The ground trembled under Lucas's boots as the last echoes of the battle faded into an uneasy silence. The crimson mist that had erupted from the shattered wardstone was dissipating, but it left behind a suffocating heaviness in the air, like the weight of unseen eyes pressing down on him. His sword's edge still glowed faintly from the chaos energy it had absorbed, and the faint hum made his fingers itch.
Selene limped toward him, her staff splintered, her silver hair disheveled and damp with sweat. "That… thing wasn't supposed to be here," she panted. Her normally sharp eyes carried something Lucas rarely saw—uncertainty.
Lucas wiped the sweat from his brow, ignoring the smear of grime it left behind. "Then explain to me why it knew my name."
Selene's jaw tightened, but before she could answer, a low, rumbling laugh echoed from the shadows beyond the broken gate. The sound was oily, seeping into Lucas's bones and making his skin prickle.
From the darkness stepped a tall figure in blackened armor, the metal twisted as though it had been forged in a storm. His helm's visor revealed only two points of burning violet light where eyes should be. Chaos energy radiated from him in oppressive waves.
"I wondered how long it would take for you to get here, Lucas," the man said, his voice layered—human and something far older speaking at once. "The Affinity chooses poorly these days."
Lucas instinctively raised his sword, feeling the weapon pulse in his grip. "And you are?"
The man tilted his head slightly. "Names are chains. But if you insist—call me Kaelith, Harbinger of the Unbound." He paused, as though tasting the weight of the words. "And the one who will sever your thread."
Selene moved between them, her voice cold. "Harbingers shouldn't exist anymore. They were erased when the old realms collapsed."
Kaelith's laugh was softer this time, almost pitying. "Erased? You can't erase chaos, girl. You can only delay its return." His gaze shifted back to Lucas, sharp as a blade. "And it has returned for him."
Lucas felt the same strange pull in his chest that he had back in the ruins—the one that made the chaos inside him stir restlessly. "If you want me, you're going to have to fight for it."
The Harbinger's aura flared, warping the air around him, and in an instant, he was in motion. Lucas barely brought his sword up in time to block, the impact ringing like a bell and sending shockwaves through the courtyard.
Selene darted to Lucas's side, muttering an incantation as she raised a barrier of shimmering light. Kaelith struck it with the back of his gauntlet, and the barrier fractured like glass under a hammer.
"Pathetic," Kaelith said, his tone almost bored. He lunged again, his movements too fast for his size, forcing Lucas to parry blow after blow. Every strike felt heavier than the last, as though the Harbinger was pulling strength from some endless well.
Lucas's arms were starting to shake when Selene shouted, "Left side—now!"
Lucas pivoted, letting Kaelith's blade skim past his shoulder, and drove his own sword upward. The chaos-forged edge met armor, slicing deep enough to draw a hiss of violet smoke from the wound. The Harbinger staggered back, but instead of anger, a smile—cold and knowing—spread across his unseen face.
"Good," Kaelith murmured. "You're beginning to understand."
Before Lucas could press the attack, Kaelith slammed his fist into the ground. A shockwave erupted, cracking the stone and throwing Lucas and Selene backward. The courtyard filled with black, twisting tendrils of energy, obscuring the Harbinger from view.
When the darkness cleared, Kaelith was gone. Only the faint echo of his voice lingered. "We will meet again, Lucas. And next time, you won't be so lucky."
Lucas staggered to his feet, breathing hard. "What the hell was that?"
Selene looked at the shattered wardstone, then at Lucas. "The beginning of something worse than you can imagine."
Lucas clenched his jaw. "Then we'd better be ready."
Somewhere deep inside, the chaos stirred—and this time, it didn't feel like an enemy.