WebNovels

Chapter 16 - The Sky Citadel

The night over Terraxis was not dark — it burned with fractured light.

What once were stars now shimmered like splinters of broken glass, swirling around the mountain peaks as if the heavens themselves had cracked open.

 

Jayden stood at the edge of the ravine, wind cutting across his face, the golden mark on his arm pulsing faintly beneath his sleeve. The tremors of the Core's collapse still echoed beneath his boots. Behind him, Lyra adjusted her cloak, her expression caught between awe and disbelief.

 

"Is this really the path?" she asked quietly.

 

Kaelen nodded. "The fracture in the sky — it's a gate. The Citadel opens only when the balance breaks, and you, Jayden, have done just that."

 

Jayden turned toward the horizon.

A column of pure light spiraled from the mountains into the clouds, connecting earth and heaven. The light wasn't still; it twisted, humming like a heartbeat, drawing them closer.

 

"Then let's finish it," he said, his voice steady despite the exhaustion tugging at his bones.

 

Lyra gave him a small, crooked smile. "You always make it sound simple."

 

Kaelen extended his staff, tracing symbols in the air. The ground beneath them shimmered, forming a spiral of runes. "Step inside. Once we ascend, there's no turning back."

 

Jayden took a deep breath. "Was there ever?"

 

And then they rose.

 

The runes flared, the mountain crumbled beneath them, and the light swallowed everything.

For a heartbeat, Jayden felt weightless — like falling upward. His stomach twisted as worlds blurred together: fire, wind, water, stone. Colors bent into silence. Then, with a sudden shock, they landed on solid ground.

 

Jayden gasped.

 

They stood on a floating platform suspended in a sea of clouds. Dozens of other islands drifted around them — each glowing faintly with runes, waterfalls cascading into nothingness, bridges of light connecting them like veins. Above all floated the Sky Citadel, a grand fortress of silver and glass, its towers wrapped in storms, its gates guarded by statues that breathed wind.

 

Lyra stepped forward, her eyes wide. "It's beautiful."

 

"It's ancient," Kaelen said, his voice heavy with reverence. "Built by the first Elemental Sovereigns. The Citadel was once a meeting place between gods and heirs. Until it was sealed."

 

Jayden stared at the gates. Lightning traced the edges of the massive doors, and for a moment, he swore he saw shadows moving behind them. "Then who opened it now?"

 

Kaelen's gaze lingered on him. "You did."

 

They crossed the bridge of light. Each step echoed like thunder.

Jayden's pulse matched the rhythm of the lightning above. The closer they drew to the gates, the heavier the air became — thick, electric, alive with unseen power.

 

When they reached the entrance, the statues moved.

 

Two stone sentinels stepped down from their pedestals, wings unfurling like storms. Their voices thundered as one.

 

"WHO BEARS THE LIGHT OF UNION?"

 

Jayden swallowed hard. The golden mark on his arm blazed, responding instinctively. "I am Jayden of Eryndor. I carry the Heart of Ember, the Breath of Aetherion, and the Pulse of Terraxis."

 

The sentinels' eyes glowed white.

"THREE ELEMENTS. ONE SOUL. IMPOSSIBLE… YET TRUE."

 

Their wings folded, and the gates of the Citadel opened with a deep, resonant hum.

 

Inside, the Citadel was vast — a cathedral carved from the sky itself. Runes shimmered along the walls, depicting scenes of the world's creation. Floating spheres of elemental light illuminated halls lined with silver mirrors, each reflecting not their faces but moments of memory.

 

Jayden caught glimpses of his past: Eryndor's wheat fields, his grandfather's smile, the night the sky burned.

Lyra saw flashes too — her lost sister among them — and turned away quickly.

 

They reached the central chamber, where a throne of crystal stood surrounded by six pillars. Each pillar bore a sigil — Fire, Water, Earth, Air, Light, and Shadow.

 

Kaelen bowed his head. "The Thrones of Balance. Each realm once had a ruler — an Elemental Sovereign — chosen to uphold harmony across the worlds."

 

Jayden's eyes drifted to the throne of Light. It was cracked. Dim.

"What happened to them?" he asked.

 

Kaelen hesitated. "They vanished. When the Void rose."

 

Before Jayden could reply, a voice echoed through the chamber.

 

"Not all vanished."

 

The air shimmered, and a figure descended from above — cloaked in silver mist, eyes glowing like stars. His presence made the room bend, as though reality itself bowed around him.

 

Kaelen dropped to one knee instantly. "Lord Serathen… Sovereign of the Sky."

 

Jayden froze. "You're… one of them?"

 

Serathen studied him silently, then stepped forward. "So, the prophecy was not a myth." His gaze fixed on Jayden. "The child of two worlds stands before me."

 

Lyra instinctively stepped in front of Jayden, but Serathen merely smiled. "You need not fear me, daughter of the storms. I am not your enemy."

 

Jayden's voice shook slightly. "If you're one of the Sovereigns… then tell me. Why am I here?"

 

Serathen's expression turned solemn. "Because the world is dying. The elements are collapsing into each other. The Void stirs once more. And you, Jayden Vale, are the key that binds — or breaks — it all."

 

Jayden frowned. "I don't understand."

 

"You will," Serathen said. He raised his hand, and the chamber darkened. "Let me show you."

 

Images filled the air — memories not of Jayden's life, but of ages long past.

 

He saw the world's birth — a sphere of pure energy splitting into six lights. The Sovereigns emerging, shaping fire and stone, sea and sky. Harmony lasted for millennia, until one of them — the Sovereign of Shadow — sought to claim all power. The others united against him, but in their battle, the realm shattered. The Sovereigns vanished, their essence scattered into mortal bloodlines.

 

"The heirs," Jayden whispered. "That's what we are."

 

Serathen nodded. "Each generation carries a fragment of our light. But the cycle was never meant to awaken more than one element per vessel. You, however—" His gaze sharpened. "You carry three."

 

Lyra's eyes widened. "That's why the realms are breaking."

 

Serathen turned toward Jayden. "Your existence bends the law of balance. But it also offers a chance to restore it."

 

Jayden met his gaze. "How?"

 

"By finding the last two elements — Light and Shadow — and uniting them within you. Only then can the Seal of Equilibrium be reforged."

 

Kaelen looked uneasy. "And if he fails?"

 

Serathen's voice echoed through the chamber like thunder. "Then the Void consumes everything."

 

The air trembled. The runes on the walls flickered. A low hum filled the Citadel — faint at first, then growing until the floor itself shuddered.

 

Lyra spun around. "What's happening?"

 

Serathen's expression darkened. "It's too soon. The Shadow stirs."

 

Cracks formed across the mirrors, spilling darkness like ink. The chamber dimmed as shadows began to rise from the walls, taking form — humanoid, but hollow-eyed. Whispering.

 

Jayden felt the light within him react, flaring in defense. "The Void's followers?"

 

"Fragments," Serathen said. "Echoes of what's coming."

 

Kaelen raised his staff. "We need to move!"

 

Serathen extended his hand, summoning a barrier of wind that held back the shadow wraiths. "There's no time. You must go — to the realm of mirrors. There lies the path to Shadow."

 

Jayden's heart raced. "You're coming with us."

 

Serathen shook his head. "My power is bound to this Citadel. If I leave, it will fall. Go, Jayden. The balance depends on you."

 

Lyra grabbed Jayden's arm. "Jayden, now!"

 

He hesitated, looking one last time at the Sky Sovereign. "If I fail—"

 

"You won't," Serathen said, his voice calm amidst the chaos. "Because light remembers."

 

Then the floor beneath them split open, and the storm swallowed them whole.

 

Jayden fell through the sky once more — but this time, there was no light.

Only shadows. Endless, whispering, cold.

 

He reached for Lyra, their hands brushing just as a wave of darkness tore them apart. The golden mark on his arm flickered weakly, then went out.

 

Silence.

Then — a single whisper.

 

"Welcome home, child of balance."

More Chapters