Kael staggered through the skeletal remains of the city, each breath like glass in his chest. His wounds burned where the priests' flame had kissed him, leaving trails of fire beneath the skin. The forge whispered from deep inside, a low hum that pulled at the edges of his mind, promising relief if he would only feed it.
Feed. Feed. Feed.
He pressed a hand to the charred wall of a ruined tower, forcing himself upright. The shadows clung to him like ragged wings, tattered from the chains that had tried to bind them. His strength was fraying, but he refused to collapse. If he stopped moving, he knew the ash would swallow him whole.
The city stretched silent around him—broken bridges, shattered domes, towers bent like bones. The ashstorm had thinned, letting through a moon the color of rust. It bathed the ruins in a sickly red glow, and for a moment, Kael felt as though he walked through the ribs of a corpse.
Something shifted in the dust.
He froze.
From the skeletal beams above, a figure stepped into view, descending as though the ash itself lowered her down. She landed without a sound.
The woman.
Kael's eyes narrowed, shadow coiling instinctively. "You've been following me."
Her cloak stirred in the wind, pale hair catching the rust-light. Scars traced her skin, faintly glowing, pulsing with hidden fire. "I watch what is worth watching."
Kael's voice was rough, bitter. "Then you've wasted your time."
Her lips curved faintly. "On the contrary. You survived chains that were forged to bind gods. That makes you very interesting."
The forge inside him pulsed violently, sensing her presence—like predator recognizing predator. Kael gritted his teeth, fighting the hunger that swelled in him.
"What do you want?" he asked.
"To see what you become," she said simply. Her eyes glimmered with a strange light, neither flame nor shadow. "The priests will not stop. They've called stronger hunters than those you faced tonight. If you remain what you are now, you will die."
Kael straightened despite the blood slicking his side. "Then I'll grow stronger."
Her smile deepened. "Good. Because if you don't, I will devour you myself."
The words hung between them, sharp as blades. For a moment, neither moved. Then she stepped back, her form fading into the storm like smoke.
Kael's fists tightened. His body screamed with pain, but the forge within howled with hunger, echoing the woman's challenge.
He lifted his gaze to the burning moon, blood running from his lip, and whispered to the night:
"Then let them come."