Nightfall draped Emberhold in silence, but within the Blazing Dawn guild hall, tension crackled like lightning in a dry storm. The Nightbrand had struck. Now, it was time to strike back.
Aira stood in the center of the war room, a map of the empire spread across the obsidian table. Red pins dotted their known movements. Black ones marked disappearances. One place connected them all.
"The Shattered Kiln," Mira said, pointing. "A ruined glassworks on the edge of the Burned Wastes. Smuggler hub. Shadow cults use it as a waypoint."
Kael nodded. "And the last Nightbrand signal we tracked vanished there."
Seris cracked her knuckles. "Then we torch it."
Aira met their eyes. "We do this quietly. Fast. We leave at dawn."
Into the Wastes
The Burned Wastes were death incarnate. Magma fissures, ashen storms, and the remains of a city once consumed by wild flame centuries ago. The ruins of the Shattered Kiln stood like a scar.
Aira's cloak snapped in the sulfurous wind. Her team moved like shadows, cloaked in heat-dampening enchantments provided by Mira.
They reached the perimeter silently. Smoke drifted from the chimneys. Movement — guards with tattoos like scorched script. Nightbrand.
"How do we enter?" Kael whispered.
Aira smiled. "Through fire."
She stepped forward and activated Scorchstep — disappearing into a trail of embers, reappearing within the outer wall.
The Hunt Begins
From inside, she opened the gate for her team. The group split into pairs — Seris and Mira, Kael and Aira.
Hallways glowed with enchanted braziers. Behind them, prisoners wailed. Black-robed Nightbrand acolytes chanted.
Aira felt the fire in the walls — it was wrong. Tainted.
"Phoenixfire... corrupted," she muttered.
They were experimenting. Trying to replicate her talent.
They reached a lab. Glass vats pulsed with flame and blood. Inside: pieces of phoenix feathers. Blackened. Dying.
Mira whispered, horrified, "They're burning phoenix relics to create false talents."
Seris gritted her teeth. "They're defiling your legacy."
The Flamebound Duelist
From the far end, footsteps echoed.
A tall woman in crimson armor entered. Her face was masked, her presence like molten stone. She drew two curved blades—each burning with black fire.
"Aira Flameheart. The Emperor of Ash sends his regards."
"And you are?"
"Ashblade. Flamebound Duelist of the Nightbrand."
Aira stepped forward. "You're in my way."
The duel began in a cyclone of heat.
Ashblade was fast, teleporting through shadows. Her blades sapped the heat around them. But Aira had mastered the dance of fire.
She twisted, dodged, and ignited the very air with Inferno Domain, forcing Ashblade into defensive footing.
Ashblade struck Aira's side — but the wound healed instantly.
Phoenix Heart.
Aira countered with Scorchstep, appearing above her, delivering a blow with both hands wreathed in solar flame.
Ashblade screamed and crumbled into ash.
Burn the Source
With the leader gone, the guild fought their way to the central forge — a massive furnace powered by stolen phoenix fire.
Aira placed her hands against the stone. Felt the pain. The screams.
She whispered, "Sleep now."
Then ignited it with true flame.
The forge burst skyward, incinerating the entire facility. Phoenix fire roared free, ascending like a spirit released.
Aftermath
As the team emerged from the ruins, the sunrise painted the sky red and gold.
Kael looked back. "Think that's the last of them?"
Aira shook her head. "No. That was just a cell. The Emperor of Ash is stil
l out there. Watching. Planning."
Seris unsheathed her blade. "Let him. We're coming."
End of Molten Colossus Arc