The air hung heavy with the scent of smoke and ash, the ruins of the Cradle of Ashes flickering with dying embers. The ground still trembled faintly as Kaelen's cruel smile stretched wider, the new shard of dark flame pulsating ominously in his palm.
Aric's grip tightened on the faint flicker of Voidflame in his hand. Around him, Selene's stance hardened, her eyes flashing steel beneath her hood. Cobard's sword gleamed, poised for battle.
Kaelen's voice cut through the charged silence like a blade.
"You wield shadows, boy. But shadows are born from light. Without control, you will drown in your own flame."
Aric stepped forward, feeling the weight of the moment settle in his bones.
"Then show me what true control means."
The Duel of FlamesKaelen's dark flame surged, tendrils snaking toward Aric like living serpents. But Aric's Voidflame responded black fire licking like midnight waves, weaving a barrier.
The two forces collided, sending shockwaves that rippled through the ancient stones.
"Your flame is fractured," Kaelen taunted, eyes burning with fury. "Like your soul."
Aric's heart hammered. The shard Kaelen wielded glowed brighter its power raw and unstable.
With a roar, Kaelen unleashed a torrent of broken flame, forcing Aric back. He struggled to maintain his footing, sweat stinging his eyes.
Selene darted forward, throwing a dagger coated with enchanted silver, aiming for Kaelen's hand. But Kaelen vanished in a swirl of shadows, reappearing behind Aric.
Cobard charged with a battle cry, sword raised, but Kaelen intercepted with a wave of shattered flame, sending the emperor sprawling.
Srcs vision blurred as pain lanced through his chest. He staggered but focused on the shard glowing fiercely in Kaelen's hand.
"It's feeding off your hatred," Selene whispered urgently.
Aric closed his eyes and reached inward. He sought the calm beneath the storm—the memories that made him who he was.
His mother's ocean-blue eyes.
The quiet strength of his father.
The laughter of the child in the tower.
With a deep breath, he summoned the deepest part of his power the Paragon level that had recently awakened within him.
His palm flared, black flames exploding outward with a force that buckled the ground.
He stumbled back, eyes wide with shock.
"You…" he spat. "You've grown."
Aric's voice was steady.
"I'm not just your shadow."
The broken shard in Kaelen's hand pulsed wildly, threatening to shatter.
Selene seized the moment, leaping toward Kaelen and slashing at the shard with her dagger.
A blinding explosion rocked the ruins.
AftermathWhen the smoke cleared, Kaelen was gone.
The shard lay cracked on the ground, its dark light dimming.
Aric sank to his knees, drained but alive.
Cobard helped him up, his voice low but fierce.
"You fought well, son. But this is far from over."
Selene wiped dirt from her face, eyes flicking to the horizon.
"The shards are scattered. Kaelen will seek them all. We must find them first."
Aric looked at the broken shard, a new determination settling in.
"If the flame is broken… then I will be the one to mend it."
Aric was greeted as a hero, but he felt the weight of the coming storm.
The council gathered once more.
"We must prepare the empire," Cobard said. "But we also need to understand the shards how to destroy or reclaim them."
Selene nodded. "And we need allies. There are other ancient beings who have kept watch over the flame."
Aric's gaze hardened.
"I want to seek the Dragons."
A murmur ran through the council. The dragons were powerful, ancient, and notoriously aloof few had spoken to them in centuries.
"But the dragons…" Selene warned. "They do not meddle in mortal affairs easily."
"I'll find a way," Aric promised.
That night, as Aric stood atop the palace tower, gazing at the stars, the broken shard glowed faintly in his pocket.
A whisper brushed his ear, cold and venomous.
"You cannot hide from me, flame-bearer."
He spun around.
The darkness was empty but the air thrummed with unseen danger.
Aric clenched his fist, eyes blazing.
"I'm ready."