Taryn frost bear stood first among them, the calm center of the storm. "You're louder now," he said again. "And heavier." I gave him a rare smile, "And you're still the quietest." He nodded once sheepishly as we clasped forearms—a warrior's grip, solid and mutual. Cold resistance and warm fire meeting in balance.
Torren storm fang barreled down next, heavy boots slamming stone. "AHHHAHAHAHAHAH ASH YOU BASTARD!"
I turned in time to catch the bearhug pulling me up off the ground, it nearly shattered my crystal armor. Torren squeezed, laughing and weeping at once. "You were supposed to have died in glory, not vanish into sea fog! You got taller too. Bastard!" I groaned under the squeeze, "You got wider." Torren just laughed louder and punched me in the chest with enough force to dent a lesser man. Lira razor wing landed in a whisper of blades and wind-swept cloth. She stood a few paces away, arms crossed. "You put us through five months of grief, you idiot. I made offerings. I wrote your name on the Wall."
I bowed my head, "Thank You-Lira." She stepped forward, her glare melting. "Next time you die, write me a letter first." She flicked my ear as she passed, "Still soft." Kaelin wind slash adjusted her spectacles, staring intently at me as though seeing a particularly troublesome scroll. "Your qi signature is fragmented—volatile. Tempest, Blood, Lightening, water, Fire… even Life-force?" she blinked rapidly. "Did you eat a god?"
I smirked "maybe a god ate me." Kaelin muttered something about violating multiple cultivation doctrines, then scribbled furiously in a worn jade-leaf notebook, still smiling. "I have so many questions." Soren shadow blade simply appeared beside me with no sound at all. "I mourned you in silence," he said. I turned "And I'm alive so hey, you can rejoice now." I said with a wink Soren nodded. "Your shadow's longer now. You walk with purpose." Before I could open up further, a low horn blew.
From the ridgelines, Iron fang banners unfurled, carried by warriors in heavy qi-etched armor. Elders in robes of rank emerged slowly, surrounded by bodyguards and cultivators whose eyes glowed with suspicion.
The central figure—a tall, silver-browed woman in robes of obsidian and sky blue—stepped forward. Elder Maya, of the Iron fang clan. "A ghost returns on a flying vessel," she intoned. "With cursed company in tow."
Her gaze fixed on Marla, whose greenish blueish skin and twelve vipers for locks stood, inhuman tail and wings flicked as Marla smiled while seething with animus corruption, viper hair writhing, black-blade armor leaking black mist. Next, she shifted her attention to Felicity the silver blooded phage and her silver form covered in the centipede juggernaut armor. The air grew tense. Weapons clicked from sheaths. Elder Mayas eyes narrowed.
"Explain yourself, boy. Why do two cursed bloodlines stand beside you on sacred Iron fang soil?" I took a slow breath, stepping forward without fear. Felicity's lips curled. Marla, silent and composed, bowed low—but her vipers flared like war banners. "Because they're in my party," I said.
"My allies. My crew. My people." The wind howled through the gully. Some of the younger warriors took a step back. Even the elders blinked. Taryn's lips twitched. Torren stood tall behind me. Lira grinned. The silence crackled.
Before Elder Maya could speak again, a rustle of cloaks and the shimmer of powerful qi marked the approach of new figures. Four more elders descended the path from the ridgeline—old but vibrant, each bearing the sigils of an Iron fang pillar. At their head walked master Korren, a grizzled warrior with a hawk's posture and a jagged scar down one cheek. He halted when he saw Ash and barked out a booming laugh.
"By the black winds of the upper peaks! The pup returns a storm!" He pushed past Maya without hesitation, gripping Ash's forearm and pulling him into a fierce, one-armed embrace. "It was five months ago when I lead you and the others on their first blood hunt. Came back with that warm ember coil core and a chest full of pride. I told them then you had the makings of a Lord." I smiled genuinely, "You were right Elder."
Behind him, three more elders stepped forward: Elder Mei, soft-eyed and wrapped in a robe of crimson feathers, leaned on a polished sun wood cane. Her gaze settled on me with warm recognition. "He bears the wind of the highlands. He has not forgotten us, nor the mountain's name." She stepped beside master Korren, unafraid of Felicity or Marla. Elder Vash, a man with tattoos along his neck and a pair of iron bands on each wrist, let out a grunt.
"Saw your Tempest Breath, the other night son. Felt it in my bones." He nodded "Only a fool mistakes a clan member's storm for a curse."
He cracked his knuckles and added, "Besides, Iron fang doesn't fear cursed blood." Lastly, Elder Jinn, silent and meditative, performed a respectful bow to me. His eyes lingered on Marla and Felicity, but there was no disdain. "He has mastered the Three Tempests. The elders should listen, not judge." The tension Broke in our favor
Master Korren turned to Maya with a sharp look. "You're outnumbered, sister. Four elders stand for Ash ember coil. Now Lord of Wind and Flame, your suspicion is noted—but balance your caution with memory." Maya stiffened, but her voice lost its edge. "We must convene. The High Council will need proof of his intentions."
I nodded. "I'll give you proof—on the beast ring, if necessary. But first, let my crew rest. We've flown far." Maya gave the slightest nod, then turned, her retinue trailing like smoke. The winds of Iron fang shifted. I was no longer a boy to be questioned—but a rising Lord, walking with cursed queens and tempest storms at my beckon.