Morning light had barely touched the spires of Celestia God Academy when the air itself seemed to tense, as if the world knew something decisive was about to move.
Eryndor stood at the edge of the main terrace, hands resting loosely at his sides, storm energy quiet beneath his skin. The Black Sun slept—for now—but it watched. Always.
Behind him, the door to Seraphina Caldris's office opened.
"The Lands of the Dead lie far south," Seraphina said, her voice calm but edged with iron. "Four days by foot."
Kaelus groaned immediately. "Nah, I'd lose my mind."
She flicked her fingers dismissively. "You won't be walking."
With a wave of her hand, a sigil flared briefly in the air.
"I'll lend you one of my carriages," she continued. "It will take one day and two hours to reach the continent's outer boundary."
Rein raised a brow. "That fast?"
Seraphina smiled thinly. "It's pulled by fire horses—creations touched by my authority. Faster than anything mortal. Faster than most divine constructs."
Her gaze hardened as it moved across them one by one.
"And remember this," she said quietly. "This is not a test. This is not training."
She paused.
"Fight to kill."
The weight of her words settled without resistance.
Eryndor inclined his head slightly. "Thank you, Headmistress."
"No problem," Seraphina replied. "You'll all receive your respective rewards when you return."
Kaelus straightened instantly. "Now that's motivation."
Darius gave a small nod, shadows rippling in approval.
Rein smirked. "Guess we're getting paid to wreck a continent."
Stellar's smile was soft—but her eyes gleamed like sharpened ice.
"Thank you, Headmistress," they said together.
Seraphina watched them leave, her expression unreadable.
Only when the door closed did she whisper to the empty room—
"Come back alive."
The academy felt lighter after that.
Not calmer—charged.
Kaelus returned to his dorm practically vibrating, wind kicking up with every step. Rein laughed to himself as he stretched, already imagining the fights ahead. Stellar moved in quiet anticipation, sharpening both mind and ice. Darius said nothing at all—but his shadow pulsed like a living thing.
Eryndor stood alone on his balcony that night, the sky heavy with stars.
He looked south.
"Asmodeus…" he murmured, lips curving into something cold and certain.
"I'm coming to take the next arm."
The wind answered.
"And then your head."
THE NEXT MORNING -
The sun had barely risen when the five gathered at the academy's departure grounds.
Eryndor stood at the front, calm and composed, storm silent but present. Kaelus cracked his knuckles beside him, grinning. Rein rolled his shoulders, already loose. Stellar adjusted her gloves, frost trailing her movements. Darius stood slightly behind them all—half there, half elsewhere.
Seraphina stepped forward.
Without a word, she reached into the air itself.
Reality folded.
From a dimensional furnace—a burning space layered within space—a colossal carriage emerged.
It was forged of black-gold metal veined with glowing runes, its wheels floating inches above the ground. Flames licked along its frame without consuming it. At the front, four fire horses manifested—manes blazing, hooves leaving molten prints that cooled instantly beneath them.
Each exhaled heat like a living sun.
Kaelus stared. "Yeah… that's insane."
Rein laughed softly. "I like her style."
Seraphina gestured once. "Get in."
They didn't hesitate.
One by one, they boarded the carriage. The interior was vast—larger than it should have been—lined with sigils that hummed softly, stabilizing space as if anticipating violence.
Eryndor took the last step inside.
Seraphina met his gaze.
"Bring results," she said simply.
Eryndor smiled. Not arrogantly. Not recklessly.
Confidently.
The door sealed shut.
The fire horses screamed—not in pain, but in exhilaration.
And then—
They launched.
The carriage tore through the sky like a meteor wrapped in flame, leaving a burning trail across the heavens as it surged southward—
Toward death.
Toward monsters.
Toward The Atlas.
Toward a continent that had forgotten what it meant to fear the storm.