Chapter 25: Ashen Requiem

The Obsidian Kestrels moved as one.

No screech. No cry. No warning. Just a flicker of motion—and then the sky fell.

“SCATTER!” I shouted, drawing my sword.

The birds dove with impossible speed, their black wings slicing through the moonlight like blades. Elaris ducked as one tore past her, its talons scraping sparks off the stone behind her.

Sköll lunged upward, jaws snapping shut around one of the kestrels mid-dive. Feathers burst into the air. The bird let out a warbling shriek before Sköll slammed it into the ground, tearing into its throat with brutal precision.

That was one.

Nine left.

“Stay close to me!” I shouted to Elaris.

Another bird swooped low. I stepped forward, blade arcing upward to meet it. My sword struck its wing, and the creature twisted midair, spiraling to the side with a furious screech. Before it could recover, Sköll was already on it.

The hooded man remained still at the edge of the clearing, arms behind his back. He didn’t move. Didn’t blink. Just watched—like this was some kind of sick game.

His smile was all I could see beneath the hood. That, and the eerie glow of his green eyes through the shadows.

Elaris spun to parry a kestrel diving at her from behind. She wasn’t bad with a blade—but this wasn’t training. This wasn’t sparring. These things were fast, cruel, and coordinated. One grazed her side as she turned too slowly, claws catching her cloak and drawing a thin line of blood.

She winced but didn’t cry out.

I moved to intercept the next one, catching it in the chest with a well-timed blast of fire. The bird shrieked, tumbling through the trees, burning feathers scattering like embers in the dark.

Seven left.

They moved in pairs now. One would distract, the other would strike. I barely managed to parry a twin assault, gritting my teeth as a third crashed into me from the side. My body hit the ground hard, air knocked from my lungs.

Sköll pounced over me, tearing the attacker off before its beak could rip into my neck. The two rolled across the grass, locked in a blur of teeth and talons.

Elaris struck down another with a shaky but clean thrust. Her hands were trembling.

“Are you okay?” I shouted.

She nodded—but the blood on her forehead told me otherwise.

I scrambled up and deflected another dive, slicing its wing. My sword hissed through bone and feather. The kestrel screeched and veered off, blood trailing behind it.

Four.

They were thinning—but not fast enough.

The hooded man still hadn’t moved.

He just stood there, the air around him disturbingly still. His grin was wider now. Almost eager.

We fought on.

Sköll was a whirlwind of muscle and instinct, taking down his fourth kestrel with a brutal leap that ended in a sickening crunch. Elaris held her own, dodging and countering, but she was tiring fast.

Another came at me.

I ducked low and slashed up.

Its head flew one way. Its body dropped the other.

Only two left.

Sköll tore into one of the kestrels with brutal precision, fangs ripping through its chest as it screeched and thrashed. The bird’s wings beat frantically before its body went limp beneath his jaws.

I spun toward the final kestrel in my path, blade raised, sweat pouring from my brow. Elaris was holding her own, barely—her breathing ragged, her movements slowing. She wasn’t used to this kind of relentless pressure.

I had to finish this. I stepped forward, preparing to strike.

And then a gust of wind rushed past me.

Fast—too fast. A blur in the night.

I only caught a glimpse. A figure—tall, cloaked, a blur of darkness and green light—raced straight toward Elaris.

My eyes widened. “Elaris!”

She turned, too late.

A pale hand clamped around her throat.

The hood fell.

Kael Draven stood there, face bathed in moonlight, eyes glowing like emerald embers. The sadistic grin stretched across his face sent ice through my veins.

Elaris choked, legs kicking as he lifted her off the ground like she weighed nothing.

Sköll lunged, but Kael twisted slightly, placing Elaris between them. The Dire Wolf stopped, teeth bared, snarling furiously.

I started to run—only for the final kestrel to slam into me from the side.

It clawed at my arm, screeching, trying to tear into my neck. I shoved it back and drove my sword up through its chest. It twitched, shrieked—and fell.

Dead.

I whipped around just in time to see Kael’s smirk deepen.

He turned toward the boulder behind him—and with a vicious twist, hurled Elaris through the air like a doll.

“No!”

I ran, heart hammering, sword forgotten.

Kael moved like a shadow. One moment distant—the next, right behind me.

His foot slammed into my spine.

Pain exploded through my back as I crashed face-first into the ground.

My ears rang.

I looked up—just in time to see Elaris’s head strike the stone.

CRACK.

Time stopped.

Blood ran down the rock.

She slid to the ground in a heap.

A scream tore out of me as I scrambled toward her. “Elaris—!”

I didn’t make it far.

Kael’s hand wrapped around my collar and threw me again—this time into a tree.

The bark cracked from the impact. My breath vanished.

The world spun.

I hit the ground hard, gasping, groaning, every bone in my body screaming in protest.

I looked up through blurred vision.

Kael stood over Elaris now, gazing at her with quiet satisfaction.

“That one’s spine might be cracked,” he murmured. “But I suppose we’ll see soon enough.”

He turned toward me, that same grin twisting across his face—like the pain he caused was the finest art he’d ever made.

“Still breathing?” he asked cheerfully. “Good. I didn’t say you could die yet.”

I tried to move, but my arms shook too violently.

Sköll growled and positioned himself between Kael and Elaris, his fur bristling with rage. Kael tilted his head at the Dire Wolf, as if amused by the resistance.

“This one’s a stubborn mutt,” he muttered. “Let’s see how long that lasts.”

The pain in my ribs was sharp. Every breath ached. My legs trembled as I forced myself up, sword dragging beside me.

Kael just watched me, amused.

Elaris lay crumpled behind Sköll, blood matting her golden hair. Sköll stood rigid, unmoving, like a sentinel made of fury and flesh. But he didn’t move toward me. Didn’t charge Kael.

He couldn’t.

He was guarding her.

Which meant I was on my own.

“You still want to play hero?” Kael asked, his voice a blend of pity and delight. “Admirable.”

I didn’t answer. My hand ignited with fire. I poured mana into it until my veins screamed.

Three fireballs launched at once—searing red bolts that howled through the night air and slammed into Kael’s chest.

The flames roared—

And then faded.

Kael didn’t even blink.

His cloak smoldered slightly, a few embers dancing off the hem. But beneath it, his smirk hadn’t moved an inch.

He took a single step forward.

I roared and charged.

Sword up, fire in my blood, fear in my throat.

I swung at his side—

Kael caught the blade with his bare hand.

The steel stopped like it had hit a wall of stone. He didn’t flinch. His fingers closed around the weapon, tightening until cracks spiderwebbed along the edge.

“You’re weak, Arthur,” he whispered, leaning in.

His breath was ice on my cheek. “Barely even C-rank.”

Then his other hand clamped onto my clothes.

In a flash, I was flipped—thrown over his shoulder like I weighed nothing.

The ground smashed into my back. I gasped—no air, no strength, just agony. My sword skidded out of reach.

Kael stood over me now.

And he smiled.

“Your father was weak, too.”

My eyes widened.

Kael’s tone was almost reverent. “That man cut down so many of my toys… Slaughtered them like they were nothing. I hated him for that.”

He leaned closer, voice cold as death.

“But in the end… it was my sword that pierced his heart.”

I froze.

Every word stabbed deeper than the last.

Kael’s hand pressed against my chest, pinning me. I struggled—writhing, kicking—but it was useless. His weight crushed me like a slab of stone.

“You look just like him, you know,” he said. “Same fire. Same defiance.”

He raised his sword slowly, letting the red-etched steel gleam in the moonlight. “Shame you didn’t inherit his strength.”

I grit my teeth and flared my mana again—anything to push him off, to get free, to fight back.

But nothing worked.

I was trapped.

Sköll growled in the distance, but didn’t move. He couldn’t—not with Elaris bleeding behind him.

Kael chuckled.

“This is the part,” he said, “where most people beg.”

I didn’t.

But gods… I wanted to.

Then—

A flash of black.

A snarl like thunder cracking.

Sköll launched himself out of the shadows and slammed into Kael’s back, fangs sinking deep into his shoulder.

Kael’s roar shook the clearing.

His body jerked sideways as Sköll’s massive weight threw him off balance. The Dire Wolf’s teeth clamped down, blood spurting in dark arcs across the grass.

Kael thrashed, slamming his elbow into Sköll’s ribs again and again—but the wolf didn’t let go.

I hit the ground hard, gasping.

Free.

I reached for my sword—it had landed just a few feet away, still humming faintly with residual heat. My fingers wrapped around the hilt.

“Elaris,” I wheezed, scrambling toward her.

She was still lying crumpled near the boulder, blood running down her temple, her cloak torn, her body far too still.

I dropped beside her, pulling her gently into my arms.

Her breathing was shallow—faint, but still there.

“Please,” I whispered, brushing blood-matted hair from her face. “Please stay with me.”

Behind me, Kael bellowed. The sound was monstrous—laced with agony and rage.

“You mangy mutt!”

I turned.

Sköll was still on him, claws raking, jaws locked on Kael’s shoulder. Kael swung his sword wildly, cutting deep into Sköll’s side—but the beast didn’t yield.

They slammed into a tree, bark exploding. Kael snarled and elbowed Sköll in the jaw—but Sköll responded by biting deeper, dragging Kael down with sheer brute force.

The two of them crashed into the dirt in a storm of snarls and curses, blood flying in arcs around them.

My heart pounded.

Watching Sköll—watching the fury in his eyes, the sheer hatred in every lunge—I realized something:

He wasn’t just fighting to win.

He was fighting to protect.

To buy me time.

To keep Elaris safe.

And right now—he was holding his own.

I tightened my grip around Elaris.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered to her. “I can’t help him… not yet. But I can help you.”

I stood, cradling her in my arms.

Kael and Sköll crashed through another tree, their roars echoing through the forest.

“Was it my fault again?” I muttered, voice cracking. “Is this my punishment for surviving back then? For not saving anyone?”

I looked at the blood on her face.

“No,” I said. “Not this time.”

I turned and ran—into the forest, away from the madness.

Branches whipped against my face. Roots clawed at my feet. But I didn’t stop.

I held Elaris close, every step pounding with guilt and fire and the echo of Kael’s laughter in my ears.

Behind me, I heard a final roar—and silence.

Sköll was still fighting.

Buying me time.

Buying us hope.

And I wasn’t going to waste it.

The trees blurred around me as I ran.

Branches whipped past my face. My legs burned. My arms ached from cradling Elaris’s limp body, but I didn’t stop—not for anything.

Not until something massive crashed through the canopy ahead.

I skidded to a halt.

Sköll’s body slammed into the dirt with a sickening crack.

“No—!”

The Dire Wolf groaned, dragging himself forward. Three of his legs bent the wrong way—twisted, mangled. His fur was soaked in blood. One eye stayed locked on me as if to say keep moving, even as pain wracked his body.

Then the voice came.

“Where do you think you’re going, boy?”

The shadows split apart as Kael stepped through, blood dripping from his shoulder.

His smirk stretched wide.

“Did you really think I’d lose to your mangy mutt?” he asked, voice laced with venom. “Did you think I’d let you save your girl?”

He laughed—a cruel, genuine laugh that echoed across the forest like something broken.

I lowered Elaris beside Sköll, carefully shielding her body with mine.

Then I stood.

I gripped my sword with both hands.

My heart thundered.

My body screamed.

But I forced more mana into my veins, flooding my muscles, my core, my weapon. Every inch of me burned.

Will it be enough?

I didn’t know.

Kael’s gaze flicked to the glow rising off my skin. “Oh… look at the little hero,” he cooed. “So brave. So hopeless.”

He drew his sword.

The red-etched steel hummed as it left the sheath—slow and deliberate, like he wanted me to hear every inch of metal sliding free.

“Too bad you’re going to die, Arthur.”

I roared and charged.

My blade swung with everything I had—raw power, desperation, fury.

Kael didn’t move.

His hand snapped out, catching my sword mid-swing—again.

He smiled.

“Didn’t you try that before?” he asked, twisting the blade from my grip like it was a toy.

Then his own sword came around, impossibly fast.

Pain exploded through my legs.

He slashed the backs of my knees.

I collapsed with a cry, barely able to catch myself before face-planting into the earth.

My limbs shook. Blood pooled beneath me. I reached for my weapon, but Kael’s boot slammed into my ribs, flipping me onto my back.

“I expected more from the last of the ‘heir’s,’” Kael said, crouching beside me.

His eyes glowed brighter now—unnatural and wild.

“You’ve got that look in your eyes… like you’re carrying something heavy. Guilt? Maybe shame?”

He leaned closer.

“I wonder how long it’ll take before I carve that out of you.”

I tried to move.

He kicked me again—hard.

The breath tore from my lungs.

“I’m going to take my time killing you,” he whispered. “Because it’s always more fun… torturing the weak.”

Kael’s blade hovered just above my chest, its crimson-etched steel radiating a sickly heat that had nothing to do with fire. My breath came in ragged bursts, my limbs refusing to respond the way I wanted. He looked down at me like a predator about to toy with its kill.

“Pathetic,” Kael hissed. “Is this all the ‘Dival heir’ can do? Cower in the dirt? Struggle like a worm?” He pressed the blade a fraction closer, the cold bite of the edge kissing my skin. “Your father died harder than this, boy. I enjoyed watching the light leave his eyes.”

Something inside me snapped.

Stewart’s voice cut through the haze, sharp and unrelenting—a memory buried deep in my bones.

“Mana is power, but it’s also a poison if you force it too far. Do it recklessly, and you’ll tear yourself apart. But if you’re facing death… don’t you dare hold back.”

I was facing death.

I gritted my teeth and rolled, narrowly avoiding Kael’s downward slash. Pain tore through my legs, but I forced myself upright. My lungs burned. Blood dripped from my cuts onto the dirt.

If I don’t do something now, we’re all dead.

I shoved everything I had—every last drop of mana—into my veins. It felt like molten lead was being poured through my body, scorching every nerve, every muscle, but I didn’t stop. Not this time.

Kael tilted his head, watching me with that twisted smirk. “Oh? You’re not done? Good. I like it when they scream before the end.”

I raised my left hand. Heat coiled in my chest, building, growing, threatening to rip me apart from the inside. My vision blurred at the edges. My pulse roared in my ears.

Kael’s smile widened. “You think your magic is strong enough to kill me? To scratch me?” He stepped forward, sword at his side, completely unbothered. “Go on. Try.”

I closed my eyes and imagined it—a fire greater than anything I’d ever conjured. A torrent of flame that could consume not just him, but everything in its path.

The name rose in my throat like a scream.

“Ashen Requiem!”

The world ignited.

A massive beam of fire burst from my hand, screaming forward like the fury of a dying star. It tore through the clearing, engulfing Kael and the forest behind him in a wall of crimson light. Trees cracked and fell. The ground trembled. The very air seemed to shatter from the heat.

Kael’s laughter echoed inside the flames. Not fear. Not pain. Just… amusement.

The power coursing through me shredded my body from the inside out. Tiny lacerations split across my arms, my chest, my face—each one bleeding freely. It felt like I was being carved alive, but I didn’t let up. I couldn’t.

Not until the last ember faded.

When the flames died, the clearing was a wasteland of ash and scorched earth. Smoke rose in thick pillars, blotting out the moonlight.

I staggered, chest heaving, vision swimming.

Where Kael had stood, only his boots and charred legs jutted up from the blackened ground.

I wanted to believe it was over.

But I knew better.

My knees buckled. My sword slipped from my fingers, clattering against the burned soil.

The pain from forcing that much mana was unbearable—every vein felt like it was on fire. The cuts across my body stung and bled, soaking my tattered shirt. My head swam, heavy and fogged, and a crushing drowsiness overtook me.

My last thought before darkness claimed me was Elaris’s face—bloodied but alive.

I…

can’t…

fail her…

And then everything went black.