Chapter 39: Faint Light in the Darkness
The battlefield was still thick with shadows, the night choking under Kael's fury. The faint glow around Le Wai flickered like a fragile candle, barely keeping the darkness at bay.
Kael's eyes narrowed. His instincts screamed of danger, yet what he saw before him was only a broken man struggling to stand.
"This light… it's nothing but a dying spark. I'll extinguish it myself!"
He lunged forward, his black flame blade cleaving through the air with unstoppable force.
Le Wai raised his sword, the faint light shimmering briefly as steel met steel. The impact shook his body, nearly tearing the weapon from his grasp. His knees buckled again, and a sharp pain shot through his ribs.
Still, the ember refused to vanish.
The glow pulsed faintly, as though mocking the overwhelming darkness. Every time Kael struck, it wavered, almost gone—yet always returned, no matter how faint.
The shadow beasts snarled in frustration, their hesitation growing. Something about that fragile light unsettled them, as if they sensed it was only the beginning of something far greater.
"Why… why won't you fall?!" Kael roared, his fury masking his unease. His blows grew faster, heavier, fueled by desperation to crush that tiny glimmer before it could grow.
Le Wai staggered backward, his vision swimming. His arms felt like lead, and his body screamed in agony. But his heart beat fiercely, each thud feeding that hidden ember inside.
"I… still stand," he rasped, his voice barely audible.
Kael's blade struck again, hurling him across the shattered ground. Dust and debris clouded the air, and silence fell for a moment.
The mastermind's voice hissed from the shadows, edged with irritation.
"He is close… too close. Break him, Kael, before it's too late."
As the dust settled, Le Wai slowly pushed himself up, bloodied and trembling, yet unbroken. His sword glowed faintly in his hand, not with brilliance—but with the promise of something waiting to awaken.
Kael clenched his teeth, suddenly realizing the truth: if he didn't crush Le Wai now, that fragile spark might one day become a fire strong enough to consume him.
And so the battle pressed on, the night trembling under the clash of despair and hope.