Sparks danced through the morning fog.
Each clash of Lyra's staff against Kael's blade sent ripples through the air, stirring the dust and the sleeping magic around them.
Kael's hands trembled with effort. His body was still too weak, his balance off, his grip uncertain. Every strike he parried felt like defying gravity.
Lyra moved with practiced ease — her steps sharp, deliberate, her magic pulsing in rhythm with her heartbeat. She wasn't holding back. Every arcane bolt she released was meant to push him, break him, expose his limits.
"Still standing?" she asked, her smirk audible even between breaths.
Kael spat blood and steadied himself. "Barely. But I'm still learning."
"Learning won't save you when the Eclipse comes."
"Neither will arrogance," he shot back, twisting to the side and bringing his dull practice sword up just in time to block another burst of energy.
The warehouse floor cracked beneath his boots. The impact sent him flying back into a crate of old armor. Dust filled the air. For a moment, everything went still.
Lyra lowered her staff slightly, her eyes narrowing. "You're stubborn."
Kael rose slowly, wiping the blood from his lip. "I've died once already. Pain doesn't impress me anymore."
For the first time, something flickered in her eyes — not pity, but a flicker of understanding. She twirled her staff once, letting the glow fade. "Then maybe you're not a complete waste of my time."
He smirked. "High praise."
"Don't get used to it."
She tossed him a canteen of water and sat on one of the crates, staring at him like she was trying to solve a puzzle.
"You fight like someone who's been trained by a dozen masters," she said. "But your body's weak. Your mana flow is unstable. You shouldn't even be standing."
Kael caught his breath. "Let's say I've had… another lifetime to learn."
Her brow furrowed. "Cryptic and dramatic. Great combination."
He chuckled softly, taking a sip. "You'd be surprised how far drama can take you."
Hours passed as they trained, and for the first time, Kael began to feel something stirring within him — faint sparks of mana threading through his veins.
It wasn't steady or controlled, but it was there — alive.
Each time he focused, the air shimmered slightly around him. Lyra noticed it, though she didn't comment.
By dusk, both were drenched in sweat. Kael could barely stand, but the faint smile on his face betrayed his exhaustion.
"You're insane," Lyra muttered, tossing him a rag. "You should've collapsed an hour ago."
"I've survived worse."
"Yeah? Like what?"
He hesitated.
Memories flooded back — betrayal, a sword in his chest, laughter echoing in the hall of marble and gold.
"Death," he said simply.
Her gaze lingered a moment longer than usual, but she said nothing.
Instead, she turned toward the window, watching the clouds darken. The faint crimson hue was returning to the sky — a sign the Shadow Eclipse was drawing closer.
That night, Kael couldn't sleep.
The world outside was too still, as if something massive was waiting just beyond the horizon.
He sat on the warehouse floor, tracing the small scars on his arm — new ones from training, nothing compared to the hundreds he once bore.
A faint sound broke the silence — soft footsteps.
Lyra approached quietly, holding two mugs of steaming liquid. "Couldn't sleep?" she asked.
"Not used to peace," Kael replied.
"Peace?" She let out a soft laugh. "This city hasn't known peace in decades. You just haven't looked hard enough."
She handed him a mug and sat beside him. The moonlight filtered through the cracks in the roof, glinting off her staff.
For a while, neither spoke.
Then Kael asked, "Why do you fight alone?"
Lyra took a slow sip. "Because allies die. Or worse — betray."
Kael's fingers tightened around the mug. "You sound like someone who's learned that the hard way."
"Maybe I did." Her tone softened, almost imperceptibly. "Maybe that's why I saw something familiar in your eyes."
He met her gaze. The air between them felt charged — not magical, but human. Raw.
"I don't plan to die," he said quietly.
"No one does." She stood, brushing off her cloak. "Get some rest. Tomorrow we start on mana control."
Kael smiled faintly. "And what if I'm not ready?"
"Then you'll burn from the inside out," she said over her shoulder. "Try not to."
At dawn, the city trembled.
Kael jolted awake as the ground shook violently.
Outside, a dull roar echoed from the direction of the central tower — the same one that had burned the night before.
Lyra burst in, staff glowing bright. "They're here."
"Who?"
"The Hunters." Her voice was tight. "Servants of the Eclipse."
Kael grabbed his sword and followed her out into the misty street. The air shimmered with unnatural heat.
Down the lane, figures in dark cloaks advanced, their eyes gleaming like molten silver.
One of them stepped forward, his voice cold and calm.
"By order of the Celestial Circle, surrender the bearer of corrupted mana."
Kael's breath caught. They were talking about him.
Lyra's grip tightened on her staff. "He's under my protection."
"Then you will die beside him."
The Hunter raised his hand — and the sky erupted in flame.
Kael's instincts took over. He dove forward, rolling across the cobblestones, dragging Lyra with him as a column of fire tore through the street. The heat seared his skin.
"Run!" Lyra shouted, blasting a wall of wind to scatter the attackers.
Kael's heart pounded as they dashed through the alleys. Every explosion behind them shook the ground.
As they turned a corner, Lyra glanced at him — and her eyes widened.
The air around Kael shimmered again, faint arcs of black and silver energy swirling like smoke.
"What are you—?" she began.
Kael didn't answer. He didn't know. The power inside him was responding to something — the chaos, the danger, the Eclipse's pull.
His vision blurred, and for a moment he saw another world — his old one — burning beneath a dark sun.
The energy surged.
A scream tore from his throat, half pain, half awakening.
And then — everything went white.
When the light faded, the street was silent.
Ash drifted in the air. The Hunters were gone — disintegrated into shadow.
Kael fell to his knees, breathing heavily. His veins glowed faintly before fading to normal.
Lyra stood frozen, eyes wide with shock and something else — awe, maybe fear.
"Kael… what did you just do?"
He looked up slowly, trembling. "I don't know."
Above them, the red-stained clouds began to twist into a spiral, and a low hum filled the air — like the beating heart of something ancient awakening.
Lyra whispered, "The Shadow Eclipse… it's starting sooner than we thought."
Kael clenched his fists.
"Then I need to get stronger. Fast."
Cliffhanger:
The first pulse of the Eclipse has begun. The Hunters will return stronger, and Kael's unstable power is drawing attention — not just from enemies, but from forces older than the city itself.
Lyra must decide whether to trust him or end him before he becomes something uncontrollable.