Umbryx stirred, consciousness creeping back into his mind like the first rays of dawn breaking through a long night. He found himself lying on a wooden table, its rough surface cold against his scales. The sounds of the bustling market faded into the background, replaced by the rhythmic thump of his own heartbeat. As he blinked away the haze, he noticed a figure standing nearby, a one-eyed man whose presence felt both ominous and oddly familiar.

Umbryx: “Where am I?”.

Umbryx croaked, his throat dry and scratchy. Panic bubbled within him as he instinctively reached for Arytho, the doppelgänger who had vanished before his eyes.

Before he could fully gather his thoughts, a sudden fit of coughing overtook him. Each convulsion seemed to drain his strength, and he struggled to regain his composure. The one-eyed man stepped forward, concern etched across his scarred features.

Unknown: “Easy there,” the man said, his voice surprisingly soothing despite the unsettling appearance.

Unknown: You’ve just been unconscious for a few hours”.

Umbryx paused, squinting up at him.

Umbryx: “Who are you?” he managed to ask, still feeling the remnants of fear and confusion.

The man took a deep breath, the air heavy with an unspoken tension.

Unknown: “It’s me, Zephyros. Your father”.

Umbryx’s heart raced, a whirlwind of emotions crashing over him. Memories flooded back, fleeting glimpses of a father he barely remembered, tales of heroism and loss whispered in the shadows of his youth. “But… it can’t be. You vanished years ago”.

Zephyros knelt beside him, his one eye softening with empathy.

Zephyros: “Are you alight, you didn’t seem to recognise”.

Umbryx, still struggling with his memory loss, felt disoriented. Every attempt to confront his past triggered something deep within, leading him to blackout, leaving him lost and vulnerable. Umbryx.

Umbryx, still disoriented and struggling to process everything, met Zephyros' gaze.

Umbryx: "I... I've been seeing memories," he began, his voice unsteady. But they don't feel like mine. It’s like I’m reliving someone else’s life, and these memories are getting tangled up with my own. Every time I try to figure things out, it feels like I'm losing pieces of myself... like I’m slipping further away".

Zephyros listened, but there was an odd, almost dismissive look in his eye.

Zephyros: "Interesting," he said, his tone casual, as if what Umbryx had just confessed was of little consequence. "But right now, we have more pressing matters to focus on" .

It also seems like his mana slightly changed for just a moment, as though eager to move the conversation along.

Zephyros: "There’s something I need to show you, Umbryx. Something important".

Umbryx: “What happened?”

Umbryx asked, pushing himself up from the wooden bench.

Zephyros: “There’s a darkness looming, one that threatens not just our family but our home. I encountered this man just after I met with an old acquaintance of your grandfather’s to settle a debt he made long ago. It involved a request I can’t speak on just yet, but because of it, this man is coming for me and our home.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Umbryx’s mind raced. The thought of joining his father against this looming darkness was daunting, but the chance to understand his past and perhaps rekindle the bond they once shared ignited a quiet resolve within him.

Umbryx: “I’ll help you,” he declared, his voice growing firm.

Zephyros nodded, relief softening his intense gaze. “Good. But we must be cautious; there are eyes everywhere, watching for any weakness. We can’t afford to be found out”.

Before either of them could react, a thunderous explosion tore through the air, lighting up the western sky in the direction of the Skyforge Arena. The ground trembled beneath their feet, and distant shouts echoed across the city as plumes of smoke began to rise.

Zephyros’s expression shifted, his gaze sharpening.

Zephyros: “I’ll gather the old Sky Knights and anyone who can fight. We’ll start moving civilians who can’t defend themselves to the realm’s outskirts. Umbryx, the arena needs you now.”

Umbryx’s heart raced faster than it ever did in his whole life.

Umbryx: “But, Father, the Flameheart Tournament is happening right now, and Arytho’s fighting there! If the arena’s under attack”.

Zephyros’s face ever grew graver.

Zephyros: “Your brother might be facing a danger that none of us anticipated, something so threatening even Tūmatauenga Kaitahi himself had to step in before. This is no ordinary threat.” He gripped Umbryx’s shoulder firmly, his gaze steady but troubled. “Umbryx, remember the technique I taught you. This may be the only chance you have to use it”.

Umbryx swallowed, his voice uncertain.

Umbryx: “But I haven’t mastered it yet”.

Zephyros: “You don’t need mastery now; you need heart,”

Zephyros said, his voice softening as he looked at his son with a rare vulnerability.

Zephyros: “Trust yourself. I know I haven’t always been the father you deserved, especially after your mother passed. I tried to be strong for you both, but I want you to know… I love you and Arytho with all my heart. And I know that if your grandfather could see you, he’d be as proud as I am.”

Another explosion shook the city, even louder and closer than before. They shared a final glance, a moment of unspoken understanding.

Without another word, Zephyros turned to rally the warriors and protect their people, while Umbryx took a deep breath, fighting the emotions welling up inside him. As he turned toward the arena, the weight of his father’s words stayed with him, steadying his heart even as he wiped away the tears that blurred his vision.

Umbryx was ready to fight for his brother, for his family, and for their realm.

Shifting perspectives, we now glimpse the world through the eyes of the powerful being perched atop the Skyforge Arena, high above the western expanse of the city. The vast structure stretched below him, framed by swirling clouds and backlit by the faint embers of recent explosions. He stood alone, a figure shrouded in an aura so dark it seemed to absorb the very light from the sky around him, rendering his silhouette stark against the distant horizon.

With a slow, calculated gaze, he looked down upon the chaos he had ignited below. Flames flickered at the edges of the arena’s grandstands, and distant shouts of panic rose from the crowd, echoes of the pandemonium he had unleashed.

The figure’s eyes, intense and inscrutable, scanned the city beneath him, noting the paths civilians took as they fled and the shadows of warriors rallying to confront the onslaught. A faint smirk curved across his lips as he relished the unfolding mayhem. This was only the beginning.

As he lifted one hand, dark energy coiled around his fingers, pulsing with latent force. With an almost casual motion, he released a small sphere of darkness, sending it spiraling down into the arena below, where its ominous glow grew, expanding rapidly before erupting in a surge of blinding light and raw power.

This being understood well what his actions meant. He sensed the distant yet undeniable presence of the ancient forces stirring, warriors rallying to the defense. He could feel the eyes of dragons from below turned toward him a mix of wariness and ire. But to him, they were mere obstacles, footnotes in his grander plan.

His thoughts sharpened on one specific presence he could sense growing closer an aura unlike the rest, one that thrummed with fierce determination and raw potential. His lips curled into a dark smile.

The Powerful Being: “Zephyros,” he murmured, his voice a whisper that cut through the roaring wind. “Bring your whole armies for all I care, I’ll kill each and everyone of you like you did to Aurora”.