Thunder cracked above the cathedral ruins, though no storm had formed. The clouds—if they could still be called that—twisted like ink in water, reflecting the tension between the two boys about to clash.
Ark cracked his neck and rolled his cybernetic shoulder, red runes flaring to life along his arm. "Here's the deal, rookie. Land a hit on me, and I'll vouch for you. Fail… and I drag your broken bones back to Veyne."
Kade gripped his sword tighter, sweat trickling down his back. "You're pretty cocky for a guy picking a fight with someone who just woke up."
Ark grinned. "Exactly. If you survive me tired, you've got potential."
The ground between them shivered. In an instant, Ark lunged.
No warning.
No signal.
Just movement—a blur of silver and red.
Kade barely managed to raise his sword in time. Sparks flew as Ark's fist, clad in shifting metal plates, smashed against the blade. The impact sent Kade skidding across the cracked floor.
He coughed, his ribs screaming. "Fast…"
Ark didn't let up. He pressed forward, jabbing with a combination of speed and power that shouldn't have been possible. Every punch was accompanied by shifting weapon configurations—blades forming from his elbow, a mace-like transformation, even serrated whips.
"Modular Weapon Affinity," the blindfolded girl murmured from the sidelines. "He can adapt to any opponent."
Kade parried, barely, each blow rattling his bones. He was being outmatched. Overwhelmed.
His sword was slow.
No, not the sword—he was slow.
But then something… clicked.
A memory not his own.
A whisper.
> "Flow with the wound, not against it."
Kade dropped his stance mid-swing, pivoting as Ark lashed out with a whip-hand. The strike grazed his cheek—but Kade spun under it, blade rising in a smooth arc—
—and sliced through Ark's jacket.
Just a scratch on his side. Barely skin-deep.
But it was a hit.
Ark froze.
Then grinned. "Nice."
He stepped back, hand pressed to the cut. "Looks like the blade's teaching you faster than expected."
Kade's chest heaved. "That… wasn't me. The sword—"
Veyne clapped loudly. "Well, damn! You passed. Congratulations, kid. You've officially pissed off someone stronger than you and lived to tell the tale."
Ark tossed Kade a small badge etched with a broken crescent moon. "You're Dawn now. Don't lose that. Or you'll regret it."
Kade caught it. "...Thanks. I think."
The blindfolded girl approached, her expression unreadable.
"I'm Lira. Divination Path. I saw… something in you when you fought. A fracture in your fate. Be careful, Kade. The Veil remembers those it cannot understand."
The giant coffin-man simply nodded and walked away.
Ark followed, shrugging. "See you in the field."
As they disappeared into the mist surrounding the ruins, Veyne threw an arm over Kade's shoulder.
"Welcome to the Broken Dawn. We're insane, probably cursed, and definitely being hunted by half the Veilborn world. But we've got your back—mostly."
Kade sighed, too tired to argue. "What happens now?"
Veyne's grin faded slightly.
"Now? You rest. Heal. And then we head to Gravepoint."
"Gravepoint?"
"A city built between three Veil rifts. Neutral ground. Or it used to be. Something's stirring there, and we've got a mission. Intel says your name might already be on a bounty list."
Kade narrowed his eyes. "Why?"
"Because someone in the Veil believes you're a Key Fragment. And if that's true... you're worth more than a hundred cities burned to ash."
---
Elsewhere…
A lone figure stood atop a tower of thorns in a realm where time flowed in reverse.
Her eyes bled silver, her skin cracked with runes.
She smiled faintly.
"The boy has awakened. Send the Ash Choir."
And with that, the world screamed.
---
End of Chapter 8