The market was alive with noise, though not from merchants or townsfolk — the stalls were mostly abandoned, the clatter of toppled crates and creaking wooden beams filling the gaps. Sid walked through the narrow lanes, eyes scanning the piles of ore and broken barrels, oblivious to the figure ahead of him, blending almost perfectly with the shadows.
The man moved with a quiet grace, hood pulled low, robes flowing, the air around him almost unnaturally calm. Sid didn't notice at first — his thoughts were on the fragments still lingering from the previous battle, the uneasy energy in the city, and the faint tug of something familiar, dark and whispering, just beneath his skin.
Velgrin.
He had taken the form of a traveling scholar, speaking quietly to a human warlord bent over a small pile of rare ores. The warlord's hands shook slightly as he handed coins and small satchels to Velgrin, who accepted them with measured, almost ceremonious care. Every motion seemed deliberate, as though he were marking the ores or the coins themselves — imbuing them with something Sid could almost feel in his chest, but could not fully see.
Sid walked past them, unaware of the significance, though the daemon inside him stirred violently. Ravh'Zereth's voice rumbled in his mind like a warning, though not a command. "Watch. Remember. Danger comes wrapped in calm."
The words set Sid's skin on edge. He paused briefly, feeling a pull in the air, the kind of sensation that meant the enemy was near but hidden. Velgrin's figure melted into the market shadows, disappearing among the alleys and ruined stalls, leaving Sid with nothing but the uneasy hum of the fragments.
Night had begun to fall by the time the squad returned to camp, tension thick in the air. Sid tried to shake off the feeling of being watched, but the pull of the encounter lingered, stubborn and cold. He dumped his pack and moved to a quiet training area, hoping physical exertion would clear his head.
Kael was already there, stretching, eyes glinting with electricity. "Thought you could sit quietly and pretend the day was normal?" he asked, a teasing lilt in his voice.
Sid didn't answer, only flexed his fingers, feeling the heat of the Blackbind Flame simmering beneath his skin. Kael's grin widened. "Suit yourself."
Lightning arced from Kael's fists as he lunged forward, the first strike fast enough to make the air hiss. "Skyfang Barrage!"
Sid barely raised his hands in time. The rapid chain of lightning strikes slammed into him, forcing him to step back and redirect his flames to absorb and parry the energy. Sparks and heat collided, illuminating the camp in jagged bursts.
Kael moved with precision, chaining one strike into another, testing Sid's endurance and control. Each impact made Sid's pulse spike, adrenaline and daemon energy mixing in a harsh, prickling rhythm. He could feel Ravh'Zereth's excitement, the voice whispering, urging him to push further, strike harder, break Kael's momentum.
But Sid held his control, letting his defensive flames respond instinctively, black chains snapping around Kael's lightning arcs to disperse them. He could sense the subtle patterns in Kael's attacks, the gaps in timing, the way the energy tended to favor certain angles.
Kael grinned despite the counter, forcing Sid to maintain the strain for longer, testing him. "Not bad," Kael said, voice heavy with amusement and challenge. "You're getting faster. But can you handle the whole barrage?"
The next volley came even faster, arcs striking in a flurry from every angle. Sid's mind cleared, body responding instinctively to parry, block, and counter. Every chain of his black flame snapped precisely at the right moment, absorbing and redirecting the energy without overextending. The clash of their powers lit the training area in pulses of white and black, sparks dancing on the surrounding rocks and metal scraps.
Finally, Kael stopped, fists crackling faintly, chest rising with exertion but eyes shining. "Okay, that's enough for today," he said, a grin tugging at his lips. "You're holding your own. Don't let that demon of yours take over next time."
Sid nodded, heart still pounding. The warning was clear, even in training: Ravh'Zereth's presence was growing stronger. But today, he had held the balance.
He let his shoulders relax slightly, taking a deep breath, feeling the heat of the flames settle into a manageable hum around his arms. For the first time in a while, he could feel a small measure of control—just enough to keep the power at bay, just enough to trust his own instincts over the demon's urging.
The camp around him remained quiet, shadows stretching long across the ground as the sun dipped lower. Sid wiped the sweat from his brow, aware that every calm moment could vanish in an instant. He had survived today's trial—not because he had ignored the voice inside, but because he had learned to work with it, not against it.
And that, he realized, might be the only way to face what was coming next.