Volume 6: Topaz Storm

Light leads, fire consumes, wisdom sees, life thrives, and space shifts—but the storm commands raw power. Across the vast Australian Outback, a topaz awakens, crackling with the fury of thunder and lightning. This is the story of the sixth chosen, a soul unbound by fear, and a battle that electrifies the edge of destiny. Welcome to Topaz Storm.

Chapter 1: Lightning in the Tempest

Australian Outback, April 20, 2025—eight days after the events in Egypt. Dark clouds churned over the red desert expanse, thunder rumbling like a distant drumroll. High above, a small cargo plane rattled through the storm, its single engine sputtering against fierce winds. Riley Cooper, 29, gripped the controls, her blue eyes narrowed, blonde hair whipping across her face in the cockpit’s draft. A freelance pilot hardened by years of flying through hellish weather, Riley lived for the thrill of the sky—freedom was her fuel.

She’d taken this job last-minute: delivering a mysterious crate to a remote airstrip. As lightning flashed outside, the plane lurched, a bolt striking its wing. Sparks flew, and Riley cursed, fighting to stabilize it. Then she saw it—a topaz tumbling from the crate’s broken lid, glowing gold like bottled sunlight. “What the—” Before she could finish, another bolt hit, this one piercing the cockpit. It struck her chest, and she screamed—not in pain, but in shock—as electricity surged through her, alive and wild.

The plane spiraled, crashing into the desert in a plume of dust and twisted metal. Riley stumbled from the wreckage, unharmed, the topaz clutched in her hand. “I’m alive?” she rasped, staring at it. Raising a trembling finger, she pointed at a rock—and a thin arc of lightning shot out, blasting it to pieces. She laughed, a mix of disbelief and exhilaration, until engines roared nearby. Cassian Vex emerged from a fleet of black jeeps, his gaunt face lit by the storm. “Riley Cooper,” he called, voice cutting through the wind. “Give me the Topaz of Elemental Fury, or I’ll bury you here.”