The fog did not lift
Instead it grew thicker wrapping the forest in a curtain of ash and whispers
Kael stood alone in the clearing his skin wet with the blood of creatures no longer recognizable as anything born of this world
His hands pulsed with dark energy the veins beneath his skin glowing faintly with the curse he had accepted
Behind him the trees were shattered their trunks torn by the blast of magic he had unleashed at the end of the last battle
The silence was unnatural
Kael walked forward his feet crushing bones underfoot each step a reminder of the weight he now carried
He had no remorse no regret only the hunger for destruction and retribution
He was no longer a man seeking justice
He was justice carved into flesh wielding hell itself as a weapon
A flicker of movement to his right
Kael did not hesitate
Shadow burst from his palm striking through the veil of fog
A demon fell from the air its head split in half by the blast
Three more emerged screeching their limbs twisted and gnarled their faces barely human
Kael surged forward blades of corrupted mana tearing free from his arms
He did not block
He did not dodge
He tore through them letting their claws rip into his skin in return for the satisfaction of watching their bodies explode in crimson bursts
Their black blood sizzled as it touched the ground hissing against the cursed soil
More demons came
Kael kept moving
For every one that lunged ten fell
His cloak shredded his body a canvas of wounds but he moved with the resolve of a man who had nothing left but vengeance
In the distance a bell tolled
The sound was deep a call to the dead
Kael turned his gaze toward the ruins ahead the temple of the forsaken
It was said no one left that place alive
It was said even the gods had abandoned it
Kael did not believe in gods
He believed in power
And power was what waited there
Through broken arches and walls carved with forgotten runes Kael entered the temple
Shadows slithered across the floor eyes blinking from the cracks in the stone
He walked without fear the darkness parting before him
In the center of the great hall stood a woman
Her skin pale her eyes glowing with golden fire
She held a spear made of bone her feet floating above the ground
Kael stopped a few paces away
She smiled a cruel and knowing smile
You are the one who stole the seal she said her voice echoing from every wall
Kael said nothing
He lifted his arm shadow forming a spear of his own
Then let us begin she whispered
And the temple exploded into chaos
Swords clashed against spells the room filling with the roars of unleashed energy
Kael fought with precision striking her illusions down with pure instinct
But the woman was no ordinary foe
She was faster than the others her spear dancing like lightning her body flickering with every breath
Kael bled but he did not fall
His rage kept him standing
He tore the ground open beneath her feet forced her to float higher into the air
He called fire from the air compressed into a ball of searing destruction and hurled it toward her
She blocked it her shield shattering with the impact
He leapt into the air met her mid strike their weapons colliding with the force of thunder
They fell together crashing into the temple floor their bodies surrounded by cracked stone and ancient dust
She rose laughing her face twisted with excitement
You are worthy she said
And vanished into smoke
Kael stared at the empty space where she had stood
From the shadows a small orb rolled toward him
He picked it up feeling its heat
A memory crystal
He crushed it in his hand and visions flooded his mind
The woman was a general of the forgotten kingdom a soldier of the gods turned traitor
She had guarded the path to the final seal
Kael now had the key
His next destination burned in his mind
The sunken city beneath the blackened sea
The final piece of his vengeance awaited there
He turned toward the exit the temple behind him crumbling as if it too had fulfilled its purpose
The air outside was colder now
The fog gone replaced with thick falling ash
Kael walked forward each step leaving a trail of shadow
He was not the same man who had begun this path
He was the weapon that would end it
And nothing would stand in his way
Not kings
Not demons
Not the gods themselves