Chapter 31 – The Ashen Seal

The air reeked of burning steel.
Ash fell from the sky like black snow, settling on the crumbling streets of Kalyth’s outer district. The great city, once a beacon of silver spires and shimmering wards, now shuddered under the strain of unseen forces gnawing at its foundations.

Kairo walked alone.

His cloak trailed behind him, edges singed from his last battle. The world was still ringing from the shockwave he’d unleashed — a pulse of forbidden magic that had ripped through an entire legion of wardens. The ground bore the scars: deep cracks glowing faintly with embers that would never cool.

This power… it’s changing me faster than I thought.

The Erosion sigil burned faintly on his left hand, veins darkening around it. Every use drew him further from the man he once was, but with every enemy he felled, the path ahead became clearer.

From the shadow of a broken tower, a figure emerged — a man clad in dark-gold armor, carrying a long glaive. His visor reflected Kairo’s gaze.

“You bear the Ashen Seal,” the man said, voice like gravel grinding in the wind. “The one who carries it will bring an end to the Balance.”

Kairo stopped, shifting his weight slightly, ready for a strike.
“I’m not here for your riddles. Tell me where they took her.”

The knight’s grip tightened. “The ‘her’ you speak of is no longer yours to seek. She is in the custody of the Crown of Dawn… and by royal decree, anyone attempting to free her is to be executed on sight.”

The wind carried the knight’s final word like a verdict.
In the distance, church bells rang — not for worship, but for war.

The first clash was brutal. The knight’s glaive spun like a serpent, sweeping sparks into the air as Kairo’s blade met it. For a moment, their weapons locked, the ground beneath them fracturing.

“You reek of the Old Ones’ magic,” the knight spat. “Do you even remember what it means to be human?”

Kairo’s answer was a low growl. “I remember enough to know what I’ll destroy.”

The seal on his hand blazed. Shadows erupted from his feet, swirling like black fire, and in an instant, he vanished — reappearing behind the knight with his sword already descending.

The glaive twisted, barely catching the strike. But the force sent the knight skidding back, carving deep grooves into the stone road. He dropped to one knee, armor cracked, golden filigree fading beneath a layer of ash.

Kairo approached slowly, the seal’s glow reflecting in his eyes.
“You have three seconds to tell me where the Crown’s fortress is,” he said, voice like a blade’s edge.

The knight exhaled, lowering his weapon. “Even if I tell you… you won’t survive.”

Kairo’s smirk was faint, dangerous. “That’s my problem.”

Above them, storm clouds twisted unnaturally, shaped by magic far older than the kingdom itself. Somewhere within that darkness… the fortress awaited. And with it, the truth Kairo had been clawing toward since the day he died.

The Ashen Seal pulsed once more.
And the city trembled.