🔥 Chapter 16.
The northern highlands shivered under the pulse of the Harrowed King's power. Kael's Ember flared violently, almost reacting on its own, as if warning him of the King's will seeping into every corner of the Veil Bastion.
Rhyne's eyes scanned the horizon. "The King isn't coming himself… yet. But his fragments—pieces of his essence—are testing us. Each one can think, coordinate, and adapt. This is more dangerous than anything we've faced."
From the shattered courtyard, shadows erupted like smoke, coalescing into humanoid forms. Unlike ordinary minions, these fragments moved with intelligence and speed, striking with premeditated precision. Each one that fell only seemed to multiply, reforming from the cracks in the stone.
Kael clenched his fists, Ember spiraling around his arms. "We can't just fight them one by one. We have to break the source—their link to the King."
Rhyne nodded, slashing through the nearest fragment. "Then focus on the core of each shadow. Strike simultaneously, and the fragments might collapse."
Kael concentrated, letting the Ember flow through him naturally. Fire arced outward in controlled spirals, hitting multiple fragments at once. Shadows screeched, dissipating into ash, but for every fragment destroyed, two more emerged.
Above, the pulse of the King's crack thrummed, like a living heartbeat guiding his fragments. Kael realized the fragments weren't just minions—they were extensions of the King's perception. Every fragment that survived sent information back, adapting to their attacks.
"Rhyne… we need to split their attention," Kael shouted. "I'll draw the majority toward me. You hit the cores of the remaining ones!"
Rhyne nodded, moving with lightning speed, striking with precision. Kael surged forward, flames wrapping around him like a storm, taunting the fragments into attacking him. He let the Ember guide him, dodging, striking, leading the shadows into traps along the fractured terrain.
One by one, the fragments began to collapse, their connection to the King weakening. But Kael knew this was only temporary. The King himself would soon intervene—and the next confrontation would not be against fragments… it would be against the Harrowed King directly.
Kael's Ember glowed brighter than ever, a beacon in the fractured shadows. "Then we prepare," he said, voice firm. "Whatever comes next, we fight as one."
Rhyne's silver sigil blade reflected the flickering light. "And we will. No matter the cost."
The northern highlands trembled, and the Veil Bastion's dark pulse grew stronger. The final battle loomed