The sky was bleeding fire.
From the highest spire of the Dominion's capital, Kaelen stood upon the balcony of black glass, his cloak whipping in the molten wind. Lightning flashed red across the storm clouds, reflecting in his cold, amber eyes. Below him, the world trembled — rivers of magma flowed through shattered valleys, and the ancient sky citadel groaned under the weight of awakening power.
The Red Stone's pulse had changed. He could feel it — no longer chaotic or wild, but alive.
Kaelen clenched his fist. "So… the Heartfire chose him."
Behind him, shadowy figures knelt — remnants of his loyal guard, each marked with runes of crimson flame. One raised his head, voice trembling. "My lord, should we begin the convergence?"
Kaelen's expression hardened. "Yes. The time for patience has ended. The bearer has awakened the Heartfire — that means the seal is breaking faster than I anticipated."
He turned toward the horizon, where the glow of the fortress still burned faintly like a second sun. "Ethan Vale… the final flame of defiance. You've walked far enough."
---
Meanwhile — inside the fortress of the Red Stone
Ethan stood on the balcony overlooking the endless crater below. The air shimmered with soft embers, the calm after the storm of the Heartfire's judgment. The Red Stone's energy now moved through him like breath — no longer a burden, but part of his soul.
Ashara approached, her expression filled with cautious awe. "You're… different," she said quietly.
Ethan turned to her, the faint glow of light still dancing in his eyes. "The Heartfire accepted me. It's not a weapon anymore — it's a will. A living force that wants balance."
Ashara folded her arms. "Balance? Between what?"
"Between creation and destruction," Ethan said. "It told me that every flame needs something to burn — but it doesn't always have to be life. It can burn fear, doubt, corruption. That's what it meant."
Ashara's gaze softened. "Then maybe this isn't the end. Maybe it's the beginning."
Before Ethan could reply, the sky cracked.
A massive shockwave ripped across the fortress, nearly knocking them from their feet. The sunlight dimmed, replaced by a crimson eclipse — a burning ring that swallowed the horizon.
Ethan's breath hitched. "That's… Kaelen."
The fortress trembled again. Symbols flared along the walls — ancient runes glowing red, twisting in unnatural patterns. Ashara grabbed his arm. "He's found us!"
The voice that followed was cold, echoing across the air like thunder.
> "You've stolen what was never yours, Flamebearer."
Kaelen's form materialized in the sky, cloaked in red and gold flame. His aura spread for miles, darkening the clouds and igniting the air itself. Behind him floated a colossal sigil — a burning crown made of light and shadow, its tips piercing the heavens.
Ethan's jaw tightened. "He's already fused with the Dominion Core."
Ashara's hand went to her weapon. "Then this is it."
Kaelen's voice boomed again, ancient and regal.
> "You think you carry balance? You carry weakness. The Heartfire was never meant to choose a mortal — it was meant to be ruled."
Ethan stepped forward, fire spiraling around his fists. "No. The Heartfire isn't a throne — it's a bond. Something you never understood."
Kaelen extended his hand, and the burning crown above him began to expand — six points of crimson light spinning into orbit like miniature suns. The ground beneath Ethan cracked as shockwaves tore through the fortress.
> "Then let me show you what true power looks like."
The first beam struck. A column of pure red flame screamed downward, colliding with the fortress walls. The entire structure shook violently. Ethan raised his hands, summoning a barrier of gold-white light — the Heartfire's energy forming a dome of living flame. The impact threw him back, but the barrier held.
Ashara caught him before he fell. "You can't block that forever!"
"I don't need to," he gritted out. "I just need to reach him."
He raised his right hand, and the Red Stone's power surged — forming a blade of white fire that hummed with creation's pulse. It wasn't just flame — it was life energy condensed into a single focus.
"Keep the fortress stable," he told Ashara. "If it collapses, everything below goes with it."
She hesitated. "You're going after him alone?"
Ethan nodded. "This isn't his war. It's mine."
And with that, he launched into the air.
---
The two forces met in the storm.
Kaelen's crown flared brighter, each point releasing arcs of crimson lightning. Ethan's flames cut through them, spiraling upward like a comet. Their collision cracked the sky itself, scattering embers like stars.
Kaelen smirked beneath his helm. "So the boy has learned to fly."
Ethan's eyes burned white. "And the tyrant's learned to fall."
They clashed — blade against burning sigil — the sound ringing like thunder through the heavens. Kaelen's strength was overwhelming; each strike sent waves of heat rippling through reality. But Ethan adapted — moving with the rhythm of the Heartfire, weaving creation and defense in one seamless motion.
Kaelen's voice roared through the storm.
> "You think you're balance? You're just a flicker in my eternity!"
Ethan countered with a burst of white flame that cut through Kaelen's barrier, grazing his arm. "Then maybe it's time your eternity ended!"
Kaelen staggered, his blood turning to molten fire — but his smile only widened. "Good. Show me the strength that defies gods!"
He slammed his palm into the air, and the Burning Crown shattered into fragments — six meteors of living flame streaking toward the earth. The impact would obliterate everything within miles.
Ethan gasped. "No—!"
He extended both arms, calling upon the Heartfire within. The Red Stone's pulse roared through him — and time seemed to slow. He could see every falling ember, every pulse of Kaelen's destruction.
> "You wanted to rule the flame," Ethan whispered. "Then burn with it."
He raised his hand, and the Heartfire answered.
A massive surge of white and gold light erupted from his core, spiraling upward into a vortex. The falling meteors collided with the light — and instead of exploding, they dissolved, their destructive energy absorbed and purified. The entire sky transformed into a sea of radiant fire.
Ashara watched from below, shielding her eyes. "He's… he's turning the attack into light!"
Kaelen snarled, wings of molten darkness spreading wide. "Impossible!"
Ethan's voice echoed through the storm. "You talk about power — but all you've ever done is take. You destroy what you can't control."
He leveled his burning blade toward Kaelen, eyes fierce. "That ends now."
The storm exploded in a final collision — crimson against white, hate against hope.
For a heartbeat, the entire world burned.
---
When the light faded, the sky was calm. The Burning Crown was gone. Kaelen floated in the air, his armor cracked, his flame dimmed — but his eyes still burned with defiance.
He smirked weakly. "You've grown strong… Ethan Vale. But you still don't understand. The fire doesn't end with me."
He raised a trembling hand — and a dark ember flickered in his palm.
"The Dominion's heart… still beats," he whispered.
Before Ethan could stop him, Kaelen crushed the ember. The air shuddered, and the fortress beneath them began to quake violently.
Ethan's eyes widened. "No—"
Kaelen's final words echoed like a curse.
> "Let the world remember the Crown's fire."
Then his body dissolved into ash — and from the horizon, a massive pillar of red light erupted into the sky.
The Dominion's last seal had been broken.
---
Ethan fell back toward the fortress, landing beside Ashara as the ground split beneath them.
She shouted over the roar, "What did he do!?"
Ethan stared at the pillar in the distance, his expression grim. "He opened the rift. The real war… is about to begin."
The sky ignited anew — and somewhere within the Red Stone, a new voice began to whisper.