Kael ran.
Fog swallowed the broken land rushing past while he drove himself harder than ever before. Pain pulsed through every cut yet moving forward was the only option left. Not your average killers these Shadeborn stalked like beasts tracking strange things across shadows.
Right then, he was tagged - no longer safe. A target drawn in silence.
High overhead, shadows stretched under a broken moon's glow. The hush of shadow-walkers crept close at his back.
"You cannot outrun fate, Celestial Sovereign."
Tightening his jaw, Kael stared ahead. See what I do.
Ahead loomed a huge stone bridge, spanning a deep ravine - old, broken in places, but holding firm. Crossing meant possible shelter waiting past it, where older wreckage cluttered the land.
Faster he pushed, legs on fire. The thing pulled him forward.
Then shadows moved.
A shape slipped into view before his eyes, unfolding from the soil as if made of breath. From above, a second figure took form where the walkway met the air.
Kael halted, boots scraping the ground. His gaze jumped from one face to another.
Out of broken places came more. Not just one or two - six altogether. They slipped through shadows, pieces of what was left behind. Reality coughed them up, hidden until now.
Stopped now." Violet eyes of the leader burned, dark power thrumming through the weapon it held.
Gasping, Kael felt his ribs tighten with each breath. Just moments ago, Temporal Grasp had drained him completely. Trying it once more could break something inside. His muscles trembled at the thought.
Still, nothing else could have worked.
Darkness came when Kael shut his eyelids.
Something inside him stirred when everything else gave out. Not quite memory, not quite instinct - just a presence long buried. It rose without warning, filling spaces he thought were empty. A quiet strength moved through his limbs where fatigue once held tight.
Something deep inside him sat like a bolted door, sealing away who he really was. A weight under everything, silent but sure.
He didn't hesitate.
"Break."
Power surged.
A spin began everywhere, time's threads jolting loose because he stood too close. Reality wavered just by being near.
Right away, the Shadeborn moved - one breath they felt it change.
"Contain him!"
Too late.
Wide awake, Kael's gaze lit up with a strange silver fire.
He moved.
A blur of motion - Kael stood at the Shadeborn's back before the first strike landed.
A sudden blow came sideways. Time bent under Kael's touch, stretching one instant beyond measure. Evasion followed - smooth, unhurried - as if gravity had forgotten his name.
Time no longer bent at his command.
Footsteps echoed where he stood, hidden within its walls.
He saw it now. Time was never something the Celestial Sovereign controlled.
It merged into him. He vanished inside its flow.
A spark shot up his spine when it hit him. Every tired bone forgot its weight, swapped out for something sharp and live. Where the Shadeborn had been smudges before, they moved like clockwork now - almost clumsy. Dragging their feet.
Kael struck.
A sudden twist. His hand caught the attacker's arm just as it moved. Time bent backward at his thought.
A flicker passed through the Shadeborn as its form reversed - just long enough to feel steel enter its ribs. Before it could move, darkness took hold.
Not everyone moved right away. A grin tugged at Kael's mouth.
"Still think I'm prey?"
Footsteps faded, leaving only silence behind.
Staying put. Taking stock. Keeping eyes open.
Something gave way inside Kael, so he released his grip. Blurry edges crept into his sight, weight settling behind his eyes. Pushing through had cost more than he thought it would. That line was crossed hours ago.
Yet a quiet voice inside warned - this moment marked just the start.
Out of shadow, they came - bent on wiping him clean from memory. A name dissolved in silence. Footsteps fading where he once stood. Not gone, though. Never fully erased.
People everywhere would soon realize he was back.
And the hunt?
Fresh start, nothing more.