---
The air grew colder as Chirag, Siya, Kael, and Mirakha stood at the edge of a rocky valley. Before them towered a dark, jagged mountain shrouded in thick clouds and howling winds. Lightning danced in the sky, and strange whispers echoed in the wind.
Kael frowned. "This is it. The Forbidden Mountain."
Siya stepped forward, her hand glowing faintly with blue fire. "The home of Vayren—the Original who controls wind and sky."
Mirakha nodded slowly. "He was once a guardian of balance, but after the Great Fall, he lost himself in the chaos. Now, he guards the sky's secrets... and destroys anyone who dares enter his domain."
Chirag took a deep breath and looked up at the swirling storm. "We have to go. If we want to end this war, we need to face him."
They began the climb, the wind whipping around them like claws. The mountain fought back. Every step felt like lifting a boulder. Jagged rocks crumbled under their feet, and sudden gusts nearly tossed them off the edge.
As they climbed higher, the air thinned, and breathing became difficult. But Chirag kept going. The Eternal Flame in his chest burned steady, guiding him.
Halfway up, the group reached a ledge where an ancient statue stood—an old warrior with wings carved from stone.
Mirakha touched the statue gently. "This is Vayren… before he changed."
Suddenly, the statue's eyes glowed, and a loud voice echoed from above.
> "You dare walk the sky's edge?"
A giant gust of wind slammed into them, knocking Kael back against a rock. The storm clouds parted, and a figure descended from above—tall, cloaked in wind, with silver eyes and hair that floated like feathers.
Vayren, the Wind Original, had arrived.
His voice rumbled like thunder. "Why have you come to disturb the silence I protect?"
Chirag stepped forward, the flame in his hands glowing. "We've come to stop the Originals from destroying the world. We're not here to fight… unless we must."
Vayren laughed, but there was no joy in his voice. "You think peace can return through speeches and hope? The gods, the demons, the humans—they broke the world. I now keep it safe… in silence."
Siya's eyes narrowed. "That's not safety. That's fear."
The wind around them screamed louder, and Vayren raised a hand. "Then face the storm."
Suddenly, the ground beneath them shattered, and the four were thrown into the air, spinning through a cyclone of clouds.
---
Chirag landed on a narrow floating stone platform high in the sky. The world around him spun, and the winds howled so loud he could barely hear himself think.
Then Vayren appeared in front of him—taller now, more powerful, his body glowing with sky energy.
"You think love will save you?" Vayren said. "Let me show you what happens to those who trust the world."
He raised his arms, and a hurricane of wind and lightning crashed down toward Chirag.
Chirag closed his eyes, called the Eternal Flame, and pushed back. Fire and wind clashed in the air. Sparks flew everywhere.
But Vayren was fast—moving like the wind itself, striking from all directions. Chirag couldn't keep up. A sharp gust knocked him off the platform, and he fell—
Only to be caught by Siya, riding a creature made of flame and shadow.
"I'm not letting you fall," she said.
Together, they rose to another platform where Kael and Mirakha had already regrouped.
Kael spun his spear. "We need to bring him down together. We can't fight the wind alone."
Mirakha nodded. "His power is strongest in the sky. We need to ground him."
Siya closed her eyes. "Then we drag the sky down."
She raised her hands, and her flames turned deep blue. With a shout, she slammed her palms into the air, and her fire spread out in waves, heating the winds and forcing them to slow.
Kael summoned lightning from the spear he carried—borrowed from a thunder beast—and launched it at Vayren.
Mirakha summoned illusions, twisting the clouds to disorient him.
And Chirag… he focused on the Eternal Flame.
He whispered, "Let me see the truth behind the storm."
The flame glowed brightly, and suddenly, he could see Vayren's heart—not just the power, but the pain.
He saw visions—Vayren watching the world crumble, trying to hold cities together with wind, failing to save the people he loved. In his sorrow, he turned to silence, believing the wind could protect the broken pieces.
"I understand," Chirag said softly.
He stepped forward while the others fought.
"Vayren, I see your pain. I've felt it too. But you don't have to carry it alone anymore."
Vayren hesitated. The wind around him paused.
"Together, we can protect the world," Chirag said. "Not through silence. But through unity."
The wind stilled.
Vayren floated down, his eyes dimming. "You… remind me of who I was. Perhaps… the storm can rest."
The clouds parted.
The storm disappeared.
And Vayren, the Original of Wind, knelt before Chirag.
"I will join your cause," he said. "Let the sky fight for peace once again."
---
They descended the mountain, tired but victorious. Another Original had joined them.
But Chirag could feel it in his heart—the war was only getting closer.
In the distance, a shadow grew… one that didn't come from wind, or fire, or water.
It came from darkness itself.
---