The throne room of the Castle of Black Ash was vast, its tall columns surrounded by thick black winds, while drops of hot ash fell like rain inside.
In the center of the hall, Nazar sat on a throne of moving shadows, his red eyes glowing in the darkness, while black smoke snaked around his fingers.
The confrontation began:
"Finally... the heir of the wind and the heir of the fire to my throne."
Nazar said, his deep voice filled with sarcasm.
Eren responded, opening his wind wings, allowing a strong, clear wind to swirl around him:
"Today... your throne will end."
Leylin released the glow of the Flame of Liberation in her palms and said firmly, "And the darkness will end with you."
Shadow Attack:
Nazar raised his hand, and thick black vortices erupted from the ground, forming shadow beasts with red eyes and bodies of smoke. They swiftly attacked Eren and Leylin.
Eren opened his wings and unleashed a gust of pure wind, tearing some of the beasts apart, but the shadows would reunite.
"The shadows will not end... because they are part of you!"
Nazar shouted, unleashing a torrent of black ash toward Leylin.
Leylin raised her hand, releasing a golden flame that repelled the ash, but she felt the fire within her tremble, as if the shadows were trying to penetrate her again.
Revealing the Truth:
Nazar stepped forward, shadows wrapping around his body, as he said in a deep voice, "Who do you think you're fighting? The fire you bear, Leylin, created these shadows a thousand years ago. You, the heir to the fire... the Shadow Gate to this world."
Leylin's face shook as she took a step back.
"No... that's not true!"
Eren grabbed her hand and, looking at Nazar with steady eyes, said,
"It's the fire that will end the Shadows... not the door."
Nazar laughed loudly, ash swirling around the hall.
"It'll destroy itself if it tries to destroy me... let's see."
The Final Battle:
Nazar charged quickly, his body turning to smoke, and appeared behind Leylin, attempting to stab her with a Shadow-covered hand.
But Eren intervened, creating a wall of pure wind that deflected the attack, before wrapping around Nazar and attempting to restrain him.
"Burn him, Leylin!"
Eren screamed, his body trembling under the pressure of the Shadows trying to tear the Wind apart.
Leylin raised her hand, the golden flame burning brighter than ever, but she heard the whispers of the Shadows in her ear:
"If you unleash this fire... you will burn with us."
Leylin closed her eyes, remembering her mother's face, the fires, and the screams of the Shadows on cold nights, and then Eren's voice that cut through the fear:
"I am with you."
Opening her eyes, she said in a steady voice:
"If I must burn... I will."
The Final Fire Ignited:
Leylin unleashed the full flame of liberation, pure golden fire bursting from her body, piercing through the Shadows and smoke, reaching Nazar, who screamed in pain.
The flames spread within the Shadows, burning them from within, as Nazar began to lose his grip, the darkness around him evaporating, and ash falling to the ground.
"No... the shadows... are eternal..."
Were Nizar's last words before the shadows turned to fine ash, fading into thin air.
Aftermath:
Lylin fell to her knees, the flames slowly fading, tears falling from her eyes amid a smile of relief.
Eren approached her, placed his hand on her shoulder, and said,
"We succeeded."
Lylin looked up at him, her voice hoarse, "It's over... the shadows are over."
Chapter End:
The ash faded throughout the castle, and the sky opened, warm sunlight streaming into the hall for the first time in years.
The wind caressed Eren and Lylin's faces, as if to say,
"You have liberated this world."
The fire inside Lylin no longer frightened her; it was a fire of hope... a fire of liberation.