The forest was no longer calm. The night itself seemed to hold its breath as the ground trembled beneath heavy footsteps.
Kael and Selene stood ready by the dying fire.
Then, from between the trees, a giant emerged, an armored brute with eyes glowing like molten coals.
A massive double-headed axe rested against his shoulder, dripping with fresh blood.
The man's grin was jagged and cruel.
"Hades host. I've been waiting to taste your rage."
Kael's grip tightened on his sword.
His veins burned as the black fire of his fragment stirred restlessly.
Selene raised her blade beside him, her voice low and sharp:
"Ares."
The God-Eater of war charged, his roar shaking the forest. The axe came down like a falling star. Kael braced, his sword screaming against the crushing weight. The impact hurled him back, his boots carving furrows in the soil.
Selene dashed in, striking at his flank. Sparks flew uselessly from the berserker's aura-coated skin. He laughed and swatted her aside with the haft of his weapon.
Kael grinded his teeth together.
"He's stronger than me... stronger than both of us."
The Ares host swung again, each blow splitting trees like twigs. Kael's arms ached, his sword cracking under the relentless storm. Every strike was faster, heavier, the embodiment of fury unleashed.
"You resist your god?" the rival roared.
"Pathetic! Rage isn't chained, it devours! Let it consume you!"
His axe slammed down, shattering Kael's blade in two. The shock hurled him against a tree. Blood filled his mouth. His sword lay in pieces.
The berserker advanced, steps shaking the ground.
"Now die, Hades whelp."
Kael forced himself to stand, fists curling. His golden eyes burned like a sunflare. He rushed forward barehanded, slipping past the killing arc of the axe. With a roar, he seized the haft, black flames flaring up his arms.
For a heartbeat, their strength locked, Hades cold fury against Ares' raw wrath. Veins bulged, muscles strained, the earth groaned beneath their feet.
And then Kael wrenched the weapon free.
The rival staggered, momentarily caught off balance. Kael spun, the axe now in his own grip and with a savage arc, he buried the blade into the soil at the man's feet, kicking up a wall of dirt and flame.
Selene shouted.
"Kael, now!"
The Ares host roared, reaching to reclaim his weapon, but Kael didn't let him. He pulled the axe free, swung once in a wide, threatening arc to force distance, then turned and bolted.
Selene was already moving, covering their escape with quick slashes. The rival's bellow shook the night.
"Thieves! Cowards! You cannot run from war!"
His rage followed them into the trees, but his weapon did not.
Kael and Selene sprinted through the forest, lungs burning, until the sound of pursuit finally faded. Kael stumbled to a halt, leaning against a tree, clutching the stolen axe.
The black fire still danced faintly along its edges, resonating with him as though it belonged in his hands.
Kael spat blood, lifted the weapon, and muttered hoarsely:
"This... this suits me far better than any sword ever could."