pushing back the darkness like a tide. Lysara tightened her grip on her sword and whispered, "Hold on, little one. This battle is far from over."
Farther south, the army of Salverdine surged through the forest paths, the din of hooves, armor, and breathless commands cutting through the morning stillness. Cobard rode at the front, his voice resolute.
"We're almost at the forest's edge. Prepare for anything."
Beside him, Aric rode in silence, the ember around his neck pulsing in perfect rhythm with his heartbeat.
"This is no ordinary enemy we face," he said, eyes fixed ahead. "The child's power has drawn something ancient something older than the Voidflame."
Cobard didn't argue. "Then we face it together. For the empire and for the world."
In the royal library of Salverdine, Solenine and Eryndor sat surrounded by ancient scrolls and dust covered tomes, their expressions grim beneath the flickering candlelight.
"There must be a way to stop this," Solenine murmured, frustration tightening her voice. "A weapon, a spell anything from the old days."
Eryndor carefully unfolded a brittle parchment, his fingers tracing faded ink.
"The Codex of the First Flame," he said slowly. "It speaks of a weapon forged in celestial fire powerful enough to seal the darkness of the Voidflame."
Solenine leaned forward, eyes widening. "Where is it?"
"The ruins beneath the Shattered Peaks," Eryndor replied. "But that place was lost long ago. No one's ventured there in generations."
Later that evening, Cobard gathered his advisors in a quiet glade just beyond the treeline. Maelis stood near Aric, her silver hair glowing faintly in the dusk.
"The Shattered Peaks may be our only chance," Cobard told the group. "It's dangerous. But if the Codex is real, we must find it."
Maelis spoke calmly but firmly. "Ancient guardians still protect those ruins. And the Voidflame's reach has already corrupted much of the land. We'll be hunted from the moment we set foot there."
"We can't delay," Aric said. "The longer we wait, the stronger the shadow becomes. The child is holding it back for now but not for long."
There was no further debate. A decision was made: a small, elite force would travel to the Shattered Peaks to seek the Codex and the weapon it promised.
In the forest clearing, the child stood still in Lysara's arms, golden eyes fixed on the massive figure rising from the earth. The light within the infant had changed,no longer flickering in fear, but pulsing with strength and intention.
Suddenly, the child's hands lifted, glowing with radiant fire. A wave of light burst outward, slamming into the monster and forcing it to stagger. For the first time, the creature hesitated.
Lysara looked at the child in awe. Whatever slumbering power lay within was waking. The world had shifted and this was only the beginning.