When Collins opened his eyes, the heat of the desert was gone.He was standing in a valley of floating stones and drifting clouds. The ground beneath him shimmered like glass, and islands of rock hovered silently in the air, bound only by invisible currents of wind.No sound. No birds. No rustling leaves.Just the endless whisper of air.Astraea’s voice was distant now, as if carried by the breeze.> “In this realm, strength means nothing. Only balance keeps you alive.”Collins took a cautious step forward. The surface trembled. With the next breath, the ground beneath him gave way — and he plunged into open air.He tried to summon his fire, but the flames sputtered. Every attempt to draw on his energy was stolen by the wind. It wasn’t just air here — it was alive, mischievous, and unpredictable.He fell between the floating rocks, wind tearing at his clothes.Then, out of the storm, a figure appeared — gliding through the air effortlessly, wrapped in flowing white robes.Her eyes wer

Collins staggered to his feet, shivering. The forest around him was alive — not with sound, but with breath. The air was thick and damp, filled with the scent of moss and soil. Ancient trees rose like pillars into a sky of mist, their roots twisting like the veins of the earth.Somewhere far off, thunder rumbled — not from the sky, but from beneath the ground.He rubbed his temples, trying to steady himself. “So this… is the final trial.”The voice that answered was deep, steady, and powerful enough to make the air vibrate.> “Indeed. You’ve danced with flame, flown with wind, drowned in water… but the earth, Collins Lutherchris, does not dance, fly, or drown. It endures.”From the fog ahead, a shape emerged — tall as a mountain, carved from stone and covered in emerald moss. Its eyes glowed like molten gold, and with each step, the ground trembled.> “I am Terragorn,” it said, “Guardian of Earth, the Last of the Circle’s Trials.”Collins stared in awe. “You’re… massive.”The giant ch

The world was changing.Collins could feel it in the air — the way magic now hummed with a restless rhythm, like something beneath the surface was trying to break free.Days had passed since the encounter in the ash field. He had returned to the ruins of Velmora, the ancient city now little more than cracked stone and ash, seeking answers. Astraea had vanished after that explosion — no trace, no whisper. Only the pendant remained, heavier than ever, pulsing with an uneven heartbeat.He knelt near an old fountain, the dried basin reflecting the faint glow of his pendant. “You said it would bring balance,” he muttered to himself. “But all I see is chaos.”A gust of wind swept through, carrying the faint sound of voices — whispers, calling his name.He looked up sharply. “Who’s there?”From the mist emerged three cloaked figures. Each one carried a staff adorned with a glowing gem — one blue, one green, one crimson.The first spoke.> “Collins Lutherchris. The Sealed Flame.”He rose to h

The red sky bled across the horizon as Collins and Elyndra trekked through the scorched valleys. Every mile toward the Obsidian Spire brought heavier silence — as if the world itself feared what waited there. The wind carried whispers, but they were not voices of men or spirits. They were the flames themselves, murmuring like ghosts that had never been laid to rest.Elyndra glanced sideways at him. “You’re quieter than usual.”Collins didn’t answer right away. The shard in his pocket had begun to hum again, faintly resonating with each heartbeat. “The voices are getting stronger,” he murmured. “I can’t tell if they’re warning me… or calling me.”She tightened her grip on her blade. “Then we keep moving before they do either.”They followed the river of ash that wound between two dark ridges, until it opened into a cavern whose entrance glowed with faint orange light. The air was thick with warmth — not heat, but life.At the center of that cavern burned a single flame — golden and pur

The wind howled across the barren ridge, carrying with it the scent of ash and ancient stone. Collins stood at the edge of a cliff, staring into the horizon where a black spire rose like a spear thrust into the sky. Lightning twisted around it in colors that defied reason — not white, but crimson and violet, like veins of the dying sun.That was the Obsidian Spire.The place where everything began.And perhaps, where everything would end.Elyndra joined him, brushing strands of silver hair from her face. “That thing looks like it could pierce the heavens.”“It already did,” Collins murmured. “And it broke them.”They had been traveling for days through the Blighted Expanse — a stretch of land scorched by unstable magic. The earth sometimes trembled without warning, and strange echoes whispered their names when the wind grew still.Once, Collins thought he saw his own shadow move before he did.The shard given to him by the Triune mages pulsed with growing intensity. Each beat felt hea