It was still early when we returned to the demi-dragon forward base. I had slept little — and, to be honest, poorly. Yesterday's battle kept replaying in my head: the ice construct, the explosion, the voice that echoed inside the flame. The feeling that someone was trying to communicate with me lingered like a constant weight on my chest.
Rai'kanna walked ahead, silent since we left the frozen valley. Her wings were partially open, as if she were ready to react to any threat. Vespera yawned behind me, muttering complaints about the cold that still clung to her clothes. Elara looked far too alert, every step calculated. Liriel analyzed the fragment we had recovered, now wrapped in three layers of magical protection. And Lyannis kept glancing at me — worried and… maybe a little too curious.
The outpost commander spotted our group and rushed forward. "Did you find anything?"
Rai'kanna answered before I could: "We found the trace of the missing patrol, faced a construct unlike anything we've seen, and collected two fragments. The problem is bigger than we thought."
The commander frowned. "These fragments… are they pulsing?"
Liriel lifted the object wrapped in light. "Yes. They react to Takumi."
The commander turned to me with a strange expression — not fear, but an uncomfortable kind of respect. "Then we don't have much time. We need to take them to the Fragmenter."
Vespera raised an eyebrow. "Fragmenter? Who's that? Some kind of stray-parts blacksmith?"
"No," the commander replied. "He's the only one capable of deciphering ancient, intact spiritual fragments. And he lives in the Red Gorge."
Lyannis took a deep breath. "It's far. And dangerous."
Rai'kanna shook her head. "Dangerous is an understatement. The Red Gorge sits on the border between our region and the pure dragon territory. If we're seen, the guardians may not be pleased."
I frowned. "Then why would someone like the Fragmenter live there?"
"Because," Liriel said, "nobody bothers him on dragon territory."
Vespera laughed. "Nobody bothers anyone on dragon territory, because you'd die trying."
Rai'kanna ignored the joke. "But we don't have a choice."
The commander handed over a map marked with runes. "The direct path is blocked by the spread of corruption. You'll need to take the elevated trail and cross the Rope Pass. If you are indeed being followed by manipulated essences, that route will delay them."
"Or delay us," Vespera whispered.
"Depends on who's more stubborn," I replied.
Rai'kanna took a deep breath. "We leave in ten minutes."
Elara nodded. "Better than waiting for the enemy to come to us."
Lyannis held my arm. "Takumi… do you think you're ready for this?"
"I don't know. But we need to find out what these fragments want."
And, more importantly, who was using them to reach me.
The Rope Pass lived up to its name: narrow stone beams connected massive ravines, like improvised paths suspended in the air. Thick chains, resembling interlocked scales, hung at the sides to prevent fatal falls — though I had serious doubts those chains would actually hold anyone if we slipped.
Vespera walked clinging to one of the chains. "I hate heights. I really hate heights. This should be illegal."
"You're a wind mage," Elara said. "If you fall, just fly."
"Panic ruins control! I could fall screaming and spinning like a chicken!"
I almost laughed, but held it in.
Rai'kanna scanned the sky. "Something's wrong. Dragons should be patrolling the border. Today it's completely empty."
"Do you think they felt the same cold we encountered?" I asked.
"Dragons feel everything," she replied. "If a corrupted spirit entered this territory, they may have retreated to the caves."
Liriel interrupted: "The temperature is dropping again."
A cold wind rose from the ravine. Instinctively, I gripped my blade. The flame within me heated my body in direct response to the chill.
Lyannis noticed. "Takumi… did it happen again?"
"The flame is reacting."
"Then be quick," Liriel said, "because I'm feeling something too."
A crack echoed in the distance.
Then another — closer.
And then, something moved in the ravine.
Rai'kanna spread her wings abruptly. "Formation!"
A massive shape rose from the fissure below, as though it were climbing the stone walls. First came ice claws. Then, an arm made of frozen rock. And then the rest of the creature emerged: a colossus made of blue ice, dead scales, and stones covered in corrupted runes.
Vespera clung to the chain. "Why is it always big?! Why is it never small?!"
Elara instantly drew an arrow. "It's more unstable than the previous construct."
Liriel shook her head. "And it's… hungry."
The creature lifted its face — a face made of cracked ice — and opened its mouth. Inside, a white light pulsed like inverted fire.
Rai'kanna placed herself between me and the monster. "Takumi, stay behind."
"I can—"
"Not now!"
The colossus struck the path with one of its hands. The stone shook entirely, almost making Vespera lose her balance. Liriel cast runes to stabilize the ground. Elara fired arrows that cracked part of the monster's head, but the ice regenerated almost immediately.
"It absorbs heat," said Liriel.
"So what do we do?" I asked.
"Use as little of the flame as possible," she replied. "If you release too much, it will grow."
Perfect. An enemy that grew stronger with my power.
The colossus raised its arm again, aiming directly at us. Rai'kanna spread her wings and released a burst of flame, but the creature absorbed the heat as if drinking water.
"This is useless," she said, retreating.
That was when Lyannis stepped forward.
"I have an idea," she said, gripping her spear. "But you need to distract it first."
"Lyannis, don't risk—" I began.
"Trust me, Takumi!"
The colossus turned toward her — and at that instant, Elara fired three arrows simultaneously at the creature's eyes. Vespera unleashed a gust of wind so strong it made the monster slip slightly to the side. Rai'kanna leapt into the air, creating a massive distraction with her shining wings.
Lyannis ran along the side of the bridge, swift like a living flame. When the creature tried to crush her, she slid under its frozen arm and drove the spear deep into the thinnest point of the monster's dead scales.
The weapon sank in deep.
A blue light exploded from the point of impact and spread across the entire body of the colossus. The regeneration stopped. The movement slowed. The creature released a low roar, as if losing its hold.
And I understood.
The fragment inside it had a core — and Lyannis had just hit exactly that weak point.
"Takumi!" Rai'kanna shouted. "Now! Channel just a little of the flame!"
I took a deep breath.
I focused energy only into the blade, avoiding releasing anything larger. A soft flame, almost just to control the temperature. Then I struck the crack opened by Lyannis's spear.
The colossus froze for a moment.
Then shattered into hundreds of pieces that fell into the ravine.
Silence.
Lyannis pulled out her spear, breathing heavily. "I… I think it worked."
I approached and placed a hand on her shoulder. "It worked. You were incredible."
She blushed immediately.
The three behind me made the exact same gesture: crossed arms, narrowed eyes, suspicious expression.
Rai'kanna landed beside me. "That monster didn't sprout on its own. Someone sent it."
"Another test," I murmured. "Another warning."
Liriel lifted the fragment inside the barrier. "And the closer we get to the Fragmenter, the more these attacks will increase."
Elara looked toward the horizon. "Then we need to get there before something else climbs out of those rifts."
"Yes," I replied. "And fast."
We continued along the trail, now narrower, heading toward the Red Gorge. The cold gradually faded, replaced by the familiar heat of the draconic mountains.
But something inside me told me the worst was ahead.
And that whoever was responsible for all of this… already knew exactly where we were.