Chapter 9 - Joren's Trap
The dust still hadn't settled. Kael coughed into his sleeve, lungs burning, ears ringing from the collapse. Ember stood stiffly at his side, hackles raised, his golden eyes locked on the figure emerging from the haze of rubble and smoke.
Joren.
Even in the dim corridor, his rival carried himself with effortless arrogance, cloak swept behind him like a prince on parade. His shadow-wolf padded silently at his heel, its translucent form gliding rather than walking. Its eyes glowed a hungry crimson, fixated on Ember.
"Well, well," Joren drawled, his voice smooth and mocking. "I thought the earth itself had swallowed you. And yet - here you are. Alive. Again."
Kael tightened his grip on his sword, though his arms still shook from the battle below. "Move, Joren. I'm not in the mood for your games."
"Games?" Joren's smile widened, though his eyes gleamed cold. "Is that what you call sneaking into forbidden halls? Summoning storms where none should exist? Tell me, Kael, how many secrets are you hiding from the rest of us?"
Kael's heart skipped a beat. Joren knew. Or at least, he suspected.
The other boy circled slowly, his shadow-wolf mirroring his steps. Ember prowled in the opposite direction, sparks crackling faintly across his fur. The two spirit beasts mirrored their masters, predators circling prey.
Joren's tone sharpened, loud enough for his voice to carry down the corridor. "Or maybe the whispers are true. Maybe you're cursed. Maybe the storm didn't choose you - it infected you. Corruption, dressed up as destiny."
Kael's jaw tightened. The words were bait, sharpened to cut. And worse - footsteps echoed in the hall behind Joren. Other students were gathering, drawn by the noise. Their faces emerged through the haze, wide-eyed, whispering.
"Is that Kael?"
"Look at his arm - his mark is glowing."
"Did he cause the collapse?"
The whispers twisted into Kael's gut like knives. He had survived the trial, survived the watchers, only to stand here and be judged like a criminal.
"Leave it," Kael growled under his breath. "I don't answer to you."
But Joren stepped closer, his smile spreading like oil across water. "Then prove it. Right here, right now. Or admit to everyone that you're nothing but a fraud hiding behind lightning you can't control."
Gasps rippled through the watching students. The challenge hung in the air like a drawn blade.
Kael's blood pounded in his ears. He could walk away. He should walk away. He was exhausted, his body aching, the storm inside him still raging wild and unsteady.
But if he did, Joren would win more than a fight. He would win the whispers. The Academy would see Kael as a coward - or worse, as a monster too dangerous to face.
Ember pressed against his leg, golden eyes fierce. His growl was low, steady, a vow of loyalty.
Kael exhaled slowly. His voice came out rough, but firm. "Fine. You want a duel? You've got one."
The students erupted in excited chatter. Some scrambled to clear space in the corridor, forming a loose circle. Others leaned eagerly against the walls, whispering bets.
Joren's eyes glittered with triumph. "Excellent. No teachers. No wardens. Just you, me, and our beasts. Old Academy rules."
The shadow-wolf bared its teeth in a silent snarl. Ember barked sharply, sparks exploding off his fur.
The air thickened, charged with anticipation. Kael tightened his grip on his sword, his storm-mark pulsing like a drumbeat in his veins.
Joren tilted his head, smile sharp as a blade. "Let's see if the storm can outlast the dark."
The circle of students widened, their faces pale with nerves yet burning with excitement. Unsanctioned duels were forbidden, but that only made them more thrilling.
Joren shrugged off his cloak, letting it fall in a neat fold by the wall. Every movement of his was practiced, precise, as though he'd been waiting for this exact moment. His shadow-wolf prowled forward, its translucent body rippling like smoke, eyes glowing like burning coals.
Kael flexed his aching fingers around the hilt of his blade. His body screamed at him to stop - bruised muscles, cuts still fresh from the watchers' strikes - but the storm under his skin would not let him retreat. Ember stood beside him, steady and solid, sparks hissing faintly in the air between his teeth.
"Rules are simple," Joren said, his voice pitched for the crowd. "No killing. First to fall or yield loses. But of course..." He smirked, eyes cutting toward Kael. "...accidents happen when power is untamed."
The onlookers murmured, the unspoken truth hanging in the air - duels didn't always end cleanly.
Kael drew his sword. The weight felt heavier than usual, but familiar all the same. He raised the blade in front of him, settling into the defensive stance taught to first-years. His mark burned hot against his chest, its pulse answering the storm outside the windows, faint thunder rolling in the distance.
"Ready," Kael said, his voice steady despite the tremor in his muscles.
Joren inclined his head mockingly. "Ready."
The duel began.
Joren moved first, fast as a striking viper. His hand flicked through the air, and shadows coiled from his fingers, hardening into barbed tendrils that lashed at Kael. Kael parried desperately, steel clashing against dark energy that felt colder than ice. Sparks exploded with every strike, Ember darting in to snap at the tendrils, his jaws sparking with lightning.
Kael swung for Joren, but the boy slid aside with infuriating grace. His shadow-wolf lunged, forcing Kael back, its smoky claws leaving burning trails on the stone floor. Ember met it head-on, the two spirit beasts clashing in a blur of fire and shadow.
The crowd gasped as Kael stumbled under another lash of Joren's shadows, his blade nearly torn from his grip. His rival's smirk widened.
"You can't even control yourself," Joren sneered. "And you expect the Academy to trust you?"
Kael gritted his teeth, blocking another strike. Lightning sparked unbidden down his arms, searing against the blade until the steel glowed faintly. The storm within him surged, wild and untamed, begging to be released.
Ember yelped as the shadow-wolf slammed him against the wall, its form expanding like a growing storm cloud. Sparks burst from his fur, his eyes flashing as he twisted and snapped back, tearing into the wolf's neck. The shadow-beast shrieked, its body scattering before reforming again.
Kael staggered forward, rage boiling. "You talk too much, Joren."
He thrust his palm outward. Lightning exploded from his hand, a raw, uncontrolled blast that lit the entire corridor in blinding white.
The students shrieked, shielding their eyes. The bolt slammed into Joren's barrier of shadows, shattering it and hurling him backward. His wolf flickered, momentarily broken apart.
For the first time, Joren's smirk faltered.
Kael's chest heaved. His storm-mark burned like fire, the broken-chain sigil glowing faintly in its cracks. Ember bounded back to his side, growling, fur still sparking with energy.
The crowd erupted in whispers:
"He blasted straight through - "
"That wasn't normal lightning - "
"Look at his mark - it's glowing again!"
Joren climbed slowly to his feet, dusting his sleeve as though nothing had happened. His smirk returned, sharper now, more dangerous. "So. The cursed storm bares its fangs."
Kael lifted his blade again, though his arm shook. He was losing strength fast, but his eyes stayed locked on his rival.
This duel wasn't over. Not by a long shot.
The storm outside rattled the academy windows as if the world itself leaned closer to watch the duel.
Kael's lightning had scarred the floor, stone cracked and smoking where it struck. The students were pressed tight against the walls, eyes wide, whispers rising and falling like waves.
Joren stood across the circle, his shadow-wolf reforming at his side. He touched his jaw, where a faint scorch mark lingered, and for the first time his arrogance sharpened into something darker - hunger.
"You really don't understand what you are," Joren said softly, his voice cutting through the murmurs. "And that ignorance will destroy you."
Kael didn't answer. His chest rose and fell heavily, but his grip on the sword tightened. Ember's tail lashed, sparks trailing in the air.
The wolf lunged first. A massive blur of shadow and smoke, claws tearing into the stone as it came straight for Kael. Ember leapt to meet it, his body blazing with fire and lightning combined, jaws locking onto the beast's throat. The corridor erupted with snarls, light clashing against darkness in a furious storm.
Joren followed, shadows swirling around him like armor. He flicked his hand and a jagged spear of darkness shot across the floor toward Kael.
Kael dodged, barely, rolling across the stone. The spear shattered into shards, embedding into the walls with a hiss that smelled of burned ash.
"Too slow," Joren mocked. He pressed forward, his strikes relentless, precise. Every movement was honed, as though practiced for years.
Kael parried desperately, steel sparking against blades of shadow. His arms shook with the force. His body screamed for rest, but every jeer from the crowd, every smirk on Joren's face stoked the fire in his chest.
He roared, lightning spilling from his blade, and drove Joren back with a furious slash. The corridor lit up like a storm-torn sky.
Joren's wolf screeched as Ember pinned it down, sparks burning holes through its smoky flesh. Yet the shadow-beast only multiplied, splitting into two smaller wolves that lunged again. Ember was knocked aside, tumbling across the stones with a yelp.
"No!" Kael's focus faltered for a heartbeat, and Joren struck.
A lash of shadow coiled around Kael's arm, searing cold. He cried out as the tendril tightened, dragging him to his knees.
"You're raw power, Kael," Joren hissed, stepping close, his voice for Kael alone now. "And raw power is nothing without control. You're nothing."
The chain mark on Kael's chest burned hotter than ever, the storm inside him rising like a beast unchained.
He clenched his fist and pulled.
Lightning erupted from his body, wild and furious. The tendril shattered. Joren was blasted backward, slamming into the far wall. The corridor shook with the force, the ceiling dust raining down.
The crowd screamed, scattering back, some shielding themselves with hastily conjured wards.
Kael staggered to his feet, his blade crackling with raw energy. His eyes glowed faintly blue-white, stormlight bleeding from his very skin. Ember limped to his side, snarling, fur sparking again with renewed fire.
Across the circle, Joren laughed. Not mocking, not cruel - just a sharp, delighted laugh, like a man who had found treasure.
"Yes," Joren whispered, rising slowly, shadows thickening around him. "That's the power I wanted to see."
Kael blinked, breath ragged. "What?"
"You think this is a duel?" Joren's grin was sharp, wolfish. "This is a test. And you've proven me right. You're dangerous... but useful."
The shadows around him surged, the wolf doubling in size, filling the corridor with its hulking form. Joren's eyes glowed red with power.
Kael raised his sword again, though his arm trembled. The storm within him screamed for release, lightning building until the air itself hummed.
The clash that followed was no duel. It was chaos.
Lightning and shadow collided in blinding waves, shaking the corridor with every impact. Sparks rained down like meteors, shadows tore through stone, Ember and the wolf ripping at each other with primal fury.
And at the center, Kael and Joren, their blades meeting in a storm of steel, thunder, and darkness.
The corridor could barely contain the violence of their power. One wrong strike, and the academy itself might collapse.
And still, neither yielded.
The floor cracked beneath their feet, fissures spidering out with every strike. The corridor, once a place of quiet study, had become a battlefield where storm and shadow warred without restraint.
Kael's body screamed for surrender, but the storm inside him refused to quiet. Every heartbeat felt like thunder; every breath, a strike of lightning desperate to break free. Ember fought beside him with raw defiance, his blazing fur singeing the smoky wolves again and again.
Joren, though battered, only looked more exhilarated. His cloak was torn, his cheek singed, yet the shadows coiled tighter around him, thick and alive, as though feeding on his will. His wolf loomed like a beast of nightmare, stretching from floor to ceiling.
"Do you feel it?" Joren shouted over the roar of battle. "This is power! This is what separates us from the weaklings huddling in the dark! You could be more, Kael - if you'd just embrace it."
"I'm not like you!" Kael growled, slashing through another lash of shadow. Lightning surged down his blade, cleaving into the wolf's leg. The beast howled, collapsing before reforming again.
The air grew heavier, oppressive. Students pressed tighter to the walls, some whispering in fear, others too stunned to move. They had come to watch humiliation, not the collapse of their academy.
Joren's smirk deepened. "Not like me? Then prove it. Break me."
He surged forward.
Their blades clashed, lightning tearing through shadow, the shockwave flinging dust and debris into the air. Kael roared, driving forward, each strike faster, harder, fueled by the storm's desperate hunger. Sparks blinded the corridor, thunder deafened the crowd.
Then -
A scream.
One of the younger students too close to the circle had been caught in the backlash. A shard of shadow had sliced across his arm, sending him sprawling.
Kael froze. His blade wavered. The storm inside him twisted violently, panic colliding with rage.
Joren's eyes gleamed. "Hesitation."
The wolf slammed into Kael, hurling him across the floor. He crashed into the wall, pain bursting through his ribs. Ember yelped, struggling under the shadow-beast's weight.
Kael gasped, blood filling his mouth. The world spun. The voices of the crowd blurred into a roar.
"You can't protect them," Joren's voice cut through, cold and merciless. "Not your friends, not this academy, not even yourself. You're a storm that destroys everything it touches."
Kael tried to rise, his body trembling. His storm-mark burned so hot it seared against his skin, the broken chain glowing brighter than ever. Lightning crackled wildly around him, uncontrolled, leaping to the walls, the ceiling, the floor.
Students screamed as the very stones shuddered.
Ember broke free with a furious burst, slamming into the wolf with teeth of fire and thunder. The corridor filled with their clash, but Kael's vision tunneled. His breath came in shallow gasps.
His storm begged to be unleashed - fully, completely.
If he gave in, he knew the truth: the academy would fall.
Joren stepped closer, eyes blazing red, shadows curling around his hand like a spear aimed at Kael's heart.
"Yield," he said, voice a deadly whisper. "Or unleash yourself and damn us all."
Kael raised his head, lightning bleeding from his eyes, his mark pulsing with unbearable light. Ember growled at his side, sparks raining off his body.
For a heartbeat, the entire world seemed to hold its breath.
And then -
"ENOUGH!"
The voice cracked like a thunderclap, deeper than any student's. The corridor shook as a figure stepped into the circle - Professor Aric, the head of combat training. His cloak billowed with wind not his own, his presence smothering the chaos.
With a single sweep of his staff, a barrier of force slammed down between the boys, scattering shadow and lightning alike. The wolf howled and disintegrated; Ember collapsed to his belly, panting.
Joren staggered back, eyes blazing with frustration. Kael dropped to his knees, the storm inside him clawing for release even as the barrier forced it down.
The crowd scattered, silence thick and fearful.
Aric's gaze burned between them. "Both of you. My office. Now."
But the professor's voice did little to quench the truth that every student had seen with their own eyes.
Kael was not just another recruit.
He was something far more dangerous.
And Joren - had made certain the entire academy now knew it.