THE DAY KYRETHRON FELL
The air in Kyrethron was heavy with tension. The dark skies seemed to weep ashes instead of rain, and the mountains surrounding the city glowed faintly with red veins, as if the very heart of the world were beating to the rhythm of an approaching calamity. Calessia watched from the top of the tallest tower, the wind whipping through her hair as her gaze remained fixed on the horizon.She could feel it. Umbraek was near.
Kaelion rushed toward her, his face hardened and covered in sweat. Therion roared behind him, restless.
"Calessia, the guardians are ready, but… the Zykrath Nolthem have reached the northern valley. The barrier won't hold them for long."
"I know, Kaelion," she replied, not taking her eyes off the horizon. "But they're not the ones who concern me. It's him."
Kaelion followed her gaze toward the darkness looming over the valley. For an instant, time seemed to stop. Then, an explosion of black energy lit up the sky, ripping apart the clouds and sending a shockwave that made the tower tremble.
"It's Umbraek," Kaelion whispered, barely audible.
The alarm bells echoed across Kyrethron. Dragon guardians soared over the city, unleashing flames to mark the attack points. Calessia descended the tower swiftly, her cloak billowing behind her. In the center of the temple, the aspirants were gathered, their faces filled with fear and determination.
"Listen, everyone!" Calessia called out, her voice firm and resonant. "Today we face the greatest enemy this world has ever known. But we are not alone. The dragons stand with us, and as long as we hold onto our faith, Kyrethron will not fall."
A young aspirant raised his hand. "And if… we cannot stop him? What do we do then?"
Calessia looked him straight in the eyes. "If that happens, we do what we have always done: we protect the balance, no matter the cost."
Kaelion approached her as the aspirants dispersed to take their positions. "We can't win this battle, Calessia. You know that, right?"
"I know," she admitted softly. "But we also cannot surrender. There is something more at stake here—something beyond Kyrethron."
The ground trembled with each step Umbraek took as he advanced toward the temple. His figure was imposing, surrounded by a black aura that seemed to devour the light around him. In his right hand, he held his fragment— a dark core pulsing with malignant energy.
"Calessia," Umbraek said, his voice echoing like thunder. "I knew you would be here to welcome me."
"This is not a welcome, Umbraek," she replied, gripping her staff firmly. "It is a warning. This temple will not fall as easily as you believe."
Umbraek laughed, a deep, mocking sound. "Oh, but it will fall, Calessia. Everything you've built, everything you love, will be reduced to ashes. And in the end, you too will beg me for forgiveness."
Kaelion stepped beside Calessia, with Therion roaring defiantly. "Not while we're still standing."
Umbraek did not answer. Instead, he raised his fragment and unleashed a beam of dark energy straight at the magical barrier protecting the temple. The barrier held for a moment—then shattered with a deafening crack.
"Now the true judgment begins," Umbraek said, advancing.
As the battle erupted, Calessia felt a strange pull in her mind. Her vision darkened, and suddenly she was no longer in the temple. Instead, she stood in an open field under a star-filled sky. Before her, two figures were fighting against a colossal shadow.
"Zyrion… Kyrahna…" she whispered, recognizing them instantly.
Zyrion wielded a weapon glowing with pure white light, while Kyrahna, surrounded by flames, attacked with precise and lethal strikes. The shadow—Umbraek—was larger and more powerful than ever, but the two youths did not retreat.
"They are the key," said a voice behind her.
Calessia turned and saw Dragon Master Eryndor—his figure translucent like a specter.
"They will be the ones to decide this world's fate," Eryndor continued. "But for them to do so, you must stop Umbraek here and now. No matter the cost."
"What must I do?" Calessia asked, her voice trembling.
"The seal," Eryndor answered. "It is the only way. But remember, balance always demands a sacrifice."
Back in the temple, Calessia woke from her vision just in time to see Kaelion and Therion collapse under Umbraek's attack. With tears in her eyes, she rose and walked forward, holding her fragment high.
"Umbraek!" she shouted, her voice echoing through all of Kyrethron. "This ends here."
Umbraek turned to her, smiling with arrogance. "Do you think you can stop me, Calessia? You're more naïve than I believed."
"I am not alone," she said, as the remaining dragons surrounded the temple, channeling their energy into her staff. "And even if I fall, Kyrethron will not fall with me."
Umbraek advanced toward her, but before he could reach her, Calessia activated the seal. A circle of light appeared beneath her feet, expanding rapidly to engulf them both.
"You cannot seal me," Umbraek growled, struggling against the light. "I am eternal. I will always return."
"Perhaps," Calessia whispered with a sad smile. "But not today."
With a final burst of light, Umbraek vanished— sealed in a magical prison.
When the light faded, Calessia collapsed to her knees, exhausted. Kaelion limped toward her, bloodied but alive.
"You did it," he said, helping her stand.
"Not me," she replied, looking toward the horizon. "They will. Zyrion… Kyrahna… They are the ones who will finish what we started."
As flames consumed what remained of Kyrethron, Calessia gazed up at the sky, knowing that the sacrifice they made would not be in vain.
Smoke wrapped around the ruins of Kyrethron as the last remnants of the seal's light faded. A deathly silence spread across the battlefield, broken only by the crackling of flames devouring the city's remains. Calessia stood in the center, her staff still glowing faintly in her hand. Her gaze was distant, her heart burning with a mixture of hope and despair.
Kaelion limped toward her, dragging an injured leg with Therion supporting him as if he too felt the weight of the battle.
"Calessia, we need to move. This place won't hold much longer. The fissures are spreading, and soon all of Kyrethron will be swallowed by the abyss."
She nodded weakly, but her feet did not move. Her eyes remained fixed on the place where Umbraek had vanished.
"Do you think the seal will be enough?" she whispered.
"I don't know," Kaelion admitted. "But if anyone could do it, it was you. Time will tell if your sacrifice was enough."
In the skies, the remaining dragons circled, wounded but vigilant. Therion let out a soft roar, calling to his companions. One by one, they descended, landing amid the temple's ruins.
Calessia looked at them with sorrow. Once, the skies of Kyrethron were filled with dragon wings— an unstoppable force. Now only a few remained, all scarred by battle.
"There were more than a hundred," she murmured. "And now…"
"Now they're alive because you fought for them," Kaelion said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Because Kyrethron protected them until the last breath."
"And what remains for them now?" she asked, tears filling her eyes.
Kaelion clenched his jaw. "What remains… is to keep going. The same goes for us."
While preparing the dragons for departure, Calessia felt that strange pull in her mind again. This time, she did not resist. She allowed the flow of energy to take her, until she found herself in a place she did not recognize.
A vast field filled with crystal trees, whose leaves glowed with their own light. At the center, a silver lake reflected a starry sky, and before it stood a hooded figure.
"Who are you?" Calessia asked, stepping forward cautiously.
The figure turned slowly, revealing a face marked by scars but eyes filled with wisdom. He did not look human— but he did not look threatening either.
"I am an observer," he said with a calm, deep voice. "And I'm here because there is something you must know before everything ends."
"What must I know?"
"That this battle is only the beginning," the man said, gesturing toward the lake. "What you did today has delayed the inevitable. Umbraek will return—and when he does, he will be stronger than ever. But it won't be your task to face him."
A knot formed in Calessia's stomach. "Then who will?"
The man extended a hand toward the lake. Its surface shifted, forming images:Zyrion wielding a shining blade.Kyrahna surrounded by golden flames.And between them—an unknown figure with a glowing fragment on their forehead.
"Them," the man said. "The heirs of Kyrethron. Those who will take your place and finish the war you began."
Calessia swallowed hard, feeling both relief and sorrow. "And me? What is my role now?"
"The role of guiding," he answered. "The role of preparing the path. You will not see all of them together, but when the time comes, they will know that it was your sacrifice that gave them a chance."
The vision began to fade, but the man left her with one final warning:
"Be careful with the allies you choose. Not all of them will be what they seem."
Calessia awoke just as Kaelion called her.
"Calessia! We have to go now!"
The dragons roared in unison, impatient. She nodded, climbed onto Therion, and looked at the ruins one last time.
"Goodbye, Kyrethron," she whispered. "Your fall will not be in vain."
As they flew away, Calessia felt something within her shift. She had lost much that day, but she had also gained a new resolve. Kyrethron had fallen—but its spirit would live on in those who would carry the fight forward.
And deep down, she knew her destiny was far from over.
TO BE CONTINUED…