The valley floor trembled as the group left the Obelisk behind. The air was heavy with ash, and the sky churned with stormclouds that seemed unnaturally drawn to the place. Ryan's new weapons pulsed faintly with life — the Shardforged Gauntlets glowing with emberlight along his forearms, the Shardfire Sword strapped across his back.
Kaelin walked beside him, silent, her silver eyes cutting toward him more than once. Lyra followed with Elara, who kept sneaking proud little glances at Ryan as though she'd been the one to forge him anew.
The silence shattered with a roar.
From the ridges above, a pack of beasts poured down — hulking reptilian creatures with jagged horns and scales that shimmered like broken glass. Their eyes burned a sickly green, dripping with void energy.
"Shadehorns!" Lyra called, raising a barrier of light as the first slammed into them. The impact cracked the ground, sending shockwaves through the valley.
Kaelin leapt forward, blade flashing. She struck true — but the beast barely staggered. Her silver hair whipped as she cursed under her breath. "Too thick!"
Ryan stepped forward, fire coursing through his veins. The shard inside him pulsed, and the gauntlets lit up with living flame. He clenched his fists, heat rolling off him in waves.
"Then I'll break through."
---
The Battle Ignites
The Shadehorn lunged. Ryan didn't dodge — he met it head-on. His gauntleted fist collided with its horned skull, and the impact cracked like thunder. Shardfire exploded outward, hurling the beast back in a spray of molten shards.
Kaelin froze mid-strike, eyes wide. "…What?"
Another Shadehorn circled, charging at Lyra's barrier. Ryan drew the Shardfire Sword, its edge blazing with molten veins. With one fluid motion, he swung — a crescent of flame cut through the air, slicing across the beast's flank. It screeched, collapsing as smoke rose from its wounds.
Lyra's breath caught, her ward shimmering as her eyes fixed on him. "Ryan… your aura…"
But there was no time to marvel. More poured in — five, six, then a dozen. Kaelin tightened her grip on her blade. "We can't hold them all!"
Ryan stepped forward, gauntlets blazing, sword humming with fire. "Then we don't hold. We burn them down."
---
The Proving
He became a storm. His gauntlets struck like meteors, each punch detonating with shardfire shockwaves that threw beasts sprawling. His sword carved arcs of molten light, splitting scales and horns as though they were brittle glass.
The more he fought, the hotter his aura burned — not wild, not unstable, but controlled, flowing between fist and blade in seamless rhythm. Punch, strike, pulse, slash — he was both predator and protector, fire and steel.
Kaelin found herself staggering to keep up. For the first time, she wasn't shielding him — he was cutting the path ahead of her.
Lyra's barrier dimmed, not from strain, but because she no longer needed to protect him. She simply watched, awe and something deeper stirring in her eyes.
Even Elara cheered from behind her. "Go, Daddy! Smash them!"
Ryan roared, driving both gauntlets into the ground. Shardfire surged out in a ring of flame, blasting the last Shadehorns back into ash and embers. The valley fell silent, save for the hiss of cooling stone.
---
Aftermath
Ryan stood in the center of the devastation, chest heaving, gauntlets glowing, sword burning faintly before dimming as he sheathed it.
Kaelin approached slowly, her expression unreadable. Finally, she smirked — but there was pride, and something like respect, in her eyes. "Looks like you don't need me watching your back anymore."
Lyra stepped closer, touching his arm lightly. Her voice was soft, almost reverent. "No… now we follow his lead."
Elara barreled into him, nearly knocking him over, giggling despite the danger that had just passed. "You were amazing!"
Ryan ruffled her hair, a tired grin spreading across his face. He looked at Kaelin, then Lyra, both watching him with expressions that said more than words ever could.
He wasn't just surviving anymore. He wasn't just learning.
He was becoming the strongest among them.
✨ Author's Note ✨
Thank you so much for reading this chapter! Your thoughts and feedback mean the world to me — they help me grow as a writer and keep the story alive. If you enjoyed the chapter, please consider leaving a comment or a like. Tell me what you loved, what surprised you, or even what you'd like to see more of. Every bit of support encourages me to keep pushing Ryan's journey forward. Let's make this adventure unforgettable — together!