The gates of Ardent Academy loomed above as Kael and Elira emerged from the Obsidian Depths, battered but alive. Morning light filtered down through enchanted skyglass, gilding their bloodstained robes in gold.
They looked like survivors of a war.
A crowd had gathered students, instructors, even nobles from higher year classes, all watching in silence as the two walked through the outer courtyard. Whispers bloomed like wildfire.
"That's him… the Devourer."
"He came back from the Depths?"
"Did you see the blade? It changed again…"
Kael ignored them.
He wasn't here for praise. He was here for power.
Elira glanced sideways at him. "You're getting famous."
He kept walking. "I'm getting hunted."
---
Inside the Devourer Wing, Master Veyren stood at the altar chamber, reviewing a soulstone report when the door opened.
Kael stepped inside.
Without turning, Veyren said, "I felt the shockwave from here. You triggered a Soulbrand eruption."
Kael unsheathed Emberfang and laid it across the obsidian slab. "Second Node. Claimed."
Veyren finally turned to face him. "And the mutation?"
Kael nodded. "It responds faster. Stronger. It feels… alive."
Veyren placed a hand on the blade. "It is. Soulbound weapons evolve with their bearer. You are feeding it well. But now, others are noticing."
He turned and gestured toward a scrying mirror.
The glass shimmered to reveal the face of *Professor Tarren*, the head of the *Soul Engineering Division* and one of the few who had always distrusted Veyren.
Tarren's voice crackled through: "I want the boy tested. Publicly. He's bypassed core curriculum, forged weapons in secret, and manipulated soul laws without clearance."
Veyren scoffed. "You fear him. That's the real reason."
Tarren sneered. "I fear what he might unleash."
Kael leaned forward. "Then test me."
---
That afternoon, a challenge was issued: a formal test of combat, soul compatibility, and forge control.
The arena was set. Students flooded in from every year. Even instructors gathered to watch. Not because of the test—but because of who was assigned to fight him:
*Seyric Drayle*, a second-year prodigy and noble from House Drayle—experts in blood-binding and bone-weaving. He was tall, cruel-eyed, and bore a soul-weapon shaped like a living scythe.
He smiled when he saw Kael. "I was hoping it would be you."
Kael said nothing. The crowd fell silent.
The arbiter raised his hand. "Begin!"
Seyric struck first his scythe slicing the air, summoning skeletal wings and chains of bone that writhed like serpents. Kael dodged, sliding beneath them, Emberfang igniting with red fire.
He clashed with Seyric at the center of the arena flame against bone.
The crowd roared.
Kael twisted, activating *Burn Mark*, and left searing wounds on Seyric's left arm. But Seyric retaliated with *Blood Snap*, breaking his own ribs to summon a shockwave that knocked Kael back.
Elira stood at the edge, tense. She wanted to interfere but knew this was Kael's moment.
The two fighters clashed again, but Kael was faster now his strikes more fluid, more unpredictable. He used Emberfang like an extension of his will.
Then came the end.
Kael ducked beneath Seyric's final scythe sweep and whispered:
"Soulbrand: Ember Break."
He stabbed the blade deep into Seyric's chestplate. The mark ignited.
Seyric screamed as soulfire erupted from within flinging him backward, unconscious before he hit the ground.
Silence.
Then chaos.
Cheers, fear, confusion. The arena buzzed with emotion.
Kael stood tall, eyes glowing faintly red.
The arbiter lifted his hand. "Victor: Kael Ardyn."
---
That evening, Kael returned to the Devourer Wing, exhausted. Elira waited there, arms crossed.
"You realize what you just did?" she asked.
"I passed their test," Kael replied.
"No. You put a target on your back bigger than ever."
He didn't respond.
Then the system pulsed:
"Soul Strength Increased.
Reputation with House Drayle: Hostile
New Soul Quest Unlocked: Shadow Among the Ashes
—Someone is watching you. Track the unknown observer before they strike.
Timer: 48 hours."
Kael narrowed his eyes.
"Let them watch."