The morning sun gently warmed the mountaintop, casting golden light over the quiet forest paths surrounding Gorion's wooden house. Birds chirped, and a light breeze stirred the mist that still lingered in the valleys below.
Inside the small house, Sylveras and Elara were already preparing for the day. Their bodies still ached from the intense battles and training, but their eyes gleamed with resolve. Today, they would face their final trial.
At the front door, Gorion stood with his arms crossed and a rare smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
"You two are tougher than I expected," he said as they approached. "I don't know if it's luck, talent, or just sheer stubbornness... but you've made it to the final step."
Sylveras grinned despite the fatigue. "You're not getting rid of us that easily."
Gorion chuckled. "Good. Now go. Yur'gan's waiting."
Without further delay, Sylveras and Elara followed the winding trail up the mountain. Trees parted as they reached a rocky plateau bathed in sunlight, where Yur'gan stood like an unmoving statue of molten stone and flame.
The towering elemental guardian turned to face them with a wide grin. "Well, well. Back already, are you?"
Sylveras and Elara nodded.
Yur'gan crossed his arms. "I still can't believe you made it this far. Most collapse halfway through my training... and I mean that literally."
He stepped forward, his footsteps cracking the stone beneath. "You've frozen lava, survived against my soldiers, and now... it's time to see if all that training meant anything."
He raised one massive hand and pointed at them. "This is your final trial. Unlike Mirtogas, I won't let you pass just by touching me. You want to win? You have to defeat me."
Sylveras narrowed his eyes. "Both of us? Against just you?"
"That's right," Yur'gan replied with a fiery laugh. "I'm enough. And if you don't take this seriously, you'll die. Elara—" he looked at her with a glimmer of respect, "—if you fail here, you won't get to meet Niveus, the Spirit of Light. That would be a real shame, considering you might be one of the few who could learn his light-weaving techniques."
Elara's expression hardened with determination. She stepped forward beside Sylveras. "We're ready."
"Then don't waste time," Yur'gan growled. "Hit me with everything you've got."
Without hesitation, Sylveras burst forward, wind magic pulsing through his legs to increase his speed. Ice gathered in his hand, forming a sleek sword of frozen mana. He struck with blinding speed—yet Yur'gan shifted his body slightly, dodging with ease.
"Too slow," Yur'gan muttered.
Elara followed with a spell of her own, conjuring Cold Radiance—a beam of condensed light that absorbed the heat around them and launched straight toward Yur'gan's chest. It struck true… but did nothing.
The elemental guardian didn't flinch. "Better. Still not enough."
He vanished in a blur of speed, appearing in front of Sylveras and landing a crushing punch to the boy's gut. Sylveras coughed blood and crumpled to his knees.
Elara barely had time to react before Yur'gan closed the distance and slammed into her legs with a brutal tackle. Her body hit the ground, pain radiating through her right leg.
She winced and tried to heal it, but Yur'gan gave her no time. He prepared another strike—
"Enough!" Sylveras shouted, rising shakily to his feet. He conjured a shimmering shield of water, holding it between Yur'gan and Elara. The heat from Yur'gan's blows caused steam to rise as the barrier slowly dissolved under the force of the elemental's relentless assault.
But it was enough.
Behind the safety of the fading shield, Elara focused, healing her leg just enough to stand. She glanced at Sylveras, who gave a tired nod.
"Together," he said.
Elara raised her hands, gathering light into a single point. A glowing spear formed, radiant and steady. Sylveras coated the weapon in a layer of frozen water, giving it an edge of ice. With a silent signal, they launched it together.
The spear shot forward with immense speed, piercing through the air like a comet.
It struck Yur'gan dead in the chest.
The force of the impact pushed him back. Steam erupted from the point of contact. For a moment, the battlefield fell silent.
Then—Yur'gan roared, the sound echoing through the mountain.
But it wasn't a roar of pain.
It was laughter.
"Hah! Not bad!" he said, staggering slightly. "That one actually stung."
Elara and Sylveras were already preparing another attack when they saw Yur'gan's legs wobble. He fell to one knee, then both.
"You... win," he said, breathing hard. "You... pass."
His body flickered with light, and warmth radiated outward—not the burning heat of his flames, but a gentle, soothing glow.
"Thank you," he whispered. "It's been so long since I've had a real fight... You both still have so much room to grow... but I'm proud. I hate to admit it—but I am."
Sylveras took a step forward. "Yur'gan..."
But the elemental guardian simply smiled.
"From here, Niveus will take over. He's nothing like me or Mirtogas. Be ready."
With those final words, Yur'gan's body dissolved into motes of light. They floated upward, carried by the wind, until only the warmth remained.
Sylveras and Elara stood in silence for a long moment.
Then, without speaking, they turned and made their way back down the mountain.
When they reached the wooden house, Gorion was waiting by the door, leaning casually against the wall.
His eyes lit up the moment he saw them. "Well, well! You two really did it, didn't you?"
He stepped forward, clapping Sylveras on the shoulder and patting Elara's back.
"Defeating Yur'gan... I'm impressed. You're getting stronger faster than I expected."
They both smiled weakly.
"But right now," Gorion added, "you stink like sweat and smoke. Go bathe, eat something warm, and get some sleep."
He opened the door for them.
"Tomorrow, you'll meet Niveus."