The night trembled with killing intent.
Kael's aura poured out like a raging storm, pressing down on the courtyard until even the torches flickered and dimmed. His scarred face twisted into a sneer, his cracked mask tossed aside.
"Stand aside, boy. You don't understand the weight of what you carry," Kael said coldly, his voice cutting through the silence like steel.
Adrian planted his feet firmly, his grip on his blade tightening. "I understand enough—that you would sacrifice your own family just to seize it." His gaze flicked to Selena, standing pale and trembling behind him. "That makes you no better than the assassins you send."
Kael's lips curled into a cruel smile. "Family? Hah. Weak blood is nothing but a burden. Selena was never fit to inherit the Rael name. And you…" His gaze sharpened. "You're just a dog, clinging to stolen power."
Selena's voice cracked. "Uncle, please… stop this. Why are you doing this? Why betray your own blood?"
Kael's expression hardened. "Because only the strong deserve to survive. Your father was blind to that truth. I won't make the same mistake."
Adrian stepped forward, placing himself between her and Kael. His aura surged, the scroll's runes at his side glowing with a defiant light. "Maybe I was cast aside. Maybe I was nothing. But now, I have a reason to fight. If you want her life—or this scroll—you'll have to take mine first."
Kael laughed, a sound as cold as a blade drawn from its sheath. "So be it."
The ground cracked beneath his feet as he shot forward, his strike faster than lightning. Adrian's blade rose to meet it, steel clashing with steel. The impact sent shockwaves across the courtyard, shaking the trees and scattering leaves like a storm.
Selena cried out, shielding her face from the force.
Adrian's arms trembled under the weight of Kael's power. Every strike was monstrous, honed by years of bloodshed. But with each clash, the scroll's energy flared brighter, feeding Adrian's blade with strength that wasn't entirely his own.
Kael's eyes narrowed as sparks flew. "The scroll… it's answering you. No wonder they sent me."
Adrian gritted his teeth, sweat dripping down his face. "Then you already know… you won't win so easily!"
He twisted his blade, channeling the scroll's power into a sweeping slash. Energy ripped through the air like a roaring dragon, forcing Kael back a step. For the first time, the assassin's composure faltered.
Selena's heart pounded. "Adrian… he's holding his own."
Kael chuckled, his eyes gleaming with menace. "Impressive. But raw strength without mastery is nothing. Let me show you the gap between us!"
His aura erupted, darker and sharper than before. In a blur, he vanished, reappearing at Adrian's side. A strike slashed across Adrian's arm, blood spraying into the night. Adrian staggered but refused to fall, his blade flashing to parry the next deadly blow.
The fight became a storm—steel, sparks, blood, and fury clashing in the moonlight.
Adrian's chest burned, his lungs screamed for air, but his spirit roared louder. He thought of his father's rejection, of the sneers of his cousins, of the promise he had sworn under the storm. And now, of Selena, whose tears glistened in the firelight.
"I will not fall here!" Adrian shouted, his aura blazing. "Not to you… not to anyone!"
Kael's strike descended, aiming for his heart—
—and Adrian unleashed the scroll's power in full.
Light exploded, swallowing the courtyard in brilliance. Kael's eyes widened as Adrian's blade surged with an otherworldly force, cutting through the darkness itself.
For an instant, it seemed as though the boy the world had cast aside might truly stand against a monster born of blood and shadow.
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✨ Author's Note:
The first true duel between Adrian and Kael begins! ⚔️ Do you think Adrian can hold his ground against someone who's lived in shadows all his life? And what secret techniques might Kael still be hiding?