The horizon ahead was unlike anything Kaelin had ever seen.
From the edge of the shattered coast, the land gave way to a vast expanse of blackened glass—the Obsidian Sea. Stretching endlessly, it shimmered beneath a silvered sky, not water, but a sheet of fused stone and dormant magic. Waves had once kissed these shores, but centuries ago, the Heartforge’s awakening had scorched the sea to stillness.
Kaelin stood with Theron, Myrra, and Elira at the edge of the world, wind snapping through their cloaks.
"The ley lines converge here," Myrra said, consulting her glowing map. "There’s a seam... just beneath the surface. A rift sealed by the original Flamebearers. If we can open it—"
"We’ll fall straight into the heart of the fire," Theron finished.
"Or," Kaelin added quietly, "we descend
