NEVEN

Vaunted ancestor, grant me the strength to sing over the chorus of night. Hear my song on the wind. Our connection, our names through history. Upon the glaive, I shall give you my resplendent melody. He threw himself up his magick to land on the shoulder of the large statue at the familiar ripple of power in Irimount the moment the wyvern banked and found itself trapped underneath the barrier made out of the city's still beating heart. Hand on the side of Atoran's stone head, he pushed all of might through the smallest of cracks, into the magick crystal within. "Give me your strength, and I shall give you my movement." Neven glared over the stone when the wyvern broke through several of the protective barriers as Yuven and Adara's shapes came closer to get out of his way. He used his glaive to send himself onto the solid glyph growing above Atoran, settling himself as light coursed through the stone limbs. I need but a moment for an opening, and it cannot crush me so easily.

His glyph mirrored the one he stood on in counter movements, until it matched the speed and grace of the crystal which brought the statue to life. Chains clanged through the air, and he sighed, sending one last whispered note to the ancestors far above the moment the wyvern slammed to a stop, stuck in his trap. For the moment of truth. He took a step, using the flow of the glyphs to keep him motionless as the statue's eyes glowed with sharp, blue ferocity. Heatwaves danced around him, and he released an excess of energy through his nose, to keep his lungs free to sing. Hands on his glaive, he straightened himself out, legs full of the same stone beneath him as Yuven and Adara scrambled out of the way of a rotting blast of flames.

On each point of his glaive, a barrier spread out and caught the sweep of death into it as he moved forward. I need to give him an opportunity. He met the wyvern facefirst, Evyriaz, when it lifted its head with a snarl, but Neven held his ground when it died and its third eyelid fluttered with its withdrawn teeth. Its scaled hackles raised as it drew itself to full height, dragging its claws through the buildings. He ignored his twinge of terror for his fellow Wardens as it dragged itself forward, pulling the golden weight with it as it let out a different sounding moan.

"... Atoran... hear your voice..."

Neven narrowed his eyes when it came to a stop, then let out a rocking bellow of pain. He tightened his grip on the shaft, and the statue responded in kind. Its neck snaked and cracked against the taller barricades, its teeth wide in intent and on the hunt. It snapped back into socket, and its bellow turned into a singing screech. It dug its claws in, and Neven held his ground, ignoring Yuven's own screech of concern as the wyvern broke through his defense. He swung his glaive through the particles before the wyvern's teeth tore through his own golden wings. Its horns lodged into the side, and it growled with apprehension as it dragged its head through the windows and swung debris over the streets. Grip switched, he slammed his glaive downwards into the crown of its head, piercing the carapace of pitch. Tendrils of crimson slammed upwards, and he avoided the slice of death by tearing the glaive through its nose.

Give me a sign.

Evyriaz hissed, a response through the nose as it bared its teeth and reformed the broken pieces of the husk. Misty plumes left between the clouds of crimson rot made of its teeth, and Neven stepped backwards when Evyriaz went for another strike into his body. I need to incapacitate it long enough... Neven grunted when the wyvern sent a wing forward, causing him to stumble backwards from the impact the statue took. Another expulsion of excess magick left through his own teeth as he braced himself for the charge, wrapping his glaive around the cracked horns when Evyriaz lifted himself on his hindlimbs, and Neven scowled when the claws dug into his ancestor's shoulders. Infernal— He let one hand free of his weapon, sending it to grapple onto Euron's maw when it widened, pulling it shut on its own hinges.

He dug his feet in, and with his glaive as leverage, he sent another burst of magick to tug Evyriaz through a ruined building, aiming him down the largest street. His claws dug deeper, its jaws tearing for freedom, but he kept his heavy grip as his energy waned the more he used his ancestor's stone body. His armoured fingers dug deeper, where his ancestors clawed boots clipped onto the broken stones and held his ground.

Neven thrust his glaive into the husk's exposed chest, then drove himself forward to leave a trail of destruction when the wyvern matched his strength. He trapped Evyriaz against the walls of Irimount — the same walls which formed a bubble of no escape. His own guttural hiss escaped his nose when Euron twisted and writhed, before sending an extra claw down onto his wrist. Magick shot up his arm from the impact, and he stepped on the stone glaive at Atoran's heel to keep it in place when Euron lunged forward once more, but he still had two hands.

He sent a fist straight into its claws, keeping it pinned against the white walls of blood-soaked marble. Steam fell across his shoulders in golden cascades as he tried to keep his breath even as Evyriaz's crimson eyes narrowed, snarling inch by inch. He gave it leeway, but he used his leverage to tear the wyvern back to the ground, setting a stone knee on its snout as it let out a rumbling hiss, driving its claws into the stone.

"Miesero!" Yuven called behind him.

He sent a hand in the direction of the voice. "Now, Fenrer!" He threw his own song through Irimount.

Golden vines burst out of the ground and joined the golden weight to slam into its neck. It screeched and writhed, and Neven kept his balance on the thinning iceas it clawed at his ancestors waist. In his peripheral, Yuven loomed underneath his free arm with Adara, who stared at the stuck wyvern in shock and awe.

"... Atoran..."

No, just Neven.

Fenrer came from underneath his legs, golden crescent blade at the ready as Evyriaz attention swung to him with a curling hiss. Its tail swung, but Neven blocked it with a stone hand, gritting his teeth when the impact tore through his magick. Fenrer rushed forward, driving his hands deep in the thick coating of the husk, where a different scream joined the fray and expelled golden stars from the Derelict's multiple orifices. The black chain tightened and rumbled.

"Fenrer, that's enough!" he heard Yuven scream.

Fenrer was lost in the opal flames, hands still driven into the creeping tendrils wrapping around his arms.

It seared through a song, and he jolted when a bone cracked in Evyriaz's neck. Below him, Fenrer tore his arms out, but as fast as the flames came to life, they fizzled out, and Fenrer collapsed to the stone below as he found his knee without a wyvern. Blast! Neven lunged upward at the same time the wyvern did when the flicker of embers escaped from its throat. He threw his fist forward, and blood splattered from its jaw when Evyriaz screeched and stumbled backwards, but deep within the husk, the chain rusted.

It shook itself out and cracked its neck back into place with a snarl. Neven clenched his fists and took a step forward with the statue, but he frowned when Evyriaz shimmered with the magick he shared with Yuven, taking a sudden leap off the ground, wings outstretched as he roared at the barrier. Confusion rippled across his shoulders when it opened with ease, but he drove his horns the rest of the way, and flew into the blizzard.

Exhaustion ripped across his chest as he turned back to who he left behind, Yuven and Adara loomed over Fenrer. Disconnected from the statue, the moment it leaned down, he hopped off its head and slid down its back to rush to them.

"Fenrer?" Yuven whispered, driving his fingers into his clammy cheeks. "What were you thinking?"

Neven scrambled to his knees beside Fenrer, setting his hands on his shoulders. Weariness reigned across his brow, and he whispered, "He'll be alright. He broke the auric connection before it could imbalance his soul further." He checked upwards when Evyriaz's song tore through the clouds. "I only managed to stun him, but I don't know how long that'll last. If we are to finish this... it must be now." He clutched onto Yuven's forearm with his free hand. "You must give chase before he lays waste to Irimount — and the whole of Naveera. Go." He sent his palm into Yuven's chest. "The both of you." He nodded to Adara. "I will take care of Fenrer."

"But—" Yuven argued.

Neven twisted his head to him. "We have done what we can, the rest is on you, Yuven," he pointed out as he brought both hands to Fenrer. "Do not worry, I will take care of him, and I am fine. Call Tix'snuv, and take wing."

Yuven drew himself to his feet and scowled, before bringing up a small whistle from his pocket to blow into it. In a blur of white, Tix'snuv flew from around one of the peaks to come into a running landing before trotting to Yuven's side. "Let's go, Sazaka. I'm going to need your power." Adara groaned under her breath, but hauled herself into the saddle the moment Yuven set himself in it. Neven met his charges gaze evenly, before Yuven clicked his teeth and Tix'snuv took wing once more, flying through the breach of Irimount's barrier without fear, disappearing into the white wind.

Neven released the rest of his exhaustion, drawing out long inhales as he inched closer to Fenrer, tapping him on both cheeks. "Little Wolf?" he mumbled. "Can you hear me?"

Fenrer let out a soft moan and squinted up at him. "Neven..."

"You're fine, I will take you to the field station for rest—" He stopped when Fenrer sighed and dug his fingers into his forearm.

"He saw you... as someone else. I got a glimpse of the light... the moment he called out a name," Fenrer wheezed. "It was my one chance..." His breath came out staggered, and Neven kept his head flat on the ground when his eyes slipped into the back of his head.

"You did well," Neven soothed as some of the Storm Wardens caught up to them. "Grab one of the litters and take him to the field station! Maria and the other Chirugeons should be there waiting for news," he ordered and straightened himself out to turn to the statue kneeling with the glaive. Pain rocked through his knees, and he slipped onto them with one last gasp.

"Are you okay, Captain?" one of the younger Wardens asked in concern as the other two pulled Fenrer onto a litter.

He waved off their concern and found himself staring up at the breach of the barrier. "I am well," he said, and took their offer of assistance. "Get the rest of the area cleared out and ready for departure." He twisted back to the blizzard, the eternal beast of his home and country. I must believe that they will return. He pressed his hand against his chest and whispered out both their names past his lips, into the endless chorus of wind. Concern dripped through his throat at the silence, but he shook out his feathers. No... if they take long... I will chase after them. But for now— He faced Fenrer once more when the two Wardens lifted him up. I need to make sure he is unaffected by that much corruption.

With one last check at where his charge disappeared, he went back up to his ancestor to leap onto his shoulder, back into the glyph to lift it back up. Let's get you back to your vigil, Atoran Lotayrin... thank you for lending me your strength.

His powerful footsteps made history.