Ash rained softly over the ruins where the stronghold once stood, drifting like the last whispers of a dream turned nightmare. The crater still pulsed with the fading glow of collapsed void energy, but the skies had cleared enough to let dawn peek through—a deep, blood-hued light that bathed the broken land in crimson.
Shin stood on the edge, silent, watching as the last tendrils of void mist retreated like wounded serpents. His nine tails flicked in the breeze, aglow with faint gold and crimson. Beside him, Zera sat sharpening her blade, eyes on the horizon. Laverna leaned against a jagged rock, her hand wrapped in bandages, a faint smile on her lips despite her labored breathing.
None of them spoke for a long time.
It was Zera who broke the silence. "So... we lived. Again."
Laverna let out a soft laugh. "And you sound so disappointed."
Zera glanced sideways. "Maybe just a little. The void beast was starting to bore me."
Shin chuckled faintly. "Let's not tempt fate."
He turned to them, eyes brighter now that the dust had settled. The fight was over—but the war was far from won. The crystal they'd recovered before the stronghold collapsed shimmered within his cloak. Its secrets had been laid bare. And with them, the truth.
"We need to talk about what the crystal showed us," Shin said. He crouched near them, resting his hands on his knees. "The Falzath aren't just invaders. They're spreading... planting seeds in this world, corrupting places of power and hope."
Zera nodded. "We saw the same thing. Leyline nexuses, ancient relics—infected."
Laverna furrowed her brow. "And the royal crest. King Tristan. He's either compromised... or part of it."
Shin's gaze hardened. "I think it's both. Voryn didn't just disappear into exile. He's manipulating the Crown from the shadows. And the Guild... Davis was right to be cautious."
He stood, gazing toward the horizon, where the first golden light of the sun began piercing the clouds.
"We go home," Shin said. "Back to Essaterra. We find Davis, warn him. And then... we build something. A resistance. Not just to survive. To fight back. To win."
Zera stood slowly, slinging her blade across her back. "You mean a rebellion."
"A rebellion," Shin echoed. "But not just against the King. Against the Falzath. Against despair."
Laverna tilted her head, a playful glint in her eyes. "You're sounding awfully heroic today, master."
He smirked. "Even I have my moments."
Zera raised an eyebrow. "And what, exactly, are we calling this rebellion? Please don't say something ridiculous like 'Shin's Salvation Squad.'"
Laverna burst out laughing, wincing as she held her side. "Oh spirits, imagine the banners. Golden fox tails and dramatically posed action stances."
Shin rolled his eyes. "No names yet. But if you two keep this up, I'm renaming it 'The Women of Chaos.'"
Zera narrowed her eyes. "Say that again and I'll toss you back into the crater."
Laverna wiped a tear from her eye. "He's not wrong, though. Wherever we go, we keep picking up powerful women who, for some reason, follow him."
"I think it's the hair," Zera muttered. "Or the stupid noble speeches."
Shin held up a hand in mock surrender. "Alright, alright. Focus. Before we start assigning roles and ship names, we need to prepare for what's coming. That storm…"
His voice trailed off.
All three of them turned as the wind shifted.
On the far horizon, a roiling darkness began to gather. Not clouds. Not weather. A vortex of void.
A storm.
It wasn't natural. The clouds bled red lightning, coiling and screaming in jagged bursts. Tendrils of black thunder snaked down toward the land like fingers clawing reality apart. The skies dimmed again, casting the land in a warped twilight.
Laverna's breath hitched. "That's not just corruption. That's a Falzath storm. A manifestation."
Zera's hand drifted to her sword. "It's hunting."
Shin's tails flickered with unease. "It knows we destroyed the heart. This is their retaliation. Their warning."
He turned back toward the crater, his voice low.
"They're not just corrupting places. They're making sure anyone who resists doesn't last long."
Laverna stood, brushing dust off her clothes. "Then we'll just have to last longer. Hit harder."
Zera stepped forward, standing beside Shin. "And never run again."
Shin extended his hand, palm up.
"We vow this here. Under this crimson dawn. We will not bow. We will not break. We will find Voryn and Tristan. We will stop the Falzath. And we will save our home. Together."
Laverna placed her hand over his. Zera followed, her grip strong.
Three warriors. Three flames of defiance.
A pulse of power echoed around them. The crystal at Shin's side shimmered again, as if recognizing the oath. Lines of magic formed in the air—an ancient portal glyph, etched in light.
Zera stepped back. "You think it's sending us home?"
"It's responding to the promise," Shin said. "To our bond."
The glyph spun, casting arcs of golden energy across the ruins. Stones rose from the ground, forming a ring. A portal shimmered into existence, humming with warmth and ancient resonance.
Laverna's voice was barely a whisper. "We're going back."
Shin nodded. "Where it all began. Essaterra."
They stepped forward together.
Just before they entered, Laverna turned to Zera. "So… you and me, huh? Sisters in arms? Maybe... more than that one day."
Zera scoffed, but her smirk betrayed her. "If I ever catch you trying to steal my kill again, I'll throw you off a mountain."
"Noted," Laverna grinned. "Race you to the next one."
"You're on!" Zera smiled, giggled as she followed them along.
They vanished into the light.
The portal closed behind them, the last trace of it swept away by the rising winds.
--
Far beyond, the void storm churned.
A shape stirred within the storm's core—massive, formless, ancient.
Eyes opened.
Countless.
And in the deepest voice no human should ever hear, the Falzath whispered through the wind:
"Essaterra will burn. The oath has been made. And so, the war begins."