Red light bled across the floating ruins of the sky island. The fissure at the island's center pulsed like a heartbeat, each thrum sending tremors through the platforms. Smoke and ash filled the air, swirling violently with the unstable wind.
From the rift emerged it—the Ashen Heart Demon, a colossal creature of molten stone and flame, wings folded like smoldering armor. Its eyes glowed like twin suns, and every beat of its chest resonated through the very air. From the very depths of the demon realm, it emerges through the next riff.
Demon:
"Mortals…. Your souls are forfeit!"
Isaac's chest tightened.
This was no ordinary rift beast. He could feel the immense magical pressure, the sheer force of its aura bending the wind itself.
Kael, nervously fidgeting with his broadsword, whispered,
"Uh… do we run? Asking for a friend… Oiii!! Old man!! Where are ya?? This is not funny anymore!!"
Helena grabbed his arm.
"No. We fight. And survive."
Isaac inhaled deeply. Wind rippled around his feet, trembling with anticipation. He felt Irithel's presence—calm, precise, deadly.
"Control it… Bend the wind… Strike with purpose."
⸻⸻⸻
THE BATTLE BEGINS - TRIAL BY FIRE AND WIND
The Ashen Heart Demon lashed out with molten wings. Platforms collapsed under its weight, and torrents of fire shot toward them.
Isaac dashed.
Wind Step.
He reappeared behind a jagged pillar, slashing instinctively with his knife. The wind cut through the air, forming mini gusts that chipped the Demon's rocky armor.
Kael roared, spinning his broadsword, and conjured a fireball in each hand.
"Take this… FLAMING—SPINNY—DOOM STICK OF INCINERATION!!!"
He swung wildly. Fire erupted from his sword with each arc. By accident, the winds Isaac had conjured around him caught Kael's spinning fire arcs. The combined effect formed a tornado of fire, cutting through debris, scorching the Demon's side, and throwing chunks of molten rock into the void.
Kael stared in awe.
"…I think I just invented something…"
Isaac blinked, impressed despite himself.
"Ridiculous… but effective."
Helena moved forward.
Her hands glowed golden, pulsing with energy. She concentrated, stretching her powers outward. A golden dome of healing light expanded from her palms, enveloping the trio. Cuts sealed, burns faded, and their strength surged.
Helena:
"Focus! Stay in the circle!"
The Demon bellowed in fury, swinging molten arms like wrecking balls. Its claws shredded platforms, and the wind itself seemed to fight them. Even Isaac and Kael were forced to retreat.
⸻⸻⸻
THE TEAM STRUGGLES
The Ashen Heart Demon was a nightmare of speed, strength, and elemental devastation.
Isaac tried Wind Step to flank it, but the Demon's clawed wings created shockwaves that disrupted the wind currents.
Kael kept spinning wildly, accidentally igniting himself multiple times, while trying to coordinate tornado-fire slashes.
Helena's healing kept them alive, but her energy was draining fast—the Guardian's aura resonated like a sickness against her magic.
Isaac (panting):
"We're not strong enough… not yet…"
The Demon roared again, claws smashing through the platform beneath them. They fell onto a smaller island drifting below, the fissure glowing beneath like the eye of a volcano.
⸻⸻⸻
ACCIDENTAL TECHNIQUE : TORNADO FIRE BROADSWORD
Kael, frustrated, spun in panic to escape falling debris.
• Fire ignited his sword.
• Momentum + wind currents around Isaac's body amplified the spin.
• The resulting attack sent a swirling vortex of flame and debris into the DEMON's torso, cutting a massive gash across it.
Kael stumbled, eyes wide.
"I… I did it! The—uh—TWIRLING INFERNO SPINNING DEATH SLASH! Yeah! That's what it's called!"
Isaac smirked.
"Effective… but don't make it sound ridiculous in front of the Demon."
⸻
4. Helena's Epic Healing
Seeing the Demon's next strike—massive molten claws tearing toward Kael—Helena's magic flared.
• She concentrated deeply.
• Channeling her memory echoes and the wind currents, she unleashed Riftlight Sanctuary, a massive AOE healing dome.
• A golden wave radiated in all directions, sealing burns, bruises, and even stabilizing Kael mid-spin.
Kael shouted, "I feel… AMAZING! And unburned!"
Isaac's muscles tensed.
He realized Helena had grown immensely—her healing could now sustain a battlefield of wounded allies, not just herself.
⸻⸻⸻
NEAR DEFEAT
The Demon roared and slammed both fists into the island. The ground cracked, the trio was thrown into the air. Isaac barely activated Wind Step in midair, dodging a molten spike. Kael spun wildly, narrowly missing being impaled. Helena fell, almost losing consciousness.
They hit the ground, battered, bloodied, and exhausted.
Isaac's voice trembled:
"…We can't beat this alone…"
Kael groaned, flames extinguished from overexertion.
"Even my… spinning inferno thing… isn't enough…"
Helena's hands glowed faintly.
"I… can't sustain this much longer…"
The Ashen Heart Demon loomed over them, claws raised for the killing blow.
⸻⸻⸻
ZEPHYR'S INTERVENTION
A wind tore across the collapsing ruins—a tempest that came from nowhere, blowing debris and molten shards aside.
Zephyr descended from the clouds, aura blazing.
Elder Zephyr:
"Enough!"
He swung his staff, summoning a hurricane that ripped through the Demon's midsection. Rocks, fire, and molten slag twisted in the vortex, throwing the creature violently backward.
Isaac and Kael barely clung to the debris, Helena shielding herself from falling rubble.
Zephyr landed between them and the Demon. His wind spun like a blade around his body, slicing molten stone and fire as though he were Irithel incarnate.
Elder Zephyr:
"You are children wielding echoes. Now survive while I show what mastery looks like!"
The Demon howled as Zephyr struck, splitting molten armor and tearing open its core. Sparks and energy flares lit the sky like a fireworks massacre.
Isaac, Kael, and Helena scrambled to their feet, catching their breath, but watching in awe.
Isaac (whispering to himself):
"I… I have to get there… I have to be that strong…"
Kael muttered:
"…and I have to make that tornado slash EVEN BIGGER!"
Helena exhaled, tears in her eyes, exhausted but alive.
Zephyr's eyes narrowed at the Demon:
"Ashen Heart… you will not consume this world today."