The Ember Plains grew quieter the farther they walked.
The heat remained, heavy and unyielding, but the sounds of Varkon—the distant forges, the rumble of molten rivers—faded until only the wind remained. It whispered across cracked earth and scorched stone, carrying the smell of iron and old smoke.
Jack felt it before anyone spoke.
"Something's wrong," he said quietly.
Talon slowed his pace. His jaw tightened as his eyes scanned the land ahead. "We're close."
The trail ended where the plains collapsed inward—an uneven basin carved by ancient eruptions. Steam rose from fissures in the ground, drifting lazily through the air like ghosts refusing to leave.
At the basin's center stood the remains of a shelter.
Or what was left of it.
The stone walls had collapsed inward, not from age, but from force. A forge slab lay split cleanly in two, its surface blackened with scorch marks that spiraled outward unnaturally—as if something had struck it and erased the heat instead of amplifying it.
Kael's hand went to his sword. "This wasn't an accident."
Lyra swallowed. "I feel it too."
They descended carefully.
Then Talon broke into a run.
A body lay slumped against the shattered forge stone.
The man's chest rose and fell shallowly, each breath rattling painfully in his throat. His clothes were torn and soaked dark with blood. One leg was crushed beneath fallen stone, bone visibly fractured beneath burned flesh.
"Talon…" the man rasped weakly.
Talon dropped to his knees beside him. "Ryn. Gods, Ryn—what happened?"
Ryn's eyes fluttered open. They were unfocused, glazed with pain, yet sharp enough to recognize the voice. "You shouldn't have come," he whispered. "He'll come back."
Jack knelt beside them, his heart pounding. "He's bleeding internally. Badly."
Lyra was already on her knees, light trembling in her hands. "I can try—"
Ryn shook his head faintly. "No. Don't. He made sure… this couldn't be healed."
Lyra froze. Her light flickered uncertainly, then dimmed. "What do you mean?"
Ryn's breath hitched painfully. "It burns… and freezes at the same time."
Jack looked closer. The wounds weren't normal burns. The flesh around them was pale—drained, as though the heat had been pulled out rather than inflicted.
Kael's expression darkened. "That's not Fire Vein magic."
"No," Ryn whispered. "It isn't."
Talon clenched his fists. "Who did this to you?"
Ryn's gaze darted briefly toward the shadows beyond the basin. "The one who hired me… came back."
Lyra inhaled sharply. "The one behind the forged sigils?"
"Yes," Ryn breathed. "I served my purpose."
Jack leaned forward. "Why did you do it? Why forge them?"
Ryn coughed violently, blood staining his lips. When he spoke again, his voice trembled. "Because I believed him. Because he said the kingdoms were rotting. That war would burn away the lies."
Talon shook his head. "You knew better than that."
Ryn's eyes filled with regret. "I thought I did."
Lyra's voice was steady, but quiet. "You were told these sigils would provoke conflict."
"Yes," Ryn said. "Fire against Light. Light against Fire. Blame, anger, retaliation. He said the Veins would respond."
Jack felt his mark pulse faintly.
"And they did," Ryn continued. "Too well."
Kael's eyes narrowed. "You said you never saw his face."
Ryn nodded faintly. "Shadow hid it. But his magic—"
Ryn's fingers twitched weakly as he pointed toward the cracked forge stone. "It wasn't Fire. It wasn't Light. It was something that swallowed the space between."
Jack's breath caught.
"When he arrived," Ryn whispered, "the forge went cold. The flames died. Even the Vein metal screamed."
Lyra shivered. "Shadow magic?"
Ryn shook his head slowly. "No. Older. It doesn't belong to any kingdom."
Talon's jaw tightened. "Then what does it belong to?"
Ryn's gaze drifted to Jack.
"It belongs to imbalance."
Talon reached beneath the rubble, pulling free a metal plate half-buried in ash. It was scorched and cracked, but the markings were still visible.
A sigil.
Fire Vein metal—undeniably Varkonian—etched with channels designed to resonate with Light.
Lyra's breath caught. "That design—"
"It's wrong," Jack said quietly.
Ryn nodded weakly. "He designed it himself. Said it proved the Seals were lies."
Kael frowned. "What does that mean?"
Ryn swallowed hard. "He said the Veins were never meant to be separate. That the Seals were cages."
Jack clenched his fists. "And you believed him."
"I did," Ryn whispered. "Until I realized what he was truly testing."
Lyra leaned closer. "Testing… what?"
Ryn's eyes locked onto Jack. "Whether the Veins would accept a convergence."
The word hung heavy in the air.
Ryn's breathing grew shallow, uneven. His grip on Talon's sleeve tightened briefly.
"He knew you were coming," Ryn whispered. "He watched the Fire Vein react. Watched the canyon burn."
Jack's stomach dropped. "He was there."
"Yes," Ryn said. "Always nearby. Always ahead."
Lyra's voice trembled. "Where did he go next?"
Ryn struggled to focus. "He follows… reactions. Where the Veins stir."
Jack exhaled slowly. "Then he'll move when another one destabilizes."
Ryn nodded faintly. "Wind… carries the first whispers."
Kael cursed under his breath.
Lyra closed her eyes. "The Wind Kingdom."
Ryn coughed again, blood spilling freely now. His voice dropped to a whisper.
"Please… stop him. Before the Seals fall."
Talon leaned closer, his voice low and raw. "You're not dying here. You hear me?"
Ryn smiled faintly. "You were always bad at lying."
His grip loosened. His breathing slowed.
Then stopped.
The basin seemed to cool all at once.
Lyra bowed her head, her light flickering softly in mourning. Kael closed Ryn's eyes with quiet respect.
Talon remained frozen, fists clenched, shoulders shaking.
Jack stood slowly, his mark glowing faintly red and gold.
"He killed him because the truth was too close," Jack said quietly.
Lyra looked toward the horizon, where the air shimmered unnaturally. "And he won't stop."
Kael sheathed his sword. "Then neither will we."
Ash drifted down, settling over the broken forge and the man who had died trying to undo his mistake.
The truth had spoken—but only long enough to light the road ahead.