The town was dying.
The streets of Ignisia burned, flames devouring homes, twisting into columns of fire that reached for the sky. Smoke coiled through the air, thick and suffocating, swallowing the stars. The night reeked of ash, scorched wood, and blood.
Buildings crumbled, their skeletal remains collapsing in bursts of embers, sending flaming wreckage crashing into the streets. Screams echoed through the inferno—some desperate, some already fading.
Yet through it all, he stood untouched.
The Blazebringer.
Fire coiled around his form like living serpents, flickering along the charred edges of his ember-colored robes. The flames obeyed him, slithering along his arms, wrapping around his fingers like trained beasts. His eyes, burning coals, reflected the destruction around him, yet he showed no urgency. No fear. No concern.
He was calm. Certain.
And behind him—looming, waiting—stood the Lava Wraith.
A monstrous, molten titan, its body shifting between semi-solid rock and living magma. Heat pulsed from its form, rippling through the air in waves, warping stone and steel with its presence alone. Its clawed hands dripped liquid fire, leaving behind smoldering trenches in the cobblestone.
And then there was Irelia.
Her armor was streaked with soot, her breath heavy, the weight of exhaustion dragging at her limbs. But she stood firm. Daggers gripped. Eyes locked.
A single warrior against a force of destruction.
"The Blazebringer tilted his head, as though considering a question only he could hear. Then, at last, he smiled.
"I suppose I should introduce myself. You deserve to know who will burn you from this world, after all."
His voice was smooth, untouched by the chaos around them. There was no urgency, no hatred—only certainty, as if the outcome had already been decided.
"I am Yin. Blazebringer of the Ashen Veil. Keeper of the Sacred Flame. And the one who will return the Phoenix's gift to its rightful place." He does a mocking reverence.
His lips curled, the flames around his arms twisting in delight.
"Remember my name, Irelia Aerith. It will be the last thing you hear before you are reduced to cinders."
Irelia tightened her grip on her daggers. She'd fought zealots before. But this one—this one believed.
Irelia answered dryly. "Blazebringer Yin, huh?"
She exhaled, rolling her shoulders, letting the exhaustion fade into focus.
"Sounds pretentious."
Yin's smirk remained, unbothered.
"Spirited. I'll enjoy watching that fire in your eyes fade." He chucked.
He lifted a single hand—
And fire obeyed.
Irelia didn't answer.
She moved.
A dagger whistled through the air, her rune flashing the moment it left her fingers—
And she vanished.
She reappeared mid-strike, both blades flashing toward the Blazebringer's throat—
Only to be met with blackened fire surging between them.
WHIP-CRACK—
A serpent of flame lashed out, striking where she had blinked into existence.
He knew.
She twisted, teleporting again before the fire coiled around her throat—but the moment she reappeared, the flames shifted mid-air, pursuing her like hunting beasts.
He's adjusting to my movements—
She gritted her teeth.
A flick of his wrist—
Fire surged from the ground, cutting off her escape, enclosing her in a burning cage.
The blazebringer stepped forward, effortless, unharmed by the searing heat.
"You are quick. But fire is faster." His tone was calm, unimpressed.
The ground trembled.
A low, guttural roar rumbled from behind him. The Lava Wraith moved.
Its molten body shifted, bubbling, twisting, a walking furnace of wrath. The heat alone seared her exposed skin—just being near this thing was a battle in itself.
Then—
A massive, clawed hand of magma swung downward—
Irelia rolled, barely avoiding the strike—
But the impact shattered the ground.
A shockwave of blistering heat erupted outward, warping the very air, turning the street into a furnace.
Irelia coughed, her throat burning. The sheer force of it felt like it was dragging the oxygen from her lungs.
Blazebringer smirked, stepping closer.
The Blazebringer spoke softly, as if stating an undeniable truth. "Fire is inevitable, girl."
The Lava Wraith lifted a clawed arm.
Blazebringer gestured.
"And you—"
The Wraith's massive molten limb came down, aiming to crush her.
"Will burn."
The fight had to change.
Irelia couldn't win by trading blows. Not against two foes like this. She needed an opening— needed to turn their strength into weakness.
Yin was fast, precise, dangerous.
The Lava Wraith was a force of pure destruction.
So—why not use one against the other?
She stopped dodging wildly and instead, began positioning herself.
Yin snapped his wrist, and a coil of blackened flame lashed out toward her like a striking serpent.
Irelia blinked away, teleporting just as the fire struck—
She reappeared behind him—but not to strike.
She was baiting him.
The ground rumbled.
A massive, molten hand of liquid rock swung down—
Irelia teleported at the last second—
And the Lava Wraith's fist smashed down—
BOOM!
Right where the Blazebringer had been.
Yin barely dodged, twisting aside just as the impact shattered the ground. Heat pulsed in waves, fire licking at the hem of his robes. His face, always composed, flickered with something new—irritation.
The flames around him coiled tighter, no longer flowing freely but wrapping around his body—defensive now.
Irelia saw the change.
She smirked, despite the pain in her limbs.
"What's wrong, Yin?" she exhaled. "Fire's supposed to be fast, isn't it?"
His eyes darkened. The fire around him surged outward in an explosion of heat, forcing her back.
She landed lightly, blades ready, her mind racing.
This was working.
But two against one was still impossible.
She could keep them off balance, but she couldn't keep this up forever.
A low rumble—
Irelia barely had time to react before the Lava Wraith shifted, lifting a massive, burning chunk of stone.
She cursed.
With a monstrous roar, the Wraith hurled the burning debris toward her—
A shadow engulfed her—too fast—
She raised a rune, its sigils glowing bright against the smoke-choked air—
It wasn't enough.
CRASH!
The impact ripped through her defenses, the force hurling her backward like a ragdoll in a storm.
She hit hard.
The broken cart splintered beneath her, her body screaming in protest.
For a moment—her vision blurred.
Too slow. Too predictable.
Yin strode forward, his footsteps eerily calm amidst the destruction.
The blackened fire in his palm coiled and crackled, shifting into something more refined, condensed, lethal.
A spear of pure blackened flame.
"Your struggle is admirable," Yin mused, rolling the fire between his fingers. "But meaningless."
The spear grew brighter, hotter, deadly.
He hurled it forward—
A strike meant to end her.
WHIZZZ!
A small stone shot through the air—
THWACK!
It hit Yin square in the forehead.
His spell veered off course, the spear of fire launching wildly, exploding into a burning wall instead of Irelia.
Smoke erupted between them, thick and cloying, throwing Yin's world into disarray.
Irelia coughed, momentarily disoriented—then she heard his voice.
"You're welcome."
Pip.
She turned, half-exhausted, half-exasperated. He was grinning through the haze, slingshot still raised, looking far too pleased with himself.
Irelia let out a sharp breath. "Pip. You have GOT to stop picking fights with people who can set you on fire."
Still breathless, Pip wiped soot from his face, flashing a lopsided grin. "I didn't pick this fight. I just threw a rock at it."
Irelia groaned.
Across from them, Yin turned slowly, embers crackling around his shoulders, his expression a mix of disbelief and fury.
Pip blinked. Then very, very slowly lowered his slingshot. "Okay. That might've been a bad idea."
Yin's patience snapped. The flames around him coiled violently, then burst outward as he hurled a blazing lance of blackened fire.
Pip was already moving.
He rolled low, vanishing into the thick haze of smoke he had created, his small frame slipping between debris and wreckage.
The fire splintered against the stone wall behind him, exploding into molten fragments.
"Stay still, you little pest!"
Yin hurled another blast. Another miss.
Pip didn't stop moving. He ducked, spun, weaved between broken carts, half-collapsed stalls, and burning wreckage, forcing Yin to waste attack after attack.
Irelia wasn't idle. The moment Pip drew fire away from her, she moved. A flash of steel— a dagger aimed straight for Yin's ribs.
But the Blazebringer wasn't that easy to fool.
Without even looking, he twisted his hand, redirecting the flames—
A wall of blackened fire erupted, forcing Irelia back before she could strike.
Yin advanced, frustration visible now.
"I don't have time for children playing at war," he snarled, stepping forward.
Pip grinned. "Then you're gonna hate this."
He tossed something behind him— small metal shards, scattered across the stone.
Yin stepped forward—
Then jerked to a stop as spikes dug into his feet.
A flicker of shock and pain crossed his face. His flames flared wildly, reacting to the disruption.
And that was the opening.
Irelia teleported, appearing just behind him. A dagger flashed, slashing across his arm.
Then she twisted—a sharp kick to the chest—
For the first time, Yin staggered.
Not from brute force.
Not from magic.
From pure, infuriating, trickery.
His eyes burned, flicking toward Pip with the rage of a man who had never been bested by sheer trickery before.
"You—" he snarled, voice laced with absolute rage.
Pip raised a finger. "You seem upset."
Yin snapped his wrist—a wave of fire lashed forward—but Pip was already gone.
Rolling, dodging, bouncing between burning wreckage like a ghost.
Every time Yin struck, Pip wasn't there.
He used terrain—sliding under fallen beams, climbing over unstable carts, forcing Yin to overcommit as his fire exploded harmlessly against ruined structures.
Irelia saw what he was doing.
He's baiting him.
Yin lashed out again, fury now driving his attacks instead of control.
Another fireblast—too wide, too wild.
Pip skidded behind a broken wagon, then—with a flick of his wrist—
A dagger buried itself into a burning wooden pillar.
Pip kicked the beam—
The already weakened structure collapsed.
A wall of debris tumbled toward Yin.
The Blazebringer twisted, throwing up a shield of fire—
And Irelia was already there.
She teleported past the flames—daggers flashing in rapid succession.
For every direct strike Irelia made, Pip found a way to disrupt their enemy.
Yin hurled another fireblast—
Pip bounced a stone off a nearby metal plate— the noise echoed, throwing Yin's focus off.
Irelia struck from the opposite angle, forcing Yin onto the defensive.
Yin lashed a tendril of flame toward Pip—
Pip dove behind wreckage, slipping through the smallest gaps—too fast, too slippery.
Yin tried to set the entire ground on fire—
Pip used a grappling hook, launching himself over the danger zone.
Yin adapted, trying to predict Pip's movement—
Pip changed the rhythm, throwing in feints, unpredictable spins, backflips, and last-second rolls.
Yin's frustration became palpable. His control was unraveling.
This wasn't how fights were supposed to go.
"You fight like a rat—" he spat.
Pip grinned. "You say that like it's an insult."
Pip pressed his back against a broken stone wall, chest heaving.
He turned toward Irelia, who was bruised, breathing hard—but still standing.
She grinned. "I think I like fighting with you, Pip."
Pip flashed a smirk, flicking a dagger between his fingers. "Good! Because I'm making this up as I go!"
They weren't just fighting next to each other anymore.
They were fighting together.
For the first time in two years, Irelia had a real battle partner—
And for the first time ever, Pip was in a fight he wasn't running from.
And Blazebringer Yin hated every second of it.