Spotting Jolthar's unconscious form, lying perilously close to the crumbling edge, Eran didn't hesitate. He darted toward him, dodging falling debris with agility honed by countless battles.

But Maelruth had been quicker; Eran saw the drake standing beside Jolthar, nudging him.

With a practised motion, Eran slid down to Jolthar, scooping him up with surprising ease despite unconscious Jolthar's weight. "Come on, boy, hold together!" he muttered under his breath, though Jolthar couldn't hear him.

Debris rained down around them as the canyon floor tilted further inward, the relentless pull of the sinkhole threatening to drag everything into its depths.

Eran hauled Jolthar onto Drake's back, securing him with one arm while gripping the reins tightly with the other.

The drake snorted, its powerful muscles tensing as if responding to Eran's sharp command. "Go, boy! Out of here!" Maelruth reared up for a brief second before bolting toward the collapsing canyon's edge, its strong limbs thundering against the trembling ground.

The knights and others, already scrambling up the sides, paused momentarily, looking back at Eran and the Drake racing against the collapsing terrain. "Move!" Raayani's voice cut through the chaos like a blade. "Don't stop now!"

With one final burst of speed, Maelruth leapt over a falling section of rock, landing heavily on the solid ground beyond the canyon's edge. Eran pulled them to a halt, panting heavily as he slid off the Drake, carefully lowering Jolthar to the snowy ground.

The others emerged moments later, their expressions a mix of exhaustion and relief. Behind them, the canyon gave a final, ground-shaking groan before collapsing entirely. The sand, rock, and debris were swallowed into a massive sinkhole, leaving only a jagged, unnatural scar where the canyon once stood.

Eran leaned against the drake, his breath visible in the cold air. "That was too close," he muttered, glancing down at Jolthar. Blood still trickled down Jolthar's arm, staining the snow beneath him, but his chest rose and fell steadily.

The group gathered around, the snow falling steadily as if nature itself sought to bury the chaos of the canyon. For a moment, they stood in silence, catching their breath, each aware of how close they had come to disaster.

Now outside the canyon, their immediate danger had passed, but the weight of what had transpired lingered in the air. The snow continued to fall, now covering the desert in an unnatural, white silence.

Raayani's gaze drifted to the horizon, her expression pensive. "This is far from over," she said softly, more to herself than to anyone else. She was thinking about the ones who escaped.

Jolthar lay unconscious, his face pale but peaceful, as if finally finding a moment of respite.

Daus, who left with the women, didn't go much further, and when he saw the serpent ice dragon, he came to the canyon only to see it was gone. He met with the rest of them and learnt that his brother was killed and also his abominations with him.

He looked at unconscious Jolthar and thanked Eran and his knights.

Raayani stood still, her sharp gaze fixed on the horizon where the Nynthrall ship had disappeared. The snow, lingering from her earlier attack, began to thin, melting into the arid sands of the desert. Her expression remained unreadable, but her tightly clasped hands betrayed the storm of thoughts swirling within her. Nynthralls, their appearance in the human lands was not a simple matter, and the fact that they came for the children of the spire made her angry. Right after the incident with Baron Son, Raayani learnt that a child was saved from kidnapping a few days before. And she was told that Jolthar from the Kaezhlar clan had helped them.

When she saw Jolthar here again, she was surprised to see him but she was even more surprised when she saw what he was capable of. Just how much potential did this boy have? Their previous encounter in the river city, made her admire his young spirit and for making her daughter focused. Because of him, she was now more determined than before but seeing his power, a doubt crossed her mind-she would never be able to win over him.

The Kaezhlar clan were lucky to have such a promising child and not only that, he was connected to gods which she found the whole matter, very interesting. She herself had a connection to them but she didn't meet them often and he only came to her when regarding their daughter, otherwise, he wouldn't even spare a glance at her and she had totally ignored him too.

Belan told her that creature turned man repeatedly called Jolthar - a child blessed by gods. And the power he emitted earlier, it wasn't what a normal boy of his age could release. It was devastating and destructive too.

A smile crept up on her lips as she thought about Jolthar and already ideas were forming in her mind about the boy. However, her thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of Yoana.

Yoana, who had just finished dealing with the robed Nynthralls, approached Raayani's side, wiping dark streaks of blood from her face. "Should we follow them?" she asked cautiously, her tone more a suggestion than a question.

Raayani shook her head, waving dismissively. "No. They've slipped beyond our reach." Her voice was calm, but there was a subtle edge to it—a frustration she masked well.

Belan, who had been watching Raayani from a distance, decided to approach. The young woman moved gracefully over the uneven terrain, her icy-blue eyes scanning her mother's face for any hint of what she was thinking.

"What's the matter, Mother?" she asked gently.

Raayani glanced at her, the edges of her lips softening into a faint smile. "Nothing," she said.

"How are you doing?"

"I'm all right," Belan replied, though her tone carried an unspoken concern.

Raayani's smile faded as she turned her attention back to the horizon. "Good."

The group began to regroup after the intense battle. As the snow vanished completely and the desert heat began to rise again, Raayani signalled for everyone to move.

The knights, weary but disciplined, fell in line with the others. Eran had put Jolthar on the drake, and they moved along the drake.

Belan and Yoana stayed close to Raayani, their presence a silent reminder of the bond they shared despite the chaos of their surroundings. Together, they began the long trek back to the valley, the silence punctuated only by the crunch of boots on the sand and the distant calls of desert creatures.

-

Far beyond the canyon, the Nynthrall ship raced through the air, its hull glowing faintly with the mana crystals that powered it. The sands below blurred into indistinct waves as the ship picked up speed, desperate to put as much distance as possible between itself and the wrath of Raayani.

Inside, the atmosphere was tense. The crew, a force of Nynthralls who hadn't participated in the canyon battle, worked frantically to keep the ship steady. Their faces betrayed unease—they knew how close they had come to annihilation.

In the ship's dimly lit hold, Yilar sat slumped against the wall, his body battered and his left arm reduced to a stump. Dark energy flickered faintly around his wounds, his regenerative abilities working overtime to keep him alive. Blood soaked through the crude bandages that had been hastily applied, but despite the agony coursing through his body, a faint smile tugged at his lips.

The mission was a success.

He turned his gaze to the centre of the hold, where a massive, shadowy creature writhed against its bindings. Its form was grotesque, an amalgamation of black scales and translucent skin, its glowing eyes filled with rage and confusion. The creature snarled, its claws scraping against the magical restraints that held it in place, each movement causing sparks of dark energy to crackle in the air.

"Until we meet again, Blue Rose matriarch," Yilar muttered, his voice hoarse but tinged with satisfaction. He coughed violently, spitting blood onto the floor, but his grin widened. "We got what we came for."

One of the surviving Nynthralls approached him cautiously, their robed form betraying nervousness. "Captain, your wounds—"

Yilar silenced them with a glare. "Save it. Focus on getting us back."

The subordinate nodded and retreated, leaving Yilar alone with his thoughts. Despite the pain, the captain's mind churned with plans. Raayani's intervention had been unexpected, and it had nearly cost them everything. Yet, the creature in the hold was proof that even the mighty could be outmanoeuvred.

Yilar's gaze lingered on the creature as it let out another enraged roar, its form glowing faintly in the dim light. The bindings held firm, a testament to the dark magic that had been woven to contain it.

"Let them think they've won," Yilar murmured to himself, his voice barely audible over the hum of the ship's engines. "This is only the beginning."

Satisfied, he leaned back against the wall, his breathing shallow but steady. The ship continued its flight across the desert, carrying its precious cargo toward whatever dark purpose awaited.