The bridge of the transport ship was peaceful - exceedingly peaceful.
Professor Valerius found himself at a circular table with some professors, holding a tiny china tea cup, steam rising and curling, hovering in the air between them. Sunlight danced on the surface of the water in the ocean just outside the open window.
Everything looked serene.
"The teams have checked in from all sectors," one instructor reported. "Minimal resistance so far. The mission is progressing perfectly."
Valerius nodded, "Good. I want the healers close to the center of the deck. Everyone needs to be back on this ship before sundown." He took an unhurried sip of tea. The temperature was comforting. Routine.
And then, the teacup rattled.
The first tremor was subtle and barely perceptible. Next, a distinct, low rumble began traveling through the table, then through the floorboards. The boat rocked. Not from the sea, but from the land below the ship— the island.
Valerius placed the cup down, his calm face slightly betraying an expression of alarm. "What was that?"
Before a response was indicated, a second and more intense tremor sent rattling objects sailing, shaking the lamps and glazing the windows.
In Azurefall City hundreds of kilometers away alarms were sounding in the halls of Academy Corps Headquarters. Red lights blinked across crystal monitors.
A young technician stumbled forward, his face pale. "Magister Kellan! Headmaster Alistair! We've got a massive energy surge on the Isle of Whispers!"
Kellan rushed to the console, eyes darting across the readings. The numbers were spiking higher and higher — climbing past safe thresholds, past known measurements.
"How big?" he demanded.
The technician swallowed hard. "Rank Four… no—wait—it's climbing. Rank Five, maybe more!"
For an instant, there was silence in the room.
Then Alistair uttered the single word no one wanted to hear. "A Demon Lord."
Kellan's blood ran cold. His voice broke into a bellow. "That island was for first-years! This was meant to be a contained exercise!" He brought his hand down hard on the table, his face full of rage and terror. "It's a trap!"
He seized the communication crystal, yelling into the magical tether engraved into the object.
"Valerius! Get them out! Get all the students back to the trip right now! That's a direct order! Retreat!"
At the Isle itself, the ground began to convulse.
Kairen barely managed to keep his footing as the earth broke open near him, dust and glowing embers pouring out. Lia screamed as she clutched her staff, trees started to tumble around them. The shaking was not coming from the surface - but underneath it.
And then it made a sound.
A low, animalistic growl. It rolled from the mouth of the dark cave, making the air shake in the process.
Kaelan's eyes went wide. "What the hell is that?"
Kairen didn't answer. He just gripped his sword tighter. The mark on his back was burning — hotter and hotter, until the pain was almost unbearable.
From the shadows of the cave, something moved.
A massive shape stepped forward, claws sinking into the dirt. Its fur burned like black fire, its teeth glowing faint red. Then another emerged. And another.
Hellhounds.
Twice the size of Razorclaws. Rank Three. Born from shadow and hate.
They were surrounded before they could even think.
Far across the island, Dain's group was sprinting through the northern cliffs.
"What was that?!" he yelled as the ground lurched beneath him. Rocks fell from above, crashing into the path.
"It's magical!" their instructor shouted. "Everyone, retreat to the beach! Move! Now!"
Dain didn't hesitate. "You heard him! Go, go!"
But as they ran, his thoughts weren't on himself. They were on Kairen. On Lia. On Ilya. His lungs burned, but his heart burned worse.
For Kairen's group, retreat wasn't an option.
The Hellhounds came from the front. From behind, Razorclaws and Sprites poured out of the forest in a living tide. The path they'd used to enter was already gone — swallowed by monsters.
They were trapped.
"Circle up!" Kairen shouted, his voice cutting through the chaos. "Protect Lia! Back to back!"
The students obeyed without thinking. Fear gave them no room to argue.
The fight was utter insanity. The smell of blood and smoke filled the air. Metal crashed and demons screamed throughout the woods. As Kairen swung his sword, it became a blur. He appeared to be in a frenzy, yet each movement seemed deliberate and his wildness was instinctual.
Kaelan re-cast his golden light again and again; the ground quaked with each spell. Each burst of light was not as strong as the last.
Uh oh; not enough.
For every demon that they felled, three had rushed to take its place.
Kairen ducked under a swipe and drove his sword into a Razorclaw's chest. He pivoted as another Wyvern charged toward him. He safely raised his sword, but not in time.
His arms felt too heavy; he was too slow.
He wasn't going to make it.
"KAIREN, LOOK OUT!"
The voice tore through the chaos — Lia's voice.
He spun around just in time to see her — her small figure throwing itself between him and the monster.
The Razorclaw's claw came down.
The sound was sickening. Flesh tearing. Bone cracking.
Lia gasped, blood blooming bright red across her white uniform.
"No…"
Kairen caught her as she fell. Her body was light, too light. Her eyes fluttered, glassy with pain. "Kairen…" she whispered, her lips trembling. "Are you… okay?"
He couldn't answer. His throat closed. "Why… why would you—"
She smiled faintly. "You… promised… to protect me. I couldn't let you break it."
Her words faded into a whisper as her body went limp in his arms.
"LIA!"
The scream ripped from Kairen's chest, raw and broken.
Something inside him cracked.
All the fear, all the doubt, all the self-hatred — gone. What filled him now was cold, pure resolve.
He looked up. His eyes found Kaelan. "Take her," he said, his voice shaking with fury. "Get her out. Now."
Kaelan hesitated, stunned by the authority in his tone. "What about you?"
"Just go!" Kairen shouted, striking down another demon. "I'll hold them off. She's the priority. I promised!"
Kaelan froze for only a second — then nodded. The arrogance that had always colored his face was gone. Only respect remained. "Let's move!" he yelled to the others.
Two students grabbed Lia, carrying her as gently as they could.
Kairen turned his back on them and faced the cave. His sword rose again, trembling in his blood-slicked hands.
The mark on his back blazed, lines of blue light spreading beneath his torn shirt.
"Come on!" he roared at the demons. "COME ON!"
They answered.
The air was filled with fire and teeth and fury. Moments later, Kaelan and crew pushed through the trees and tumbled onto the beach. Their faces painted with dirt and blood. And Lia hung between them in a limp hug, her clothes soaked with red.
Valerius was already there, shouting orders. "Get to the ship! Everyone, move!"
"Where's Group F?!" he demanded.
"They're not back!" Dain yelled, his face pale with terror. "Kairen's team isn't here!"
At the sound of that name, Ilya's heart stopped. Her silver eyes darted to the tree line, searching, begging.
Valerius didn't hesitate. "Get these students aboard!" he barked. "I'll find them myself!"
He sprinted into the jungle — just as Kaelan and the others stumbled out.
Valerius grabbed Kaelan by the shoulders. "Where is Zephyrwind?!"
Kaelan's voice broke. "He—he stayed behind. To cover us. The cave—" His words fell apart into a sob. "We heard it collapse. He's gone."
The beach fell silent.
The crystal flared to life on Kellan's command desk in Azurefall.
Static flickered before Valerius's blood-smeared face appeared, framed by smoke and chaos.
"Valerius, report!" Kellan demanded, leaning forward. "Status of the students!"
Valerius swallowed hard. His voice shook. "Most units have reached the beach. We're evacuating now."
"And Zephyrwind's team?" Alistair asked. His tone was calm, but his eyes betrayed dread.
Valerius hesitated. For a moment, his lips moved but no sound came out. Finally, he whispered, "We… lost him."
Kellan blinked. "What?"
Valerius's voice broke. "Kairen Zephyrwind is gone. He stayed behind… so the others could escape. The cave collapsed. He didn't make it."
Silence.
On the other hand, Kellan's hand dropped to the table. His eyes went unfocused, the full weight of the words sinking in. "No…"
Alistair moved closer, his pale, trembling old face a shocked mask. "He—he can't be gone. That boy…"
Kellan's voice was ragged. "He was just a student. He shouldn't have been there." His hand cracked against the table. "Damn it all, he shouldn't have been there!"
For the first time, Kellan's control snapped. His shoulders trembled, his jaw locked as tears gathered in his eyes. "He was his father's son…" he breathed. "He died in the same manner. For the protection of others."
Alistair's face turned away, one hand over his face. His voice shook. "Bring them home, Valerius. Bring them home before we lose another."
The crystal faded to darkness.
Valerius stood alone on the beach stained with blood, his face set, his eyes shining. "Understood," he muttered. "But I don't think any of us are returning home the same."
Dain and Ilya reached the shore as the remaining students boarded the ship. The engines screamed, taking them from the doomed island.
Dain seized Kaelan by the collar, his voice breaking. "WHERE IS HE?!"
Kaelan's hands trembled. His tears flowed freely. "He saved us," he gasped. "He saved all of us."
Dain released him, reeling back, his face contorting.
Ilya did not move. She stood rigid, her eyes on the receding island.
Then the reality struck her — like a knife through the heart.
Her facade crumbled.
"KAIREN!"
The scream tore through the air. Her voice was torn, her urgency, saturated with all the emotions she had never exhibited. The woman darted towards the railing and cried out as she vaulted over the structure, hair trailing behind her.
"KAIREN!" she called out once more, wiping her tears.
Dain stood next to her, fists clenched, body shaking with sorrowful sobs. "He can't be gone," he said in a whisper.
Kaelan was kneeling, hands over face, wailing like a child. "He was smiling," he said through the wailing. "Even at the end... he was smiling."
The teachers attempted to reassure the students, but their own faces were white and empty. They had not been able to keep them safe.
The ship steamed further out to sea.
And then — something changed in the air.
It became cold, abnormally cold. The noise of the waves was gone. Even the breeze ceased.
Someone caught a breath and pointed.
On the horizon, where the Isle of Whispers was just minutes before, a small blue light glowed — weak, like a star.
And then it intensified.
In an instant, the light was a burning ball, its radiance engulfing the island. The students were silent in horror as the light grew — growing ever faster — until the whole landmass blazed.
It was lovely and frightening.
For a moment, it seemed the world had become solid blue flame.
Then, in a silent explosion, the light buckled inward—
and burst outwards.
The shockwave struck them a second later. The ship creaked and tipped hard. They were all flung to the deck. The sea boiled in a white wall of spray.
And then… silence.
When they finally looked again, there was nothing.
No island. No smoke. No fire.
Just endless ocean under a sky full of stars.
Ilya knelt. Dain covered his face. Kaelan quietly wept.
Valerius stood at the bow looking into the abyss; his voice barely a crackle. "He's gone."
The students gathered, nobody said anything. The truth struck deep.
And then, in unison three voices broke the night.
"KAIREN!"
Ilya's yelled burst free from the quiet; Dain screamed in pure agony, and Kaelan quivered out impossibly.
The sounds rocketed up over the dark water — a call for grief, love, and a mournful loss — until the ocean swallowed them completely.
Far beyond an ever dim ocean glowed a faint blue.
And somewhere deep beneath that blue shimmer colored something moved.