The trees grew thin, and the party found themselves in a clearing bathed in the sickly, pale light of dawn. The party moved cautiously, senses tingling. Every instinct screamed at them that something—or someone—waited. Kael's hand lay on his sword hilt, eyes roving the mist-shrouded edges of the clearing.
Then he saw him. Azrak. Standing by himself, but not alone. His ruby eyes pulsed dimly under the influence of something darker, something other. His movements were stiff and deliberate, and yet. unnervingly accurate. Kael's chest constricted. "Azrak." he breathed, hardly daring to say the name out loud.
Azrak's eyes flashed to him, a flicker of recognition hidden in the darkness of its influence. "Kael… you shouldn't have come," he murmured, tones low but with a hint of something new. It was edged with authority—not his own, but imposed on him.
Rina advanced, claws flexing. "Azrak! Fight it! Don't let them control you!"
He tilted his head, and for a heartbeat, Kael thought he saw the friend he had known, the brother he had trusted. Then the glint in Azrak's eyes hardened, and the shadows seemed to cling tighter around him.
"They've already chosen me," Azrak said, voice steady now, almost cold. "And you… you'll understand soon enough."
Thargrim growled, swinging his axe. "I'll understand when ye stop tryin' to fight yer own friends!"
Kael's head spun. This wasn't some run-of-the-mill foe. The group running Azrak was patient, devious, and heartless. The flash of understanding in his brother's eyes was a heartless taunt, a reminder of what they stood to lose if they waited.
Elira's hands glowed with a soft light, willing to mend, but she wavered. "We can't. we can't attack him completely. He's in there somewhere. We need to come up with a way to speak to him without injuring him."
The glade was a tense standoff. Azrak's body twitched with artificial accuracy, obeying unseen orders. Every flicker, every movement, served as a reminder to the party that he was not quite himself anymore.
Kael gritted his teeth, advancing. "Azrak… resist! You're more powerful than they believe! Recall who you are!"
Azrak's eyes flashed once more, the smallest quiver revealing the inner battle. He wavered for an instant, his blade dipping. But the shadows coiled, and with a sudden, harsh breath, he broke free from the uncertainty.
In a flash, he charged—not at them, but off, into the mist with the elegance and quickness that had once made him invincible.
The party remained motionless, shock sweeping over them. Rina emitted an angry hiss. "He… he ran?"
Thargrim hurled his axe at the earth. "Bloody coward—or smarter than we assumed. Either or, we've got a lot of runnin' to do."
Kael's chest constricted. Anger, fear, and guilt fought within him. "We'll find him," he growled through gritted teeth. "No matter what it takes."
Elira rested a hand on his shoulder, voice soft but authoritative. "And we will. But we need to be ready… they'll attack again, and next time it will be much worse."
Fog engulfed the clearing, leaving only whispers and the distant echo of Azrak's receding footsteps. Bonds had been tested that day—not broken, but stretched to their limits, tested and strained. The Fractured Shadow was already closing in tight, and the road that lay ahead held both danger and heartbreak.