A week had passed since the battle at Everspring Pass.
The Free Banner's victory had sent tremors through the region. Small sects whispered of the rise of an independent power. Border towns once held by neutral clans now flew the crimson banner. Merchants who once refused Kael's coin now begged for protection from the Ashen Blades. But Kael knew peace was a fragile illusion, and victory was just the breath before the next war.
The council room inside Ironwood Hall was filled with voices.
A massive round table made of dark oak sat in the centre, with the symbol of a burning sword engraved at its heart. Around it were seated the key commanders of the Free Banner: Aeron, Dalia, Commander Myra of the Shield Corps, Captain Jorrick of the Flame Division, and several regional representatives.
Kael stood at the head of the table, arms crossed, his expression grave.
"Our scouts report strange activity near Emberforge Mountain," Myra said. "Miners gone missing, tremors felt even in the village of Redwell."
"Another earthquake?" Dalia asked.
"No. Too rhythmic. Too precise. Like someone is moving underground."
Aeron leaned forward. "That mountain has old tunnels from the Dwarven era. Some say they go deep into the mantle."
Kael narrowed his eyes. "And who would be using those tunnels now?"
"Beasts?" Jorrick offered.
"Or worse," Myra muttered. "Cultivators who shouldn't be there."
Kael tapped his fingers against the edge of the table. "We can't afford to be blind. Dalia, take your Wind Seekers and investigate the outer perimeter. Aeron, prepare a detachment of seventy warriors. I want Emberforge scouted and secured. If something's moving under our lands, I want it exposed."
Aeron nodded. "We leave at dawn."
Kael turned toward the window, gazing out over the rolling hills beyond Ironwood. "The Verdant Alliance may have retreated, but we are surrounded by enemies. If we show weakness now, the vultures will descend."
---
Dawn at Emberforge Mountain
The rising sun cast an orange glow over the ash-coloured slopes of Emberforge. Once home to a thriving mining operation, the mountain was now mostly abandoned. Jagged rocks jutted from the ground like broken teeth, and wisps of sulphuric steam rose from cracks along the path.
Aeron marched at the front of the formation, clad in his dark steel armour, his greatsword sheathed on his back. Behind him came squads of disciplined warriors—each one equipped with reinforced spirit gear, their auras steady.
Beside him strode Lieutenant Varrin, a muscular man with an angular jaw and short black hair. His cultivation was at the late Spiritual Warrior stage, and his loyalty to Aeron was absolute.
"I don't like this place," Varrin said. "The air is too still. No birds, no beasts. Even the wind feels... cautious."
Aeron scanned the terrain. "Be on alert. Set up a perimeter near the old mine entrance. I want barriers raised. Defensive arrays activated."
> "Array Masters, form defensive rings! Alchemists, distribute fire resistance tonics!"
Crimson cloaks moved swiftly across the rocks as cultivators obeyed. Within moments, a semi-circle encampment had formed, with spiritual barriers shimmering faintly under the light of enchantment.
One of the scouts returned, his armour scorched and breathing laboured.
"Report," Aeron demanded.
The man dropped to one knee. "We found… something."
"What kind of something?"
The scout hesitated. "It's easier if you see it yourself."
Aeron and Varrin followed the scout up a narrow winding path. The smell of burning metal grew stronger with every step. Finally, they reached a hollowed section of the slope, where molten cracks spread like spiderwebs through the blackened ground.
And there it was.
A cavern entrance, once sealed, now broken open—massive and breathing heat like a dragon's maw. Ancient runes lined the stone above it, glowing faintly red.
Aeron raised an eyebrow. "These are ancient Dwarven seals. This place should have never opened."
Varrin drew his blade. "Shall we enter?"
"No," Aeron said. "Not yet."
> "Dalia, come in."
Aeron pressed his communication talisman. Moments later, Dalia's voice answered.
> "I'm above you. We've seen no signs of movement from the sky. But the spiritual pressure around that area is fluctuating. Something's building up."
"Then stay above. We're going to probe the entrance."
He turned to his elite squad.
> "Shield bearers forward! Mages behind! Form Rank-3 wedge. We go in."
---
The first steps into the cavern were like entering a different world.
Heat radiated from the walls, and the floor was covered in black glass. Stalactites glowed faintly red, dripping molten tears. Spiritual energy here was dense—but unstable, churning like a storm.
Suddenly, a low growl echoed from the depths.
Aeron raised a fist. The group halted.
"Varrin?"
The lieutenant unsheathed his sword, letting it hum with lightning.
"I sense movement. Fast. Several sources."
Then, out of the shadows, they came.
Black-scaled beasts, each the size of a warhorse, surged forward with blazing eyes and jaws lined with stone-like fangs. Their bodies pulsed with magma, and spiritual energy radiated from them.
"Lava Hounds!" someone shouted.
> "Defensive stance! Do not break formation!"
One of the beasts lunged toward Aeron.
> "Crimson Bastion!"
His red aura flared, and he met the beast head-on with his greatsword.
> "Heaven-Sunder!"
His blade sliced through the beast's head, molten blood spraying the walls. The corpse sizzled as it hit the ground.
More came.
Flames roared as hounds spat lava bolts from their mouths.
> "Shield Wall! Ice casters, suppress them!"
Blue runes lit up behind the front line as mages began casting.
> "Frost Chains!"
> "Glacial Spear!"
Chains of ice wrapped around the legs of one beast, halting its charge long enough for a flurry of spears to impale it.
Aeron's blade danced like a hammer of judgement. Each strike exploded with spiritual force, shattering bones and melting scales.
He turned to see Varrin leaping over a hound, landing on its back, and stabbing downward with electrified blades.
> "Thunder Divide!"
The beast convulsed and collapsed, smoke rising from its wounds.
But they were still surrounded.
More growls echoed from deeper within.
"Fall back to the choke point!" Aeron shouted. "Draw them in! We make our stand there!"
Aeron's voice cut through the din of battle, firm and commanding. "Fall back! Don't break the line!"
The elite warriors of the Free Banner didn't hesitate. They moved as one, a trained and disciplined force that had fought together many times before. As they retreated toward the narrow passage just outside the cavern's broken mouth, their shields locked, their backs covered by spellcasters and ranged cultivators.
> "Deploy the Spirit Binders!" Aeron barked.
A trio of Array Masters immediately activated a portable spirit trap, slamming hexagonal totems into the ground. A thin net of spiritual chains shimmered to life in the air, forming a transparent web that sealed the entrance just as the next wave of lava hounds surged forward.
The first of the beasts hit the spiritual net and was instantly bound. Runes flared, and energy lashed out like a dozen flaming whips, tearing the creature apart.
Aeron stood at the centre of the defense, breathing heavily. His greatsword was soaked in thick, molten blood that hissed against the enchanted metal.
"How many have we lost?" he called out.
"Three wounded, no dead," shouted Varrin, wiping blood from his brow. "But we've only seen scouts. That wasn't the main pack."
"That cavern holds more," Aeron said grimly. "And worse."
He turned to one of the Alchemists. "Prepare sealing grenades. We collapse this passage. We're not ready to fight what lives in that furnace."
The alchemist nodded, already placing runed spheres around the tunnel's supports.
Suddenly, the ground shook. A deafening crack split the air, and a low, guttural roar erupted from deep inside the mountain—louder, older, and far more dangerous than anything they'd yet encountered.
Aeron's eyes widened. "Everyone! Pull back—now!"
They retreated in a rush. Just as the last cultivator escaped the mouth of the tunnel, the alchemist triggered the grenades.
> BOOM!
The entrance collapsed in a fiery blast, boulders and flaming debris crashing down and sealing the way.
Smoke and dust filled the air, and for a long moment, no one spoke. Only the wheezing breath of exhausted warriors and the sizzling crackle of residual flames could be heard.
Aeron lowered his sword.
"That was no ordinary beast," he said.
Varrin stepped beside him, his tone grim. "Something ancient sleeps beneath Emberforge."
---
Later That Night – Emberforge Encampment
Kael arrived at the camp under the cloak of night, accompanied by a dozen of his personal guard.
The moment he stepped off his spirit beast mount, Aeron approached with a salute.
Kael's eyes swept across the smouldering hills, his gaze sharp. "What did you find?"
Aeron led him to the remains of the collapsed tunnel, explaining everything as they walked.
"Lava Hounds. Dozens of them. Possibly more inside. But that's not the worst of it. Something else is inside that mountain. Something massive, powerful, and old. It shook the ground with a single roar."
Kael knelt by a blackened claw from one of the hounds, inspecting it closely. "High-grade spiritual beast. At least late-stage Spiritual General."
"And coordinated. They attacked in formations," Aeron added.
Kael's face was unreadable.
"We don't engage again until we understand what we're dealing with. I'll send the Array Masters to reinforce this seal. Then I'll summon the Shadow Division."
Aeron blinked. "You mean—?"
"Yes. I need someone who can go deeper without being noticed. We need information. And we need it before the Verdant Alliance catches wind of what lies beneath Emberforge."
---
Meanwhile – Deep Beneath the Surface
Far below the collapsed tunnel, in chambers untouched by sunlight for millennia, something stirred.
A great eye opened in the darkness, glowing like molten gold. Ancient runes flickered to life along the obsidian walls of a chamber the size of a fortress.
Chains of divine energy trembled, binding a creature covered in thick black scales and molten seams. A voice, low and thunderous, echoed in the void.
> "The surface stirs once more… The scent of war... blood… humans…"
The chained beast raised its head.
> "Soon."
---
Three Days Later – Free Banner War Council
Inside Ironwood Hall, the leaders of the Free Banner gathered again.
Kael stood at the centre, his hands behind his back. "The Shadow Division has confirmed what Aeron suspected. Emberforge holds a sealed beast from the Pre-Sundering Age."
Gasps filled the room.
"A Pre-Sundering beast?" Dalia repeated. "That's impossible. Those creatures are extinct."
"They were sealed, not killed," Kael corrected her. "And now one of them stirs. A Wyrm of Molten Heart. A creature that once levelled an entire sect alone."
Myra clenched her jaw. "We need to warn the other kingdoms. If that thing awakens—"
"No," Kael said firmly. "We cannot reveal our hand. Not yet."
He turned to the map behind him, where red pins marked Free Banner territories.
"If we alert the Alliance, they'll descend upon Emberforge and seize it. If we wait too long, the Wyrm awakens. So we prepare. We gather alchemists, blacksmiths, and array masters from across the realm. We reinforce this mountain."
"And when the time comes?" Jorrick asked.
Kael's voice was cold and resolute.
"We kill a legend."