On the battlefield of the Shattered Ring—a floating continent tethered only by ley-lines—Long Tian unleashed his monstrous legions.
Wang Chung led the charge, flanked by Therion and Maraeth.
Kaelis had vanished days earlier—gone to hunt the secret behind the Echo Crucible.
Dragons of fire, serpents of light, and celestial constructs clashed in open skies.
But the heart of the battle was not in the war cries—it was in Wang Chung's confrontation with Zhen, Long Tian's right hand.
Zhen was a survivor of the War of the First Flame, a realm Wang Chung had once failed to protect.
"You let my world die!" Zhen roared, striking with a blade made from the bones of his people.
"I failed them," Wang Chung said, blocking the blow, "but I won't fail the rest."
Their fight was thunder on glass. Wang Chung, though stronger now, fought not to destroy—but to understand.
And in the end, when he broke Zhen's weapon and knelt before him, unarmed, Zhen collapsed.
Tears, not curses, fell.
"They were innocent," Zhen said. "All of them."
"I know."
And for the first time, an enemy wept in his arms.