🔥 Chapter 11 — Ember Ascendant
Blue fire roared around Kael, forming a swirling barrier that pushed the Harrowed Knight back a step. The Knight's molten eyes narrowed, scanning him, trying to read the power surging from the boy's arm. Kael felt the Ember responding not to his fear—but to his determination.
Rhyne, battered but upright, shouted from the side, "Keep it steady! Do not let it consume you!" His silver sigil blade glinted in the light, ready to defend.
Kael took a deep breath. For the first time, he didn't try to control the Ember—he let it flow naturally, letting it choose the path. The flames surged higher, streaming from his hands, forming arcs of pure energy that danced like lightning around him.
The Harrowed Knight swung its massive blade. Kael met it with a wall of fire. Sparks and shadow collided in a thunderous explosion. The ground beneath them cracked, sending villagers scrambling for cover.
Kael felt the Ember's pulse synchronize with his heartbeat. This… this is what the memory meant, he thought. The Ember chooses a bearer ready to rise, not just fight.
With a sudden surge, Kael launched forward, fire trailing behind him like a comet. The Knight met him head-on, blade clashing against fire in a blaze of sound and heat. Kael's body moved instinctively, every strike, block, and dodge guided by the Ember itself.
Rhyne watched, eyes wide. "I've never seen anyone channel it like that… not in centuries."
The Knight stumbled under Kael's relentless assault. Blue fire crackled around its armor, burning away the shadows that clung to it. With a final, concentrated burst, Kael sent a stream of fire straight through the Knight's chest. It let out a scream that rattled the air, the blade dropping from its hands as its shadow melted into sparks.
Kael staggered, the Ember slowly dimming, leaving him trembling but alive. Around him, the village was battered, but standing. The crack in the sky flickered, pulsing, but had not widened further—at least, for now.
Rhyne approached cautiously, placing a hand on Kael's shoulder. "This… was only the beginning. You've awakened fully, but the Harrowed King knows you exist now. And he will come."
Kael stared at the sky, his arm still glowing faintly. "Then we'll be ready."
Above them, the crack in the sky throbbed ominously, like the heartbeat of a world on the brink of war.