Ashes floated in the air like memories. The ruins of the settlement the team was passing through still smoldered with the heat of unquenched pain. The red glow of the afternoon sun gave the ruins an illusory warmth, but what remained of this place was dead.
Arwen knelt down, running her hand over the burnt circle.
— Only shadows remain here too... — she whispered, more to herself than to her companions.
Valdor picked up a melted toy from the ground. A small dragon, made of wood and leather, crumbled under his fingers.
— They even kill memories...
Mayuri was silent. Her gaze lingered on a burnt mark on the wall — a dragon rune. The same one Valdor wore.
There was a rustling sound from behind the ruins. Kael turned around quickly, standing at the ready. Valdor grabbed the hilt of his sword. A figure emerged from the ashes — a boy with burning hands and sparkling eyes.
— Too loud for the dead. — he said.
— We're not looking for a fight. — Valdor said calmly, without reaching for his weapon.
— I heard the same thing from those I had to bury afterwards. — replied the boy with a smile full of anger.
The flames around his hands burned brighter. The ground shook. The boy — Noah — struck with a wave of fire. Mayuri raised a barrier of shadow to protect the team. Kael and Arwen stood ready to counterattack.
Valdor didn't move. Walking through the fire, he looked the boy straight in the eye. The heat didn't burn him — it was as if the fire recognized him.
— What...? You too...? — Noah froze.
Mayuri took a step forward.
— We are not from the Empire. We are not pawns.
Noah looked at her for a long moment. Finally, he took a deep breath.
— Shadow and fire together. A rare sight.
Valdor approached him and took him by the arm.
— Enough. Either you're with us... or against us.
Noah raised an eyebrow as if he were about to make a sarcastic comment... but his lips remained sealed. He looked Valdor in the eye.
He saw no mercy there. No compassion. No contempt. Only pure, burning truth in his heart — no mask, no manipulation.
*"This guy isn't bluffing..."* — flashed through his mind. *"But he doesn't see me as a weapon. Just as someone who can still choose."*
His fists twitched, the flames died down.
— Damn it. — he muttered. — I think I've just been convinced. But if it turns out that this is all a lie... I'll burn you without regret.
In the evening, they sat by the fire. Noah was silent for a long time, staring into the flames.
— I was one of their projects. A child of fire. An experiment by the Black Guard. Children like me were locked in capsules, as if we were materials. Not all of us survived. I... burned down the laboratory. I escaped.
Everyone fell silent. The fire crackled softly, casting shadows on their faces.
— So you know how much loss hurts. — Valdor said quietly.
— You're not the only one who suffered. — Arwen added.
As the team moved on, they reached an old bridge spanning a chasm. The stones creaked under their feet, and runes glowed among the moss.
— It's a spell... a trap! — Mayuri cried, stopping in her tracks.
— Watch out! — Kael shouted, but it was too late.
An explosion tore through the air, separating them. Imperial soldiers rushed out of the ruins and thickets. The battle began immediately.
The enemies emerged from the forest like shadows—an Imperial unit armed with runic spells and bracers bearing the Emperor's burning mark. Shouts, orders, the roar of explosions.
Valdor shielded Kael, who could barely stand. Arwen darted sideways, her silhouette turning into shadow and claws. Mayuri built more barriers, but not all of them could withstand the weight of the spells. Noah responded with a wave of fire that cut through the enemy line, incinerating two soldiers in midair.
— Fight together! — Valdor roared.
The battle lasted a long time. The bodies of their opponents fell one after another, until finally, the last of the imperial scouts collapsed into the mud, his amulet shattering with a crack. The silence after the clash was almost heavier than the battle itself.
Valdor stood in the midst of destruction, covered in dust and fire. He leaned on his sword, breathing heavily.
Mayuri knelt down—not because of her wounds, but because of the trembling that had overcome her. The shadow in her mind returned.
— Come back to us... daughter of the night...
She flinched. Her body weakened. The vision of a demon emerging from the past clouded her vision.
Valdor approached, knelt beside her, and placed his hand on her shoulder — not suddenly, not violently. He was simply there.
— It's not you. What they did to you does not define you.
Mayuri didn't answer, but she snuggled up to him without a word. Tears ran down her cheeks, silently. Valdor let her cry. He said nothing more.
Later, by the fire, Valdor stood up and raised his sword to the sky.
— This is not revenge. This is redemption.
The team gathered around him.
— I will not lay down my sword... until we reclaim the Dragon Kingdom.
Noah raised an eyebrow in appreciation, smiling to himself.
— Finally, someone who speaks my language.
Kael drew a trail in the sand.
— The ruins of the Holy Bastion. That's where fate is leading us.
From a distance, a shadow watched them from a hill. The man with the Empire's signet ring sent a message through a magic mirror.
— They are close to the bastion. Intercept them.
When they arrived in the morning, the Bastion rose from the ground like the teeth of a dead dragon. Stone statues were covered with moss, and ancient magic hung in the air.
Mayuri stopped suddenly, sensing something.
— It's a magic field... very old. And hungry.
— Don't touch anything! — Kael shouted, but Noah had already touched a hidden marker.
The ground exploded.
Valdor, Mayuri, and Arwen fell into the depths, landing in a hall of mirrors. Noah and Kael were separated, ending up in a dark tunnel.
— Great. — Kael muttered. — Separated again.
The chamber of reflections was surreal. Illusions stretched out on all sides, mixing memories and visions.
Mayuri approached one of the mirrors. In the reflection, she saw herself as a child—pale, her eyes full of fear. Around her were runes, capsules, cold.
Her mother's voice echoed in her head:
— *You are our vessel... our last legacy...*
Mayuri shuddered, but this time she did not back away.
— I am not yours — she whispered. — Not anymore.
Valdor, standing nearby, touched the stone pillar. The runes exploded with light. The vision hit him like a blow.
He saw his mother fighting the legions of the Empire. Her body was wounded, but her heart was unyielding.
— You have always been the light, Valdor... — she whispered.
He fell to his knees. The runes danced on his skin.
Mayuri immediately ran up and grabbed his arm.
— Stay... don't disappear. Not now.
Valdor looked at her, clearly moved.
Next to Arwen, she approached another mirror. Her vision was bloody—her sister's body, wolf eyes, fire, fear.
— I swear... you will not die in vain. — she whispered.
The team was silent. Each of them looked at their own reflection — and passed through their own fires.
At the same time
In the dark tunnel where Noah and Kael had ended up, the tension was palpable. The walls breathed magic, and the echo of footsteps reverberated in their heads
— Do you think they're still alive? — Noah asked in a hushed voice.
— If anyone can survive a fall into hell, it's them. — Kael replied, gripping the hilt of his sword more tightly.
A silhouette emerged from the darkness. Deep black armor, an expressionless mask, a sword dripping with ethereal fire.
— An elite warrior... — Kael whispered.
The figure said nothing. It just moved forward.
Noah and Kael stood ready to fight.