The darkness rolled over the hills like a living thing, thick and impenetrable. The cold bite of the air pressed against Kael's skin as he tightened his grip on his twin swords. His keen senses picked up the faintest tremors in the ground, the low growl of beasts not yet seen. Somewhere ahead, hidden within the black shroud, the enemy was gathering.
Kael's silver hair fluttered in the night breeze, his violet eyes glowing faintly with inner power. He stood alone at the vanguard, a shadow against the rising storm, as the rest of the expeditionary forces set up defensive wards behind him.
Ashen and Lyra were tending to their wounds back at camp. It had fallen to Kael to buy them time.
He wouldn't fail.
A whisper on the wind — too soft for normal ears — tickled the edges of Kael's mind. His lip curled into a half-smile.
"They're here," he murmured.
From the darkness emerged creatures twisted by the Void's influence — grotesque forms with stretched limbs and gnarled claws, their mouths filled with rows of jagged teeth. Their eyes burned with a sickly green light, fixated on Kael with a hunger that bordered on madness.
Kael rotated his wrists, loosening the tension in his muscles. The twin swords in his hands hummed with latent energy, responding to his call. His aura began to rise, faint lines of shimmering silver tracing the ground around him.
"Come, then," Kael said, his voice cold as steel. "Let's see if you can last more than a breath."
The first creature lunged.
Kael moved like a ghost, vanishing from sight and reappearing behind the monster in a blink. His swords flashed once, twice — a beautiful, deadly dance — and the creature's body split apart before it could even scream. Blackened blood hissed as it hit the ground.
No time to breathe. Five more surged forward, a tide of claws and fangs.
Kael met them with a whirlwind of motion, his body flowing like water, his swords cutting arcs of silver light through the gloom. Every strike was precise, every movement calculated. He weaved between them effortlessly, stepping just out of reach of claw and tooth, his counters devastating.
One beast roared as Kael severed its arm at the elbow, then decapitated it before it hit the ground.
Another tried to flank him — clever for a Voidspawn — but Kael spun, driving the tip of his sword into its heart, twisting it violently before yanking it free. The creature crumpled without a sound.
The ground was littered with corpses, but Kael's instincts screamed at him: it wasn't over.
Far from it.
From the gloom stepped a figure unlike the others — humanoid, armored in cracked black plate, its helm shaped like a snarling wolf. It carried a massive axe, runes glowing along the blade.
Kael's smile faded slightly.
"A Void Knight," he muttered. "Finally, a challenge."
The Void Knight raised its axe and pointed it at Kael.
Come.
The voice pressed into Kael's mind like a knife, filled with loathing.
Kael's aura ignited, flaring bright silver, and the ground shuddered beneath his feet. He lowered himself into a fighting stance, the tips of his swords pointing outward like a pair of striking vipers.
Without a word, Kael surged forward.
Their first clash was cataclysmic. The Knight's axe swung down with the force of a mountain, but Kael's blades caught it in a scissor motion, redirecting the force harmlessly past his body. Sparks exploded from the contact, and the shockwave flattened the nearby trees.
Kael retaliated with a flurry of strikes, moving too fast for the eye to follow. His swords struck the Knight's armor again and again — ping, ping, ping — but the blackened plates held firm.
The Knight countered with a brutal backswing. Kael ducked, the blade passing inches from his head, and retaliated with a slash across the Knight's exposed leg. The Knight grunted, but showed no sign of pain.
Kael retreated a step, breathing heavily.
This one was different. Stronger. Smarter.
A duel of technique wasn't enough.
Kael's aura flared brighter, and he whispered an ancient word: "Orris'kai."
Silver chains of energy burst from his body, wrapping around his arms, his legs, his swords. His power doubled — no, tripled — in an instant. The earth cracked beneath him as he launched himself forward.
He was everywhere at once — left, right, above — his blades raining down strikes faster than the mind could comprehend. The Void Knight staggered, unable to keep up with the relentless assault.
A gap in the armor — Kael's eye caught it — a seam along the side.
He drove one sword deep into it, twisting savagely.
The Knight howled in rage and lashed out with the butt of its axe. Kael was sent flying backward, smashing into a crumbling stone pillar.
Pain exploded through his ribs, but Kael forced himself to stand. Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth, but his eyes gleamed with battle-fury.
He wiped the blood away with the back of his hand and smirked.
"That all you've got?" he taunted.
The Knight charged, its axe raised high.
Kael waited until the last moment, then sidestepped, slashing both blades across the Knight's exposed back. The Void Knight stumbled, but did not fall.
With a roar, it swung again, but this time Kael caught the axe between his twin swords, trapping it. Muscles straining, Kael forced the weapon upward — opening the Knight's guard — and drove the hilt of his sword into the Knight's faceplate.
The impact cracked the helm.
The Void Knight reeled, dazed.
Kael didn't hesitate.
He plunged both swords through the Knight's chest, crossing them like an X.
The Knight froze, its body shuddering, before the blackness within it began to unravel. Smoke poured from the cracks in its armor as it fell to its knees, the light fading from its corrupted eyes.
Kael pulled his swords free and stepped back as the body collapsed in a heap.
The battlefield was silent once more, save for Kael's ragged breathing.
The silver aura around him slowly faded, sinking back into his body.
Behind him, the others emerged from the treeline — Thorne, Ashen, Lyra — their faces a mixture of awe and concern.
"You handled that well," Thorne said gruffly, though Kael detected the respect in his voice.
Ashen's eyes narrowed as he surveyed the corpse. "A Void Knight this close to camp... they're testing our defenses. Probing for weakness."
"They won't find any," Kael said, sheathing his swords with a flourish.
Lyra stepped closer, her hand brushing against his arm. "You were incredible," she said softly.
Kael shrugged, trying to downplay it, but a faint smile touched his lips. He wasn't used to praise. Especially not from Lyra.
"We need to move," Thorne said, cutting the moment short. "This was just the beginning. If there's one Knight, there will be others. We have to reach the Shrine of Whispers before the Void's forces do."
Ashen nodded. "Agreed. Kael, can you scout ahead?"
Kael saluted lazily. "Already on it."
Without waiting for further orders, he melted into the shadows, his presence vanishing like mist.
As he moved, the weight of what was coming pressed on him. The Void's corruption was deeper than anyone had feared. If the Seared One could field Void Knights freely, then the world itself was in grave danger.
Kael's fingers brushed the amulet at his neck — a simple silver disc, inscribed with a rune only he could read.
Never forget who you are.
The words burned in his mind.
He would fight. He would bleed. He would carve a path through the darkness if he had to.
For Viraelon.
For his friends.
For himself.
The night swallowed him whole, but his silver light burned defiantly within.
And somewhere, far above, the Seared One's gaze turned toward him.
The true battle had only just begun.