The storm over the Sky Fortress raged for seven days and nights.
Silver lightning split the clouds, and the air itself trembled with the tension of an incoming war.
From the fortress balcony, Arka gazed down at the swirling mists that covered the floating islands below. The armies of beasts and humans had gathered, filling the skies like a living tide.
Liora approached, her robes torn, eyes glowing faintly from sleepless nights.
"We've reinforced the shield array, but Kael's shadow beasts are multiplying faster than we can hold them," she reported.
Arka closed his eyes for a moment, sensing the rhythm of the world. Beneath the chaos, he could feel the pulse of the True Star beating like a second heart within him.
"Then we fight on two fronts," he said quietly. "Against Kael... and against despair."
The Calm Before the Tempest
Inside the great hall, generals and beastlords stood around a glowing map of the sky realms.
Lines of silver light connected the floating fortresses, forming a vast web of energy that sustained the world's last defense.
Garran, the commander of the wolf riders, slammed his fist against the table.
"They're coming from the west! If we don't hold the upper gates, the fortress will fall before nightfall!"
"Then we hold it," Arka said.
His voice carried the authority of a king and the warmth of a protector. "Every beast that fights beside us does so because they believe in something greater than power. Remember that when you take the field."
The soldiers bowed deeply. Some trembled. Others wept silently. But none doubted his words.
The First Wave
At sunset, the fortress trembled. The sky darkened, and Kael's black-gold energy pierced through the clouds like arrows of molten night.
A storm of corrupted beasts poured from the rift in the horizon, wings slicing through the air, eyes glowing crimson.
Drums of war thundered.
The wolf riders launched from the battlements, diving through the storm in silver streaks of light.
Dragons roared, spewing torrents of cosmic fire that clashed against the shadow creatures.
Arka leapt from the fortress wall, summoning his astral wolf spirit mid-air. The silver beast howled, its sound shaking the heavens.
Blades of light formed in his hands, and with every strike, the air rippled like water under divine pressure.
"Keep the ley lines stable!" Liora shouted from the towers. Her magic spread through the fortress, creating a shimmering dome that blocked Kael's corruption.
But the assault didn't stop. Kael's presence pressed closer, heavy and suffocating, like a second sun of darkness hanging above them.
The Clash of Will
Kael appeared at last, stepping through the storm as if it were silk. His golden eyes burned with contempt.
"Still defending illusions, brother?" he mocked.
"You cling to memory, to love, to beasts that should have faded long ago."
Arka's reply was cold but steady.
"If illusions are what keep us human, then I'll protect them until the stars die."
They met in the air once more. Their blades collided, releasing waves of pure energy that split the storm apart.
Every creature below stopped to watch two beings of divine heritage locked in combat, each strike shaping the world around them.
Kael struck first, summoning dark chains that tried to crush Arka's wolf spirit. But Arka countered, calling upon the Celestial Seal embedded in his heart. Silver flames erupted, burning through the darkness.
The fortress shook. Towers cracked. Thousands of shards of light fell like shooting stars.
The Turning Point
Liora saw the northern wall collapsing.
"We're losing altitude! The fortress is falling!"
Arka's heart clenched. He could feel the energy draining from the protective array. Kael smirked, sensing victory.
"This world will kneel, brother. Not to light or darkness, but to me."
But Arka didn't back down.
He raised his sword, channeling every fragment of starlight within him. His voice thundered across the battlefield.
"Rise, Children of the True Star!"
The beasts roared in unison. The ley lines ignited.
Silver fire cascaded from the fortress, merging with Arka's aura. The entire structure shone like a newborn sun, pushing back Kael's darkness.
The shockwave tore through the heavens. For a moment, even Kael staggered, his armor cracking under the force.
When the light faded, both stood panting, their energies spent.
But Arka was still standing.
And behind him, the fortress still floated, held aloft by the faith of every living soul within it.
Kael's expression darkened.
"This isn't over."
"I know," Arka replied. "It never is."
Kael vanished into the rift, and the storm slowly began to clear.
But Arka knew what this meant the first true battle had only been a test.
The war of the Twin Creations was only beginning.