Chapter 231 – The Weight of Strength
The training yard echoed with the thud of wood on wood, the hiss of steel against steel, and the barked commands of Rogan drilling a group of young fighters. Yet in the center of the yard, Kael stood motionless, his magisteel blade resting against the packed earth. Sweat trickled down his brow, but not from exertion.
Every partner he had taken fell too quickly. Rogan had sparred with him, lasting longer than most, but even he had yielded after a dozen exchanges. Thalos, with his skill and precision, had been no match against Kael's relentless speed and strength. Varik refused outright, muttering that dueling Kael was like trying to wrestle a thunderstorm.
Even Lyria had tried, her arrows sharp and her movements swift—but Kael had disarmed and pinned her within moments, and though she had laughed it off, he saw the flash of frustration in her eyes. He hated it.
No one could push him anymore.
The young recruits in the yard stared at him like he was a figure out of legend—untouchable, unstoppable. But Kael didn't want to be untouchable. He wanted something to strain against, something that could test him the way battle once had.
When Rogan called the recruits to formation, Kael quietly slipped his blade back into its scabbard and walked out of the yard. His steps carried him through the Hollow, past homes of stone and wood, past the new schoolhouse where children sang lessons, past the forges ringing with hammer and anvil. He kept walking, through the gates, into the forest.
The trees swallowed him, their branches forming a cathedral of green and gold. The air smelled of sap and moss, thick and heavy. Birds called, and in the distance, Kael heard the grinding sound of stone on stone.
He followed it.
The noise grew louder, the forest thinning until he came upon a clearing. At its center, half-buried in earth and moss, stood hulking forms of granite and obsidian. Stone golems. Their shapes were crude, like giants sculpted by careless hands—towering bodies of rock with jagged arms, faces little more than hollowed sockets glowing faintly with earthen light.
There were six of them. They moved slowly, like statues waking from ancient slumber, each step shaking the ground.
Kael's lips curved into something between a grin and a snarl.
"At last," he whispered, drawing his magisteel sword. The blade hummed faintly with power, hungry for combat.
The nearest golem let out a grinding roar, its body shifting as it raised a fist the size of a boulder and brought it crashing down. Kael rolled to the side, dirt exploding where the blow landed, then surged forward. His blade sang as it cut through the air and bit into stone. Sparks flared, shards of rock scattering.
The golem staggered, but did not fall.
Another lurched forward, swinging an arm like a tree trunk. Kael met it head-on, magisteel shrieking against rock. The impact rattled his bones, but he gritted his teeth and shoved back, twisting to sever the limb at the joint. The arm fell with a thunderous crash, dust clouding the air.
Kael's eyes burned with focus. His magic surged—flame wrapping around the edge of his sword, lightning sparking along the blade. He drove it into the chest of the maimed golem, the explosion of fire and force hollowing out its torso. The creature shuddered once, then collapsed in a heap of rubble.
The others roared as if enraged by their brother's fall.
Kael welcomed them.
Two came at once, stone fists hammering down like siege weapons. Kael darted between them, rolling low, his blade flashing upward in a crescent arc. One golem's knee shattered under the strike, sending it toppling, but the other caught him with a glancing blow. The impact threw Kael against a tree, bark splintering under his weight. Pain lanced through his ribs, but he only laughed, teeth bared.
"Good," he growled, surging back into the fray.
He unleashed a storm of magic—flames licked across the clearing, forcing the golems back, while tendrils of lightning cracked through the air, splitting stone. His sword wove through it all, each strike precise, fueled by fury and joy. Stone split, shattered, exploded under his relentless assault.
Yet still they fought.
One grabbed him mid-charge, its massive hand crushing around his torso. Kael roared in defiance, his blade igniting in pure white fire. He stabbed upward, again and again, until the creature's arm crumbled and he tore himself free, landing in a crouch. Dust and blood smeared his face, but his eyes burned brighter than ever.
At last, only one remained—the largest of the nest, a hulking beast of granite veined with glowing crystals. It stomped forward, the ground quaking with each step, and slammed both fists down. The shockwave knocked Kael off his feet, rattling his skull.
He rose slowly, lifting his magisteel blade in both hands. His breath came ragged, but his voice rang clear.
"You'll do."
The beast charged, and Kael charged to meet it. Their clash shook the forest.
The golem's fists swung like meteors, each strike enough to crush a lesser man into paste. Kael dodged, ducked, weaved, every movement precise. His blade struck again and again, sparks flying, chunks of stone falling away. He infused the edge with lightning, driving it deep into the creature's core.
The crystal veins pulsed, threatening to burst.
With a final roar, Kael spun, his blade wreathed in both fire and lightning, and cleaved straight through the creature's chest. The crystal shattered in a blinding flash, and the golem froze. A heartbeat later, it collapsed, the impact shaking the clearing.
Silence followed.
Kael stood amidst the rubble, chest heaving, sword still humming with residual power. Sweat and dust clung to him, blood trickling down his side from the glancing blow. He lowered his blade slowly, then looked around at the carnage.
Six golems, all reduced to rubble.
And for the first time in months, Kael felt alive. Tested.
He sheathed his sword, exhaling slowly. As he walked back toward the Hollow, he thought of what he had said to the council. Wolves, not lambs. If the Hollow could learn even a fraction of this strength—if they could channel even a piece of this fury—then nothing in this world could ever break them.
And Kael would make sure of it.