The valley blazed as shards of Elira's crown embedded into every torch, every shield, every heart. Ashbound flame burned brighter, Emberkin smoke thickened into living walls. For the first time, grief did not weaken them—it bound them together.
Kael staggered to his feet, blade gleaming with shard‑light. "We are no longer divided. Flame and smoke are one!"
The warriors roared, surging forward. Torches struck against Marlic's champions, shields deflected the storm's lash. Where one faltered, another rose. Where grief pressed down, memory lifted them.
Elira stood at the center, her eyes blazing with shard‑fire. Though the crown was shattered, its power lived in all who endured. "Together," she cried, "we are memory reborn!"
The alliance advanced, flame and smoke entwined, pushing Marlic's storm back step by step.