Ashvale's forest trembled.
Not from wind. Not from storm.
From something far more dangerous.
The Devourer's beasts had been spotted just beyond the river—twisted creatures of smoke and bone. Elena, Miles, Dorian, and a handful of survivors had set up their final defenses in the clearing by the old altar ruins. It was the only place strong enough to hold the arcane sigils Dorian had etched into the ground—a protection circle older than the town itself.
Elena paced inside the circle, her heart hammering in her chest. "They're close. I can feel them."
"Good," Miles said, rolling up his sleeves. "Let them come. We'll tear them apart."
Dorian said nothing. He stood just outside the circle, facing the forest, completely still. His coat flapped in the rising wind, his eyes locked on the shadows beyond the trees.
Elena turned to him. "You haven't said a word in ten minutes. What are you planning?"
Dorian didn't answer right away. Then, softly: "The time for hiding is over."
Suddenly, the trees split apart like they were pushed from the inside. Black-furred beasts with antlers and burning eyes poured into the clearing, snarling and shrieking, their claws dragging lines through the dirt.
Miles summoned a crackling spear of white lightning, stepping forward. "I'll take the front—"
"No," Dorian said, lifting a hand.
The entire forest froze.
Even the creatures halted mid-step. A silence fell so sudden and so deep, it felt like time itself had been suspended.
Elena's breath caught. "What… did you do?"
Dorian's eyes were pitch black. No whites. No irises. Just void.
"I unmade the moment," he said calmly. "They won't move unless I allow it."
Miles's face twisted. "You're using forbidden time magic. That's—"
"Ancient," Dorian said coldly. "And mine."
Miles charged anyway, hurling his lightning spear at the beast closest to him. But before it could strike—
Dorian simply looked at it.
The spear disintegrated mid-air, shattering into harmless particles.
"I don't want to fight you, Miles," Dorian said, his voice deeper now—layered with echoes, like multiple versions of himself speaking at once. "But if you force me…"
"You can't scare me with tricks," Miles snarled.
Dorian's aura surged.
The air rippled around him. The runes beneath their feet lit up in blinding black and gold. Trees bent away from him. The sky darkened. The ground cracked. Power poured off of him in waves—raw, ancient, limitless.
Elena stepped back, awe etched into her face. She had never seen anything like this.
Miles did his best to stand his ground, but even he wavered under the pressure.
"Dorian…" Elena whispered. "What are you?"
He turned his head slightly, eyes still glowing. "The first guardian. The one they locked away when the Hollow Man rose. They feared I would end the balance. So they buried my name."
Miles staggered. "That's impossible. The first guardian died centuries ago."
"No," Dorian said, his voice a blade. "I slept."
Then, with a single gesture, he unleashed it.
The storm didn't come from above—it rose from below. A column of shadow and gold fire erupted around Dorian, spiraling upward, forming wings that stretched across the entire clearing. His silhouette stood in the center of it, impossibly calm.
The beasts screamed and disintegrated before they could take another step.
Miles shielded his face, staggering back as Dorian's power rolled over him like a tidal wave. His knees buckled.
Elena reached out instinctively. "Dorian, stop! You'll burn the whole forest—"
But Dorian had already stepped out of the storm. The destruction halted at the edge of the altar, controlled, focused. Every trace of the enemy had vanished—turned to ash.
His eyes slowly returned to normal. The shadows faded. Silence fell again.
And then he looked at Elena.
"I didn't want you to see that," he said quietly.
"Why?" she breathed.
"Because now you know what I really am."
She walked toward him, step by step. "You're power. You're darkness. But you're also the one who saved me. Again. You didn't burn the world—you spared it."
Dorian's expression softened.
But behind them, Miles struggled to his feet, fury in his eyes. "So that's it? You reveal your power and expect her to just fall into your arms?"
Dorian looked over his shoulder. "No. I revealed it because I'm done hiding from who I am. Elena deserves the truth."
Miles looked to Elena. "And what do you choose?"
Elena didn't speak right away. Then she turned fully to Dorian.
"I choose the one who walks through fire, not around it. The one who sees all of me—and never flinched."
Dorian stepped forward, reaching for her hand.
This time, she didn't hesitate.
Miles's fists clenched at his sides, but he said nothing more. He turned and walked away, vanishing into the trees.
Dorian exhaled, his forehead resting against hers.
"I could destroy worlds," he whispered.
"I know," she replied, eyes glowing. "That's why I'm going to help you save one instead."