Chapter 10: wings of ash
A soft knock echoed in the sleeping chamber just before dawn. Cain stirred groggily as Nova poked his head in, eyes already gleaming.
"Rise and shine, devil bros. Training waits for no one."
Riven groaned, covering his head with a pillow. "You're way too chipper. Are you even human?"
"Half. The fun half. Now get up."
The training grounds of the Guild were different at dawn. Torches still burned, but the sky above—cracked open by volcanic fissures—bled a faint orange light. The air was thick with anticipation, spell dust, and the scent of scorched leather.
Serika stood by a large obsidian circle with her arms crossed. Around her were new faces: a tall girl with crimson horns named Shura, a quiet boy with storm-gray eyes and electricity pulsing through his veins called Rael, and twins named Vix and Vox who spoke in riddles and moved like dancers.
They all watched Cain and his brothers with curious, wary gazes.
"From today," Serika said, "you don't train alone. You learn from each other or die not knowing how."
Shura scoffed. "They look soft."
Elias stepped forward. "You want to test that?"
Before a fight could break out, the earth shook.
Everyone froze.