The night sky above Stellara was adorned with digital fireworks launched from the downtown towers, celebrating an annual summer festival. From the balcony of their penthouse apartment, Kael and his "family" watched the light show. The air was warm, filled with the aroma of food from a portable grill being operated by Rina with the efficiency of a surgeon.
This was their small night of celebration, a few days after the successful mission at the port.
"Wow, look at that one! It's shaped like a cat!" Elara exclaimed, pointing to a burst of pink fireworks.
Lyra, standing beside Kael, looked at the sky with sparkling eyes. "That... is more beautiful than the stars I summoned," she admitted honestly, a rare, faint smile gracing her lips.
In a corner of the balcony, Chroma wasn't watching the fireworks. She sat quietly, her sketchbook on her lap, trying to capture the expressions of happiness on her friends' faces with her colored pencils. For the first time, she was drawing smiles.
"The meat is ready," Rina said, placing several grilled skewers on a plate. "Don't let it burn just because you're mesmerized by chemical explosions in the sky."
Although her words sounded flat, Kael could see the gentleness in her eyes as she handed a skewer to Chroma.
Kael smiled. This scene felt so normal, so peaceful, that it almost made him forget the dangerous world they lived in. They were no longer just a team forced together by circumstance. They were something more. A strange constellation, made up of different stars, that had somehow found a way to shine together.
Just then, the secure communication tablet on the table vibrated. Commander Kirana's face appeared on the screen.
"Sorry to interrupt your evening," she greeted. "Just a brief report. The Crimson Hunt unit leader we captured… he committed suicide in his holding cell before the interrogation team could get any significant information."
The cheerful atmosphere instantly dimmed slightly.
"He left one message, scratched onto his cell wall," Commander Kirana continued. The screen displayed an image: a symbol of a flame surrounded by a chain. Below it, an inscription:
"The Lord of Flame will burn all your hope."
"We don't know what this means yet," Commander Kirana said. "It could just be a desperate bluff, or a warning. In any case, stay vigilant. Enjoy this peace while you can."
The screen went dark.
Kael looked at the last vestiges of the fireworks in the sky. Peace. He knew all too well how fragile it was. The warning about a "Master" and "The Lord of Flame" felt like a dark cloud gathering on a bright horizon.
Far from the lights of Stellara's festival, in a throne room within an obsidian fortress floating in an unstable dimensional rift.
A figure sat upon a throne made of a light-absorbing metal. His face was hidden in deep shadow, but the aura of power and authority he radiated was oppressive. This was the "Master" the Crimson Hunt leader had spoken of.
A hologram of his pale-faced aide knelt before him.
"My Lord, the unit in Stellara has failed. They were all captured or eliminated. The Rift reactor was secured by the Order."
The figure on the throne did not move. The silence he created was more terrifying than any rage.
"Their failure is insignificant," the figure's voice finally sounded, deep and resonant, as if coming from the earth's core itself. "They have provided me with far more valuable information. A Resonator. A boy who can tame our 'Soul Echoes'."
He moved a finger, and another hologram appeared, displaying a recording of Kael, Lyra, and Chroma's battles. He watched intently.
"Lyra, the rebellious 'Cosmic Hymn'. And Chroma, the fragile 'Hollow Canvas'. Both now loyal guard dogs for that boy. How… disappointing."
The figure rose from his throne, stepping slowly out of the shadows. Only his silhouette was visible, tall and intimidating.
"It is time to remind them of their true nature. It is time to test their fragile bonds with a real fire."
He snapped his fingers. A blood-red gate of fire opened in the middle of the room.
"Summon her," he commanded.
From within the fiery gate, a girl with flaming red hair and eyes full of fury stepped out. She wore smoldering volcanic armor, and her hands were clenched so tightly her knuckles turned white.
"Ignis," the Master greeted. "Did you hear my call?"
The girl named Ignis snorted, small flames flaring around her fists. "What do you want, Alaric?" she asked, her voice hoarse with restrained rage.
"I have a mission for you, my 'Flame of Fury'," said the figure we now know as Alaric. "There is a city called Stellara. There, two of your 'sisters' have forgotten their suffering, tamed by a human. Go. Burn their lies. Show them the true power of an echo born from fire."
Ignis smirked, a wild and dangerous smile. "With pleasure."
She turned and stepped back into the gate of fire.
Alaric watched the gate close, a faint smile on his face, which was still hidden in shadow.
"Let's see, Resonator," he whispered to the darkness. "Can you pacify a fire that was created to burn everything?"
[END OF VOLUME 2]