The march north lasted seven days.
By the time the army reached the Citadel of Ash, the men no longer sang or boasted of conquest. Their armor had blackened with soot; their eyes hollowed from exhaustion. The land itself seemed to wither under their feet.
The Citadel rose before them like a wound in the earth — a fortress carved from obsidian cliffs, older than the kingdom itself. Flames danced within the cracks of its walls, and smoke rose in thin, endless ribbons to the sky.
Heidra dismounted before the gate. "Here," he said, "the fire will take form."
The soldiers exchanged uneasy glances. Even Axtin and Peter, loyal to the end, could feel something unnatural emanating from their king. His armor no longer gleamed gold; it pulsed faintly, as though alive.
Heidra lifted his hand, and the gates burst open on their own — molten symbols glowing red along the archway.
Inside, the Citadel's halls were vast and empty, echoing with whispers. Black stone statues lined the corridors, all shaped like kneeling men with faces twisted in agony.
Heidra's voice echoed as he walked. "Once, this was a temple of fire. The first flame was born here — the one the gods sought to hide. But I have found it again."
Denku followed at a distance, clutching a scroll of moonwater prayers. His voice trembled. "My king… the Citadel was sealed for a reason. Its fire is not ours to claim."
Heidra turned slowly, and for a moment Denku saw something monstrous in his expression — his eyes flickering between human and something deeper, ancient, unblinking.
> "Do you think I am a man, Denku?" Heidra said softly. "No. I am what men become when they stop fearing gods."
---
That night, the Citadel pulsed with light. The army camped at its base, restless and uneasy. The heat from the fortress was unbearable — the ground itself glowed faintly red.
Endro walked among the soldiers, offering calm where he could. "Keep your faith," he told them quietly. "The gods have not abandoned us."
But even he no longer believed it fully.
As he gazed toward the sky, he saw the moon — swollen and bright, hanging too low. Around it, thin rings of silver swirled like ripples in water. Erdriel was watching.
And then, the storm began.
It came without warning — black clouds bursting from nowhere, winds shrieking across the desert. But instead of rain, it rained fire.
Bolts of flame struck the sand, turning it to glass. The soldiers screamed and scattered for cover. Horses reared, their manes burning.
Endro grabbed a fallen banner and used it to shield a group of wounded men. "Move! Get inside the walls!"
From within the Citadel, Heidra stepped out onto the balcony, untouched by the chaos. The storm seemed to circle him, as though drawn to his presence.
His voice boomed across the battlefield:
> "Do not fear the storm! It is the birth of a new age!"
He raised his hand, and a spear of pure fire erupted from his palm, striking the ground and splitting the earth. From the fissure rose black flames — silent, cold, and unnatural.
Denku fell to his knees, tears streaming down his face. "He's not commanding the fire anymore… it's commanding him."
---
Back in Zorenthia, the palace trembled as the skies turned red. The queen's gardens withered, the fountains dried, and cracks appeared in the marble floor.
Prince Adi stood upon the highest tower, his eyes wide as he watched the distant horizon glow like a furnace. Siegel joined him, her hand clutching the vial of moonwater Endro had sent.
"The air smells like smoke," she whispered.
Adi nodded grimly. "He's done something. Something that's changing the land itself."
Suddenly, the moonlight above intensified, and a beam of silver struck the temple below. Erdriel's voice echoed faintly through the wind:
> "The fire has awakened. The curse has begun. You must reach the Citadel before the world turns to cinder."
Adi turned to Siegel. "Then we leave tonight."
"But the roads—"
He met her eyes. "If we wait, there will be no roads left."
---
In the desert, the storm finally faded. The soldiers huddled in silence, staring at the devastation. Dozens were dead; the sands glowed faintly beneath their feet.
Heidra descended from the balcony, his cloak scorched but his body unharmed. A faint, eerie light pulsed from beneath his armor.
Endro stepped forward. "My king… the men are dying. This war will consume us all. We must stop."
Heidra's head tilted slightly, as if trying to remember what stop meant. "Stop?"
Endro met his eyes, forcing courage into his voice. "Before there is nothing left to rule."
For a heartbeat, silence hung between them. Then Heidra smiled — slow, cold, and cruel.
> "You speak as if I still need a kingdom."
Without warning, he raised his hand. A burst of red flame struck the ground at Endro's feet, sending him sprawling.
The soldiers gasped, but none dared move.
Heidra loomed over him. "Do not mistake mercy for weakness. The fire obeys only me."
He turned to his army. "We march at dawn to the northern peaks. There, the Orb shall rise fully — and when it does, even the moon will kneel."
He left them standing amid smoke and silence.
---
Later that night, Denku found Endro by the ashes of the camp. The commander's armor was scorched, his hands trembling.
"Are you alive?" Denku asked softly.
"Barely," Endro muttered. "But I saw his eyes, Denku. There's nothing human left."
Denku looked up at the moon. "Then may the gods forgive us. For soon, the fire will burn through the heavens themselves."
Above them, a streak of silver light crossed the sky — Erdriel's sign.
And for the first time in centuries, the moon wept.