The wind was unusually warm as Eren and Leylin left the borders of the liberated villages, heading south along roads long since disused, where it was said that ancient Wind Tribes and forgotten Fire Temples still stood, waiting to be revived.
Across gray fields where tiny flowers were beginning to sprout, the two walked silently, the wind enveloping Eren like an invisible cloak, while Leylin's fire danced at her fingertips, warming the morning breeze.
The roads were rough, with the remains of burned-out wagons scattered along the sides, and charred trees standing like silent ghosts. But between them, narrow paths of green grass appeared, as if the earth was announcing its return to life.
On the third day, as they crossed a narrow mountain pass, Eren felt a strange vibration in the wind. He stood up suddenly, raising his hand to feel the wind around him, while Leylin's fire burned cautiously.
Suddenly, men in ragged clothing, their faces covered with scarves, carrying rusty swords, and in their eyes, the remnants of black shadows that had yet to fade, appeared on the road.
One of them said in a hoarse voice, "You... the heir of the wind and the heir of the fire... The Lord of Shadows has fallen, but his shadows are still with us, and we will not allow you to take this land."
Lilin raised her hand and said calmly, "We take nothing. We are here to restore hope to this land."
The man laughed mockingly, then raised his hand, and from his shadow came black smoke that formed into a long sword. He said, "The shadows are our power now... and we are the ones who will rule these lands."
The wind blew fiercely around Eren, extinguishing the smoke that had begun to creep toward them. His voice steady, he said, "Either you choose the light... or disappear with the shadows."
The man screamed and quickly attacked, followed by four of his men, raising their shadow swords and striking the air randomly, sending black sparks into the air.
Lylin bent down and unleashed a concentrated flame toward one of them, piercing the shadows surrounding him. He fell to his knees, screaming, the shadows evaporating from his body, and his true eyes, filled with fear, appeared for the first time.
Eren quickly swept his hand away, and a swift wind swept away the remaining attackers, knocking them to the ground and removing the shadows from their bodies, leaving them lying there, gasping for air.
Lylin stepped forward, extinguished her fire, then extended her hand to the man who had attacked first. "This land is not for shadows... but for you, and for those who wait for hope."
The man slowly raised his eyes, seeing the clear sky behind Lylin and the sun shining on the fire in her hand, and then burst into tears.
Eren and Leylin left them after the man and his companions pledged to help protect the approaching road and guard the small villages from the remnants of the Shadows that appeared here and there.
In the following days, the two continued their journey south, passing through flowering valleys and small rivers that had regained their purity, gathering more allies from small tribes that had remained hidden during the Shadow Years.
There was a young boy, no more than thirteen, who had demonstrated an unlearned ability to manipulate the winds, a young woman who lit a fire in her hand simply by touching Leylin's flame, and others who discovered that the powers of wind and fire were not a curse, but rather hope restored after the Shadows fell.
One night, Eren and Leylin sat by a quiet fire, the wind caressing the flames. Leylin said in a hopeful voice:
Everywhere we pass... the light returns.
"For the winds never cease... and the fire never goes out," Eren replied, looking up at the starry sky.
The South was waiting for them, and the Lands of Hope were calling. They would gather allies and build a new world with them, a world without shadows, protected by the winds and lit by fire.