The voidspawn lunged with terrifying speed its body rippling like smoke, claws trailing black mist that hissed against the stone floor. Kael reacted instinctively, thrusting his hand forward and summoning a wall of flame.
The creature screamed as fire met shadow, recoiling but not vanishing.
"This one's stronger," Elara shouted, slashing at its side. Her blade passed through, cutting nothing but mist.
Kael's flame flickered uncertainly. The voidspawn advanced again, its form reshaping with every step. It wasn't flesh—it was absence. A tear in the world, feeding on fear.
"It doesn't burn!" Kael growled.
Lysaria stepped beside him. "You're using force. Let the flame feel."
"What?"
But she didn't wait for understanding. She began to hum, low and strange, the same rhythm she used earlier when coaxing fire. Her blue flame spiraled from her palms in ribbons, weaving around the creature like vines of starlight.
The voidspawn paused.
It twitched.
Kael watched as its shape faltered—edges blurring, mist unraveling as if confused.
"She's disrupting it," Therin said in awe. "The flame's remembering what came before the void."
Elara moved quickly, her sword now glowing from Kael's fire. She struck low this time, the blade found resistance. The creature shrieked.
Kael raised both hands. "Let's finish it!"
He fed his flame into Lysaria's song, syncing his energy with hers. The chamber pulsed with golden light. Together, their fire spiraled blue and orange entwined until it exploded outward in a silent bloom.
The voidspawn disintegrated, scattering like ash on wind.
For a long moment, only the sound of their breathing filled the cave.
Then silence.
Lysaria collapsed to her knees.
Kael caught her. "Are you alright?"
She nodded weakly. "It takes a lot… to sing that deep."
Therin approached, stunned. "I've seen flame wielded in war, in prophecy, in madness—but never in harmony like that."
Kael helped Lysaria up. "That thing—what was it really?"
"A scout," she whispered. "They send them ahead… to sniff out light. More will follow."
Kael's jaw tightened. "Then we can't stay here. The Ember Caves are compromised."
Elara turned toward the throne. "So what now? Where do we go?"
Therin stepped forward, eyes heavy with unspoken knowledge. "There's an ancient place—deep in the western reaches, where flame and frost once lived in balance. The Spire of Solance. It was the last beacon before the world broke."
Kael nodded. "Then that's where we go."
Elara raised an eyebrow. "You trust him now?"
"He's been protecting this place for years," Kael said. "And he didn't hesitate to help us."
"I'd sooner burn than see the world swallowed," Therin muttered. "Besides, Lysaria can't protect herself out there. And Kael… you're not ready to stand alone."
Kael looked to Lysaria. "Would you come with us?"
She smiled faintly. "I've followed the songs of the flame since I was a child. They've always led me to danger. But this time… I think they're leading me home."
Together, they left the chamber, the ancient fire throne pulsing softly behind them—its runes now alight, as though a long-forgotten power had stirred once more.
Outside, the sky bled orange. Dawn was breaking.
Kael stood atop the ridge and looked back just once.
He didn't know if they would ever return.
But he knew one thing:
The fire had chosen him.
And now, the war had begun.