Chapter 23: Clash of Shadows
The cathedral trembled as darkness swallowed every corner. The cloaked figure raised his hand, and the runes on the ground pulsed violently, sending waves of black energy crashing toward Le Wai and Mei Lin.
"Stay close!" Le Wai shouted. His blade shimmered with faint light as he met the surge head-on. Sparks of energy scattered with each collision, the ground beneath them cracking under the force.
Mei Lin moved like lightning, her strikes swift and precise, cutting through the writhing shadows. Yet for every chain of darkness she severed, two more emerged.
"This power…" she muttered through clenched teeth. "It's not human."
The cloaked figure's laughter echoed. "It isn't. It's what you left behind, Le Wai. The despair, the betrayal, the blood of the forgotten. I am all of it."
Le Wai's mind reeled, and in the chaos, a memory pierced through—
Flashes of fire. Screams of comrades. A crumbling city lit by red skies.
He saw himself, younger, wounded but still fighting. Around him, allies fell one by one.
And there—that voice. The voice of the one who stood beside him until the very end.
"Jian…" Le Wai's voice cracked as the name slipped out.
The cloaked figure paused, his shadows twitching unnaturally. "You remember."
Mei Lin's eyes widened. "He was… your brother-in-arms?"
Le Wai gritted his teeth. "He was more than that. He trusted me. I promised to protect him… but I failed."
The cloaked man threw off part of his hood, revealing a scarred face twisted by both pain and hatred. His eyes burned with unnatural light.
"You didn't just fail me, Le Wai. You abandoned me. And now… I'll return the favor."
With a roar, the shadows surged, forming monstrous claws that raked across the cathedral. Le Wai met them with all his strength, blade clashing against darkness, while Mei Lin leapt forward, striking at Jian's blind spot.
But the shadows anticipated her, twisting into a shield that deflected her strike. Jian's voice was venomous. "You think numbers will save you? This is between him and me."
Le Wai's body trembled under the strain, but his resolve burned brighter. "No. This time, I won't fight alone. That's my promise—to him, and to everyone I lost."
Mei Lin stood at his side, unshaken. "Then we break his chains. Together."
The air vibrated as light and shadow collided, shaking the cathedral to its foundations. The battle had only just begun, but one thing was clear—
To defeat Jian, Le Wai would have to conquer not just his former comrade, but also the weight of his own past.