The palace chamber was quiet — unnaturally quiet.
Aria stood near the center table, palms pressed against the polished wood, eyes serious with a strength she was only just beginning to understand. Her team — Coren, Lyra, Sera, Garron, and Elira — stood behind her.
The Aetherbounds stood across from them.
Kaenmor, serene but concerned.
Suvarn, thoughtful but tense.
Deyr, leaning against the wall with folded arms.
Morian, tapping the table restlessly, boots heavy against the floor.
There was an emptiness in the room too — the missing presence of the Fifth.
Dravon.
But no one mentioned it.
Not yet.
Aria swallowed, gathering her courage.
"We can't wait anymore," she said. "Zephyrion grows stronger every day. Villages are burning. The skies are darkening. If we don't move—"
Morian snorted. "Hero wants to charge in already."
Deyr chuckled. "Bold. Stupid, but bold."
Suvarn glared at both of them before placing a gentle hand on Aria's shoulder.
"She's right. If we sit idle, Zephyrion will reach us."
Kaenmor, however, raised a hand.
"No."
Everyone fell silent.
Kaenmor exhaled slowly.
"Aria… Zephyrion cannot be killed."
Her breath caught.
"What do you mean… he cannot be killed?"
Kaenmor stepped forward, his expression solemn.
"Zephyrion is not a demon in the way mortals understand demons. He is decay given consciousness. Hatred that grew into form. A wound in the world that learned how to speak."
He stretched out his hand, a sphere of wind forming in his palm.
"Even if we destroy his form, even if we tear apart his armies… he will return. He always returns."
Aria stared at him, stunned.
"But then — how was he stopped before?"
At that question—
The room changed.
The Aetherbounds — all four of them — went unnaturally still.
Deyr's smirk faded first.
Morian's fists tightened at his sides.
Suvarn looked down at the floor, guilt flickering across his calm eyes.
And Kaenmor… looked older than Aria had ever seen him.
"Aria," he said quietly, "you ask about a history that should have died with us."
She shook her head. "If I'm supposed to save this world, I need to know what happened."
A long silence filled the room.
It was Elira who finally whispered, "Tell her. She has earned the right."
Kaenmor nodded slowly.
"…Very well."
...
Kaenmor walked toward the window as he spoke, his voice almost prayer-like.
"Hundreds of years ago… there was a hero far different from you."
Aria stiffened, unsure if she should feel insulted or curious.
"He was not gentle-hearted as you are. He was fierce. Powerful. A warrior forged for war, not for healing or connection."
Suvarn added softly, "He wasn't chosen. He fought for it. And he pushed the gods to acknowledge him."
Deyr exhaled a laugh — humorless, hollow.
"He was a monster, honestly. Stronger than any knight, faster than any mage. Had the temper of Morian and the cold logic of Dravon."
Aria blinked. "Someone like that existed?"
Morian leaned forward.
"Yeah. And he scared even me."
Kaenmor continued.
"When Zephyrion first rose, the world collapsed. Kingdoms burned. Entire races vanished. And in that chaos… the old hero emerged. A man with no past, no fear, and no hesitation."
Aria shivered.
"What was his name?"
Kaenmor looked away.
"…We don't say it anymore."
The silence thickened. Even the air felt heavier.
Aria's heart raced.
"Why not?"
Kaenmor's next words trembled.
"Because the moment we speak his name… the world will remember him. And he deserves peace, not chains."
.....
Elira stepped forward.
"Yes, Aria… the Aetherbounds once stood together. United. Not like now. They weren't scattered. They weren't wounded. They weren't… broken."
Her voice softened painfully.
"There was a time when these five men walked behind a hero and were proud to call him their leader."
Morian cleared his throat, speaking reluctantly.
"He beat me the day we met. That's the only reason he earned my respect."
Deyr rolled his eyes. "No, you respected him because he didn't die when you tried to punch him."
Suvarn smiled faintly. "He had a way of forcing unity. Even Dravon… listened to him."
Aria's eyes widened.
"Even Dravon?"
Suvarn nodded.
"He was the only person Dravon never mocked. The only one Dravon called by name."
Aria had no words.
The old hero must've been terrifying… and extraordinary.
Kaenmor's eyes darkened.
"He brought us together. He wielded our powers as one. And with him… we challenged Zephyrion."
Aria swallowed.
"So you killed the Demon Lord?"
"No," Kaenmor said, voice barely audible.
"We sealed him."
The team around Aria stiffened.
Sera whispered, "A seal? That means—"
"Yes," Suvarn said grimly. "A seal can break."
"And it did," Kaenmor finished.
...
The air in the room seemed to dim.
Kaenmor continued, voice heavy with memory:
"The final battle lasted seven days. Zephyrion tore the skies apart. The hero fought until his bones cracked. Morian held back the firestorms. Deyr cut through the abyssal armies. Suvarn kept the world from falling into despair. And Dravon…"
He stopped.
Aria whispered, "What did Dravon do?"
Kaenmor answered quietly.
"He cut through Zephyrion's core."
Deyr muttered, "If he didn't, none of us would be alive."
"But," Morian said, looking away, "that was the moment it all went wrong."
Aria's heart pounded.
"What happened?"
Another long, suffocating pause.
Suvarn sat down heavily.
"We can't say it. Not yet."
Aria's fists tightened. "Why won't anyone tell me?"
Kaenmor met her eyes — sad, but resolute.
"Because what happened to the old hero was the worst sin we Aetherbounds ever committed."
A silence sharp enough to cut filled the room.
Aria felt her throat tighten.
"…He died, didn't he?"
Morian flinched.
Deyr looked away.
Suvarn closed his eyes.
Kaenmor finally nodded.
"Yes."
Aria swallowed. "Did Zephyrion kill him?"
"No," Kaenmor whispered. "We… we failed him."
Aria felt breath leave her lungs.
Elira placed a hand on Aria's back, gentle but trembling.
"It was the moment the world lost its light… and the moment the Aetherbounds lost themselves."
The room felt colder.
Lyra and Garron were pale.
Coren clenched his jaw.
Sera's eyes burned with quiet grief.
Kaenmor inhaled shakily.
"After the hero's death, we sealed Zephyrion. But the seal was fractured — incomplete. It bought the world time… nothing more."
Aria asked quietly, "And after that… you all separated?"
Morian nodded.
"Yeah. We broke apart. Each in our own ways."
Deyr spoke, unusually somber.
"I ran from everything. Suvarn hid in hope. Kaenmor protected the wind. Morian drowned himself in laughter. And Dravon…"
He stopped.
Aria whispered, "What about Dravon?"
Deyr looked at her — eyes dark, sad.
"Dravon walked into the shadows. Alone. Because he held the heaviest part of the truth."
Kaenmor stepped forward, placing a steadying hand on Aria's shoulder.
"And now, Aria… history is repeating."
Her heart dropped.
"The Demon Lord rises again.
The seal has shattered.
The world needs the Aetherbounds to stand as one.
And once more… a hero must lead them."
Aria's voice broke.
"But… the last hero died."
Kaenmor nodded slowly.
"That is why you must succeed where he could not."
Aria felt tears sting her eyes.
"Why me?"
Kaenmor looked at her crest.
"Because you are different."
"You don't lead with force — but with connection."
"You don't command — but understand."
"You don't wield power — you bind it."
"And most importantly…"
His voice softened.
"You are the only one Dravon will ever listen to."
Aria felt her breath leave her chest.
"Why?"
Kaenmor smiled sadly.
"Because to a man swallowed by shadow… your light is the first thing that ever made him pause."