Chapter 5 – Flight Through the Flames
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– The Stalking Shadows
The silence of the forest was broken by the hiss of new arrows, striking the ground mere inches from Kael.
The newcomers—hooded figures clad in black robes and light armor—moved like phantoms among the branches.
Elyndra, still wounded, stepped in front of Kael, raising her staff.
"They're not common hunters… these are trackers. High-level mercenaries."
One of them spoke in a metallic voice:
"Hand over the boy. There is no negotiation."
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– A Desperate Choice
Kael swallowed hard but tightened his grip on the daggers.
"I won't go with you."
The leader of the trackers laughed with disdain.
"No one's asking you, boy."
The shadows lunged. Elyndra raised a wall of wind to block the first volley of arrows, but the wound at her side weakened her.
Kael stepped forward, parrying a strike with his daggers. The impact sent him staggering back several paces.
"They're too strong…" he muttered in despair.
Elyndra fixed her gaze on him.
"Kael… listen to me. We're going to run."
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– The Escape Plan
Elyndra whispered an incantation. At her feet, the ground began to glow with a pattern of runes.
"When I give the signal, run west. The forest will open for you."
Kael shook his head violently.
"I'm not leaving you alone!"
"Don't argue, child. If you fall here, everything we've done will have been for nothing. Obey me!"
The trackers closed in. Elyndra bit her lip hard and unleashed a burst of fire that lit the clearing, blinding their enemies for an instant.
"Now, Kael!"
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– The Flight
The boy ran as he never had before. Branches whipped against his face, but he didn't stop.
Behind him, he heard the clash of steel and the roar of magic.
"Master!" he cried, glancing back for an instant.
In the distance, he glimpsed Elyndra surrounded by enemies, her silhouette wreathed in flame and wind. Wounded, yet fighting with the ferocity of a legendary warrior.
Tears blurred Kael's eyes, but he kept running—just as she had ordered.
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– The Hunt Awakens
The trackers soon split apart. Some pursued Kael while others stayed behind to battle Elyndra.
Kael heard footsteps gaining behind him. Desperation tightened his chest.
I'm too weak… I can't fight them alone.
Suddenly, the shadow beneath his feet stirred again. It was the same searing sensation he had felt in the battle against the wolves.
The trees around him began to blacken, as though absorbing the darkness that poured out of him.
"Kael!" one of the trackers shouted in alarm. "Don't let him use that power!"
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Kael, gasping and on the verge of collapse, raised his daggers, now shrouded in that unstable, dark energy.
The entire forest trembled, as if answering his fury.
For the first time, something other than fear shone in the boy's eyes. It was rage.
"I won't let them… take away what I love."
The shadows rose into the shape of blades, spreading around him like a circle of death.
The trackers halted abruptly, stunned.
And in that moment, something—or someone—was watching him from beyond the darkness.
To be continued…