The battlefield was a storm of fire and shadows.
The clash of steel and the crackle of magic filled the air as Aria and her friends fought with everything they had. The Wardens of Balance, led by Saraphine, had thrown their full might against them, and the battle teetered on the edge of catastrophe.
Aria's lungs burned as she fought her way forward, her fingers gripping the Lumina Shard. Every breath was a struggle, every swing of her blade fueled by sheer will. They couldn't lose—not now.
Not when everything was at stake.
And then—
A surge of darkness erupted from the far side of the field.
Saraphine had arrived.
She strode forward, her presence drowning out all light. The ground beneath her cracked and splintered with every step, the very air warping around her. Her golden eyes, burning with power, swept across the battlefield.
"Enough of these games," she said, her voice chilling in its calmness.
With a flick of her wrist, jagged spires of obsidian erupted from the ground, cutting through the battlefield like knives.
Aria barely had time to throw herself out of the way as the ground split beneath her feet.
"You will all kneel before the Wardens of Balance."
A new wave of enemies surged forward, cutting through their ranks like a tide of shadows. Aria's heart clenched—this was it. This was the moment that would decide everything.
And then—
Golden energy sliced through the battlefield.
Two figures emerged from the smoke.
Aldric and Sorin.
The moment Celeste laid eyes on them, she froze.
Elyra, standing beside her, let out a sharp breath, her hand trembling.
"You…" Celeste whispered, her voice barely audible.
Aldric smirked, rolling his shoulders as if he hadn't just torn through half of Saraphine's forces. "You sound surprised."
Elyra blinked rapidly, as if trying to convince herself she wasn't hallucinating. "You two are still alive?"
Sorin twirled his twin blades with a cocky grin. "Hope we're not too late to join the fun."
Celeste let out a breathless laugh, shaking her head. "Just like old times?"
Aldric's grin widened. "Just like old times."
Without another word, the three of them rushed into battle together, the past and present colliding as legends fought once more.
The Shadow Walker Revealed
Across the battlefield, Quinn was struggling.
The fight had taken its toll on him—his breath was ragged, his magic nearly depleted. But he refused to fall.
Then—a flicker of movement.
Asher's sword came down in a deadly arc, aimed straight for Quinn's chest.
Quinn barely had time to react—
CLANG!
A second blade intercepted the strike, the impact sending a shockwave through the air. Sparks flew as steel clashed against steel.
A hooded figure stood between Quinn and death, wielding a curved, obsidian-black sword that gleamed with an eerie light. The force of his strike sent Asher skidding back.
Silence fell.
Kael's grip tightened on his weapon. "Who is that?"
Finn frowned. "Another enemy?"
Elyra's breath hitched. "No… it can't be."
Aria took a shaky step forward, her eyes locked onto the man's sharp silver gaze. A memory flickered in her mind—Aldric's words.
"The last Shadow Walker..."
Her heart pounded.
"I think…" she whispered, "…that's the Shadow Walker."
Aldric let out a knowing chuckle, crossing his arms. "I knew he'd come around."
Sirius Blackthorn pushed back his hood, his silver eyes gleaming beneath the storm-lit sky.
"You always did have terrible timing," Asher growled, his grip on his weapon tightening.
Sirius tilted his head slightly, a ghost of a smirk playing at his lips. "And you always did talk too much."
And then—he struck.
Sirius moved like a shadow given form, his blade a flickering phantom. Asher barely managed to parry the first strike before Sirius twisted, kicking him back. The two warriors clashed, each strike shaking the ground beneath them.
A moment later, Aria and the others surged forward, joining the fight.
Celeste turned to Sirius, a fierce grin on her face.
"Just like old times?" she asked.
Sirius exhaled slowly, then nodded. "Just like old times."
And then—they fought.
The battlefield became a blur of steel and fire.
Kael and Finn battled alongside Sorin, their attacks weaving together in perfect synchronicity.
Lyric unleashed a blast of raw magic, carving through the enemy ranks as Aldric covered her with precise, deadly strikes.
Celeste and Sirius moved as one, a seamless dance of light and shadow.
And at the heart of it all, Aria stood, her mother at her side, facing Saraphine.
Saraphine watched them all, her golden eyes burning.
Her forces were faltering.
The battle had tipped against her.
She had had enough.
Dark energy began to pulse from her body, the very air vibrating with her fury.
The wind howled. The sky darkened.
And then—
Saraphine lifted both hands. The world trembled.
Aria barely had time to react before the ground beneath them cracked, waves of black energy erupting outward.
Saraphine's voice echoed through the battlefield, laced with raw power. "This ends now."
A blinding explosion of energy ripped through the battlefield—
And then—
Darkness consumed everything.
A heavy silence hung over the battlefield, thick with the scent of smoke and blood.
Aria's breath came in ragged gasps as she pushed herself up from the shattered ground. The once-great hall, where warriors had clashed with fire in their eyes, now lay in ruin—broken stone, charred banners, and bodies littered the battlefield.
Her fingers curled around the Lumina Shard, its warmth pressing into her palm, as if it was alive, sensing something just as she did.
Celeste groaned beside her, brushing dust from her scorched cloak. "Is everyone—" She didn't finish her sentence.
Aria turned, scanning the battlefield. Sirius still stood, his blade locked against Ashar's. Aldric and Sorin, despite their wounds, helped steady Quinn, who clutched his side where Ashar had nearly run him through.
They had survived.
But then, Aria's heart lurched.
Because across the field, Saraphine was still standing.
Her silhouette was framed by the dim glow of the dying fires, golden eyes gleaming with something that sent a chill through Aria's spine.
Satisfaction.
Aria's hands tightened into fists. Why does she look like she's already won?
Saraphine lifted her chin, the hint of a smirk curling at her lips. "You fought well, Aria."
The words sent fury through Aria's veins. She staggered forward, chest heaving. "This isn't over."
Saraphine chuckled—not the laugh of someone who had lost.
Her gaze flickered downward—to the shard in Aria's grip.
And then she whispered, "But it will be soon."
The Lumina Shard pulsed.
A blinding heat shot through Aria's fingers, racing up her arm like wildfire.
She gasped, her knees buckling. The warmth wasn't just inside the shard—it was inside her, pulling, tugging, demanding something.
Celeste's eyes widened in horror. "Aria—don't!"
Aria's breath hitched as the world seemed to bend around her.
She could feel something—something ancient, something trapped.
The Black Veil.
It was shifting.
For centuries, it had stood as an impenetrable prison, sealing away the greatest darkness the world had ever known. The Weever.
But now—
The seal was breaking.
Aria was breaking it.
Her vision blurred as she felt herself slipping into something deeper than magic, deeper than time. She could feel the Weever's presence pressing against the veil's edges, waiting.
Waiting for this moment.
The air cracked.
A violent shockwave erupted from the Lumina Shard, sending Aria crashing backward.
And then—
The sky split open.
A ripple of darkness and light surged through the battlefield as the very air screamed.
The Black Veil… tore apart.
A force unlike anything Aria had ever felt flooded the world.
It wasn't just power. It was something else. Something hungry.
Aria lay sprawled on the ground, her pulse hammering in her ears. The others groaned as they tried to recover, shielding their eyes from the blinding storm of shadows and light.
A low, inhuman whisper curled around them, seeping into their bones.
A whisper that had not been heard in centuries.
Free… at last.
Saraphine stood at the center of the storm, her cloak billowing behind her, lips curving into a slow, triumphant smile.
"And so… the Weever awakens."
Aria's breath caught in her throat.
She had just made a terrible mistake.