The horns sounded at dawn.
Not in alarm — but in recognition.
From the western ridge, where wind howled against ash-stained peaks, a line of steel glinted beneath the sun. Marching with discipline, clad in mountain plate and red-fur cloaks, the procession moved like an avalanche with purpose.
At their front rode a lone dwarf — tall for his kind, shoulders broad as an anvil, beard braided in bands of burnished gold. Upon his brow sat no crown, yet every soldier behind him bore his mark — a crimson hammer beneath twin peaks.
Burik, First Son of King Rurik.
Warden of the Iron Hills.
Breaker of Three Sieges.
Heir to the Anvil.
He had not set foot in Throneforge in seven years.
And yet he had come now, summoned by neither raven nor rune.
He came because the mountain called.
The gates opened with a groan older than memory.
The guards snapped to attention. Horns stilled. From the higher terraces, citizens of Druvadir peered down — not in cheer, but in silence.
Burik dismounted.
His boots struck the stone with the same weight his name carried.
He surveyed the crowd. Familiar faces aged by time. Clan elders who once raised him. Runepriests who once doubted him. Soldiers who had served beside him.
And none dared speak first.
Until a voice broke the hush.
"Still too proud to write ahead, brother?"
Burik turned.
Durik, arms crossed, leaning against the gate's inner arch.
He looked thinner. Worn. But his smirk had not changed.
Burik raised a brow. "And you're still too soft to greet me with a blade."
They clasped forearms.
Tight. Real.
Durik nodded once.
"You came fast."
"The forge doesn't roar without cause," Burik said. "And neither does the Wyrm."
He glanced at the mountain behind them.
"And I hear we've got a visitor."
Durik stiffened. "We do."
Burik's gaze sharpened. "The Riftborn?"
Durik didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he turned and began walking. "Come see for yourself."
They passed through the great arches of Druvadir, where fire ran in channels beside the road and the walls whispered with runes that remembered war.
Burik walked in silence — observing.
The forges were lit. The people busy. But the air had changed.
It wasn't fear.
It was anticipation.
"Does Father know you're here?" Durik asked.
"No."
"Why not?"
Burik shrugged. "Wanted to see the truth before I hear the stories."
They reached the lower chamber — where a lift waited, carved from blackstone and bound in chain.
As it rose, Burik turned to his brother.
"You've been near him?"
Durik nodded.
"What do you think?"
"I think…" Durik paused. "He's not what I expected."
"Dangerous?"
"Yes."
"Mad?"
"No."
Burik studied him.
"But something in him is."
Durik looked down.
"And it's waking up."
The lift stopped.
Burik stepped into the forge antechamber, where heat rolled in waves and light danced like flame-born spirits.
There, near the far table, stood Rei.
Not cloaked in grandeur. Not armed in glory.
Just a man.
Hands calloused. Eyes quiet. Presence… deep.
Kaia stood nearby, watchful. One look at Burik and her stance shifted subtly.
Burik approached slowly.
"You're him," he said simply.
Rei turned. "And you're the one who left."
Burik gave a short laugh. "Didn't know I was famous."
"You're not."
They stared at each other — two very different kinds of silence.
Durik cleared his throat. "This is Burik. Firstborn."
Rei didn't offer his hand. Neither did Burik.
"I heard the Wyrm stirred," Burik said. "And that someone walks with a mark older than the mountain."
"You heard right."
"Why are you here?"
Rei tilted his head. "Why are you?"
Burik didn't answer.
Instead, he looked at the forge.
Then at the Gem, resting nearby — still pulsing faintly, like a slumbering flame.
"You touched it?"
Rei nodded.
"Did it burn?"
"No."
"Then maybe we've all been wrong."
Later, Burik stood with Durik on the forge balcony.
Below, the workers toiled. The mountain breathed.
"He's different," Burik said.
Durik nodded. "The elves think he'll save us. The priests think he'll doom us."
"And you?"
"I think he's just trying to survive."
Burik looked out over the fires.
"Then let's make sure he lives long enough to figure out how."