The skies of Furnastra burned in orange twilight as Ruisu the winged serpent-dragon cut through the clouds. Qingsai and Sandora sat atop its scaled back, the spiritual tremors of their journey through the Veil still humming within their bones.
> "We've been changed," Sandora whispered, pressing a hand to her chest. "The Veil... it didn't just test us. It marked us."
As Pyrespire's fiery spires came into view, Qingsai closed his eyes. He could feel it—the stir of a deeper presence in his soul. His flame no longer flickered like a mortal spark, but flowed like molten spirit. And at its core... Yulanis, the slumbering Spirit Goddess, stirred.
> "My child. One step closer."
Upon their landing, the Ember Lords stood waiting. They bowed—lower than ever before. Even they felt it: something within Qingsai now radiated a spiritual gravity too potent to ignore.