Evon's boots touched solid ground once more—but the world around him refused to acknowledge the concept of "up."
The Inverted Mountains rose from the valley floor in immense, jagged peaks that pointed downward, their tips disappearing into swirling mist far below. Streams of snow and ice cascaded upward, as if defying gravity, and clouds formed in hollows between the peaks, drifting through canyons above his head.
"This is… disorienting," Borin admitted, though he tried to sound brave. "I've mined in caverns before, but never upside down."
"Welcome to the Inverted Mountains," Yulia said, striding forward with her elven grace. "Gravity here works in both directions. The peaks above us pull downward as strongly as the valley floor below."
"Which means we need to be equally careful walking on both," Quendor added, folding his wings and navigating the crystalline path they'd found. "One misstep and you fall… infinitely."
Their guide for this mission was Aerion, a noble-born gravity mage from the Skyward Courts. He wore robes woven from levitating threads that hovered a foot above his shoulders. Every step he took was mirrored by a footfall in the air above as well as the ground below.
"Follow my lead," Aerion instructed. "We must navigate along the Midplane Ridge—an invisible boundary where gravitational pulls cancel each other out. Step off that ridge, and you either fall upward until you reach the mountain tips or downward into the valley floor."
Evon nodded, activating partial Destiny Resonance to steady his own senses. The four goddesses' energies swirled around him, granting him superhuman balance and control even in this contradictory environment.
"Let's go," he said, focusing on the ridge that squiggled across the valley like a silver thread suspended midway between floor and ceiling.
### Walking the Midplane Ridge
The Midplane Ridge was a slender path of packed snow and ice no wider than Quendor's forepaw. It ran in sweeping curves around the mountainside, sometimes disappearing into a tunnel of rock before reemerging on the other side.
"Careful," Aerion warned as they began. "One slip…"
Evon kept his eyes on the ridge, boots placing each step precisely. The wind here whispered in two directions—downward gusts from the peaks above and upward breezes from the valley below. Navigating the combined airflow was tricky, but Evon's dragon-transformed senses allowed him to detect minute shifts in pressure.
Borin followed next, war hammer strapped to his back, his dwarven grin strained. "Dwarfs are meant for the ground," he muttered. "Not the ceiling."
"Just focus on your footing," Yulia advised, nocking an arrow in case they encountered hostile wildlife—creatures that also adapted to the inverted terrain.
Their first challenge appeared as a cluster of Inverted Alpine Goats—creatures with hooves that clung to sheer ice walls as easily as wolves on cliffs. These goats grazed on floating lichens that hung in midair, nibbling upside-down grass that defied expectation.
Evon's Eyes of Fate detected that their fragment lay somewhere atop the highest inverted peak. To reach it, they had to navigate around goat herds known for stamping stampeding avalanches both upward and downward.
"Steady," Aerion said in his calm voice. "Goats can be spooked by sudden movements. If we match their pace, they'll let us pass."
Evon and the others—dragons, elves, dwarfs—moved in a loose line. The moment they stayed calm, the goats continued grazing or trotted upward to higher ledges, careful not to disturb the ridge.
When they reached a huge inverted cavern—its roof the valley floor, its floor a ceiling of ice—they paused.
"This cavern leads to the Frozen Skyforge," Aerion explained. "It's where our fragment is bound. But watch your step—both the floor and ceiling are equally hazardous."
### The Frozen Skyforge
The Skyforge was an immense hollow beneath a massive ice shelf whose crystals sparkled like stars. Within, they saw forges worked by Inverted Dwarfs—smiths who built tools and armor that fell upward into floating vaults—caught in gravity's pull.
At the center, resting on a pedestal of black ice, was Yena's twelfth fragment. It pulsed with golden light that drifted upward in motes through the dark forge air.
"The fragment has fused with forge magic here," Aerion said. "It's turned the Vikings of Skyforge into living flame—guardians bound to keep the light safe."
Flame-dwarfs emerged: beings whose legs were anchored to the ceiling by hardened magma roots while their upper bodies fought gravity, wielding hammers swinging molten metal from floor to ceiling.
"They attack by sending streams of fire down, expecting foes to dodge upward," Aerion warned. "We must counter with downward fire."
Evon activated full Destiny Resonance—a controlled version—to grant himself and his companions immunity to the forge's heat. Lyria's flames coalesced into downward jets, turning the dwarfs' upward attacks into harmless steam.
Quendor's dragon-fire clashed with theirs midair, creating bursts of superheated vapor that filled the forge. Borin used enchanted runes on his hammer to absorb heat, then swung to break magma roots anchoring the flame-dwarfs, sending them plummeting upward toward powerless ceilings.
Yulia's arrows, tipped with elemental ice, shattered beams of molten stone to create safe pathways across the magma flows. Angelic Seraphiel summoned shields of pure sunlight, redirecting heat away from the golden fragment.
As they reached the pedestal, they encountered one final guardian: a towering Flame Colossus whose entire body was molten metal, held together by the fragment's light. It swung a massive hammer that could collapse ice spires in a single blow.
Evon stepped forward alone.
"Evon—don't!" Yulia called, but he'd already drawn the Blade of Fate, channeling Naia's water to freeze the colossus's molten joints, slowing its movements. Then, with a roar of dragon might from Sythara's strength, he struck at the colossus's core, severing the links that tethered it to the fragment.
The colossus exploded into a fountain of cooled slag that rained silently to both gravity poles.
The fragment hovered defiantly. Evon approached and spoke to it through their soul bond.
"Yena, this place is not broken. Your light fuels life and hardship—both necessary. Let me bring you home."
The fragment gleamed once, then settled into his hand. Its golden light warmed the forge as it powered down to a gentle glow.
Evon's Eyes of Fate revealed the final relic piece hidden beneath the forge's foundations—an anvil-shaped shard that completed the collection.
"Twelve down," Evon murmured, cradling the fragment. "One to go."
As the Silent Dwarfs of the Skyforge began to sweep away their molten remains—no longer nested in eternal flame—the group assembled outside the inverted peaks.
"This was not easy," Aerion said, wiping sweat from his brow—though gravity had reversed, heat still burned. "Thank you, Evon."
"Thank you all," Evon replied, looking at his companions—elves, dwarfs, dragons, angels, demons. "We have one last mission."
They gathered at the Midplane Ridge again. Quendor offered Evon a ride on his back—safer than walking. Borin stowed his hammer, content to ride. Yulia slipped an arrow back into her quiver, her eyes determined.
"The Void Citadel awaits," Evon said, voice firm. "Time grows short. Let's finish this."
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