The sky cracked open like glass.
From the broken heavens poured light—not the golden glow of dawn, but something older. Harsher. Divine.
Across the land, the signs were unmistakable.
In Emberreach, statues wept molten tears.
In the ruins of Eldenhold, the Whispering Gate burned with fire that did not consume.
And deep beneath the mountain, the real dragon opened both eyes.
The gods were returning.
And this time, they would not be denied.
---
Riven stood at the edge of the Ember Circle's hidden sanctum, staring at the horizon where fire met sky.
Kaelis joined him, her breath visible in the cold air.
"They're coming," she said.
He nodded.
"So are we."
Behind them, warriors of the Marked gathered—those who had awakened to power, those who had chosen defiance over fate. Seyra stood among them, wings half-unfurled, silver eyes gleaming.
"We don't have to do this," she said quietly.
Kaelis turned to her.
"Yes, we do."
Seyra studied her for a long moment.
"You know what you are now."
Kaelis exhaled.
"I know what I could be."
She looked at Riven.
"And I know what he has to do."
Riven didn't flinch.
"I'm ready."
But inside, his heart pounded.
Because he knew the truth.
He wasn't going to survive this.
---
Vorathax arrived before the first wave of the divine army.
He descended from the storm-wracked sky, robes billowing like smoke caught in wind. His form shifted between man and beast, between god and memory.
He looked at Riven.
"You understand what must be done."
Riven nodded.
"I do."
Vorathax tilted his head.
"And yet, you still hesitate."
Riven clenched his fists.
"I was made to carry their will," he said. "Not replace it."
Vorathax smiled faintly.
"Good. Then you are ready."
He turned to Kaelis.
"And you?"
She met his gaze without fear.
"I was made to shape it."
Vorathax bowed slightly.
"Then may your fire burn brighter than theirs."
And then he vanished into shadow.
---
They met the divine host at the foot of the mountain.
Dragons soared above, wings casting shadows over the battlefield. Warriors clad in armor forged from starlight and flame marched in perfect unison.
At their center stood the First God—a being of shifting form, its voice echoing across time.
"You cannot stop what was meant to be."
Kaelis stepped forward.
"We already did."
Talen and Vintrinx had sealed the gods away once.
Now, she and Riven would finish what they started.
---
The war began with fire.
Kaelis moved first, raising her hands—and the world responded.
Flame bent to her will.
Stone reshaped itself at her command.
She reached into the space between things and pulled forth fire that did not burn by heat—but by will.
A Shaper.
The first in millennia.
She struck the divine soldiers down not with brute force, but precision—twisting their weapons against them, turning flame into chains, binding gods in their own power.
Riven fought beside her, his ember-light blazing like a beacon.
He did not fight to win.
He fought to end.
Every strike carried the weight of Talen and Vintrinx.
Every movement echoed their last breath.
And with every step, he felt himself slipping further from the world.
Because he was not meant to live beyond this.
He was meant to unmake himself.
---
At the heart of the battle, Riven stood before the First God.
No words.
Only understanding.
"I am not your enemy," he said.
The god tilted its head.
"Then what are you?"
Riven raised his hands.
"I am the end of the cycle."
And he let go.
His body burned—not with destruction, but with release.
His soul shattered into embers.
And with it, the divine link snapped.
The sky screamed.
The earth trembled.
And for the first time in history…
The gods faltered.