The mountain was finally silent.
The storm that had raged through the night was gone. Morning light slowly spread across the broken peaks, touching the ruins of the ancient chamber where the final battle had taken place.
For the first time in what felt like ages, the world was calm.
Aria stood near the entrance of the cavern, looking out toward the endless valleys below. The wind moved gently through her hair.
Everything was over.
At least… that was what everyone believed.
Behind her, Rowan sat on a large piece of broken stone, lazily spinning his spear in one hand."You know," he said, "when I woke up this morning, I really thought the world would feel more… different."
Aria glanced at him.
"What do you mean?"
Rowan shrugged.
"I don't know. We defeated an ancient shadow king. I expected trumpets… celebrations… maybe a parade."
The dragon, resting nearby, let out a low rumbling sound that almost sounded like amusement.
"Peace rarely announces itself loudly," the dragon said.
"It simply arrives."Rowan sighed.
"Peace is boring."
Aria smiled slightly.
But her smile faded quickly.
Because something didn't feel right.
She placed a hand on the pendant around her neck. The golden stone—the source of the First Flame—felt warm.
Warmer than usual.
The dragon noticed immediately.
"You feel it too."
Aria nodded slowly.
"Yes."Rowan looked between them.
"…Feel what?"
Aria didn't answer immediately.
She turned back toward the dark interior of the cavern.
The place where Nocthar had been destroyed.
"Something… is still there."
Rowan groaned.
"Oh no."
"Please tell me we are not doing this again."
But the dragon was already standing.Its wings slowly unfolded, stirring the dust across the ground.
"The Shadow King is gone," the dragon said.
"But shadows do not disappear so easily."
A cold wind suddenly moved through the cavern.
The light near the back of the chamber dimmed.
Rowan stood up instantly.
"…Okay I officially hate that."
Aria slowly walked deeper into the ruins.
The ground was still blackened from the final explosion.Broken stone surrounded a deep crater where Nocthar had fallen.
She stopped at the edge.
For a moment nothing happened.
Then—
a faint sound.
Like something whispering.
Aria's eyes narrowed.
"Did you hear that?"
Rowan shook his head.
"I hear a lot of things when I'm about to die again."
The dragon lowered its massive head closer to the crater.Its golden eyes suddenly widened.
"That… is impossible."
Aria felt her heart skip a beat.
"What is it?"
The dragon spoke slowly.
"There should be nothing left."
"But something remains."
A thin line of darkness slowly rose from the center of the crater.
Like smoke.
But thicker.
Heavier.
Alive.Rowan stepped back immediately.
"Nope."
"I don't like that smoke."
The dark mist twisted in the air.
Then suddenly—
it disappeared.
The cavern fell silent again.
Aria frowned.
"That's it?"
Rowan waited a moment.
"…If that was the entire problem, I'm actually okay with it."
But the dragon didn't relax.Instead, it looked toward the sky outside the cavern.
Its expression had turned serious.
"Aria."
She looked up.
"Yes?"
The dragon's voice echoed quietly inside her mind.
"The Shadow King may be gone."
"But the Shadow Realm still exists."
Aria felt a chill run through her body.
"What are you saying?"
The dragon's eyes narrowed."When Nocthar died… the barrier between worlds weakened."
Rowan blinked.
"…Between worlds?"
The dragon nodded slowly.
"Something else may try to cross."
Aria whispered,
"Something worse?"
The dragon didn't answer.
But the silence was enough.
Far away beyond the mountains—
deep beneath the earth—
something ancient slowly opened its eyes.A massive throne of black stone stood inside an endless abyss.
And upon it sat a figure made of pure darkness.
Its eyes burned with pale blue fire.
It spoke only one word.
"Nocthar."
The abyss trembled.
"So… the king has fallen."
The creature slowly stood.
Dark wings unfolded behind its back.
"But every kingdom… needs a ruler."
Above the mountains, Aria suddenly gasped.The pendant around her neck flared with sudden heat.
The First Flame was warning her.
Something far more dangerous had awakened.
And this time—
the war would not be fought in the world of light.
It would begin…
in the Abyss of Shadows.