🔥 Chapter 10 — Flames of Victory
Kael's eyes glowed bright with Emberfire, every pulse of energy resonating through his body. The Frost Warden reeled from the concentrated strike, ice cracking and shattering around it. Its shadowed form flickered, weakened but not yet destroyed.
Rhyne shouted from the side, "Now, Kael! Put everything into it!"
Kael clenched his fists, letting the Ember surge freely, coiling around him in a raging storm of blue and white flames. He leapt forward, flames lashing, fire spiraling into a spear of pure energy. The Ember struck the Warden's core directly. The dark heart of ice and shadow screamed, cracking violently before exploding into shards that rained across the frozen courtyard.
A silence fell over the highlands. The shadowed warriors collapsed, frozen solid, and the Frost Warden's voice echoed one final time: "This… cannot… be…"
Kael staggered, exhausted, Ember dimming as the fire settled. The Warden's body melted into fragments of ice and shadow, leaving the fortress's gates open for the first time.
Rhyne approached, placing a hand on Kael's shoulder. "You've done it. The Frozen Bastion is ours."
Kael looked across the courtyard. Snow and ash mixed, creating an eerie calm. "It's not over," he said, his voice low but resolute. "The Harrowed King… he knows we're here now. And the others are coming."
Above, the northern sky rippled with the pulse of the King's crack, growing darker, stronger. It was as if the world itself was holding its breath, waiting for the next wave.
Rhyne nodded. "True. But this victory buys us time. We've learned more about his generals—and more about your Ember."
Kael flexed his hands, still glowing faintly with fire. "Every fight, every battle… I can feel the Ember growing stronger. I just hope we're ready for the King himself."
A cold wind swept across the ridge, carrying the echo of distant footsteps—new enemies, moving fast. Kael tightened his grip on his blade.
"The war isn't over," Rhyne said grimly. "It's only beginning. And the northern highlands have just become the first line of defense."
Kael looked toward the horizon, fire flickering in his eyes. "Then we fight. No matter what comes next."
Above them, the sky pulsed ominously, the heartbeat of a world teetering on the edge of war.