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1. Calm Before the Breaking
The flames had died.
The eastern district of Scorchfront was now a smoldering graveyard. Rotborn corpses turned to ash, Soulfire chains evaporated into the wind, and Aira sat at the city wall, silent, her hands trembling.
The Beast Tide had receded, for now. But in her heart, she knew—
> "This isn't over."
From the command tower, scouts relayed urgent messages:
> "Strange figures sighted beyond the fog."
> "Not beasts. Not undead. Humanoid. Organized. Armored."
Aira stood, her eyes narrowing.
> "Then the generals have arrived."
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2. The Herald's Approach
From the ash plains, a single figure stepped into the open.
Tall. Slender. Wrapped in a cloak made of stitched human faces.
He carried no weapons. Only a banner—blackened at the edges, depicting a skeletal serpent coiled around a cracked sun.
> "I am Veyrek, Herald of the End."
His voice echoed unnaturally across the city, carried by some arcane amplification.
> "Your fire has amused our Masters. But the time for amusement has ended."
> "Kneel, Flamewalker, and you may be reborn in glorious rot."
Aira answered with fire.
One snap of her fingers, and a blazing spear hurled through the air, tearing across the ruins—
—but Veyrek vanished into shadow just before impact.
> "So be it," his voice whispered from the smoke.
> "Let the commanders feast."
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3. Rise of the Shadow Commanders
The fog split open like a curtain.
Three figures stepped forth, each one radiating corrupted mana that pressed down on the city like a curse.
Commander Kaarn — A fallen knight of the Holy Order, his armor rusted and fused with bone. His blade sang with the screams of every life it had taken.
Vexa the Plague Witch — Draped in tattered veils, her form flickered between flesh and maggot-filled illusion. Every breath she exhaled birthed clouds of disease.
Dregor, Beast-Speaker — A hulking figure covered in stitched beast hides, commanding mutated monsters with a guttural chant.
Behind them, the Second Wave advanced. Not mindless. Not wild. A war formation.
> "They've adapted," Aira whispered.
Kaelen joined her, armor cracked, lightning flickering between his fingers. "What do we do now?"
> "We change the rules of the war."
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4. City of Traps
Aira led the commanders through the ruins of Scorchfront—not by accident, but by design.
> "Channel them into Sector Four," she ordered. "Deploy magma runes beneath the bone corridor. Poison runes in the high towers. Let's make this hell."
When Kaarn's undead cavalry charged in first, the streets lit up with fire sigils, and the ground collapsed beneath them, sending half the undead into a magma pit.
Aira herself dropped into the pit moments later, her cloak trailing smoke.
> "Hey, Knight," she called up, grinning.
> "Do your bones creak when they melt?"
Kaarn dove in after her.
---
5. Duel: Aira vs. Kaarn
Steel met flame in the heart of the earth.
Kaarn was fast—too fast for his size—his undead sword howling with every strike. Aira danced between the swings, her Soulfire Chains deflecting blows just long enough for counters.
> "You fight like a child," Kaarn spat. "Relying on emotion."
> "You rot like a coward," Aira shot back. "Hiding behind dead faith."
She burst upward in a spiral of flame, striking Kaarn with a Blazing Meteor Impact from point blank.
The knight crashed into a pool of molten rock—and did not rise.
> "One down."
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6. The Plague Witch's Game
Above, Vexa had already reached the city gardens.
Everywhere she walked, plants withered and stone cracked.
Mages sent fireballs her way, but they simply dissolved in her presence.
> "Filth," she whispered. "Let your lungs become my children."
Aira landed behind her.
> "Not so fast."
> "Flamegirl," Vexa hissed. "Do you dream of fire? I dream of decay."
They clashed in silence.
Aira summoned Eternal Ember Storm, raining down cleansing fire.
Vexa replied with clouds of rotting fog, each touch draining life.
Aira fell back, coughing blood.
> "You're infected," Vexa cooed. "Even your fire will turn on you soon."
But Aira smirked.
> "Wrong."
> "What?"
> "My fire burns everything—including infection."
With a scream, Aira ignited her own blood, purging the plague and launching a Flame Pulse that turned the garden into a sea of gold and crimson.
When the smoke cleared, only Aira remained standing.
---
7. Dregor Unleashed
In the west, Dregor had broken through.
He summoned mutated beasts—massive centipede-wolves, two-headed bears, and flying piranhas made of shadow.
Civilians screamed.
Guards fell.
Aira appeared in a flaming flash.
> "I don't have time for your zoo, Dregor."
> "Then burn with them."
He roared—and all beasts leapt at her.
She raised both arms.
> "Soulfire Chains — Full Domain Bind!"
Dozens of chains exploded from the earth, wrapping each beast in soul-forged bindings.
> "And now…"
> "Blazing Meteor Shower: Concentrated Strike."
Five meteors rained from the sky, each as large as a house, crashing into the bound monsters.
Dregor roared in pain—but before he could retaliate, Aira was already behind him.
> "You forgot who you're dealing with."
She launched a blast into his spine—and this time, the flames did not stop.
Dregor fell, charred beyond recognition.
---
8. The End of the First Wave
With their commanders dead, the remaining beasts faltered.
Some fled.
Some collapsed.
Some, stripped of control, simply stopped moving.
The fog began to dissipate.
Aira stood atop a shattered tower, blood staining her armor, fire flickering behind her.
Kaelen joined her.
> "We won…"
> "No," she said. "We survived."
He looked at her, eyes hollow. "What now?"
> "Now we bury the dead."
> "And the next wave?"
She looked north—toward the frozen mountains in the distance.
> "We prepare. The Tide wasn't just a test… It was a message."
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9. The Message
Later that night, scouts brought Aira a body.
Not a beast. Not undead.
A human—an adventurer who had gone missing months ago.
He had no injuries.
Only a single rune carved in
to his chest: the same symbol on the Herald's banner.
A cracked sun coiled by a serpent.
A note was sewn into his armor.
> "Fire cannot burn what has already died. We are the Pale Choir. The next song will begin soon."
Aira crushed the note in her hand.
> "Let them sing. I'll light the chorus myself."