"I told you not to rush—Riven, stop!"
The echo of Kael's voice was swallowed by the chaos. Dust rose in clouds, and the ground shook with the clash of steel and magic. Riven's blade was already in motion, cleaving through the air with reckless fury.
"Plans don't win battles—power does!" Riven roared, his eyes wild with adrenaline.
"Damn it!" Kael muttered, sliding beside Aeris, who was already charging a protection spell. This wasn't supposed to happen. Not like this.
They were supposed to wait.
They were supposed to think.
Now they were standing in the middle of a collapsing battlefield—no preparation, no traps, no time.
From across the broken terrain, a figure emerged. Calm. Confident. Cloaked in shadows that danced unnaturally around him. His voice was deep, deliberate.
"Looks like only one of us will walk home victorious today."
Silence fell.
Tension thickened the air.
Kael's hand tightened around his sword. Aeris's spell dimmed for a second. Even Riven paused, for just a breath.
---
Kael's Voice:
"My name is Kael. I'm a high school senior. On the surface, I'm just a kid who wants to become a famous artist like my father... But secretly? I'm something else entirely."
---
The scene shifts. Calm returns. A large stone gate crackles with energy before them—an entrance to another world.
Kael stands at the center, his sword strapped to his back.
Aeris checks her spellbook quietly.
Riven adjusts the straps of his heavier blade, saying nothing.
"I'm an average-level swordsman. Not the strongest in the world—not yet. But what I lack in power, I make up for in planning.
Our mission? Simple. Eliminate the darkness spreading through both worlds. One gate at a time."
They step through the glowing gate—and everything changes.