Chapter 8: Kai Sol vs. Fen Yalyph – The Crimson Rebirth
The battlefield was silent—for a moment.
Everyone, from the lowest Twilight agent to the most seasoned Solstice warrior, stood frozen as the crimson light blazed from Kai Sol like the first sun after a thousand years of darkness.
His voice echoed across the scorched ground, deeper, louder, and filled with divine fury:
"I… am the son of Kaien Sol! And the future destroyer of the World 5! I… am Kai Sol!"
The red aura around him flared with an almost sentient hunger, and in one swift, explosive movement, he swung his sword.
A crescent slash of Raw Aether erupted from his blade, distorting the air with its intensity. It tore across the battlefield like a hurricane of fire, light, and gravity itself. Soldiers dove for cover, the ground shattered in its wake—and for the first time, Fen Yalyph moved.
The scythe of Hollow Aether she wielded met the Raw Aether slash with a shriek of colliding forces. The impact detonated midair, creating a crater of pure light that sent tremors through the Solstice Citadel.
Fen hovered in the air, her clothes torn slightly from the blast, her gaze focused entirely on the boy below. "So," she muttered, her smirk tightening into a line. "You've inherited his power… That cursed man…"
Kai looked up at her, his red energy swirling around him like a dragon awakening. "He was stronger than you. And I'll surpass him."
Fen's aura erupted in kind. Hollow Aether flooded the battlefield—black tendrils lashed out from her body like obsidian chains, warping the earth and sky, turning the very air toxic with malice. "Then come, Kaien's brat. Let me bury his legacy with you."
And then, they clashed.
The force of their collision cracked the Citadel tower in half. Kai moved faster than he'd ever moved before, blade meeting scythe in a flurry of strikes that lit up the battlefield like a red storm. His Raw Aether sang with fury, each swing shaking the ground. Fen matched every strike with her unholy grace, twisting her body with the elegance of a serpent, her scythe spinning like death incarnate.
"You think because you have Raw Aether you can win?" Fen hissed. "You don't even know what it is!"
Kai gritted his teeth. "Maybe not—but my father wielded it to protect! You use your Aether to enslave!"
He surged forward. His next slash exploded through Fen's guard and carved through the side of her armor, blood spraying into the air like black mist.
Fen growled, stumbling back—but not for long. Her scythe spun with a flick of her wrist, and the ground under Kai's feet exploded with Hollow Aether spikes. He leapt into the air, flipping mid-spin as red energy condensed around his blade.
"Raw Art: Crimson Skyfall!"
Kai plummeted like a meteor, sword-first, and when he struck, a dome of red light erupted outward, engulfing Fen and the area around them.
The dust settled.
Kai stood at the epicenter, panting, surrounded by rubble and flickering embers.
Fen knelt on one knee, blood trickling from her lip—but she was laughing.
"You really are his son…" she said, rising slowly. "But power without control is still just noise."
She raised her hand—and the sky darkened.
Above them, Hollow Aether coalesced into a spear of void, large enough to pierce the citadel itself.
Kai's eyes widened. He couldn't stop that… not yet.
But then—Rhea stood behind him, both hands raised, her own Pure Aether spiraling around her in defiance.
"I've got you," she said, smiling. "Let's do this—together."
Kai nodded, grounding his stance, Raw Aether flaring beside her radiant light.
And for the first time in the battle, the pure, the raw, and the hollow were all about to collide.
To be continued…