The morning skies of Aetherion bled orange as Riku and Aria descended from the floating castle aboard a wind-glider—a magic-powered ship carved from dragonbone and crystal sails. The landscape beneath them shimmered: floating isles, sky rivers, and broken mountains hovered in slow, unnatural gravity.
But as they neared Emberveil Forest, beauty gave way to ruin.
The once-vibrant trees stood charred, leaves reduced to ash. Pools of dark mana bubbled from broken roots, and the air was thick with rot and whispers.
"Something's wrong," Aria said, drawing her blade. "This is no ordinary flame."
Riku gripped the Arcblade tightly. "It's like… the land itself is scared."
The glider touched down on a cracked stone ridge overlooking the forest. Burned pathways coiled between twisted trees, and flickers of shadow moved like smoke through the brush. No birds. No wind. Just silence.
A scouting drone, shaped like a silver hawk, flew overhead and projected a hologram of the battlefield.
Riku stared at the playback. "Wait... those villagers—they didn't run. They froze."
Aria's expression turned grim. "Fear magic. High-grade. Only one kind of beast can emit that level of aura…"
Before she could finish, a distant roar tore through the air. The ground shook beneath them.
A creature emerged through the fog—its form armored in obsidian plates, fire leaking from its joints, eyes glowing like twin furnaces.
Fen'raxx.
The chained monster from the Shadow Herald's sanctum now walked freely, dragging a whip of molten chain across the earth.
Aria stepped in front of Riku instinctively.
"Whatever happens," she said, "you don't face that thing alone."
Riku nodded. "We fight together."
But then Fen'raxx did something unexpected. It stopped, raised its head to the sky, and let out a howling screech.
From all directions, the trees moved.
Not the wind.
The shadows.
Dozens of figures emerged—people. Or what used to be people. Villagers, guards, even children—now corrupted, their eyes black, their skin cracked and flickering with flame-veins.
Aria cursed. "Shadow-bound."
"They're being controlled?" Riku asked.
"Worse. They've willingly given in to fear. They belong to the Herald now."
He stepped forward, heart pounding. "Then we save the ones we can… and stop the rest."
---
The battle was chaos.
Riku's Arcblade danced with fire and light, slicing through corrupted armor and limbs. Every time he struck, the sword responded like a living thing, adjusting to his rhythm, glowing brighter with his resolve.
Beside him, Aria was a tempest—moving with elegance and rage, shielding villagers too far gone to think.
But even together, they couldn't keep up.
Fen'raxx surged forward, a mountain of heat and hate, its whip catching Riku across the chest and flinging him through a tree. His vision spun. Pain erupted across his ribs.
The beast roared again, fire igniting in its jaws.
"RIKU!" Aria cried out.
He lifted the Arcblade with trembling hands, blood dripping from his lip. The sword flickered, and he whispered, "Please… lend me more."
The blade answered.
Suddenly, a new energy burst from its core—an aura of wind surged around him, lifting him to his feet. Glyphs etched into the ground, encircling him in a binding ring of air and flame.
Aria stared. "He's syncing…"
Riku dashed forward in a blur.
One clean strike.
Fen'raxx stumbled back, a slash now burning across its armor.
But the beast didn't fall.
It only grinned.
"Clever…" it spoke, for the first time, voice like grinding rock. "But you're not ready."
It vanished in smoke.
The corrupted villagers collapsed like puppets cut from strings.
Silence.
Only fire remained.
---
Hours later, as they rested near the ruins of Emberveil's shrine, Aria handed Riku a healing flask. "You fought well."
"I got tossed like a ragdoll."
"You also faced a demon general and lived. That counts."
He took the flask and gave her a tired smile. "You were amazing out there."
She looked away. "I had to be. I couldn't… lose you."
Riku's heart skipped, but before he could answer, the child mage's voice crackled through their com-crystal.
"Emergency. Return to castle. Now. The Shadow Herald… made contact."
Riku and Aria exchanged a look.
The war had officially begun.
And the next time… they might not walk away.
---