The storm came swiftly.
It wasn't rain or thunder, but magic—a tempest of raw energy unleashed from the core of Varek's being. The ground beneath them quaked, the very stones splitting as crackling threads of violet lightning surged outward in violent spirals. Trees bent and snapped under the force. The mountain air became thick, oppressive, hard to breathe.
But Aria and Rael didn't retreat.
Together, they stood—wind tearing at their cloaks, hair whipping across their faces. This wasn't just a battle. It was a reckoning.
"Hold your ground!" Rael shouted over the roar, his voice steady despite the chaos. He planted his sword deep into the earth, channeling his magic into the steel. A translucent shield flickered into existence, encasing them in a shimmering barrier that trembled against the storm.
Aria pressed her palm to the ground, her eyes glowing faintly as she reached deep—deeper than ever before—into the Silent Mountains' magic. This was no longer about defense. She needed to strike.
"I can feel it," she murmured, her voice nearly lost in the wind. "The mountain... it's waking."
The earth responded to her call.
Roots surged from beneath their feet, ancient and pulsing with life, twisting upward like serpents as if they recognized her as one of their own. The Silent Mountains had not been silent after all—they had been watching. And now, they were ready to fight.
Varek narrowed his eyes as the first root lashed toward him. He slashed with a wave of his hand, blasting it to splinters. Another came. Then another. Then dozens.
"You've awakened something you don't understand!" he snarled. "The mountain will destroy you before it saves you."
"Then let's find out," Aria snapped.
She raised both hands, and the earth erupted.
Massive vines lashed toward Varek, crashing like tidal waves. He spun, casting fiery arcs of destruction, burning the roots mid-air, but he was being pushed back. For the first time, his movements were not controlled—they were desperate.
Rael joined her, sending shockwaves of light magic in rhythmic bursts, weakening Varek's shields one layer at a time. His power was different from Aria's—sharper, cleaner—but the two forces wove together like a battle hymn.
Their attacks collided with Varek's magic again and again. Each impact was like thunder, echoing across the mountains.
Varek howled in rage, and then, in a last-ditch move, he drove both hands into the earth, releasing a massive pulse that shattered the terrain. Aria and Rael were thrown back, the ground beneath them breaking apart into jagged cliffs.
Aria rolled to her feet, blood trailing from her forehead, but her resolve burned brighter than ever. She had tasted his power and survived. That alone meant something.
Rael stumbled up beside her, breathing hard. "He's... weakening," he panted. "Can you feel it?"
Aria nodded. "He's using too much too fast. If we hold out—just a little longer—he'll break."
But just as hope flared, Varek rose from the crumbling ledge, his body wreathed in black flames. His eyes were pits of darkness now, void of humanity.
"You think you've seen power?" he hissed. "Let me show you what true fear feels like."
He threw his hands skyward—and the clouds obeyed.
The sky cracked open. A vortex of storm and shadow began to form above the mountain, swirling with monstrous energy. Aria's breath caught. This wasn't just a spell. This was a ritual. And it was ancient.
"He's summoning something!" Rael shouted. "We have to stop him before he completes it!"
But before either of them could act, the earth under Aria's feet split open. She screamed as she fell through, swallowed by darkness.
"ARIA!" Rael cried, diving after her—but it was too late. The chasm sealed behind her, leaving him alone with a monster.
Beneath the Mountain...
Aria landed hard, pain shooting through her side. Everything was black. The air was damp and cold, filled with the scent of moss and something older—ancient stone, undisturbed for centuries.
A faint glow came from the walls around her.
Symbols—runes she had only ever seen in the oldest of scrolls—shimmered to life, glowing gold and blue, lighting a narrow tunnel ahead. As she stumbled to her feet, Aria realized the Silent Mountains hadn't cast her away.
They had delivered her somewhere.
Somewhere forgotten.
Somewhere sacred.
Her hand trembled as she touched one of the glowing symbols. The magic thrummed beneath her skin like a heartbeat. Then, a voice—soft, female, and impossibly old—whispered through the silence:
"Child of balance... you have been chosen."
Aria froze. "Chosen? For what?"
The runes pulsed in answer, and the walls began to shift, revealing a hidden chamber just ahead. In its center stood a floating relic—an ornate staff wrapped in vines, its crystal core pulsing with pure, untamed power.
She stepped toward it slowly, heart pounding.
Above her, Rael fought for his life.
Ahead of her, destiny waited.
As Aria reached for the ancient relic, Varek's summoning reached its peak above the mountain. A colossal shadow began to descend from the sky—neither beast nor god, but something in between. The final battle was near... but Aria had to choose.
Escape now and rejoin Rael?
Or awaken the power that could change everything?