The valley was quiet, scarred by battle yet softened by morning. The Ashbound gathered in a circle of torches, their flames steady but weary. Across from them, the Emberkin stood with their strange torches—fire burning bright, smoke curling upward like memory.
Kael's voice carried across the council. "We are scarred, but we endure. Alone, we cannot face another night. Together, perhaps we can."
The Emberkin leader stepped forward, her ash-streaked hair catching the dawn. She raised her torch, its smoke trailing like a vow. "We hid our flame for generations, waiting for the sign that shadow could be bound. Your Flamebearer's crown called us back. We will fight beside you."
Elira, pale but resolute, lifted her head. The crown pulsed faintly, its fractured light echoing the Emberkin's torches. "Flame and smoke together… endurance and hope. If we stand as one, Marlic's storm will falter again."
The Ashbound murmured, hesitant but hopeful. Their losses weighed heavy, yet the Emberkin's arrival lit something new in their hearts.
An elder of the Ashbound spoke, his voice trembling. "We have carried flame alone for too long. If smoke can endure where flame falters, then let us bind our torches together."
The Emberkin bowed, pressing their torches into the circle. Fire and smoke mingled, rising into the dawn sky.
Kael's blade gleamed in the light. "Then it is decided. Ashbound and Emberkin—one flame, one vow. When night falls again, we will not stand alone."
Elira whispered, her voice steady despite exhaustion: "This is the dawn of alliance. Flame and smoke together will break the endless night."