The wind howled as Arson and Sylvia walked the winding path through jagged rocks and blackened trees, leading to a looming castle nestled in the shadows of the mountain cliffs. Its spires stabbed the sky like twisted thorns, and the very air around it felt heavier, laced with magic and malice.
On the way, a few villagers had trailed behind them, stopping before the cursed boundary. One of them called out to Sylvia, "Why follow a destroyer like him?"
Sylvia turned, her eyes calm but firm. "Because destruction without control becomes chaos... and life without resistance becomes overgrowth. I follow him for balance."
That answer silenced them. Even Arson glanced at her — not with mockery, but a flicker of something like... understanding.
As they approached the iron gates of the dark castle, Arson slowed down and spoke gruffly, "This one's mine. Stay out of it. I'll burn that feathered freak myself."
Sylvia stepped beside him, unbothered. "I'm not here to save you, Arson. I just can't let anyone else end you. That's my duty. And if you somehow survive, I need to make sure you don't run off and start your own conquest."
Arson growled in frustration. "You just have to twist my pride like that."
"Wouldn't be me otherwise," she smiled lightly.
He sighed, flames curling at his fists. "...Fine. Follow me. But don't get in the way."
They pushed open the creaking gates, the cold inside swallowing them as they stepped into the dark halls of Thorn's castle where fear was law, and silence was survival.
But today, fire and nature had come to disturb that silence.
The grand hall of the castle echoed with the clinks of armored boots and the fluttering wings of Thorn's elite fairy soldiers.
Black-winged and clad in dark silver armor with sharp, petal-like engravings, they blocked the path with their spears crossed, forming a glimmering wall of loyalty.
One of them stepped forward, his eyes cold and unwavering. "State your business. Outsiders are not welcome here."
Arson's flames sparked at his shoulders as he stepped ahead.
"I heard Thorn's name echoing like he's some kind of tyrant. I've come to see if he's better at domination than me."
The fairies didn't flinch.
Their leader replied, "Lord Thorn doesn't entertain challenges from strangers."
Sylvia stepped beside Arson, her tone sharper than usual.
"Then maybe he should. What has he done to those villagers? Why are they so terrified, they'd rather burn than speak?"
The soldiers exchanged glances. Then, one of them answered firmly, "Their freedoms were sacrificed... for the greater good. Lord Thorn aims to elevate the Fairy Tribe above all others. To establish order. Structure. Power."
"By silencing innocent people?" Sylvia pressed.
"Freedom breeds chaos. Doubt. Weakness. Thorn gives them purpose."
Arson scoffed, his flames crackling louder. "Sounds like another pride-choked lunatic hiding behind ideals. Let me through."
The soldiers' wings flared, their spears glowing with fairy magic. "If you want Thorn, you'll have to force your way in."
Arson grinned. "That's more like it."
Arson's flames roared across the stone floor, turning the cold hall into a furnace.
But the black-winged fairy soldiers didn't flinch. Their wings shimmered with dark energy — not natural, but enhanced. As the fire lashed out, they raised their spears in perfect synchronization, forming a barrier of magic that withstood Arson's assault. The flames hissed, then broke apart like steam hitting cold iron.
One of the soldiers stepped forward, his voice unnaturally calm. "You cannot burn through Thorn's blessing. We are not weaklings like those peasants."
Another soldier added, "Thanks to the sacrifices of the villagers, our power has reached new heights. Their freedom... was a small price."
Arson scowled. "So you're leeching off the people you claim to rule?"
The soldiers didn't deny it.
"Fairies were never meant to protect weaklings," one declared. "We bring order. Structure. The world is chaotic — Lord Thorn teaches discipline. Without him, we'd still be a fractured tribe."
Sylvia's eyes widened in horror. "What discipline are you talking about?"
The soldier listed it off like sacred commandments:
"Each villager may leave their home only twice per day.
Farming? Five minutes.
Eating? Two.
Screaming? Banned.
Crying? Punishable.
Noise of any kind? Forbidden.
Children must remain silent at all times."
Another soldier added coldly, "Those who defy even one law... face judgment."
Sylvia was frozen. Her heart pounded, vines curling instinctively around her arms. "That's... monstrous. That's not discipline. That's slavery."
The soldier smirked. "No. That's power. True fairy rule."
Arson's fists clenched, flames licking his arms. "You call yourselves rulers? You're just cowards with wings. If Thorn made you like this—then he's worse than I thought."
Sylvia stepped beside him, her voice trembling with fury. "We're ending this."
The fairy soldiers flared their wings and readied their weapons.
"Then you'll have to survive Thorn's judgment too."
The battle began as Arson charged towards the fairy soldiers.