The Shattered Vale stirred beneath the weight of anticipation. Morning had not yet come, but the horizon pulsed with a sickly red glow. It wasn't sunrise. It was the army of the Hollow, drawing near—bringing with it the smell of smoke, rot, and despair.
Mara stood at the highest point of the fortress walls, looking out over the broken land. The wind howled around her, pulling at her cloak, but her stance remained steady.
Below, the Flameborn assembled. Some were newly awakened, still unsure of their power. Others moved like seasoned warriors reborn from centuries of sleep. Their armor shone gold and crimson, flickering like fire in the stormy air. Darius moved among them, checking formations, giving quiet reassurances.
Kael joined Mara at the overlook, his eyes hollow but alert. "They bring a Wraithbeast."
Mara didn't flinch. "How many?"
"At least one. Maybe more. They're cloaked in shadow. But I know the sound of their shrieks."
She nodded slowly. "Then we need to burn brighter than ever."
Kael studied her. "If we fall here, there's no second chance."
"I know," Mara said. "That's why we won't."
---
Below, the Hollow's army began to materialize from the crimson mist—hundreds, maybe thousands of twisted creatures. Not just soldiers, but things that had once been human, now puppets of shadow. And towering above them were the Wraithbeasts—massive, bone-covered monstrosities with void-filled eyes and long, scythe-like limbs.
Darius returned to Mara. "The pass is blocked. We have no route for escape."
"We're not escaping," she replied.
The walls trembled as a deep, guttural roar echoed across the Vale. A signal.
The assault had begun.
"Archers!" Kael shouted. "Hold until the mark!"
Shadow creatures swarmed across the field, crawling over the rocks like ants. Flameborn archers raised their bows, their arrows glowing with enchanted fire.
"Now!" Mara shouted.
Flaming arrows rained down, striking the front lines. The battlefield erupted in golden flames. Dozens of creatures shrieked and fell. But they kept coming.
The Wraithbeast moved forward, its claws dragging long scars into the earth. One of its mouths opened, unleashing a pulse of dark energy that shattered a section of the outer wall.
Mara turned to Kael. "We have to bring it down."
Kael nodded grimly. "You'll need a strike team."
"I'll go," Darius said before she could speak.
Mara didn't argue. "We'll take the east flank. Kael, hold the gate."
"Don't die," Kael said simply.
---
They moved fast, weaving through narrow passages and leaping over broken stonework. The Wraithbeast loomed above them, distracted by the main defense. Its hide was thick with bone-plating, but Mara's senses locked onto its weak points—joints, neck, the exposed throat glowing faintly with pulsing light.
"We aim for the heart," she said.
Darius nodded, blade in hand. "Together."
With a burst of speed, Mara launched forward. She leapt high, flames gathering in her hands. Her strike seared across the Wraithbeast's shoulder, carving a line of molten bone. It roared and turned, swiping wildly. Darius rolled beneath its arm and slashed at its knees, slicing through tendons.
The creature stumbled.
Mara surged upward again, this time unleashing a concentrated beam of fire directly into its throat. The beast screamed, black ichor spraying from its maw. It reeled—then collapsed, the ground shaking from the impact.
But the victory was short-lived.
Three more Wraithbeasts appeared from the mist.
Mara's heart pounded. "Fall back! Regroup with Kael!"
They sprinted back through the ruins, the monsters hot on their trail. One of them leapt, landing with an explosion of stone and ash, cutting off their retreat.
"We fight here," Darius said.
Mara raised her hands, flame spiraling around her. "Together."
The battle was brutal. Each strike from the Wraithbeasts sent shockwaves through the earth. Mara unleashed firestorm after firestorm, but the creatures were relentless.
Then, just as one of them raised a claw to strike her down, a column of lightning struck it from above.
Kael emerged with reinforcements—Flameborn wielding elemental power Mara had never seen. Lightning. Ice. Wind. The awakened were remembering.
Together, they brought the creatures down, burning the last one to cinders with a coordinated assault that left half the courtyard scorched and smoking.
---
By midday, the Hollow's army had been pushed back—temporarily. The Flameborn had held the Vale, but the cost had been high. Bodies littered the ground, some still smoldering. Cries of the wounded echoed through the ruins.
Mara walked among them, healing where she could, offering comfort where she couldn't.
She found a young woman—barely twenty—sitting beside her twin brother's corpse, holding his hand as if he might wake.
"I... I just found him," the girl whispered. "He was asleep when I opened my eyes. Now he's gone again."
Mara knelt and placed a hand on her shoulder. "He fought for something real. He gave you time to live."
The girl didn't respond. Just nodded, silently, tears running down her soot-covered cheeks.
Kael approached, his armor cracked and bloodied. "This was only the first wave. The Hollow is testing us."
Mara stood. "Let him test. The Flame still burns."
---
That night, the survivors gathered in the great hall. Fires burned in the hearths. There was no feast, but there was unity.
Kael addressed them first. "You all stood against the darkness. Many fell. But more stood. You remembered who you are."
Then he stepped aside, and all eyes turned to Mara.
She stood before the Flameborn, lit by torchlight. Her cloak torn, her hands stained with soot and blood—but her eyes burned bright.
"We won a battle today," she began. "Not because we are strong, but because we believe. The Hollow feeds on despair. On doubt. On forgetfulness. But you remembered."
She took a breath. "More will come. Greater threats. But so long as we stand together—as Flameborn, as warriors, as people—we will not fall."
The room erupted in cheers. Fists were raised. Weapons struck shields.
But in the shadows behind the hall, Zane watched.
Invisible. Silent.
He stared at his sister—the symbol she had become.
"You shine too brightly, Mara," he whispered. "And stars that burn too bright... die young."