Chapter 50: Dawn Through the Ashes
The world was silent.
Smoke rolled across the shattered battlefield, thick and choking, carrying the stench of ash and blood. The explosion of fire and shadow had torn apart mountains, leveled forests, and carved scars so deep into the land that molten rivers bled from the wounds.
The stars above were hidden, the moon blotted out. All that remained was the choking dark—until, faintly, a golden ember flickered within the storm.
Le Wai stood, his body broken, his sword buried in the ground to keep himself upright. His armor was gone, burned away; his clothes torn, his skin scorched. Blood dripped freely from gashes that crisscrossed his frame. He trembled, every breath rattling his chest like knives carving into his lungs.
And yet, he still stood.
The golden flame that once engulfed him was little more than a flicker now, a fragile shimmer clinging to his blade. But it was enough—it still burned, proof that he had not fallen.
A groan echoed from the rubble.
Kael rose from the crater, his monstrous form battered and mangled. One wing hung torn, his claws cracked, his chest heaving with ragged fury. The shadowfire that had once cloaked him burned unevenly now, stuttering and fading as though even the darkness itself sought to flee from his body.
But his eyes… his eyes still gleamed with hatred.
"You… still breathe?" Kael spat blood, his voice layered with both rage and disbelief. "Why? Why do you not break?"
Le Wai lifted his head slowly, his eyes glowing faintly with golden fire. His lips curled into a faint, tired smile.
"Because I refuse."
Kael's face twisted. He staggered forward, dragging his broken form with sheer will. "You think… defiance will save you? I am eternal! I am the abyss that consumes the weak!"
He lunged, claws outstretched, his movements sluggish yet still dangerous.
Le Wai forced his legs to move, dragging his sword free of the ground. His arms screamed in agony as he raised the blade, golden fire sputtering along its edge.
The clash was weaker than before, but still enough to send sparks flying. Kael snarled, pressing down with what remained of his strength. Le Wai's knees buckled, his body nearly collapsing under the weight.
For a moment, it seemed the predator's fang would pierce the ember after all.
Then—ba-dum.
The heartbeat of the ember pulsed once more, steady and strong. The flicker of golden flame flared, brighter, steadier, until it wrapped around Le Wai's blade in a radiant blaze.
He straightened, pushing Kael back with a roar.
"I told you before—your shadow cannot consume the dawn!"
His strike ripped upward, carving through Kael's chest in a brilliant arc of light. The monster staggered, choking, his body convulsing as golden fire seared into his flesh.
Kael screamed—a sound not of rage this time, but of fear.
The shadows peeled away from him, burning like dry leaves in a storm. His monstrous form shattered, melting back into the shape of a man. Broken, bloodied, his true body collapsed to the ground, golden fire still smoldering along his wounds.
He lay there, gasping, hatred flickering weakly in his eyes.
"This… this cannot be… I was chosen… I was destined…"
Le Wai limped forward, his sword trailing behind him. He stood over Kael, his flame flickering faintly, but still burning. His gaze was steady, his voice calm.
"Destiny means nothing. We forge our own."
Kael coughed, blood staining his lips. His glare dimmed into something else—not hatred, but fear, perhaps even regret. His lips moved, whispering something too faint to hear. Then his body went still, his chest rising no more.
Silence fell across the battlefield.
Le Wai stood there, staring at the fallen predator, his body swaying. The ember within him beat steadily, keeping him upright when his body wanted nothing more than to collapse.
Then—applause.
A slow, deliberate clap echoed across the ruins.
From the shadows, the mastermind stepped into view. Cloaked in darkness, his face hidden, his presence suffocating. Unlike Kael's fury, his aura was cold, calculating, like a serpent waiting for its prey to bleed out.
"Well done," the mastermind said smoothly, his voice laced with amusement. "You have surpassed my expectations, child of the ember. You even managed to break my Fang."
Le Wai lifted his sword weakly, though his body shook. "You… were watching?"
"Of course." The figure spread his hands as if addressing a stage. "Every battle, every strike, every heartbeat of that flame… all according to design. You are proof, Le Wai, that even the smallest spark can grow into a firestorm. But tell me…" His voice darkened, curious. "Do you even know what sleeps inside you? Or whose power you are wielding?"
The ember throbbed in Le Wai's chest, almost as if answering the question with defiance.
Le Wai's grip tightened on his sword. "I don't care whose it was. It's mine now."
The mastermind chuckled, low and unsettling. "So bold. So certain. Just like the one before you…"
His aura spread, shadows writhing across the battlefield, darker and more suffocating than Kael's ever was. Le Wai's knees nearly buckled under the pressure. His flame flickered, straining to resist.
"You've won your battle, Le Wai," the mastermind said, his voice like silk over poison. "But the war has only begun. That ember you cling to… it is no blessing. It is a curse. And one day, it will devour you as it did the others."
Before Le Wai could reply, the shadows swallowed the figure whole. In an instant, he was gone, leaving only the echo of his words.
Le Wai stood alone, surrounded by ruin and silence. His sword slipped from his grasp, clattering against the broken earth. Finally, his body gave in, collapsing to his knees.
The ember's heartbeat pulsed faintly within him, a promise of both hope and danger.
As his vision dimmed, Le Wai lifted his gaze to the sky. The smoke had cleared just enough for the first light of dawn to pierce through, bathing the battlefield in pale gold.
For the first time, the night had broken.