Night fell on the Windy Stronghold, and the winds swirled quietly through the valley, carrying their usual chill. Eren and Leylin sat by a small fire glowing with a golden flame, silently contemplating its glow.
Leylin said in a quiet voice, "Whenever I look at the fire... I wonder if it will ever be with me."
Eren looked at her, the wind ruffling his hair. "It will be... as long as we protect it together."
But before she could respond, an unfamiliar cold wind swept through the valley, followed by the strange smell of smoke mixed with blood and iron.
Eren immediately rose, opening his Wind Wings behind him, while Leylin closed her hand, the golden flame glowing in her palm.
"It's coming... the Black Ashes."
Zerath whispered, emerging from the shadows, his staff clutched tightly, his eyes scanning the sky.
Thick black clouds rose over the valley, and black granules, shiny as ash, began to fall from them, emitting a faint red light.
When the granules hit the ground, black smoke rose from them, and the ash moved to form small shadows, coiling like snakes around the fighters' legs and trying to seep into their chests.
"He's getting... into my breath!" one of the Wind Guardians shouted.
Some soldiers began to fall, black shadows wrapping around their necks, their eyes glowing red, and they screamed in pain.
"Don't let him in! Hold your breath!"
Zerath shouted, raising his staff to unleash a powerful blast of wind that scattered the ash slightly but didn't kill it.
Lylin stepped forward, the golden flame burning even more intensely in her hands.
"Let me burn him!"
A wave of golden flame spread across the ground, devouring the nearby ash, which turned into black smoke and disappeared.
But the ash gathered again, forming tall black figures with red eyes, resembling ghosts wrapped in smoke, creeping toward the stronghold.
"This is their first test... The black ash attacks to break our defenses before attacking itself."
Zerath said in a low voice.
Eren advanced, inhaling deeply despite the warnings, and let out a loud scream into the wind, a storm surging around his body.
"Leylin, fire into my wind!"
Leylin nodded, releasing a small golden flame into the storm Eren was commanding. As the flame entered the wind, the tornado transformed into a golden firestorm, engulfing the black ash and devouring the black bodies one by one.
The shadows shrieked in sharp voices before dissipating, a burning smell rising into the valley.
But before the winds could die down, they heard a faint voice coming from the smoke:
"You who protect the fire... and the wind... we are coming."
Lylin froze, gripping Eren's hand tightly as the winds around them died down.
"I've heard that voice before... it was the voice of the shadows that devoured my sister."
Eren placed his other hand over hers and said firmly,
"We won't let them take anything else."
The ash gradually disappeared with the winds, and the night eased slightly, but traces of the black shadows remained on the ground, like black burn marks slowly pulsing with red light.
"This was just a test," Zerath said, looking out into the distance. "The next wave will be stronger, and you must be ready."
Lylin raised her head, the flames illuminating her eyes.
"We are ready."
Eren held her hand tightly.
"Whatever comes... we will face it together."
And so, that night, the valley fell silent again, as the wind caressed the remnants of ash on the ground, carrying with it the promise of a greater battle to come… a battle that would determine whether the union of fire and wind was enough to break the shadows once and for all.