Vortex Origins
Chapter 105: Goodbye, Ironhold

Chapter 105: Goodbye, Ironhold

The wastelands groaned beneath the weight of silence. Blood soaked the cracked earth. Torn pieces of the sandworm—chitin, flesh, and shattered fangs—lay scattered like the aftermath of a god’s temper.

Kael rolled his shoulders, letting out a long breath. The last chunk of the beast sizzled behind him.

He grinned.

"That’s the last of them."

His boots crunched over a severed scale as he walked forward, flames still flickering along his arm. The fight had barely left a scratch.

"Compared to the worms in Dunehaven... this one was alot stronger."

The wind shifted.

A shrill hum broke through the sky.

Kael looked up, eyes narrowing.

A black ship streaked across the clouds—small, fast, leaving a faint shimmer in its wake. It headed straight for the settlement.

His grin returned.

"Guess that’s our ride."

Without another word, he turned toward the distant walls of the settlement grounds, walking through the wreckage like it was nothing.

Behind him, the other men remained still.

A man in the group finally spoke, voice low.

"A Stage Five just killed a Tier Six. That’s... impossible."

Another replied, his voice hushed with awe.

"His father brought down one of the strongest Tier Sevens while still in Stage Six."

A third one swallowed, eyes following Kael’s fading figure.

"Now I see it... He really is the Son of Flame."

————

Ash sat on the edge of a wooden crate, elbows resting on his knees. Wind from the landing platform whipped past him, stirring dust and the loose ends of his coat.

The black ship touched down with a low hiss, settling on the metal rails of Ironhold’s hangar. Its hull was dented. Scorched. But intact.

Ash didn’t look up right away.

Footsteps echoed from the left.

Kael strolled in with a lazy stretch. His clothes were stained from battle, but his voice was light.

"Well, that’s it, then. Time to go. We’ve barely slept since the last mission."

Max walked beside him, his eyes glued to the holographic screen flickering above his wrist. Data streams shifted over the display—graphs, damage reports, a cluster of red alerts still blinking.

"And we survived. Somehow."

Ash glanced their way, but said nothing.

The ship’s hatch unsealed with a slow hiss. The doors parted—just a slit at first—then fully.

Nobody stepped out.

Kael frowned and pointed toward the silent craft.

"Wait... is that pilot alright? That ship dropped hard."

Max didn’t lift his eyes.

"Don’t worry about him."

Kael tilted his head.

"What do you mean?"

"He’s not here."

Ash turned toward Max, eyes narrowing.

Kael looked from the ship to Max.

"Then... who was on that carrier?"

Max didn’t even pause.

"No one."

He walked past, still scrolling through data like the question never mattered.

Ash lowered his gaze to the floor. The noise faded, voices dimming behind the storm in his chest.

He didn’t care about the ship. Or who was in it. Not really.

What gnawed at him was Max’s silence. The unreadable look in his eyes.

’Is he angry with me?’

Ash clenched his fists. He couldn’t tell. And that—more than anything—dug the deepest.

A voice cut through the wind.

"Wait! Team Vortex—hold on!"

They turned as a man stumbled toward them, cradling something wrapped in cloth. His chest rose and fell with each breath, sweat glistening on his forehead.

He stopped just short of them, bending forward to catch his breath.

"Good,"

he panted.

"you’re still here."

Without waiting for a response, he bowed and held the bundle forward with both hands.

"On behalf of the elders, thank you—for everything. Please... take this."

Max stepped forward, his screen flickering off with a wave of his hand. He took the bundle, weighing it briefly.

"Right. Almost forgot."

He turned the cloth over in his hands, peeking at what was inside. Whatever it was, he didn’t react. Just gave a small nod and looked back at the man.

"Tell Elder Eir thanks. And..."

he paused, flicking his eyes toward Ash.

"sorry for the mess my brother made."

Kael tilted his head.

"What did I do?"

Max sighed.

"Not you."

The man gave a quiet bow, then turned and walked back across the platform.

Max looked up at the ship and cracked a tired smile.

"Come on. We still have to unpack everything when we land."

Kael groaned, raising an arm as he stepped into the loading ramp.

"Don’t remind me."

Max followed close behind, already scanning the ship’s systems from his wrist.

Ash lingered.

His eyes drifted toward the edge of the hangar. Ironhold sat in the distance—scarred, crumbling, still pretending to stand tall.

He didn’t speak. He didn’t need to.

He turned his back on it.

’I won’t miss this place. And if fate is kind... I’ll never set foot here again.’

Ash walked up the ramp and joined his brothers. The door shut behind him with a final hiss.

Engines flared.

The ship rose from the platform, angled to the horizon, and vanished into the haze—leaving behind a dead settlement, a broken past, and the first page of something new.

————

Inside the ship, silence pressed down like a second atmosphere.

The engines hummed beneath them, steady and distant. None of them spoke. They sat strapped in, each facing forward—but the weight of unspoken words filled the cabin more than the recycled air.

Ash leaned his head toward the window, eyes fixed on the blur outside. Anything to avoid the gaze boring into the side of his face.

Max didn’t speak at first. He didn’t have to. That look—tight-jawed, brow low—spoke louder than words. It wasn’t anger. Just that quiet, heavy disappointment that struck deeper than a shout ever could.

Kael’s eyes moved between them. Once. Twice. He tilted his head.

"Well, this is rare. What’d you do to get that look?"

Max didn’t answer him. His voice came low, direct, cutting through the stillness like a blade.

"You had no right to do that. It wasn’t your call."

Ash didn’t respond right away. His fingers curled tight on his seat harness. Then—

"He attacked first, "

His voice held no fire. Just a dry edge.

"And he nearly got both of you killed. If I lost either of you out there..."

He trailed off. Then exhaled.

"I wouldn’t forgive myself."

Kael scoffed, throwing a leg over his other knee.

"You think anything out there can take me down? Come on."

Ash didn’t look at him.

"You talk big. But we both know what would’ve happened If I hadn’t stepped in, you’d have been dead."

His hand drifted up, gripping the side of his head like he was trying to squeeze the memory out.

"I won’t let that happen again. I swear it."

Max’s voice stayed cold.

"That still didn’t give you the right to kill Lane."

Kael blinked.

"Wait. You killed him?"

He turned fully to Ash, lips parted in disbelief.

"Damn. I mean, I knew you were a bit messed up, but that’s... that’s a lot. What’d he do, steal rations?"

Max answered, eyes never leaving Ash.

"Worse. He caused the wave."

Kael blinked.

"What wave?"

Max’s tone dropped.

"He didn’t mean for it to go that far. But it was bad. The creatures. They were drawn to the asteroid. Lane somehow got his hands on it. That thing transformed the salamander. Turning it into something else. Something higher tier."

Kael frowned.

"So you’re saying Lane caused all that?"

Ash spoke again. Flat, cold.

"Families and friends died. And after everything—after the deaths—he didn’t even flinch. Just carried on like nothing happened. No guilt. Nothing."

Kael rubbed the back of his neck.

"Still... that’s heavy."

Ash didn’t reply.

The hum returned. Unbroken. Steady. But the silence it carried now felt colder. Heavier.

Max let out a breath.

"...Fine. Let’s drop it."

He leaned back against his seat.

"The tournament’s coming up. Just like Dad said—I’ve signed both of you up."

Kael perked up.

"Wait, what about you? Not joining?"

Max shook his head.

"No point. Selena’s off-world, and no one else this year would push me. Besides, someone needs to stay behind and keep the base running."

Kael stretched, folding his arms behind his head.

"Makes sense, I guess. Still, it won’t be the same without both you. I will miss the arguments."

Max glanced down at his screen.

"We’re here."

Ash looked up. Outside the ship’s window, the dunes broke open into a scorched basin. In the center of it lay a massive skull, half-buried in the sand. Seven empty eye sockets stared back at the sky like a warning.

The thing that once wore that skull had brought ruin to this place—a Tier 7 creature, its body large enough to swallow cities. Their father had brought it down. Alone. That was the battle that earned him the name Flame, and turned a once-green land into this endless wasteland.

Ash smiled faintly—not at the sight of the desert, but at the simple fact that they made it back. All of them.

They were still alive.

His fingers brushed the edge of his seat as he leaned into the view.

’Mom, I haven’t forgotten. I’m still holding on. If you’re watching... keep Dad safe, wherever he is.’

The ship began to descend.