Night over the Phoenix Nest was no longer a peaceful thing.

  The walls shimmered with shield energy, and the towers pulsed with watchful red lights. Soldiers trained long into the dark, power surging, weapons gleaming.

  Ashborne stood atop the Command Nexus, staring down at the endless fields of ash beyond their walls.

  Kaya approached him quietly, the wind carrying her presence. “It’s time.”

  He nodded once.

  Inside the War Room, the table glowed with tactical displays, all centered on a crumbling, ancient tower half-swallowed by the blackened earth—the Relay Spire.

  Carmilla leaned over the map, pointing with a sharp flick of her hand. "We take it down before they get control of it. If the Pale Flame taps into the old systems, it’s over."

  "Straight in, straight out," Marcus rumbled. "No sightseeing."

  Jun’s voice was almost a whisper. "Stealth first. Violence if necessary."

  Kaelen grinned, his hands crackling with barely contained power. "Violence is always necessary."

  Ashborne nodded to them all.

  "We go in small," he said. "We end this fast."

  As he pulled his hood up, Kaya brushed past him and muttered, "And if he feels us?"

  Ashborne didn't smile. "Then we make it hurt."

  The night swallowed them as they moved.

  Across the shattered plains, through valleys filled with broken machines and bones turned to dust. They crossed unseen under Kaya’s controlled winds, Jun’s shadows guiding them through blind spots and dead zones.

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  The Relay Spire loomed ahead, a grotesque relic clawing at the sickly sky. Pale sentries prowled its ruins—warped humans bathed in false light, their veins glowing like cracks in a porcelain mask.

  Ashborne gave a hand signal.

  Attack.

  Kaya unleashed a burst of fog, obscuring the patrols. Marcus charged through it, silent and brutal, snapping necks and shattering armor. Jun’s tendrils lashed from the mist, pulling enemies into the dark without a sound.

  Kaelen danced ahead, planting explosives at key supports, grinning like a child with matches.

  Ashborne moved through the chaos with purpose, every step closer to the Core.

  Inside the Spire, decay hung in the air like a second skin. Broken terminals buzzed weakly. Cracked holograms flickered, whispering obsolete warnings in dead languages.

  They reached the Core Room—a chamber pulsing with unnatural life.

  The entrance was sealed by a curtain of white light, shimmering, buzzing like a hive.

  Ashborne stepped forward. Kaya touched his arm lightly. "Are you sure you can break it?"

  "Not break," Ashborne said, voice low. "Undo."

  He pressed his hand against the barrier.

  Heat surged up his arm, the old power roaring awake. His veins glowed bright blue, light bleeding from his eyes.

  The barrier resisted—pushed—fought.

  But Ashborne pushed harder.

  The light shattered into mist with a sound like glass breaking in reverse.

  Inside sat the Core: a lattice of energy, thrumming with a dangerous, hungry pulse.

  Ashborne approached it, heart hammering.

  Jun watched him, shadows swirling protectively around his feet. "Hurry," he whispered. "I feel him stirring."

  Marcus jammed a broken locker across the entry, snarling, "Buy you five minutes. Maybe less."

  Ashborne touched the Core.

  Pain flared through him instantly. Images bombarded his mind—flashes of the Pale Flame, of burning cities, of screaming stars.

  He gritted his teeth.

  Severed the first thread.

  One by one, he cut the connections, sweat running into his eyes.

  Outside, a low howl rose.

  More sentries were coming.

  Kaelen finished wiring his charges, shouting, "Tick tock, boss!"

  Ashborne severed the last link. The Core flickered.

  And died.

  Kaya grabbed his arm. "Move!"

  They ran.

  The Relay Spire groaned as Kaelen’s charges lit up the sky. The tower crumpled inward, a black scream against the stars.

  Ashborne stumbled once—Kaya hauled him upright.

  In the distance, a pulse of power rippled across the earth.

  Ashborne felt it in his bones.

  The Pale Flame had felt it.

  The storm was coming.

  Inside the Nest’s walls, the returning team was met by cheers—but Ashborne barely heard them. His mind was already reaching ahead, toward the inevitable retaliation.

  Kaya touched his shoulder. "We did it."

  "For now," Ashborne said.

  He looked past the walls, past the smoke rising on the horizon.

  "We threw the first stone."

  He closed his hand into a fist, flames flickering between his fingers.

  "Now we wait for him to answer."

  And somewhere far beyond, the Pale Flame smiled.