Kael stood in a storm of his own making, lightning spiraling in rings around him, each crack loud enough to split stone. Ashrend bled with crimson power, its edge glowing brighter with every heartbeat.
The Sovereign loomed opposite, his mantle of fire swelling outward like the birth of a sun. His very presence turned air into ash, his voice deep as an ancient verdict.
"You've clawed higher than the weak kings of old. But you stand against a throne you cannot reach."
Kael's grip tightened. His voice cut back, sharper than his blade.
"Thrones burn. Storms endure."
Then they moved.
Kael struck first—lightning twisting around his frame, body vanishing into streaks of red light. He carved across the battlefield with "Crimson Severance!", his blade releasing a jagged slash of storm-energy.
The Sovereign lifted his arm, the flames coalescing into a towering wall.
"Mandate of Ash."
The slash met the fire, detonating in a blinding eruption. Rocks vaporized, the very ground beneath them splitting into molten chasms. Kael reappeared behind the Sovereign mid-blink, his storm screaming around him.
"Tempest Rend!"
His blade cracked down, tearing a spiraling arc through the Sovereign's shoulder. But fire surged in answer, knitting the wound instantly, forcing Kael to retreat as molten spikes exploded outward.
The Sovereign advanced. His hand stretched, and the very sky seemed to kneel. The sun dimmed beneath his flames.
"Mandate of Dominion."
A vast column of fire descended, wider than towers, swallowing Kael whole. For a moment, the storm seemed buried.
Then lightning tore free.
Kael roared, crimson arcs splitting the fire apart, each bolt a defiance that cut through the Sovereign's decree. The flames peeled back, torn to shreds, until Kael burst free, blade raised high. His body bled, skin cracked from heat, but his storm surged stronger, answering his fury.
"Your mandates are chains," Kael spat. "I don't bow."
He lunged again, storm and flame colliding so violently that the sky itself shattered into fractures of red and gold.
And neither yielded.