The air was thick with tension as Solene, flying through the skies, became an unstoppable force of nature. Her golden eyes blazed. The streets of the High Rings, once classic and orderly, were now becoming the stage for her fury.
As she approached, the air grew hotter, and the sky above seemed to warp in response to her presence. People in the High Rings looked up in terror, their once calm and composed lives now thrown into chaos. Mansions trembled, glass windows cracked as the wind blasted through the streets, and the city's elegant structures, built on centuries of wealth and power, began to crumble.
From the rooftops, onlookers screamed, but their voices were drowned out by the sound of cracking stone and the furious wind.
Solene's hands glowed, and without warning, a burst of fire erupted from her palms. It arced across the sky, a streak of molten light that exploded against the grandest building in the High Rings, the once-perfect façade shattering in a cloud of dust and debris. The explosion sent shockwaves through the streets, knocking people off their feet and causing buildings to tilt dangerously.
The flames spread with ferocity, curling around marble columns and climbing the walls of the towering mansions. Solene's feet hovered in the air, her presence dominating the sky like a celestial being descending to smite the arrogant city beneath her.
She was untouchable, a force that no one could hope to stop.
The elites, who had lived in their ivory towers for so long, screamed in panic, rushing out of their homes as the ground beneath them quaked. Rich merchants, nobles, and highborn lords scrambled, some trying to save their valuables, others fleeing for their lives. But Solene was relentless. Each wave of her hand seemed to bring a new disaster.
More fire, more destruction. The once-beautiful cityscape was now a warzone.
The gilded statues lining the streets melted into puddles of gold. The streets, once immaculate and filled with the sounds of wealth, were now covered in ash and charred remnants of what had once been.
As Solene flew above them, her figure seemed to glow with an otherworldly light, as though she was not of this world. Her power was absolute, and the High Rings were crumbling beneath her wrath.
In the palace, chaos erupted. Soldiers scrambled through the corridors, their boots echoing against the stone floors as they rushed to deploy. The royal guards, usually calm and composed, were now in a frenzy, trying to contain the madness.
The elders, Mordain Havar, Cassius Veldane, Ithros Velkaar, Sylvain Maelis, and Zephron Rael, burst into the royal chambers. Their eyes were wide with shock, and for the first time, the proud and calculating elders seemed rattled.
"Your Majesty!" Mordain shouted, his voice filled with urgency. "You must act now! The girl is destroying everything!"
King Malrik, who had always been a figure of control and power, stood at the window, his face pale with panic. His hands trembled as he gripped the stone ledge, watching the once-perfect city of Velmora burn beneath Solene's wrath.
"She… she's a god!" Malrik hissed under his breath, his eyes wild. He turned to face the elders, his voice cracking. "This can't be happening!"
Zephron Rael, the elder who always spoke of tradition and the justification of ancient laws, stepped forward, trying to regain his composure. "This is madness! The girl cannot be allowed to do this. We need to stop her before she destroys the kingdom."
"I have seen enough," Cassius said coldly, his eyes burning with disdain as he turned to the king. "This is why we cannot allow these Hollow-born to live. She is too dangerous."
Sylvain Maelis, who had always remained in the shadows of doubt, his heart torn, stood silent for a moment. He had once hoped that Solene would find her way, that she would choose to fight for the right reasons. But now, seeing her ravage the High Rings, he wondered if his hope had been misplaced.
"I warned you," Sylvain said softly, his voice filled with regret. "She is different than any of us expected."
Meanwhile, in the High Rings, Solene continued her fury. She was untouchable, no one daring to challenge her as she flew higher and higher, her power radiating like the sun. Fire, ice, lightning, elements she had never controlled before swirled around her, manifesting in flashes of raw energy. The streets below were reduced to rubble, the once-pristine city now little more than a smoldering ruin.
She reached the tallest tower of the High Rings, the crown jewel of the city, the symbol of the king's power. Without a second thought, she unleashed everything she had, an explosive burst of energy that cracked the tower's foundations. It crumbled to the ground in a heap of stone and metal.
In the streets below, the people who had once stood in awe of their wealth and status now stared in horror. What had once been a kingdom of might was crumbling at the hands of one girl.
But Solene was not done. Her rage had turned to focus, her mind sharpening with purpose. This was not just destruction, it was a reckoning.
The king could no longer ignore it. The power that had always protected him, the city, and the elite class was fading before his very eyes.
The elders, standing in the palace, could feel the shift in the very air, the weight of Solene's wrath bearing down on them. They had underestimated her. And now, they were witnessing the collapse of everything they had worked to build.
Solene's flight toward the High Rings was a storm of power. As she approached the palace, the air crackled with her fury. She could feel the magic coursing through her veins, the powers she had absorbed from battles past, all swirling inside her like an unstoppable force. Her golden eyes blazed, and with every beat of her wings, the ground below trembled, the sky above darkening with her wrath.
When she finally reached the palace, she let out a scream that seemed to echo through the entire kingdom. Her voice was loud enough to shake the very foundations of Velmora, and the walls of the High Rings palace quivered. It was a cry that carried not only her fury, but the weight of everything the kingdom had taken from her, everything they had done to the people she had come to protect.
"Malrik!"
she shouted, her voice reverberating through the palace. The king's name was a battle cry, a declaration of war. The echoes of her call reverberated in every stone, every corner of the palace. She had come for him. There would be no retreat, no turning back.
With a final, flight, she descended into the palace grounds. Warriors, guards, and palace soldiers rushed to meet her, weapons drawn. But they were not prepared for what she had become.
The first warrior lunged toward her, sword raised high, but Solene's eyes glowed brighter. She felt the power of his anger, his desperation, flowing into her as he struck. In that moment, she absorbed his strength. The fire in her surged as his power, raw, desperate, melded with her own. With a sudden shift of her focus, she turned the energy against him, throwing a ball of fire straight at his chest. His scream echoed as the flame consumed him, his own aggression now turned against him, burning through his very soul.
A second warrior approached, this one wielding a massive axe, swinging it toward Solene with brutal force. She didn't move; she didn't need to. His strength poured into her, and she felt the earth beneath her tremble as she absorbed his power. The pain he had felt, the weariness of battle, rippled through her, but she turned it into something far worse. She spun in a circle, her hands outstretched. The air around her began to warp as she bent his power to her will. The ground around the warrior cracked open, tendrils of stone rising like serpents, and they wrapped around him, squeezing tight. He gasped for breath, the pressure crushing his chest, and in the end, he was swallowed by the earth itself.
Another soldier came forward, this time armed with a spear. He thrust it toward her with deadly accuracy. Solene felt the sharpness of his attack before she saw it. It was his speed, his precise aim, that caught her. She reached out, the moment he struck, and she absorbed his ability to be quick, to react faster than the eye could follow. She felt his speed and then used it against him, sidestepping his strike with ease. Before he could retreat, she lunged forward with the same swiftness, knocking the spear from his hands and sending him crashing into the palace walls. His body crumpled to the floor, out cold.
By now, Solene's power had swelled beyond what she had ever imagined. She could feel the collective power of every warrior, every soldier she absorbed into her. It hurt, her body pulsing with their pain, their experiences. She could feel their lives, the weight of their souls, everything they had suffered, every scar they carried. She cried out, but the tears weren't for them. The pain was not hers to bear alone anymore. It was theirs, and it would never leave her.
As she reached the inner courtyard of the palace, Kain was not far behind. He had seen the destruction from the distance, heard the chaos, and in a panic, he ran toward the nearest stable. His chest was tight with fear, the pounding in his ears louder than the sound of his footsteps. He didn't stop until he reached the stables. Soldiers were distracted by the madness unfolding around the palace, and the moment he saw the man relieving himself against a fence, Kain saw an opportunity.
Without hesitation, he ran up, shoved the man to the ground, and stole his horse. The man cursed and scrambled to his feet, but Kain was already galloping away, pushing the horse to its limit as he charged toward the High Rings.
The streets of Velmora blurred around him as he rode, the air thick with the sound of his rapid breathing. Kain urged the horse faster, feeling it strain beneath him, its hooves pounding the cobbled streets like thunder. He knew he wouldn't reach her in time, but he couldn't just leave her out there. She was beyond his control now, beyond anyone's control. He could only hope that somehow, she would find a way to control the tempest within her before it was too late.
The roar of Solene's fury continued to echo through the palace, and Kain's heart clenched in his chest. Every part of him screamed that he was too late, that she was already lost to the rage that burned inside her. But he pushed on, desperate, because he knew that if he didn't get to her soon, there would be nothing left of her or the kingdom.