The fissure's glow dimmed as the trio pushed deeper into the floating corridors of distorted reality. Twisted rock and drifting debris surrounded them, remnants of collapsed dimensions. A low roar reverberated through the air, vibrating against their bones.
Isaac's eyes narrowed. "That energy… it's different. Not just rift-born—it's alive."
Helena's hands glowed faintly, sensing life within the shifting shadows. "Someone… someone's here. And they're dangerous."
A wall of hellfire erupted from the next chasm. Heat scorched their skin, molten flames licking toward them. Within the center of the inferno, Lucy hovered, trapped in chains of blazing fire, suspended above the ground, struggling to break free. Her cries pierced the chaos.
"Lucy!!!!" Isaac shouted.
And standing between them and Lucy was a demonic warrior cloaked in blackened flames, the heat warping his silhouette. Kael froze, jaw dropping.
"Wait… that's… that's from my tribe!" Kael hissed. His horns trembled. "He's… rogue. He kills for fun… and now he's after her!"
⸻⸻⸻
ANOTHER BATTLE
The rogue warrior laughed, flames erupting from his fists. Each strike carved molten channels into the stone platforms, sending fragments into the void.
Isaac moved forward, wind trailing his feet.
"Kael… she's yours!" he shouted.
Kael's eyes glowed with determination, gripping the Ashen Heart broadsword.
Kael roared:
"You picked the wrong fire to play with!"
He spun, igniting a controlled tornado of flames along the broadsword's edge. The rogue warrior met him head-on, striking with twin fire whips that scorched the air. Sparks collided, lighting the fissure in blinding bursts.
Helena created a protective Riftlight dome around Lucy, keeping her safe from the searing heat.
⸻⸻⸻
CLASH OF FLAMES
Kael moved with precision he hadn't yet mastered—his tornado-fire combined with the Ashen Heart broadsword, cutting through molten rock, deflecting fire whips, and forcing the rogue warrior to retreat with each swing.
The warrior sneered.
"You… little runt… you think a stolen sword can challenge me?"
Kael gritted his teeth. "It's not stolen. It's earned!"
He swung again, but the rogue's flames hit him squarely. Kael stumbled, singed and burned. Pain seared through him, but instinctively, he opened his core to the latent fire within him.
He inhaled deeply, drawing the surrounding fire into himself.
Heat coursed through his veins, melting the sting of pain.
His muscles surged. The Guardian broadsword glowed brighter, flames licking higher along the edge, faster and more responsive.
Kael roared with newfound strength:
"Now… it's MY turn!"
⸻⸻⸻
KAEL'S FIRE ABSORPTION AWAKENING
The rogue warrior lashed out with a massive fire strike. Kael did not dodge. Instead, he swung the broadsword, drawing the flames directly into himself.
The sword acted as a conduit.
The absorbed flames fueled his speed, strength, and agility.
Sparks erupted from the ground with every step, leaving flaming arcs across the platforms.
Kael became a living furnace, his tornado-fire spinning like a hurricane, faster than the eye could follow. Each swing sent molten arcs across the fissure, cutting through the rogue's attacks.
The warrior's smirk faltered. "Impossible… a lesser demon…"
Kael landed a spinning slash to the chest, sending the rogue flying backward, burning a crater into the stone. Kael didn't stop. Another tornado of fire and wind erupted from his blade, launching the rogue into the void, and holding him suspended midair with controlled flame currents.
⸻⸻⸻
RESCUE OF LUCY
Helena widened her Riftlight Bastion around Lucy, amplifying its power. The heat from Kael's attacks was intense, but her dome protected Lucy and stabilized the platform.
Isaac joined the edge of the platform, slashing wind around Kael's strikes, channeling extra precision to the arcs of fire, making them hit the rogue harder.
Kael took a deep breath, flames now circling him like a halo of destruction.
"Time to finish this!"
With a final, devastating tornado-spin slash, powered by absorbed fire and wind currents, Kael struck the rogue warrior squarely. Flames engulfed him, and the rogue screamed, crashing into a fissure wall before finally being consumed by the firestorm.
The fissure went silent. Smoke drifted lazily as the heat dissipated.
Kael, chest heaving, lowered the broadsword. His arm burned, clothing singed, but he grinned.
"I… I did it… and I didn't burn myself to death this time!"
Helena floated over to Lucy.
"Lucy… you're safe now."
Lucy collapsed into Helena's arms, trembling.
"Thank… thank you…"
Isaac clapped Kael on the shoulder.
"You saved her. You're… incredible."
Kael flushed, sheepishly smiling.
"Yeah… yeah, but… don't tell anyone I got lucky."
⸻⸻⸻
AFTERMATH
The fissure pulsed faintly, still alive with the Ethereal Soul's energy. Isaac felt its pull again, its presence reacting to Lucy's release.
Kael had grown, gaining confidence and a latent ability to absorb fire, which would make him a powerhouse in future battles.
Helena's Riftlight Bastion had proven essential, scaling to protect multiple allies and civilians simultaneously.
Isaac's resonance with Irithel continued to guide their tactics, sharpening their combined efficiency.
Kael looked at the Ashen Heart's broadsword, still glowing faintly.
"Looks like… this thing isn't just for spinning chaos anymore. I think… I think I finally understand it."
Isaac nodded, eyes fixed on the fissure's heart.
"Lucy is safe… for now. But the Soul is stirring. And I feel… we're about to attract far more than just fire demons."
Helena exhaled, steadying herself.
"Then we prepare… together."
The fissure pulsed, sending a faint tremor across distant dimensions. Somewhere far away, hunters and demon lords felt it—and began moving.
The hunt for the Ethereal Soul and its new bearer was about to escalate.