The courtyard burned with silence after Kaelith's declaration. Soldiers clutched their blades but dared not move, as if the very air might shatter under the weight of his presence. The storm's growl above was a low dirge, lightning flickering in the clouds but refusing to fall—as though even the heavens hesitated to interfere.
Adrian held his sword firm, though his knuckles were white around the hilt. He could feel the storm crackling inside him, restless, demanding to be unleashed. But his gut twisted with something colder than battle-fury.
The Crimson Heir.
A name buried in nightmares. A traitor said to be long dead. A story whispered by mothers to frighten unruly children into obedience. And now he stood before them, cloak whipping in the storm, a mask cracked but unbroken, his eyes glowing like twin stars of blood.
"Impossible," one of the captains breathed behind Adrian. His voice trembled, and the men near him shuffled back, shields clattering.
Kaelith turned his gaze toward the speaker. "Fear me," he said softly. The word was less command and more curse. The captain screamed suddenly, his sword flying from his hand as his body convulsed. Black smoke poured from his mouth, his eyes rolled back, and he collapsed lifeless onto the stones.
No one else spoke.
Adrian's jaw tightened. He stepped forward, refusing to let his men see hesitation. "Your reign of fear ends here," he said, his voice sharp as steel.
Kaelith's cracked mask tilted, studying him like a beast amused by prey too stubborn to flee. "Do you truly believe yourself heir, Stormborn? You, who lived your years in exile while the empire rotted?"
"I didn't choose exile." Lightning flared faintly in Adrian's eyes. "It was forced on me. But tonight, I return. And I will defend Arvandor—even if it means tearing you apart."
Kaelith's chuckle was low, chilling. "Tear me apart? You could not even hold your throne against whispers. You think lightning will change what you are? A pretender. A child."
The words bit deep, stirring memories Adrian fought to bury—the shouts of his father's murder, the night he was driven into the wild, hunted like an animal by his own kin.
But he would not falter.
Selene's voice cut across the tension, her shadows spreading wider, pooling across the courtyard like black water. "Enough riddles, Kaelith. You return with monsters and masks, but no crown. You say the throne is yours? Prove it."
Kaelith turned his face toward her. For a moment, silence stretched, and then his laughter rang again, louder this time, bouncing off the ruined walls. "The little Shadow Serpent. You have your mother's venom. But venom, child, is nothing before fire."
Selene's lips pressed into a thin line, though her shadows surged taller, sharper. Adrian caught the flicker of rage in her eyes, and for the first time tonight, he saw the mask of her composure strain.
Kaelith spread his arms, crimson cloak unfurling like wings. "Very well. If you both wish to die here, so be it. Let the heir and the serpent be buried together beneath their city's stones."
He raised his hand.
The shadow-hound at his side leapt forward, reborn and snarling, its molten eyes burning holes in the night. Soldiers screamed as it descended on them, tearing through shields as if they were parchment. Men scattered. Armor split. Blood slicked the stones once more.
Adrian charged.
The storm answered his call in a single violent surge, lightning exploding across his body as he sprinted toward Kaelith. His blade hummed, white-hot with energy. Selene's shadows raced with him, a tide of black whips and spears closing on the crimson heir.
Kaelith moved.
His blackened sword met Adrian's in a clash that split the air with thunder. Sparks erupted, and Adrian's arms nearly buckled from the force, but he pushed back, lightning bursting outward in arcs that scorched the ground. Kaelith's blade drank the energy, glowing brighter with each strike.
Selene's shadows lashed from every direction, stabbing, slashing, binding. But Kaelith spun, his cloak swirling, his sword carving arcs of crimson light that shredded the darkness. Every tendril that touched him dissolved, every shadow burned.
"You cannot bind me," Kaelith said, his voice layered with power. "I have walked through death. I command it now."
Adrian roared and swung again, his blade slamming against Kaelith's with bone-shaking force. Lightning poured down from the sky, striking both men, but Kaelith only laughed, his mask glowing in the stormlight.
"Stronger," Kaelith mocked. "Show me the storm that banished you. Show me why you deserve to die last."
The fight raged across the courtyard, each clash of their blades sending shockwaves that shattered stone and threw soldiers from their feet. Selene darted through the chaos, her shadows forming barriers to protect what men remained, her hands weaving symbols in the air as she summoned darker, riskier magic.
But Kaelith saw her. His crimson blade flared, and in a flash he was there, striking down her defenses. Selene's eyes widened as his sword cut through her shadow-shield like silk. She barely twisted aside, the edge grazing her cheek and leaving a burning cut that smoked in the rain.
Adrian's fury ignited. He hurled himself forward, lightning bursting so violently it blinded half the courtyard. He slammed his blade into Kaelith's side, finally cutting through cloak and flesh. The impact sent Kaelith stumbling back, blood spraying across the stones.
The soldiers cheered, voices rising—hope sparking for the first time.
But Kaelith only smiled.
His blood, glowing faintly red, hissed as it struck the ground. The wound sealed before their eyes, flesh knitting, muscle reforming. He straightened slowly, his cracked mask falling away, revealing his face at last.
He looked scarcely older than Adrian. His features were sharp, cruelly handsome, eyes glowing crimson like suns drowning in blood. His smile was serene, almost gentle, but his gaze burned with endless malice.
"You cannot kill me," Kaelith said softly. "I am the heir this empire denied. I am its rightful flame. And I will see you both burn."
The storm above split open. Red lightning fell.
And the true battle began.
The courtyard became a graveyard of lightning and shadow.
Kaelith's crimson blade cut arcs of fire through the storm, every strike so fast that Adrian's eyes barely followed. Adrian answered with the storm itself, lightning spilling down from the heavens in pillars of white that scorched stone and steel alike.
Their duel became a storm within a storm.
Adrian's arms burned with the effort of holding against each strike. The blackened sword Kaelith wielded seemed to weigh as much as mountains, each blow threatening to shatter his bones. And yet Kaelith moved with the grace of a predator, his strikes controlled, deliberate—mocking Adrian with every effortless parry.
"You're strong," Kaelith said, forcing Adrian back with a crushing downward strike. "But strength without vision is wasted. You fight for a throne you don't even understand."
Adrian snarled and surged forward, lightning bursting from his chest, his blade glowing with blinding heat. "And you fight for a throne you betrayed!"
Their blades locked. Sparks and light sprayed outward, soldiers shielding their faces from the torrent. Kaelith leaned close, crimson eyes burning through the clash.
"Betrayed?" he whispered. "No. I was the only one who saw the rot. Your empire is a corpse wearing gold. And I will cut it open until it stops pretending."
Adrian shoved him back, their blades breaking apart in an explosion of thunder. The shockwave cracked the walls, windows shattering in bursts of glass that rained down like diamonds.
Selene struck.
Her shadows erupted from the ground beneath Kaelith, forming jagged spires that pierced upward. They struck his side, his arm, his back, pinning him mid-step. She raised her hands higher, her shadows thickening, growing sharper, fueled by the storm's rage. Her voice was a hiss of power.
"Die, traitor!"
For the first time, Kaelith winced. His blade cut free one spire, then another, but the shadows grew faster than he could burn them away. Adrian seized the moment, raising his sword high as lightning surged down his arms.
"Selene—now!"
Both heir and serpent unleashed their power in unison. Lightning and shadow struck Kaelith in the chest, blasting him across the courtyard. The crimson heir crashed into the shattered gates, stone collapsing around him in a roar of rubble.
The courtyard shook, dust rising in clouds.
Silence fell.
The soldiers dared to hope. Some even shouted cheers, their voices trembling with disbelief. Adrian's chest heaved, sweat dripping, blood running down his arm from a wound he hadn't felt in the frenzy. Selene's lips parted, her breath sharp, shadows flickering weakly as exhaustion tugged at her strength.
And then the rubble moved.
Slowly, deliberately, Kaelith rose from the wreckage. His crimson cloak was torn to ribbons, his chest scorched, his skin cracked and bleeding light. But he stood tall, his smile undisturbed.
"Better," he said softly, his voice carrying clear through the storm. "Now you begin to amuse me."
The reborn shadow-hound leapt from behind him, its fangs dripping molten venom. With a guttural snarl, it lunged into the soldiers, ripping through shields and flesh. Screams erupted, chaos scattering the line as men were torn apart in sprays of blood.
Adrian's fury ignited. He raised his sword to strike, but Kaelith blurred forward, crimson blade slicing downward. Adrian barely blocked, the impact slamming him to his knees, cracks spider-webbing the stones beneath him.
"You fight well, Stormborn," Kaelith said, pressing down, his strength immense. "But your father fought harder. And still—he died screaming."
Adrian's eyes widened, rage flooding him hotter than the storm. "Liar!" he roared, lightning exploding outward, forcing Kaelith back. His blade swung in a furious arc, strikes coming faster, heavier, desperate. Each blow was met by Kaelith's cruel smile, his crimson blade weaving like a serpent through the storm.
Selene's shadows surged to join, but the hound was upon her. Its massive jaws snapped at her, forcing her back. She conjured shields, spears, chains, but each time the beast tore through, its molten blood burning her shadows away. It struck her with a claw, throwing her against the wall with bone-crushing force. She gasped, blood spilling from her mouth, but rose again, her eyes blazing with defiance.
Adrian saw her fall and falter, and his fury deepened. Lightning wrapped his entire form, his eyes glowing white, hair standing on end as power spilled unchecked. The storm above screamed, rain vanishing in sudden heat as bolts carved the sky.
He swung with all his might.
Kaelith met him, crimson and lightning colliding in a blast so violent the courtyard walls collapsed entirely. The soldiers were thrown from their feet, bodies rolling across the stones. The storm itself seemed to waver, torn between the two forces clashing at its heart.
For a heartbeat, Adrian thought he had him. His blade pushed Kaelith's down, sparks and thunder erupting as their faces strained close.
And then Kaelith whispered.
"Your father's last words… were your name."
The words pierced deeper than any blade. Adrian's strike faltered, his eyes widening, his grip wavering. In that heartbeat of hesitation, Kaelith twisted, his crimson blade carving across Adrian's chest.
The Lightning Prince staggered back, blood spraying, his knees buckling. Pain seared through him, his vision flickering.
Selene screamed his name, shadows erupting wildly in every direction. The hound lunged at her again, and she threw everything she had left, her magic tearing her skin, her body shaking.
Adrian collapsed to one knee, clutching his chest, blood pooling around him. The storm above raged, lightning uncontrolled, bolts striking randomly across the city as if mourning its prince.
Kaelith loomed above him, sword raised, eyes glowing brighter than the storm.
"Your father begged," Kaelith whispered. "Will you?"
Adrian's hand tightened on his sword, his vision dimming, the storm screaming in his veins.
And Selene made her choice.
She hurled herself between them, shadows wrapping around Adrian, her body shielding his. Her eyes burned with fury as she faced Kaelith.
"You want the throne? You'll have to kill us both."
Kaelith's blade halted inches from her chest. His smile widened, cruel and delighted.
"Then so be it."
The courtyard fell into stillness, save for the crackle of lightning and the hiss of shadows.
Kaelith's blade hovered, inches from Selene's chest. The crimson glow bathed her face, her violet eyes unwavering, unflinching. Her shadow-wrought shield trembled under the weight of Kaelith's presence, yet she refused to step aside.
Adrian lay behind her, bleeding, struggling to keep hold of his fading consciousness. The storm above wailed as though his soul was tethered to the sky itself.
Kaelith tilted his head, studying Selene like a predator deciding whether the prey before him was worth killing now or later.
"You shield him with your body," he said softly, his voice a velvet thread woven with cruelty. "But your shadows scream fear. Do you think you can hide that from me?"
Selene's lips parted, and for the first time since the battle began, her voice did not carry venom—it carried iron.
"I'm not afraid of you, Kaelith."
The traitor's grin widened. "Then you're a liar… or a fool."
He thrust.
Selene's shadows surged, layering over each other in desperate defense. The crimson blade pierced them like parchment, inching closer, glowing hotter. Her arms shook, her veins burned black with overdrawn magic, but she stood her ground.
Behind her, Adrian stirred, his hand tightening around his sword. His voice was hoarse, drenched in blood.
"Selene… move."
"No," she snapped without turning. "You are not dying here."
Kaelith's blade pressed harder, forcing her to her knees. The crimson light devoured her shield, her body trembling as shadows tore from her in painful streams. She coughed blood, but her eyes blazed brighter.
"You think loyalty makes you strong?" Kaelith murmured. "It makes you weak. Look at you—breaking yourself for a dying prince who cannot even stand."
Selene spat blood, her smile sharp despite her trembling. "Better to break for him than bend for you."
Kaelith laughed. Not cruel this time—genuine amusement, echoing in the ruined courtyard. He stepped back, withdrawing his blade. Selene nearly collapsed forward, catching herself on one arm, shadows hissing and flickering around her body.
"You are bold," Kaelith said, eyes gleaming. "Bold enough to amuse me. But boldness without power is still death."
He raised his sword high, crimson fire spilling from it like liquid flame.
And then the storm screamed.
Adrian rose.
He rose with blood pouring from his chest, his body broken, his vision a haze of red. But his eyes glowed white, pure lightning radiating outward. The storm bent to him, clouds tearing open to reveal a sky burning with raw light. Bolts struck the earth in endless rhythm, as if the heavens themselves were preparing for war.
Kaelith turned, watching with interest as the Lightning Prince staggered forward, sword crackling brighter than ever before.
"Still standing?" Kaelith whispered. "Good."
Adrian's voice was raw thunder. "I'll… never bow to you."
He lunged, and the world erupted.
Lightning and crimson collided once more, but this time Adrian's strike carried more than fury—it carried desperation, grief, and the boundless will of one who refused to die. Their blades met with a sound like mountains splitting.
Selene forced herself upright, blood dripping down her chin, shadows wrapping her arms like broken wings. She saw Adrian falter—saw the wound in his chest tearing wider—and knew he would not last. Not without her.
She whispered words no shadowborn was ever meant to speak.
The ground split beneath her, darkness flooding out like a sea. The courtyard drowned in it, soldiers and beasts alike vanishing into black. From the void, something answered. Something vast. Something older than empire or gods.
Her body convulsed as the shadows tore through her veins, reshaping, remaking. Her eyes bled violet fire, her hands claws of living night. A second shadow-hound rose beside her, but unlike Kaelith's beast, this one carried no form—it was formless hunger, a maw of endless teeth.
Adrian's lightning flared at the sight of it, his heart clenching. "Selene—what have you done?"
Her voice was layered, doubled, not entirely her own. "What I must."
Kaelith's eyes narrowed, his smile fading into something sharper. For the first time, crimson and storm paused together, both turning toward the shadow now unfurling like a god reborn.
Selene raised her clawed hand, and the abyss surged.
The second shadow-hound lunged—not at Adrian, not at Kaelith, but at the first beast, Kaelith's creation. The courtyard shook as the two titans of darkness tore into one another, their roars splitting the night.
Kaelith chuckled low. "So… you call on forbidden roots. You will burn for this, girl."
Selene's gaze snapped to him, her voice reverberating with the abyss. "Then burn with me."
Adrian's strength cracked. His body screamed, his blood pouring freely, but he tightened his grip and joined her charge. Lightning and abyss surged side by side, storm and shadow united against crimson flame.
Kaelith laughed, his blade meeting them both, his power roaring to meet theirs.
The courtyard vanished in light and darkness.
The clash of titans ripped the night apart.
Selene's formless shadow-hound tore into Kaelith's beast, their jaws snapping, their howls shaking the palace foundations. One was bone and claw, crimson fire coursing through sinew; the other was void incarnate, a creature of nothingness that swallowed even sound when it struck.
Soldiers scrambled like ants, their screams lost in the quake of battle. Some fled, some froze, some prayed to gods that no longer listened. The air was heavy with the stench of burning stone, ozone, and fear.
Adrian staggered forward, his body refusing him but his will dragging it along. Lightning coiled around his blade, arcs striking his wounds and sealing them in searing light. His every breath was fire in his lungs, but still he pressed on, eyes locked on Kaelith.
Kaelith's smile returned, thin and cruel. "So this is what it takes. Blood. Shadows. Lightning. All of it for one throne." He spun his crimson blade, the heat bending the air. "Then show me—show me if you deserve to claim it."
Adrian roared, charging. Lightning split the sky, bolts answering his fury. His sword swung, a slash of pure thunder aimed to cleave Kaelith in two.
Kaelith met it head-on. Crimson fire and stormlight collided, the ground splitting open. Soldiers too slow to escape were swallowed by the rift, their cries snuffed out by earth itself.
Selene's body writhed under the weight of the abyss. Each heartbeat threatened to tear her apart, but she forced herself forward, shadows spilling from her in endless torrents. She lunged past Adrian, her clawed hand slashing toward Kaelith's chest.
He twisted, parrying Adrian's strike with his blade, then catching Selene's claws in his bare hand. The shadows hissed, burning into his flesh, but his grin never faltered. His crimson aura pulsed once, and the shadows shattered like glass.
Selene gasped, blood spraying from her mouth as the backlash struck her ribs. She stumbled, falling to one knee, but her eyes remained locked on him.
"You… will not… have him."
Kaelith raised his free hand, crimson flames blooming in his palm. "Then you will die beside him."
Adrian's blade cut between them, a vertical strike that roared like judgment itself. Kaelith blocked, sparks erupting, lightning and fire splintering the courtyard walls. For the first time, Adrian's eyes burned not only with rage but with clarity.
"You're not here for the throne," Adrian growled. "You're here for me."
Kaelith's laughter rolled like thunder. "Finally, the lightning whelp understands. Yes… you are the key. Not the throne. Not the empire. You."
Adrian's chest clenched. The storm above spiraled tighter, bolts converging, reality itself quivering under the weight of his heartbeat.
"Why me?" he demanded.
Kaelith's eyes glowed, crimson swallowing his pupils. His smile was wicked. "Because you are not just your father's son. You are his mistake."
The words cut deeper than any blade.
Adrian froze. Memories surged—his father's voice, harsh but proud, the weight of exile, the crown denied to him. A mistake.
Selene staggered back to her feet, her voice hoarse but fierce. "Don't listen—"
Kaelith's blade struck again, forcing Adrian to parry. "Your father betrayed me. Betrayed the truth of what we were building. He thought he could erase it by casting you away. But you—" his grin widened, "—you are the living echo of his treachery. And I will forge you into the weapon he feared."
Adrian's roar shook the storm. "I am no one's weapon!"
Their blades met again, shockwaves blasting the rubble into the night sky.
Selene hurled her shadows, spears of night slamming into Kaelith's flank. He spun, deflecting them, but the distraction gave Adrian the opening he needed. Lightning cascaded down his blade as he thrust, the force of the storm channeling into one impossible strike.
Kaelith caught it.
With one hand.
The courtyard blazed white-blue, lightning ripping across every surface, searing the air. Adrian pushed, veins bursting, eyes burning with light, but Kaelith held steady, crimson fire wrapping the blade like a serpent.
And then Kaelith leaned in, whispering so only Adrian could hear.
"Even now, you do not know the truth of your blood."
The blade cracked. Adrian's eyes widened as the storm stuttered, his power slipping from him like sand through fingers.
Kaelith shoved him back. Adrian flew across the courtyard, crashing through shattered stone, his sword tumbling from his grip. Lightning sputtered out, leaving the night heavy and dark.
Selene screamed his name, shadows writhing violently. She lunged, claws poised to tear Kaelith's throat.
Kaelith vanished.
One heartbeat he stood before her, the next he was behind her, crimson blade grazing her neck. She froze, her shadows recoiling as cold steel kissed her skin.
"Enough," Kaelith said softly.
The hounds clashed one last time, shadows and crimson fire exploding in silence. Both beasts dissolved, their masters calling them home. The courtyard was left in ruin—charred stone, broken towers, bodies strewn like discarded cloth.
Kaelith's blade rested lightly against Selene's throat. She stood rigid, breath shaking, knowing one flick would end her.
Adrian dragged himself from the rubble, blood covering him, eyes wide with fury and desperation.
"Let her go!" he roared.
Kaelith smiled without looking back. "Why? When she's the only reason you're still alive?"
His blade pressed just enough to draw a single drop of blood from Selene's pale skin. Her eyes met Adrian's, wide, vulnerable for the first time.
Kaelith turned, his cloak of crimson flame billowing. His eyes locked onto Adrian, burning with promise.
"The throne is nothing. You are everything. When you are ready to claim what your blood denies you… seek me."
He released Selene and stepped into the darkness. The crimson glow faded, his presence dissolving like smoke, leaving only silence and ruin.
The storm faltered, lightning flickering out. Adrian collapsed to his knees, exhausted beyond words, his vision dimming.
Selene stumbled toward him, clutching her bleeding neck. She caught his body just before he fell, her shadows cradling them both in the wreckage.
"Adrian," she whispered, her voice breaking. "Don't you dare leave me."
His eyes closed.
The courtyard lay in ruin. The throne untouched. But the true war had only just begun.
Adrian's breath rattled in his chest as Selene dragged him out of the rubble, her shadows trembling from exhaustion. His blood slicked her hands, and she could barely keep her footing, but she refused to let him collapse.
Around them the courtyard was a graveyard. Bodies of soldiers lay twisted, smoke rose from shattered walls, and the once-mighty palace felt like the corpse of a kingdom. Yet the silence was louder than battle. Kaelith was gone, but his presence clung to the night like ash.
Adrian forced his eyes open, pupils flickering with the last trace of lightning. He tried to speak but coughed blood.
Selene pressed a hand to his chest, shadows wrapping around him like bandages. "Don't," she whispered sharply. "Save your strength."
He caught her wrist, his voice hoarse but defiant. "You… used forbidden shadows. I saw it."
She looked away, shame flickering across her face. "I had no choice."
"There's always a choice," Adrian rasped. "And now… you've marked yourself. The abyss doesn't give back what it takes."
Her jaw clenched, but her eyes softened. "Then I'll pay the price. Better me than you."
His gaze lingered, stormlight dimming as he fell unconscious.
Selene pulled him close, her own strength fading, but she refused to break. The shadowhound within her howled, hungry for more, but she caged it in silence.
Somewhere deep in the ruins, horns sounded. Reinforcements. Too late, as always.
The gates burst open and Captain Darius strode in, his armor charred, his sword stained with crimson. His soldiers flanked him, eyes wide at the devastation.
When they saw Adrian half-dead in Selene's arms, whispers rippled like wildfire.
"The traitor prince…"
"He fought for us?"
"No—he brought this ruin."
Darius silenced them with a glare, but doubt lingered in their faces.
Kneeling by Adrian, Darius inspected the wounds, his jaw tight. "He should be dead," he muttered. "And yet the storm clings to him."
Selene's shadows bristled. "He lives because he fought. He saved this city while the rest of you cowered."
Darius met her glare without flinching. "And who saved him? You? Or the abyss now crawling under your skin?"
His words cut, and the soldiers shifted uneasily. Selene said nothing, only pulled Adrian closer.
Darius rose, barking orders. "Get the healers! Clear the dead! And not a word of this leaves the courtyard. If the High Council learns of what happened here, we'll drown in panic before dawn."
Soldiers scrambled, dragging corpses, dousing flames, but their eyes never left Adrian.
A prince long exiled, standing bloodied yet unbroken.
A shadowborn at his side, tainted by forbidden power.
And a crimson ghost who had humbled them all.
Whispers would spread. Nothing could stop that.
---
When the healers arrived, Selene did not release Adrian. Shadows snarled when hands reached for him. Only when his pulse steadied did she allow them to touch him, and even then, her eyes never left him.
Through the long night she stayed, silent, watching every breath he took.
Yet inside, her soul screamed.
Kaelith's words gnawed at her—about Adrian's bloodline, his father's mistake, the truth hidden in his exile. She had sworn loyalty to the crown, but what if the crown itself had lied?