During the war of the Forest and the Prairie, when hatred between elves and giants raged across the land, the sacred art of creation became a weapon. The elves, masters of delicate and intricate magic, molded hybrids from the beasts and their own bodies. But the giants, in their thirst for supremacy, resorted to a darker, more brutal magic.

They did not create soldiers. They spawned monsters.

The Giant King, cornered by the elven army, ascended to the forbidden peaks, where the secret of an ancient volcano was hidden. There, in the cauldron of fire and ashes, he delivered the bodies of his fallen comrades and spoke words forgotten by time, weaving a ritual of blood and lava.

From the crevices of the crater, from the very shadows of the fire, emerged the horrors that lurk in the depths of nightmares. Chimeras of metallic skin, burning flesh, with claws as sharp as swords and eyes as incandescent as embers. An army born from the deepest darkness of the earth.

And the world fell silent.

High in the sky, where clouds intertwined with lightning, rode the Giant King, riding on the back of his most fearsome creation: Silas, the first chimera. His silhouette against the storm was the vision of judgment itself, the promise of a power that no earthly being could challenge.

Silas descended like a dark and furious flash. Behind him, the army of chimeras swooped down on the elves tearing the earth with their roars and spitting flames that devoured the sacred groves. The hybrids did not stand a chance. The wings of the chimeras raised fiery gales that set their skins on fire, their powerful jaws could cleave their enemies in two with a single bite, and others were struck by the venom that oozed from their tails.

As the flames consumed the ancestral trees and the wind was filled with screams under a black firmament, even King Willondal himself understood that all hope was lost.

So stated the passage from the Chronicles that Rovenna had read so many times during her first years as an Initiate.

And now before her stood the very beast that had aroused the terror of the mighty elves. What chance could humans have against such an unknown power?

But more importantly... what was the cause of its awakening? That boy...

No, no, that beast could not be the same powerless cub that just a few days before she had saved from being killed by Eldrin. There had to be another explanation or she must be dreaming. Its mere existence contradicted even the legend told by the sirenians and defied any belief she had held of the world until then.

But Rovenna no longer knew what she should believe in.

“Siege formation!” Zoran roared, once again lashing out at the chimera.

That shout brought her out of her trance. Despite the fact the previous attack had been useless, the wizards immediately regrouped. The creature raised its head defiantly like a giant feline playing with its food before lashing out. Raindrops falling on its scales evaporated on the spot forming wisps of steam.

She could no longer hesitate. If they didn't act quickly that monster was going to wipe out the City Hall and then perhaps continue on to the port if they didn't manage to contain it.

Silas, if it's really you, then I'm sorry.

She gritted her teeth and advanced with determination towards her subordinates.

“Attack from the flanks, cut off its movements! Don't let it take flight!” she shouted.

The wizards reacted instantly, splitting into two groups to encircle the creature. Beams of energy crackled in the air.

“Fire spears, now!” she ordered.

A hail of fiery projectiles streaked through the air and slammed into the beast's scales. Rovenna joined the attack as she continued to give orders. Around her, other wizards cast chains of light and gusts of biting wind.

“Do not stop!”

Those continuous attacks would have brought down an entire regiment, but this was no ordinary enemy. They had barely begun to fight and already they were all using their power to the limit and risking their life force being consumed.

The chimera responded with a simple flap of its wings, generating a shockwave that swept away the attacks like waves erase drawings in the sand. The ripples of energy that managed to reach it were absorbed by its body, causing its eyes to glow more brightly and a golden glow to seep along its metallic skin. It was then that Rovenna realized that the creature was feeding off the very power of the attacks.

The snake tail reared up and with a fleeting lash launched a blast of venom in a deadly arc.

“Barrier!” Zoran shouted, raising a shield in front of him at the last second.

The poison hit the shields with an abrasive sound. The closest wizards who didn't see the attack coming in time fell to the ground with muffled cries.

“Report!”

“Four down, Master Leader!” shouted a wizard from behind his shield.

“Let the wounded retreat!” Rovenna ordered. “Everyone still standing, with me! You two hold the shield!”

The two wizards she pointed out stood in front raising a shield to protect her from the poisonous projectiles as she, without hesitation, cast a sword of light into her hands. The blade glowed with a blinding brilliance, crackling with the pure magic that held it.

“Focus your magic on my attack! Now!”

The remaining wizards, including Zoran, stood behind Rovenna and pointed their hands in her direction, causing their energy to converge on the blade, which glowed brighter. The air around her vibrated with the concentration of power. Rovenna felt the heat coursing through her arm, the energy of the blade beating like a second heart. She gritted her teeth and raised the incandescent blade above her head.

“Now!” she shouted, and unloaded the blow.

The blade of light rushed at the chimera with the speed of an arrow. The blast of energy shook the entire building, raising a cloud of dust and debris. Rovenna found herself ejected backwards along with the rest of the wizards as she watched in shock as the chimera raised its chest and, with a sharp crack, the sword shattered as if it were made of glass.

Stretching out both arms she managed to avoid the fall with a wave of wind although not without staggering, feeling the weight of fatigue and the cold of her tunic soaked with sweat and rain. All around her, the rest of the wizards were no better than her. The chimera's magic had drained their power and the Master Arcanist could feel their energy beginning to wane. She feared that if they continued to push themselves the creature would eventually absorb their disintegrated bodies.

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“Hold the line!” Zoran shouted, though his breathing was heavy. “We're not backing down!”

But the other wizards no longer responded to orders. Those who could still stand on their two legs sought shelter in the rubble. Only Zoran and Rovenna were left, each raising a shield to hold back another poisonous attack from the chimera.

“We have to retreat!” Rovenna exclaimed, her voice steady despite exhaustion. “We're in no condition to keep fighting.”

Zoran let out a harsh laugh.

“I didn't expect much more from you, Rovenna. Always so cautious, so coward.”

“We must think of another strategy. We can't win if we keep wasting energy!”

“You can stay here and think all you want!” He bellowed as he held a sword of light in one hand and a shield in the other. “No filthy chimera will ever beat me!”

With a scream of rage, he lunged toward the creature. His boots hit the shattered ground hard as energy sizzled around him. His shield flashed with silver light, extending in a protective arc in front of him. A wave of wind sent him soaring over the creature that watched him silently, as if measuring his attack. Zoran pointed the sword at a point on its neck looking for a weak spot but before he could even deliver the thrust the beast's fangs slashed through his shield as if it did not exist until it sank into his arm with a snap.

The sword of light flickered to extinction. A shriek of pain was lost in the rain and the rumble of thunder. The creature shook the wizard as if he were nothing more than a rag doll and, with a brutal head movement, threw him into the air. An instant later, Zoran fell to the ground unconscious, his bloody arm at an impossible angle.

The chimera turned its head towards Rovenna and advanced towards her. Each step it took seemed about to crack the stones of the courtyard and left a trail of black footprints behind it.

In Rovenna's heart lodged an emotion she had long ago sworn she would never feel again.

Fear.

She wanted to walk away but her tired feet did not respond. It was as if the creature, by its very presence, had chained her to the ground. Its shadow loomed over her, dark and menacing, while the fire in its eyes glowed with a burning glare.

The chimera's snout was only a few feet from her face. A dull growl vibrated in its throat, and Rovenna felt its hot breath envelop her, thick and laden with a metallic, sulfurous stench, like burnt blood.

Her skin bristled.

“Master Arcanist.”

A deep voice emerged from the chimera although its lips did not move.

“Silas! Why are you doing this? Why now?”

“If it's any consolation, he can't hear you now. He is under my control.”

A hidden figure emerged from behind the beast's thick dark mane. Rovenna needed to blink several times until she recognized the face of Olivia of Shadowrock staring back at her with a mocking grimace.

Unlike the beast, she had not changed her form, but for some reason she radiated a very distinct, ancient, inexplicable energy, similar to the fluctuations she had studied while traversing the eastern fringe. Until then she had not perceived it because the girl's power seemed to have merged with the chimera as if it were now an extension of her.

“Olivia... Is it you?” There was something strange in her gaze. If Rovenna believed in ghosts, she would think the girl had been possessed by one. She swallowed hard, trying to bring her voice back to its usual gravity. “No, it can't be you. Who are you?”

The girl's lips stretched to either side.

“Well done, Master Arcanist. You have my praise. I expected no less from the disciple of Lord Narthoss,” she sighed. “But unfortunately I cannot answer your question.”

Despite the dense rain, Rovenna could not relieve the suffocation caused by the proximity of the chimera. She felt like she could faint at any moment and every word that came out of her mouth stole her breath.

“It was you... You have turned him into a monster.”

Olivia shook her head.

“I only gave him back the power that once belonged to his race... at least for the moment.”

“Impossible... The Dragon Seal... would not allow it. It cannot be broken.”

Olivia rolled her eyes in annoyance.

“I'm not going to debate the legend with you. All we want to do is rescue a friend, but your wizards have attacked without provocation.”

“You say this is not provocation?”

“Your lack of compliance has forced us to act. None of them are dead yet... though I would tend to their wounds as soon as possible.”

“Yet...” Despite her fatigue, Rovenna couldn't help but feel outraged at not being able to do anything.

“I don't have much time to waste. Hand over the child and we will leave without causing any more harm.”

Penn, the boy in the passage? What did he have to do with all that?

In the face of her indecision the chimera advanced toward her and came so close that its breath threatened to set her tunic on fire.

Rovenna could try to fight even though she knew she had no chance. Surrender had never been an option for her but in the face of such unprecedented circumstances it was better to know when to back down.

“You!” she pointed to an Initiate who was watching from behind a pillar. “Bring the boy.”

“Master...” At the furious look of his superior, the boy ran away.

Rovenna gave the girl a piercing look.

“Do you realize what you are doing, what this means for Silas? Now the whole kingdom will know what has happened here and will pursue him relentlessly.”

The girl tilted her head thoughtfully.

“I see... it would be quite annoying... Well... then...” the chimera reared up, opening its jaws. Rovenna watched in horror as an orb of energy formed at the edge of its throat. “Perhaps it would be best to leave no witnesses.”

Rovenna felt helplessness choking her chest. No. Not like this. Not now. Not yet.

“Silas! If you can hear me, stop! It's not too late!”

Time seemed to stretch in the instant when the glow of the chimera intensified as if the sun had broken through the black clouds. Her heartbeat pounded in her temples like a slow, deathly drum. She forced herself to move, to ignore the trembling of her body and the weight of fate looming over her. Her hand twitched on the empty air, trying to summon one last seal because for her there was no choice but to die fighting. One last attempt, one last breath. Her magic pulsed in her veins, barely an echo of what had been, a spark against a storm.

“Enough.”

The word vibrated in the air, reverberating off the ground and into Rovenna's bones.

The orb of energy in the chimera's throat flickered, as if hesitating at the command that seemed to come from nowhere and, at the same time, it was as if it was surging from everywhere. Olivia's head swiveled in all directions, confusion reflected in her eyes alight with fury.

“You cannot do this! Damn-!” the girl's scream was drowned out as the orb dissolved and both she and the creature were enveloped by a golden circle from which vertical lines emanated and formed a cylinder that stretched towards the clouds like an imposing and infinite tower.

The chimera, ferocious and unstoppable just a moment before, began to fold in on itself, its silhouette distorting. Claws and fangs retracted, skin smoothed, wings faded into flecks of light. The circle pulsed one last time before fading. Only silence remained, vast and heavy, as if the world held its breath.

Rovenna stood still, her breathing ragged, her heart still racing.

In front of her lay the humanoid body of Silas, lying unconscious on the floor with Olivia.

She remained aware of the energy in the surroundings for a moment, but she was no longer able to perceive anything. The power of the chimera had dissolved into thin air. She approached the two bodies and felt both for a pulse.

They were still alive.

She took a deep breath and looked up, searching for the owner of the voice that had stopped the attack. But there was no one. Only the cloudy sky, impregnable, witness to what had just happened. It was then that she realized that it had stopped raining.

A sound of hurried footsteps broke through the stillness. She turned her head and saw the Initiate running toward her, dragging Penn by the arm.

“Olivia! Silas!” The boy tried to reach them, but Rovenna stood in his way.

“It will take long for them to wake up,” she said in a firm voice. “You must go now.”

“But...!”

“There's nothing you can do. Take the chance while you have it.”

The boy hesitated, his face unhinged.

“I can't leave without them!”

Rovenna stepped forward, forcing him back. Her cold gaze bore into his.

“You don't have the power to save them. If you really want to help them, get out, or I'll blow you up myself.”

The boy still hesitated, looking at Olivia and Silas. But Rovenna's intensity did not waver. Finally, with clenched fists, he turned and dashed off until he disappeared down a corridor that led to the main entrance of the City Hall.

“Master!” the young Initiate's eyes shone with admiration. “You defeated the chimera!”

Rovenna cleared her throat and suddenly felt a sudden warmth over her head. She looked up again.

Fragments of blue sky peeked through the folds of dark clouds that were beginning to tear. Sunlight filtered timidly through, illuminating the ruins scattered around her. The wind, which until then had howled violently, became a whisper that slipped through the remains of scorched stone and wood.

The storm was over.

Rovenna kept her eyes expectantly on the firmament but failed to spot anything out of the ordinary.

She shook her head - what was she expecting to find?