Location: Eclipsed Order Stronghold – Obsidian Fortress, Northern Himalayas
The chamber was lit by torches—real fire, not synthetic lighting. Flames danced across black stone walls carved with sigils so old, even the oldest Order scholars couldn't translate them anymore. The high council sat in silence, forming a half-circle around the central dais. At its center knelt the man who had failed to retrieve the Ice Shard: Commander Vael, still bruised and frostbitten from his defeat at Aqualith.
He lowered his head, ashamed.
"I underestimated her. The Shard chose her before we could intervene."
A voice echoed from the shadows above, dry and heavy as ancient tombs. "And what of the others?"
Vael didn't rise. "Zara Kane has allied with the Nightbound. They are moving fast—hunting the remaining Shards. We believe she is forming a coalition."
Another figure stepped from the darkness—a woman draped in crimson robes, her face veiled, her voice calm and dangerous.
"They are awakening faster than we expected," she said. "The Wound is responding. It senses its guardians returning."
"The Wound must not be sealed," said a third voice—this one digital, piped in through a golden mask. "It must be opened. The cycle must complete."
Vael risked a glance upward. "We still have one potential lead. A dormant site in the scorched zones of Cairo. The Ashborn. The Third Shard."
That name silenced the room.
Even the shadows seemed to still.
"The Ashborn…" murmured the crimson woman. "That one burned its last bearer alive."
Vael stood. "Then we'll find someone who won't burn."
The High Council approved the motion. Vael would lead the Cairo retrieval team—but this time, he wouldn't return empty-handed.
---
Location: Silver City – Nightbound HQ
Zara paced the center of the operations room, a digital map displaying global hot zones flickering in the air around her. Eira stood nearby, arms folded, frost still clinging to the edges of her collar.
Helena briefed the group.
"We've intercepted fragments of chatter. The Order is moving toward the Cairo dead zone. We think it's the site of the Ashborn Shard."
Myles brought up thermal satellite imaging. "Cairo's scorched zones haven't been habitable since the Pulse Wars. Radiation, corrupted Aether storms, rogue tech. But last week, we picked up this."
He zoomed in on a glowing point at the heart of a crumbled palace.
A heartbeat of flame.
Eira's breath frosted the air. "It's waking up."
Zara turned to Helena. "We need to get there before Vael does."
Helena nodded. "I've already got a route. Minimal resistance. In and out. But once we're in the storm zone—comms die, Aether goes wild, and we'll be flying blind."
Zara's hand instinctively touched the Shard at her chest. "Then we trust the Shards to guide us."
---
Location: Cairo Scorch Zone – 16 Hours Later
The sun bled red through a haze of dust and heat. The city ruins stretched in all directions—sand-blasted towers, broken statues, entire streets swallowed by time. Everything smelled of ash.
Zara led the team through the ancient remnants of a once-great capital, her shadows flickering nervously around her. The deeper they went, the less stable the air became. Sparks of uncontrolled Aether flashed like lightning in slow motion.
Eira's breath came in clouds, despite the heat. "It's close."
Then the ground trembled.
From beneath a pile of collapsed stone, flame burst upward—impossibly bright and unnatural. Out of the fire rose a figure wrapped in burning chains.
It was a man. Or had once been.
Now he was something else.
His skin glowed like lava beneath cracked obsidian. His eyes burned with endless rage.
"The Ashborn," Zara whispered.
But the man didn't attack. He looked at her—then at Eira—and hissed, voice like coals grinding against iron.
"You… are not worthy…"
Flames erupted around him, forming a burning wall that pushed the team back. They scrambled for cover as Aetherfire roared.
Eira raised her arms, summoning frost to counter the heat. "He's unstable! The Shard's overriding his mind!"
Zara dove forward, shadows shielding her, and reached toward the center of the flame—where the Third Shard hovered, spinning furiously.
"I am worthy," she shouted. "I don't want to control it—I want to protect it!"
The Ashborn howled, unleashing a blast of fire that knocked her flat.
But then… the Shard paused.
Flickered.
Responded.
The Ashborn froze. His chains began to crack, the fire retreating slightly.
For a split second, Zara saw him—really saw him. A man, broken, tortured by centuries of being fused to something too powerful to contain.
"I can help you," she whispered.
The Ashborn looked at her.
Then Vael's voice echoed from the shadows behind.
"Step away from the Shard, Kane."
A new squad of Order soldiers emerged from the smoke, weapons trained on her. Vael strode between them, armor scorched but intact.
Zara rose, eyes glowing silver.
"I don't think so."
The battle began.
---