The ashes of the last battle had barely cooled on the walls of the Windy Fortress when Eren and Leylin gathered with their allies in the war room. A vast map covered the wooden table, depicting dark valleys and gorges where the remnants of the Shadows spread like black veins pulsating through the earth.
Kieran pointed to three valleys connected by the mountains of the West. "These three strongholds are the source of the last waves of Shadows. If we don't eliminate them, they will return in greater numbers," Leylin said, feeling the fire dance in her veins. "It's time to attack. This time, we won't wait for the Ashes to come to us."
Eren looked at the crowd, his eyes filled with a determination they had never seen before. "We will build the new land on the ashes of the Shadows… We will leave their roots nowhere to be seen."
At dawn, the Shadowhunters' caravan left the fortress, led by the Wind and Fire Banner. They were accompanied by Rhaen, Maera, and Kieran, along with Wind Warriors trained in the use of the Fire Breath, and Earth Masters who knew the secret passages through the mountains.
The path was rough, the black rocks covered in dead moss, and the wind carried the scent of ancient smoke. With every step, Eren could feel the wind telling him of the pulse of the Shadows lurking in the depths.
On the first night of the journey, they stopped at the entrance to the first valley, where everything seemed unnaturally silent. Eren climbed a high rock, closed his eyes, and opened his soul to the wind.
Muffled whispers... heavy breathing... Ash was there, waiting.
He said in a low voice, "They are there... waiting inside."
Let them wait, Lillin replied, lighting a small spark in her hand. "We'll come for them."
The team entered the valley, and along the way, they encountered scattered shadows, like broken spirits trying to cling to the darkness of the rocks. At first, the encounter was swift, as the wind revealed their positions, and the Leylin spit out her flames in thin lines, burning them away, leaving nothing but dust in their wake.
But as they delved deeper, the shadows began to thicken, gathering in the darkness of the valley like a black sea, screaming with a single voice that filled the mind with terror.
Eren raised his hand and whistled loudly, causing the wind to spread in a wave that swept across the valley, slowing the shadows and revealing their positions. Kieran and his team leaped into their midst, firing concentrated fire arrows that fed on the wind, slashing through the shadows and burning them from within.
The Leylin unleashed a thick blue flame toward the heart of the shadow cluster, where a massive shadow, a creature of black smoke with red eyes, roared in the darkness.
She screamed, spitting fire. "You won't escape this time!"
Eren charged with the wind, like a flash of lightning, reaching the heart of the massive shadow, and the wind gathered around his fist. He struck the shadow with a single punch, and the wind exploded inside him, sending ash flying into the air before Leylin's fire consumed it completely, leaving the valley once again shrouded in silence.
Hours later, they stood in the middle of the dark valley, where only black ash remained, blown by the wind. Eren took a deep breath and said, "Another valley cleansed."
Leylin smiled and replied, "And two more to go."
Eren raised his eyes to the sky, where the stars were once again dimly visible among the gray clouds. "We will cleanse the entire land... and restore its right to light."
With the sound of the wind, the party prepared to head for the next valley, their eyes fixed on the front, where new shadows awaited them, but they were no longer the same. They were now true Shadowhunters, winds of fire that would not abate until the world was freed from the ashes.