🔥 Chapter 18 — Ember Unleashed
The northern highlands trembled beneath the Harrowed King's presence. Shadows erupted in chaotic waves, twisting and surging, and Kael's Ember roared in response, a living storm of fire and light coiling along his arms.
"This… this is unlike anything we've faced," Rhyne said, dodging a strike that shattered the ground where he had just stood. "The King's strength isn't just power—it's perception, anticipation… everything we do, he can counter."
Kael clenched his fists, flames spiraling higher. "Then we stop trying to outguess him. We strike with everything we have. Ember… guide me."
He focused, letting the Ember flow naturally, not forcing it, but merging with it. Fire wrapped around him like a second skin, bright blue-white energy dancing over his body. For the first time, Kael felt a deep connection to the Ember—a rhythm, almost a heartbeat matching the King's.
The King unleashed a surge of shadow and dark energy. Kael dodged, the Ember burning away the black tendrils, but the force was immense. Each strike Kael made was countered by shadows reshaping instantly, forcing him to move faster, think sharper.
Rhyne called out, "Kael! Find the core! Every power has a source—hit it directly!"
Kael's eyes narrowed. The Ember pulsed, revealing glimpses of weak points in the King's shifting armor, flashes of darkness beneath the void. He leapt, flames spinning around him, and launched a spiraling spear of concentrated Emberfire. The fire carved through shadows, striking the pulsing core beneath the King's armor.
The King staggered, dark energy flaring violently, shadows erupting into the air. But he didn't fall. Instead, the pulse of his crack intensified, and the ground beneath them split, erupting jagged fissures as the King's laughter echoed, shaking the valley.
Rhyne landed beside Kael, breathless but resolute. "That's it! You've pierced his defenses! But it won't last long—he's adapting!"
Kael's chest heaved. Ember flared bright, coiling tighter than ever. "Then we keep going. Every strike, every movement… we will break him before he breaks us."
The northern highlands became a battlefield of fire and shadow, as Kael tested the limits of the Ember against a power older, stronger, and more relentless than anything he had faced.