The Rising Dawn
"The gates have been breached!"
The scream shattered every sliver of hope left inside me.
I was still inside the tower chamber when the news reached us.
I rushed out immediately, leaving Kumbuye and Doya alone.
By the time I reached the top of the tower, the Ascend had already stepped out from one of the inner chambers, likely drawn by the alarm. They took position along the edge of the platform as we all looked down over the battlefield together.
Below us, the Forsaken were already pouring through the breached entrance into Thyr Vael.
"Hold the breach!" the High Bound roared.
The Bound locked their shields together at once as spears thrust forward through the gaps between them, piercing several Forsaken charging through the opening.
The Forsaken climbers on the walls continued advancing deeper into the Temple defenses. More ropes dropped over the stone edges as additional Forsaken pulled themselves upward.
The Bound stationed along the walls kept throwing down fireballs to keep them from reaching the top. Several Forsaken lost their grip and disappeared into the darkness below screaming, but others kept climbing.
There were too many of them.
One Forsaken pulled himself over the edge and immediately drove his sword through the throat of a Bound before anyone could react.
Another climbed over beside him.
Then another.
The wall defenses were starting to collapse.
Below, the breach had turned into chaos.
The shield formation holding the shattered gates was slowly being pushed backward beneath the pressure of the Forsaken flooding into the Temple. Spears continued thrusting through the gaps in the shields, but for every Forsaken that fell, more forced themselves through the opening.
The battle had become something unbearable to watch. I saw them beginning to fall — the Bound above the walls and the ones holding the breach below — one after another, breaking apart under the pressure of the fight. My chest tightened with every scream that rose, and every life that ended too quickly to even fully register.
Before I realized what I was doing, I turned away from the platform and stepped back, but a hand caught my wrist.
"Don't do it," Kaelric's voice snapped me back, firm enough to cut through the chaos outside.
"They are dying out there," I whispered, my eyes still fixed on the collapse unfolding beyond the tower.
"This is war." His gaze hardened. "People die."
The words struck harder than I expected. A sharp sting rose in my stomach, not just at what he said, but at how easily he said it. But then, even as it felt cruel, he was right. I could not deny what I was seeing. The war did not pause for grief. It only continued.
Still, I couldn't stand there and do nothing.
I pulled my hand free from his grip.
"Dana—" Kaelric started, but I did not let him finish.
The force came out of me before thought could catch it. I pushed him back with a surge of energy that sent him stumbling away from me.
The Ascend who had been watching the battlefield beside us slowly turned toward me.
I could feel it building again. That pressure beneath my skin. The urge to move, to throw myself into the chaos below before there was nobody left to save. Every scream rising from the battlefield only made it worse.
Then a voice cut through it.
"You cannot carry this war alone."
I froze.
The sound had not come from the tower. It came from within me.
But this... this did not sound like Malvorin.
"Look at them carefully, Dana," the voice continued, and my breathing slowed as I turned back toward the battlefield below.
The Bound still fought desperately across the breach and along the walls. Some were falling, yes. Some were already dead. But others continued holding their ground despite the terror swallowing the Temple around them.
A wounded Bound dragged another behind the remains of a shattered barricade.
An archer with a spear lodged through his stomach still forced himself to draw another arrow.
Even the healers had stepped into the chaos now, pulling the injured away from the fighting while the battle raged around them.
They were still resisting.
"You believe strength means becoming the shield for everyone," the voice continued gently. "But a shield carried alone eventually breaks."
My hands slowly tightened at my sides.
"They're losing," I whispered out, even though the voice spoke only inside me.
"They are fighting. That is their role to play, and you have yours."
The truth of it hurt more than denial would have. The Temple had not fallen because of me. It still stood because every person below and above the walls had chosen to stand their ground with whatever strength remained to them.
"Trust them," the voice continued. "The burden of this war was never meant for your hands alone."
Slowly, the force building inside me began to settle.
Then the voice rose again inside my head.
"Believe." The word struck through me like lightning. "You are strong, Dana. Believe."
It felt like something sealed deep inside me had been torn open, and the power within me broke free.
The air around the tower distorted.
And without command, without even summoning them, the Shadowmires emerged.
Dozens of them burst outward into the battlefield below, their shrieks cutting through the chaos as they lunged straight toward the Forsaken. They moved with terrifying speed, tearing them apart.
At first, the Bound drew back in fear. Several stumbled at the sight of the Shadowmires rushing across the battlefield. Only then did they realize the Shadowmires were not attacking them. They were attacking only the Forsaken.
The Bound stared in stunned disbelief at what was happening.
The Shadowmires were fighting for Thyr Vael.
These were not like the Riven Shades or the Winter Shades.
These felt older and different, just like the ones I had experienced within the ruins before getting the Cranium.
It was like I knew them and they knew me. Or at least... some part of me did.
"Did you just summon Shadowmires?" Ascend Elyndra muttered.
I glanced toward her, then at the other Ascend still staring at me in silence.
"I... I think Koliasis did," I replied.
With the Shadowmires fighting for the Temple, the forward Forsaken positions began to fall back. They were no longer pushing blindly into the breach; instead, they withdrew, and whenever a Shadowmire closed in, fire was unleashed to hold it back.
One Forsaken — one who could properly channel flame — raised a hand and summoned a wall of fire that surged across the battlefield. A Shadowmire hit it and vanished instantly, consumed the moment it crossed through.
Their focus had shifted completely from the Bound to the Shadowmires.
What had moments ago been collapse turned into strained resistance as the Forsaken struggled to balance fire control with holding their advance.
A few attempted to ready fire-tipped arrows, turning toward the advancing shadows with desperate urgency, but the Shadowmires were already upon them.
The sky began to change. A pale grey line appeared through the clouds, spilling faint light into the darkness as dawn drew nearer.
---
As the light from the rising dawn spread further across the battlefield, the Shadowmires began to falter, slipping away in fragments. One by one, they withdrew.
The Forsaken had already pulled back during the chaos of the Shadowmire attack. Their advance had stalled completely, their formations retreating into tighter positions beyond the reach of the gates.
"Hold position!" a High Bound shouted, his voice hoarse. "Do not chase, secure the line!"
The healers moved in quickly, tending to the wounded — those who could still fight but needed immediate relief from pain. Many of the Bound were gone, and those still standing were visibly exhausted, their faces marked by strain and loss.
The reserve forces stepped forward to replace the wounded at the line. The shield formation remained intact at the broken gates, holding what was left of the breach.
A heavy slab of stone was brought forward to seal it.
It took nearly thirty Bound working together — channeling their strength in unison — to lift and position it over the shattered opening.
Balshak still hadn't shown himself.
That familiar, dreadful feeling I always had when danger was near crept slowly up my spine. I remained atop the tower, overlooking what could only be called a partial victory and an even greater loss.
Suddenly, a harsh cold swept in. It didn't creep into the air, it dropped all at once.
One moment, warm sunlight was spilling through the clouds. The next, the air froze in my throat. I exhaled and saw thick white vapor spill in front of me. Goosebumps rose across my skin.
I looked ahead, toward the distance where the Forsaken should have been. But a thick white fog now filled the entire space.
Down below, the High Bound, the Bound, and the guards all noticed the abrupt shift in the air. The Ascend had already gone into the inner chamber, leaving me alone atop the tower.
I looked again into the fog.
And then he came through it.
On a white horse.
He did not rush. He rode forward slowly, with calm confidence, as if nothing in this world could stop him.
I hadn't seen him clearly before, not enough to recognize him, but the presence he carried was enough.
Balshak was here.
It felt like the entire Temple froze. Like I was the only one who could see him. No one moved. No alarm was raised. Even I could not move, I just stood there watching.
His eyes were locked on the tower.
On me.
When he reached the gates, he dismounted his horse.
With a casual flick of his wrist, he gestured toward the entrance.
The massive stone slab — the one that had taken thirty Bound channeling their strength to lift — was ripped free and hurled inward.
It crashed into the forces behind the gate, smashing through the line of the Bound and breaking their formation instantly.
That was when the Temple finally reacted.
"Balshak is here!" a guard screamed, running for cover.
His eyes never left me.
The Bound charged him, but they never reached him. He threw them back like they weighed nothing. Others tried to strike him with force, but he pushed through it without breaking his gaze on me.
My heart slammed in my chest.
I broke eye contact and turned, running toward the Ascend as they rushed up the stairs.
"Balshak has come," my words tumbled out fast, tight with panic.
They did not hesitate when they saw him.
Kaelric acted first, summoning a wave of dark fog that surged across the battlefield, rolling toward Balshak to swallow his sight and slow his movement.
At the same moment, Elyndra struck the ground with both hands. Sand erupted from beneath the stone, twisting into heavy shackles that shot forward like living chains, aiming to bind him in place.
Corvath, Seraphine, and Serathiel moved at once. Their powers converged into a single wave of force, surging forward to slam into him and drive him to the ground.
Veylan whispered an incantation under his breath. The words were barely audible, but the power behind them pressed into the air, an attempt to lock Balshak's body completely, to freeze him beyond movement.
But before the spell could take hold, Balshak broke through it.
The shackles shattered. The dark fog scattered. And in the same instant, he turned the spell back on them.
Veylan's incantation reversed in mid-air and snapped down on the Ascend instead. Before they could shield themselves, it struck them.
All of them froze in place.
They simply could not move.
Balshak didn't even look at them.
His eyes were still on me.
"As expected," his voice cut through the cold air. It wasn't loud, but it filled everything. It felt like it was inside my head.
"You have fought well for a dead cause, children of Thyr Vael," he said, still looking up at the tower. I stepped back to the edge of the platform.
"But this ends now," he continued. "Lay down your weapons and step aside. I will spare your lives, and your Temple will remain standing."
I moved closer to the edge and saw him clearly for the first time. The last time I saw him in his fortress, he had been hooded. Now, he wore only a long black robe, with nothing hiding his face.
He looked younger than I expected. His skin had a smooth honey-brown tone that glowed beneath the light, with defined cheekbones and a sharp jawline.
A cruel smile formed on his face.
"I only want the girl. Dana... come down from the tower. Give yourself to me, and they live." He tilted his head as he continued, "Refuse, and I will tear this place apart. I will kill them all before your eyes, then take what I need from you by force."
I looked back at the Ascend, still frozen in place. Then at Balshak again. His gaze never wavered from me.
My breath shook, and I whispered the counter-spell to break the hold on them. Down below, Balshak's eyes narrowed slightly, a brief flicker of surprise crossing his face before his cruel smirk returned.
They all gasped as movement returned to them, each of them straightening as the pressure finally lifted.
My heart was still racing in my chest.
I remembered what Darveth had said — that I was just an instrument to keep the Cranium functioning. He wanted to use me for his cause.
But I didn't want to be the reason everyone died. We had already lost too many.
And yet I could not surrender.
If I went down there... they might live.
I couldn't decide the best course of action.
I turned toward the Ascend again. I needed someone to decide for me. I couldn't do this alone.
"He'll kill everyone if I don't go," I whispered, my voice shaking.
"And he will do worse if you surrender," Kaelric muttered.
"I promise you, Dana," Balshak's voice cut through the confusion before I could even think. "I will begin with Doya."
My stomach dropped.
The Bound had held their ground, but none of them dared to move. Even the High Bound seemed uncertain after what they had just seen.
He had already made my choice for me. I stepped toward the stairs leading down the tower, but Kaelric's hand caught my arm.
"Don't," he snapped.
My breath shook as I looked at him. "He threatened Doya. I can't take that risk."
"That's exactly why you shouldn't go," he replied, tightening his grip. "This is what he wants."
Kaelric was right. I couldn't give him what he wanted. Besides, Kumbuye had already pushed him out of Doya's mind.
"You see, Dana," Balshak continued, "you are all so easy to manipulate."
I turned back toward him.
And my heart dropped.
Doya was standing beside him.
My mind went blank.
"Did you really think you took him from me?" A sick smile formed on his face.
My breath caught in my throat.
"I let him come back just so you would have hope again," he added softly. "It makes breaking you so much easier." He let out a sinister laugh.
My vision blurred.
"He is mine now."