Chapter 7 – Oath in Blood
– The Weight of Battle
The clearing was in ruins. Fallen trees, torn earth, smoke in the air.
Elyndra, her body covered in wounds, kept the trackers at bay with fire spells and bursts of wind, but each movement tore her apart from within.
Kael, still weak, could barely open his eyes. He saw his master standing, staggering, and felt a knot in his throat.
—"Master…" he whispered, too drained to rise.
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– Last Stand
The trackers advanced, confident in Elyndra's weakness.
—"Your magic is fading, elf. Hand over the boy and we'll let you die quickly."
Elyndra spat blood and raised her staff.
—"He will never be yours."
The wind exploded with fury, hurling two men against the trees. Even in her state, her power was terrifying. But each spell ripped more life from her.
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– The Fall
A shadowy projectile pierced her side. Elyndra screamed, collapsing to her knees.
Kael, desperate, tried to crawl toward her, but his body would not obey.
—"No! Leave her alone!" the boy roared, tears clouding his sight.
The trackers laughed, certain of their victory.
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– The Legacy of the Wind
Elyndra leaned toward Kael, her lips trembling but her eyes shining with boundless tenderness.
—"Kael… listen to me…"
She placed her bloodied hand on the boy's chest. A silver-green radiance emerged, surrounding them. It was the ancestral power of the elves' wind.
The air swirled, lifting leaves and dust as if the forest itself were mourning.
—"I give you the last of what remains… the blessing of my clan. The wind will be your wings, carrying you beyond these shadows…"
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– The Broken Promise
Kael felt the wind's energy merging with him, warm and agonizing at the same time.
—"No! Don't give me that, master. You'll die!"
Elyndra caressed his face.
—"A master's life… is to give everything for their disciple. And you, Kael, are my pride."
The glow faded. Elyndra collapsed in his arms, her body fragile as a leaf.
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– The Disciple's Cry
Kael held her in desperation.
—"Don't leave me! You promised you'd stay with me! You promised…"
His tears fell upon Elyndra's face, barely breathing now.
—"Don't cry… you will live, Kael. And one day… you'll be stronger than anyone."
Her voice broke like a whisper carried away by the wind.
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– The Silence
The trackers watched from a distance, afraid to interrupt such a moment heavy with power.
The forest fell silent, as if even nature itself were in mourning.
Kael felt Elyndra's hand lose its strength, sliding down until it rested in the grass.
The boy's heart shattered.
—"…Master."
A gentle breeze swept across the clearing, wrapping around them like a final farewell.
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– Cliffhanger
Kael, his eyes red from tears, rose unsteadily. The daggers in his hands gleamed with a fusion of shadow and wind.
—"I don't care who you are. I don't care what you want from me…"
He lifted his gaze, consumed by fury and grief.
—"Today… none of you will leave here alive."
The trackers stepped back, sensing they no longer faced a child, but the birth of a monster.
To be continued…