After the golden flames that Leylin had passed disappeared, silence fell over the Heart of Fire Hall. But the winds began to swirl slowly, despite the almost scorching heat.
Eren felt the winds calling to him, carrying the scent of lightning, a distant echo like the pulse of the earth before a storm.
Leylin looked at him and said, "Now it's your turn."
Eren took a deep breath and stepped toward the edge, where the lava glowed a deep red. The wind formed small whirlpools around his feet, lifting the ash particles to spin and then disappear.
Suddenly, a crack opened in the ground ahead, releasing columns of hot wind, from which a thick vapor rose. A circle of air glowing with threads of lightning formed before him, glowing and fading with the beat of his heart.
A deep voice emerged from the winds. It had no body, but it filled the space:
You who bear the Heir of the Winds, are you ready to test the first winds?
"I'm ready," Eren replied firmly, despite the weight of the air.
The wind in the hall grew stronger, until stinging currents of air passed through his body, stinging him violently, as if trying to tear at his skin to test what was inside. Lightning flashed above his head, threatening to fall at any moment.
Words echoed in the air, words incomprehensible to him, but they entered his consciousness directly, presenting strange visions before his eyes:
He saw a sky engulfed in storms, lightning swords piercing clouds, whirlpools of air carrying entire cities, and winds moving mountains.
Amidst these images, a huge shadow of wind appeared, human-shaped and with eyes of white lightning. He spoke in a voice like thunder:
I am the First Wind. I was a force that gave life, but I also carried destruction. What do you seek in my power, Windbearer?
Eren replied, his voice rising through the storm:
I want to protect those I love. I want to stop the ash before it swallows everything. I want the winds to return to save, not destroy.
The Wind Shadow was silent for a moment, before a powerful gust blew, sending Eren to his knees, as if his body would be torn apart by the pressure of the lightning-laden wind.
The Shadow said:
Are you ready to bear the first winds, with all their freedom and weight?
Eren cried out, trying to stand up amid the winds, raising his head toward the approaching lightning, as the storm enveloped him completely.
I'm ready!
Lightning struck his body, causing the storm to stop for a moment, and the air around him to freeze, before a wave of lightning-laden winds exploded around him, lifting his body slightly off the ground. Veins of green and white light glowed on his skin, and the wind swirled around him like a living shield.
The shadow disappeared, and he heard its voice within him:
You are now the heir of the First Winds. But remember, the Winds give life, but they bow to no one. If you try to control them, they will destroy you, but if you respect them, they will protect you.
The storm gradually subsided, and Eren returned to the ground, panting, as the Winds swirled around him with unusual calm, as if they had become a part of him.
Lylin approached, her eyes a mixture of amazement and pride:
You've done it.
Lylin looked at her, lightning flashing in his eyes for a moment before disappearing, and said with a faint smile:
We're ready now.
Lylin raised her flaming hand, and Eren extended his, surrounded by the Winds. Their hands touched, the Fire and the Winds meeting, clashing for a moment before merging, creating a burst of golden and green light.
As the light illuminated the hall, the two heard a distant voice echo:
The Great Ash Lord has awakened.
They exchanged a look, as the Heart of Fire trembled beneath their feet, realizing that time was running out, and that now they must confront what had awakened deep within the ashes before it consumed the worlds.