The church was a ruin. Smoke curled through the broken windows, embers drifting from splintered pews. Villagers huddled in corners, their faces pale, breaths shallow, eyes wide with fear.
Eryan stood in the center, his body battered but resolute. His cursed black blade glowed faintly, veins of crimson light pulsing like a heartbeat. The whispers were louder than ever, eager, insistent.
Kael stepped into the ruins, his armor gleaming despite the ash, his long black hair swinging with each step. His eyes, red and burning, locked on Eryan.
"You survived," Kael said, his voice cutting through the silence like a blade. "Impressive… but survival alone won't save you. Or them."
Eryan's grip tightened. "I don't care about surviving. I care about protecting them. And I won't let you destroy this village."
Kael's smirk widened. "Bold words… for someone so weak."
The tension broke like lightning. Kael lunged, blue-forged steel meeting black steel in a shower of sparks. The impact sent shockwaves through the church, knocking over furniture and shattering the stained glass.
Eryan barely held his ground, feeling the cursed blade pulse violently, almost alive in his hands. Every strike he made was enhanced by the whispers of power, but each one drained him further, forcing him closer to the edge of control.
Selene stayed close, watching, heart pounding. "Eryan… don't lose yourself," she whispered, pressing her hand briefly against his arm. The warmth grounded him, giving him a fleeting clarity amidst the chaos.
Kael's strikes were relentless. He moved with predatory grace, anticipating Eryan's every swing. The clash of their blades sent sparks flying like fireflies caught in a storm. Each impact carved grooves into the stone floor, leaving blackened streaks of smoke and blood.
Eryan countered, his body screaming with exhaustion, every muscle trembling. I have to win… I have to survive… The whispers urged him to give in, to let the blade take over completely, but he forced restraint.
Kael's voice cut through the din. "You cling to your humanity like a child to a toy. Let it go, and you'll be unstoppable."
Eryan growled, spinning his blade in a sweeping arc. The weapon hissed, feeding on his blood and rage, cutting through Kael's guard by a hair.
Kael stepped back, surprised for the first time. "Hmph… clever."
Outside, the villagers watched helplessly, barricaded behind debris. Some dared to pick up fallen weapons, but none could match the two blacksmiths. The church had become an arena, a crucible for power that neither mortal nor divine could intervene in.
Selene's voice broke through Eryan's focus. "Eryan… remember why you fight!"
Her words hit him like a splash of cold water. The whispers faltered as he centered himself, recalling the faces of those he swore to protect—the villagers, Selene, the fragile humanity he clung to.
He roared, surging with renewed strength. His blade pulsed violently, slicing through Kael's defense in a series of rapid, brutal strikes. Kael blocked, but the force drove him back several steps, smoke rising from the contact.
Kael's smirk faded slightly. "Impressive… but predictable. You've learned speed, but
The clash of steel tore through the ruined church, each strike echoing like thunder. Sparks erupted with every collision, black smoke curling from scorched beams and shattered stone.
Eryan's arms trembled. His muscles burned, and blood slicked his skin, but the cursed black blade pulsed with an insatiable hunger. The whispers clawed at his mind: Kill. Destroy. Feed.
His eyes, bloodshot and glowing faintly red, flicked toward Kael. The rival's blue-forged steel glimmered menacingly, slicing through the debris around him with precise, cruel elegance.
"You're… strong," Kael said, breathing evenly, almost calm. "But strength alone won't save you from what you're becoming."
Eryan gritted his teeth. "I am not… like you!" he roared.
Another wave of strikes collided. Kael moved with predatory grace, forcing Eryan back step by step. The cursed blade in his hands lashed out, cutting stone and splintering wood, but each swing drained him further. His vision blurred, his heartbeat racing.
The whispers screamed louder. Let go. Become the forge. Become the weapon. Kill.
Eryan felt his consciousness slipping toward the blade's will. A cruel, ecstatic hunger tugged at him.
"Eryan… focus!" Selene's voice rang in his mind. She stepped closer, placing a hand against his shoulder, grounding him in the real world. "It's me… it's us… come back to me!"
Her touch burned warmth through his haze. Slowly, his grip steadied, and the red glow in his eyes dimmed slightly.
The duel intensified. Sparks and blood flew with every exchange. Kael's strikes were relentless, each one designed to probe weaknesses, force mistakes. Eryan countered with ferocity, channeling rage and fear through the cursed blade, but each movement took its toll.
At one point, a swing from Kael knocked Eryan into a broken pew, splinters embedding into his arms. Pain seared, but he rolled, slicing upward with his blade. The cursed steel cut deep into Kael's armor, and for a heartbeat, the rival's smirk faltered.
"Clever," Kael muttered, stepping back. "You're learning… but still predictable."
Eryan's chest heaved. Sweat and blood dripped from his skin, mixing with ash. His arms ached, muscles trembling, yet the cursed blade seemed to grow heavier, stronger, hungrier.
Outside, the villagers could hear the clash echoing like a storm. Some prayed, others screamed in terror. The church had become a crucible where power and desperation collided, and the very air seemed to hum with violence.
Selene remained at Eryan's side as much as she could, intervening when stray mercenaries tried to slip past. She wielded a small sword with fierce determination, protecting both him and the villagers, though her breaths were ragged, and her hands shook.
"Don't… let it control you!" she shouted over the noise. "You're stronger than it!"
Her words anchored him, even as the cursed blade threatened to consume his sanity.
Finally, Eryan and Kael stepped apart, circling each other amidst the ruined church. Both were breathing hard, sweat and blood mixing on their skin, weapons gleaming in the morning light filtering through shattered windows.
Kael's crimson eyes studied him. "You've survived. You've even grown stronger. But you still cling to your humanity. How… quaint."
Eryan raised the black blade, blood dripping from the edge. "I will not become a monster like you."
Kael laughed softly, a low, dangerous sound. "Then prepare. Because this… was only the beginning."
With a flick of his wrist, Kael's blade ignited in a surge of blue flame. "I will return when you're ready… or when I've broken everything you care about."
He stepped backward, disappearing through the shattered doors, leaving the church silent except for the crackle of dying embers.
Eryan dropped to his knees, exhausted, chest heaving. Selene fell beside him, pressing her forehead to his shoulder. "You survived," she whispered. "You fought… and you came back."
His hands, still gripping the cursed blade, trembled. The whispers subsided, leaving a ringing emptiness in his mind.
"Kael… he's coming back," Eryan murmured, voice hoarse. "And next time… I won't be able to hold back."
Selene's eyes softened, but fear lingered. "Then we'll face him together. Whatever happens, we face him… together."
The church was in ruins, the villagers shaken but alive. But the shadow of Kael loomed over them, a promise of blood, fire, and steel yet to come.
The war had only just begun.