The valley before Eren and Leylin resembled a hellish crater open to the sky. Smoldering lava flowed among the red rocks, plumes of smoke rose, and lightning struck the ground at close intervals, exploding the rocks and releasing glowing shards.
The three Guardians stood at the edge of the valley, watching silently as Eren and Leylin advanced steadily. Golden flame danced around Leylin's hand, and lightning-like winds swirled around Eren's body.
The elder Guardian said in a deep voice, "In this valley, you will face the ancient ash that has seeped into this land since the shadows fell upon your world. If you can't overcome it here, you won't be able to stop it later."
Eren nodded, feeling the winds breathe around him, laden with the scent of lightning and ash, while Leylin closed her eyes for a moment, feeling the heat of the volcanic fire pulsing within her, ready to unleash it.
The two entered the valley, each step stirring up hot dust, each breath heavy and filled with the heat of the ash.
Suddenly, the ground shook beneath their feet, and the volcanic earth crackled open, revealing a creature composed of black ash and dark fire. Its eyes glowed like glowing red embers, its body enveloped in smoke.
This creature was the first manifestation of the ancient ash.
It opened its mouth and roared like a black firestorm, rushing toward Leylin.
Leylin raised her hand and unleashed her golden flames. The two flames met in a violent explosion, but Leylin's flames penetrated the black flames, knocking the creature back, leaving burn marks on its smoky body.
The creature roared again, sending a thick cloud of ash into the air, blurring its vision. It quickly moved into the smoke to attack Eren from behind.
But the lightning wind around Eren emitted a green flash, sensing the creature's presence before it arrived. He quickly spun around and unleashed a wave of lightning-infused wind, striking the creature's body and scattering smoke around it.
With each attack, the creature reshaped itself from the ash, becoming larger and denser.
Lylin gasped, "It's never ending."
Lylin replied firmly, the winds tightening around him, "The ash is the end, only if we surrender to it."
Lylin stepped forward and closed her eyes, summoning the volcanic fire she had trained in, merging with her golden fire, igniting a massive flame in her hands, a golden-red hue intertwining.
At the same moment, Eren gathered the lightning wind around his arms, streaks of lightning glowing in the air, and a whirl of electrically charged air formed in front of him.
The creature opened its mouth to unleash a torrent of black ash upon them, but Eren unleashed a whirl of lightning wind, cutting through the ash stream, while Leylin hurled a ball of flame into the center of the vortex.
The fire and wind converged, creating a massive explosion of light and heat that tore through the ash and pushed the creature back, while the fire pierced its body and consumed the smoke of the shadows within.
The creature screamed, its voice mingling with the wind laden with sparks of fire, before it began to burn from within, turning into ash that fell to the ground.
The ash fell like gray rain into the valley, but this time it carried no darkness; it was silent, lifeless ash.
Leylin advanced toward the ash, the fire in her hand flickering softly, and said in a low voice, "It's over."
Eren stood beside her, the lightning wind swirling quietly around him after the battle, as he watched the fading ash. "This is just the beginning."
From above, the guards watched in silence, before the middle guard said,
You have passed the first test. The fire and wind of this land now accept you.
Eren turned to Leylin, the golden fire reflected in her eyes, while in his, the winds moved slowly. They both knew their battle against the Ashes was far from over, but it was no longer a hopeless battle.
This was their first step toward confronting the coming Ashes and discovering the true secrets of the Fire and Wind in this new world.