Chapter 35: The Cinder-Husk

 

The journey to the Vermilion Volcano was less of a hike and more of a descent into hell. The air grew thick with sulfur and ash the higher they climbed, and the ground beneath their boots radiated a heat that would have blistered ordinary skin.

Valerius did not accompany them. "I am a creature of the night," the vampire had drawled, sipping a glass of synthetic blood. "Volcanoes give me a complexion problem. Bring me the core, and I will open the door."

Caleb walked ahead of Scarlett, his movements fluid and silent. Since the surgery, the jagged, frantic edge to his aura was gone. He no longer felt like a storm about to break; he felt like the eye of a hurricane—calm, deadly, and utterly in control.

"How does it feel?" Scarlett asked, stepping over a fissure that leaked blue gas. "To be... quiet?"

Caleb paused, looking back at her. His golden eyes reflected the magma glow from the crater above. "It feels... empty. But a good kind of empty. Like a weapon that has finally been put back in its sheath."

He reached out, helping her up a steep ledge of obsidian rock. His grip was firm, but gentle. "Before, there was always a noise. A static. Now, all I hear is you."

Scarlett felt a flush that had nothing to do with the volcano’s heat. "Valerius said the creature up here is a 'failed guardian'. Another experiment?"

"Likely," Caleb nodded, turning his gaze to the smoking peak. "The Navigator is pointing straight down into the caldera. Whatever is down there, it's eating the ley line."

They reached the rim of the volcano. Below them, a lake of molten rock bubbled sluggishly. In the center of the magma lake stood a massive, black stone island. And on that island lay a creature that defied biology.

It looked like a dragon, but stripped of its majesty. Its scales were rusted iron, its wings were tattered membranes of fire, and its eyes were empty sockets leaking liquid gold. It was chained to the rock with massive, glowing runes—Taoist binding spells that had been corrupted by time.

"Subject 004-Delta," Caleb’s voice shifted slightly, the analytical tone of the AI blending seamlessly with his own observations. "Designation: The Cinder-Husk. Status: Dormant. Threat Level: Extreme."

"It's not just dormant," Scarlett whispered, pulling out her jade brush. "It's suffering. Look at the chains. They aren't holding it; they're feeding on it. This thing is a living battery."

"Then we put it out of its misery," Caleb said. He didn't transform into his wolf form. Instead, he simply took off his jacket, revealing the intricate, silver tattoos that now covered his arms—the visual manifestation of the stabilized Nanobots.

He jumped.

He didn't need a parachute. He plummeted two hundred feet into the caldera, landing on the black island with a force that cracked the stone.

The Cinder-Husk awoke with a shriek that sounded like grinding metal. It reared up, spewing a torrent of white-hot magma directly at Caleb.

Scarlett watched from the rim, her heart in her throat. But Caleb didn't dodge. He raised his hand, and a shimmering, silver barrier of energy materialized in front of him. The magma hit the shield and hissed, parting around him like water.

"Is that... magic?" Scarlett gasped.

"No," Caleb’s voice came through their bond, calm and amused. "Physics. I'm manipulating the kinetic density of the air."

He dropped the shield and lunged. He moved faster than the eye could follow. He didn't use claws; he used his fists, each strike landing with the force of a cannon shell. He punched the Cinder-Husk in the jaw, shattering its iron scales.

The creature roared, swinging a massive, bladed tail. Caleb caught the tail mid-swing, spun his body, and used the creature’s own momentum to slam it face-first into the rock.

It was brutal. It was efficient. It was the fighting style of a machine, executed with the passion of a wolf.

"Scarlett, now!" Caleb shouted, pinning the thrashing dragon to the ground. "The Core is in its chest! Break the seal!"

Scarlett didn't hesitate. she bit her finger, drew a Spirit-Blade Talisman in the air, and launched it down into the crater. The golden sigil flew like a guided missile, striking the corrupted runes on the creature’s chest.

CRACK.

The chains shattered. The Cinder-Husk let out one final, mournful cry as its iron body began to crumble into ash. From the wreckage, a single, pulsing sphere of red light floated up—the Flame Essence.

Caleb caught it in one hand. The heat was intense enough to melt steel, but his skin just shimmered silver, absorbing the thermal energy.

He looked up at Scarlett, holding the burning heart of the volcano like a trophy. "One battery, acquired."

But as he prepared to jump back up to the rim, the lava lake began to churn violently. The death of the guardian had triggered something deeper. The volcano wasn't just dormant; it was a lid. And they had just opened it.

"Caleb! Get out of there!" Scarlett screamed, pointing at the rising magma.

From the depths of the fire, hundreds of smaller, skeletal shapes began to crawl out. They were Fire-Ghasts—the restless spirits of the sacrifices thrown into this volcano for centuries. And they were hungry.

Caleb looked at the swarm. He didn't look afraid. He looked... annoyed.

"Valerius didn't mention the pests," Caleb muttered. He looked at the Flame Essence in his hand, then at the swarm.

"Scarlett, catch!"

He threw the Essence up to her. It soared two hundred feet through the air, a perfect arc. Scarlett caught it, the heat warming her hands through her gloves.

"What are you doing?!"

"Testing the new upgrades," Caleb grinned. His eyes flashed pure silver.

He slammed both fists into the ground.

"System Command: Seismic Override."

The entire island exploded. Not with fire, but with a shockwave of pure kinetic force. The blast wave hit the magma, freezing it instantly into a solid sheet of black glass. The Fire-Ghasts were encased in the obsidian, frozen mid-scream.

Caleb stood in the center of the glass lake, steam rising from his body. He flexed his fingers, the silver tattoos fading back into his skin.

He looked up at Scarlett, his grin turning into a smirk that was 100% the arrogant King she had fallen for.

"Ready to go home, Queen?" he called out.

Scarlett clutched the Flame Essence to her chest, her heart pounding. He was terrifying. He was magnificent. And he was hers.

"Show off," she whispered, a smile tugging at her lips.

As they made their way back down the mountain, the Stellar Navigator in Scarlett’s pocket buzzed again. But this time, it wasn't pointing to a location. It was displaying a countdown.

"Gate Alignment: 98%. Warning: Dimensional breach detected in Sector North. The Void is leaking."

Scarlett stopped. Sector North. That was the Blackwood Stronghold.

"Caleb," she said, her voice dropping. "We have the battery. But I think the Order of the Black Sun just figured out where we live. If we open that gate... we might be letting them into my world too."

Caleb stopped, his expression hardening. "Then we kill them first. We open the gate, shove Valerius through, and then we use it as a cannon to wipe the Order off the face of the earth."

It was a mad plan. A desperate plan. But looking at the man who had just frozen a volcano with his bare hands, Scarlett thought it might just work.