The harbor smelled of salt, smoke, and fear. Broken lanterns swung in the wind, their flames guttering, shadows trembling across shattered docks. Water sloshed over the edges as if the sea itself sensed the battle about to come.
Soul Resonance throbbed through me, hot and sharp, every heartbeat syncing with the tension in the air. My fingers itched around the hilt of my sword, eager for blood and chaos.
A figure waited at the water's edge. Black mana curled around him like living smoke, twisting in the air with deliberate menace. Calm. Cold. Dangerous. "Kael Draven," he said, voice smooth, sharp enough to cut glass. "The Council has sent me to end you."
I narrowed my eyes. "Then I guess he's going to have to try harder."
From the depths of the harbor, shadows moved. Massive shapes, hulking and jagged, emerged. Oblivion Constructs—twisted monstrosities of corrupted mana, eyes glowing like molten coals. They stomped onto the docks, splintering wood underfoot. Each step shook the boards, throwing up shards of rotten timber and brine.
The orchestrator's grin widened. "My soldiers. And they obey me alone."
They attacked like a tide of darkness. The first slammed into the dock, wood cracking like dry bones. I rolled forward, igniting my blade with Soul Resonance. The first swipe carved through three of them in a flash of molten light. Sparks flew, water hissed, and smoke swirled around us.
More were coming—dozens, maybe more. Their movements were coordinated, like a single mind spread across many bodies.
Ryn and Loran appeared beside me, expressions tense.
"Kael… there are too many!" Ryn shouted, fear threading her voice.
I tightened my grip on my sword, energy humming like a living thing. "We don't have to kill them all. We just have to survive long enough to hit him."
The Constructs attacked again. Claws, spiked fists, jagged limbs cutting the air like scythes. Each strike rattled me, each swing a test of endurance. I moved like a shadow, dodging, parrying, striking. My blade sang, arcs of light cutting paths through the monsters. Every cut, every burst of energy was a statement: I was still here, and I wasn't afraid.
The orchestrator laughed, low and satisfied. "Good. But now—let's see how you handle this!"
He raised his arms. Water from the harbor exploded upward, black mana twisting into it, forming a wave taller than the tallest mast. Ryn screamed as the wave slammed the docks. I planted my feet, forcing energy into a shield that met the water head-on. The collision splintered wood, boiled the water, and sent up a storm of mist and energy.
I pushed forward, sword blazing. The Constructs were relentless, but so was I. I moved faster than instinct, every swing cutting through a living wall of darkness. Ryn and Loran kept close, fighting off anything that slipped past.
Then I saw it—a massive construct, twice the size of the others, glowing with runes that radiated his power. Its presence alone pushed back at my energy, making the air vibrate. My pulse quickened. One mistake, one hesitation, and it would tear us apart.
I clenched my jaw. "Time to end this."
Soul Resonance roared through me, every vein burning, every nerve alive. I leaped. Steel met armor with a sound that shook the docks. Sparks and black mana exploded outward. I twisted, dodging massive claws, striking at the glowing runes, carving chunks of molten darkness from its limbs.
The orchestrator's calm mask cracked, just slightly. "Impossible…" he muttered.
I planted my sword into the dock, aura flaring, energy pushing outward like a hurricane. "Not impossible," I growled. "Inevitable."
He summoned more mana, dark and furious, but I was already moving faster than thought. Every strike, every swing, every pulse of Soul Resonance shredded the constructs still tethered to him. The storm inside me was alive. I was Kael Draven—unstoppable, unbroken, and rising.
The orchestrator staggered back, eyes wide. I could see fear there. Not much. But enough.
I lunged again. And the storm finally struck.
The docks became chaos incarnate. Boards splintered under every step. Water hissed and steamed where energy collided with the harbor's waves. Shadows flickered and twisted, clawing at me. I felt the rhythm of combat, each pulse of adrenaline and Soul Resonance feeding the next. My muscles burned, but I didn't stop.
One construct lunged, a massive claw sweeping downward. I jumped, pivoting in the air, landing behind it, and struck at the runes on its back. Explosions of molten light ripped through its armor. Another charged, and I sidestepped, slamming my blade into its chest. It toppled with a roar that shook the dock.
Ryn fought alongside me, throwing twin daggers with deadly precision. Loran swung a massive warhammer, each blow splitting the boards under their feet and cracking through the constructs' limbs. We moved like a single entity, three souls dancing through the storm of chaos.
But the orchestrator was the true danger. He gathered the black mana swirling around him, forming a vortex that sucked the air and water into a spiraling column of shadow. Even standing at a distance, the pull threatened to drag me in.
I gritted my teeth. "Ryn, Loran—cover me."
Without waiting, I charged, Soul Resonance blazing brighter than ever. The vortex tore at me, clawing at my senses, but I forced every ounce of power into my sword. When I struck, the blade burned with a heat that cleaved through the vortex, scattering the mana like mist.
The orchestrator screamed, a sound that was more rage than pain. I advanced, faster than my own shadow, cutting through constructs that tried to intercept me. Each strike drove me closer. Each block, each parry, each step was survival—and vengeance.
Finally, I reached him. His eyes widened as I swung, full force, the culmination of every battle, every wound, every lesson. Soul Resonance erupted from the blade, a blazing inferno of pure energy. The strike connected with his chest, knocking him backward, shattering the boards beneath his feet.
He hit the water with a splash that sent waves over the docks. Silence followed, heavy and complete. The remaining constructs froze, their link broken.
I stood panting, the docks trembling beneath me. Ryn and Loran were close, but I didn't move toward them. My eyes were locked on the water.
He was down—but not finished.
From the shadows behind him, something stirred. I could feel it. The Soul Resonance flared, warning me of danger even before I saw it. Another wave, another surge.
I smiled, letting the adrenaline wash over me. "Bring it on," I muttered.
Kael Draven wasn't just surviving anymore. He was a tornado—and tornados break everything in their path.