🔥 Chapter 14 — Veil of Shadows
The Veil Bastion loomed before Kael and Rhyne, blackened spires twisting skyward, pulsing faintly with dark energy. The air smelled of ice and ash, and the faint heartbeat from the Harrowed King's crack grew stronger with every step.
"Keep your senses sharp," Rhyne warned, eyes scanning every shadow. "This general won't fight like the others. The Bastion bends to his will. He'll strike from anywhere—and nowhere."
Kael clenched his fists, Ember coiling along his arms in anticipation. "I'm ready. The Ember's ready."
They stepped inside the ruins, and the shadows moved like living water. Stone walls warped and twisted, corridors shifting as if the Bastion itself was alive. Whispers echoed through the halls—mocking, sinister, calling out fears Kael didn't know he had.
"Focus," Rhyne growled. "It's a trap, not a test. Keep moving."
Suddenly, a shadowed figure emerged from above, descending silently. Its armor was black with streaks of violet, eyes glowing like twin coals. Kael recognized the pulse—it was the general. The Shadowmancer, one of the King's most feared elite.
Kael ignited the Ember, flames spiraling outward to illuminate the chamber. The Shadowmancer raised a hand, and tendrils of darkness lashed out, striking at Kael and Rhyne from every direction.
Kael felt the Ember surge violently, warning him to act fast. He leapt, letting the fire flow naturally, wrapping around him like a storm. Flames struck the shadow tendrils, carving paths through the darkness.
Rhyne darted forward, silver sigil blade slicing through the smaller shadows, clearing a path for Kael. "Target the core!" he shouted.
Kael spotted it—a faint glow beneath the armor, a pulsing ember of darkness. Every movement of the Shadowmancer tried to hide it, shifting shadows like smoke. Kael focused, letting the Ember guide his strikes, anticipating every shift and every feint.
With a final, spiraling leap, he drove a concentrated spear of Emberfire directly into the general's core. Darkness screamed, recoiling violently, as the Shadowmancer's form fractured into wisps of shadow that dissipated into the walls.
Kael landed, panting, Ember flickering but alive. Rhyne's eyes were sharp. "That was close. Too close. The King's pulse… it's stronger now. And I fear what comes next."
Kael clenched his fists, fire glowing brighter. "Then we face it. Together. No matter what."