Dawn broke over **Vane's Summit** like a painted dream.
Mist clung to the emerald cliffs in long, drifting veils, the whole mountain rendered in soft strokes of silver and jade as though some unseen hand had brushed it into being. A vast waterfall—thirty yards across—poured from the face of the mountain, crashing down in a roaring cascade. Its spray burst into a storm of white droplets that hung in the air like shattered pearls, cooling the skin with a chill that sank deep into bone.
Below, the torrent fed a deep pool ringed with strange, crystalline stones—pale blue, almost translucent, as if frozen water had grown into rock.
To the right of the falls, a monstrous tree clung to the cliff face. Its trunk twisted outward like a coiling serpent, branches thick as siege beams arching across the cascade itself. Its canopy spread wide, casting a heavy green shadow over the air before the falls—a living crown suspended above the abyss.
And beneath that spectacle, on a stretch of grass not far from the pool, something far less natural was taking shape.
Dozens of stones—large and small, dark and pale—had been arranged across the ground in deliberate pattern. Their spacing was too precise to be random. The formation hinted at hidden geometry, a ritual lattice meant to bend the world's unseen currents.
At the center of it, a girl in a yellow tunic knelt before a slab of stone. Her hair was bound into twin knots, her posture careful, almost reverent. With a wooden scoop, she drew fine powder from a clay jar and sprinkled it across the rock's surface, following a pattern only she seemed to understand.
"Kael," she called, lifting her head. Her face was soft, her eyes bright as springwater, her lips curved in a natural sweetness. "What is this powder, anyway?"
Kael Ashvane staggered into the formation, sweat running down his temples, arms wrapped around a blood-red stone. He grinned like a man guarding a secret.
"My latest blend," he said. "A masterpiece. In a moment, it'll become the blood that runs through the veins of the Invincible Marshal."
She wrinkled her nose. "What did you make it from? It smells like something died twice."
Kael puffed up immediately, rattling off ingredients like a merchant listing treasures. "Thirty-six magnetite cores, thirty-six thunder-vein stones, thirty-six draughts of clarified incense resin, five coils of gravevine, four ounces of fire-lotus seed, sixty-six gu-shell husks, nine drams of flame-essence crystal, three whole vats of refined Green Ying—"
He waved a hand. "Point is, everything rare I've hoarded these past years is in there."
Mira Stonwell—Fourth Soror of the Chapter—lifted the jar and moved to another stone, continuing the careful dusting. She clicked her tongue.
"So you've wagered your entire stockpile again. What happens if it fails?"
Kael spat to the side immediately. "Spare me your ill omens! Say something lucky before you curse the whole thing!"
He dropped the bloodstone into place and began adjusting the surrounding stones with meticulous care, aligning them to the pattern.
"I'm only worried for you," Mira said, smiling faintly.
"Worry less," Kael shot back. "I've run over a hundred simulations in the past six months. This time, it's flawless."
She cast him a sideways glance, her smile turning sly. "You say that every time. Last time you made that… what was it called? That 'Divine Flame Beast'?"
Kael's ears reddened instantly.
"…An accident," he muttered. "I found the flaw afterward. I missed an ingredient—fire-lotus stem. That's all."
"You miss something every time," Mira said lightly. "By the way… did you find the Fire Wraith's hair?"
Kael's grin returned, sharp and proud. He nodded. "Got it. And this time, I'm not improvising. If even one component was missing, I wouldn't have dared attempt this."
A laugh drifted across the clearing.
"After staking your entire fortune on it? Of course you wouldn't."
Kael and Mira turned.
Two women approached side by side, both dressed in pale robes. Their presence shifted the air—subtle, but unmistakable.
"Elder Soror Auryn. Elder Soror Sylva," Kael called out quickly, straightening.
The arrivals were none other than **Auryn Gale**, the Golden-Glow Soror, and **Sylva Dreyn**, the Green-Arc Soror—disciples of Lady Magister Isara who had long since left the mountain to serve under the banner of the **Celestial Way Conclave**, hunting monsters across the realm.
Kael's face lit up. "You actually made it back."
Auryn smiled faintly, her presence calm yet edged with quiet authority. "We wouldn't miss your grand unveiling."
"How's it going?" she asked.
"Almost done," Kael said, barely containing his excitement.
Auryn tilted her head. "You've outdone yourself every time. What are you summoning today?"
Kael puffed his chest. "Not summoning—creating. Something entirely new. A being forged from fire and earth. Speed and destruction from flame, strength and resilience from stone."
He grinned wider.
"I'm calling it… the Invincible Marshal."
Auryn laughed softly. "Of course you are."
Sylva, standing beside her, watched him with a gentler gaze. "How certain are you this time?"
"Ninety-nine percent," Kael said without hesitation.
His eyes lingered on her longer than necessary. As always, she seemed even more radiant than the last time he'd seen her.
Strange, he thought. How does she keep getting more beautiful?
Sylva studied him for a moment. "You understand fire well enough. But earth isn't your strength. And those two forces don't merge easily. Be careful."
Kael waved it off. "That's what Mira's for. She solved half the problems and wrote thirty-six Ward-Scripts for me. As for fire—"
He tapped the clay jar nearby.
"With the Golden-Eyed Flame Lion's heart you brought me, there's no issue at all."
Sylva smiled faintly. "Just don't end up chased across the mountain again."
Kael lunged toward her in mock protest, embarrassed. "You never let that go!"
She caught him easily, drawing him into a brief embrace. "You've grown," she said softly.
Auryn clapped her hands once. "Enough. Finish your preparations. We need to visit Master afterward—there's a senior guest."
Kael blinked. "A senior?"
Auryn only smiled. "Later. Focus."
The two women moved beneath a nearby tree and sat.
Kael turned back to the formation, heart pounding.
He worked quickly now—sealing each stone with Ward-Scripts, pressing a single strand of Fire Wraith hair onto each inscription. When Mira finished the final powdering, he called out:
"Bring the red clay jar—the one sealed with the Flame-Storing Ward. Place it at the southern node."
Mira frowned. "You're getting awfully rude lately. Not even calling me Soror anymore?"
Kael flashed her a grin. "That just means we're close."
She snorted. "Keep talking like that and I'll tell the others."
Still, she retrieved the jar and carried it carefully into position.
Halfway there, she stopped abruptly, her face twisting. "Ugh—what is that smell?"
"Careful!" Kael rushed forward. "That's the heart of the Golden-Eyed Flame Lion!"
She nearly dropped it.
Kael lunged and caught the jar, clutching it to his chest like a lifeline. "That's the core of the Marshal! If you break it, we're done!"
Mira recoiled, waving her hands. "Take it away—I'm going to be sick."
At last, everything was in place.
Kael stood at the edge of the formation, scanning the horizon. "Where is she?"
Mira crouched in the grass, watching ants march through their tiny wars. "Be patient. Third Soror never arrives on time."
Kael snorted. "I can't stand that woman. Always acting superior because of her family."
From beneath the tree, Sylva called out, "Kael—let me see your formula."
He hesitated, then handed over a crumpled sheet.
She frowned almost immediately. "This is chaos. You could misread your own work."
"I'll fix it next time," he muttered.
She studied it longer—and her expression slowly changed.
"Kael… where did you get this method?"
"I came up with most of it myself," he said. "Master doesn't like this kind of work."
Auryn leaned closer. "What's wrong?"
Sylva shook her head slightly. "It's… strange. I've never seen anything like it."
"Is it flawed?" Auryn asked.
"I can't tell," Sylva admitted. "It shouldn't work. But parts of it… make sense."
Mira laughed. "That's how it was last time too. And he still made something."
Auryn smiled faintly. "I think he'll surpass all of us someday."
Kael practically glowed.
Then—
"Third Soror!"
Mira pointed.
Selene Voss approached across the grass, graceful as flowing water, her expression already edged with annoyance.
Kael cupped his hands and shouted, "You're late!"
She didn't even look at him. "I slept in. Problem?"
She sniffed. "After being dragged out to feed mosquitoes all night, I think I've earned it."
Kael choked.
He said nothing.
If she exposed what they'd done—sneaking into the Mist Ridge—he'd be facing three months of punishment at minimum.
Selene brushed past him and greeted Auryn and Sylva warmly, even throwing herself into Sylva's arms.
"How long are you staying?" she asked.
"Not long," Sylva said. "But this time… we may be together longer than you think."
Selene blinked. "What does that mean?"
"Later," Sylva said.
Selene turned, casting a dismissive glance at the formation. "Let's see this 'invention.' Though I doubt it'll be anything but another disaster."
Kael bristled. "Just wait."
She laughed. "If you succeed, the sun will rise in the west."
Auryn intervened gently. "Enough. Kael—begin."
He stepped into position.
Breathing slowed. Focus sharpened.
He raised both hands, fingers weaving intricate sigils, voice murmuring low incantations.
Then—
"Rise."
The formation answered.
Stones trembled—then lifted from the ground.
Auryn nodded. "Good."
Selene scoffed. "He's using Mira's Ward-Scripts."
Sylva shook her head. "Even so—moving this many objects at once requires real control. His Aether has grown."
Kael's arms moved faster. The stones began to circle the central jar, accelerating into a storm of motion. Wind howled. The air crackled faintly with pressure.
"Formation!"
The stones slammed inward.
A thunderous impact shook the clearing as they fused into a massive, shifting mass. It writhed, grinding, reshaping—
"Look!" Mira gasped. "That—does that look like a face?"
It did.
Stone bulged and sank, forming crude features—a head lifting from the mass.
Then arms emerged.
Then legs.
The shape rose—towering, monstrous.
Fourteen feet tall.
A giant of stone.
Strange sigils flickered across its surface in silver-violet light.
Kael's voice rang out again.
"Awaken!"
The construct roared.
Its chest glowed—dim at first, then brighter—until molten light pulsed within. Flames burst through its seams, engulfing the body in roaring fire.
The mountain itself seemed to burn in its reflection.
Silence fell.
Even Selene stared.
Kael threw his arms wide, exultant.
"My Invincible Marshal is born!"
Selene crossed her arms. "I could erase it with a finger."
The creature turned its head slowly, as if confused by its own existence. Low, thunderous sounds echoed from within its body.
Sylva suddenly grabbed Kael's sleeve. "This line—what is this ingredient?"
He squinted. "…Red Serpent Resin."
Her face changed instantly.
"That reacts violently with flame-essence crystal. They counter each other. It's forbidden to combine them."
Kael blinked. "Really? But it worked."
Mira's voice trembled. "Its face… look at its face…"
The thing was staring at them.
Its features warped in the fire—twisted, almost human, but wrong.
Auryn frowned. "It has an Intimidating Aura…"
Kael laughed in delight. "Of course it does! That's why it's the Invincible Marshal!"
Selene narrowed her eyes. "Then why is it shaking like it's about to fall apart?"
Kael turned—and, without warning, grabbed her face and kissed her hard on the cheek.
"Jealous, aren't you?" he shouted, laughing.
Selene froze.
Then flushed scarlet.
"You—!"
Kael recoiled instantly. "I—didn't mean—"
"I'll kill you!"
He ran.
Behind him—
"Look out!" Sylva shouted.
Heat surged at his back.
Kael turned—
The Invincible Marshal was charging him.
A flaming fist descended like a falling star.