CHAPTER 30: THE UNYIELDING FLAME

The world turned white-hot.

From the depths of Soldraknirr’s maw, Starfire erupted—a cascading torrent of celestial wrath. The air itself ignited as the infernal energy roared toward The Steadfast’s deck, its sheer intensity distorting reality. The temperature soared in an instant, blistering heat radiating outward like the sun had descended upon the battlefield. Metal groaned, paint curled and peeled from the ship’s hull, and the very air shimmered as if refusing to exist in the presence of such unrelenting power.

Leona moved on instinct.

Her shield was up before she even thought, layers of shimmering barriers stacking upon one another in rapid succession. The Starfire slammed into the first, shattering it with a deafening explosion. The second buckled, then burst. The third held for only a fraction of a second longer before disintegrating into golden embers.

The force sent her skidding backward, her boots scraping against the scorched deck as heat clawed at her skin. Behind her, Lyra and Nyx worked frantically, weaving new barriers in place of those lost. But it wasn’t enough—

For every shield Lyra replaced, Soldraknirr’s Starfire obliterated three more.

"An unenhanced barrier blocking my Soldraknirr’s Starfire?!" Lyrius’s voice crackled through the comms, tinged with disbelief.

The bridge of The Steadfast shuddered violently as stray tendrils of Starfire slammed into it. Metal burst apart, consoles exploded in showers of sparks, and several officers were consumed in a merciless blaze before they could even scream. Smoke and fire filled the command deck, alarms blaring as the ship’s structure groaned in protest.

Leona gritted her teeth. More. She needed more.

Her golden battle aura flared to life, radiating outward, but even as her strength surged, she knew it wasn’t enough. The heat burned through her armor, sweat poured down her face, and her limbs screamed under the pressure.

She was failing.

She closed her eyes.

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Fourteen years ago…

The courtyard of House Leonis was a vision of regal splendor. Open-air pathways of polished stone glistened under the afternoon sun, leading to towering vaulted arches that framed the sky like the ribs of a celestial beast. Though a minor house, House Leonis carried itself with dignity, their estate standing as a testament to centuries of unwavering pride.

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A younger Leona stood at the courtyard’s center, her small hands trembling as she held them aloft. Her lips moved, reciting a chant passed down through generations, an invocation meant to call upon forces beyond mortal understanding. The words were old—ancient—a language not spoken, but felt, a cadence that resonated deep within the marrow of her bones.

Power swelled in the air. Expectation crackled like a storm cloud ready to burst.

Lord Tyburstein Leonis watched, his golden eyes filled with quiet patience. His presence was a monument of unwavering confidence, standing tall with arms crossed, his regal cloak flowing behind him. He had trained countless warriors, guided scholars, and taught noble scions the meaning of true power. And today, he expected nothing less from his daughter.

Leona’s voice rose to its crescendo. The spell climaxed, the heavens should have answered.

A flicker.

A single, tiny flame hovered in the air above her palm, its feeble light barely visible against the afternoon sun.

Silence.

A moment passed before Leona’s face twisted in frustration. She collapsed to her knees, her fists clenching at her sides. "I really don’t get it!" she groaned, shaking her head. "All I do is think about it and barriers appear… fortification spells are easy-peasy too. But when it comes to all other spells…!" She buried her face in her hands. "Why can’t I do it?"

A deep chuckle rumbled from her father. He stepped forward, kneeling beside her, his large hand settling atop her head. "Leona," he said, his voice warm, unwavering. "You learn things too easily."

She blinked up at him, confused. "Isn’t that a good thing?"

Tyburstein smiled, shaking his head. "It means you’ve never had to struggle. You’ve never had to reach for something you truly couldn’t grasp." His gaze drifted to the tiny flame still flickering in the air. "You think, and barriers appear. You will them, and they manifest. But tell me, my daughter—have you ever needed another spell before? Have you ever truly desired it—not just in your mind, but in your soul?"

Leona frowned, the weight of his words settling deep in her chest.

"Talent is a gift," her father continued. "But struggle… struggle is what forces us to become more than what we are." He gently extinguished the flame with a flick of his fingers. "And when the day comes that you need to cast something more than barriers, I know you will. Because you are my daughter. And we Leonis never break."

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The memory surged through her, crashing against the walls of her mind like a tidal wave. She opened her eyes.

She saw Lyra, gasping for breath, struggling to maintain the failing barriers.

She saw Nyx, snarling, bracing against the blast, desperate to hold the line.

She saw the bodies of the fallen officers, the flames that had consumed them.

And she needed more.

A spark ignited deep within her core, hotter than Soldraknirr’s Starfire, sharper than any blade. The words came unbidden, from instinct, from desperation, from the place where her father’s lesson had buried itself all those years ago.

She roared. A spell unlike any she had ever cast before tore from her lips.

"Titanorum convocatio, audite me!"

And the battlefield changed.