The sun rose over Valeria for the first time in what felt like centuries.
The land, once broken and gray, now bloomed with life. Rivers danced through the valleys, and the winds carried the scent of new flowers.
At the Heart of the World — the tree born from the purified Core — Akane, Fumiko, Chouka, Hitomi, Suzume, Tomomi, and Aizak stood together, their hearts finally at peace.
For a few days, the world knew happiness.
Villages that had been abandoned now sang with laughter. Children played under the new sun, no longer fearing the dark.
The Elemental Mages had become legends overnight — whispered with awe and reverence.
Aizak, though still hiding his true royal blood, now traveled openly with the girls, no longer hiding his face or strength.
They thought the story had ended.
They were wrong.
---
It began one night with a whisper.
A low voice on the wind, cold and sharp like a knife:
"The Core has been stolen from its rightful master..."
Akane woke with a jolt, heart pounding.
Outside her tent, the night was unnaturally still — no chirping of insects, no rustle of trees.
Something was coming.
---
The next day, they reached a once-forgotten ruin:
The Throne of Veyl.
A massive stone structure carved into the side of a mountain, blackened and crumbling.
Hitomi shivered. "This place feels... wrong."
Tomomi narrowed her eyes, shadows curling protectively around her. "It's heavy with old magic."
As they approached the throne itself, Suzume suddenly gasped and pointed.
There, etched into the stone, was a prophecy:
> "When the Heart of the World blooms anew, the Forgotten King shall awaken, bearing chains of judgment."
Fumiko clenched her fists, her flames flickering at her fingertips. "Another king? What does it mean?"
Aizak's face darkened.
"I know that name," he said slowly. "The Forgotten King… he was once the guardian of the first Core. But he fell into madness when the world chose others over him. He swore that if the Core was ever restored without his blessing, he would return to claim it… and punish the unworthy."
Akane's heart raced.
"So by saving the world... we might have awakened him?"
The mountain rumbled as if answering her.
From the cracks of the ruined stone, a massive figure emerged — draped in tattered robes, bound by broken chains.
His eyes glowed a fierce crimson, and his voice was the roar of an ancient storm:
"WHO DARES CLAIM MY HEART?"
---
The earth trembled as the Forgotten King stepped forward.
Each step he took poisoned the land beneath him — the grass withered, the rivers turned black.
The girls summoned their magic instinctively — Wind, Fire, Earth, Water, Light, Darkness — weaving together into a brilliant shield.
Aizak stood at the center, his balance of healing and dark magic flowing between them.
The Forgotten King raised his hand — and with a single pulse of his corrupted magic, their shield shattered like glass.
"You wield the elements," he said, his voice dripping with disdain. "But you lack the will to rule them."
Without warning, he launched a strike of pure despair toward them.
Akane barely managed to counter with a whirlwind.
Fumiko threw up a wall of fire.
Chouka summoned stone barriers.
Hitomi flooded the ground beneath them, trying to slow the attack.
But it wasn't enough.
The King was too powerful — stronger than anything they had ever faced.
---
They regrouped inside the ruins.
"We can't beat him head-on," Hitomi said, panting.
"He's drawing power from the mountain itself," Chouka added. "He's feeding on the land."
Suzume's light flickered weakly. "If we don't stop him soon, he'll corrupt the Heart of the World again."
Aizak pressed a hand to the ground, feeling the poisoned magic spreading beneath them.
"There's one way," he said quietly. "We have to cut him off from the land."
"But how?" Tomomi asked.
"We need to break his anchor points — the chains binding him to the ruins," Aizak explained. "They're not just physical. They're magical seals feeding him."
Akane nodded, determination flashing in her eyes.
"Then we break the chains. One by one."
Fumiko grinned, fire dancing around her fists. "Sounds like a plan."
---
The Battle of the Chains began.
The first chain — the Chain of Earth — was buried deep within the mountain's heart.
Chouka led the charge, using her earth magic to unearth the glowing sigil that fed the King's strength. Together with Hitomi's water magic, they flooded the caverns, weakening the anchor.
With a final shout, Chouka shattered the Chain of Earth.
A scream echoed across the land — the Forgotten King howled in rage, a massive shockwave pulsing outward.
But they had no time to celebrate.
The second chain — the Chain of Fire — burned deep in a cursed volcano nearby.
Fumiko, with Aizak by her side, braved the molten rivers.
Even with her fire magic, the heat was unbearable — but she pressed forward, carving a path through the flames.
Aizak shielded her from the worst of it, using his healing magic to keep them alive.
At the volcano's heart, Fumiko unleashed a roaring inferno, melting the cursed anchor to slag.
Another chain broken. Another roar of fury from the King.
---
The final chains — Chains of Wind, Water, Light, and Darkness — were scattered across the land.
Akane faced the Chain of Wind high above the cliffs.
Suzume battled the Chain of Light deep within an ancient temple.
Tomomi confronted the Chain of Darkness in a place where no sun had ever shone.
Each battle tested them — physically, mentally, spiritually.
But they did not falter.
One by one, the chains fell.
With the final shatter of the Chain of Darkness, the Forgotten King stumbled — his connection to the land broken.
His crimson eyes blazed with hatred.
"You dare strip me of my throne?" he bellowed.
Akane, leading the others, stepped forward, her voice calm and steady.
"This world belongs to everyone. Not just you."
The Forgotten King roared — and launched a final, desperate assault.
---
The seven Mages stood together.
Wind, Fire, Earth, Water, Light, Darkness, and Healing — woven into a single force.
Aizak raised his hand, and the others followed.
Their magic combined, forming a brilliant sphere of pure elemental harmony — a force stronger than corruption, older than kings, brighter than despair.
With a unified cry, they unleashed it.
The Forgotten King's body was consumed in a blinding storm of color and light.
His scream was lost to the wind.
When the dust settled, he was gone — leaving behind only a single cracked crown, half-buried in the earth.
---
Breathless, bruised, but victorious, the group stood together beneath the rising sun.
They had defeated the ancient evil.
They had protected the Heart of the World.
But deep in Aizak's heart, a small doubt lingered.
"Balance is never truly permanent," he whispered to Akane as they watched the horizon. "New threats will rise. New trials will come."
Akane smiled gently, the wind tugging at her hair.
"Then we'll face them," she said. "Together."
And as the light bathed the land, the seven Mages — the Guardians of Harmony — knew their journey had only just begun.