The sky had become a battlefield of gods.
Ash, wind, lightning, and fire clashed in the torn heavens above Hollowspire. Cinder and Vraxion danced between storms and shadows, their wings shaking the very air. Down below, the earth cracked as the Ashborn Gate pulsed—its tendrils of void magic poisoning the ground.
But Kael Stormbond wasn't watching anymore.
He was riding straight into the heart of it.
The Gate Awakens
The Ashborn Gate was now a full maw—its mouth wide, breathing cold black mist. Unholy creatures were clawing out of it: warped wyverns with bone-split wings, flame-ghouls stitched with molten seams.
"Finnel, get the villagers out of here!" Kael shouted over the roar of the gate.
Finnel nodded, struggling to stay focused as Zephyron danced in the winds around the chaos. He looked older than he had an hour ago. That's what war did to boys.
Meanwhile, Lira landed beside Kael. Her dragon, Thalorin, crackled with static energy, his horns arcing lightning between them.
"That gate is not natural," she said. "It's pulling magic out of the leyline beneath Hollowspire. If it feeds long enough—"
"It won't," Kael said sharply.
"You have a plan?"
"No." His eyes burned gold. "I have fire."
Cinder's Fury
Above them, Cinder screamed—a sound that split the clouds. Vraxion had managed to slash across his side with bloodfire claws, the corruption hissing against Cinder's glowing scales.
"I will not fall to rot."
Cinder erupted in a Blaze Surge, engulfing himself in flame and ramming into Vraxion midair. The two dragons spiraled toward the gate like meteors. Raven barely held on, laughing like he was riding death itself.
Kael clenched the hilt of his blade. He could feel it—Cinder's pain, but also his rage. And deeper still, the bond they shared, stronger than before. The Solari Rune on Kael's chest pulsed.
The fire wasn't just destructive. It was alive—responding to Kael's will.
"You're not a weapon, Cinder," Kael whispered as they prepared to dive. "You're my partner. Let's end this."
The Dive
Kael and Cinder dropped from the sky like a burning star, slicing through the battlefield.
Lira shouted something, but he couldn't hear. Finnel begged him to stop.
But Kael didn't stop.
The Ashborn Gate rose in his vision, glowing with ancient, evil power. Shadows reached for him.
Kael roared and slammed his blade into the heart of the Gate, fire bursting out from the Solari Rune.
Explosion. Light. Screams.
The gate shattered—not with a bang, but with a howl, like a thousand corrupted voices being torn from the world. The creatures were sucked back in. The wind howled. The leyline trembled beneath the rock.
When the fire died down… Kael stood in the center of the ruin.
Alone.
Aftermath
Cinder landed nearby, wings torn, but alive. Lira and Thalorin joined them. Finnel touched down last, his eyes wide with awe.
"Y-you… closed the gate," he stammered.
Kael dropped to one knee, exhausted. Smoke curled from his armor.
"I didn't close it," he said. "We did."
Then, a slow clap echoed from the sky.
Raven floated down atop Vraxion, his grin thinner now. He looked disappointed—but curious.
"You've grown, Stormbond. That fire of yours... It might actually be worth something."
Kael stood. "Next time, I'm putting it through your heart."
Raven smiled wider. "I look forward to it."
And with that, Vraxion spread his wings—and vanished into black mist.
Final Scene
That night, the fires of Hollowspire burned low. Survivors gathered. A village broken, but not lost.
Kael sat by the ruins, Cinder curled behind him like a silent sentinel.
"We'll face him again," Cinder murmured in his mind.
"I know," Kael replied.
His eyes turned to the stars.
"Let him come. We're not done burning."