Chapter 31: Flames of the Forgotten
The northern quarter was chaos. Black fire licked the night sky, spreading across rooftops and devouring wood and stone alike. Yet it was no ordinary fire—it writhed like serpents, hissing with a life of its own.
Le Wai and Mei Lin landed amidst the flames, weapons drawn. The heat pressed against them, but what froze their blood were the figures stepping from the fire.
Shadows shaped like men—warriors formed from smoke and flame. Their eyes glowed red, their voices a chorus of whispers.
Mei Lin exhaled sharply. "They're not human. They're memories… given form."
The first shadow lunged, its burning blade cutting through the air. Le Wai blocked, the clash erupting sparks that hissed against the black fire. The force of it rattled his arms.
"These things…" he gritted his teeth, "they fight like the men I once knew."
More shadows surrounded them. Mei Lin spun gracefully, her blade slicing through one. The figure dissipated into smoke—but from the fire, two more emerged.
"They won't stop," she warned.
Le Wai's gaze hardened. Of course. The past never stops chasing.
He tightened his grip, channeling energy into his weapon. The blade shone with radiant light, cutting into the shadows with each strike. Yet with every enemy he felled, fragments of old faces appeared in their flames—soldiers he had once commanded, comrades who had died because of him.
One shadow's voice echoed through the din, clearer than the rest. "You left us… to die."
Le Wai froze mid-swing. That voice—familiar, sharp with venom.
From the heart of the flames, a new figure emerged. Unlike the others, this one did not flicker or dissolve. His form was solid, his presence heavy.
A man in scorched armor, half his face hidden by a jagged scar, eyes burning with hatred.
Mei Lin stepped back, her instincts sharp. "This one… he's real."
The man's lips twisted into a bitter smile. "Le Wai. After all these years… do you remember me?"
Le Wai's chest tightened. He knew that voice. He knew that face.
"…Kael."
The name left his lips like a curse. The comrade who betrayed them. The brother who chose survival over loyalty.
Kael's grin widened, cruel and unforgiving. "You should have died that night with the rest of them. But fate spared you. Now… I'll finish what was left undone."
The shadows roared as if answering their master's fury, and the battlefield burned brighter.
Mei Lin raised her sword, eyes flicking to Le Wai. "Is he—?"
Le Wai nodded grimly, rage and sorrow boiling in his chest. "The betrayer."
Kael pointed his blackened blade at him. "And your executioner."