Kael stood in the middle of the Factory’s towering presence, watching the battlefield before him. The fae were charging in full force, their wings beating the air with an intensity that shook the very sky. He had thought that breaking their source of magic, destroying the Mother Crystal, would be the key to shattering their morale—an act that would bring their fighting spirit to an end. But as he watched the fae swarm like a relentless tide, his mind turned in on itself. The destruction of the crystal hadn’t broken them. If anything, it had fueled their rage.

  The storm of fury grew closer, a force that Kael knew would be difficult to withstand. The fae were warriors, driven by magic that flowed in their blood. And now, anger flowed in its stead.

  But then, his thoughts shifted as he saw her, his closest ally. Lira flew back toward the Factory, her mechanical wings struggling but still going. She was flying low, close to the ground, but there was no doubt that she was determined.

  Lira’s eyes stared at the ground as she fought to stay focused. She couldn’t believe it, could hardly wrap her mind around it—they’d actually pulled it off. The plan Kael had set in motion had worked, despite all the odds, despite the impossibly high risks.

  Another jolt of energy went through her, reminding Lira of her new companion, Twinkle. The tiny wisp flickered in the air, darting between her harness and her side. Twinkle hovered behind her again, another spark boosting the power in her wings.

  She cast a glance above her and saw the fae army. The skies seemed to darken by their numbers as they moved in unison. Their wings spread wide, their twin swords drawn, unified in a singular purpose. Revenge.

  Lira focused ahead of her, on her destination, the Factory. Despite the great swarm of fae, the Factory stood still, not backing down, no sign of retreat. She knew this battle had not ended. She knew Avaris would not back down.

  Avaris simply smiled looking at the fae charge. Desperate. Reckless. Weak.

  The Mother Crystal had been shattered, the heart of Highhaven broken. Its magic, the fae’s magic was gone. A chuckle escaped his usually calculated facade. The Master sat atop his throne, atop his war machine.

  “Winged Division 6 to 12, mobilize. Charge at them. Kill the fae. Leave no survivors.”

  Without the crystal, without their magic, they were weak. They had their wings, no doubt annoying, and their swords, but that would be beaten by his golems. He was sure of it. The last vestiges of the fae’s power, their pride, had been shattered, and now they were exposed.

  “All Titanus Divisions, stop the repairs to the wheels. Instead, start pulling the Factory forward. We march now.”

  The golems responded immediately, their mechanical limbs moving with terrifying speed. The ground beneath them shook as the golems of war sprang into action. Several large cables were attached to the Factory and each golem began to pull in unnatural synchronicity. The Factory moved again.

  “Sentinels, man the ballistas. Take aim and fire on any targets that attempt to resist.”

  Avaris rose from his throne, the crystals on his throne glowing brighter. The war was no longer a waiting game. With the Mother Crystal destroyed, the fae were no longer a magical force to be reckoned with. They were just another enemy to crush beneath the weight of his might.

  He walked to the massive windows that overlooked the battlefield, watching as his winged golems began their charge toward the fae. The sound of clashing metal and the cries of war filled the air as his armies met theirs in the sky. This was his war to lose. Avaris smiled, remembering the only thing standing in his way was an Introductory Master. Kael.

  In the tube room, the remaining sentinels, those that rose again, were hard at work. They assembled ballistas from scattered parts around the room. Kael groaned as the sound of metal scraping against metal filled the air as the weapons of war were made anew.

  He looked down at the Titanus legions trembling as they continued pulling, their mechanical bodies straining against the sheer mass of the Factory. Each step they took shook the very earth they walked upon.

  An arrow suddenly whistled past Kael’s head, narrowly missing. He barely flinched, his eyes still gazing at the battlefield, watching as the fae continued their assault. Arrows flew through the air, their trajectory aimed directly at the winged golems. The fae, despite magicless, were not easily subdued.

  Three Arms and Gerry arrived at Kael’s side, their heavy steps retreating from the command room. The two golems, their gears grinding as they moved, stood before Kael, having completed their mission.

  "What is the next plan, Kael?"

  Kael could feel the tide turning. The fae continued to give a desperate fight, but without their magic, they were outmatched. It was a matter of time before the fae were too depleted to fight back. Kael knew this.

  “Nothing. This war is won.”

  The winged golems soared through the air, their claws piercing the wind. They clashed through the fae, their twin swords ineffective. The metal golems collided with the fae, a crude imitation of life against the graceful fae.

  Lyanna was relentless, field by fury and desperation, her eyes blazing as she fought back. The golems were tough and her swords weak, yet she kept swinging, attacking, diving and dodging. Her swords flashed, aiming for the heart, but the golems were proving difficult to break.

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  With a swift motion, Lyanna used Dualfang Rend, her blades slicing through the air in a flash, stabbing deep into one of the golems’ exposed crystal hearts. The golem’s body shuddered, sparks flying from the wound, and broke into metal scraps. She took a deep breath and with a graceful spin, Lyanna launched herself at another golem. An X shape was slashed through its exposed crystal: Dewdrop Cascade. The golem’s parts crumbled under the force, its body breaking apart, its gears grinding to a halt.

  But for every golem she destroyed, two more seemed to appear. Lyanna could see her allies now faltering. The winged golems were cutting through them like a knife through butter. Lyanna’s heart pounded as she pushed herself harder, refusing to let the fae fall.

  And then, through the chaos, she heard it—a voice.

  "Lyanna!"

  It was a voice she knew too well. The voice of Oluru, her brother, the Guardian of Highhaven. His words reached her through the battle, the noise, even through the shattering of Mother Crystal.

  “Oluru….”

  “The Mother Crystal was the source of our magic… But every living race has some magic inside them. It is a magic that allows them to reincarnate in the Well of Reincarnation, to rise again.”

  His voice was filled with pain and exhaustion.

  “Oluru, why are yo—”

  Oluru stumbled forward, his hands trembling as they reached toward the Mother Crystal. His fingers grazed its fractured surface, and the air around him crackled with the raw force of the magic. The crystal was ruined, with the fae’s magic fading through its cracks, but Oluru, with the last of his strength, pressed his palm against it.

  “Lyanna, I will give the last of my magics to heal the cracks.”

  “Oluru!”

  "The fae have fought bravely, but the time is coming when they will need your strength. Guide them, Lyanna."

  “No, Uluru, don’t!”

  But Oluru did not answer. He was too far gone.

  The Mother Crystal began to hum, growing stronger with every pulse. The cracks began to mend, slowly, painfully, but the magic was there. The energy in the room shifted, rising again. The fae magic had not been fully extinguished. There was hope, even in the darkest of moments.

  Oluru collapsed, his energy spent. His body, now drained of all its life force, crumpled to the floor in a heap. The cracks in the crystal closed, the essence of the fae contained again. Mother Crystal had been reborn and the magic lost from it was returned.

  A tear, barely visible, trickled down Lyanna’s cheek. It was a tear not of grief but of fierce, raw pride. Not from a sister, but the kind only a warrior could understand. The cost had been immeasurable. Her brother, Oluru, the Guardian of Highhaven, had given everything to keep their world from unraveling. His sacrifice, his true death, would never be forgotten by the fae. It would never be forgotten by Lyanna.

  Lyanna floated above her allies, each blade a channel for the lightning that surged within her. The sky around her shifted dark as the power that was taken had been restored. The fae were no longer powerless, no longer broken. They had risen with Oluru’s gift, their spirits ignited like the very lightning that now danced on Lyanna’s blades.

  With a cry, Lyanna charged straight. She blitzed through the golems that stood in her path, each slash as fast as light itself. The lightning that arced from her blades surged through the golems’ metallic frames, cracking their outer layers and cracking their crystal hearts. With the final strike, Lyanna thrusted the blade into the heart of a winged golem, a great ball of lightning erupting from her attack, the storm and energy chaining to the other golems.

  Oluru’s Sacrifice.

  It was a technique that Lyanna had just created. One that just flowed through her body. A symbol for everything the fae fought for. The reason the fae could still fight. It was wild and chaotic, a trail of broken golems and metal parts left in its wake.

  Seeing her furiosity, the fae around her fought with renewed strength. Their wings beat faster, their blows stronger. The golem army that was once winning was pushed back, with rage, sadness and blasts of lightning.

  The golems were not done yet. They continued to fight, but with every strike they absorbed, the fae grew stronger. Each of Lyanna’s movements, each surge of magic, was a reminder of Oluru’s sacrifice. His gift to the fae. And she shall return the gift with the head of the Gearsmith.

  The Gearsmith pressed his fingers to his chin, a cold, calculated look of a Master who knew when to cut his losses.

  "The gambit has failed. It is time to retreat."

  Lorran, standing at the controls, moved in a blur, his vibrating arms pulling levers and turning gears. The mighty, unyielding skull, which had loomed over the battlefield, was no longer still. It shifted, creaking and groaning as spider-like legs unfolded from beneath its massive frame. The legs, long and spindly, stretched and pulled with a terrible, grinding sound.

  The skull began its retreat, its movements steady as the spider legs carried it down. It shifted and crawled, the sounds of metal scraping against the Factory tower filling the air.

  "We cannot afford to be caught in the retreat. Golems, hold the line."

  The Titanus legions, winged divisions and sentinels moved to engage the fae, forming a defensive line to shield their retreat. Ballista bolts were fired en masse at the fae, blades and steel held against them in a bid for their Master to escape.

  Kael stood in the Skull-Spider, looking out and saw Lira struggling against the air, fighting to close the distance between herself and the retreating Factory. She was too far behind, her wings failing to keep pace with the mechanical beast’s quick retreat.

  Twinkle, Kael’s loyal wisp, kept a constant stream of energy to her harness, urging her to speed up. But Lira was slowing, her mechanical wings groaned with every beat. She was battered and weary and the Skull-Spider was moving too fast.

  Then, a surge of blue light suddenly burst forth around her. Lira blinked, her body aching, but she could sense the change, the magic that surged around her like a wave. A dozen wisps appeared, their light sharp and brilliant. They swarmed around her, charging her wings with their magical spark.

  Energy filled her wings, the sensation almost too much to bear. She zipped through the air, faster than she had ever flown, her winged harness shaking from energy surge. Her pain seemed distant as she chased the Factory skull.

  The mechanical Skull-Spider loomed before her, the spider legs moving with speed, taking it farther from her. But Lira had dozens of wisps charging her wings and she had a fire burning in her eyes. She yearned not to give up but to escape. With the final burst of strength, she shot forward, her body diving towards the skull’s open mouth.

  In a blinding flash of motion, Lira crashed into the skull’s tube room, sending herself and Kael tumbling to the floor in a heap of limbs and confusion. The impact reverberated through the Factory, the skull shaking on her impact.

  Kael grunted as he was knocked off balance, but when he realized who had just fallen on top of him, his eyes widened. “Lira?” he said.

  ******