The world was fire. Mae stood on fractured earth, violet chains crawling beneath her skin like living light, their glow cutting through the smoke-choked sky. The battlefield screamed with the clash of gods and monsters. Forgotten swarmed in endless waves, shadows wrapped in metal and flesh, their cries like knives tearing the air.
Lucien's chains burned white-hot as he cut a path through them, every strike precise, every motion shaped by centuries of battle. Ashar's blade roared with fire, his movements a storm of destruction, cleaving through creatures faster than they could rise. Riven tore through the air above, wings a blur of steel and light, raining death on the swarm. Sethis stood beside Mae, his hands weaving sigils so dark they seemed to drink light, ripping shadows into blades that shredded anything that breached their line.
Even with the Fallen fighting at their full strength, the swarm did not thin. The ground cracked beneath the weight of the Forgotten, more pouring from the horizon, twisting into abominations taller than towers. Mae's pulse hammered. Her vision blurred again, fire and glass, chains tearing the world apart. She had seen this before. Now it was happening.
"Mae!" Lucien's voice cut through the chaos, his chains tangling with hers, their power surging together. The combined force ripped through a cluster of Forgotten, shredding them into dust. He met her eyes, his expression desperate. "Stay with me. Do not give in. Fight."
She nodded, forcing her trembling hands steady. The chains within her obeyed, lashing outward and binding two Forgotten mid-lunge, crushing them into ash. The bond between her and Lucien burned brighter with every strike, their powers feeding one another, spiraling higher, more destructive. But the swarm was endless.
Riven dove low, landing hard beside her, blood streaking his feathers. "We are not winning," he rasped. "For every one we kill, three take its place."
Sethis moved forward, shadows bleeding from his palms like liquid night. "Then let them choke on it," he hissed, tearing the air itself into weapons that stormed outward, cutting down another wave.
Mae's eyes widened as the smoke parted. In the distance, beyond the swarms, something moved. A silhouette larger than the horizon, tall as mountains, crawling closer with steps that shook the earth. This was the figure from her vision, the one that stood at the center of the battlefield when the world burned.
The sky cracked above them, thunder rolling without clouds. Violet lightning rained down, turning soil to glass. The Forgotten howled, their cries rising into a chorus that rattled the ground.
Ashar struck harder, his blade a storm of flame, but his gaze betrayed dread. "It is here," he said as another wave fell beneath him. "The one that commands them."
Mae's chains burned hotter, pain searing up her arms until her knees buckled. Her chest tightened as the vision slammed into her skull, fire and blood, Lucien reaching for her as the world split apart. She screamed, the chains lashing outward without control, tearing a dozen Forgotten to pieces in one sweep. The earth cracked beneath the strike, dust and sparks raining around them.
Lucien caught her, his own chains wrapping hers to hold them steady. "Control it, Mae. You will burn yourself out."
Her eyes glowed violet, fire spilling down her cheeks like tears. "I cannot stop it!"
The mountain-sized shadow raised its head. Its face was a mask of chains and void, eyes like hollow stars, a body stitched from everything she feared. It looked directly at her. The battlefield bent beneath its presence, the Forgotten hurling themselves forward with renewed frenzy.
Lucien snarled, his chains lashing outward in a storm of white light. Ashar's flames roared higher, cutting swaths through the tide. Riven's wings dragged lower as blood fell from him, yet he still struck again. Sethis's shadows cut and cut, his curses slipping through clenched teeth.
Mae fought to breathe, her chains weaving with Lucien's, the connection between them blazing stronger. But with every strike, the champion drew closer, its steps rattling the ground.
Kaine's body still lay at her feet, pale and motionless. Her chest tightened until she could barely inhale. He had thrown himself between her and death, and now his blood stained the ground beneath her boots. Fury tore through her, violet light exploding from her body in a storm.
The next wave never reached her. Her chains unfurled like wings, flattening everything in a wide arc. The ground split with the force, the Forgotten disintegrating into sparks. Dust hung in the air as Mae stood with her chains blazing bright as lightning.
But the champion did not falter. Its vast frame loomed, and a freezing wind breathed. The chains binding its body rattled with each step. And then it spoke.
"You."
The word was not a voice but countless screams woven together, an echo that lived in her bones. Mae staggered back, hands clamped over her ears, but the sound only grew louder.
Lucien moved in front of her, his chains blazing like shields. "You will not touch her."
The champion tilted its head, studying him, then raised one enormous arm. Chains as wide as towers dragged along its limbs, glowing with stolen light. It swung, and the air itself screamed.
Lucien's barrier shattered. The strike hurled him across the field, crashing him into wreckage with a sound that made Mae's stomach lurch. He did not rise.
"Lucien!" Her cry split the chaos.
Ashar bellowed, flames rising as he leapt at the champion, striking its chest. Sparks erupted, but the blade barely cut. The creature struck him aside, his body carving a crater in the dirt.
Riven dove, wings burning with steel and light, raking across its back. Shallow wounds oozed black fire, but the champion barely reacted. A claw snapped upward, catching him mid-flight, and slammed him into the ground with crushing force. His scream was raw and broken.
Sethis unleashed his shadows, binding their limbs in coils of night. For a moment, the air warped under the pressure, causing the champion to stagger. Then its chains ignited, snapping the shadows apart and hurling Sethis to his knees, blood spraying from his mouth.
Mae was alone.
The champion bent low, its face inches from hers, its void gaze swallowing her reflection. Her chains lashed outward in panic, but it caught them in one massive hand and pulled, dragging her forward as if she were nothing more than a thread.
Her scream tore the air, violet fire spilling as her power strained against its grip. The champion leaned closer, its chains writhing as they answered hers.
"You are the fracture," it said, a thousand voices layered into one. "The end. The beginning. Ours."
Her heart stopped. She had heard those words whispered in every warning, every prophecy she tried not to believe.
"No!" she shouted, her chains flaring bright enough to force the champion back for an instant. Light poured upward, splitting the ground. Her vision blurred, fire and glass tearing everything apart.
And then Kaine stirred.
A faint golden glow flickered in his chest, weak but real. Mae's head snapped toward him as the champion lunged again, the Forgotten swarming with it.
Kaine's eyes opened, glowing brighter than she had ever seen. His body arched, light spilling from every crack, a final flare of life. His gaze locked on her.
"Run."
The word left his mouth, and the light consumed him. Golden fire erupted outward, a shockwave obliterating dozens of Forgotten, blasting even the champion back a step. The ground buckled, the air turned to flame, and when the light faded, Kaine was gone. Only ash remained.
Mae's scream ripped the battlefield, but the champion's roar drowned it as it stepped forward again, unbroken, its void-filled gaze fixed only on her.