The storm came three days after the battle.
Thunder rolled across the Iron Mountains like the drums of old gods, and lightning clawed the sky into veins of white fire. The rain came heavy and unrelenting, washing blood and ash down the mountain slopes until even the bones of the fallen were carried away.
Adrian stood at the mouth of a cave, watching the rain devour the valley below. The Obsidian Ring rested on his finger now, cold and heavy. It pulsed in rhythm with his heartbeat—slow, deliberate, ancient.
Elena sat nearby, tending to a small fire that barely survived the storm's breath. Her eyes glowed softly in the dim light, and even in exhaustion, she looked unbreakable.
"Still awake?" she asked without turning.
"I don't think sleep's coming tonight," Adrian replied, rubbing his temples. "The Obsidian Ring keeps showing me things. Memories. People I've never met."
Elena's expression softened. "Are they all terrible?"
He hesitated. "Some are… beautiful. There's one of a city made of glass and flame. And a woman singing to the stars."
She smiled faintly. "Maybe she's part of the story you were meant to remember."
He looked at her, studying the way the firelight played across her face. "And what if remembering means losing myself?"
Elena met his gaze. "Then I'll remind you who you are."
Their silence said what words could not—the bond that had survived war, prophecy, and death.
Then Kaelara entered the cave, her crimson hair soaked, flames flickering weakly at her fingertips. "We can't stay here long," she said. "The storm isn't natural. Draven's twisting the weather. He's calling the next ring."
Adrian's head snapped up. "The fourth?"
Kaelara nodded grimly. "The Emerald Ring. The Ring of Life. If he reaches it before we do, the balance is gone."
Lysara appeared from the shadows, carrying a small satchel of herbs and bloodied bandages. "He's already ahead. He has the map fragments we lost in Yareth. We'll have to move faster than time itself to stop him."
Elena rose to her feet, determination sharpening her voice. "Then we'll fly if we must."
Adrian turned to her. "Even wings can't outrun fate."
"Maybe not," she said, "but love can bend it."
He smiled faintly—tired, yet filled with a stubborn hope that refused to die.
They left at dawn, following a path that twisted down into the valley where the Iron Mountains gave way to green mist and shattered ruins. The air was different there—warmer, alive with whispers and unseen eyes.
The Obsidian Ring hummed as they approached. "This place remembers," Adrian murmured. "Every step feels like walking on someone's heartbeat."
Kaelara's flames lit the fog ahead, revealing roots that glowed faintly beneath the soil. "The Emerald Forest," she said. "Once the heart of creation."
As they moved deeper, the forest came alive. Trees shifted their branches to watch them pass, and the wind carried songs of ancient tongues. At the center of the grove stood a colossal tree whose trunk shimmered like emerald glass.
Lysara stared in awe. "It's breathing."
Elena stepped closer. "Is that where the ring is hidden?"
Before anyone could answer, a voice spoke—not from any direction, but from everywhere at once.
> "Who seeks the heart of life?"
The ground trembled, and a figure emerged from the tree itself—a woman of light and roots, her eyes green as dawn.
Kaelara bowed slightly. "The Guardian of the Fourth Ring."
Adrian stepped forward. "We seek balance. The world is falling apart."
The Guardian's voice was soft, yet it carried the weight of centuries. "Balance is not given. It is earned through sacrifice."
Elena's eyes met Adrian's. "We've already lost too much."
The Guardian studied them, then turned her gaze toward the storm raging beyond the forest. "Another bearer comes—one who carries the scent of corruption."
"Draven," Adrian whispered.
The Guardian raised her hand, and from the heart of the tree emerged the Emerald Ring, glowing with a light so pure it hurt to look at. "The Ring will choose who is worthy."
Adrian stepped forward, but before he could reach it, the world exploded in darkness.Lightning struck the ground, tearing open the forest. Shadows poured through the breach as Draven appeared, his cloak tattered, eyes burning violet.
"Well," he sneered, "looks like I'm just in time."
Kaelara ignited instantly, fire spiraling into the air. "You'll never touch this ring!"
Draven smiled coldly. "Oh, I won't need to. It's already calling me."
The Guardian turned to him, her expression unreadable. "You carry death in your veins, shadow-born. You are not of life."
Draven's grin widened. "And yet, life feeds on death, doesn't it?"
He lifted his hand, and a wave of dark energy tore through the forest, withering everything it touched. The great tree screamed—a sound like shattering glass.
Adrian ran forward, summoning the Obsidian Ring's power. Light clashed with darkness, sending shockwaves through the clearing. Elena fought beside him, blades singing, her movements like poetry in motion.
Kaelara and Lysara flanked them, fire and shadow dancing as one.
But Draven was stronger now. The eighth ring on his finger pulsed with chaotic power, absorbing every spell hurled at him. He moved like a storm given form.
The Guardian of the Forest fell to her knees, fading. "The ring must choose," she whispered. "Life or death."
Adrian reached for the Emerald Ring just as Draven lunged. Their hands collided—light and darkness merging into one unbearable brightness.
The world shattered.
When Adrian opened his eyes, he was no longer in the forest.
He stood on a vast plain of light, floating in a void of stars. Across from him stood Draven, his expression strangely calm.
"Where are we?" Adrian asked.
"In between," Draven said. "The space where the rings decide."
The Emerald Ring floated between them, spinning slowly. Each pulse of its light showed a different vision—Yareth alive again, the world burning, Elena's face weeping in the rain.
Draven's voice softened. "You think you're saving them. But you're just delaying the end."
Adrian's fists clenched. "And what are you doing? Playing god?"
"I'm fixing what the gods broke," Draven said coldly. "When the Sleeper rises, this world will stop rotting. Everything will begin again—pure and untouched."
Adrian's voice shook with anger. "At the cost of every life on it?"
Draven's eyes burned violet. "What is one world compared to eternity?"
The ring flared, responding to their fury. The plain cracked, and power surged through them both.
Adrian shouted over the storm of energy, "You can't control it!"
Draven laughed. "Watch me."
The Emerald Ring split into two streams of light—one green and pure, one black and venomous. They slammed into each man's chest.
Adrian screamed as the energy burned through him. Visions flooded his mind—Elena, the other bearers, Kaelara's flames, Lysara's tears. He saw them all. Their lives, their pain, their hope.
When he opened his eyes, Draven was gone. The light faded.
He was lying on the ground of the ruined forest. The great tree was dead. The Guardian's body had turned to petals, scattering in the wind.
Elena knelt beside him, tears streaming down her face. "Adrian, please—open your eyes!"
He stirred weakly, the Emerald Ring glowing faintly on his hand.
"I'm here," he whispered.
She sobbed in relief and wrapped her arms around him. "Don't you ever do that again."
He smiled faintly, resting his head against her shoulder. "Couldn't if I tried."
Kaelara approached, eyes wide. "You merged with it. The ring didn't choose—it became you."
Adrian looked at the glowing band. "Then maybe the world's not choosing anymore. Maybe it's asking us to."The following days were silent. The forest, once vibrant, now lay still. Every step echoed with loss.
But within Adrian, life pulsed stronger than ever—his blood hummed with green light. He could feel every root beneath his feet, every heartbeat in the earth.
Yet with that power came pain. When he touched the ground, he could feel the dying cries of distant lands. The world was bleeding faster now.
Elena stayed by his side, helping him bear the weight. Each night, she would press her forehead against his and whisper, "You're still you, Adrian. No matter what these rings make of you."
Sometimes, he believed her. Other times, he wasn't sure.
Kaelara and Lysara continued scouting, but even their courage dimmed. Draven had vanished, and that frightened them more than his presence ever had.
One night, as the moon rose full, Adrian stood alone at the edge of the valley. The Emerald Ring pulsed faintly, and he heard a voice—soft and familiar.
> "The Sleeper stirs. The rings are waking one by one. When the eighth burns, the sky will fall."
He looked toward the north, where thunder rolled in endless darkness.
"Elena," he whispered, "it's not over. It's just beginning."
The next morning, as the sun broke through the storm, the group prepared to leave the forest behind.
Elena adjusted her sword, glancing at Adrian. "Where to now?"
He looked toward the distant horizon. "The fifth ring lies in the ruins of Valon. The City of Silence."
Kaelara frowned. "That place was swallowed by the sea centuries ago."
Adrian nodded. "Then it's waiting for us beneath the waves."
Lysara grinned, despite everything. "Wonderful. Drowning and destiny, all in one trip."
Adrian turned to Elena and took her hand. "We'll find it together."
She smiled, her eyes shining through the mist. "We always do."
They began their descent toward the coast, the light of dawn breaking across their faces.
And though the world was unraveling, there was still something unbroken in them—something stronger than prophecy, older than magic.
Hope.The road to the coast was carved in silence. The forest faded into rolling plains of grey grass and wind, and every gust carried the scent of salt and storm. Behind them, the Emerald Forest lay dead — but not forgotten. Every step away from it felt like walking away from a grave.
Adrian walked ahead, the Obsidian and Emerald rings glowing faintly against the leather of his gloves. The weight of them wasn't just physical anymore — it was in his blood, his dreams, and every breath he took.
Elena followed close, her cloak snapping in the cold air. She had not spoken much since they left the forest, but her hand brushed his shoulder every now and then, a wordless reminder that she was still there — still his, in a world that was slowly breaking.
Kaelara's flame was dimmer now. She walked at the rear, her usually fierce eyes shadowed with exhaustion. Even her fire, once bright enough to rival the sun, flickered uncertainly. Lysara tried to keep the mood light, humming softly to herself, but her voice trembled with unshed grief.
They camped near a cliff overlooking the sea. Below them, the waters churned like molten glass, crashing against the rocks with unending fury. The horizon burned red — not from the sun, but from the reflection of the northern storms.
Adrian stood at the edge, staring into the abyss.
He felt it again — the pull of something vast beneath the waves. The fifth ring. The one waiting in Valon, the drowned city.
He didn't need a map to know it was calling him. The Emerald Ring pulsed faintly, answering a song that only it could hear.
Elena joined him quietly.
"Another vision?" she asked softly.
He nodded. "It's beneath the sea. I can feel it."
She took his hand, her fingers warm against his cold skin. "And Draven?"
Adrian's jaw tightened. "Alive. I can still feel his echo. The rings don't let their bearers die so easily."
"Then we'll face him again."
He turned to her, eyes filled with both weariness and something deeper — the weight of destiny and the fragile thread of love that kept him sane.
"Elena… if it ever comes to choosing between the world and you—"
She stopped him with a kiss, fierce and desperate. "Don't. We've already lost too much to destiny. If the world wants to burn, it'll have to go through me first."
He smiled faintly, though it didn't reach his eyes. "You sound like Kaelara."
"I take that as a compliment," she said, brushing her thumb across his cheek.
That night, Adrian couldn't sleep. The waves below the cliff called to him — whispers of things ancient and drowned.
He walked down to the shoreline alone, his boots sinking into wet sand. The moon was high, and the sea shimmered like liquid silver.
He closed his eyes, letting the wind wash over him. Then he heard it — a voice, faint but familiar.
> "Adrian…"
He froze. It was his father's voice.
> "The rings were never meant for conquest. They are memory. Every soul that has ever lived breathes within them. You bear more than destiny now — you bear the will of the world."
Adrian clenched his fists. "Then why does it hurt so much?"
> "Because love and power were never meant to coexist. One consumes the other."
He opened his eyes, and for a moment, he saw a figure standing upon the water — his father, cloaked in silver light. Then the tide surged, and the vision was gone.
Behind him, Elena's voice broke the silence. "You're talking to ghosts again."
He turned, startled. She approached barefoot, her hair loose, her eyes reflecting the moon.
"I couldn't sleep," she said softly. "And you always go wandering when you're hurting."
He gave a quiet laugh. "You know me too well."
She stepped closer, resting her head against his chest. "I wish I didn't have to. I wish I could just hold you without feeling the world breaking apart around us."
He wrapped his arms around her, resting his chin on her hair. "We'll find peace one day."
"Promise?"
He hesitated. "…I'll try."
By dawn, they reached the cliffside ruins overlooking the sea — the last remnants of Valon.
Stone towers jutted from the surf like broken teeth, half-swallowed by waves and time. The air shimmered faintly, distorted by old magic.
Kaelara surveyed the ruins with grim awe. "How do you even begin to find something that's been under water for a thousand years?"
Adrian raised his hand, the Emerald Ring glowing. The ocean responded — waves pulling back slightly, as if bowing before him. "We don't find it," he said. "It finds us."
The ground trembled. The sea roared. And slowly, impossibly, a path of light formed across the water — a bridge leading into the depths below.
Lysara whistled. "That's new."
"Don't get used to it," Kaelara muttered. "The sea doesn't like being disturbed."
They followed Adrian across the glowing path, descending into the drowned city. The deeper they went, the quieter it became, until even their footsteps vanished into silence.
Valon was breathtaking. Crystal spires rose from the ocean floor, and ghostly fish swam through archways of marble and coral. The city shimmered with its own light, untouched by decay.
At the center stood a massive statue of a woman holding a ring to the sky — the Bearer of Tides, one of the first guardians.
Adrian felt the pull again — deep within the statue, something stirred.
"That's where it is," he said. "The Ring of the Sea."
But before he could move, the water shifted. Shadows rippled through the currents.
Elena drew her blade. "What was that?"
Kaelara's flames flickered underwater, lighting up shapes moving in the dark — humanoid figures with hollow eyes and translucent skin.
"Ghosts," Lysara whispered. "The city's dead are still guarding their queen."
Adrian took a breath. "Then we ask permission."
He stepped forward, the Emerald Ring glowing, his voice echoing through the water. "I am the bearer of the earth and the flame. I seek balance. I seek to save what remains."
The spectral queen's eyes opened. The water stilled.
And then, in a voice older than the sea itself, she spoke:
> "Then prove you are worthy."
The sea erupted around them. The spirits surged, forming a vortex of blue fire and water. The group was thrown apart.
Elena reached for Adrian, but the current tore them away from each other.
He was swallowed by darkness, spinning through visions — wars, empires drowned, lovers torn apart by the ocean's fury.
He screamed her name, but only bubbles answered.
Then he heard another voice — calm, echoing, eternal.
> "Love does not conquer the sea. It only learns to breathe beneath it."
He opened his eyes to find himself standing in a vast chamber of light. The statue of the queen stood before him, and in her hands, the Azure Ring floated — the Ring of the Sea.
She gazed down at him. "Every bearer must lose something to gain me. What will you surrender?"
He hesitated. "I've lost enough."
"Not yet," she said. "Your heart is still whole."
The ring flared — and in that moment, he saw a vision of Elena drowning, her hand reaching for him through endless blue.
He fell to his knees. "No! Take me instead!"
The queen's expression softened. "You still don't understand. Sacrifice is not death — it's trust."
The vision shattered. Adrian found himself clutching Elena's hand in the real world. They were floating together in the ruins, breathless but alive.
The Azure Ring gleamed on his palm.
Kaelara and Lysara swam toward them, their eyes wide with awe.
"You did it," Kaelara said. "You actually did it."
Adrian stared at the new ring, feeling the ocean itself pulsing in his veins. "No," he murmured. "We did it."
They rose from the sea hours later, gasping for air as they climbed onto the cliffs. The sun was setting, painting the horizon in blood and gold.
Elena collapsed beside him, laughing weakly. "I'm starting to think these rings hate us."
Adrian lay back, staring at the sky. "Maybe they're testing us."
Kaelara threw her soaked cloak to the ground. "Next time destiny calls, tell it to leave a message."
Lysara chuckled, wringing out her hair. "We'll frame it and burn it."
For a moment, laughter replaced exhaustion. Then Adrian sat up, staring at the horizon.
Storm clouds gathered again — darker than before.
"Draven knows," he said quietly. "He felt it."
Elena looked at him, her smile fading. "Then he's coming."
Adrian nodded. "And next time… he won't come alone."
The waves below thundered as lightning split the sky, revealing a shadow far off at sea — a shape vast and winged, stirring in the mist.
The Sleeper had begun to wake.