Ash still swirled in the sky as Veera's robes fluttered silently in the wind. She turned her face away from Aeren for a moment, sensing a disturbance ripple through the Crack.
"They'll be back," she said. "And next time, they won't come alone."
Aeren sat still, his heart beating too fast, too loud. His hands still shimmered faintly from the elemental burst—water, air, earth… and fire. He looked at them with disbelief.
"How did I do that?" he whispered.
Veera kneeled before him. "The elements obeyed you because they remember you. Even if you don't."
Aeren frowned. "Remember me? I don't understand—who was I?"
Veera closed her eyes. "A legend. A warning. A curse. There was once a being who could control all four elements. He sought to unify the realms… but something happened. Something even I wasn't allowed to see."
"You think that was me?" Aeren asked, voice trembling.
"I know it was you," Veera said firmly. "You were sealed away in the Crack—erased from memory, from history. But the seal has weakened. And now… you're back."
"But I don't remember any of it," he said.
"Memory," Veera whispered, her eyes distant. "That's the fifth element. Not time. Not void. Memory is what binds the elements, what connects realms and purpose. And if you've seen it—even for a moment—it means it's still out there."
A sudden clang echoed in the distance, followed by heavy footsteps.
Veera shot up. "No. Not them again."
But it wasn't Fire soldiers.
It was worse.
A figure emerged through the swirling smoke, armored in obsidian-black and trimmed with sharp silver. A blindfold covered his eyes, yet he moved with precision. Behind him floated glowing spears of light.
"The Enforcers," Veera muttered. "From the Realm of Order."
Aeren instinctively stepped back.
The Enforcer spoke in a deep, cold voice. "By decree of the Elemental Council, the anomaly born of the Crack is to be apprehended and examined for threat level. Step aside, Oracle."
"You have no authority here," Veera growled. "This is not your realm."
"This is no realm," the Enforcer replied. "This is a fracture. A crime-scene. And he—" he pointed at Aeren, "—is the evidence."
Suddenly, the ground around Aeren shook again.
He clutched his head. "No… not again."
Visions flashed in his mind—blades of flame clashing with waves, skies ripping apart, a city floating over a vortex of darkness… and himself, standing at its center, screaming.
A scream… not of rage… but of loss.
When he opened his eyes, tears streaked his dirt-covered face.
"I remember… her," he whispered.
Veera stiffened. "Who?"
"I don't know," he replied, shaking. "But… I was trying to protect her. I failed."
The Enforcer stepped forward. "Enough. Come willingly."
Before Aeren could move, Veera raised her hand, and the sky split open with thunder. A gale roared between them, forcing the Enforcer back.
"Run, Aeren!" she shouted. "You need to get out of the Crack! Find the Whispering Lake in the Wind Realm! The answers lie there!"
"But what about you?!"
"I'll buy you time."
The Enforcer raised a spear of light.
"YOU DEFY THE COUNCIL, ORACLE?"
Veera smirked. "I defy fate."
Aeren hesitated. But the wind itself pushed him, guiding his steps to a hidden path carved into the cliffs.
As he ran, the sounds of battle echoed behind him—light clashing with storm, steel against magic.
His breath was ragged. His thoughts, spinning.
But one thing was clear—
He wasn't running from something anymore.
He was running toward something.
A place. A truth.
A memory.
Somewhere, beyond the Crack and fire…
Lied the key to everything.