BETWEEN FLAMES AND LIGHTNING, THE PROPHECY AWAKENS
The sun had barely risen over the horizon when Zyrion awoke with a jolt. For a brief instant, his eyes turned completely white, and a fleeting vision crossed his mind: two figures wrapped in fire and lightning, advancing toward them.
He blinked, and his eyes returned to normal. He sat up, breathing deeply, attempting to understand what he had just experienced.
Hours later, as the group prepared to continue their journey, an overwhelming presence washed over them. Two figures emerged from the forest: one surrounded by dancing flames, the other wrapped in crackling sparks.
"Who are they?" asked Kyrahna, gripping her weapon.
"Xalorian, bearer of fire," said the figure engulfed in flames.
"And Loryan, bearer of lightning," added the other.
"We have come in search of Zyrion."
The group tensed, readying themselves for whatever might come next.
Zyrion stepped forward, gaze steady.
"I'm here. What do you want from me?"
Xalorian and Loryan exchanged a silent look before answering.
"Your fragment."
The atmosphere grew dense. The other bearers positioned themselves around Zyrion, ready to defend him.
"I won't let you take what's mine," Zyrion declared, his voice unwavering.
Xalorian took one step forward, his flames intensifying.
"Then you force us to take it by force."
Before he could strike, Zyrion lifted a hand.
"Wait. Why now? Why look for me after all this time?"
Loryan answered, his voice like distant thunder.
"The prophecy is about to be fulfilled. The fragment you carry is the key to awakening the ancestral power sleeping within this world."
Zyrion frowned, recalling the visions he had seen.
"What happens if that power wakes?"
"The balance will shatter," said Xalorian.
"And only the worthy will be able to control the new order."
Zyrion looked at his companions, then at the newcomers.
"I won't let that power fall into the wrong hands."
Xalorian smiled.
"Then prepare to fight for it."
The battle erupted. Xalorian unleashed a wave of fire across the field while Loryan summoned lightning that zigzagged violently through the air.
The bearers responded with their own powers, creating a storm of lights and roaring energy.
Zyrion clashed directly with Xalorian, their blades colliding with explosive force.
"I won't let you destroy what we've built!"
Xalorian laughed.
"Then show me your true power!"
Meanwhile, Loryan faced Kyrahna and Taliena, his lightning attacks diverted and countered by their combined abilities.
"Do not underestimate the power of lightning!" shouted Loryan.
"And you don't underestimate our resolve!" Kyrahna shouted back.
Amid the chaos, Zyrion felt a growing energy inside him. The fragment he carried began glowing intensely, and a voice echoed in his mind.
"The moment has come. The prophecy awakens. The bearer must decide the world's fate."
Zyrion shouted, releasing a surge of energy that halted the battle for a moment.
Everyone stared at him, stunned by his raw power.
"Enough!" Zyrion yelled.
"No more pointless fighting! We must unite if we are to face what's coming!"
Xalorian and Loryan exchanged another glance… and slowly nodded.
"Perhaps… you're right," said Xalorian.
"The true enemy has yet to arrive," added Loryan.
With the battle stopped and tensions softening, the bearers gathered around Zyrion.
"What did you see in that vision?" Taliena asked.
Zyrion looked toward the horizon, his expression hardening.
"An uncertain future. But I know that together… we can face it."
They all nodded. The real battle had only just begun.
The echoes of embers and thunder still lingered in the air as an eerie silence spread across the battlefield. Xalorian and Loryan breathed heavily, their energies drained after the violent clash of powers.
Zyrion remained standing, chest heaving, the fragment inside him still vibrating. Caelithra approached slowly—her face tense, but her eyes relieved. Taliena came next, with Kyrahna close behind. Velkran was about to make a sarcastic remark when a cold, wandering wind swept across the field.
A shadow fell over them.
"What… is that?" murmured Quindarion, stepping back, eyes narrowing toward the trees.
Five silhouettes emerged from the forest, walking in perfect synchrony like a pack of hunters. Their cloaks were black, trimmed with golden borders that slithered like living runes. Each wore a mask etched with fine lines and hollow, unblinking eyes.
Zyrion stepped forward instinctively, fists clenched.
"…Zykrath Nolthem," he muttered, stomach tightening. "They've returned."
Two women, three men. All young—around Velkran and Quindarion's age—but their presence drained the air itself.
The first woman, hair white as frost, stepped forward. Her voice was soft enough to seduce silence itself.
"Zyrion… I've been searching for you since you entered that lake. I felt the fragment attach to your soul—like it had been stolen from me. It does not belong to you."
Velkran stepped forward. "Oh great. Another fragment-obsessed maniac. What part of 'he's not giving it up' do you people not understand?"
Xalorian placed himself between Velkran and the woman, sneering. "Do not interfere. We are not on the same side this time."
"Since when were we ever on the same side?" Velkran shot back. "Round two, fire hazard?"
Xalorian barked a broken laugh, flames erupting along his arm.
"With pleasure, lightning boy."
Velkran launched himself instantly—his speed cracked the ground beneath him—slamming into Xalorian with force that shook the trees.
At the same time, Loryan turned toward Quindarion, who had already activated the Teleportation Fragment ring. They exchanged a glance… and vanished in twin bursts of light.
Zyrion tried to move, but a sudden pressure crushed against his chest. The frost-haired woman now stood inches from his face—no one had seen her move.
"You are holding something you do not understand, Zyrion."
He stepped back. "I don't need to understand it to protect it."
She extended a slender hand. The fragment inside Zyrion vibrated violently.
"How have you kept it contained so long… without losing yourself?"
Caelithra appeared beside him, standing firmly in his defense.
"Stay away from him."
"Interesting," murmured the woman, smiling behind her mask. "Is she your anchor, Zyrion?"
"You have no idea who she is," Zyrion said coldly, power stirring inside him.
The woman attacked. A wave of black energy shot from her fingers—colliding with a sudden barrier of ice Caelithra conjured in a split second. The impact sounded like a thousand shattering crystals.
"And who are you?" Caelithra spat.
"My name is Nyssira. And I am here to reclaim what was promised to me before you were even born."
Zyrion growled, stepping in front of Caelithra. "Then you'll be leaving empty-handed."
Across the field, Velkran and Xalorian clashed in a storm of flame and speed. Velkran dodged with precision, each step leaving a silver trail.
"Come on, walking bonfire!" Velkran taunted. "Thought fire was supposed to be fast!"
Xalorian roared, spinning with a volcanic blast. "Do not mock the eternal flame!"
Their battle became a blazing dance of destruction.
Elsewhere, Quindarion and Loryan clashed amid blinding sparks. Lightning mixed with teleportation flashes as Quindarion flickered across the battlefield like an elusive mirage.
"You're infuriating!" Loryan shouted. "Stay still so I can break you!"
"That doesn't sound like a good idea!" Quindarion yelled back, hurling short-range light blades.
Nyssira approached Zyrion again, her voice calm and venomous.
"I only need to… touch you. Right here."
Her finger brushed Zyrion's chest. A dark force tried to wrench the fragment out of him.
But something stopped it.
Zyrion's eyes glowed faint white.
"You don't decide that. It already chose."
A wave of energy exploded outward, throwing Nyssira several meters back. Her mask shattered on the ground, revealing a beautiful face marked by ancient scars and burning hatred.
"Damn you, Zyrion! You don't understand what you've done!"
Zyrion dropped to his knees. All the fragments across the field vibrated in unison. Every bearer's ring glowed—like some ancient signal summoned them together.
"It's… beginning," Kyrahna whispered. "The ancestral call…"
Taliena rushed to Zyrion, helping him stand.
"What's happening to you?"
Zyrion breathed heavily. "A voice… inside me. It says… the judgment approaches."
Velkran returned, panting, burned but grinning. "Well. I can cross 'beat a walking volcano' off my list."
Quindarion fell from the sky laughing. "And I survived a lightning god-wannabe!"
Zyrion looked at them… then at Caelithra, Taliena, Kyrahna… then the horizon. The fragment pulsed violently inside him.
"Something is coming. Something bigger than them. The real trial… is about to begin."
And deep within his soul, the fragment spoke again:
"The prophecy shall rise through blood, betrayal,and a fire older than time.Prepare yourself, Zyrion.You are the first link…and the last."
TO BE CONTINUED…