The dawn came grey, filtering through the mist like a promise of ash.
They moved in silence.
Through the forest, past the ruins, deeper into the lowlands where the air grew heavy with Blight, where the trees were twisted into blackened shapes, their branches clawing at the pale sky.
Evin led, his blade resting against his shoulder, eyes sharp, jaw tight.
Mira followed, her staff glowing softly, light pushing back the mist, her face set, calm and resolute.
Liora walked beside Aeris, clutching his hand, the bell at her waist silent, her storm-grey eyes watching the path ahead, unblinking.
Aeris felt the ember beneath his skin, warm, pulsing, restless.
It's close, it whispered. Little flame, it is time.
They reached the ridge by midday.
Below, the valley was choked with Blight, black and roiling, veined with green light, boiling upward in heavy clouds. Shapes moved within it, crawling, dragging themselves forward, hundreds of them, maybe thousands, their eyes burning with pale green light, jaws snapping in the hush.
The Blight had gathered.
It was waiting.
And in the center, rising from the dark like a wound in the earth, stood the Archblight—a creature of twisted limbs, a crown of horns curling back from its skull, green fire burning in the hollow pits of its eyes, Blight dripping from its claws, each step cracking the earth beneath it.
The ground shook as it moved, a low hum in the air like thunder beneath their feet.
Evin drew his sword.
Mira raised her staff.
Liora's hand tightened in Aeris's, the bell at her waist ringing softly in the hush.
"This is it," Evin said, his voice quiet.
"We end it here," Mira answered.
Aeris closed his eyes, letting the ember rise, feeling it burn beneath his skin, filling him with light, with heat, with power.
When he opened his eyes, they burned blue-white.
Little flame… it is time…
⸻
They descended into the valley together.
The Blight surged forward, waves of creatures breaking against the rocks, jaws snapping, claws tearing at the air.
Evin moved first, blade flashing, cutting through the Blight, ichor spraying across the ground, sizzling where it touched.
Mira's staff flared, light blasting outward, burning the creatures back, leaving smoking holes in their bodies, the mist glowing with the light of her spells.
Liora stood with Aeris, the bell at her waist ringing wildly, her small hands raised, silver light bursting from her fingertips, cutting through the darkness.
And Aeris let the ember burn.
Flame roared from his hands, blue-white, searing, burning the Blight to ash, the light spreading outward, forming a circle around them, holding the creatures at bay.
But the Archblight kept coming.
Each step it took cracked the earth, green fire leaking from its claws, its eyes burning brighter as it lifted its head and roared, a sound that shook the valley, that made the Blight creatures freeze, turning their empty eyes toward the sound, before they charged as one.
They came in waves.
Evin fought, silent, methodical, every swing of his blade cutting down another creature, his breath steady, his eyes sharp.
Mira's spells tore through the Blight, beams of light burning through the darkness, explosions of silver fire scattering the creatures, leaving smoking craters in the ground.
Liora's light wrapped around Aeris, shielding him, protecting him, even as she wept, tears streaming down her face as the creatures came, as the bell at her waist screamed in the hush.
And Aeris let the ember consume him.
Flame burst from him, blue-white, searing, burning everything it touched, the ground cracking beneath him, light leaking from his eyes, from his mouth, from the cracks in his skin.
"Aeris!" Mira screamed, reaching for him, but the flame burned too bright, too hot.
The Archblight roared again, and the Blight surged forward, crashing against the circle of flame, clawing, biting, tearing, trying to reach him.
And the ember whispered.
Merge with me, little flame. Only then can you save them.
Aeris fell to his knees, the light tearing from him, the flame reaching upward, forming a pillar of blue-white fire that split the mist, that lit the valley like dawn.
The Archblight raised its claws, green fire swirling around them, and struck.
The ground shattered, a wave of green fire surging forward, crashing into the pillar of flame.
The world exploded in light.
⸻
When the light cleared, Aeris stood alone.
The flame wrapped around him, a cloak of blue-white fire, his eyes burning, his skin cracked, light leaking from the fractures.
The ember was no longer beneath his skin.
It was him.
The Archblight roared, stepping forward, its claws burning, its eyes locked on Aeris.
Aeris lifted his hand.
The flame roared.
It swept forward, crashing into the Archblight, burning through the Blight, searing through the creatures, reducing them to ash.
The Archblight screamed, the sound tearing through the valley, shaking the air, the ground cracking beneath its feet as it staggered, burning, the green fire leaking from its wounds turning to steam as the flame consumed it.
But it kept coming.
It raised its claws, striking again, green fire crashing against blue-white flame, the ground exploding around them, shards of rock tearing through the air, the mist boiling away.
Aeris stepped forward, the ember burning brighter, the flame roaring louder.
Little flame…
The voice was there, in the ember, in the flame, in the air around him.
Become the flame.
Aeris closed his eyes.
And let go.
⸻
The flame exploded outward, a wave of blue-white fire sweeping across the valley, burning the Blight to ash, tearing through the Archblight, searing it, consuming it, burning until nothing remained but light.
The Archblight screamed one last time, the sound breaking, shattering, fading into silence as the flame tore it apart, piece by piece, until there was nothing left but ashes.
The Blight was gone.
The valley was silent.
The ember burned brightly, its light spreading across the valley, seeping into the cracks, into the earth, pushing back the last of the darkness.
And then, as the dawn broke over the ridge, the light faded.
The flame sank back.
And Aeris fell to his knees.
⸻
Mira reached him first, falling to her knees beside him, her staff clattering to the ground as she caught him, pulling him into her arms.
"Aeris!" she cried, tears streaming down her face, her hands pressed to his cheeks, to his chest, searching for the ember's light.
Liora stumbled forward, the bell at her waist ringing softly, her eyes wide, silver hair tangled around her face as she reached for his hand.
"You're here," she whispered, her voice small, breaking. "You're here."
Evin stood behind them, sword in hand, his eyes on the ash swirling around them, his jaw tight, the ghost of a smile on his lips.
"You did it," he said softly.
The ember pulsed weakly beneath Aeris's skin, a faint glow, a soft warmth.
Little flame… rest now…
Aeris looked up at the sky, at the dawn breaking over the ridge, the light spilling across the valley, and smiled.
"It's over," he whispered.
And then he closed his eyes.
⸻
The valley was quiet.
Ash drifted on the breeze, falling softly, like snow.
The Blight was gone, the creatures were gone, the Archblight was gone.
And the ember was quiet at last.
They buried the ashes at the center of the valley, beneath the dawn light, the earth warm, soft, welcoming.
Mira laid her staff across the stones, her hand lingering on the wood before she stepped back.
Liora placed the small bell beside it, her eyes shining with tears as she whispered something too soft to hear.
Evin stood behind them, silent, his sword at his side, his eyes on the dawn.
The wind moved through the valley, warm, carrying the scent of ash and earth, of dawn and light.
And for the first time in a long time, it was quiet.