The plateau was fire and chaos. The Guardian roared, flames searing the sky, its obsidian body scarred but unyielding.
Arhaan drove forward, chains blazing crimson-gold, carving another gash across its molten hide. The disciples around him rallied, their courage rekindled by his defiance.
For a heartbeat, it seemed the tide could turn.
Until—
A blade arced toward Arhaan's back.
---
The Knife in the Dark
He twisted at the last instant, chains snapping up to deflect, sparks spraying as steel met steel. Behind the weapon, a fellow disciple glared, eyes wide with desperation.
"You… you'll doom us all! Kael is the one chosen by heaven, not you!" the disciple shouted, his voice breaking. "If you stand in his shadow, you'll drag us down!"
Arhaan staggered, disbelief flashing across his face. "We're fighting the beast—why betray me now?"
But the disciple's eyes were wild, his voice trembling.
"Kael will lead us! You… you're cursed! I won't let you taint our chance at survival!"
---
Kael's Poison
Further ahead, Kael's lips curved faintly as he struck at the beast. He had said nothing outright—but the whispers he had let slip along the climb, the quiet glances, the staged acts of "mercy" and "strength"—they had done their work.
Now, even as Arhaan fought with blood and will, doubt festered among the disciples.
Yes, Kael thought coldly, his crimson-black aura pulsing. Turn them against him. Let him drown in their fear.
---
Arhaan's Resolve
The traitorous disciple lunged again, blade flashing.
Arhaan's chains lashed out, disarming him in a burst of sparks. He could have struck him down in an instant. It would have been easier—quieter—to end the betrayal then and there.
But instead, Arhaan seized the disciple's collar and hurled him clear of the Guardian's firestorm, saving his life even as the man screamed curses at him.
Blood dripped from Arhaan's arm where the blade had grazed him. He turned back to the beast, his chains rattling furiously.
"I'll climb in blood if I must," he growled, eyes burning, "but it will never be theirs."
---
The Beast's Wrath
The Guardian, sensing discord, reared back with a roar, molten fire spilling from its maw. The plateau split beneath the disciples' feet as a wall of flame swept toward them.
Arhaan braced, chains coiling. Kael's shadow deepened.
The storm of fire would force them both to reveal more of their true power than ever before.