The winds over the southeastern cliffs of Kun Island were no longer calm. Once, the thermal currents danced freely over the jagged terrain, sweeping across the outskirts of the Heavenly Spear Alliance's Battle Arena sector. But now, they bore an edge of fury—the scent of scorched stone, displaced soil, and beast musk rippling in every gust.
In the early hours, long before the twin moons dipped beneath the mist-veiled horizon, an alarm was triggered in the lower sectors of the Arena's holding bays. A convoy of tiered warbeasts—mostly flame-hardened raptors and sand-spined lionbeasts—was discovered missing from the reinforced enclosures.
Elira Sorn, the Warden of Beasthold Security, was the first to arrive.
She moved like the morning shadow—cloak tightly fastened, hair bound in silver cords, twin foci-blades at her hips. By her side marched Xiaoyun, the Hallmaster of Wyrmcallers, her presence as grounded as the stone beneath them, her wyrm-linked senses pulsing through the earth with every stride.
"Mid-tier commander Kessh Ren," Elira muttered, reviewing the spirit-sealed records. "Logged in last night for routine beast assessment. Never logged out. Three guard talismans breached. Twelve beast compartments emptied."
Xiaoyun's eyes darkened. "Ren? He was vetted. Quiet, disciplined. No signs of resentment."
"He hid it well. Or something else was whispering in his ear."
Moments later, sky-scouts from the Scouting Pavilion reported firestorms sighted near the far ridge of Mount Asher—a restricted training zone surrounded by deep canyons and unstable leyline clusters. The beasts were being herded there.
"He's trying to spark a forced migration," Xiaoyun said grimly. "If he unleashes them into the unbound valleys, even neutral provinces could suffer."
Elira didn't respond with words. Instead, she sent out four falcon-scale commands to the nearby Command Halls. Within the hour, three pillars activated: the Hall of Wyrmcallers, the Hall of Aegis, and the Hall of Ironblood. Squads materialized from linked portals, forming coordinated flanks across the eastern defensive curtain.
At the Base of Mount Asher,
The roar of agitated beasts echoed through the cliffs. Flame-coated talons struck scorched soil. Warped beast-song rippled unnaturally through the canyon walls. Kessh Ren stood atop a high ridge, clad in unmarked armor, a burning spear in his hand. At his side crouched a massive crimson warbeast—a hybrid creature of lion, serpent, and hawk.
"They trained me to cage monsters. But never thought I'd become one," he muttered. "Let them come. This realm doesn't deserve tamers. It deserves fire."
He tapped a soul-glyph embedded in his arm. The beast below hissed and snapped its wings.
Then, silence fell.
A silver line of light descended from the sky, followed by the thunderous drop of Xiaoyun and her bonded wyrm, Caelir. Behind her, Elira Sorn landed amidst a battalion of reinforced guards, each bearing anti-beast anklets and spectral chain anchors.
Xiaoyun raised her voice. "Ren! You're outnumbered and outmaneuvered. Surrender now and face a tribunal. The beasts can still be returned safely."
Ren laughed. "You think this is about beasts? This is about the illusion of your control. I was once like you. Bound by the Alliance's chain of peace. Until I learned who truly burns the world."
His arm flared—a hidden glyph igniting across his skin. The fire surged unnaturally, spiraling like a dragon with no head.
Elira whispered, "He's drawing external essence. Not native to this region."
Xiaoyun narrowed her eyes. "Feng Clan signatures..."
Suddenly, the crimson warbeast leapt. Dozens of lesser beasts followed.
Elira raised both palms. "Formation Delta-Nine! Shields staggered! Net them in pulses!"
The Hall of Aegis shimmered to life—defensive wards blossoming like domes over the canyons. Hall of Ironblood forces formed the second layer, spears clashing in harmonic resonance to disrupt beast rhythms. Xiaoyun leapt onto Caelir, whose roar destabilized the warbeast's assault path with sonic fissures.
The canyon became a battlefield of strategy.
Unlike brute suppression, the battle became a display of surgical harmony. Every squad moved like limbs of a greater beast, each Hall syncing with the next. Xiaoyun's wyrm-tamers neutralized leaders of the beast wave; Elira's guards deployed tranquil rune-bombs in precise arcs; and Inara's Ironblood warriors turned every collapsing flank into a new bastion.
At the center, Ren's flames weakened. His glyphs flickered. His beast, blinded and shackled by coordinated talismans, finally dropped.
Rao Lin, watching from a distance alongside Inara, nodded. "They've grown. Not just in strength. In vision."
Inara smiled faintly. "Martial and civil unity. Mengtian wasn't building power. He was building precision."
At the State of Records Building,
Within the hallowed chambers of the State of Records, Su Mengtian sat at the apex seat. Around him, the Hallmasters and Directors of command presences had assembled.
Ren stood in bindings of soul-suppressant bronze, his expression hollow. Maerin Delk prepared the tribunal record.
Su Mengtian didn't speak first. He allowed the silence to carry weight.
Finally, Elira stepped forward. "The subject had secret contact with coded phoenix-runes traced to the Feng Clan's southern fire-altars. Access to such symbols would require internal handlers."
Kai Chan followed. "Our echoes traced them to forbidden resonance markers once used during the border wars. This is not rogue ideology. This is sponsored corruption."
Ren raised his gaze. "You think this is isolated. You think you can cut off one root and the forest will kneel. But the flames are waiting. The Great Crimson Flame does not forget."
Su Mengtian finally rose. His voice was calm. "Then let the fire see what ice and lightning can build. You are judged not just by betrayal—but by your attempt to burn the future to save the past."
Ren was led away.
Sorin Ma of the Truehold Bastion stood next. "We've frozen the accounts Ren had access to. But we recommend a full audit of all beast-trade routes over the past year."
Mengtian nodded. "Approved. Expand the Emissary Oversight Directive. And double the audits in neutral zones."
As the records were sealed, Rao Lin stood. "Let it be known. This was not just the quelling of a rebellion. This was the rise of our systems. The beasts did not betray us. But a man did. And our unity answered."
The Hallmasters bowed. Xiaoyun looked toward Mengtian and smiled briefly.
The Alliance had not just defended itself.
It had proven that even within, fire could be caged without being feared.