Kael Varos — Age 13 Travelling the Golden Road
⸻
I. Departure at Dawn — The Road of Silent Oaths
The morning of their departure rose with a heavy, expectant stillness—one that didn't belong to the open sky, but to people who understood that the world had begun watching them.
Kael stood at the academy's eastern gate, adjusting the silver clasp of his traveling cloak. The fabric fluttered like a restless storm cloud in the morning breeze. His palms tingled faintly with leftover electricity—a reminder of Famine's touch lodged deep in his nerves like a ghost he couldn't shake.
Valdyros sat perched on his shoulder, unusually quiet.
Lyria approached first, tightening the straps on her dual water-ring gauntlets. Soft streams of blue Source curled around her fingers, responding instinctively to her mood. She looked peaceful on the surface—but Kael recognized the tension in her jaw, the same tension she'd worn ever since Famine's mask haunted her dreams.
"You're shaking again," she whispered gently, tapping Kael's hand.
He forced a breath. "Just… thinking."
"Don't." She bumped his shoulder. "Thinking makes you dangerous."
Kael cracked a small, reluctant smile. "Or stupid."
"That too."
Behind them, the others assembled in order of personality more than rank.
Korran placed heavy chests onto the carriage without any visible effort, quietly humming a tune from the northern mountains.
Nira fussed with herb vials and medical threads, mumbling to herself as she made last-minute checks:"Soul-rot remedy… anti-venom… calming salve…"
Ryven wore a brand-new crimson scarf that fluttered dramatically with each step—obviously chosen for flair rather than warmth.
Serin remained composed and immaculate as always, his new royal-approved armor polished to a mirror shine. He observed Kael and Lyria with raised eyebrows but said nothing.
Princess Arion stepped forward last.
Clad in silver ceremonial armor, hair braided into a regal spiral, emerald eyes focused and unblinking—she looked every bit the heir of Elyndria.
She mounted her white-gold spell-steed and gave a curt nod.
"We depart for Vardain at once. Our mission is to establish peaceful relations, deliver the royal treaty scroll, and ensure safe passage through the Iron Theocracy's border."
Her gaze flicked to Kael.
"Stay close. The roads… are not kind."
Kael nodded. "Understood."
Valdyros added dryly:
« Ah yes. Diplomacy. A perfect environment for your talent for punching things. »
Kael elbowed him lightly. "I'm trying, okay?"
The dragon snorted.
The gates creaked open.
Team Arclight, Princess Arion, and their escort guards began their three-day ride along the Vardain trade route—the most politically volatile stretch of land in the kingdom.
As they passed through the gates, citizens bowed, whispered, and pointed.
"Look—the storm child!""The princess rides with him…""They survived the Horseman…""Are they really just children?""They say he faced Famine and lived!"
Kael's stomach twisted at every whisper.
He didn't feel like a hero.
He felt like someone who had barely survived.
⸻
II. The Road Narrows — A Warning in the Wind
By midday, the lush forests of Elyndria thinned into wind-carved plains. Groves of pale birch swayed like silver dancers as the caravan rolled across the packed earth road.
Kael rode beside Lyria on a smaller carriage. The wind carried the faint scent of rain—her element stirring gently in the air as if greeting her.
"You can feel it, right?" she murmured.
Kael nodded. "Something's off."
"It's been off since Famine."
"No," he said quietly. "This is different."
Valdyros lifted his head.
« The air shifts. And the earth groans beneath us. Something watches from ahead. »
Princess Arion slowed her pace. "Report."
Kael spoke without hesitation. "Something is following the caravan."
The princess raised a brow. "Bandits?"
Valdyros shook his head.
« Too quiet. Too deliberate. This is no starving thief looking for coin. Something with intention stalks us. »
Serin spoke, voice crisp. "Then we should increase distance between carriages. Limit how many can be caught in one attack."
Korran stepped up beside him, gripping his hammer. "Agreed."
Ryven hopped onto the carriage roof, flame already swirling around his fists. "I've been waiting for something to punch."
Nira paled. "Ryven, could you not say it like that?"
Before Kael could speak, Princess Arion lifted her hand.
"Stop."
The entire caravan halted.
The wind died completely.
Not slowed.
Stopped.
As if the world itself held its breath.
Lyria's water rings tightened around her fingertips, glimmering.
"I don't like this," she whispered.
Kael stepped forward. "Show yourself!"
A long pause.
Then—
A shriek split the sky.
Something black dropped from above—
Kael's instincts flared—
Lightning surged—
Lyria's water shield snapped into place—
Korran swung upward—
Ryven ignited—
Serin stepped in front of Princess Arion—
Valdyros roared—
And the creature slammed into the ground with a force that sent dirt rippling.
The impact carved a crater.
Everyone froze.
The dust settled.
In the center of the crater…
Something crawled.
⸻
III. Not a Beast — A Message
As the dust cleared, the creature lifted its head.
Kael's heart lurched.
It wasn't a beast.
It was a body.
A human body.
—or what used to be one.
Skin shriveled tight.
Eyes hollow.
Soul ripped apart.
Famine's work.
Except—
Carved across the corpse's chest was a single word burned with Anti-Source:
"FOLLOWING."
Lyria covered her mouth.
Ryven's flames guttered out.
Nira gasped in horror.
Princess Arion's expression hardened, jaw clenched.
"No…" Kael whispered. "This wasn't meant to kill us."
Serin's voice cracked. "Then what was it meant to do?"
Valdyros' scales stiffened.
« A warning.A message.And a promise. »
Kael swallowed.
"What promise?"
The dragon turned his head slowly, eyes glowing gold.
« That the Horsemen know where you are.And they will not let you reach Vardain alive. »
The wind howled—
as if echoing the omen.
⸻
IV. When the Sky Stops Breathing
For several long seconds, no one moved.
The wind that had accompanied their journey vanished so abruptly that even the trees seemed confused—leaves hanging perfectly still, branches frozen mid-sway. Not a bird chirped. Not an insect buzzed. Even the distant rustle of plains grass grew unnervingly silent.
It felt like the world was holding its breath.
And the corpse lying twisted in the dirt was the reason.
Kael stepped forward slowly, jaw locked, lightning flickering faintly across his fingertips. Something about the body—its shriveled state, its hollowed chest cavity, the dark residue of energy curling off its skin—triggered memories he tried desperately to forget.
Famine's touch.
The Horseman's hunger.
His fingers twitched involuntarily.
Lyria reached for him.
"Kael," she whispered. "Don't."
But he was already kneeling beside the corpse.
The smell hit him first—like wet ash and rotten metal. Not the smell of death…but the smell of something being unmade.
Valdyros perched on his shoulder, scales bristling.
« Do not touch it. Anti-Source lingers like venom. Even your storm will not shield you from it. »
Kael clenched his jaw. "I know."
But the single word carved across the man's chest—burned into cracked flesh with black, decaying energy—haunted him.
"FOLLOWING."
Serin stepped beside the princess, blades half-drawn, eyes darting across the horizon.
"Whoever did this… wanted us to see it."
Korran knelt on the opposite side of the corpse, jaw tight. "Wanted us afraid."
"No," Princess Arion corrected, her voice low and steady. "Wanted Kael afraid."
The words settled over the group like frost.
Ryven swallowed, his voice a small tremor of fear beneath his bravado.
"So the Horseman sent us a…welcome gift."
Nira's hands trembled violently. She clutched her satchel as if burying herself in it would make the scene disappear.
"This is wrong," she whispered. "This is so wrong. Anti-Source shouldn't even be able to reach this far—"
Valdyros growled.
« The Horsemen are distortions of the world's balance. Where they walk, the laws of nature warp to feed them. »
Kael's breath hitched.
He remembered Dolsen's life being drained from his body—his screams fading into a whisper as his skin collapsed, as his soul evaporated.
He remembered feeling Anti-Source seeping into his veins.
He remembered nearly dying.
He remembered how helpless he felt.
And he hated it.
Lightning burst across his arm in a violent crack.
Lyria grabbed his wrist instantly, gripping hard.
"Kael! Stop—stop, you're releasing too much!"
He gritted his teeth. "I'm fine."
"You're shaking."
"I'm FINE."
She stepped in front of him and grabbed his face, forcing him to meet her eyes.
"No," she said firmly, voice trembling but steadying with iron determination, "you're not."
Kael stopped breathing.
Her blue water rings glowed softly, reflecting the worry in her eyes.
"Please," she whispered. "Don't break yourself because of him."
His storm quieted.
Barely.
⸻
V. Princess Arion Takes Command
Princess Arion approached the corpse with surprising calm, despite the horror etched across her features.
She knelt beside Kael, inspecting the body closely without touching it.
"Serin," she commanded, "shield the perimeter."
Serin bowed. "At once."
"Korran. With me. You know the signs of Anti-Source corrosion."
Korran nodded, voice gravel-deep. "Yes, Princess."
"Nira," Arion continued gently, "prepare a barrier spell. Keep it small, keep it stable."
Nira wiped tears from her cheeks and nodded shakily. "I—I can do that."
"Ryven."
He straightened. "Y-Yes?"
"Climb the carriage roof again. Keep watch for aerial shadows."
Ryven scrambled up at record speed, fire sparking nervously across his fingertips.
Arion then turned to Kael, voice soft but firm.
"And you… breathe. You do nothing until I say so."
Kael blinked. "Princess—"
"That wasn't a request," she said with surprising steel.
Valdyros snorted approvingly.
« Finally. Someone who speaks fluent 'Kael.' »
Kael glared weakly. "Not helping."
« I am always helping. You simply lack gratitude. »
Kael groaned.
Lyria actually laughed—a thin, strained sound, but a laugh nonetheless. The tension eased by a fraction.
The princess stood and brushed dirt from her gloves.
"This corpse wasn't dropped here by chance," she said. "It was delivered."
Kael swallowed. "Delivered by what?"
The princess looked him dead in the eyes.
"By something that knew you would understand the message."
Lightning crawled up Kael's spine.
⸻
VI. Korran's Discovery
Korran leaned closer to the body, inspecting the patterns on its skin. His eyes narrowed.
"Princess… look."
Arion knelt beside him again.
Kael leaned over her shoulder.
Carved beneath the word "FOLLOWING" were faint symbols—four of them—burned into the ribcage with blackened energy.
Korran whispered, "These are…Horseman sigils."
Nira gasped. "Like the Marks they leave at ruins?"
Korran nodded grimly.
"Death.War.Pestilence.Famine."
"And only one is lit," Serin observed, rejoining the group. "The others are dormant."
Arion's eyes widened.
"Are you saying…all four know where Kael is?"
Korran shook his head slowly.
"No. He's saying all four will."
A cold silence smothered them.
Even Ryven's flames dimmed.
Kael felt numb.
"Why?" he whispered. "Why me?"
Valdyros lowered himself onto Kael's shoulder, curling tightly around his neck.
His voice echoed in Kael's mind, softer than ever:
« Because, child…You are the only spark bright enough to challenge them.To threaten their master.To end the gods themselves. »
Kael stared at the corpse.
For the first time since his rebirth…
He felt the weight of destiny settle on his shoulders like a mountain.
⸻
VII. The Body Moves
A rustling sound broke the silence.
Everyone's weapons snapped up instantly.
The corpse twitched.
Kael froze.
No—not twitched.
It… inflated.
As if something inside it was filling the hollowed skin.
Princess Arion stepped back.
"Form up!"
Lyria pulled Kael behind her.
Ryven screamed from the carriage roof:
"IT'S MOVING—WHY IS IT MOVING—"
A crack split the corpse's skull.
Black smoke poured out like venomous fog.
Nira stumbled back, voice shaking. "It—it's Anti-Source. We need—"
The corpse's eyes snapped open—
Empty.Black.Starved.
It looked directly at Kael.
And spoke in Famine's voice.
"Run."
The corpse collapsed instantly into dust.
⸻
VIII. Kael's Breaking Point
Kael staggered back as if struck.
His chest burned.
His breath shattered.
Lightning exploded across his veins.
"Not again," he whispered. "Not again…"
Lyria grabbed him, but he stepped out of her hold.
Serin stepped away from the princess, alarm rising. "Kael—breathe—"
"I can't… I—"
Valdyros gripped his shoulder with his tiny claws.
« CHILD.LISTEN TO ME.CALM YOUR GATES OR THEY WILL RUPTURE! »
Kael dropped to his knees, trembling violently as uncontrolled energy surged through him.
The storm was breaking loose.
Lyria knelt beside him and cupped his face with both hands.
"Kael—look at me."
He didn't respond.
"KAEL."
His eyes snapped open—
Gold.White.Cracked with lightning.
Lyria's voice softened.
"You're not alone. Do you hear me?You're not alone."
Her thumb brushed his cheek.
His breath steadied.
Slowly, painfully, the storm quieted.
A few seconds later—
He collapsed forward, forehead pressed to her shoulder.
"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I'm trying—I don't want to be afraid—I just—"
"You don't have to be anything right now," she whispered. "Except here."
Ryven hopped down. "That was—uh—terrifying."
Nira approached gently. "Kael… we're all scared. But we're scared together."
Princess Arion stood tall, gaze focused on the horizon.
"The Horsemen want to break you," she said quietly. "Which means we cannot allow them to succeed."
Kael lifted his head.
A spark flashed in his golden eyes.
He nodded.
"Then let's move.We need to reach Vardain before they strike again."
The princess nodded back.
"Agreed. Arclight—form up."
⸻
IX. Into the Woods, Into the Trap
The group moved fast.
Princess Arion rode beside Kael, posture sharp, every muscle trained for danger. Serin scouted ahead with graceful precision, blades sheathed but loose in his hands. Korran marched behind the carriage like a silent mountain. Ryven flanked the left side, flames dim and tense. Nira rode near the princess, hands clasped tightly in her lap. Lyria walked at Kael's shoulder, water rings glowing faintly as if responding to his unstable pulse.
Valdyros perched on Kael's arm, claws gripping tighter than usual.
The Silver Road narrowed, flanked by tall cedar trees that grew thicker and darker the deeper they traveled. Mist drifted low across the ground. The air smelled of cold iron.
Kael couldn't stop replaying the corpse's final whisper.
Run.
He clenched his jaw.
Not this time.
« Child, » Valdyros murmured in his mind, « stay alert. The feeling gnawing at your spine is not paranoia. Something watches us. Something… old. »
Kael swallowed hard. "I know."
Lyria looked over, voice soft.
"What did he say?"
Kael gave a humorless smirk. "Same thing he always says. Doom."
Valdyros huffed.
« It is not doom. It is… tactical forewarning. »
"That's just doom with fancier words," Ryven called from ahead.
Valdyros hissed at him. Ryven yelped and hid behind Korran.
"Idiot," Serin muttered.
Kael almost smiled.
Almost.
Because the mist ahead suddenly thickened—unnaturally fast, unnaturally dense.
Serin froze.
"Princess," he said quietly, "halt."
She signaled with two fingers. The group stopped.
Silence fell again.
The same terrible silence from the corpse.
Korran tightened his grip on his spear. Ryven's fire sputtered, reacting to something in the air. Nira shivered violently though the night wasn't cold.
"Kael?" Lyria whispered. "Something's wrong."
Lightning rippled along his forearms.
"Yeah," he said softly. "I feel it too."
Princess Arion's eyes scanned the fog.
"Shields up."
The command rang like a blade across steel.
Nira formed a shimmering green dome around the princess.
Lyria summoned twin rings of water—floating circles that spun slowly around her wrists.
Kael's storm flickered dangerously.
Valdyros crouched low.
« They are here. »
⸻
X. The First Strike — Chains in the Fog
The attack began with a whisper.
A metallic hiss.
Followed by the sound of something snapping through the air at impossible speed.
"LEFT!" Serin shouted.
But the warning came too late.
A chain shot out of the fog—silent, precise, wickedly sharp on both ends—and sliced across Korran's shield in a shower of sparks.
The impact pushed Korran back two whole steps.
Ryven gasped. "WHAT—"
Another chain cracked through the mist—straight toward Ryven's throat.
Kael darted forward and grabbed the chain mid-air.
Lightning exploded from his palm.
The chain vibrated violently, reacting like a living thing.
Ryven stumbled back, hand on his neck. "THANK YOU—HOLY—"
Kael growled, electricity burning across his skin.
"What is this thing?!"
Serin answered coldly.
"Not a thing."
The fog shifted.
A figure stepped forward—
Slow.Measured.Poised.
Wrapped in dark gray cloth and plated leather, adorned with faint purple sigils that pulsed like a heartbeat.
His mask was steel, shaped like a blank face with vertical slits for eyes.
In both hands, he held a long, segmented chain-blade—links etched with runes that shimmered even in shadow.
Princess Arion sucked in a breath.
"No… that's—"
Serin finished the sentence.
"—A Vardain Nightslayer."
Ryven's eyes bulged. "A what?!"
Serin's voice was deadly calm.
"An assassin from the Vardain border elite guard. They hunt mages. They kill efficiently. And they do not take prisoners."
The Nightslayer bowed mockingly.
Then attacked.
⸻
XI. The Fight — Kael vs the Nightslayer
The chain came first, splitting into three sections mid-air, each one snapping toward a different target.
Kael didn't think.
He moved.
He caught the first chain with lightning-wrapped hands.
He deflected the second with a burst of wind from his Mind Gate.
He Flash-Stepped past the third—vanishing in a crack of thunder.
The Nightslayer pivoted instantly, chain snapping around him like a living snake.
Kael appeared behind him in a burst of sparks—
Lightning blade forming in his hand—
He slashed—
CLANG!
The chain-blade curved, blocking the strike perfectly.
The assassin didn't speak. Didn't grunt. Didn't even breathe loudly. He moved with quiet, deadly precision, twisting his weapon in fluid arcs that bent impossible angles.
Kael ducked a spinning strike—
Rolled beneath a sweeping chain hook—
Pivoted with lightning slicing the fog—
But the Nightslayer matched him step for step.
His movements were efficient. Surgical.
"You're fast," Kael growled.
The Nightslayer's mask tilted.
"You're loud."
The words were flat. Mechanical. Emotionless.
The chain wrapped around Kael's ankle before he could react.
The Nightslayer yanked—
Kael flew through the air—
Crashing through a tree trunk—
Landing hard enough to carve a crater in the dirt.
"KAEL!" Lyria screamed.
Valdyros roared, releasing a shockwave of golden lightning that blew back three more chains.
Kael rose slowly, teeth gritted, blood dripping down his brow.
"You want to play?" he spat, storm rising. "Fine."
The Nightslayer stepped forward.
Kael Flash-Stepped.
Their clash erupted in the fog like a storm trapped inside a coffin.
⸻
XII. The Others Fight Back
While Kael kept the assassin occupied—
Two more chain-blades shot through the mist.
Ryven blocked them with a blast of fire, shouting:
"CAN WE NOT JUST HAVE ONE NORMAL MISSION?!"
Nira expanded her shield, panting heavily as a chain wrapped around the barrier and constricted, cracking it.
"I—can't hold—much longer!"
Korran struck the chain with brute force, snapping the segment apart.
"You can!"
Princess Arion unsheathed her short glaive, runes glowing along the blade.
"Protect Nira at all costs!"
Serin whirled his dual sabers with deadly grace, slicing an incoming chain in half.
"Above you!"
Lyria pivoted, water rings spinning, forming a high-pressure blade of water that slashed through the fog like a razor.
She cut a chain mid-air—
It severed with a hiss—
And dissolved into black smoke.
"Nice!" Ryven yelled.
She smirked. "Told you. Water cuts deeper than flame."
But her smile faded as three chains shot toward Kael's back.
"KAEL—BEHIND YOU!"
⸻
XIII. The Storm Cracks
Kael was mid-strike, blade of lightning clashing against the assassin's chain-blade when he heard Lyria's scream.
He spun—
Too slow—
The chains wrapped around his torso, waist, and throat.
His storm sputtered.
The Nightslayer tightened his grip.
Kael's ribs cracked. He gasped.
Lyria's eyes widened in horror.
"NO!"
She sprinted toward him.
Valdyros launched himself off Kael's shoulder like a streak of gold lightning—
But the Nightslayer flicked his wrist—
A chain slammed Valdyros into the ground.
Kael's vision wavered.
He couldn't breathe.
The Chains constricted harder.
CRACK.
Pain exploded through his chest.
Anti-Source residue curled off the assassin's weapon—faint, but enough to burn Kael's skin.
Kael's knees buckled.
The Nightslayer leaned close, mask inches from Kael's face.
"Orders received," he whispered. "Famine wants the spark alive."
Kael's heartbeat faltered.
Lyria screamed again.
Ryven unleashed a blast of flame big enough to light up the entire clearing.
Korran charged with a roar.
Serin threw both blades with precision deadly enough to kill a man twice.
The Nightslayer didn't flinch.
He raised one hand—
A sigil flared across his mask—
And Kael's mind shattered.
⸻
XIV. Kael's Psychic Break
Kael screamed as a psychic shockwave ripped through his skull.
Images blazed across his mind:
Helda dying—Dolsen screaming—Famine reaching for him—Lightning failing him—His parents' burning faces—Dark hands dragging him down—Void swallowing light—Chains around his lungs—Gasps—Blood—Death—
More death.
More death.
More—
He couldn't breathe.
He couldn't think.
He couldn't—
Lyria's voice cut through the darkness like a blade of ice:
"KAEL!"
Her water rings spun violently, swirling into a sphere of pressurized water—
She launched it.
It slammed into the assassin's mask hard enough to crack the steel.
The chains loosened.
Kael dropped to the ground gasping, vision blurred and shaky.
Valdyros stumbled to his side, growling weakly.
« Child… breathe. Breathe… you must breathe— »
Kael coughed, clutching his chest.
"I… I can't—"
Lyria knelt beside him, cupping his face again, shaking.
"Look at me. Kael, look at me."
His gaze met hers.
Her water rings glowed brighter—responding to him—warming his frantic pulse.
Slowly, the world began to return.
Just enough for him to see—
The Nightslayer was raising his chain again—
Sigils glowing—
Preparing to strike the final blow.
Kael's pupils shrank.
No.
No.
NO.
Lightning erupted violently from Kael's body.
The storm roared awake.
⸻
XV. The Storm Reignites — Lightning Reborn
The Nightslayer raised his chain—
Sigils pulsing violet, anti-source whispering beneath the links—
Preparing to sever Kael's head.
Lyria screamed.
Ryven unleashed fire.
Korran sprinted.
Serin pivoted into a counter-stance.
But none reached him in time.
Because Kael moved.
Lightning detonated through his limbs—
A violent convulsion—
A primal instinct screaming live—
Electricity exploded from his skin in an uncontrolled blast, flattening the grass in a circular wave.
CRACK—KRRRSHHH!
The Nightslayer's chain snapped backward from the shock.
Kael shot upright, breath ragged, eyes wide and glowing white-blue.
Not gold like his earlier storm.
Not silver like Mind Gate focus.
This was different.
This was raw survival instinct—Soul Gate flaring without control, lightning surging in jagged bursts that cracked the air like splintering glass.
Valdyros staggered back, eyes wide.
« Child… this power is unstable—you cannot— »
But Kael couldn't hear him.
Or rather—
He heard only echoes:
Helda screaming.Dolsen turning to ash.Famine's skeletal fingers pressing on his chest.The Nightslayer's whisper:
Famine wants the spark alive.
Kael's entire body trembled.
Not with fear.
With rage.
"You're not taking anyone," Kael growled, lightning shaking the trees. "Not again."
The Nightslayer paused—
Mask cracking along one edge where Lyria's water sphere struck earlier.
Then—
With slow, chilling calm—
He bowed his head.
"You are the correct prey."
⸻
XVI. Chainstorm — A Duel of Monsters
The Nightslayer raised both arms.
Chains erupted from them like a metallic storm—Ten lengths, twenty, thirty—All thrashing through the fog like serpents with razors for fangs.
Kael didn't run.
He sprinted forward.
Valdyros shouted in his mind—
« CHILD, DO NOT—!! »
Kael Flash-Stepped.
And the forest exploded.
Chains snapped toward him in every direction—
From above—
Below—
Behind—
Angles that should not exist—
Kael's storm countered in instinctive, feral bursts:
He smashed one chain aside with a lightning-wrapped forearm—Dodged under another by sliding on the wet leaves—Clashed blade-first with a third, lightning shrieking against metal—Then spun in a wild arc, sending a burst of electricity outward—
BOOOOOM!
Half the chains recoiled.
Ryven gawked. "He's fighting like a wild animal—"
Serin corrected him sharply.
"No. He's fighting like someone who refuses to die."
But the Nightslayer adapted instantly.
He twisted his wrists.
The chains shifted mid-trajectory—
Splitting—
Curving—
Rejoining—
Forming a cage that snapped shut around Kael like a steel jaw.
Kael gasped as the chains coiled around him again—
Around his ribs—
Around his arms—
Around his throat—
His storm spasmed wildly.
"KAEL!" Lyria cried, sprinting toward him.
"WAIT!" Serin grabbed her wrist. "He'll electrocute you—"
But she ripped free.
"I DON'T CARE!"
⸻
XVII. Lyria's Desperation — Water Against Chains
Lyria sprinted through three snapping chains—
Ducking under one—Vaulting a second—Sliding beneath a third—
Her water rings spun wildly around her—
She slammed her palms together.
"WATER WALL — CRASHING RAMPART!"
A massive wave erupted around her—
Not like normal water—
This water was dense, glowing with Source threads that twisted like serpents.
It crashed into the chains constricting Kael.
SHHHRR-WHOOM!
The impact forced the coils to slacken—
Not break—
Just loosen.
But it was enough.
Kael sucked in a breath.
The storm flared—
"LYRIA, GET BACK!" he roared.
But she leaned in, forehead pressed to his shoulder.
"I'm not leaving you," she whispered.
Her voice shook.Her hands shook.But she did not release him.
"Please… Kael… come back."
Her water rings pulsed—
Responding to his pulse—
Syncing with it.
And Kael's storm steadied.
Not calmed—
Not contained—
But focused.
Lightning burned the chains.
Kael tore one arm free—
Then the other.
He pushed Lyria behind him gently.
"Thank you," he breathed.
Then the storm exploded outward.
⸻
XVIII. The Nightslayer's True Form — Sigil Phase
The assassin didn't recoil.
He leaned into the lightning—
Chains wrapping around his hands like living gauntlets.
Then—
The sigils on his mask ignited.
Purple runes flared across his arms, chest, and legs—
Lighting up the fog with eerie luminescence.
Serin's eyes widened.
"Vardain Battle Sigils—!! He's activating his Phase Art!"
Ryven's jaw dropped. "They get stronger?!"
The Nightslayer's chains moved faster than Kael's eyes could track.
He teleported—
No—
Not teleported—
He chain-stepped, pulling himself from point to point with impossible speed.
He appeared behind Kael—
Chain-tip aimed at the base of Kael's skull—
"KAEL DOWN!" Lyria shouted.
Kael fell flat instinctively—
The chain pierced the tree behind him—
Splitting it in half.
Kael somersaulted backward, lightning bursting under his heels.
The Nightslayer appeared above him mid-spin—
Chain gauntlets flashing with violet sigils—
He struck downward—
Kael blocked with his lightning blade—
KA-CHOOOOM!
The entire forest shook.
Korran shielded Nira from the flying debris.
Ryven burned away falling branches.
Princess Arion protected the carriage.
Serin yelled:
"KORRAN! FORMATION BREAKER!"
Korran charged the assassin's flank—
Speared forward like a battering ram—
But the chain shot out—
Wrapped around the spear—
And yanked Korran off his feet.
He slammed into a tree with a grunt.
"KORRAN!!" Nira cried.
The Nightslayer blurred again—
Chains writhing like demons—
He was a single flicker away from Lyria's throat.
Her eyes widened—
"Lyria—MOVE!" Kael shouted.
But she couldn't—
She wasn't fast enough—
The chain glinted—
It would reach her first—
⸻
XIX. The Princess Unleashed — Arion's Divine Technique
A royal command cut the air.
"STAND DOWN!"
A shockwave of emerald light blasted through the clearing.
The chain froze inches from Lyria's neck.
The Nightslayer stiffened—
Mask trembling—
Princess Arion stepped forward.
Her glaive glowed with emerald runes—
Pulsing with the Vardainian diplomatic seal—
Korran gasped. "That's—"
Serin finished the sentence.
"—the King's Binding Art."
Arion spun her glaive.
Emerald tendrils erupted from the blade—
Snaking outward—
Binding two chains in place with unbreakable locks of light.
"For the safety of my escort," she declared,
voice ringing with royal force,
"you harm no one."
The Nightslayer hissed beneath his mask.
"You bear the seal…of the False King."
Arion's jaw tightened. "He is not false."
The assassin's voice dripped like poison.
"He fears the returnof the One Who Eats Light."
Kael's heart stopped.
"You mean Famine."
The Nightslayer tilted his head.
"Not only him."
He spread his arms—
And the chains erupted like an iron storm again—
SECOND SIGIL PHASE: VIOLET MAW
Arion's bindings shattered.
The assassin shot toward her with lethal speed.
"PRINCESS—!!" Kael cried.
He Flash-Stepped.
But he wasn't fast enough.
Korran wasn't strong enough.
Ryven wasn't fiery enough.
Nira wasn't close enough.
Lyria wasn't ready enough.
Serin wasn't sharp enough.
The Nightslayer's blade struck—
⸻
XX. Serin's Sacrifice — Blood on the Path
Serin appeared between Arion and the chain-blade mid-air—
He didn't block with swords.
He blocked with his arm.
The chain ripped through skin and muscle—
Blood sprayed across the fog.
"SERIN!!!" Ryven screamed.
Lyria gasped.
Nira shrieked.
Even Kael choked.
Serin's face contorted with pain—but his voice was steady.
"Your target… is me."
He twisted his body, using the chain's momentum to yank the Nightslayer off balance.
Kael Flash-Stepped behind the assassin—
Lightning roaring—
"DON'T TOUCH THEM!" he screamed.
He drove his palm into the assassin's chest—
SOULGATE STRIKE!
White-blue lightning exploded outward—
Pure, violent, unfiltered—
A beam of raw energy blasting the assassin across the clearing—
He slammed through two trees—
Then hit the ground hard enough to crack stone.
Chains fell limp to the ground.
The sigils dimmed.
The fog wavered.
Silence.
Serin collapsed to his knees, clutching his bleeding arm.
Princess Arion knelt beside him. "You fool—why would you—?!"
Serin hissed, trying to stay conscious.
"I'll live… Princess…But you… would not have."
Kael reached him, lightning flickering weakly.
"Serin—your arm—"
Serin smirked weakly through bloody teeth.
"Don't… look at me like that.I don't want your pity."
Kael knelt beside him.
"You're an idiot," Kael whispered.
Serin chuckled, wincing.
"I'm your idiot."
Lyria sobbed into Nira's shoulder.
Korran limped over, placing a trembling hand on Serin's good shoulder.
Ryven just stood there, shaking.
Valdyros hovered above Kael, voice low.
« Child. The battle is not finished.He still breathes. »
Kael stiffened.
He looked toward the trees.
The fog shifted.
The Nightslayer rose—slowly, shakily, but alive.
Chains coiled around him like wounded serpents.
He wasn't done.
But neither was Kael.
Lightning flared in Kael's eyes again.
He stood.
Lyria stood beside him.
Ryven ignited his fists.
Korran steadied his spear despite his injuries.
Nira's hands glowed with healing light.
Princess Arion readied her glaive.
Serin, bleeding and trembling, grabbed his last blade with his good hand.
They stood together.
Seven against one.
The Nightslayer's mask cracked fully in half.
Cold, dead eyes glared through the break.
"You are worthy prey," he hissed.
Kael lowered his stance.
"Then hunt us."
Lightning surged again.
⸻