The palace of Aerinthal groaned under the force of what had just occurred.
Walls cracked,
Marble floors trembled ad chandeliers swayed dangerously casting shattered light across the chaos.
Nobles and servants froze, Awe and Fear warring in their eyes.
Fear for their lives,Awe at the raw power that danced through the hall.
Kael Gravemont, Standing amid the wreckage,
Radiated control over elements that seemed almost godlike.
Across from him,
Charles Ashborn the Third moved with calm precision a formidable presence even in his age.
Dust hung in the air, Stirred by Kael's subtle manipulations of air.
His gaze locked on Charles, And in that instant,
He no longer saw an old man he saw a challenge.
A true opponent worthy of his full attention.
Charles smiled faintly,
The corners of his mouth curling with anticipation.
"Ah… so it begins,"
Charles murmured.
Kael's crimson eyes narrowed.
"Begin what?"
"Your doom, boy,"
Charles replied,
His voice calm yet deadly.
The palace tremor intensified,
As if answering Charles' words.
Kael could feel it through the marble beneath his feet an unseen pressure building, testing him, daring him to act.
"Get out of here,"
Kael shouted to the king and his people.
"Move! Run!"
King Aerion's storm-blue eyes widened
.
"Evacuate immediately!
Protect the civilians!"
He commanded,
His voice carrying authority even amid chaos.
Soldiers and nobles alike moved swiftly,
Guiding families through the fractured halls as debris rained from above.
Charles' gaze followed Kael, His smirk growing.
"You notice details, boy. "Magnificent"
Kael's eyes flicked toward the king, then back to Charles.
His focus sharpened.
"Then let's finish this."
"Outside, the air shifted.
A shadow moved against the backdrop of the shattered palace"
But inside,
Kael and Charles' duel would take precedence for now.
The world beyond waited, but it could wait a heartbeat longer.
Charles struck first.
Flames erupted from his mouth,
An enormous torrent of fire that melted the marble walls and scorched the air itself.
The heat was suffocating;
Kael's eyes burned against the brightness.
His leather boots smoked,
His hair whipped by the rising wind from the flames.
Yet he did not falter.
Air bent to his will,
Making a circle around his body,
Mixing with water currents and air dividing fire impact in two directions.
He slid backward, flames licking at his clothes,
But unable to pierce his elemental shield.
Kael's crimson gaze turned sharper.
He drew his long, slim sword, its edge glowing faintly with air-element energy.
In a blur, he surged forward, slicing through Charles' torrent of fire.
The flames parted like water, and Kael's strike met Charles' chest.
Charles staggered to his knees,
Crimson blood dripping from the wound.
His face was a mask of disbelief and awe.
"How… can he possess this much power at such young age?"
He muttered,
Gripping the marble floor as if it might anchor him.
The walls shook violently, Fragments of marble and stone falling to the floor.
Pillars groaned and threatened to collapse.
Even as seconds passed,
It was clear,
The duel of these two titans was enough to unbalance the very architecture of the palace.
King Aerion and his inner circle watched in stunned silence.
Soldiers lowered their jaws, Their mana-infused swords at the ready, Yet their eyes were glued to Kael.
Even now, amid the destruction, the boy's control over elements was mesmerizing, terrifying, and inspiring all at once.
Kael's gaze flicked outward.
Through the shattered windows, he sensed power radiating across the palace grounds.
Shadows moved, deep and heavy but for now, the palace itself demanded his attention.
He had no choice but to intervene.
Charles,
Noticing Kael's attention shift,
Leaped from the balcony above,
Landing with a thunderous impact.
The floor buckled beneath him,
Dust billowing like a storm.
Kael grinned faintly,
Acknowledging the obvious.
Charles would not die so easily.
Five centuries of survival could not be undone by a single strike.
"I know you wouldn't die," Kael said, fists clenched.
"How can a man live five hundred years if he doesn't have something hidden?"
Charles laughed softly, the sound cutting through the smoke and heat.
"As i said You notice details, boy.
Inside the palace,
Chaos reached its peak.
Soldiers struggled to clear corridors,
Carrying civilians out through narrow passages as debris shifted overhead.
Outside,
Frightened citizens and nobels clustered near gates,
Awaiting their families.
King Aerion,
Attempting to remain composed,
Directed troops to calm the panic,
Even in the midst of fear,
His authority radiated strength,
Yet his eyes could not hide the tension as he glimpsed the dueling figures through broken walls.
Kael and Charles,
Moving like storms incarnate.
Suddenly,
Three men descended from above palace roof,
Moving with lethal precision,
Elemental energy radiated one of them controlling air,
Second third one using their mana,
In unison,
They stopped parts of the palace from collapsing.
Roots of fallen marble and broken beams held in place by sheer power,
Their intervention bought critical seconds,
Giving civilians time to escape the deadly fragments falling from the vaulted ceilings,
Kael's gaze swept across the palace,
Measuring the scale of destruction,
He knew this battle had just begun,
But for now,
The focus remained.
Charles,
The Young Prince nemesis,
And the challenge that would define the limits of his strength,
The air shimmered with heat and swirling energy,
Smoke and dust mingled with flickering sunlight through shattered windows,
Every heartbeat echoed like a drum,
Counting down the moments to the next clash.
Kael's sword gleamed,
Fire and air entwined along its blade,
His eyes glowed faintly blue,
Rreflecting the power coursing through him.
Charles,
Rising to his knees,
Drew in a deep breath,
Flames licking at his mouth once again,
The deadly calm before another storm,
The palace trembled beneath them,
Alive with the chaos of their duel.
Outside,
Soldiers and civilians waited,
Hearts hammering,
The king's gaze never left Kael,
Knowing that whatever happened next could change everything,
And as Charles and Kael prepared for the next exchange,
The world held its breath,
The palace hung in fragile balance,
The line between survival and catastrophe razor-thin.
To be Continued.....