Chapter 58: Ashes of the Sky

The world was silent.


I stood at the edge of the cliff, frozen. The wind battered my cloak, cold and relentless, but I barely noticed. My eyes were locked on the battlefield below, on the place where Lyra—my friend, my shield, my hope—had fallen. The last echoes of her roar still vibrated in my bones, a sound that would haunt me for the rest of my life.


I saw it all in perfect clarity. The Eclipse Leader’s blade, a line of pure, merciless light. Lyra’s body, proud and defiant to the last, cleaved cleanly through the neck. Her eyes, golden and ancient, found mine across the distance. No words. No fear. Only acceptance, and a silent promise that her story would not end here.


And then—BOOM.


Her body erupted in a blinding pillar of flame and light, so bright it turned night to day. The shockwave hit me like a physical blow, knocking me backward, stealing the breath from my lungs. I dropped to my knees, arms wrapped protectively around the dragon egg, the only piece of her I had left.


For a moment, the world was nothing but white noise and ringing silence.


When I opened my eyes, the battlefield was gone.


In its place was a crater of blackened earth, still steaming, the ground glassy and cracked. Ash drifted on the wind, swirling in the aftermath. The scent of burning, blood, and ozone filled the air, thick enough to choke.


I stared, numb, as the light faded. The only thing left of Lyra was a faint, glowing ember at the heart of the devastation.


I didn’t move. Couldn’t move.


My mind tried to process what I’d seen, but the images wouldn’t fit together. Lyra’s roar. The blade of light. Her eyes meeting mine. The explosion. The world ending.


A scream built in my chest, raw and desperate.


“LYRA!”


The word tore itself from my throat, but the wind stole it, scattering it across the empty sky. I forced myself to my feet, legs trembling. The egg was still warm in my arms, pulsing softly—a heartbeat in the darkness.


I ran.


Down the mountainside, stumbling over rocks and roots, sliding through ash and mud. My boots slipped on the scorched earth, the heat searing my skin even through the soles. I didn’t care. I barely noticed. All that mattered was reaching the place where she had fallen.


The crater was enormous, the edges still glowing with residual magic. The ground was shattered, black glass and twisted metal jutting from the earth like the bones of some ancient beast. I slowed, picking my way through the wreckage, every step a reminder of what I’d lost.


The silence was total. Even the wind seemed afraid to disturb this grave.


I stopped behind a crumbled boulder, breath ragged. My eyes scanned the devastation. Bodies lay scattered at the edges of the blast—Eclipse Order soldiers, their black uniforms charred and torn, faces frozen in shock and pain. None of them moved. None of them would ever move again.


All except one.


The Eclipse Leader stood at the far edge of the crater, his armor scorched, one arm hanging limp at his side. Blood dripped from a dozen wounds, staining the ground at his feet. His mask was cracked, one eye barely visible through the shattered visor. He stared at the place where Lyra had died, unmoving.


I watched from behind the boulder, heart pounding. Every instinct screamed at me to attack, to finish what Lyra had started. But I held back. He was still too strong, even wounded. And I had something more important to protect.


The leader turned, slowly, as if every movement cost him. He looked around, taking in the destruction, the bodies of his own men. For a moment, I thought he might speak—might offer some explanation, some justification for the slaughter.


But he said nothing.


He simply turned away, vanishing into the mist that was beginning to rise from the cooling earth.


I waited until he was gone, until the only sounds were the crackle of cooling stone and the distant, mournful cry of a night bird.


Then I stepped into the crater.


The heat was intense, waves of it rolling off the glassy ground. I picked my way through the debris, searching for any sign of Lyra. There was nothing left of her body—no scales, no bones, only a few shards of blackened crystal and the faint, lingering glow of her magic.


At the very center of the crater.


A glowing egg, nestled in a bed of crystallized ash. It pulsed with a gentle light, warm and alive. I knelt, hands shaking, and lifted it from the ashes. The surface was smooth, almost soft, and I could feel the faintest heartbeat within.


I cradled the egg to my chest, tears streaming down my face.


“I’m sorry,” I whispered. “I’m so sorry.”


The words felt hollow, inadequate. But they were all I had.


I pressed my forehead to the egg, letting its warmth seep into me. For a long time, I knelt there, lost in grief and rage and the crushing weight of failure.


The world was silent, save for the crackle of cooling stone and the distant, mournful cry of a night bird.


I looked up, eyes burning.


“Eclipse Order…” My voice was low, shaking with fury. “I’ll bury every last one of you.”


The promise hung in the air, a vow forged in fire and loss.


I stood, the egg cradled in my arms, and turned to face the edge of the crater.


That’s when I saw them.


Five figures stood at the rim of the cliff, silhouetted against the pale light. The wind caught their cloaks, sending them streaming behind like banners. For a moment, they didn’t move, didn’t speak. They simply watched, silent witnesses to the aftermath.


I recognized them instantly—my companions, the girls who had followed me through hell and back. Each of them bore the marks of battle: torn clothes, blood-streaked faces, eyes haunted by what they’d seen.


They looked down at the devastation, at me standing alone in the heart of the ruin.


None of them spoke.


I turned away, unable to meet their eyes. The weight of my failure pressed down on me, heavier than any wound.


I heard footsteps crunching on glass and ash. One of them—called my name, voice tentative.


“Aren…?”


I didn’t answer. I couldn’t. My throat was tight, my chest aching. I could feel their eyes on me, full of questions, of fear, of sympathy.


But I had nothing left to give.


I stood in the center of the crater, back turned, silent.


The wind picked up, swirling ash around my feet. The egg in my arms pulsed, a steady reminder that life went on, even in the face of death.


I closed my eyes, letting the grief wash over me.


Lyra was gone.


But her legacy remained.


And I would see it through, no matter the cost.


The silence stretched, heavy and unbroken. The girls stood at the edge of the crater, uncertain. I could feel their presence, the way they hesitated, unsure whether to approach or give me space.


Finally, one of them. the boldest—took a step forward.


“Aren. What happened here?”


Her voice was soft, but the question cut deep.


I opened my eyes, staring at the scorched earth. “War,” I said, my voice flat. “And loss.”


She hesitated, then knelt beside me, her hand hovering just above my shoulder. “Is that…?”


I nodded, not trusting myself to speak.


The others joined her, forming a loose circle around me. They looked at the egg, at the devastation, at the tears on my face. None of them spoke. There was nothing to say.


We stayed like that for a long time, the six of us, bound together by grief and silence.


Eventually, the wind died down, and the first hints of dawn crept over the horizon. The light was pale, uncertain, but it brought with it a sense of possibility—a reminder that the world would keep turning, no matter how much we had lost.


I stood, the egg cradled in my arms.


“We need to go,” I said, my voice steady now.


“There’s nothing left for us here.”


The girls nodded, their faces set. They understood. They always had.


I made a silent promise to Lyra, to the egg in my arms, to the world itself.


I would not rest.


I would not forgive.


I would not forget.


The Eclipse Order would pay for what they had done.


And I would see it through to the end.


The crater was still visible, a scar on the earth. The sky above was streaked with the first light of dawn, the air heavy with the promise of rain.


The world was changed.


So was I.


But as long as I had breath in my body, I would fight.


For Lyra.


For the egg.


For the future.


And for vengeance.






To be continued