The hunter stepped forward. With every footfall, the air seemed to bend around him. His presence was cold—unnatural.
Kael stood between Elara and the figure.
"Run," he told her. "Now."
But Elara didn't move.
The mark on her wrist blazed like fire, and the crystal in her hand pulsed faster. Her breath hitched. Something inside her was stirring. Remembering.
The hunter raised a gloved hand. "Give her to me," he said, voice like cracking ice.
Kael's blade caught the moonlight. "Over my dead body."
"So be it."
He moved. Fast—too fast for a man in armor. The clash rang out like thunder. Steel met steel. Sparks flew.
Elara ducked, covering her ears. The sound echoed through the ruins.
Kael spun, parried, struck—but the hunter matched every move, his crimson shard glowing brighter with every blow.
"Elara!" Kael shouted. "Use it!"
She looked down at the crystal. It was humming—no, singing—to her.
She held it up.
And the world changed.
The circle beneath her lit with searing blue light, rising in columns of flame. Her body floated inches off the ground, her eyes wide with light.
The hunter recoiled, stumbling back.
Kael stared in awe. "The bond… it's fully awakened."
Elara floated downward, breathing heavily. Her eyes glowed faintly.
"I… remember."