The world narrowed as Nkosana's gaze locked with the Veiled King's. Time seemed to slow. Noise faded. The battlefield blurred into silence, and all that remained was the chilling calm of inevitability.
The Veiled King stepped forward.
Each movement was elegance and decay combined—robes that flowed like smoke, a crown of thorns forged from forgotten sorrows, and eyes… eyes that held centuries of watching, waiting, and weaving fate.
"You've come far, Seed of Ruin," the King's voice echoed—not from his mouth, but from the very space around Nkosana. "But you still don't understand what you carry."
"I understand enough," Nkosana growled. The blade in his hand trembled—not from fear, but from resonance. It recognized its other half.
"Then you know that every swing of that sword feeds the darkness."
Behind Nkosana, Lira shouted his name. He barely registered it. The sounds of battle crept back in—Kaede shouting commands, Matsu barely holding the wards, and warriors falling by the dozens.
"You want this world broken," Nkosana said, stepping forward, "but I'll shatter your plans first."
The Veiled King laughed—low and hollow. "You think this is war? This is only the *opening act*. You were never meant to resist me. You were meant to become me."With a flick of his hand, the sky above twisted. Stars blinked out. A wave of shadow erupted outward, swallowing soldiers and trees alike.
Nkosana leapt forward, blade slicing through the wave—but the energy drained him, pulling at the mark on his neck, the very source of his cursed strength.
The King pointed, and a thousand whispers screamed in Nkosana's mind.
But something within him pushed back.
A memory. A voice.
His mother's.
*"You are more than what they made you. Choose your name. Choose your path."*
The shadows faltered.
Nkosana roared and launched himself forward. Steel met void. The earth cracked beneath their clash.
The Veiled King didn't flinch. He raised his hand, and from the deep blackness… another figure stepped forth.
It was Nkosana.
Or rather—what Nkosana could have become if the Demon Seed had taken over completely. Twisted, monstrous, and laughing.
"Meet your true self," the King whispered.
And the real battle began.
—