🔥 Chapter 17 — The Harrowed King Emerges
The pulse of the King's crack grew deafening, resonating through every rock and valley of the northern highlands. Kael's Ember burned brighter than ever, thrumming in harmony with the threat before him.
From the fractured shadows of the Veil Bastion, a colossal figure stepped forward. The Harrowed King. His presence warped the air, darkness dripping like ink from his form, while streaks of blue energy twisted around him, echoing the Ember within Kael.
Rhyne's eyes narrowed. "This… is no mere general. Kael… the King himself. We've never faced anything like this."
Kael's fists glowed with fire. "Then we fight like never before."
The King raised one hand, and the pulse of the crack above surged, sending shockwaves through the Bastion. Shadows erupted from the ground, rising like living towers, each one screaming in silence, their forms twisting and writhing. Kael felt the Ember react violently, threatening to overwhelm him.
"Control it," Rhyne shouted. "Do not let the fire consume you!"
Kael took a deep breath, letting the Ember flow in harmony with his instincts. Flames coiled around him, glowing blue-white, forming a protective storm. The King advanced, his footsteps tearing fissures into the ground. Each movement radiated power, his presence bending the terrain itself.
The first clash was cataclysmic. Kael struck, Ember slicing through shadows surrounding the King, but the dark energy absorbed the attack, twisting and reflecting it. The King's laughter echoed, deep and terrifying, as he swung a massive, shadowed arm. Kael barely avoided it, the force sending him skidding across jagged rock.
Rhyne leapt beside him, deflecting a surge of dark energy with his sigil blade. "Kael! It's testing your limits! Every strike, every reaction—it learns!"
Kael's eyes burned brighter, Ember coiling like a living storm. "Then we push harder. Every ounce of fire, every strike, every thought. We will not falter."
Above, the northern sky split with light and shadow. The highlands shook. The Harrowed King's direct influence had arrived—and the true battle for the realm was beginning.
Kael and Rhyne stood side by side, ready to face a power that could shatter worlds.