"Judgment is not wrath. It is purpose wrapped in flame."
The sky boiled.
Aira hovered mid-air, golden wings of solar fire spread wide, casting radiance across the battlefield. Below her, the Rift World writhed in resistance. The Warden of the Rift raised its obsidian blade, the very air warping around its serrated edge. It towered like a monument of despair, formed from warped memories and decayed spirits.
"You bear flame born of the stars… yet you will burn like the rest."
Its voice was a vibration that echoed in the bones of every Warband member.
Aira's brow furrowed as the energy in her core surged. She could feel her level climbing. The strain of commanding Solar Ascension, combined with channeling the infernal fury of her fire talents, pulled her toward something new—something terrible.
The Warden leapt, cleaving through the sky. Its blade carried darkness thick enough to snuff light. Aira shot forward, meeting the strike head-on. Flame and void clashed with a thunderous roar.
Below, the Warband scattered.
Kael and Arcturon took up the frontline, fending off smaller void creatures that poured like blood from ruptured veins in the earth. Ilia fired volley after volley of glowing thorns that froze midair before splintering into dozens of sharp, flaming blossoms. Lysara led the secondary vanguard with icy precision, freezing terrain to form battle platforms above the corruption-laced surface.
"She's taking the Warden solo?" Sir Thalen gasped, blocking a riftspawn with his sigil-covered shield. "That's suicide!"
"No," whispered Mirin, the blind Seeress, blood trailing from her eyes. "It's evolution."
---
Above the Battlefield — Midair
The Warden unleashed a scream that broke the sound barrier. Void tendrils lashed from its back, seeking to ensnare Aira and crush her light. But her Solar Wings shattered the grasping darkness. She spun, flame trailing behind her like comet tails, and drove both her swords into the Warden's chest.
CLANG!
But it didn't bleed. It laughed.
"You think light wounds what was born in oblivion? Your fire is still too pure."
Then it struck.
Aira was hurled across the sky like a meteor, crashing into a floating shard of warped land. The impact created a molten crater, smoke curling up from her shoulders.
Blood dripped from her mouth.
And something inside her snapped.
Not in despair.
In defiance.
---
System Alert
🔥 Level Up: Lv. 45 achieved.
🔥 New Talent Unlocked: Hellfire Judgement
> "Summon infernal chains of pure flame to restrain and sentence your enemy. While active, all flame-based attacks bypass immunity and deal bonus damage to corrupted entities. Those judged by Hellfire burn even after death."
Aira's body convulsed as power tore through her. Her Solar Form deepened, the golden aura now laced with crimson and black. Her flames howled. Her eyes became molten rings.
"Judgement," she whispered, staggering to her feet. "Let it be passed."
She raised her hand. Infernal glyphs formed midair—ancient, unknowable, binding.
From the sky, Hellfire Chains erupted.
Thousands of them.
Each made of solid fire, forged in radiant hate, screaming as they tore through space and wrapped around the Warden's limbs, wings, and blade. The creature flailed, shrieking as the chains ignited its void-flesh from the inside.
"What is this? No flame should BIND ME!"
Aira stepped into the air, each footstep leaving behind burning sigils. She raised both hands, and a massive glyph formed behind her—a burning eye within a judge's seal.
"Hellfire Judgment," she intoned, voice layered with divine resonance.
The glyph activated.
The chains constricted. The Warden was pulled down, screaming, thrashing.
Then Aira descended like a meteor, flame cloaking her from head to toe, and slammed into the Warden's chest.
The explosion was seen from both sides of the portal.
The ground trembled. Rift-spires shattered. The energy storm above froze mid-pulse.
When the flames cleared, the Warden was on its knees, its armor cracked, its chest cavity glowing with infernal embers.
Aira landed in front of it, staggering slightly. Her cloak burned brighter, the Hellfire Chains still holding the behemoth in place.
"Your judgment is not death. It is to burn. Forever."
She turned.
The Warden let out one final screech—but it was no longer a sound of fury.
It was fear.
Then it collapsed, crumbling into ash that burned with black fire. Not even dust remained.
---
Moments Later — Silence on the Battlefield
The Warband stood still.
All the corrupted creatures had stopped moving the moment the Warden died. Many exploded. Others turned to ash, consumed by the same judgment. Even the warped landscape seemed to ease—the pulsating walls stilling, the corrupted flora retracting.
Kael exhaled. "By the Flame Gods…"
Sir Thalen dropped to one knee. "I have never seen justice delivered with such… fire."
Mirin approached Aira carefully. "You burned something that exists beyond our world. You've become more than fire. You're… purpose."
Aira didn't answer at first.
The Hellfire Chains still lingered around her, flickering in the air, awaiting her will.
"Solar Ascension is light," she murmured. "But Hellfire is law. I don't just burn. I judge. And something tells me… this was just the first."
---
Command Post Beyond the Portal – Hours Later
The Warband began setting up a forward base.
Scholars and strategists who crossed into the portal began analyzing the terrain, and new Rift readings. The glyph Aira used was replicated, partially, for study.
Aira stood atop a black cliff, wind blowing through her battle-worn cloak. She didn't glow anymore—but her eyes still carried embers.
Lysara joined her, silent for a time.
"I thought you might die," the frost commander admitted. "You almost did."
"Almost," Aira replied.
Lysara glanced at her, eyes narrowing. "But now you're stronger than me."
Aira chuckled. "Maybe. Maybe not. I still need you."
"You've got a bad habit of turning everyone into a follower, you know."
"I don't want followers," Aira said, her voice soft. "I want allies. Friends. Fire alone doesn't win wars. But fire and trust? That just might."
Lysara looked away, smirking. "If you quote one more poetic line, I'll throw you off this cliff."
They both laughed.
But their laughter faded as the sky shifted again.
In the distance, beyond the dead rift trees an
d burned bones, another light appeared.
A second portal. Smaller. Sharper. And deeper red.
Aira's smile vanished.
"We just passed the first test."