The ash swirled harder now, dancing between the two boys standing at the edge of the Field. Kairo could feel it — the tension in the air, the way the cursed energy pulsed between them like two storms about to clash.
Solin didn't stop smiling.
Not a friendly smile.
Not even a smug one.
It was cold. Final. Like he already saw how this would end.
"I don't want to fight you," Kairo said.
"That's too bad," Solin replied. "Because I've waited my whole life to meet you."
He lifted his hand. The ash around his body coiled upward like a living serpent. Symbols glowed faintly across his skin — not black like Kairo's, but deep red, like they were burned into him.
"These marks," Solin said, "they weren't given to me. I earned them."
Lira moved beside Kairo, blade drawn.
"Try anything, and I'll slice that pretty white hair off your head," she warned.
Solin didn't even blink. "You're quick. But you're not the problem."
His eyes locked on Kairo.
"You are."
The first attack was fast.
Faster than Kairo expected.
Solin snapped his fingers and a pillar of cursed flame shot from the ground beneath Kairo's feet.
He jumped back, barely avoiding the blast. The heat singed his cloak. His boots skidded against the dusty rock.
Lira charged, her dagger flashing.
But the moment she got close, Solin vanished in a swirl of red ash.
He reappeared behind her.
"Too slow," he whispered.
She spun just in time to block a cursed strike with her blade. Sparks flew.
Kairo raised his arm, and a wave of shadow burst from his palm, cutting between them and knocking Solin back.
Iri screamed from behind a boulder. "Stop! Please!"
Neither of them heard her.
Solin landed on his feet.
He didn't look hurt. Not even tired.
"You don't understand what you're carrying," he said to Kairo. "That mark on you? It doesn't belong to you."
Kairo gritted his teeth. "Then who does it belong to?"
"Me."
A pulse of cursed energy exploded from Solin's chest. The ground split beneath him.
"I was born to sit on that throne," he growled. "The Bone King spoke to me first. He showed me what's coming."
"What's coming?" Kairo shouted.
Solin's voice dropped. "The end."
They clashed again.
Shadow against ash.
Kairo's power surged from his arms like smoke, weaving into jagged claws and tendrils that lashed out toward Solin. But Solin danced through them, his own cursed magic spinning into blades, slicing through Kairo's attacks like they were paper.
Their powers were too similar.
Too close.
And every time their energy met, the world around them shook — like it was trying to decide which one it hated more.
Lira broke through with a well-placed kick to Solin's ribs.
He stumbled.
Kairo took the chance — drove a fist into Solin's chest.
The red markings flared — and then cracked.
Solin flew back, crashing into a rock with enough force to leave a crater.
For a moment, everything stopped.
Even the wind held its breath.
Solin stood slowly.
Blood trickled from his mouth.
His smile was gone.
"You're stronger than I thought," he said.
Kairo's shoulders rose and fell with each breath. "You done?"
Solin looked up, eyes blazing. "Hardly."
He raised both arms to the sky.
The clouds turned black.
From the heavens, red ash began to fall.
Each piece that touched the ground sizzled.
It wasn't just cursed energy anymore.
It was death.
"Kairo," Lira said quickly. "We need to end this now."
"I know."
The marks on Kairo's arms glowed hotter.
He stepped forward.
Solin stepped forward too.
Their energy collided in a storm of darkness and red flame. A flash of light burst between them, sending shockwaves through the field.
Then… silence.
Both boys stood still.
The ash stopped falling.
Solin fell to one knee.
His body trembled. His markings flickered.
He looked up, pain in his voice.
"…He lied to me."
Kairo blinked. "What?"
"The Bone King. He told me I was the chosen one."
Solin laughed bitterly. "But when I got close… when I saw you…"
His voice broke.
"He changed his mind."
Lira stepped forward cautiously. "What does that mean?"
"It means," Solin said, "you're not his enemy."
He looked up at Kairo, eyes hollow.
"You're his heir."
Solin collapsed.
Not dead.
But broken.
The cursed energy drained from him, sinking into the earth like blood.
Iri ran to him, her small hands glowing faintly with a weak healing spell.
Kairo stood still.
The wind carried a whisper.
"Closer now, Kairo Vale."
"The throne waits."