I turned from the frozen form, with a smile. Felicity tilted her head, eyebrow arched. "We're not just going to leave him here, are we?" she asked, her new silver eyes glittering." Faeluxe giggled faintly, "He does make a fine lawn ornament." Marla crossed her arms, fangs baring slightly in her smirk. "The weight of his sins should be carried, not buried."
I let the silence hang a moment longer before I spoke. "Hammer head," I said. The big Shark-man was already cracking his neck, "Yeah, yeah. You want me to lug Rocky here back to the ship?" I nodded, "Strap him to your back if you have to. He's coming with us." Hammerhead hoisted the petrified Red Cap with a grunt, the stone ground cracking slightly under the strain. "This statue's gonna be real popular," he muttered.
Little to Hammerheads knowledge those words would ring true. After a hike back through the volcano we finally boarded the waiting Star bite and her crew. The Star bite soared back through storm and sky, returning victorious. When we landed at the growing settlement of the Iron Fang Clan, I wasted no time. "Put him there," I said, pointing to the open plaza where new stones were being laid—what would become the heart of a new stronghold. Hammerhead dumped the statue with a heavy thud, right in the center of the square.
Within minutes, it became a curiosity. Children climbed on the twisted shape of Red Cap's snarling, frozen face. Within Hours, word began to travel of a bizarre statue. Locals whispered of the fallen Sovereign turned plaything. Felicity sat nearby with a crooked smile. "From warlord… to playground."
I folded my arms, watching the sun glint off the stone. "Let them all remember what happens to tyrants who mock the Terrans."
And thus, Red Cap became a monument—not of glory, but of defeat. And a warning.
To the Moon.
To the Seraph.
To all Sovereigns who might come next.
News of Red Cap's defeat spread like wildfire—passed from chi-scryer to sky-whale courier, from spirit dove to echo drum. Within hours, it reached every corner of the Beast Vein Continent. The statue in the plaza stood like a divine declaration. A Sovereign had fallen. The tyrant of the Obsidian Half-Pipe, the sadist of the Slaughter Rinks—gone.
Not sealed. Not escaped. Not reincarnated. Turned to stone. By Terrans. That night across the Beast Vein Continent celebrations erupted. In the Verdant Scar, wolf-cults howled into the winds and lit effigies of broken helmets. In the Root Cities, the alchemists detonated sky-dust in honor of rebellion. Even the stoic clans of the Iron Mountains set their banners alight in ritual fire, letting sparks rise to heaven. Fireworks painted the night with brilliant animus flares—crimson hydras, golden phoenixes, silver serpents.
In every city and cratered fortress, bards rewrote their verses. And whispered one name. Ashriel ember coil. The Star bite floated like a star in the upper sky, its deck aglow with lanterns and rune-light. The crew laughed, drank, and danced as fireworks bloomed in every direction—spherical bursts of spiritual color echoing below them, horizon to horizon. From above, it looked like the continent was alive. Celebrating. Breathing light.
I stood near the railing, arms folded as the wind brushed my hair back. Felicity leaned against my shoulder, sipping from a silver gourd. "Look," Faeluxe whispered, eyes wide, "They're celebrating their freedom, and us." Even Marla, perched like a gothic statue in the rigging, allowed herself a slow, wicked smile. Her snakes swayed, reflecting the pyrotechnic light. Snake Man toasted with a crooked grin. "Who needs thrones when we've got skies full of fire and a statue in the square?"
Hammerhead belched and raised a mug. "To Terrans!"
"To the beginning," I said softly, eyes fixed on the fireworks.
A golden serpent exploded across the horizon. They had shaken a Sovereign from the heavens. And the world was finally watching. I stepped forward onto the forecastle. The wind roaming through my azure feathers. The gold-flecked stars reflect in my eyes. I spoke raising my voice, "We've come far." The hum quieted. All eyes turned toward me. I spoke again, more softly now, "We've crushed a Sovereign in his own domain.
Faced the Moon Seraph herself across a mirror of light—and lived."
I clenched a taloned fist, "But the path ahead is longer still. Red Cap was just a guard dog at the gate. This world is layered with secrets. I'm no longer chasing victory for glory's sake—"
I glanced at Felicity and then to Marla, then the crew.
"—but for the eternal.
The Fountain of Youth.
True ascension.
And to get there, we must walk into the storm of the thousand clan gathering."
"The Trials of Gold and Spirit."
One thousand warriors. A thousand clans. A tournament to claim the blessings of the Will of the Continent, and an Inheritance. Hammerhead tried to speak but his mouth was full.
"Good ' 'SMACK' ' I was ' 'CRUNCH' ' startin' to ' 'GULP ' ' get bored!"
Faeluxe smiled,"Sounds like a dance worth bleeding for."
Felicity spoke softly in my ear, "And if we win…?"
My gaze burned brighter than the fireworks below. "Then we seize not just glory. But destiny." Cheers erupted from the deck, fists raised, hearts fired. Fireworks erupted again across the horizon—bursts of crimson, silver, green, and gold. Above them, the stars witnessed the turning of a new page. The ship floats steady above a sea of cloud. The atmosphere was more solemn now—focused. In the central deck chamber, Iron Fang Elders gathered around a ritual table etched with battle records and maps. Clan banners hung. We had invited my clans Honored Elders aboard the Star bite for the celebration and the soon coming journey.
Elder Umo deep-voiced, and proud spoke first. "The news of your battle has reached the mountain peaks, to the lowest valley, to the most remote jungle. Red Cap, Sovereign Slayer, turned to stone and dropped in the square like a trophy. Ashriel ember coil, Iron-Fanged Son of the Storm, the world has taken notice."Elder Gawa scarred and wizened spoke next. "The Meeting of the Thousand Clans draws near. By the first waxing moon, the horns will sound.
Our warriors will descend upon the central continent like a thunderstorm of fangs and fury." He leaned forward, "And when we arrive… the Iron Fang will walk taller than any." I bowed respectfully.
"Then let me be clear. I will represent Iron Fang with everything I have." I gestured to my party, my voice echoed with conviction, "These are my blood-sworn allies. Felicity Grey, of the Silver Phage. Hammerhead, the Sea's Juggernaut. Faeluxe, Blade Dancer and bearer of the ever-pure ribbon. And Medusa Marla, of the Isles of Gorgon, and the Thousand Lords Tomb. They've bled for our cause. They stood with me in the Sovereign's fire." Marla tilted her head, her serpent hair coiling with pleased amusement. Felicity smirked, folding her arms. Faeluxe bowed with blade-form grace. Hammerhead nodded, arms crossed like twin mountains.
"If Iron Fang will have them, let them wear the Fang's colors. Let them appear at the arena as our kin." There was a brief silence. Then Elder Umo stepped forward raising a hand. He turned to the group, voice booming with ritual cadence. "By the old rites of recognition… and the new fire of merit—we accept." "By oath and by battle, you are now Honor-Fangs. You shall stand as our kin at the gathering.
Elder Umo looked to me, your victories will roar with our name, and your defeat—if they come—will be sung as our own." In his hands there were four fang-shaped medallions carved from volcanic bone. Elder Gawa, "From this moment on… your triumphs reflect us. Do not shame the Iron." Hammerhead grinned, "Good. I was starting to feel left out." Marla murmured, "I like the aesthetic." Felicity held her medallion up, then meeting my gaze, "You're really pulling us into the fold, aren't you?"