Heartstone - Chapter 64: Chapter 64

The sky roared as the two AG59s danced a deadly ballet among fire and steel. Ashen pushed his jet to the limits, weaving through the barrage of anti-air fire and Ryker’s precision-guided missiles. His counterattacks had devastated three more enemy crafts, but Ryker... he was relentless.
In the cockpit of the enemy AG59, Ryker’s eyes glowed—unnatural, fierce, no longer fully human. The -infused chemicals in his blood surged with every heartbeat. He locked onto Ashen.
"Time to end this."
BOOM.
A searing blast struck Ashen’s right engine. Smoke trailed behind his jet. Alarms screamed in his ears. He fought the controls, teeth clenched, knuckles white on the sticks.
“Come on... come on... not yet—”
Another missile.
Direct hit.
The AG59 spiraled. Flames licked the wings. Below, Avera and the villagers looked up in horror as the flaming bird plunged toward the cliffs.
Dalen, in the forest near the second relay, saw the explosion. “Ashen... no...”
The jet hit the cliffside with a bone-shaking crash. Fire and debris scattered across the ridge. A great plume of smoke rose like a dark banner into the sky.
There was no signal.
No movement.
Ashen was gone.
Avera dropped to her knees, eyes burning, fists clenched. A tear escaped down her cheek. “He gave us a chance…”
Dalen stood in silence for a moment, the weight of loss pressing down—but then, his jaw set.
“We finish this. For Ashen.”
The village horns cried out across the mountains. War cries rose from every ridge.
Avera stood.
And the warriors prepared for the next wave—with pain in their hearts, but fire in their eyes.
The final stand had begun.