The alarm did not sound like a bell.
It sounded like a threat.
A low, grinding siren tore through the GAMBIT's training decks at precisely 0400 ship-time, vibrating through bulkheads, beds, bones. Red lights strobed in harsh pulses as automated voices barked the same two words in three hundred languages.
WAKE. MOVE.
Danny came out of sleep like he'd been shoved off a cliff. He rolled, feet hitting the deck before his brain caught up, creation energy flaring instinctively—then compressing hard as he forced it down. No glow. No pulse. Just breath.
That was new.
Across the bay, Swift fell out of his bunk with a curse, wings half-manifested before he snapped them back into nothing. Jake was already upright, Bumble popping open like a startled animal and projecting a scrolling checklist in front of his face.
Shadeclaw was on his feet without sound. Mira beside him, eyes sharp despite the early hour, shadows curling lazily around her ankles like they were still waking up too.
The bulkhead doors slammed open.
Staff Sergeant Veldrak Soren filled the doorway.
He didn't step in. He didn't need to. His presence alone seemed to increase gravity.
"ON YOUR FEET," Soren roared, voice amplified not by tech but by sheer authority. "IF YOU ARE STILL BREATHING, YOU ARE STILL LATE."
They snapped into formation by instinct, bodies moving before complaint could form. Danny felt the familiar pressure settle over him—the same pressure he'd felt in the tournament, in the storm citadel, in every moment where hesitation meant death.
Soren stalked in front of them, massive gorilla-man frame casting a long shadow under the flashing red lights. His eyes flicked over each of them, sharp, merciless, missing nothing.
"Three days," he snarled. "You had three days. Recovery. Reflection. Feelings."
He leaned in close to Danny, breath hot. "That ends now."
Danny met his gaze without flinching.
Soren's lips twitched. Just barely.
"Good," Soren said. "Because today, we find out which of you learned something… and which of you just survived by luck."
The lights cut to white.
The deck dropped out from under them.
Zero gravity slammed into place.
Danny barely had time to orient before the training chamber exploded into motion. Platforms unfolded, targets snapped into existence, drones whirred to life, and the far wall dissolved into a holographic starfield rotating slowly—beautiful and deadly all at once.
"COMBAT DRILL," Soren bellowed. "NO TEAMS. NO ROLES. ADAPT OR FAIL."
The drones opened fire.
Swift moved first, pushing off instinctively, twisting midair as plasma bolts sliced past where his head had been. He reached for speed—and stopped himself, forcing restraint. Instead of vanishing in a blur, he angled, using short controlled bursts, ricocheting off a platform to redirect momentum.
Jade launched himself forward with a roar, chi flaring—but only in tight, controlled bursts this time. No wide blasts. No wasted motion. He punched a drone and let the recoil spin him into the next target, momentum doing half the work.
Jake grabbed Bumble and rolled, the bot snapping open mid-spin, projecting a hard-light shield that caught a bolt inches from Jake's face. Jake didn't hesitate—he shoved Bumble forward, and the bot deployed a grappling line that yanked them both toward cover.
"Nice," Jake muttered.
Bumble beeped smugly.
Shadeclaw and Mira moved together without speaking. Shadows stretched, braided, and then snapped into place as a living barrier that absorbed incoming fire. Mira's eyes flickered silver-black as she leaned into the shadow instinct—then stopped, grounding herself with a breath Shadeclaw mirrored exactly.
Danny hung in the center of it all.
For half a second, he felt the familiar urge.
Unleash.
Burn it all.
End it now.
Instead, he closed his eyes.
Compressed.
The creation energy folded inward, tight and dense, like a star forced into human shape. When he opened his eyes again, he moved.
Not fast.
Not flashy.
Precise.
He reached out—not with flame, but with intent—and the space around a drone warped. Just enough. The drone fired, its own bolt curving back into its core in a quiet implosion.
Soren's eyes narrowed.
The drill escalated.
Gravity slammed back on at double weight.
The floor tilted.
The drones split into hunter-killer patterns.
"ADAPT," Soren roared. "OR YOU DIE."
They adapted.
They always did.
Minutes later—though it felt like hours—the drones powered down mid-attack. The chamber went still except for heavy breathing and the low hum of systems resetting.
Soren walked through them slowly.
He stopped in front of Danny.
"You didn't glow," he said.
Danny wiped sweat from his brow. "Didn't need to."
Soren grunted. "Good."
He turned to Shadeclaw and Mira. "Your shadows synced."
Mira straightened. "Briefly."
Soren nodded. "Dangerous. Useful."
Jake and Bumble were next. "That bot learns."
Jake blinked. "Yeah… I think so."
Soren's gaze lingered on Bumble. "Then it stops being equipment. Treat it like a soldier."
Jake swallowed. "Yes, sir."
Swift and Jade braced as Soren approached.
"You broke habits," Soren said. "Messy. Painful. Necessary."
Jade grinned despite himself. Swift just nodded, chest heaving.
Soren stepped back.
"This is not training anymore," he said, voice dropping, carrying weight. "This is preparation."
The deck lights dimmed.
A new hologram rose between them.
A planet wreathed in fire.
Pyronyx's realm.
At the edge of the chamber, unseen by most, the Wolf King watched in silence—then turned away, decision made.
Far away, deep beneath a world of stone and magma, Terragorn traced a claw along an obsidian star map.
And smiled.
The first stone was moving.
And the hunt had truly begun.
The transition was immediate.
One moment the training chamber still smelled of scorched metal and sweat, the echoes of Soren's voice still vibrating in their chests. The next, the lights dimmed again—not the harsh red of alarms or the sterile white of drills, but a muted operational blue that meant one thing across every B.U.D.D.I.E.S. installation.
Deployment posture.
Soren didn't bark this time. He didn't need to.
"Debrief room," he said, already turning away. "Five minutes. If you're late, you're dead. Metaphorically. Mostly."
He paused at the door, glancing back over his massive shoulder.
"And hydrate. Heroes faint just like idiots."
The doors slammed shut behind him.
Swift let out a long breath and bent forward, hands on his knees. "I hate that I respect him."
Jade cracked his neck. "Man makes suffering sound like a love language."
Jake checked Bumble's diagnostics. The bot projected a green cascade of symbols, then a small thumbs-up icon.
"You good?" Jake asked quietly.
Bumble beeped once, then extended a small manipulator to bump Jake's knuckles.
"Yeah," Jake murmured. "Me too."
Danny stood still, eyes unfocused. The creation energy inside him was calm now—not gone, not asleep, but coiled. Waiting. He hadn't noticed how much effort it had taken until now, when his hands started to shake just slightly.
Shadeclaw noticed immediately.
"You held it," he said. Not a question.
Danny nodded. "It didn't feel like fighting myself this time."
Mira stepped closer, her shadow curling softly around her boots. "It felt… cleaner. Like the room bent around you instead of burning."
Danny looked at her, surprised. "You saw that?"
She smiled faintly. "I see a lot more now."
They moved together down the corridor, passing other cadets who quickly pressed themselves against the walls, eyes wide. Word had already spread. Golden Dragon. Storm Citadel. Elemental Lords. Some stared with awe. Others with fear. A few with something sharper—envy, maybe.
Danny ignored them.
The debrief room was already active when they arrived.
Jimmy stood at the center, hands behind his back, coat sleeves rolled up. No waffles this time. No jokes either. The Wolf King stood to one side, massive arms folded, gaze fixed on the holo-table. Solmara stood opposite him, posture rigid, eyes narrowed.
Soren took his place without ceremony, arms crossed, expression carved from stone.
Jimmy gestured them in. "Alright. You survived Soren's wake-up call. That alone puts you above the curve."
Swift muttered, "Low bar."
Jimmy shot him a look. "Careful. I'll assign you to paperwork duty."
Swift paled. "I take it back."
Jimmy tapped the table. The hologram flared to life, resolving into a blazing sphere of magma-veined land floating in space.
"Pyronyx's realm," Jimmy said. "Volcanic planetoid. Extreme thermal instability. Elemental Lord Pyronyx in residence."
Shadeclaw's ears flattened. "Fire."
"Yes," Jimmy said. "A lot of it. Rivers of magma. Pressure vents. Atmospheric ignition events. And a dormant sigil stone buried deep beneath his central forge."
Danny felt it immediately.
A pull.
Hot. Angry. Restless.
His breath hitched before he forced it steady.
Solmara noticed. She always did.
"The stone is wounded," she said quietly. "Drained. Dormant. It will resonate painfully with Danny."
Soren snorted. "Good. Pain builds discipline."
Jimmy shot him a look. "Pain builds lawsuits."
Soren didn't blink. "Worth it."
Jimmy sighed and continued. "Here's the twist. We're not sending Danny in first."
Danny looked up sharply. "What?"
The Wolf King stepped forward, his presence filling the room like a gathering storm.
"I will lead," he said simply. "Pyronyx expects the Golden Dragon. He will prepare for creation flame and divine resonance. He will not expect me."
Solmara inclined her head. "It is sound strategy. Terragorn anticipates Danny's movements. A misdirection is necessary."
Danny clenched his fists. "I can help."
"You will," the Wolf King said, turning to him. His voice was calm, but absolute. "Later. Not first."
There was no anger in it. No dismissal. Just certainty.
"You are the key," the Wolf King continued. "Keys are not thrown into the fire."
Danny swallowed, then nodded slowly. "Okay."
Jimmy nodded approvingly. "See? Growth."
He tapped again, bringing up a schematic of Pyronyx's domain. "Insertion will be via Arrowhead, backed by a Switchblade wing. Wolf King commands the ground push. Shadeclaw and Mira run shadow recon. Jake and Bumble handle field stabilization and extraction contingencies. Swift and Jade—disruption and pressure."
Swift grinned. "Finally. I get to break stuff."
Jade cracked his knuckles. "Politely."
Soren leaned forward. "This is not a smash-and-grab. Pyronyx is volatile. You provoke him too hard, the whole planetoid destabilizes."
Jake frowned. "So… don't blow up the planet."
"Correct," Soren said flatly. "That is rule one."
Danny stared at the holo-map, feeling the stone's pull intensify. He could almost feel its surface—cracked, dormant, waiting.
"Once we secure it," Jimmy said, voice dropping, "we extract immediately. No grandstanding. No chasing Pyronyx. We bring the stone home."
Solmara's eyes darkened. "Terragorn will be watching."
Jimmy nodded. "Oh, he's already watching."
The lights flickered for just a moment.
No alarm. No warning.
Just enough for Danny to feel something cold brush against the edge of his awareness—like fingers tapping on glass.
Far away.
Terragorn stood in his subterranean chamber, massive form half-carved from living stone. He watched the galaxy-map before him shift as the first pieces moved.
"So," he rumbled, voice echoing through the cavern, "the wolf goes first."
Pyronyx's flame burned brighter on the map.
Terragorn's lips curved into something like a smile.
"Good," he said. "Let them think this is about fire."
He turned, stone grinding on stone, already setting the next trap.
Back in the debrief room, the Wolf King straightened.
"We move soon," he said. "And we move together."
Danny felt the creation flame stir—not raging, not afraid.
Focused.
Ready.
Somewhere deep in the cosmos, the first sigil stone waited.
And the war took its next step forward.
The meeting dissolved with the quiet efficiency of people who understood that plans were no longer theoretical.
No dramatic speeches.
No final jokes.
Just motion.
The Wolf King turned first, already shifting into command, his presence changing from guardian to general without a word. Shadeclaw fell in beside him instinctively, Mira keeping pace on his other side. Her steps were steadier now, shadow moving with her instead of against her.
Danny lingered a half-second longer, eyes still fixed on the hologram of Pyronyx's realm. The pull from the sigil stone tugged again—stronger this time, impatient. He clenched his jaw and stepped away before it could drag his focus too far inward.
Jimmy watched him go, expression unreadable.
Soren broke the silence once the room was empty except for the two of them and Solmara.
"They're ready," Soren said.
Jimmy nodded. "They're becoming ready. Big difference."
Solmara folded her arms. "Terragorn will not strike Pyronyx's realm directly. He will let this play out."
Soren grunted. "Predators like to watch."
Jimmy sighed. "Predators also like to bite when you're distracted."
Solmara's eyes flicked toward the corridor where Danny had gone. "Which is why this mission must succeed quickly."
—
The launch bay of the GAMBIT was already alive.
Arrowhead crews moved with practiced urgency, fueling lines disconnecting, hull plates sealing. Switchblades were lined in perfect rows along the bay walls, sleek silhouettes reflecting the harsh lights. B.E.A.R. suits stood locked in their racks, silent giants waiting for pilots.
The WhistleDawn sat at the center of it all, massive and sharp, its arrowhead hull angled forward like it was eager to be released.
Danny stood on the deck, helmet under one arm, watching the activity. For the first time since the tournament, he felt… small again. Not weak. Just aware of the scale of what they were stepping into.
Jake jogged up beside him, Bumble rolling close behind.
"Hey," Jake said. "You okay?"
Danny nodded. "Yeah. Just… feeling the stone."
Jake grimaced. "That thing really calling you?"
"Yeah," Danny admitted. "Like it knows I'm coming."
Bumble projected a small flame icon with a question mark.
Danny huffed a soft laugh. "Yeah, buddy. Big fire rock."
Shadeclaw approached, gear already secured. "Wolf King wants final checks."
Mira followed, helmet clipped to her belt instead of on her head. She was still getting used to the idea of wearing one. Shadows traced faint lines along her neck and jaw, fading as she steadied her breathing.
"You don't have to push yourself," Danny said quietly when he noticed her slight limp.
Mira shook her head. "I won't be dead weight."
"No one said that."
"I know," she replied. "But I need to prove it to myself."
Danny nodded, understanding that feeling far too well.
The Wolf King's voice boomed across the bay, amplified without technology.
"PACK!"
Every head turned.
He stood at the base of the WhistleDawn's ramp, massive frame outlined by the ship's lights. Not armored. Not disguised. Just himself—fur, flame, scars, and authority.
"We move into fire," he said. "Pyronyx's domain will test us. Heat will blind you. Rage will tempt you. Do not let it."
His gaze swept across them, lingering on Danny for a heartbeat longer.
"Remember why we fight," the Wolf King continued. "Not for glory. Not for pride. But to keep the darkness sealed."
A low rumble of assent rolled through the crew.
"Move."
The ramp lowered.
They boarded.
—
The WhistleDawn detached with a deep, resonant clang, engines spooling up as the docking clamps released. Switchblades launched in pairs, sliding into formation around the Arrowhead like hunting birds.
Inside the ship, lights dimmed to combat-ready amber.
Danny strapped in, heart steady but heavy. He felt the moment the WhistleDawn slipped into hyperspace—a familiar lurch, a tightening in his chest as space folded.
Across from him, Swift rolled his shoulders. "So. Lava planet. No big deal."
Jade snorted. "You say that like we didn't almost die last time."
"Almost," Swift corrected. "Key word."
Shadeclaw said nothing, eyes closed, listening—not to the ship, but to the shadows beneath it.
Mira watched him. "What is it?"
He opened his eyes slowly. "Something's wrong."
Danny's head snapped up. "What do you mean?"
"The shadows don't like this," Shadeclaw said. "They're… restless."
Solmara, standing near the cockpit, turned sharply. "That aligns with my senses."
The Wolf King's ears flicked. "Pyronyx?"
"No," Solmara said. "This is… deeper."
The WhistleDawn shuddered slightly—not turbulence, not hyperspace fluctuation. Something else.
Danny felt it then.
A pressure.
Not the stone.
Something watching.
His creation energy tightened instinctively, folding inward without conscious effort. The pull from the sigil stone flickered, momentarily overshadowed by something colder.
"Jimmy," Danny said quietly into the comm. "You feeling anything weird?"
There was a brief pause before Jimmy's voice came through, unusually serious.
"Yes," he said. "And I don't like it."
The lights flickered once.
Then stabilized.
Soren's voice cut in over the channel. "All units remain calm. Sensors show no hostile contact."
Solmara's gaze hardened. "Terragorn is observing."
Danny swallowed. "He's letting us go."
"For now," the Wolf King said.
The WhistleDawn tore out of hyperspace.
Before them, Pyronyx's realm filled the viewport—an angry, burning world veined with rivers of molten rock, volcanic plumes erupting into space itself. The atmosphere glowed, charged and unstable.
Danny felt the sigil stone surge.
Hot.
Desperate.
Alive.
The Wolf King leaned forward slightly, eyes blazing.
"We are committed," he said.
Behind them, far beneath stone and magma, Terragorn's massive hand closed slowly into a fist.
"Run," he murmured, more to the universe than to anyone else. "Let us see how far you get."
And somewhere between fire and stone, the first true clash of the sigil war drew closer.
The WhistleDawn did not slow as it descended.
Heat shimmered across the viewport in violent waves, the planet below roiling like a living thing in pain. Vast magma rivers carved glowing scars across continents of blackened stone. Volcanic spires punched through the atmosphere, vomiting ash and fire that clawed at orbit.
"External temperature climbing," Jake called out, eyes flicking across readouts. "Hull shields compensating… barely."
Swift whistled low. "Yeah. This place is angry."
"That's Pyronyx," Solmara said calmly. "Fire does not simmer. It explodes."
The Wolf King stood at the center of the deck, braced against the vibration, mane glowing brighter as the heat intensified. "He will feel us the moment we breach."
Danny swallowed. The sigil stone's pull surged again, stronger now—hot, cracked, furious. It felt like a heartbeat out of rhythm, like a wound screaming to be closed.
"I can feel it," Danny said quietly. "It's close. Hurt."
"Focus," the Wolf King said. "You are not the spear today. You are the anchor."
Danny nodded, forcing himself to breathe. In. Out. Compress. The creation energy folded inward, tight and controlled, like Jimmy had taught him.
The WhistleDawn punched through the upper atmosphere.
Firestorms slammed against the hull. The ship groaned, shields flaring as molten debris scraped along its sides. Switchblades broke formation, peeling off to intercept thermal vortices and clear a landing corridor.
"Landing zone marked," Soren's voice crackled through comms from the GAMBIT. "Minimal tectonic instability—relatively speaking."
Jade barked a laugh. "Relatively speaking? This whole planet's trying to murder us."
"Correct," Soren replied. "Adapt."
The Arrowhead descended hard, engines roaring as it slammed onto a basalt plateau ringed by flowing lava. The ramp dropped before the dust had settled.
Heat hit them like a wall.
Danny staggered half a step, then steadied himself. His skin prickled, not from pain but recognition. Creation stirred in response to the overwhelming destruction around him, a quiet urge to fix, to heal, to push back against entropy.
He clenched his fists. Not yet.
The Wolf King leapt from the ramp first, landing with a thunderous crack that sent fractures spiderwebbing through the rock. He straightened, flames licking along his mane, eyes blazing with predatory focus.
"Move," he growled.
They moved.
Switchblades screamed overhead, strafing incoming fire elementals that burst from magma pools like living infernos. Shadeclaw and Mira vanished into shadow the moment their boots hit the ground, slipping between heat distortions like ghosts.
Jake and Bumble deployed stabilization pylons, hard-light anchors slamming into the ground to keep the landing zone from collapsing into lava. Bumble chirped urgently as sensors screamed.
"Ground integrity dropping!" Jake shouted.
"I know!" Jade snapped, bracing himself as the rock beneath them cracked. He slammed both fists down, chi detonating in a controlled burst that fused the stone just long enough to hold.
Swift took to the air, silver scales flashing as he dodged jets of flame, unleashing narrow streams of frost-tinged fire that sliced through the infernos with surgical precision.
Danny stayed near the center, heart pounding. Every instinct screamed to unleash—to flood the area with creation flame, to calm the planet itself.
But he didn't.
He trusted the plan.
A roar split the air.
Not the Wolf King's.
The ground ahead of them erupted as a massive figure rose from the magma—a towering humanoid form of living flame and obsidian. Rivers of molten rock coursed through his body like veins, his eyes twin furnaces burning with ancient rage.
Pyronyx.
"WHO DARES TREAD MY FORGE?" the Elemental Lord thundered, voice shaking the sky itself.
The Wolf King stepped forward, unfazed. "I do."
Pyronyx's gaze locked onto him, surprise flickering across his fiery features. "You are not the Golden One."
"No," the Wolf King said, baring his fangs. "I am worse."
He lunged.
The impact was catastrophic.
Fire and flame collided with primal fury as the Wolf King slammed into Pyronyx, claws tearing through molten armor. Pyronyx roared, swinging a massive fist that detonated against the Wolf King's flank, sending him skidding across the basalt in a spray of sparks and embers.
Danny's breath caught. "He hits hard."
"He always does," Solmara said, eyes sharp. "Watch."
The Wolf King rose immediately, shaking off the blow like it was nothing. Flames surged around him as he charged again, this time ducking under Pyronyx's swing and driving a shoulder into the Lord's core.
The ground buckled.
Pyronyx staggered back, snarling. "BEAST."
"Yes," the Wolf King growled. "And king."
Their clash sent shockwaves rippling across the plateau. Lava surged higher, geysers erupting violently. The planet itself seemed to scream.
"Shadeclaw," Solmara said over comms. "Stone location?"
"Below," Shadeclaw's voice replied from nowhere. "Deep. Pyronyx anchored it in his forge."
Mira's voice followed, strained but focused. "Path is unstable. We'll clear it."
Jake swore. "Unstable as in—"
"As in collapsing into magma," Mira finished.
"Of course it is," Jake muttered.
Danny felt the pull intensify, dragging at his core. The sigil stone was directly beneath them now, dormant but desperate.
"I can get it," he said. "I can reach it faster."
The Wolf King heard him even over the roar of battle. "No."
Danny clenched his jaw. "He's too strong—"
The Wolf King slammed Pyronyx into a pillar of obsidian, cutting him off mid-roar. "He is mine."
For a moment, Danny hesitated.
Then he nodded. "Okay."
He turned inward instead.
Creation stirred—not outward, not destructive, but focused downward. He pressed his palm to the ground, ignoring the searing heat, and breathed.
The basalt beneath his hand glowed—not melting, but softening, reshaping as creation energy rewove its structure. A tunnel formed, smooth and stable, descending rapidly toward the stone.
Jake stared. "He's… building?"
Solmara watched, eyes alight. "Yes."
Danny dropped into the tunnel without hesitation.
The heat intensified as he descended, the walls glowing golden-white under his touch. Far below, he felt it clearly now—the sigil stone, cracked and dim, pulsing weakly like a dying star.
He landed in a vast cavern—the forge.
Rivers of magma flowed through carved channels, feeding a central altar of obsidian. And embedded within it—
The sigil stone.
Dormant. Drained. Flickering faintly.
Danny approached slowly, heart hammering. He reached out, hands trembling.
"I've got you," he whispered.
The stone responded.
A faint pulse.
Above him, the battle raged.
Pyronyx roared in fury as he realized what was happening, flames surging wildly. "NO!"
The Wolf King planted himself between Pyronyx and the forge entrance, muscles straining as he held back a wave of fire that could have melted mountains.
"You will not reach him," the Wolf King snarled.
Danny placed both hands on the sigil stone.
Creation surged.
Not violently.
Gently.
Golden flame flowed into the cracks, knitting them closed, restoring balance. The stone brightened, its pulse strengthening, stabilizing.
Danny gasped as the resonance snapped into alignment. The pull vanished, replaced by a deep, steady warmth.
Above, the planet shuddered.
Pyronyx screamed—not in pain, but in shock—as the forge's power shifted, no longer feeding him unchecked.
"What have you DONE?" Pyronyx bellowed.
Danny lifted the stone free.
"I fixed it," he said softly.
The cavern shook violently.
"Extraction now!" Jake shouted over comms.
Danny turned and ran, creation stabilizing the tunnel ahead of him as he ascended. The WhistleDawn's engines roared in the distance, Switchblades clearing a path.
As Danny burst back onto the plateau, clutching the now-glowing sigil stone, the Wolf King disengaged, leaping back toward the ship.
Pyronyx stood amid the chaos, flames roaring higher than ever, eyes burning with rage and something else—
Fear.
"This is not over," he snarled.
"No," Solmara said calmly as they boarded. "It has just begun."
The ramp slammed shut.
The WhistleDawn lifted off hard, engines screaming as it tore away from the collapsing plateau. Behind them, Pyronyx's realm writhed, destabilized but intact.
Far away, deep beneath stone and magma, Terragorn watched the sigil stone's light flare on his obsidian map.
His smile vanished.
"So," he rumbled, voice echoing through the underworld. "You chose speed."
His hand moved, tracing a new path.
"Then I choose consequence."
And somewhere between fire and stone, the war took its next, darker turn.
The WhistleDawn tore free of Pyronyx's gravity well in a scream of engines and stabilizing fields. The planet fell away beneath them, still burning, still raging, but no longer able to touch them. Switchblades folded back into escort formation, scarred and glowing from heat exposure, but intact.
Inside the Arrowhead, the air was thick with the smell of scorched metal and ozone. Warning lights blinked, then slowly went dark one by one as systems stabilized.
Danny staggered as the adrenaline finally released its grip. Jake was there instantly, grabbing his shoulder and steering him into a seat.
"Sit. Sit. Hero later."
Danny didn't argue. He collapsed back, chest heaving, hands still wrapped around the sigil stone.
It was warm now. Not burning. Not aching. Warm like sunlight on skin after a long winter.
Solmara approached slowly, her gaze locked on the stone. "It's stable," she said after a moment. "Fully recharged."
Danny looked down at it, disbelief flickering across his face. "It doesn't hurt anymore."
"That's because it's no longer broken," she replied.
The Wolf King entered the compartment last. Soot and molten rock clung to his fur, embers still glowing faintly along his mane. He looked exhausted—but satisfied. He nodded once at Danny.
"You did well."
Danny swallowed. Praise from the Wolf King still hit differently. "You held him off."
The Wolf King huffed a low chuckle. "He will not forget that."
Shadeclaw helped Mira into a seat, then crouched beside her. "You okay?"
She nodded, tired but smiling. "Yeah. I… felt it when the stone woke up. Like something heavy lifted."
Swift leaned back against the wall, wings flickering briefly before he dismissed them. "So that's one down."
"One," Jade echoed. "Only two ancient god-powered rocks left. Easy."
Jake snorted. "You ever notice when you say things like that, reality punches us?"
Bumble beeped in agreement and projected a tiny fist hitting a stick figure.
Solmara's expression remained grim. "Terragorn felt this."
The mood shifted immediately.
"He expected the Golden Dragon," she continued. "Instead, he watched the Wolf King lead, Danny heal rather than destroy, and a sigil stone return to balance."
Danny frowned. "That's… bad?"
"It means," Solmara said carefully, "that his first read on you was wrong."
The Wolf King's ears flicked. "Then he will adjust."
"Yes," she agreed. "And Terragorn does not adjust gently."
Silence settled over the compartment.
Jimmy's voice crackled over the comms. "WhistleDawn, this is HQ. We see the stone. Good work."
Danny let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding.
"But," Jimmy continued, and of course there was a but, "you're not getting a parade yet. Something just moved in the deep scans."
Solmara closed her eyes briefly. "He's repositioning."
"Yep," Jimmy said. "And I don't like where."
Danny tightened his grip on the stone, then consciously relaxed his hands. The creation energy inside him remained calm, steady. Not overwhelming. Not afraid.
"We'll handle it," Danny said quietly.
The Wolf King nodded. "Together."
The WhistleDawn turned toward hyperspace, carrying the first restored sigil stone back toward home.
Far beneath a different world, in caverns older than recorded history, Terragorn stood before his obsidian map. One point glowed again—bright, restored, defiant.
His jaw tightened.
"Very well," he rumbled. "You have shown me who you are."
His claw traced a new line across the stars.
"Now let us see what you will sacrifice."
The map shifted.
And somewhere, unseen and unheard, the next trap began to close.