Chapter 11: Shadows Over the Sky
The morning sky above the Spire of Winds was blood-red.
Kavin stood on the highest balcony, his new Elementbound powers still humming beneath his skin. Flame, wind, and lightning curled softly around him like loyal spirits. But despite the power, his heart was heavy.
Below the Spire, the Queen's armies were on the move—thousands of shadow soldiers marching through frozen valleys, war beasts with glowing eyes, and banners black as ash.
The War of Awakening had begun.
Riven joined him quietly. "We have little time. The Queen won't wait."
Kavin nodded. "Then we move first."
Lyra appeared from behind, a new set of enchanted daggers at her waist. "Where?"
"To find the others," Kavin said. "The Forgotten. The Awakened. Anyone who can stand with us."
Seraphine arrived, dressed in icy armor carved from the frost of her homeland. "I know where one of them sleeps."
She opened a scroll—drawn with star symbols and ancient glyphs.
"His name is Theron, Wielder of Stone. He was sealed beneath the mountains of Vorthal during the last rebellion. If he still breathes... he's our best chance at breaking the Queen's siege."
Their journey south was full of danger.
Snow melted into black soil. Trees twisted unnaturally. The Queen's influence was spreading. The group was forced to fight through corrupted wildlife, rogue mages, and spectral scouts sent to track Kavin's energy.
Each battle reminded Kavin of the weight he now carried.
But it also awakened something deeper—his instincts sharpening, his control improving. With every mile, he was becoming more than just a chosen warrior.
He was becoming a leader.
They reached the Mountains of Vorthal by nightfall.
Dark cliffs that scraped the clouds, echoing with wind and time.
At the heart of the cliffs stood a temple—buried beneath centuries of rock and silence. A single rune glowed on the stone gate.
Seraphine stepped forward and whispered, "He's still in there."
"How do we wake him?" Lyra asked.
"We knock," Kavin said—and struck the gate with his power.
The mountain shook.
The rune burned bright.
Then... silence.
Until the earth itself split open.
From the chasm, a figure emerged—tall and broad, covered in stone-like armor. His eyes glowed a deep bronze. His fists cracked the ground as he climbed free.
He looked at them with calm fury. "Who disturbs my sleep?"
Kavin stepped forward. "My name is Kavin. Starborn. Elementbound. The world is burning, and we need you."
Theron studied him in silence.
Then nodded. "If the Queen rises again, so shall I."
With Theron joining their side, the team had four now: Flame, Ice, Stone, and Storm.
But the Queen was not idle.
From her dark throne, she summoned a creature forged of ancient hatred.
A Drak'thar—a sky serpent corrupted by shadow, bound to her will.
It would strike the Spire at dawn.
She whispered into the void, "Let them gather. I will scatter them like ash."
Back at the Spire, the skies had already darkened.
The winds screamed.
Kavin, sensing the storm to come, stood on the tower's edge.
His mark pulsed like a heartbeat.
War wasn't coming.
It had already begun.