Chapter 26 – Ashes of Light
The wind that night carried no warmth.
It whispered through the hollow bones of Revenak, through streets cracked and flooded with pale light, through towers that leaned as though tired of standing. The Citadel's heart was quiet now — too quiet. Where there had once been song and radiance, there was only the smell of smoke and loss.
A great pyre burned in the courtyard below the broken spires. The flames reached high, gold and silver twisting together, consuming the bodies of the fallen — knights, scholars, healers, even the Guardians themselves. Their light returned to the Source, as the Revenakians believed. The survivors gathered around the fire, faces flickering orange, eyes hollow with exhaustion.
Twelve remained. No more.
Rin stood closest to the flames, his hood pulled low, his expression unreadable in the glow. The old master's hands were steady as he scattered handfuls of glowing dust into the fire — ash from Revenak's Heart. It shimmered for a moment, then vanished into the heat.
"This is how we return our dead," Rin said quietly. "Fire cleanses. Light remembers."
His voice trembled despite the control. He'd seen too many pyres. Too many endings.
Blake stood near him, hands stuffed into his cloak, jaw tight. His usual grin was gone. One tear slid down his cheek before he turned away. "They deserved better than this," he muttered.
Tamara said nothing. She stood beside John, her eyes reflecting the flames, her face a mixture of calm and sorrow. Her breath misted faintly, the frost in her aura struggling against the heat. She wanted to cry, but couldn't. The ice wouldn't let her.
John, meanwhile, stared into the fire like a man seeing ghosts. He hadn't spoken since they'd begun stacking the pyre. His spear rested against his shoulder, its light dimmed, as if it too mourned. He watched as the faces of the fallen were swallowed by flame, one by one.
Leto. Alina. Caelus.
Gone.
Ember sat by his leg, silent, the faint blue glow of his fur reflecting in John's armor. The Lumibear's head was lowered, as if even he understood this was not a night for sound.
When the last body caught flame, the ground beneath them trembled. A deep, hollow sound — like a heartbeat cracking.
The crowd stirred. Some screamed. The fire rippled unnaturally, bending sideways as if pulled by unseen gravity.
Rin's head snapped up. "No…"
Another tremor rolled through the city. Cracks spread through the marble beneath their feet, glowing lines of red-gold light that pulsed like veins.
John steadied himself. "What's happening?"
Rin turned toward the horizon. The sky itself was fracturing — glowing seams of light splitting the clouds. "The realm's breaking apart," he said grimly. "Revenak's Heart is gone. Without it, this world can't sustain itself."
A tower in the distance collapsed with a thunderous crack, spilling molten shards of crystal across the street below. Screams echoed. The earth buckled again, throwing people to the ground.
Blake helped a fallen knight to his feet. "So what do we do, Rin? Wait for it to eat us?"
Rin's eyes narrowed, calculating. "No. There's still a way out — but we'll need the Spear of Revenak to open it."
John blinked. "The spear?"
Rin nodded. "The Spear was forged from the same essence as the Heart. It can open a portal to the border realms — if we channel enough Light through it. But we'll need a binding spell to focus the energy."
"Then show us," Tamara said. "Now."
The pyre roared behind them as another quake shook the square. Ash rained down like snow. Rin raised his staff, inscribing glowing runes in the air. Circles formed — intricate, overlapping, shimmering with unstable Light.
"This world's magic is fading," he warned. "We'll only get one chance."
The runes anchored to the ground around John. Rin's voice deepened, chanting in the old Revenakian tongue. The survivors joined in, voices trembling as they repeated the words, their Light Cores flaring weakly in response.
The air thickened. The sigils pulsed, each one drawing energy from the dying veins of the realm.
"John!" Rin barked. "The spear — drive it into the ground!"
John stepped forward, gripping the weapon with both hands. Its faint golden flame flickered erratically, responding to the realm's agony. He slammed it into the marble, the impact echoing like thunder. Light exploded outward, tearing fissures through the courtyard.
The air twisted — a swirling vortex forming where the spear struck. A portal, unstable and raw, flared open like an open wound in reality.
"Go!" Rin shouted. "Everyone through — now!"
The survivors ran first, shielding children and the wounded as they dove into the light. One by one, they vanished into the swirling glow.
Blake hesitated just long enough to glance at John. "Don't be stupid, hero."
John smirked faintly. "You first."
Blake rolled his eyes but obeyed, disappearing into the light.
Tamara lingered next. Her hand brushed John's arm. "Don't wait too long."
"I won't," he said softly. "Go."
She nodded once, her eyes lingering on his for a heartbeat longer — then she turned and stepped through.
Another quake hit. The courtyard split in half, flames spilling into the cracks. The pyre collapsed, sending sparks into the sky. The towers in the distance began to fall one after another, their light flickering out like dying stars.
John stood alone now — only Ember remained beside him.
He looked around. The Citadel. The gardens. The halls where he'd trained. The market where they'd laughed. Every memory burned in front of him, reduced to glowing ruin.
He whispered, "Thank you."
Ember rumbled softly, pressing against his leg.
John gripped the spear one last time. "Guess this is goodbye."
The portal began to destabilize. Its edges flickered, threatening to close. With a deep breath, he turned toward the light.
The moment he stepped forward, the world collapsed behind him — towers imploding, the sky folding inward, the golden veins of the realm snapping like broken glass. The light turned red, then black.
As he crossed the threshold, the Spear of Revenak disintegrated in his hands, breaking into a thousand motes of light that scattered through the void.
He looked back one last time.
Revenak — the realm of light — was gone.
And then John was gone too.