The descent into the second layer had been like crossing an invisible threshold. Seren stood still for a long moment, letting the ancient, oppressive energy wash over her. The air here was heavier, charged, and humming softly—like a living presence watching from the shadows. The darkness deepened, but it wasn't absolute. Strange luminescent fungi curled along jagged stone ridges, casting a blue-green glow that illuminated the landscape. Trees of warped crystal jutted out at odd angles, humming with quiet, pulsing light. The ground was more uneven, the magic more chaotic.
Seren named it: The Glimmering Hollow.
She whispered the name to herself and Kaelien nodded beside her. It fit.
They had little time to admire the alien beauty. The air suddenly grew hotter.
Kaelien stiffened. "He's here."
They both knew who. The Scorching Gale had entered the second layer.
Without a word, they focused. Seren reached into the depths of her training, drawing upon her magic to cool her body. Kaelien, used to trickery and subtlety, focused on steady breathing and heat control. They merged their efforts, crafting a delicate spell that masked their heat signatures completely. To a hunter like Vyrathis, they had become invisible.
But that wouldn't last.
They scouted ahead and found an elevated ridge surrounded by jagged rocks and fungus-growth. A perfect spot. Kaelien would be the bait. Seren would be the blade in the dark. The emberlord wouldn't expect her.
Kaelien took position at the foot of the incline, masking his heat no longer. He stood with both daggers in hand, presenting himself as the lone prey. His heart pounded with the weight of the plan, the risk.
Then the burning came.
A roaring wind spiraled down the stone corridors of the Hollow, hotter than the air should allow. Crystals cracked under the heat as Vyrathis arrived, his fists engulfed in fire, eyes wild with purpose. His very presence warped the air, and the ground seemed to tremble beneath his steps.
"Kaelien," he growled. "You run fast for a traitor."
Kaelien raised his daggers, one in each hand. "I'm faster than your pride."
Then it happened.
A flicker of heat pulsed behind the ridge—a tiny break in Seren's magic. Vyrathis's head snapped to the side.
"There are two," he growled, lips curling into a savage grin. "Clever."
Seren struck a heartbeat later. She burst from cover, her sword slicing through the air with magical force. The emberlord turned just in time to avoid a fatal blow, but her blade left a burning gash across his ribs.
The fight exploded into motion.
Vyrathis swung both flaming fists at her. Seren parried with her sword, her blade glowing with an enchantment meant to deflect flame—but the emberlord's strength was overwhelming. She staggered back as Kaelien lunged in from behind, his daggers flashing.
The emberlord turned his fury on Kaelien. A blazing punch caught him in the side, and then another cracked down onto his arm. Kaelien screamed as the bone snapped. He fell to one knee but clenched one dagger in his unbroken hand. The other, he gritted between his teeth.
Bleeding, half-conscious, Kaelien leapt again—aiming not to kill, but to distract.
That gave Seren her moment.
With a furious cry, she surged forward. Her sword moved in a blur, slicing through flame and ash. She evaded a wild punch, ducked under a fiery swing, and drove her blade deep into the emberlord's chest.
Vyrathis reeled back, coughing blood that hissed as it hit the burning ground. Still, he didn't fall.
Kaelien, driven by sheer rage and desperation, plunged his dagger into Vyrathis's back.
Only then did the emberlord falter. Fire burst from his body in one final explosion of power. The ground beneath them blackened. Crystal trees shattered in every direction.
Then silence.
The Scorching Gale collapsed to the ground, his flaming fists dimming, his blood boiling on the earth like molten metal.
Seren staggered back, covered in bruises and burns. Kaelien was barely standing, clutching his broken arm.
But they had done the impossible. Again.
They had killed an Emberlord.