The Iron-Spine Mountains weren't named for their color, but because they were tough to get through. They stood tall, like a wall, separating the sunny southern plains from the colder North. For 600 years, the Solar Empire controlled the only way through: Helios Pass. And right in the middle was Solis-Vara, a fortress-city known as the Gate of the Burning Star.
As Lyra got closer, the white glass road she was on started to go uphill. The air got thinner, and the sun felt hotter because it bounced off the quartz cliffs. For most people, this climb would take a hard month with little air and bad heatstroke. For Lyra, it was a test.
She stopped on some rocks to look at the fortress. Solis-Vara was amazing. The walls were made of Sun-Stone, which was gold and soaked up heat during the day. At night, it glowed brightly to protect the city. On top of the highest tower was a Great Array, a huge gold lens that could focus sunlight into a deadly beam.
The Eye is already open, Lyra whispered, watching the heat waves above the walls.
Inside her, two silver drops of power were shaking with energy. The third drop was like a ghost, not solid. She remembered the monolith's warning: Don't try for the third drop until you find the Shroud of Shadows. She could feel her power trying to break through, wanting to become stronger, but she had to hold it back. It felt like trying to stop a freezing flood with just her hands.
She started moving again. She left the glass road because the scouts in the fortress would spot a white line right away. Instead, she stuck to the shadows, using the Ghost-Step she had learned at the temple to move unseen.
As she got to the edge of the pass, it got really hot. The Sun-Stone walls were keeping Cold-Aligned creatures away.
Halt! someone yelled.
Lyra looked up and saw a Sky-Sentinel floating above her. He had a Solar Flight-Wing, gold armor, and a spear that buzzed with energy.
This is Imperial land, he said. Say why you're here, or you'll be burned to a crisp.
Lyra didn't answer. She didn't want to deal with the empire that had tried to drown her. She held out her left hand.
Lunar Art: Void-Cold Grip.
The air around the Sentinel didn't freeze; it just disappeared. The sudden lack of air made his flight-wing stop working. As he fell, Lyra clenched her fist. The heat in his armor vanished, replaced by intense cold that shattered the gold plates. He hit the ground like broken glass.
She didn't look back. She was already headed for the main gate.
The alarm bells in Solis-Vara started ringing loudly. Up on the tower, the Great Array turned, focusing the sun into a beam of light.
Target locked! someone shouted. Non-Solar energy! Level four threat! Fire!
A beam of sunlight shot down, hitting the ground where Lyra had been a moment before, turning the rock into lava.
Lyra jumped into a crack in the ground, feeling the heat on her robe. Her heart was pounding. This wasn't just one person; it was the power of the whole Imperial Garrison, boosted by old tech.
I need more energy, she thought. If I can't get to the third drop, I need another way to get past this wall.
She looked at the Sun-Iron sword on her back. It was a Solar weapon. Even though she had taken away its spirit, it could still channel heat.
She had a crazy idea.
She stood up as the Great Array got ready for another shot.
Come on then! she yelled. Show me what your god can do!
The lens hummed, and the light got brighter. Then, the beam fired again.
Lyra didn't move. She pulled out the Sun-Iron sword and held it up, letting the beam hit the flat of the blade.
As the beam hit, Lyra felt like her bones were melting. It was incredibly hot. But instead of fighting the heat, she used her power to create a Frozen Vacuum around the sword. She was using the sword to catch the solar energy and force it through the weapon's dead runes.
CONVERT! she screamed.
The sword turned bright blue. The solar energy, filtered by Lyra's power, was being changed. The sword wasn't getting hotter; it was becoming a rod of absolute zero.
The beam kept firing, but it was being absorbed into the sword. Lyra's feet sank into the rock as the beam tried to crush her, but she held on.
The sword started shaking so hard that Lyra's hands bled. It couldn't hold the energy for long.
My turn to open the gate!
Lyra swung the sword in an arc.
Instead of fire or ice, she released a Crescent of Silence. A blue blade of light cut through the air and hit the main gate of Solis-Vara.
The gate didn't explode. It shattered because going from super hot to absolute zero made its pieces fall apart. The massive doors turned into gold dust.
The shockwave knocked soldiers off the walls, and the Great Array cracked.
Lyra stood at the entrance, breathing hard. Her hands were bleeding, and her robe was burned, but the way was clear.
Inside the city, thousands of soldiers were running around, but they looked scared.
Lyra stepped into Solis-Vara. As she did, the third drop inside her felt solid for a moment before she forced it back down.
Five hundred miles to the library, she whispered, her eyes glowing. And I've just found a city full of heat to quench my thirst.