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1. Orders From the Front
Smoke rolled over the crimson-tinted sky as command banners snapped in the wind atop Scorchpass Ridge.
Aira knelt over a map, her brows furrowed. Reports were flooding in — not just of monster movements but of isolated settlements, cut off by the encroaching hordes.
> "There are civilians still inside the wild zones," Kaelen said grimly. "At least three full towns. Some haven't even received warning."
> "We've no choice but to evacuate them," Aira replied.
Behind her, a runner dashed in. "New orders from High Command! You are hereby tasked with leading an elite strike-rescue unit to extract survivors from Ashdrift, Fernvale, and Black Hollow."
Aira stood. "Prep the teleport beacons. We leave immediately."
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2. First Stop: Ashdrift
Ashdrift Village was nestled in a valley thick with obsidian cliffs, its people known for mining flame-imbued crystals. The terrain made it nearly invisible—and incredibly easy to trap.
When Aira and her squad emerged from the teleport circle on the outskirts, they were met by chaos.
Flames danced across rooftops. Smoke choked the air. People ran, carrying children, dragging wagons. In the distance, Burrowmaws—giant tunneling beasts with molten claws—rose from beneath the ground.
> "Split and form defensive rings!" Aira shouted. "Mages, put up heat wards! Archers, on the rooftops!"
As her troops fanned out, Aira surged forward, Soulfire Chains lashing from her wrists. One Burrowmaw lunged—
She ducked, then coated her chains in Eternal Ember, wrapping them around the beast's neck. The moment they tightened, the creature's armor crumbled, as if resistance didn't exist.
> "Out of my way," she whispered—and the monster exploded in fire.
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3. The Mine Collapse
Inside the Ashdrift mines, twenty civilians were trapped behind a rockslide.
Aira led a rescue team deep into the tunnels, flames flickering across walls veined with volatile crystals. One wrong blast could collapse the entire shaft.
> "We can't burn through it," her second-in-command, Renna, warned.
> "Then I'll use Soulfire," Aira said, placing her palm on the stone.
Soulfire Chains erupted outward—not to destroy, but to absorb the heat from the unstable rocks. Slowly, the stone cooled and cracked, falling away in chunks.
Cries came from within.
Aira stepped forward and offered her hand to a soot-covered woman clutching her child.
> "You're safe now."
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4. The Retreat Under Fire
As the last survivors reached the village square, a new enemy descended from the skies—Ashwings, giant vultures mutated by corruption.
Their screeches shattered glass. Talons aimed for the fleeing civilians.
> "Form a canopy!" Aira commanded.
Her mages raised overlapping flame shields above the retreat line. Still, several beasts broke through.
Aira launched upward, Flame Clone streaking behind her. One Ashwing dove—
She caught it midair, snapping its wing with a chain sweep, then redirected its fall to crush another one on the ground.
> "Move! Move! Get to the circle!"
As the final teleport beacon ignited, she leapt in last, just as a second wave of monsters crashed into the village.
Ashdrift burned behind them—but the people were safe.
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5. Second Stop: Fernvale
Fernvale was different.
A small, agrarian village built around a crystal-clear lake. Peaceful. Untouched—too untouched.
When Aira's team arrived, there was no smoke, no fire. Only… silence.
The lake was still. The wind didn't blow. And the people?
> "They're just standing there…" Renna whispered.
Indeed, the villagers were out in the fields—frozen, faces turned toward the sun, eyes glazed.
> "This is a curse," Aira said instantly.
A Beastcaller's Enchantment.
They were being used as wards—to repel other monsters by disguising the village as dormant.
A trap.
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6. Ambush
The moment Aira stepped toward the center of the village, sigils flared to life beneath her feet.
A magic circle erupted—dark purple, ink-like symbols pulsing upward.
> "Scatter!"
Too late. From the treeline, figures emerged—black-robed cultists, wielding twisted fire.
Shadowbrand.
Aira flung her chains wide, shattering the ritual field before it locked her, then rushed forward, blades and fire in both hands.
The cultists hissed in shock. "It's her—the Blazebound!"
She spun, Eternal Ember erupting into a storm around her. Her flames ignored their resistance, burning straight through their black armor and glyphs.
> "You thought I'd fall for that trick twice?" she growled.
One cultist tried to flee.
Aira flicked her wrist.
A chain shot out, wrapped around his leg, and yanked him into the air.
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7. Breaking the Curse
With the cultists down, Aira approached the villagers.
The enchantment still pulsed within them—a false serenity.
> "They're tethered to something," Kaelen said, joining her. "A beacon, maybe. A ritual anchor."
Aira reached out, closed her eyes, and let her Soulfire flow inward, threading through the aura around the village.
There—beneath the lake. A rune-etched obsidian spike, humming with magic.
Without hesitation, she leapt into the water.
It boiled around her, but her flame protected her lungs, her eyes, her mind.
At the bottom, she planted a hand on the spike and poured everything in.
Her Eternal Ember flared—and shattered the anchor.
The moment it broke, a wave of energy pulsed outward.
The villagers collapsed—but breathing.
> "They're free."
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8. Refuge and Regroup
With the help of their healers, Aira's team stabilized the townspeople and began forming escape groups.
Some were weak, others barely conscious.
So Aira carried them herself—one by one—back to the teleport array.
Each trip slowed them. Each person was a life.
And though the tactical voice in her head urged speed… she refused to leave anyone.
At the final trip, her armor cracked from overexertion, her body steaming.
Renna placed a hand on her shoulder. "Let someone else—"
> "I finish what I start," Aira said, lifting the last child.
When the final rune flared, they teleported away—just as a dark mist began rolling into Fernvale.
She never looked back.
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9. Third Stop: Black Hollow
Black Hollow was no village—it was a fortress built into a cliffside ravine. Once used as a prison for elite monsters, it had become a research outpost.
But now, it was under siege.
> "They're pinned," Kaelen said as they landed on the outer ridge. "Three hundred civilians. Only thirty guards."
And worst of all—the attacking monsters weren't ordinary beasts.
They were mutated constructs—half flesh, half machine—fueled by stolen fire cores.
Aira inhaled slowly. "This is Velmira's work."
The monsters screeched, flame jets bursting from their limbs.
> "They've been weaponized."
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10. The Breaking Point
Aira's forces split again—half defending the cliff, half helping the trapped researchers retreat via cliff lifts.
But the monsters began leaping the ravine, using flame propulsion to jump massive distances.
One slammed into the lift chain, severing it.
> "No!"
Aira flew upward, grabbing the platform with her chains mid-fall, arresting its descent.
Her arms tore. Her bones cracked. But she held.
> "GET THEM OFF THE PLATFORM!" she shouted.
Her team leapt down, pulling the civilians up one by one. Aira held the weight of them all, blood seeping through her gloves.
When the last was safe, she let go—and fell.
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11. The Chain Rebirth
As she plummeted, the air screamed around her.
But at the last second, Aira gritted her teeth—and summoned every ounce of Soulfire she had left.
Chains burst from her back like wings, forming a scorching net that caught her and bounced her back toward the cliff.
She landed with a crash, coughing blood—but standing.
The monsters paused.
For just a second.
She raised her hand—and all her chains lashed outward like shooting stars.
They pierced every construct in sight.
And ignited their cores from the inside.
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12. Evacuation Complete
The last transport left Black Hollow at sunrise.
Aira sat at the edge of the cliff, armor melted in places, shoulders burned.
Renna came to sit beside her. "We got them all out."
Aira nodded faintly. "Three towns. No casualties."
> "At what cost?" Kaelen murmured. "You nearly broke yourself."
Aira looked at her hands—raw, scarred, still trembling.
> "Better me than them."
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13. Shadowbrand's Message
As they returned to Scorchpass Ridge, a courier intercepted th
em with an urgent scroll—drenched in dark ink.
Aira opened it.
One line.
> "The tide has not yet begun. This was only the wind. Next comes the wave."
And at the bottom—a crude drawing of a flame, cracked in half.
Aira crushed the note in her fist.
> "They're toying with us."
But she would not break.
Not now.