Nova — The Name the World Will Fear
The forge finally went silent.
Where once molten rivers screamed and ancient machinery groaned, now there was only the crackle of cooling metal and the slow, steady beat of Nova's heart. The Heartforge dimmed behind him, its red-gold glow settling into a dormant ember—awake, but waiting.
Theta lay broken at the far end of the bridge.
Not dead.
Nova had made sure of that.
The Pale Flame assassin's armor was shattered, his core fractured and leaking white fire like blood. He struggled to rise, failed, and laughed weakly.
"So... this is the rebirth of House Grey."
Nova stood over him, lightning flickering faintly around his blade.
"Tell the Crown something," Nova said calmly.
"Tell them I'm done hiding."
Theta coughed. "You don't understand what you've started."
"I do," Nova replied. "That's why I'm finishing it."
With a single, precise strike, Nova shattered Theta's core—ending the Pale Flame legacy in the forge's shadow.
Silence followed.
Kira reached him first.
She didn't speak. She just grabbed his coat, pulling him into a fierce embrace that caught him completely off guard. For a moment, he froze—
Then rested his forehead against hers.
"You scared me," she whispered.
"Yeah," he said quietly. "Me too."
Raze approached, eyes full of awe and fear.
"The Ironbound will scatter after this. But your name—your forge—it's going to spread."
Nova looked at the Heartforge one last time.
"Let it."
Sorra — The Sky Carries Her Home
She felt it before she saw it.
The moment the forge battle ended, the pressure in Sorra's chest vanished—replaced by warmth. Relief. Nova was alive.
She descended from the sky near the mountain pass, landing hard but steady, flames fading around her boots.
Headmaster Vale had been right.
The Crown would never stop.
Which meant neither could she.
Sorra clenched her fist, feeling the storm-fire coil obediently around her core.
"No more running," she whispered.
She turned toward the horizon.
Toward Nova.
Together — The World Shifts
Three days later, rumors exploded across Terra.
A Pale Flame assassin destroyed.
A forbidden forge awakened.
A masked adventurer wielding lightning and creation magic.
And one name spoken in fear and disbelief:
Grey.
In the capital, the Crown convened an emergency council.
At Silvercrest Academy, Sorra Grey was placed under constant watch.
And far from both, in the ruins beneath the mountains, Nova Grey forged something new—not a weapon, but a vow.
House Grey would not fade again.
Not while he still drew breath.
End of Book One