Kael reached the heart of the tower. The heat was gone—replaced by an eerie silence. A massive crystal pulsed with a strange, dark light.
Eira and Ashenfang emerged from the opposite side.
"You made it," Kael said, relief in his voice.
Eira nodded. "So did you."
The crystal shimmered, and a figure stepped out—Varyn.
Clad in armor forged from obsidian flame, he looked no older than the day he fell.
"You've grown," he said to Kael. "But you still cling to weakness."
Kael stepped forward. "I don't cling. I overcome."
Varyn smiled. "Then prove it."