The ruins of the fortress groaned under a sky split with restless clouds, their ragged black shapes drifting like wounded beasts.
A low snarl of wind curled between the collapsed pillars and broken towers, stirring ash and centuries of dust.
The earth beneath the ancient stone trembled, as though something monstrous had awoken deep beneath it. And standing amidst the rubble, three warriors prepared themselves for the storm they felt gathering around them.
Delsia inhaled sharply, the metallic taste of charged air flickering across her tongue. Flickers of white lightning danced over her eyes, illuminating her sharp features with a crackling glow.
Her long silver cloak whipped behind her in the rising wind. She tightened her grip on her twin lightning gauntlets, sparks hissing around her knuckles.
"We're not alone," she murmured.
Rex stepped forward, firelight rolling off him like a second skin. His dark hair was already glowing at the tips as embers seeped between the strands.
A molten aura pulsed around him, the heat rippling the air. His jaw clenched, his fiery eyes narrowing as he scanned the shadows between the pillars.
"When are we ever?" he growled, stretching his fingers. Flames erupted from his palms, coiling and twisting together until they fused into a burning sphere that hovered above his hand like a miniature sun.
Behind them, Teras slammed the butt of his chain-staff into the ground. The thick steel coils wrapped around his arms responded instantly, glowing faintly with a deep violet light.
Each link echoed with dormant energy, ancient, heavy, and hungry. His spiked mask reflected the little light left in the sky.
"Stay sharp," he said, his voice calm but resonant. "The Dark Dragons don't announce themselves."
A rumble, deep, guttural, almost subterranean rolled through the air like thunder beaten into submission. The ground vibrated. Stone shattered.
Then the shadows shifted.
Three colossal shapes crawled out from beneath the fallen walls and broken towers each one a mountain of scales, horns, and malevolent aura.
Their bodies seemed forged from night itself, shadows clinging to them like mist. Their eyes burned a sickly, glowing crimson.
The first dragon unfurled its wings, membranes dripping black smoke that sizzled wherever it fell.
The second reared back, its horns spiraling like twisted obsidian. The third crawled forward low to the ground, fangs long enough to carve open warships.
Delsia exhaled. Electricity surged around her body, scattering sparks across the stone.
"It's them," she said under her breath. "The Triad of Nokrath."
Rex smirked. "Three dragons, three of us. Perfect."
Teras didn't share his confidence. The steel chains around him rattled uneasily.
"They are not equal foes," he reminded. "Their power comes from the Abyss. And the Abyss never fights fair."
The dragon in the center roared, an explosive sound that ripped through the air like a sonic shockwave. The force hurled dust, rock fragments, and even entire stone blocks into the sky.
Delsia raised a lightning shield, sparks swirling violently as it absorbed the blast.
And then the battle began.
The dragon on the left lunged at Delsia, its maw gaping open, revealing spiraling rows of teeth coated in dark slime.
Delsia vanished in a burst of lightning, reappearing behind the beast in a blink. Bolts of electricity lashed from her palms, striking the dragon's spine with blinding force.
The creature roared, twisting violently. Dark energy rippled across its scales, shrugging off some of the lightning, but not without pain.
Delsia zipped around it like a streak of white-blue light, firing bolt after bolt, her movements leaving luminous trails in the air.
On the right side of the battlefield, another dragon charged at Teras. It struck like a meteor, claws slashing down. Teras swung his chain-staff upward.
The chains flew out with supernatural precision, wrapping around the dragon's forearm just before the impact. The creature snarled in surprise.
"Down."
With a powerful twist of his body, Teras yanked the chains. Energy surged through the metal links, glowing violet, sending a shockwave into the dragon's limb.
The beast stumbled, crashing into the ground. Teras leapt onto its forearm and sprinted up its massive arm as the chains tightened further, dragging the dragon's head downward.
But the dragon wasn't helpless. A burst of dark flame erupted from its mouth, narrowly missing Teras as he flipped backward, chains snapping free and slithering back to him like serpents.
Rex faced the last of the three, a hulking monstrosity with multiple horns, wings like corrupted shadows, and scales that reflected no light at all.
The beast took a deep breath, and the ground beneath Rex's feet blackened and cracked.
"Oh, you want to play with fire?" Rex taunted. "Fine. Let's dance."
He exploded upward in a spiral of flames, his entire body ignited. Fire wings burst from his back, carrying him high above the ruins.
The dragon unleashed a blast of dark fire, purple, corrosive, and swirling with shadow. Rex countered with a massive pillar of flame, the two attacks colliding mid-air.
The explosion was blinding. Flames and shadows churned violently, forming a swirling vortex of heat and darkness. The impact threw both dragon and man backward.
Delsia saw the collision from the corner of her eye and cursed. She stretched her hand, summoning a storm around her.
Thunder cracked overhead as she directed a barrage of lightning down on her target.
The dragon she fought retaliated, releasing a wave of dark energy that corrupted the stone beneath it. Delsia barely dodged, sliding across rubble, electricity buzzing around her boots.
"You're stubborn," she spat, blasting bolts at its wings. "Good. I like stubborn."
The dragon snapped at her, its jaws closing inches from her shoulder. Delsia thrust her lightning gauntlets into its snout, discharging a massive surge. The beast recoiled, shrieking.
Meanwhile, Teras was grappling with raw force. The second dragon lashed its tail, sending a shockwave through the rubble. Teras was thrown off his feet, tumbling across broken pillars.
His chains lifted him midair before he struck a collapsed wall, swinging him safely to the ground.
"I am not done with you," he muttered.
He slammed his staff into the ground again. The chains shot outward like steel vipers, wrapping around the dragon's ankle and tightening.
Teras swung his staff, lifting the dragon's hind leg with unnatural strength. The creature crashed sideways, bringing down a half-standing tower.
Rex, high above, had regained control of his momentum. He shot downward like a meteor, flames erupting from his hands and feet.
His target roared and tried to swat him, but the fiery warrior slammed into its chest with devastating impact. Fire erupted in every direction, engulfing them both.
When the flames subsided, Rex stumbled out of the smoke, coughing and smirking, though scorched.
"That one felt good," he said.
The dragon emerged too, but battered, several scales melted and smoking.
The three dragons gathered together for a moment, snarling in unison. Their auras fused, growing darker, stronger.
A pulse of abyssal energy radiated outward, cracking the ground. Delsia felt it hit her chest like a hammer. Rex grit his teeth. Teras's chains rattled uncontrollably.
"They're merging their darkness," Teras warned. "This is bad."
The dragons attacked simultaneously.
A storm of dark blasts filled the air, shadow flames scorching the ruins. Delsia zipped between attacks, lightning forming a protective storm around her.
Teras used his chains as shields and weapons, deflecting blasts while pulling down structures to interrupt the dragons' lines of sight.
Rex countered flame with flame, but even his inferno struggled against the abyssal onslaught.
One dragon caught Teras in its claws, tossing him violently across the battlefield. He smashed through a pillar, the ground trembling beneath him as he struggled to rise.
Delsia screamed his name and tried to reach him, but the dragon she fought slammed its tail into the ground, sending up a wave of rock shards that forced her back.
Rex, seeing both teammates struggling, unleashed a primal roar. His flames surged, turning white-hot. He blasted upward, hurling firestorms at all three dragons.
"Back off!" he yelled.
The night lit up with blazing fury.
The dragons retaliated.
All three unleashed a combined beam of dark power. The attack hit Rex mid-air. He was thrown like a broken doll across the sky, crashing through a ruined tower and leaving a trail of fire behind him.
He hit the ground hard, coughing blood.
"Rex!" Delsia gasped, vanishing in lightning to reach him.
But before she arrived, the shadows behind Rex began to move.
Not the dragons.
Something bigger.
Something older.
Something silent.
A pair of colossal horns emerged from the darkness. Then a massive head, far bigger than the three dragons combined pushed out of the shadows as though passing through a veil.
Its scales were pure void, swallowing all light. Its eyes were ancient wells of darkness.
Teras staggered to his feet.
"No… that's impossible. That's not part of the Triad."
The monstrous dragon opened its maw, its dark breath pulling the air inward.
Delsia's heart froze.
Rex tried to rise, flames flickering desperately around his body.
The creature lunged.
Its jaws opened wide, wide enough to swallow Rex whole.
The ground trembled as shadow poured from its throat.
Rex looked up, helpless, the maw closing around him
Delsia screamed.
Teras launched all his chains at once.
But the colossal dragon was faster.
Its teeth scraped the earth, snapping shut inches from Rex's body.
A gust of darkness flung Delsia backward. Teras was hurled into debris.
Rex stared up, breath trembling as he realized how close death had come.
The monstrous dragon ansorbed the life force of the three dragons completely,leaving no trace of existence.
Soon after it withdrew into the shadows, its massive form melting into the darkness as though the world itself was swallowing it.
Only its glowing eyes remained for a moment.
Watching.
Promising it would return.
Then it vanished.
The battlefield fell silent, save for Rex's ragged breathing and the crackle of fading flames.
Delsia rushed to his side. Teras limped over, chains hanging limp around him.
"What… what was that?" Rex whispered.
"A dragon beyond the Abyss," Teras murmured. "Something that shouldn't exist."
Delsia glanced at the shadows where it had vanished.
The darkness seemed to tremble, waiting.
"Whatever it was…" she whispered, "it just tried to take you."
Rex swallowed hard. "And next time…?"
Teras answered grimly: "Next time, it won't miss."
The Otrin Empire's capital never slept, but tonight, the sky above it felt unnaturally still, as if the heavens themselves held their breath.
Flickering lanterns along the high walls trembled in the wind, each flame bending as though bowing to a coming storm.
The Grand Arena district, carved from obsidian stone and etched with ancient sigils, now stood as a shadowed battleground, the air crackling with tension… and killing intent.
"They're hiding their locations. And considering who we're facing… that's the smartest thing they've done." Baylin said.
Orint smirked
"Good," he said, igniting both fists. "Been awhile since we fought someone who deserved our time."
Ronan shot him a sideways glare. "Arrogance won't win this."
"Wasn't trying to win," Orint replied, heat swirling around him. "Trying to enjoy it."
Before Ronan could retort, th air became more dense, the temperature dropped.
The shadows along the far wall twisted… and then seeped outward like ink.
The first voice emerged, feminine and melodic yet rotting at the edges.
"Enjoyment?" Gloxina stepped through the darkness, her hair long and matted, her fingers skeletal, corpse-ash falling from her robes. "I hope your screams are entertaining."
Beside her rose Troy, grains of sand spilling off his shoulders in endless rivers. His eyes were swirling dunes, expression unreadable.
"Let's get this done," Troy said flatly. "Orders were clear."
Pyxus dropped from a rooftop with a wet splatter, acidic steam rising where he landed.
His skin bubbled like boiling poison, and each breath he exhaled melted small holes in the stone.
"Three commanders in general…" he hissed. "This might be fun, now that we are all in the same location fighting will be way more easier that that individual two on one sparing we did."
A shimmering tear opened in the air, and Melpha stepped through, her form multiplying into afterimages as portals stitched themselves behind her like wings.
Karlos arrived last, striding forward with lightning crackling around his entire body, but not normal lightning. His was black, jagged, writhing like hungry demons.
Then came the final presence.
Nox.
He appeared silently, shadows folding around him as dozens of spectral figures, his Legions manifested behind him like an army of silhouettes with empty eyes.
Ronan tensed. "This is worse than expected."
Baylin planted his feet, earth rising around him like a breathing armor.
Orint cracked his neck, flames roaring around him like a wildfire.
"Then let's make it worse for them."
---
Nox was the first to strike. With a snap of his fingers, his legion surged forward, dozens of phantom soldiers racing toward the commanders with weapons forged from darkness.
Ronan spun, wind exploding outward in a spiraling gale. The blast shredded half of the approaching shadows, scattering them like smoke. But Nox simply made more, legions forming endlessly behind him.
Baylin stomped, summoning pillars of stone that erupted from the ground, crushing the advancing shadows as they swarmed.
"ORINT—LEFT!"
Baylin's shout came just as Pyxus spat a stream of sizzling green acid.
Orint dodged, flipping backward as the acidic blast melted an entire building.
"Cute trick," Orint growled, flames swirling around his arms. "Here's mine."
He thrust both hands forward.
A torrent of fire surged out, spiraling like a flaming dragon. Pyxus leapt aside, hissing as flames grazed his shoulder, charring his bubbling skin.
Across the courtyard, Gloxina clapped her hands together. A wave of corpse-energy erupted beneath Ronan's feet.
Decayed arms shot from the ground, grabbing at his legs.
Ronan sliced through them with blades of compressed wind. "Disgusting!"
Gloxina giggled as a corpse-puppet rose behind him.
Ronan turned just as it swung its rotted claws but wind sharpened into a guillotine, severing it in a single arc.
Melpha appeared above him through a portal, kicking downward. Ronan barely dodged.
Her heel struck the cobblestone, and the force warped space, splitting a section of the ground into floating shards.
"Stay still, commander," she taunted.
Baylin charged, slamming two massive stone fists into the ground. Jagged spikes erupted upward toward Melpha, but she vanished through another portal.
Troy appeared behind Baylin, turning his entire right arm into a sandstorm.
The strike hit Baylin square in the ribs, hurling him across the courtyard and smashing him into a pillar.
Baylin coughed blood. "You… hit hard."
Troy's expression didn't change. "I'm not here to impress you."
Black lightning shredded the air.
Karlos descended from above, targeting Ronan with a bolt of lightning so dark it looked like space cracking open.
Ronan twisted the wind around his arms and created a vortex shield.
But black lightning pierced the vortex with ease, sending Ronan flying. His body smashed into a fountain, shattering it in a burst of water and stone.
"RONAN!" Baylin shouted.
Karlos landed calmly, his fists crackling with dark electricity. "Wind breaks easy."
Orint charged in, fire spiraling around him like a tornado. He aimed a punch at Karlos's jaw.
Karlos caught it with one hand.
Dark lightning surged.
Orint screamed as the electricity tore through him, launching him backward in a burst of sparks.
"Too slow," Karlos said coldly.
The battlefield grew worse by the second. For every enemy the commanders pushed back, another pressed forward.
Pyxus flooded the courtyard with acid, making the stone hiss and melt.
Gloxina sent waves of corpse soldiers crawling across the ground like spiders.
Troy transformed the air itself into sandstorms that sliced anything they touched.
Melpha teleported unpredictably, appearing behind, above, and beside her targets in rapid succession.
Karlos's black lightning speared the earth in devastating bursts.
And Nox's legion never stopped growing.
---
Above all this chaos, in the imperial palace, Lord Uzam felt the tremor of battle shake the marble beneath him.
He rushed to his balcony, looking out toward the distant arena district where flames, lightning, and spiraling winds lit up the night sky.
"Six enemies… against three commanders," he whispered. "This is no ordinary assault."
Uzam strode to his chambers and grabbed a small crafted whistle carved from crimson jade. He blew it once. A sharp note, inaudible to normal ears, rippled through the room.
A massive hawk, feathers glowing with faint runes swooped down from the rafters.
Uzam tied a sealed scroll to its leg.
"Fly to the northern camps," he ordered. "Tell the Volvex Empire we need reinforcements. Now."
The hawk screeched and shot into the night sky, wings blazing like comets.
Uzam watched it vanish into the darkness.
"Hold on, Commanders," he murmured. "Help is coming."
---
Back at the battlefield, the fight reached its breaking point.
Ronan struggled to stand, breathing heavily, blood running from his lip. Orint's flames now flickered weakly around him, dim and unstable. Baylin's armor was cracked, his earthen plates shattered.
The six enemies closed in, confidence rising.
Karlos strode forward, black lightning dancing across his arms like serpents. His target was clear:
Ronan.
"Wind commander," Karlos said, electricity gathering in his palms. "You die first."
Ronan tried to raise his arms, wind swirling weakly but he knew it wasn't enough. He had nothing left to block that attack.
Karlos launched forward, raising his fist, lightning screaming around it.
Everything slowed.
Orint was too far, barely conscious.
Baylin saw it happening, his vision tunneling.
Ronan braced for death.
And in that split second, Baylin acted.
He roared, the sound ripping from his soul.
"RONAN!!!"
He slammed both fists into the earth, the ground beneath him exploded.
A massive surge of earth energy tore upward. Rocks, boulders, and layers of hardened bedrock spiraled around him in a vortex of raw elemental power. The ground shook violently, cracks racing across the entire courtyard.
Baylin threw his arms forward and the earth obeyed his actions.
A colossal barrier formed, taller than any fortress wall, thicker than any mountain plate. It sprang up between Ronan and Karlos just as the black lightning struck.
The impact was catastrophic.
Black lightning and hardened earth collided in a blinding flash. The shockwave blasted dust, rubble, and fire across the courtyard. The barrier shook, cracked, screamed under pressure but it held.
Ronan collapsed in shock. "Baylin…?"
Baylin knelt behind the barrier, one hand pressed into the ground, the other gripping his bleeding side.
A deep wound tore across his torso. Troy's earlier sand strike had opened him, but the effort to summon the barrier ripped it further, blood pouring down in streams.
"Ronan… stay alive," Baylin said, struggling to breathe.
Karlos snarled, gathering power to strike again.
Baylin slammed his hand into the earth once more, forming a second layer of the barrier behind the first, thinner, weaker, but enough.
Ronan crawled toward him. "Baylin, stop! You'll kill yourself!"
Baylin smiled weakly."Better me… than you."
The barrier finally shattered under Karlos's next strike, exploding into dust. But by then Ronan had been blown clear, protected from the killing blow.
Baylin, however, remained kneeling barely. Blood pooled beneath him, his breathing slowed.
Orint screamed his name.
Ronan dragged himself toward him.
Baylin looked up with fading eyes at his comrades, the battlefield spinning around him.
"At least… I did something that mattered."
Then his body slumped forward. Not dead but dying, fatally wounded.
The enemy regrouped for another attack.
The commanders stood over Baylin's body, rage and grief igniting inside them.
And far away, the sound of beating wings approached, the reinforcements coming for the Empire.
The battle for Otrin was far from over.