🔥 Chapter 9 — Clash Before the Flame
The village square had become a war zone. Smoke curled from shattered roofs, and the lingering remnants of the Shadeborn's attack glimmered like ash in the morning light. Kael's body throbbed from exertion, but his eyes were fixed on the widening crack above. It pulsed violently now, like a heartbeat in fast forward.
Rhyne tightened his grip on his blade. "Kael, listen—whatever comes next, you cannot act alone. The Ember is strong, but unrefined. You must wait for my cue."
Kael's hands burned with impatience. "I don't have time to wait! Whatever's coming, it's… it's close!"
Before Rhyne could respond, the air above the crack shimmered and twisted. Shadow formed, then solidified into a humanoid figure—tall, armored, radiating darkness, yet moving with unnerving grace. Kael's pulse skyrocketed.
Rhyne hissed. "Harrowed Knight…"
The figure's eyes glowed molten red. Its voice boomed across the square, dripping with malice. "Bearer of the Ember… you will not escape me."
Kael's chest tightened. He'd never faced an enemy like this. Not a Riftspawn. Not a Shadeborn. This was something else—something meant to test him, to break him before the true war began.
The Harrowed Knight lifted its blade, and with a single step, the ground cracked beneath its feet. Rhyne lunged forward, deflecting the first strike with his silver sigil blade. Sparks flew. The force of the blow pushed Kael back, nearly knocking him off his feet.
"You must control it!" Rhyne shouted, parrying another deadly swing. "The Ember responds to fear and anger! Focus, Kael!"
Kael's arms shook. The Ember fire inside him flickered wildly. He felt it whispering, alive, but chaotic. Sweat poured down his face as he realized the Knight wasn't attacking him just to kill—its strikes were probing, testing his reactions, forcing him to lose control.
A shadowy wave from the Knight slammed into Kael, throwing him into a broken cart. Pain shot through his side. The Ember flared uncontrollably, scorching the ground beneath him.
Kael closed his eyes, gritting his teeth. "I won't run. I won't fail."
He took a shaky breath, letting the fire flow through him instead of against him. The crack above pulsed ominously, as if the sky itself waited for the next move.