The sky split like shattered glass as violet lightning tore through the storm-wracked clouds. Below, perched on the jagged edge of a broken cliff, a boy stood defiant against the tempest. His name was Kael Rynhart—fifteen, wild, and hopelessly loud. The wind clawed at his tattered cloak, but he only grinned into the chaos, amber eyes alight with exhilaration
The Driftborn's skyship lurched, throwing Kael Rynhart awake. He scrambled to his feet, gripping the railing as the deck tilted beneath him. The air buzzed with a sharp tang of ozone and iron, and his chest burned where the Chaos Embera sigil pulsed, wild and unsteady. Above, the Hollow Belt's swirling mists cloaked the stars, but something darker moved within them.
"Lyra!" Kael shouted, squinting through the wind.
She was already at the helm, her green Bloom Catalyst tattoos glowing as vines shot from her hands, wrapping the wheel to steady the ship. "Shade Catalysts!" she yelled back, her voice cutting through the storm. "They're hiding in the mist—cloaking the whole Belt!"
Jinro appeared beside Kael, his Gale Embera stirring the air around him, lifting his feet slightly off the deck. His hands moved in quick signs: Trap. Ambush.
"Perfect," Kael muttered, cracking a grin. "Love a surprise party."
Talli's voice boomed from the crow's nest, amplified by her Echo Embera. "Three more ships, starboard side! They're closing in fast!"
Cragg burst from below deck, stone gauntlets forming over his massive fists. "Let's crush 'em!" he roared, slamming his knuckles together.
Kael's grin widened. "That's the spirit, big guy."
Lyra shot him a glare, her vines tightening on the wheel. "Kael, we need a plan, not a fistfight!"
The sigil in Kael's chest thrummed, a chaotic beat that felt like it might rip him apart. He didn't understand the Chaos Embera—barely knew how to use it—but the Aether Flame had chosen him, and that had to mean something. He took a breath, forcing his mind to focus.
"Alright," he said, pointing at his crew. "Jinro, kick up a windstorm to mess with their formation. Talli, fake a distress call—make 'em think we're giving up. Cragg, you and me are boarding their lead ship."
Lyra's eyes widened. "You're boarding it? Are you—"
"Crazy? Yeah, you keep saying." Kael winked. "Trust me, Lyra."
On the enemy ship, a figure in a bone-white mask stood at the helm, the air around them twisting with unnatural calm. They raised both hands, and shadows coiled like snakes, slicing through the Driftborn's sails with a sickening rip.
"Now!" Kael shouted.
Jinro's Gale Embera exploded, a howling vortex of wind slamming into the enemy fleet, forcing their ships to swerve. Talli's voice rang out, layered with desperate, overlapping cries: "We surrender! Please, don't fire!" The fake pleas echoed across the Belt, sowing confusion among the enemy crews.
Cragg grabbed Kael by the collar, his Stone Catalyst strength surging. "Ready, kid?" he grunted.
"Born ready," Kael said.
Cragg hurled him across the gap between ships. Kael hit the enemy deck hard, rolling to his feet with a wince. The masked figure turned, shadows pooling at their boots like liquid night.
"Chaos," the figure hissed, voice low and cold. "You should not exist."
Kael's sigil flared, and for the first time, he felt it respond. Power surged through him—raw, untamed, a storm of fire, wind, and something deeper that made the air scream. He raised a hand, and silver flame erupted, cracking the deck beneath his feet.
The figure staggered, their mask splintering at the edge.
Kael didn't hesitate. He charged, the Chaos Embera roaring in his blood, each step shaking the ship. The figure thrust out a hand, shadows lashing toward him like whips, but Kael's sigil pulsed, and the shadows shattered like glass.
"That's new," Kael muttered, half to himself.
The figure's voice trembled. "Impossible."
Kael lunged, grabbing the mask and yanking it free. Beneath it was a boy—pale, no older than Kael, with wide, terrified eyes.
"Who are you?" Kael demanded, gripping the boy's collar.
The boy coughed, blood flecking his lips. "You'll ruin everything… The Guild—they know what you are."
Before Kael could press him, the boy's body dissolved into shadow, slipping through the deck like smoke. The ship groaned, its core sparking and hissing as it began to destabilize.