The battlefield groaned under the weight of destruction. Cratered earth and shattered stone littered the plain as Kael advanced, Ashrend humming with crimson energy, the red glow of his aura cutting through the violet haze of Kaelen's power. Every swing of his blade cleaved titans and Veilspawn alike, sending waves of searing heat rippling across the chaos.
Kaelen hovered above the fray, his staff raised, drawing glyphs in the air that burned with dark light. The orb he conjured pulsed in rhythm with his heartbeat, expanding and contracting, as if alive.
"You've grown," Kaelen's voice echoed across the battlefield, layered with both awe and menace. "But raw power alone will not unseat me."
Kael didn't respond with words. He responded with motion. He surged forward, moving faster than thought, Ashrend igniting a trail of red fire as it cut through Veilspawn and twisted metal like a scythe through wheat. Darric and Lyra fought alongside him, their attacks synchronized, shielding Kael from strikes that could have torn him apart.
"Kael, the orb!" Lyra shouted, pointing at the swirling mass of energy above Kaelen's staff.
Kael's eyes narrowed. With a roar, he leapt, spinning in midair, and slashed Ashrend upward. Crimson lightning erupted from the blade, striking the orb. For a heartbeat, the orb flared violently, throwing Kael backward with the force. He rolled across the scorched ground, rising instantly. The Brand pulsed on his chest, burning hotter, feeding his resolve.
Kaelen's laughter cut through the storm. "Ah… so the Brand awakens! But can it withstand the Sovereign's will?"
From his perch, Kaelen unleashed a wave of shadowy tendrils. They lashed across the battlefield, tearing apart the ground and the remaining titans. Kael's companions scattered and retaliated, Isryn chanting sigils to contain the corruption while Darric slammed his shield into the tendrils, sending violet sparks everywhere.
Kael propelled himself forward again, faster than the eye could track, the aura around Ashrend now flaring with both red and faint violet streaks—traces of Kaelen's dark energy reacting with the Brand. He aimed straight for Kaelen, slicing through the first line of shadows, his every step igniting the earth in his wake.
Kaelen's expression darkened, a mixture of concentration and satisfaction. "So… you carry my darkness within you already. Interesting…"
The two forces collided. Crimson fire met shadow in an eruption that tore the battlefield apart. Kael's blade clashed with Kaelen's staff, sparks flying, fire and shadow intertwining like molten steel and ink. The impact threw both combatants backward, sending a shockwave that leveled the nearby terrain.
Kael landed, rolling forward, and rose with a snarl. "I won't let you use them anymore! Not my friends, not this world!"
Kaelen's eyes glimmered with a dangerous calm. "Good. Then let us see if the boy who bears the Brand can become more than a tool of destruction—or if he will break under its weight."
Kael charged again, this time weaving through both Veilspawn and Kaelen's dark constructs. Each slash of Ashrend now carried a name, a strike born of the Brand's awakening: Crimson Rift, Severing Flame, Judgment Arc. Each cut cleaved through enemies and shadows alike, carving a swath of destruction straight toward Kaelen.
Kaelen met him at the apex of the battlefield, their energies colliding in a storm of crimson and violet. The world seemed to slow, air bending, heat and darkness mingling. For a brief moment, neither advanced nor retreated—the two marks flaring brighter than the sun, the battlefield trembling under their combined presence.
"You've changed," Kaelen whispered, almost reverent. "Stronger… sharper… more dangerous than I imagined."
Kael gritted his teeth, voice raw. "And I've learned… that I fight for more than power. I fight for them."
With that, he surged forward, every ounce of strength, skill, and will driving Ashrend toward Kaelen in a strike that could decide the fate of the battlefield.