The sky above the Sanctuary cracked open in flame.
Arrows rained like meteors. Walls trembled. The protective runes etched into the mountain groaned under the weight of dark magic. For the first time in decades, the Order of Ash was under siege.
Kaelith pulled Elliot down as another flaming projectile slammed into the upper corridor.
> "Move! If they breach the inner vault, the entire Order falls!"
Elliot's mind still reeled from the truth of the Flame Scroll, but there was no time to dwell. The Brotherhood of Embers — a rogue cult of fire-wielders twisted by their hunger for forbidden power — had come for what lived inside him.
And they were ready to kill everyone to get it.
---
Monks scrambled through the halls, activating stone defenses and summoning elemental shields. Blades clashed with axes as Brotherhood assassins — cloaked in charred red and obsidian armor — broke through the outer defenses.
Elliot saw one of the monks fall to a dark spear laced with black fire.
He clenched his fists.
His blood boiled.
The runes on his arms lit like molten gold.
> "No more running."
---
Kaelith tossed him a double-bladed staff. "Don't lose control," she said. "We fight together."
They charged into the heart of the battle.
---
The Sanctuary's Great Hall had become a warzone.
Broken pillars, bloodied stone, bodies littered the floor. A Brotherhood pyromancer stood atop the stairs, summoning a massive dragon-shaped flame construct.
Elliot barely dodged its first swipe, tumbling behind a shattered bench. He gritted his teeth and raised his hand—
> "Svarakar… give me strength."
The golden fire exploded from his chest, forming a spiral of heat and light around his body.
He dashed forward, his movements now faster, sharper, guided by something not entirely human. Every swing of his weapon left trails of fire; every kick sent enemies flying.
But then—
He saw Kaelith surrounded. Three cultists.
Without hesitation, Elliot thrust his palm forward—
> "VAELION'S WRATH!"
A beam of gold fire erupted from his hand, vaporizing everything in its path — walls, enemies, even the far-end doors.
When the light faded, silence fell.
Everyone stared at him — even the enemy.
The air hissed where the flame had passed. Nothing remained in its path.
Not even ash.
---
Kaelith ran to him, grabbing his shoulder. "You said you wanted to control the fire. That wasn't control."
Elliot's eyes glowed.
He looked at his hand. It was trembling.
> "I didn't mean to burn that much…"
From behind them, a voice echoed through the chaos.
"And yet you did."
A tall figure stepped into the ruined hall, wrapped in blackened flame. A crown of embers hovered above his head. His presence made the air feel heavier, darker.
The monks gasped.
> "That's Mal'kar, High Priest of the Embers. The Flame Eater himself."
Mal'kar raised a hand, and the fire in the hall bowed to him.
"Elliot Finn," he said calmly. "The Vaelion Flame lives in you. Come with me, and I will show you how to wield it without guilt… without limits."
Kaelith stepped in front of Elliot, sword drawn.
"You'll have to kill us first."
Mal'kar smiled. "I was hoping you'd say that."